I recently received the following email:
Hello Bernie,
I have attended 2 yin classes and just finished a retreat that was incredible. I am 41 years old with a 3 year old and a 6 year old. Life is very busy and very stressful, as a result my body is tingling and buzzing. All over. Sometimes at the same time and some times in different area's. The legs, the hands. I have had an MRI which was clear. The retreat weekend did calm the tingling. But now I am back in my busy life. I have a hard time when we are rushing. Also when my children are arguing - I can feel the power of their angry energy. Is there anything you can suggest that may help me calm my nervous system? Your name was mentioned many times during the retreat which is why I am contacting you. Cathy Keenan lead this wonderful weekend.
Blessings,
K
Here was my reply -------------
Hi K
As Cathy probably told you, I am not a doctor and I can't offer medical advice, but I can give you a couple of suggestions. Having not seen you and since your email gives me only the briefest of clues as to your situation, I am not sure of the cause of your "tingling." I assume, since you have had an MRI, that you are seeing a doctor as well - which is a good idea. But from what you say, it does sound like stress at least adds to your symptoms, if it is not the outright cause. The fact that you had less symptoms while you were on a retreat also points to stress as a cause or contributing factor.
Yin Yoga is a very quiet and mindful practice: this alone can help reduce your stress levels. I would suggest you take as many classes with Cathy as you can! You can also find a few of my classes on www.MyYogaOnline.com. There you will also find a few meditations session that I offer; meditation is the other big thing you can add to your life to help with stress. Check out those videos and see if they help (they only take about 15 minutes each.)
Finally, read this article that I wrote a while back on the effects of the way we breathe on our stress levels. While you practice your yoga, try to add this breathing practice. You can also try to breathe like this whenever your children are stressing you out.
The Yinside of Breathing
Good luck
Bernie