"In an age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention. And in an age of constant movement, nothing is more urgent than sitting still."
— Pico Iyer
Hey lovely,
Does this sound familiar?
“I’m fine,” we say, phone in hand, jaw clenched, cortisol quietly through the roof. But are we, though?
Let’s be honest. Most of us are living at a pace that would make our grandparents weep into their sensible dinners. We wake up and before we’ve even said good morning to ourselves, we’re already deep in someone else’s highlights, someone else’s opinion, someone else’s crisis. And our nervous system — bless it — is dutifully registering all of it as a threat.
It doesn’t know the difference between a genuinely scary situation and an online "comment section" argument you weren’t even part of. To your body, stress is stress. And when it comes in on a constant, low-grade drip via a glowing screen, that’s when things get interesting. And not in a fun way.
WHAT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN YOUR BODY?
Here’s the quick (and slightly alarming) biology lesson. Every time you encounter something alarming, irritating, or anxiety-inducing on your phone, your body activates what’s called the sympathetic nervous system, your fight-or-flight response. Cortisol floods in. Heart rate nudges up. Muscles tighten. You’re ready to run from a lion.
Except there’s no lion. There’s just your phone. And then you scroll again. Another cortisol hit. And again. And suddenly you’re sitting still on your couch or in bed, but your body thinks it’s been running for three hours.
Did you know? The average person checks their phone roughly 96 times a day, according to various studies conducted over recent years. This figure can vary based on age, lifestyle, and region, but it generally falls between 80 to 100 times daily. That’s around once every 10 minutes. Each ping, scroll, and notification can nudge your nervous system into a low-level stress response. Multiply that by a few hundred days in a year, and you’ve got one very tired body and an overwhelmed nervous system.
The sneaky part is that it rarely feels dramatic. It’s not a panic attack. It’s just that quiet, buzzing, slightly-too-much feeling that follows you around. The one that makes you sigh a lot. The one that makes you say “I’m fine” when actually, you’re just… tired. Really, really tired.
SO WHAT DOES ANY OF THIS HAVE TO DO WITH YOGA?
Oh, only everything. 😉
Your yoga practice is one of the most powerful tools you have to shift your nervous system out of sympathetic overdrive and into parasympathetic rest. That’s the “rest and digest” mode, the one where your body actually heals, processes, and recovers. The one we’re spending precious little time in these days.
Movement, breathwork, and stillness don’t just feel nice. They literally change your body chemistry. Slow, conscious movement lowers cortisol. Deep diaphragmatic breathing activates the vagus nerve, the superhighway of your parasympathetic system. Even a few minutes of Savasana tells your body: we are safe. We can rest now.
SIGNS YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM MIGHT BE ASKING FOR HELP:
— You feel tired but wired
— exhausted, yet can’t switch off
— Your jaw or shoulders are almost always tense
— You reach for your phone the moment you have a quiet moment
— Small things feel bigger than they should
— You can’t remember the last time you felt genuinely calm
If you nodded along to any of those 🙋♀️ welcome to the club. It’s a very full club. And the good news is, you already have a membership to the antidote. 🧘♀️♥️
It’s called your yoga practice, and it’s waiting for you.
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO TRY THIS WEEK
You don’t need a dramatic digital detox or a silent retreat in the mountains (though honestly, sign me up). You just need a few intentional moments to let your body remember what calm feels like.
THE “REWIRE THE SPIRAL” PRACTICE — 10 minutes, anytime
- PUT THE PHONE FACE-DOWN. Not in another room, just face-down. Baby steps. Set a timer for 10 minutes.
- EXTENDED EXHALE BREATHING. Breathe in for 4 counts, out for 8. Do this for 2 minutes. Your vagus nerve will thank you profusely.
- GENTLE SPINAL MOVEMENT. Cat-cow for 2 minutes. Slow and connected to the breath. This is nervous system gold.
- LEGS UP THE WALL. Swing your legs up, close your eyes, and just breathe. 5 minutes here does more than you’d think. This pose alone can shift your body into rest mode.
- ONE MINDFUL BREATH BEFORE PICKING YOUR PHONE BACK UP. Just one. A little pause between the stillness and the scroll.
Is this going to solve everything? No. Are you still going to check Instagram? Probably. But every time you step on your mat, you’re making a quiet, radical choice. You’re choosing your own nervous system over someone else’s algorithm. And that, my friend, is deeply, genuinely powerful.
Your body is not a machine that’s malfunctioning. It’s a remarkably wise system doing exactly what it was designed to do, responding to its environment. Our job is to give it an environment worth responding to. Even just for ten minutes a day.
Come move with us at The Yoga Pantry or via Zoom 😉. Your nervous system will be absolutely delighted.
And so will your loved ones! 🥳🤣
What's Happening In The Pantry 🧘♀️
We are closed over the Easter break yay for holidays 🎉
Beginner Yoga, our beginner yoga courses are in full swing. If you know someone who's looking to get into yoga and doesn't know how or where to start, then this is just the ticket. Our beginner Yoga course has been running for 11 years and is the best and most well-rounded around. With a good mix of philosophy, breathwork, and of course, physical postures, but what really sets us apart is the emphasis on finding ways to let the poses fit you rather than the other way around.
It's also a great course to brush up on your basics and get back into the swing of things if you've been away from your yoga practice for a while.
THE NEXT ONE STARTS NEXT THURSDAY!
For more information and to secure a coveted spot in this fantastic course, check out our website.
Our Sound Bath is back in April
Join Tash on Sunday, April 19th at 5 pm for a restful sound journey.
What better way to invite yourself back into your senses, reconnect with your soul and reset your energies than THIS immersive, luxurious sound experience. Soak in the tones of Tibetan bowls, crystal bowls, rain sticks, wind chimes, hand drums and gongs.
Let me transport you to a lovely tropical rainforest. Come on in and rest your weary soul.
Book your spot in the session and bring your friends to share the delights!
Head here to book all your regular yoga classes and maybe even try some new ones!
Remember, you can join us online from anywhere in the world, live or at a time that suits you, with our instant 14-day on-demand Zoom recording!
Don't forget you can also join us for a FREE meditation session every Saturday morning, and even if you can't, you can book in via Zoom and do the meditation later in the day, or every day, until the next session :)
Your YouTube Class Of The Week
In keeping with our little nervous system reset, here is a delightful and simple breathing practice for you :)
Feel free to share these vids far and wide and help get my channel views up :D
As always, with so much love and very limited screen time 🌿
See you on the mat, Tash xx
P.S If you wish to receive these amazing Yogi Notes straight to your inbox, sign up HERE
You can also catch up on previous Yogi Notes right HERE
P.P.S Don’t forget to share your Yoga insights on social media with the hashtag #TheYogaPantryLife #Yogaislife #theyogapantrywithtash
Let’s spread the yoga love far and wide!
I see you, and I appreciate you. You are awesome...and don't you forget it ;) x
