Recommended books to easily reset your autonomic nervous system

When I was told in yoga to 'relax your neck,' I didn't know how to actually release the tension from my neck (laughs).

I'm always putting too much tension in my neck and shoulders, so they're stiff as a board.

Even when sitting on the floor to do a forward bend, if you try to stretch too deeply by tensing your shoulders and back, you'll hurt your lower back.

Relax your shoulders and back, and let yourself go with gravity. Yoga is about abdominal breathing. Deep breathing, inhaling and exhaling from deep within your belly. Sink your body down while exhaling deeply.

This is the correct way to do a forward bend.

If you push yourself too hard, thinking, 'Alright, I'm going to stretch even further,' your breathing will become shallow. Since blood flows in sync with your breathing, there's no point in gasping with shallow breaths. Your stretch point is where you can breathe deeply. Always keep a space of ease inside your body. Even if it's not yoga, if you tense up your body due to stress or impatience, your breathing becomes shallow. You get tired easily and can't be yourself. You don't have to push yourself until your body and mind are completely overwhelmed.

Being able to move at your normal breathing pace. This is your action point.

It would be best if you could notice for yourself, 'My breathing is shallow right now, I'm impatient, so calm down and don't push it.'

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It's great to be able to do stretches and yoga poses in a fun way.

You can do the same poses as yoga even when you're not on a mat. You can stretch using a chair, a wall, or a desk.

You can do it easily at home, and I also do it when I've been doing desk work or driving for a long time. It relaxes and refreshes me, and gives me energy.

The book explains with manga which parts of the body and mind each pose is effective for, and it also illustrates how your spine and muscles move while you're stretching. It's easy to do because you can visualize what's happening inside your body.

Twisting or stretching your spine makes your parasympathetic nervous system dominant, so even if you're tense, you can relax and feel refreshed. I love twisting poses.

The sequel is even better.