SPIRITUAL REBEL

YAWN
(pronounced yôn)
Involuntarily opening one's mouth wide and inhale deeply due to tiredness or boredom
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SPIRITUALLY REBELLIOUS VARIATION
Voluntarily opening one's mouth wide to optimize brain activity, enhance introspection, increase empathy, and connect spiritually.
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If you’re anything like me, somewhere during the day, you might yawn—especially on a Monday after a big weekend. But what exactly is yawning? And how can it help us in our search for spiritual moments? Let’s ease into Week 2 with a quick exploration.
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Yawning is still a bit of a puzzle. Theories abound on why we do it, from being tired or bored to lack of oxygen or to lower the temperature of the brain. Sometimes it signals a change in physiological states—from sleep to waking, boredom to alertness, waking to sleep, and so on. Instagram informed me a yawn was a silent scream for coffee.
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Like conscious breathing, yawning can produce health benefits. Neuroscientists Dr. Andrew Newberg and Mark Waldman assert: “Yawning will physiologically relax you in less than a minute.” Here are “12 Essential Reasons to Yawn Each Day,” developed for their book, How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist:
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Stimulates alertness and concentration
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Optimizes brain activity and metabolism
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Improves cognitive function
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Increases memory recall
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Enhances consciousness and introspection
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Lowers stress
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Relaxes every part of your body
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Improves voluntary muscle control
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Enhances athletic skills
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Fine-tunes your sense of time
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Increases empathy and social awareness
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Enhances pleasure and sensuality
Wow, and I was always taught not to yawn because it’s rude. (That’s because, historically, we’ve associated the action with boredom. Also, because we’re not so fond of looking in- side people’s open mouths. Note to self: Always cover mouth when yawning.)
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Even our pets benefit from yawning. Have you ever noticed your dog doing it after a particularly tough day or a visit to the V-E-T? Dogs often use a yawn to release stress, deal with nervousness, or get rid of pent-up energy. Similarly, my cat Bubaji does it after any exceptionally detailed self-grooming session. His tension released, he then drops into sound sleep.
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Moving on to spiritual territory, recent neuroscience research presents some intriguing findings as well. It suggests that yawning creates a unique type of neural activity in the area of the human brain that plays a fundamental role in consciousness and self-reflection. What’s more, this activity is linked to generating social awareness and creating feelings of empathy. Try yawning in a crowded room. People who “yawn back” likely have a high level of empathy—or are silently screaming at you for coffee.
Let’s give it a try.
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Excerpt from Spiritual Rebel: A Positively Addictive Guide to Finding Deeper Perspective and Higher Purpose by Sarah Bowen. Get book.

HOW IT WORKS
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Find a private space. (This exercise could be a bit embarrassing in public unless you have strong self-confidence!)
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Silence your phone, computer, or anything around you that might ring, ding, or vibrate.
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Stand up. Stretch your arms straight up as high as you can, stretching the fingers wide, then release your arms down to your sides with an exhale.
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Take a deep breath—a really full breath, stretching your mouth open like a yawn—and then exhale, sighing loudly.
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Pause. Don’t skip this step. Passing out is not the goal of this exercise.
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Repeat fake yawn-y breath. Alternate breaths 12 to 15 more times with a short pause in between. (Most likely, your fake yawns will turn into bona fide ones.)
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Sink into 10 minutes of stillness, watching your breath.