Mountain Views News          Saturday, July 13, 2013

13

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

 Mountain Views News Saturday, July 13, 2013 

HOW CAN YOGA HELP 

 YOGA MAKES US HAPPY


by Lori Koop, Right Brain Business Coach 


“Living TRU” involves being The Real You in everything you do, including 
business. Especially in business! Every business coach will tell you the key to 
entrepreneurial success is sales. And the key to sales? Differentiation. Your 
ability to stand out in a crowd.

So, how the heck do you “differentiate?” You BE YOUrself! 

If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you 
can be. ~ Maya Angelou

...Nor will your customers. You 
are what you bring to the table. 
To be a successful entrepreneur, you must find what 
makes you distinctive and special. Then, use these 
things to set you apart from the rest of the bunch. 
You are the only YOU there is -- that will make your 
business unique. There really is no competition. The 
problem is that many business owners do not recognize 
their TRU advantage, or understand how to use 
it. 

TRU marketing allows the truth of who you are and 
what you believe to guide the conversation with your 
target audience, without fear of criticism. If you’re 
naturally bold, be bold in your marketing. If you’re 
silly, be silly. Even if you’re shy, be shy. We connect 
with people who are real. In that human place, we 
see we’re more alike than different. And trust results. 
When we trust people, we buy from them.

The other day a fellow BNI member shared with the 
group about his rebellious years. As I listened, my 
heart opened. He was himself fully, even in the face 
of judgment. He stood truthful, unapologetically. 
And there was instant compassion. Instant connection. 
Instant trust. 

This is a new kind of marketing. It is far from being slick -- it is about being human. And letting others 
into the intimate space that is YOU. It says I am willing to be myself first, and invites the other 
to be him/her self too. It’s risky putting your true self out there. It’s uncommon… maybe because 
it’s not as “professional.” But it’s real, and I believe it’s the way of the future. Because it creates connection. 


It happens when we align with our values. When we are transparent. When we dare to be all of who 
we were created to be. We don’t need more normal. We need YOU!

- - - - - - - - - -
Lori Koop, The Right Brain Business Coach

Get clear about The Real You and what’s TRU, for you and your business. Schedule a complimentary 
coaching session at The Center for Wellbeing, 626-355-2443. www.LORiKOOP.com

Just yesterday, a man walked up to a desk where I was working, saw my “Yoga Makes Me Smile” water 
bottle. He asked, “So, yoga makes you happy? How?” At the time, I had a 300-page book open on my 
lap, highlighting and notating answers to that very question. I laughed a little, thinking, “Man, you 
need to read this book!” The only answer I could give to this incredibly complex question was, “It’s 
kind of like how the sun makes you happy. There are a lot of detailed reasons, but in the end you just 
know sunshine is happy. Yoga is happy, too.”

Talk to anyone who does yoga, and they’ll tell you it makes them feel calmer, less stressed, and overall 
happier – at least I hope so! This is not just yoga-speak from people who have drunk the punch, studies 
show there are actual neurological reasons why yoga makes us happy. As early as 1937, yogi and 
Yale psychology grad Kovoor T. Behanan published a book showing a phenomenon commonly called 
“yoga brain” is a hard truth. After yoga, according to this study, we experience a slowing of mental 
functions Behanan described as “an extremely pleasant feeling of quietude.”

We now know this is thanks to increased production of a neurotransmitter called gamma-Aminobutyric 
acid, or GABA. GABA slows the firing of the neurons in our brains, ultimately calming the mind. 
Because of yoga’s mental calming effect, it has proven extremely effective in reducing stress, aiding in 
recovery from trauma, treating addiction, and a host of other mental applications.

Unfortunately, we are actually worse at complex mental functions like math or puzzles after yoga. 
Luckily, though, most of us don’t need to go take math tests right after savasana, the final yoga pose of 
relaxation. So the next time you forget to put your shoes back on after yoga, give it a smile, blame it on 
yoga brain, and know you’ve done something good for the quietude of your mind. 

Bethany Eanes, Teacher at Yoga Madre