by Karena Virginia, Internationally renowned yogi and author
Most of us live life on overdrive. Our extreme schedules put us at odds with our body’s natural rhythms, and the result is chronic stress. When we're stressed out, it can mess with our brain circuits that control things like thinking, making choices, and even our mood. These circuits are part of the central nervous system (CNS), and their disruption can impact our overall functioning. When our brain is imbalanced and dysregulated, it can affect our whole body through things like hormones, our immune system, and our metabolism.
These days our nervous systems need some extra care, balancing, and sometimes even a boost. How do we know exactly what our nervous system needs when we’re busy keeping up with the demands of modern life? Enter your CZ Smart watch and YouQ app!
Your CZ Smartwatch with YouQ is like having a personal self-care advisor right on your wrist. Used together, the watch and app help you determine your chronotype, which is your preferred sleep and wake schedule. Recent research has shown that chronotype is closely related to the functioning of the central nervous system (CNS), particularly the circadian system, which controls the timing of various physiological processes. Differences in CNS functioning can have significant effects on our health and well-being, so it’s good to get familiar with yours and how to care for it.
Our nervous system maintains our homeostasis, namely the body’s ability to maintain a stable and balanced internal environment, despite changes and challenges from the outside world. In essence, the nervous system is our command center, and when it’s not balanced, our digestion, thoughts, movements, responses, and energy are out of whack. The way we react, feel, metabolize, evolve, rest, move, think, focus, speak, and sense the environment around us are all related to the stability of the nervous system. Our nervous system communicates to us through a network of nerves that are involved in everything we do, so it’s important to learn to tune into its cues and listen up!
“Balancing” our nervous system means achieving that state of equilibrium or homeostasis that leads to the optimal functioning of the nervous system. Deep breathing, dynamic movement, meditation, and yoga are proven methods to help restore and rebalance the entire nervous system. Your YouQ app provides a broad range of Power Fixes to help you learn to work with, understand, and regulate your nervous system, including dynamic yoga, cross-lateral body moves, breathing and eye movement exercises, dancing, and more!
Taking time each day to tune in to our body-mind-spirit connection is an essential part of wellness. Perhaps it’s pausing to take three minutes to focus on deep breathing that will restore homeostasis during a stressful work meeting. Or, maybe taking a step away at home and getting your groove on is a recipe for you. If your body is feeling tired maybe it’s time to practice some gentle yoga in a private space. Even a few minutes of deep yogic breathing has been proven to completely regulate our bodies and minds and focus our energy.
Overall, balancing the nervous system can have significant benefits for our overall sense of wellness, cognition, and alertness and there’s growing scientific evidence to support the efficacy of various wisdom practices in achieving this balance. We yogis know a thing or two about balance -we’ve been doing it for millennia! So, stop letting chronic stress undermine your wellness. Try taking a few minutes throughout the day to practice self-care by breathing deeply or moving your body. Better yet, give a Power Fix a try! Each time you restore balance to your system you’re contributing to building a better and more brilliant you! You’re worth it. So, with me…take a deep breath. You’ve got this!