It may not be a cold but a Needed Rest
I’m not a doctor or a naturopath or a scientist or anything flash. I’m a recovering Long-Covider and Ex-chronic-stresser who has proven time and time again that what is going on mentally for me, shows up in my body. This showing up can be by way of fatigue, body inflammation pain, heart palpitations, a cold, headaches and tinnitus, grumpiness, or just a feeling of needing to go within.
Our minds are super clever: Their sole job is to keep us safe. They do such a good job that even when there are no tigers in the room to run from, they trick us into thinking there is a tiger in the room. Rehashing the past and neurotically rehearsing the future - sound familiar? Practices like social media scrolling, on the go go go go, unhappy or super stressed at work - these are our modern tigers.
So we have to trick our mind and get down into our bodies, before our minds make us sick.
A practice like restorative yoga does just that by:
Letting your mind do its crazy thing as you bow down under it, to deeply rest. Your mind will get the message to chill out.
Lowering your heart rate and blood pressure
Letting you focus on how you are breathing (your breath is a reflection of how you feel)
Giving you a chance to do nothing
Resting in the present moment where you can experience calm
Switching your nervous system (which controls everything) over to relax and digest.
Because you are not running from tigers while you are in a restorative yoga pose, your body is shifting all its survival energy and focus over to digestion, balancing hormones, immune system and regulating your nervous system.
And restorative yoga has really cool names! Waterfall, face plant, dead bug, twisted root, child’s and my favourite - leg’s up the wall.
Your body cannot heal when you are stressed. Your mind is too busy keeping you safe. It can’t and won’t do both.
Your body needs rest. It can be incredibly hard to just drop everything and go to a restorative yoga class, or watch a video, or even do the pose yourself. But if you want to feel different, you must do something different. You can’t use the same strategy that got you here in the first place.
I know. I’ve run around in circles my entire life, having an awesome time, making an impact. But the biggest impact was on myself - not in a good way.
I’m not a flash expert. But I know what it takes for me to destress, avoid a cold or at least the worst of a cold, and bring a whole bunch of beautiful calm into my life: stopping, dropping into some restful shapes, breathing and being present.
Yoga Nidra is also an excellent way to bring physical and mental tension release to your body and mind. It’s an easy lying down meditation and is especially good if you are anxious, need to change the things you tell yourself, and suspect you may be chronically stressed.
Rest Yin Restorative Yoga classes
Yoga Nidra - online and in forest-studio
Free audio track to bring about some instant calm