Before reading this article, raise our shoulders up towards your ears, and release them down. Rotate your neck gently, to the back and then to the front. Breathe in through the nose and very slowly exhale through the nose, listening to the sound your breath makes in your throat. Practice this breathing throughout the article. Notice how you feel!

With the current states of affairs there is a lot of stress throughout the world.  

There are however, two kinds of stresses, positive stress (eustress) and negative stress (chronic stress).

Positive Stress 

When one is stressed the body responds to the ‘fight or flight ‘ syndrome by giving off a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol has positive and negative functions. Short term and positive functions include: increased rapidity when performing tasks; quick bursts of energy; heightened memory functions; increased immunity; lower sensitivity to pain.   This is also evident in sports when the mind has to think and the body has to react fast to conditions presented.

Negative Stress 

Cortisol, however, also has negative impacts. Too much cortisol is what causes chronic stress. Usually the body would regulate itself after this burst of energy with a relaxation response. The body goes into a ‘downtime’. We however do not allow downtime. Negative toxins, attack the body, causing strain in the hips, shoulders, upper back, neck and the head. The body’s immune defense system is lowered and compromised, and the rest of the body becomes susceptible to sickness and even dis-ease.

The positive / happy hormone, serotonin, slows down. Which explains one’s mood during times of stress: irritable, uncomfortable, tired and over worked!

Higher and more prolonged levels of cortisol in the blood causes: blood sugar imbalance; decreased bone density; high or spiked blood pressure; immunity lowered; impaired cognitive response, as alertness becomes secondary to the discomfort the body feels; increased abdominal fat – studies have shown that people who secrete higher levels of cortisol are more stressed, over-indulge or do not eat a balanced diet and tend to make poor eating choices.

How does one Combat Stress? 

 A healthy diet along with walking, running, meditation, dancing, are all popular ways to combat stress. Yoga is an important technique and recommended by many health-care specialists. Yoga was designed to loosen and stretch out joints and muscles where stress accumulates, releasing toxins through breath. Yoga practice involves breath control  (Pranayama) and meditation. The practice of yoga has been proven to improve ones sleep patterns. Proper sleep is vital to combat stress. One is also in a better mental position to deal with stress and stressful situations when well rested and calm.

Yoga Breathing 

The practice of pranayama or yoga breathing is important as one focuses on the breath. One breathes in Prana. This is ‘life force’ or energy. One then distributes it throughout the body.  Breathing in and out through the nose, filtering the air that enters and releasing the stale air which has accumulated in the lungs is fundamental. Internal response is required for this act as one is taken in to listen to the flow of the breath. Immediately the nervous system is calmed, focusing the mind on the breath.

Breathing in through the nose on a rise and practice a sinking, releasing breath on a decline when doing asanas helps create rhythm.  This allows for a fluid response to pranayama and also links the asanas.

Yoga asanas 

Slow, deep inhalations are necessary to relax into the  . This also allows the body to warm up and maintain the heat, thus making the muscles supple enough to stretch further, which in turn, releases all the built up stress. Yoga asanas are best done when one moves through them with the breath. One then links the breath to the body, uniting. This is the goal of Yoga, to unite, or ‘yoke’ the breath, the body and the soul.

The asanas are designed to open, stretch and flex all muscles in the body. With regular practice one is able to sink into the poses with less resistance. The body maintains its muscle memory. The Yoga practitioner is able to go further into the pose, constantly taking each to the next level.

After a prolonged relationship with yoga, one’s body feels the need to stretch itself out regularly. One is also healthier, calmer, and able to rest and release stress and also focus the mind. The breath is the water in the flow of asanas. The practice becomes a preventative cure.

Rest / Savasana  

     ’The stresses of modern civilization are a strain on the nerves for which Savasana is the best antidote.’

                                             (Light on Yoga, B.K.S Iyengar)     

Yoga practice ends with a final relaxation (Corpse Pose) or Savasana. This is important to release the mind and the body totally. One has worked considerably throughout the practice, it then becomes time to release and relax. In ancient times, monks to ease all kinks from their limbs practiced yoga; this would prepare them to sit in meditation for hours. When practicing the final rest at the end of a workout, try to maintain consciousness. It is very easy to slip into a deep sleep when doing this asana. Maintain your breath awareness. The savasana is practiced to truly release stress. One listens to the breath whilst focusing on particular body parts which are stressed. Visualize the stress fading into the ground, like mercury dropping out of the body. Do not practice this pose under bright lights. Final rest is to be done for about 10 to 15 minutes after a workout. It has been said that this pose can be the most difficult, as it is so easy to loose consciousness. When one arises from Savasana one is focused, refreshed and ready to take on tasks.

Meditation 

There are various ways to meditate. The Dalai Lama once said that the easiest way to meditate was on nature. The beauty of a flower, for example or the simplicity of the fight of a butterfly shows us how amazing yet fragile our lives are. The idea however, is to be quiet within.  The focus on the breath with its inhalation, exhalation and also its restraint creates a rhythm with nature. One can come into a lotus pose, or a simple crossed legged position, close the eyes and take the attention inward, breathing slowly.

 Meditation can be done about 10 to 15 minutes after asana practice. This is the time when the body is stilled and the heart is beating calmly and rhythmically. The mind is able to focus.

Yoga asanas energizes and calms the body and the mind. In the West, the practice has been used primarily as a workout routine to tone and flex the body. It is however becoming more popular as a practice, which calms the nervous system and brings about a sense of peace and well – being. The practice of yoga requires breath control, which is important in the control of one’s emotions.  Yoga also teaches us about our connectedness to the universe and life around us. The simplicity of all things and too its beauty is important in the practice of meditation.

Yoga asanas detoxify the body of all stress causing toxins and hormones, which inhibit the back, legs, shoulders and hips. Stress accumulates is dangerous to the body. If this stress does not get released it could cause sickness, dis – ease, headaches, heartaches and constant ill health. Time has to be taken to focus the mind and release built up stress. Yoga helps with optimizing the body’s potential for growth and development. However, one has to take care of the body and mind in order to reap its full benefits. A healthy diet along with Yoga, which practices pranayama, meditation and physical asanas, is an ideal practice.

                                                   (Light  on Yoga, B.K.S Iyengar)

Technorati Tags: asanas, meditation, pranayama, stress control, yoga, yoga and stress