"Regulate your nervous system" is suddenly everywhere. TikTok's #NervousSystemRegulation has over 60,000 posts: vagus nerve icing, ear massage, slow blinking, EFT tapping. One icing video alone has 3 million views. Some of that is useful, and some of it is the internet rediscovering what yoga teachers have done for a very long time. Before you buy an ice pack for your neck, here's my Ayurvedic practitioner's view. In Ayurveda, vata is the energy of movement. Its qualities are cold, movement, lightness and subtlety. Add cold, and you add more of those qualities. In plain English: cold increases movement along your nervous system, and that can mean more nervousness, not less. So icing is not calming or grounding in the Ayurvedic view. That's a traditional teaching, not a modern study. I also couldn't find solid research behind icing or ear massage, trending or not. What does hold up: slow breathing measurably raises vagal heart rate variability. A 2022 review of 223 studies found this during the breath, right after, and after repeated practice. What's thinner: going from "your HRV went up" to "your anxiety went down" is backed by smaller, newer reviews so far. Online, I see some teachers who focus only on how to do the postures correctly, and others who focus only on breathwork. Here at Yoga Wolf we combine both. If you've taken my classes, you know that every muscular action in a posture goes with a specific breath: inhale, tone your inner thigh muscles; exhale, firm your core. When you do that with the breath we use here, the ujjayi breath, it works on your nervous system. We also use restorative postures, like legs up the wall, and even headstands, where we work with the breath while we hold the position. In my experience, that has a grounding, settling effect. You'll find them in the classroom: https://www.skool.com/yoga-40-7155/classroom One thing to try today: stand up. Inhale, and move your arms out to the side and up over your head, looking toward the ceiling. Exhale, and lower your arms down to your sides. Make your movement exactly as long as your breath. Keep the breath as long as you can without gasping. Then notice whether this settles your nervous system a little.

A study published this year followed over 5,400 women, ages 63 to 99, for eight years. The quarter of them who could stand up from a chair fastest, five times in a row, no hands, had about 37% lower odds of dying during that stretch than the slowest quarter. Grip strength told nearly the same story, about 33% lower. My take: this isn't about how your arms look in a sleeveless shirt. It's about whether you can still get off the floor to play with a grandkid, or hoist a suitcase into an overhead bin. One of my longtime students, mid-70s, still gets up and down off the floor without using her hands. Her own words about women her age: "there's no freaking way" most of them could do that anymore. Honest caveat: this particular study only looked at women, and the average age was almost 79, older than most of you reading this. So if you're 55 and this test feels wobbly, that's useful information, not a verdict. I found yoga because my joints wore out. I was a full-time parachute rigger, which means a lot of work for the arms and hands, and one day I could not even lift my coffee cup. And I love my coffee, so I had to do something. That’s how I found yoga. A few years later I quit rigging and became a yoga teacher instead. So when I say strong, I don’t mean impressive. I mean the kind that lets you lift your cup, get up off the floor, and keep going. One thing to try today: stand up from a chair five times in a row, no hands, no pushing off your knees. Notice how it feels. If it's shaky, hold the back of a chair and check with your doctor or PT before you push further. Come find your own version of strong in the classroom this week, whatever calls to you.

Pack, if you love hip opener/ hip mobility work, I got something NEW for you and you see it a day before anyone else. Mobile Hips, Strong Core, Calm Mind is a 25-minute practice. First I show you the little actions that protect your knees (it starts with your pinky toe, trust me), so you can stretch your hips without sacrificing your knees. Then we move through lunges, plank, twists and seated hip openers, and we finish with a rest. Bring a mat. Blocks are optional.Do what you can - don't what you shouldn't - listen to the feedback of your body :-) 👉 https://youtu.be/vmkzUaxNTU0 After you practice, tell me one thing: where did you feel it most, hips, core, or the calm? I read every answer. It goes public tomorrow, but you got the first dibs. 💛

Good Morning. I will have to postpone the last session of our Strong and Capable Series to probably tomorrow or Thursday. My uncle (very close to me) just passed away. I am currently in no position to be live leading a relaxing restorative session. Thank you for understanding. Here is a prerecorded session that fall in the same category - we will explore different breath rations that have a very calming effect YOUR YOGA CLASS

A big review of 189 stretching studies, about 6,700 adults, looked at what actually makes people more flexible. One finding I love: how hard people stretched didn't make a significant difference. Translation: you don't have to suffer for your hamstrings. Steady beats heroic. One honest caveat: the people in these studies averaged about 27 years old, and most were men. The review measured flexibility only, not pain or joint health. So take it as a good reason to stop pushing into pain, not a promise. I know the pushing kind of stretching and performing any sport very well. Kayaking from age seven, skydiving at the US Nationals, a half Ironman. Not everything I did back then was bringing me joy. A lot of it was chasing a sense of worthiness, a little adrenaline, proving something. That's how I know the difference between pushing a body and listening to one. One thing to try today: pick whatever is tight right now, a hip, a calf, a shoulder, and hold a pleasant stretch for about a minute or two. Stop when your body starts to brace, or when the sensation turns icy and sharp. No wincing. As I like to say: if you couldn't smile while you're stretching, you're already doing too much. The is a good Yoga Session to explore this: GET ACCESS A quick note: if you are managing an injury or a condition, check with your doctor or PT before adding anything new. Come find your own tight spots in the classroom this week, whatever calls to you. And if you want the longer classes too, Premium is still just $7 a month.