Switch from Survive to Thrive
I’m overwhelmed. I’m stressed out. I’m exhausted.
I can’t turn my brain off. I can’t think straight. I can’t sleep properly.
There’s not enough time in the day.
Do any of those words sound familiar? Do they trigger a physical response inside you?
So many of us are over-committed, anxious and in a state of stress. And you don’t need to be having a panic attack for your body to be displaying signs of stress. And the way your body exhibits stress is unique to you.
You may have obvious stereotypical signs like racing thoughts, sweaty palms, dry mouth and palpitations.
Or you may function really well under stress when your body is pumping out high levels of your stress hormone cortisol. You might be used to that sensation. Perhaps you have a demanding work or home life where that’s the normality.
But regardless of whether you’re high functioning under stress or not, your body can’t work optimally with prolonged elevated stress hormones.
Even if you feel you don’t need to sleep much or eat much, you’re working late at night or you don’t need to take breaks for self-care, your body will still be feeling the impact.
It all comes down to inflammation. And stress hormones are the key driver of inflammation. The enemy of all the cells in your body.
This is when our sympathetic nervous system is in overdrive. This is our fight or flight response. It takes a lot of energy on a cellular level to stay in this space.
Your body starts putting on the brakes with low mood, depression or procrastinating.
We need to switch from ‘survive’ over to ‘thrive’.
How do we do that? We need to calm our body and that will in turn help us to find clarity.
We need to shift from our sympathetic nervous system over to our parasympathetic nervous system which governs our rest and digest response.
And guess what? Yoga, meditation and breathing exercises are some of the best ways to find this state of relaxation and reduce the signs of stress.
Mindful Movement.
Dynamic yoga like Flow & Hot allows you to strengthen and stabilise your body while staying focused on your parasympathetic nervous system.
Mini Meditations.
Relaxing Yin yoga is a peaceful practice that works into your mobility with long, deep stretches to find stillness. We turn each pose into a mini meditation.
Breathing exercises.
Otherwise known as ‘pranayama’ we love focusing on our breath. It’s such a powerful tool that you can tap into at any stage of your day.
We love the post-yoga feeling of bliss and teaching our yogis at Kula how to experience it for themselves. We help them stay present in their practice and find peace and calm to carry off the mat into the rest of their day.
We look forward to seeing you on the mat soon and helping you thrive.
Team Kula xx
Join Kula founder Kacey this Saturday for a ‘Switch From Survive To Thrive’ Yin Yoga Virtual Masterclass – Bookings: www.kulayoga.com.au/workshops
About the author: Kacey Smith is a Yoga Teacher & Founder of Kula Yoga Hampton & Hawthorn.
Photo credit: Kula founder Kacey Smith by Andybbear Photography
————————————
Strengthen, energise, release & thrive with Hot Yoga, Vinyasa Flow, Slow Flow and Yin Yoga classes at our beautiful studios in Hawthorn & Hampton, in Boroondara and Bayside Melbourne.
Our studios also host regular yoga workshops, Victorian weekend yoga retreats, and overseas retreats to exotic places like Bali, Thailand & India. We also offer as a mobile yoga programs for community, school and corporate groups.
Our Hawthorn studio caters to the surrounding suburbs of Camberwell, Kew, Canterbury, Glen Iris, Richmond, Balwyn & Surrey Hills.
Our Hampton studio covers the Bayside communities of Brighton, Sandringham, Black Rock, Beaumaris, Highett, Moorabbin & Bentleigh.
Join our dedicated Online Studio with flexible membership options to allow you to complement your in studio classes with at home practice.
Enjoy our Intro Offer ~ 6 Classes for $50 ~ for newcomers to the studio, valid for 3 weeks from first use.
Facebook: Kula Yoga Australia Instagram – @kulayoga Youtube – Kula Yoga Australia
