Feelings whoa whoa whoa!!! Feelings
How yoga helps you deal.
Did you know that our whole body feels our feelings? Have you ever noticed, for example, how you might feel your tummy get really gnarly before you take a test, or how your face might get red when you feel angry? Inside our body are hormones, called the endocrine glands, that influence how our body feels. Yoga- hurrah!! helps us get our hormones back in balance so they don’t run away without us!
What does balance mean? Balance is a place inside ourselves where we feel really calm and relaxed. That doesn’t mean we won’t feel upset , frustrated, or hurt. When we practice yoga, we learn how to feel the feelings in our bodies first, such as “ah. My tummy feels really gnarly. I must be anxious about that test.” THEN we breathe, do our yoga poses, enjoy each moment , accept our feelings as natural, and let any emotions that keep us from keeping relaxed(as in not breathing easily or holding tension in our bodies) flow right down into the floor and out the door. We feel the calm inside ourselves again . Our bodies remember that place of calm before we take our test.
Can you guess why ? When we do our yoga, our endocrine system says “oh, I am so happy. You tuned in! Now I can help you when you feel so anxious. Thank you for doing your yoga poses and for breathing deeply.” Our endocrine system is stimulated( kind of like stirring a pot of soup) into action , working with the nervous system and organs to regulate us( regulate is a fancy word for making things normal) releasing just the right amount of hormones , then returning us to what our body loves best- being relaxed.
There are eight main endocrine glands in the body, starting from the bottom to the top.
1. Gonads-our reproductive glands. They have to do with our nature- male or female. You keep them in balance now through yoga so when you reach high school they don’t overwhelm you.
2. Adrenals. They rest above the kidneys. They release steroids and other hormones to keep your sugars in balance when we feel stressed or anxious. Our adrenals release adrenalin , epinephrine and cortisol/cortisone to help you deal with challenging or fearful situations. Through yoga we learn to reduce our anxiety levels, which means our adrenals don’t have to work so hard all the time. This is really good for your health.
3. Pancreas. Our pancreas also controls our sugars- who knew you had so many sugars in your body? Too much or too little sugar can lead to health problems such as diabetes or hypoglycemia.
4. Thymus. Our thymus aids our immune system, which fights off sickness. Even though it gets smaller by the time we are in high school, we still need it to keep our health strong.
5. Thyroid. This gland helps our mental development as well as rules our metabolism. Metabolism is what keeps our digestion healthy.
6. Parathyroid. The parathyroid keeps the calcium levels in our bones just right. We need the right level of calcium, a mineral, in our body so our bones don’t get dried out or shrink.
7. Pituitary . This gland relates to our physical growth, helps our thyroid be the best it can be, and makes sure the fluids in our body don’t get all crazy on us.
8. Pineal- this gland is still a mystery but it may help with sleep, sadness and inner vision(our intuition)
All of these glands working in harmony keeps you from having huge mood swings.
Here are some GREAT!!! Yoga poses and a wonderful breathing technique to help you feel your feelings, give your endocrine system a chance to help you , and find your balance.
Upward Boat Pose. Sit on your bottom with your feet flat on the floor, your knees bent. Lift your chest, arms and legs up into a V. Focus on your fantastic toes and breathe,. This pose helps our gonads, pancreas, thymus, thyroid and adrenals
Downward Facing Dog Pose. Come on to your hands and knees. Now lift your bottom up to the sky as you reach your hands into the floor. Lift your knees off the ground. Let your legs become like long sticks. Now you are in an upside down V! this pose helps our gonads, pancreas, pituitary and pineal glands .
Cobra Pose. Lie on your tummy with your legs outstretched behind you. Place your hands under your shoulders on the floor. Press into your hands and lift your chest , throat and head up, hissing like a snake. This pose helps our pancreas, thymus and thyroid.
Fish Pose. Lie on your back with your legs together like a fish tail. Slide your hands underneath you with your palms down. Lift your heart up as you roll the top of your head on to the ground. Make a fish mouth. This pose helps our thyroid, parathyroid, pituitary and thymus.
Corpse Pose. Lie on your back. Rest your arms and legs. Close your eyes. Relax! This pose helps your pineal, pituitary and adrenals.
Balloon Breath. Sit up. Place your hands on your tummy. Feel your belly getting bigger as you breathe in, like you are filling up a balloon, then get smaller as you breathe out, emptying the balloon. It’s okay if you make a sound. It may help you relax. Balloon breath helps your WHOLE BODY.
So if you are feeling moody, try yoga. It will help you and everyone around you a whole bunch!
* Feel free to color YamaYogi in his posies. YamaYogi has his own set of flash cards available at www.colormeyoga.com
Marsha Therese , creator of Color Me Yoga® for Children is sometimes just a teeny tiny bit moody .
©Color Me Yoga Enterprises, LLC 2008
