A newsletter came from one of my favourite teachers lately, Bo Forbes.  I wanted to share with you her view on our global nervous system.  To read more about her work, and watch some wonderful instructional videos, visit www.boforbesyoga.com.

Teaching in different cultures challenges me to distill my teachings down to their simplest and purest form. It changes the course of my teaching in both subtle and dramatic ways. It’s also incredibly humbling and awe-inspiring to witness firsthand therapeutic yoga's effect on our global community!

Teaching abroad gives me a clear message: as a global culture, we all suffer from a relentless drive toward productivity. The consequences of this drive are chronic anxiety and nervous system hyper-arousal. We might address this anxiety differently depending on where we live: in London, psychotherapy and medication are in vogue as much as they are in the U.S. Elsewhere, people might not verbalize their emotions in quite the same way. In Hong Kong, for example, people shared with me that the most popular form of therapy is actually retail therapy! (This explains why they have some of the biggest, most imposing shopping malls in the world, even at their international airport.)

Given the extent of worldwide nervous system hyper-arousal and the multi-sensory overload that exacerbates it, nervous system balance is our number one global priority. So what, exactly, are the best ways of creating this balance? Here are a few tips for learning how to moderate the activity in your nervous system:

1. Find some time each day, even 10 minutes, in which you can reduce sensory stimulation. Dim the lights, turn sound down (you can use earplugs if necessary), and rest quietly in a supine position with a bolster or cushion under your knees.
2. When resting, place an eye pillow over your eyes or brownbone to stimulate your vagus nerve and oculocardiac reflex (see this edition of our e-Yoga Practice Lab for more information). This slows your heart and turns down the activation in your nervous system.
3. Practice nasal breathing, which also helps to slow the heart, quiet the mind, and balance the nervous system. If it’s comfortable for you, lengthen the exhale so it’s a little bit longer than the inhale.
4. Life is already sped-up enough. If your nervous system is amped-up, you may be drawn to an intense, fast-paced, heated yoga practice. At least once a week, try slowing down your practice. Focus on integrating awareness and breath into each pose. Notice how much more embodied your practice is.
5. Take up Restorative Yoga, a relaxation-based form of practice. In restorative postures, the head is at or below the level of the heart. There’s an absence of muscular tension, and you’re supported by props such as bolsters, blankets, and blocks. This potent combination of deep relaxation in the body and quiet alertness in the brain stimulates the immune and digestive systems. It makes us more reflective about our experiences. It teaches us to sit with and breathe through difficult emotions. It increases our empathy for others, yet grounds this empathy with stronger boundaries and greater self-compassion.

When you do these practices regularly, you’ll discover several things: over time, your neural set-point (the level of hyper-arousal to which your nervous system is programmed) lowers over time. And the fringe benefits? Enhanced creativity, more self-awareness, and a greater capacity to nourish and sustain intimate relationships with others.