The Regulation Lab: What Happened Last Night (and Why I’m Still Feeling It)
WOW.
I walked out of the studio last night buzzing, floating… and somehow also ready to completely relax.
We held our first ever Regulation Lab, and I can honestly say … it was incredible.
This space was created for anyone.
Yogi or non-yogi.
Some people in the room have completed a 200hr YTT or are inside our YTTish Yoga School… and others had never stepped onto a yoga mat before.
And none of that mattered.
Why I Created This
The intention behind The Regulation Lab was simple:
To support people who are busy, overwhelmed, constantly “on”…
to come back to a place of calm.
Not just in the studio, but in real life.
At work.
At home.
With your kids.
In the middle of a traffic jam.
Because the truth is… most of us were never actually taught how to regulate ourselves.
What We Explored
We spent time understanding what’s really happening in the body when we feel stressed, anxious, or overstimulated.
We talked about:
the Autonomic Nervous System
the difference between Sympathetic (fight or flight) and Parasympathetic (rest and restore) states
the role of the vagus nerve as a key pathway for regulation
what it actually means to be regulated vs. dysregulated
And then… we didn’t just talk about it.
We practiced.
What We Did (and Felt)
We started with OM / AUM, moving into what became a group favorite:
our rolling Oms.
There was something about the vibration, the sound, the shared experience…
you could feel the shift in the room almost immediately.
From there, we explored breath as a tool for real-time regulation.
We played with what we called:
Roller Coaster Breath (aka firetruck siren, ghost breath… depending on your mood 😅)
And reflected on something so simple, yet powerful:
how long we can actually exhale when we slow down and take control of the breath.
Because when we slow the breath…
we slow the heart rate…
we begin to calm the nervous system…
and even the constant mental chatter can start to soften.
We broke down Ujjayi breath step by step..
not just as something to use on the mat, but something you can take with you into your day.
We explored Breath of Joy, intentionally activating the system..
and this was a big moment.
Because for some, heavier emotions surfaced.
And we talked about that.
How regulation doesn’t mean pushing things down or pretending everything is calm.
Those emotions are there for a reason.
They surfaced for a reason.
And when we allow them to move, to release…
we stop holding onto them.
That’s part of regulation too.
Movement, Energy, and Letting It Go
We brought in a Chi Shower (one of my favvvvorites!)
playful, a little unexpected, and honestly… kind of liberating.
Just moving energy.
Shaking things loose.
Letting the body do what it needed to do.
And after each practice, we paused.
To feel.
To reflect.
To journal (if it felt right).
To share (if they felt called).
No pressure, just space.
A Moment That Really Landed
With a few moms in the room..and someone who works closely with children..we also explored something I teach often in Moksha Kids:
Worry Balloons.
A simple, powerful way to physically and visually release worries, fears, and built-up emotions.
And honestly… it hit just as deeply for the adults.
That moment of:
“wow… I can actually let this go.”
It’s something I wish I had learned when I was younger.
How We Closed
We came full circle… back to rolling Oms.
Long, grounding, connected.
You could feel it in the room..
everyone more open, more settled, more there.
The After
As people were leaving, I kept hearing:
“This is exactly what I needed.”
“When can we do this again?”
And that told me everything.
What’s Next
This wasn’t a one-time thing.
The Regulation Lab is something I fully intend to bring back,
because this work matters.
Learning how to regulate yourself isn’t a luxury.
It’s a life skill.
And the more we practice it, the more accessible it becomes..
in the moments we need it most.
If you were there… thank you. Truly.
And if you’re feeling like this is something you need…
stay close.
We’re just getting started!
The Three Forces Dancing within You
Image of Morning Yoga at Yoga Moksha’s “Going Inward” Retreat in Westhampton Beach, NY, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean on a beautiful January day. (you already know we got outside for brisk beach walks from sunrise to sundown to invite in that Sattva)
Ever feel like you're riding a wave of pure peace one moment... and then find yourself overwhelmed or scattered the next?
Welcome to the dance of the gunas — the three energetic forces that shape every moment of our inner and outer world.
In yogic philosophy, the gunas are the foundational qualities of nature:
🌱 Tamas – inertia, heaviness, rest
🔥 Rajas – activity, passion, movement
💫 Sattva – clarity, harmony, peace
They’re not “good” or “bad” — they’re just part of the ever-shifting ecosystem of your life. One might rise in the morning, another in traffic, another during savasana. They ebb, flow, mix, and swirl within us all the time.
🖤 Tamas is the slow, heavy fog
It might show up as procrastination, exhaustion, disconnection… but it’s also the stillness before growth, the deep rest that nourishes seeds underground.
🔥 Rajas is the go-go-go
It’s your ambition, your to-do list, your inner fire. When unbalanced, it can feel like anxiety, comparison, or burnout. But it’s also what gets you out of bed to practice, to parent, to live.
🤍 Sattva is that feeling after a good yoga class
The clear, grounded joy. That sweet inner smile. Not hype. Not crash. Just presence.
Sattva is your true nature. It’s not something you “get” — it’s something you uncover when the other layers soften.
🧘🏽♀️ So how do we cultivate Sattva?
We don’t force it. We create the conditions for it to rise.
Breathe deep.
Choose nourishing movement over punishment.
Soften judgment.
Meditate (even if only for 3 minutes).
Take a walk in nature (Call me if you want a pal, Tarot 🐾 and I love nature walks!).
Chant. Sing. Laugh (hey- Free Kirtan every Wednesday night)
Rest. Hydrate. Connect.
Sattva lives underneath the noise.
It’s the quiet voice that says, you’re already whole.
And the beautiful thing is — peace, happiness, contentment don’t come from outside. They live inside you. Right now. Even if you’re messy, tired, overwhelmed, or unsure.
