The pandemic year has been challenging and emotionally taxing to everyone-no exceptions. Let’s set the intention to nourish our mind, body and spirit by practicing and incorporating one new strategy that will protect you from stress and increase your resilience) when you get into the habit of doing it a few times a day.
The Multiple Benefits of Yawning
Research shows how important yawning is to maintain a healthy brain.
Nearly every form of neurological stress –wether is caused by negative emotions or disease – literally heats up the brain.
Negative thoughts, worries, anxiety, fears or anything else that increases neural activity will make the temperature in brain go up.
Yawning is a thermoregulatory response that cools down and relaxes your brain and body. It is the simplest and fastest way to de-stress.
A very deep, deliberate and longer yawn stops anxiety, fear and worries in its track.
This strategy is widely used by athletes and entertainers; they are trained to yawn before a performance to get centered and calm.
Neuro Tip:
Infuse health to your daily routine with my “wellness-diet” recipe by incorporating “mindful snacks” throughout out the day: once every hour (or several times a day)
Ingredients:
- A power yawn: Close your eyes, take a deep and deliberate yawn, stretch and relax. Now simply focus intently on your breathing for 30-60 seconds and notice how your worries, fears and doubts fade away.
- A super slow mindful stretch or a slow mindful movement: Move or stretch your body extremely slowly, bringing your awareness into your body; notice the quality of the movement and your muscles contract; feel the clothes against your skin and the position of the body in space. Do this for 30-60 seconds and notice how your negative or anxious feelings disappear.
Preparation:
- Mix the two ingredients, and -Voila! You have the perfect recipe for a “mindful snack” to have throughout out the day to dissipate any anxious thoughts, doubts or fear and keep you centered.
Suggestions:
- Make your yawns last 5 seconds or longer (and if for any reason, you cannot yawn, try faking a yawn!)
- Mindfully yawn three times, perform one super-slow movement or stretch. Do this once each hour throughout the day to instantly decrease mental stress and facilitate focus and alertness.
Give it a try!
This post was mindfully crafted by Fanny Elizaga.
-Sources-
Yawning in neurology: a review. Teive HAG, et al. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2018 Jul;76(7):473-480.
Yawning and stretching predict brain temperature changes in rats: support for the thermoregulatory hypothesis. ShoupKnox ML, Gallup AC, Gallup GG, McNay EC. Front Evol Neurosci. 2010 Sep 24;2:108.
For information about Mindfulness.NeuroCoaching, visit www.fannyelizagacoaching.com