Essential guide to Yoga for stress managementPosted by saloni raut on January 13th, 2020 Stress is a normal psychological and physical reaction to the demands of life. A small amount of stress can be good, motivating you to perform well. But multiple challenges daily, such as sitting in traffic, meeting deadlines and paying bills, can push you beyond your ability to cope... One place I do know where to begin is with my yoga teacher training in India, where a whole new world of knowledge, understanding, and compassion opened up to me. Your brain comes hard-wired with an alarm system for your protection. When your brain perceives a threat, it signals your body to release a burst of hormones that increase your heart rate and raise your blood pressure. This "fight-or-flight" response fuels you to deal with the threat. Once the threat is gone, your body is meant to return to a normal, relaxed state. Unfortunately, the nonstop complications of modern life mean that some people's alarm systems rarely shut off. Stress management gives you a range of tools to reset your alarm system. It can help your mind and body adapt (resilience). Without it, your body might always be on high alert. Over time, chronic stress can lead to serious health problems. Essential guide to Yoga for stress management Doesn't wait until stress damages your health, relationships or quality of life. Start practicing stress management techniques today. For an immersive experience with yoga training in India, point your compass at Gao and one awesome yoga teacher training course India at wellness in yoga that will also impart all you need to know about Essential guide to Yoga for stress management.
The Four Essential: Focus on four practices that will do wonders for you. Health isn’t only about the lack of disease - it’s about feeling good each day. It’s true that these lifestyle choices help ward off illnesses, but they can also make you feel clear, alive, and full of energy. Breathe: Taking a few deep breaths has an instant calming effect on our minds, and is a great stress management technique that can be used anywhere. This is because pranayama breathing increases the parasympathetic output from our nervous system, helping the mind to relax instantly. Breath is key to connect with your body and turn down the dial of stress.start with learning Ujjayi breath (aka "ocean breath") and use it in each pose. Take a deep slow breath through your nose and exhale through your nose while constricting the back of your throat in the “ha” shape, but keep your mouth closed. Your breath should be loud enough that someone next to you could hear it and should sound like the waves of the ocean or like Darth Vader from Star Wars. Also, try a calming breath called Alternate Nostril Breathing. Physical activity is great for stress management, it bumps up the production of feel-good hormones, called endorphins. These endorphins are responsible for the feeling they call “runner’s high”. Thirty minutes of moderate exercise will make both your mind and body healthy. Meditate: A few minutes of guided meditation is enough to calm you and restore some inner peace. This creates mental tranquility which eliminates the stream of jumbled thoughts that often crowd your mind. Sleep Well: Getting a good night’s sleep is essential, so you can be ready for the day ahead and give your brain the much-needed break it wants. Aim to be kind to yourself: Kindness and positive emotions protect and cushion you from the burdens of stress and have been shown to improve physical health and depression. It’s really easy to learn to be hard on ourselves, so unlearning that self-judgment can be difficult but worthwhile. Being self-compassionate doesn’t come naturally for most people, so it takes concerted practice and intention every day. Symptoms of Stress: The condition is associated with a long list of physical and mental symptoms. Cognitive symptoms:
Emotional symptoms:
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Behavioral symptoms:
10 Hatha Yoga Poses for Stress Relief The mindful nature of hatha yoga 100+Hours Hatha Yoga in Goa, India makes it a great and effective practice for relieving stress. Just give any one of these hatha yoga poses a try after a long day--you’ll see just how a little yoga brightens your mood: Tadasana - Mountain Pose Tadasana may look to the untrained eye like the yogi is simply standing: feet shoulder-width apart, arms extended at the sides, eyes looking straight ahead. Vriksasana - Tree Pose Vriksasana is an advanced mountain pose, intended to improve the yogi’s balance and concentration. Not only will this pose helps strengthen the balancing muscles in the legs, but it is also a great way to let your stressful day go. Utthita Parsvakonasana - Extended Side Angle A foundational pose, the extended side angle (or Utthita Parsvakonasana) again brings balance and strength to the yogi while also trimming the waistline. Now you may be thinking that a smaller waist has nothing to do with stress relief, but think again; the side angle stretch is also credited with helping digestion, and anyone with a nervous stomach knows that a healthy digestive system can really reduce stress. Adho Mukha Svanasana - Downward Dog The downward dog is one of the most well-known poses in hatha yoga. Like most hatha yoga poses, it seems simple enough: put your hands and feet on the ground and straighten your legs, so you make a reverse “V” on the mat. But this pose is more than just a great hamstring stretch. Marjaryasana - Cat Pose Does anyone else carry their stress in their back muscles? Sometimes, the best way to relieve your stress is to stretch out those knotted up parts. Marjaryasana or the cat pose massages your lower back and spine. Setu bandha Sarvangasana - Bridge Pose When it comes to stress relief, the bridge pose is truly the motherload. This pose has been credited with reducing anxiety, fatigue, backaches, headaches, and insomnia. In fact, it has even been thought to be therapeutic for high blood pressure. Bhujangasana - Cobra Pose The cobra pose is, in a way, the opposite of the bridge pose. You begin on your stomach rather than you back, and you lift with your upper body rather than your lower. But while the poses may be different, the benefits remain. Viparita Karani - Legs-Up-The-Wall While cobra pose makes the yogi aware of the heart, this pose lays claim to the heart’s real nourishment. Viparita Karani a pose in which the yogi lays supine on the mat with his or her legs straight up against a wall is traditionally believed to “renew blood and lymph drainage "back into the heart area. Whether or not this is true, the pose is still incredibly relaxing and great for relieving stress. Balasana - Child’s Pose Excellent for relieving stress and anxiety, a child’s pose involves curling up into a ball with your knees tucked under you and your chest near the mat. For many, this pose can be soothing, as it relieves strain in the back, shoulders, neck, hips. It is also a restorative pose for the nervous system, and after a long, stressful day, we all could use some nice and easy restoration. Savasana - Corpse Pose If you opt-out of every other pose, please don’t miss out on this one. Savasana involves simply laying down on your mat with the eyes closed. But from this small, deliberate movement come big changes for your stress levels. The benefits of yoga to your mental health, physical health, and relationships are too long to list. Relieve the stress in your life with these simple hatha yoga exercises. Like it? Share it! |