A recent post on the website BreakingMuscle.com caught my eye entitled “Find Your Off Button: How To Use Yoga for Better Rest and Recovery” written by Bethany Eanes. Over the course of my many visits to Tao of Wellness in Santa Monica for body work and acupuncture with our very own Stephanie, Steph and I have had discussions on the importance of balance in our lives. She brought up the concept of Yin and Yang, and in her opinion many of the activities we enjoy like CrossFit that are high energy, fast paced, and adrenaline pumping show more Yang qualities. She encouraged me to also find activities that are predominately Yin suggesting things like Tai Chi, Yoga, and meditation. Bethany’s post reiterated this idea and even delved deeper as to why she believes Yoga is so effective at helping us relax and learn how to use our off button. She talks about why constantly pushing ourselves doesn’t give our sympathetic nervous (fight or flight) system a chance to wind down, and why it’s so important we find balance and give our parasympathetic nervous system the opportunity to help us “rest and digest”. Check out Bethany’s post to hear her theory on why Yoga generates a more restful state in the body than nearly any other form of relaxation…including sleep (in some studies)!

Be sure to join us this Thursday evening at 7pm for Restorative Yoga with Lauren Leilani, and take time to hit your OFF button, and also benefit from improving your mobility. It’s no coincidence that our Restorative Yoga is also called Yin Yoga as you’ll find you rest easier, feel looser, and have more energy to enjoy the benefits of your workouts. Sign up now!

WOD 8.12.13

Snatch 1-1-1

4 Rounds For Time:
3 Snatches (75-85% of Snatch 1-1-1)
6 Box Jumps (30″/24″)
9 Chest to Bar Pullups