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Welcome to the #PracticeWithClara Podcast, where Clara and Stephanie discuss philosophy, yoga, and all things related to the practice.

In this episode, we interviewed fellow yogi and anatomy teacher Erin Moon to talk about the practices and tools to assist in deregulation and the role of the parasympathetic nervous system in managing stress.

Resources Mentioned:

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In this episode:

Highlights from this Episode

1:30

Five Questions: Introducing Erin Moon

We ask guests five questions to help us and our listeners get to know them and some of the more subtle aspects of their lives.

5:20

Aligning with the Chakras

Clara, Erin, and Stephanie share which chakra they feel most connected to and why that specific part of the body resonates most.

8:00

Stressors of Online Environments

Erin and Clara share their experience leading yoga teacher training online with stressors that arose, how they handled issues, and how to trust in the process of the experience.

17:28

Anatomy of Sensory Experience

How we’re affected in the shift to online spaces to learn and engage with others, in terms of our anatomy, somatic experience, and how we take in and process information via the body.

22:55

Downregulation: Restorative Poses and Practices

Clara shares some of the yoga poses and practices to downregulate and create a state of calm in the body and mind.

26:40

Applying the Polyvagal Brake

The vagus nerve’s role in stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, otherwise known as rest and digest, is to create a sense of calm.

31:20

How to Strengthen the Vagus Tone

Strengthening the vagal tone allows the person to enter a state of downregulation more efficiently; we do this through pranayama in yoga in excitatory or grounding ways.

34:47

Vinyasa Yoga and Responding To Stress

How vinyasa yoga teaches the practitioner to react to events as they arise and practice coming back to neutral; this process strengthens our choice-making capabilities while being highly stimulated.

39:11

The Belly and Brain Relationship

Polyvagal theory shows a direct link between the brain and the digestive system, proving that it really does matter what we put into our bodies and our environment.

43:04

The Body Keeps The Score

A book by Bessel van der Kolk, on how your mind’s job is to take care of the body, and your body’s job is to tell the mind how it’s doing.

46:35

Practices to Alleviate Stress

Clara and Erin’s practices—including mudra, mantra, and pranayama— alleviate the stress they use themselves and provide students.

56:23

All the Ways We Cheer Ourselves Up

Small things we do for ourselves or people we reach out to give ourselves a positive boost and endorphin rush to brighten the day.