The gunas simply remind us that the chaos isn’t the truth. It’s a current. You’re the ocean.
So next time you feel off — pause and ask:
☁️ Am I more in tamas?
🔥 Am I more in rajas?
💫 Can I invite in sattva?
You're not broken. You're becoming.
You already hold the light you’re seeking.
🕊️✨ With love from Kim and all of us at Yoga Moksha — your home for inner steadiness, self-discovery, and the remembering of what’s always been yours.
“From Downward Spiral to Downward Dog”- By Christina Cuff
Chris Cuff leading Kirtan at the Beach
My spiritual journey started shortly before I first found yoga, when I landed in a rehab for substance abuse at the age of 19. I should have at least another ten years of fun before I have to stop, right? How could I possibly navigate life without my favorite coping mechanisms – drugs and alcohol? But I was slowly dying from my disease and out of necessity I sought help and I began to cultivate a relationship with the Divine for the first time since I was a small child. I found a weekly yoga class at an L.A. Fitness near my home. However, I struggled to find a personal connection to the practice. It felt as if others understood the postures and spirituality better than I ever would. Their bodies certainly looked better than mine did!
Over the following years I attended yoga classes on and off with little regularity. In 2018, I stumbled upon a class where the teacher mentioned there was one spot left for an upcoming yoga teacher training. Despite the fear rising as I approached the teacher after class… I knew that spot was for me. But how could I take yoga teacher training? I don’t even practice regularly! I didn’t even want to teach yoga… But I was reading a book called “The Power” and I had recently chosen puppies as my sign. The book indicated I was to look for my symbol and know that the universe was responding to me when I saw it. As I inquired about yoga teacher training, a 10-week-old Bernese Mountain puppy hopped into the studio. I still attempted to talk myself out of it in the coming days – “I don’t have the money.” “I don’t have the time.“ “I’m out of shape.” Then between an award from a writing contest and a random winning scratch off, I suddenly had the money to cover the cost. I was in! I attended the training on weekends over 8 months while working full-time as an actuary. Yoga teacher training challenged me in a beautiful way and truly changed my life. I now have a personal regular yoga practice and despite once thinking I could never teach yoga, I have led yoga classes and meditations in corporate settings, studios, recovery centers, on the beach and online!
Yoga is more than just handstands and fancy pants. It is the single most effective healing modality I have found! While the postures are a helpful tool for healing and stress relief, Yoga is also a way of living that was outlined thousands of years ago. It includes breathwork, meditation, mindfulness and service to others. For many people, incorporating yoga into their lives takes time, patience, and ahimsa (a Sanskrit word meaning compassion). One way to begin practicing yoga and feel the benefits right away is through pranayama. Pranayama is a Sanskrit word meaning life force and loosely translates to breathwork. Our breath is an effective and accessible stress reliever. Here are three pranayama exercises that you can try right now:
1. Take Five:
· Open your left hand, palm facing up.
· Place your right pointer finger on your left wrist. As you inhale, drag the right pointer finger toward the tip of your left pinky.
· As you exhale, drag the right pointer finger back to the wrist.
· Repeat inhaling up and exhaling down each finger until you reach the thumb.
You can switch hands and repeat, making it a “take ten.” This exercise brings us into the present moment through tactile sensation and mindful breathing.
2. Box Breath:
· Inhale for a count of 4.
· Hold at the top of the inhale for a count of 4.
· Exhale for a count of 4.
· Hold at the bottom of the exhalation for a count of 4.
· Repeat for several rounds.
You can decrease or increase the count to 3 or 5. You can also shorten the time spent holding your breath if it is uncomfortable. This exercise can lower the heart rate, calm the mind, and deactivate the sympathetic nervous system (fight, flight or freeze mode).
3. Physiological Sigh:
· Inhale fully into the belly and then into the chest on the same inhale.
· When full, pause for a second, then sip in additional air.
· Exhale fully through the mouth.
· Repeat several times.
When stressed, people tend to take shallow breaths which causes the air sacs in our lungs to collapse and increases the CO2 levels in our blood. This in turn causes more stress! By inhaling fully and then introducing additional oxygen, the pockets in our lungs are forced to reinflate. This engages our parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest mode).
Another easy way to begin practicing yoga is to incorporate chair yoga into your day. You can find short, simple chair yoga flows on YouTube. You may not even know it, but you are practicing chair yoga when you stretch your arms overhead or rotate your neck when sitting at a desk. Chair yoga helped me become mindful at work. I used to think a headache was a cue to pop ibuprofen, but now I see it as a notification to stretch, rest and drink water.
Yoga has helped me overcome personal obstacles: the fear of failure, the related fear of success, fibromyalgia, addictions, depression, anxiety to name a few. As a result, I am passionate about sharing how yoga can help others too. I have led virtual and in-person yoga, meditation, and chair yoga sessions. I was also blessed to start an employee-led wellness committee.
Toward the end of my yoga teacher training, I realized yoga could help others struggling with addiction. This idea inspired the free bi-monthly workshop known as Yoga for Recovery. We meet at Yoga Moksha on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays each month from 7:30-9PM. Navigating the world as an addict can be difficult and this workshop introduces yoga and all its healing attributes to those who need it. During our time together we connect, stretch, flow, chat, journal, mediate, chant, etc. Thanks to Yoga Moksha (yogamokshali.com) and Thrive (thriveli.org) the workshop is always free and open to all.
As humans we are often analyzing and reviewing the past, while projecting and attempting to sculpt the future. No wonder it can be tough for us to get present! Yoga has helped me quiet my overactive mind, ignite my parasympathetic nervous system, and experience my whole self. It has enabled me to connect to the divine and live life to its fullest potential. I am blessed to have the opportunity to help others do the same.
3/4/2024
Christina Cuff RYT 200