Is being busy good for us? Really….?

A recent BBC article questioned the positive association of being busy and the negative image associated with those who are bored. We fear boredom. It makes us anxious. Boredom is often associated with “idle hands” creating mischief, but is this true?

The article asks us to “look at the importance society places on being busy. The wealthiest among us work longer hours while being busy has become a status symbol and a mark of prestige….. Boredom and idleness, by contrast, are for the underachievers, the lazy, the loafers. It is something associated with mental dullness and lacking in aim or purpose. In a society where happiness and positivity are often linked to productivity, those who are bored must by extension be unhappy.”

Being busy means that we are in constant “go” mode, and this is the “flight, flight and freeze” mode. Eventually we run down, like a battery - and then we get sick: the body is truly depleted, and the immune system has run out of resources. We might get a short illness, like the flu and be laid up in bed. Or we get sick on holiday, when we finally let go our “fight” mode and relax – and then the immune system relaxes a little too much. 




Even more serious, if we are in flight and fight response for a prolonged amount of time – with too much cortisol raging around our body - is the likelihood of mental and physical exhaustion. We cannot sleep properly, we get random symptoms of pain or we might find ourselves with thoughts and to do lists in overdrive, and then we become anxious and depressed. 




Or the stress might mean we develop pain in various parts of the body. Shoulder pain from  “bearing the weight of the world on your shoulders” or feeling that something is a “pain in the neck” can often become uncannily true. 
 We are becoming addicted to action, and feel guilty for not being busy.




Yet it is a well known fact that best creative ideas arise while the mind is “idle” or day dreaming (in the precious moments in the shower, or on a walk).  The above article notes that, some of the world’s most successful business leaders actively plan moments of idleness  – both Warren Buffett and Bill Gates famously schedule in time just to sit and think.”




Down time is good for your body and good for your soul.




Next time a friend regales you with how “busy” they are. Don’t feel guilty that you are not as driven as they are… take several deep breaths and go for a walk, or just sit and let your mind wander...oh, and smile... knowing that you have just supported your immune system and refreshed your mind. Who knows you might have just unleashed your creative genius!

Yoga is so much more than exercise. It is who you are!

Quick Facts

             

We all have compensations in our bodies – Do you know yours? 

Here are some examples:-

•       Most of us are more dominant on one side, stronger on one side than the other – this causes a strong pull on one side of the spine over time (scoliosis).

•         Most of us have restricted shoulder movement. If our shoulders have become tight - this shortens our fascia  and affects our posture AND restricts our breathing (breath tends to be in our chest, rather than our abdomen), creating a raft of related health problems.

•        If we are very flexible – chances are we are hypermobile in one set of muscles and lack strength in the opposite set of muscles (hypomobile), and this can lead to pain over time.

•        Too much sitting has changed the way we use our muscles (cars, driving etc).  We are relying more on joint movement, than muscles. This can lead to joint pain. Joints wear out with overuse, but muscles get stronger as we use them.  

•       Reclining seats are a problem. Most seating is now designed with reclining backs - to take the pressure off our back (cars, sofas, some reclining cycle designs etc). But this is creating even worse back problems – consider the following -

-             leaning back reduces our ability to use our muscles as intended (not only our back muscles, but our feet and leg muscles as well, and they get weaker, leading to back pain. Try sitting on a sofa and lift your legs – and then compare this with sitting on the edge of a chair, with your back straight, and do the same. Where is the tension, and where is the strength?

-             Reclining seats are a problem for our internal organs too. Our organs are cleverly designed to be upright so that they are stacked on top of each other for support. Reclining, derives the organs of this support, as our organs are laid out on a slope, rather than completely upright.

-             This affects our breathing. When we breathe, in an upright position, our organs move slightly up and down with the breath, gently expanding and contracting, with the waves of breath, creating a massaging movement and allowing a generous flow of oxygen. Reclining restricts our breathing, creating dissonance in our body. (NB: Leaning forward, hunched over a computer, does the same thing!)

•       Many pain issues are currently being linked to tension and breathing. Restricted breathing reduces oxygen and blood flow to vital parts of the body, creating pain, numbness and tingling, and a variety of other issues, including anxiety, depression and a host of other issues. (if you are interested in finding references and articles related to the findings above, look on my Facebook page) 

Yoga Classes

We explore these issues, and a lot more, in class. People become aware of how muscle movement and breath has become restricted over time. With awareness, we can choose to rectify unhelpful patterns and experience a stronger, a more balanced, resilient body and mind as a result. 

These patterns are not restricted to adults. 

Recent studies show they are found increasingly in school children under ten. If parents understand these issues, they can help themselves -  and their children avoid a lot of pain and disability in later life. 

Private Yoga Therapy Sessions  

Yoga Therapy is useful for people who have long term pain or stiffness which restricts their day to day lives. Each person and every body is different, and our patterns of movement are unique. Sometimes these issues cannot be resolved in a class situation.

Yoga Therapy looks at the whole person. Yoga Therapy can help unravel the puzzle, and allow the various parts of the body to resume their natural function and restore the body to its pain free state. For many people, this lessens the need to take painkillers or other drugs, which can become addictive.