Is yawning rude? never! Claudia van Avermaet, our fitness and health expert, is happy to explain to you why yawning is beneficial and healthy!
How often do I see people yawning during my lessons? They often feel guilty because they think I assume they find it boring. But I know better.
Yawning is a natural breathing technique for your health. It gives you energy and activates the relaxation response. It helps with your sleep, anxiety, and above all, it relieves tension and stress. So the more you yawn in my classes, the better!
It is a natural reflex, not just in humans. Mammals yawn too, just like birds and reptiles. Although we think we only yawn when we feel tired or bored, there is much more to it than that. Animals yawn before attacking or after fighting.
“Activate your yawning reflex. Make noise, pamper yourself with this new ritual.”
Claudia van Avermaet
Achieve balance
Yawning has to do with your energy, balancing your nervous system and releasing toxins. This is much more than just boredom. It is a healthy message and an essential reflection of our body. While in our society, yawning is considered negative and sometimes punished. Maybe you’ve ever received a comment from a teacher because you were yawning in class? He or she undoubtedly thought you were listening in boredom.
Not at all, at that moment it is your natural way of integrating and processing energy. If you start yawning during yoga, it’s because you want to connect with your feelings about yourself and others. You can remove blockages in your system. So, yawn, yawn, yawn, do it to yourself on purpose.
In class
You no longer have to inhibit this natural reflex at all. This is part of being human. So teachers: let kids yawn in class too. Because it is a tool for them to improve their minds. It plays an important role in awareness, self-reflection, and remembering. Intentional yawning can increase this. You often see athletes yawning before starting a race. After all, yawning also puts you in a state of focus.
Do not close or close your mouth when yawning, but rather leave your jaw completely open. This stimulates the vagus nerve by creating a natural opening in your throat. Lymph nodes in your neck, throat, and armpit are also part of your immune system. So stretch yourself to activate all your glands in a natural way.
Now try yawning for five minutes and see what it does to you. Stretch and stretch, make that wonderful sound.
