Monday, October 12, 2015

For many months now I have been getting a lot of benefit out of yawning for stress relief. It's such a simple practice--just 10 (or more) yawns in a row--reduces stressful feelings and replaces them with a sense of calm, peace, and connection. Like so many bright ideas, this came my way from a patient, who recommended the book How God Changes Your Brain by Andrew B. Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman. Never mind that the book's title is a bit misleading. They have a list of the eight or ten best things to do for your brain. I was already doing all but one of them, and that was yawning.

Since reading the book I have shared this tidbit with many patients, and they, too, report success. It's so simple to do. You can do it almost anywhere.  No special equipment or training is required. If you try it, let me know how it goes for you.