A Reset to Ground You
Jun 12, 2023
And now, a guest article from OS Instructor and BodCast Producer Sarah Young...
Did you ever wish you had a simple and powerful way to ground yourself, calm your mind, and promote good health throughout your body?
I mean, wouldn’t it be awesome if you had a proven and effective tool to relieve stress? One that’s totally free and doesn’t require anything other than you and your own body.
It would be nice, right?
Especially on those days when it’s hard to find your groove. Days in which the energies around you spin every which way but positive. Days in which it’s hard to find your balance and flow.
We all have those kinds of days. And sometimes those days string together for what seems like an eternity. It can really wear a person down.
But I’m here to tell you, or better yet, re-mind you, that you already have the power to create a shift on those days when you can’t seem to find your center.
Because you do.
Right here, right now —you have the power to press reset on your body, mind, and spirit to quiet the discord. You can create space for your body, mind, and spirit so you can recenter yourself and be restored.
All ya gotta do is hum. Yes, you read that right. Hum.
Just hum a simple tune. Or maybe hum a steady resonant tone.
Don’t overthink your hum. Just breathe and let your hum happen. It’s all about allowing. Trying to force your hum to happen only gets in the way.
Feel the good vibrations flow in your sinuses, head, and body as you hum. Maybe even in your soul.
Enjoy playing with the reset of humming as you move through your day.
And it’s important to remember humming isn’t a hack. It isn’t a one-and-done kind of thing.
By building a daily humming practice, you’ll invest in your health. And those investments will serve you as a buffer when the stresses of life weigh heavy.
Now if you think all this humming for health business sounds too good to be true, let me share what some of the science and research on humming has to say.
Research has shown that humming can have both physical and psychological health benefits. Here are some:
Stress reduction: Humming helps alleviate stress and promote relaxation. It activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which triggers the relaxation response and reduces the levels of stress hormones in the body.
Improved mood: Humming releases endorphins which are the body’s natural feel-good hormones. Humming can uplift your mood, increase positivity, and provide a sense of well-being.
Breathing and lung function: Humming naturally invokes controlled and extended exhalation phases which helps regulate your breathing pattern. It can enhance lung capacity, strengthen respiratory muscles, and improve overall lung function. This type of breathing also stimulates the vagus nerve (more on that later) and enhances oxygenation in the body. This leads to a greater sense of relaxation and overall well-being.
Sinus and nasal congestion relief: Humming produces vibrations that can help clear nasal passages and relieve sinus congestion. This is a bonus for everyone but especially for individuals suffering from allergies or respiratory issues.
Production of nitric oxide (NO): Humming has been found to increase the production of NO in the nasal passages. NO acts a vasodilator. This means it helps to relax and widen blood vessels which helps maintain healthy blood pressure. NO supports cardiovascular function by promoting the health of blood vessel linings. NO also has antimicrobial properties, thereby playing a role in immune defense.
Vagus nerve stimulation: The vibrations created by humming stimulate the vagus nerve. As the vagus nerve is involved in emotional regulation, this stimulation can help reduce anxiety, increase feelings of calmness, and contribute to an overall sense of well-being.
Improved heart rate variability: Humming at a steady, resonant tone can increase heart rate variability (HRV), a measurement of the variations in time between each heartbeat. A higher HRV indicates better autonomic nervous system function and increased resilience to stress.
Enhanced digestion: The vagus nerve is connected to the digestive system. As humming activates the vagus, it can help play a role in promoting better digestion and absorption of nutrients. The good vibrations from humming can also help calm the gastrointestinal system.
Vocal health and relaxation: Regular humming can help promote relaxation of the vocal cords. This helps maintain vocal cord health and reduces vocal strain.
Given all that humming does for us, it’s no wonder humming has been practiced across cultures and throughout the ages.
We are designed to hum.
Unfortunately, in these tech times, we’ve replaced the original “I” tunes of our humming design with iTunes and other apps and devices that deliver our music to us. As a result, we’ve lost connection to the amazing power of our humming design.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
By taking time to hum your own tunes, you can reclaim more of you. More of your magnificent humming design. You can ground yourself, calm your mind, and promote the unfoldment of health throughout your body.
The power of the reset of humming is only a hum away. Enjoy making your own good vibrations.
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