I got up this morning to a day filled with my favorite activity, cooking. I first whipped up an apricot galette, then picked herbs from my garden for a soup and headed to the freezer for fish for dinner. YIKES! My freezer had stopped working. The temperature was up to 40 and warming up. It was toast. As my adrenaline started to kick in I went into panic mode till I found some friends to take my frozen berries. Then I sat down with a cup of tea and a slice of apricot galette to calm down and think this through.

When our sympathetic nervous system is engaged, a little extra cortisol is released to help us be productive. You may also have a mental component like anger or fear associated with this stressful situation which will keep the fight or flight juices running. Once you get whatever you needed to do done, do you keep doing or do you sit down and rest and let your body renew? In our world today, all too often cortisol is released to help us in a stressful situation but we don’t give our bodies time to recover because another stressful situation happens too soon. Some stress is more stressful than others and can last longer and be harder on our bodies. To help us cope with stress and minimize its many effects starts by recognizing that you are overloaded. One of the best things you can do for yourself is to sit and take a few conscious breaths from time to time in your day. Unplug from your devices. Don’t touch your phone or computer after a certain time in the evening or take a full day break. I write lists to help me prioritize what I need to get done and if it doesn’t get done it goes to another day. I keep track and don’t get crazy thinking about all I have to “do”. Keeping your body healthy by exercising with Yoga or walking or whatever you like to do will help you to recover when these times happen, giving your body a way to sustain in this crazy world we live in.

Finally, I would like to thank you all for supporting SoundYoga and our mission of providing small classes with individualized attention. Beginning in September we will be increasing the cost of classes by $3.00 per class. I am proud that we have been able to offer our Yoga classes for the same price since 2009. However, this year we’ve had a rent increase for our beautiful studio. In addition, I would also like to acknowledge the passion and dedication of our teachers by giving them a long overdue raise. Thanks again for your understanding and continued support, we look forward to seeing you in the fall. Enjoy the rest of your summer!
In Peace, Chris