The ugliest yoga face = the calmest nervous system
"Brainy What-Why-How"
Your weekly nibble of science-backed goodness to help you move better and feel unstoppable.
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What:
Lion’s Breath. You know — that weird yoga thing where you open your mouth, stick your tongue out, cross your eyes, and basically look like a possessed toddler mid-tantrum. 🦁👅
Yeah, that one. Turns out it’s excellent for finding calm.
Why:
Because this freaky little move lights up six cranial nerves — and five of them hook straight into your brainstem’s chill-out centre.
Translation: your nervous system goes from “🔥 PANIC STATIONS 🔥” to “✨ ok fine, we can relax ✨”
Cranial nerves are VIPs.
They branch directly from your brain (not the spinal cord, like other nerves). You have 12 in total, and here’s who shows up for Lion’s Breath:
1️⃣ Cross the eyes → CN4, the Trochlear (aka “derp face” nerve)
2️⃣ Open the jaw → CN5, the Trigeminal
3️⃣ Lift the brows → CN7, the Facial (yes, the drama queen)
4️⃣ Constrict the throat → CN9, the Glossopharyngeal
5️⃣ Breathe like a beast → CN10, the Vagus (everyone’s fave chill nerve)
6️⃣ Tongue out like Miley → CN12, the Hypoglossal
Bottom line: activate these = dial down stress.
How:
1️⃣ Inhale big (bonus: pause + sneak in an extra sip of air).
2️⃣ Exhale like a whisper-roaring lion: mouth wide, tongue alllll the way out, brows sky-high, throat a little constricted.
3️⃣ Cross your eyes if you want the full gremlin aesthetic (not scientifically proven to calm you, but hilarious).
Do a few rounds, then check: calmer? Lighter? A little ridiculous? Perfect.
I use this in my classes and in my own practice anytime things start to heat up and I need to trick my nervous system into chilling TF out.
Stay fierce, stay freaky,
Adell 💋
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