How can yoga transform stress into your greatest ally
Understanding what stress really is
First, I want to start with what stress is. Stress is not necessarily bad. It’s a normal and physiological response to a threat and is absolutely essential and vital to our survival. A stress response happens through neurotransmitters and hormones, this is how information travels to signal the body that it has to change the way we use our energy to protect ourself against the danger.
Though not all forms of stress are positive. Acute stress is what we are exposed to on a daily basis. It’s a short-term response to a short-term threat where the body returns to its parasympathetic state where it rests. In opposition, chronic stress comes after a prolonged exposure to a threat or perceived threat, and can be harmful to our physical and mental health.
When stress becomes an issue
If we stay in this state for a longer period of time, that’s when we start experiencing physical and emotional issues as the body stays activated and mobilized to address the threat.
In response to a prolonged state of danger, the body perceives that there will be a higher demand of energy and really mobilize our reserves and increase our metabolism. This is what we call homeostasis (self-regulating process by which biological systems tend to maintain stability while adjusting to conditions that are optimal for survival).
But there is only so much reserves that we have before we move into a state of exhaustion, and fall into chronic stress. In this state, our immune system and body functions will start to shut down and the body feels depleted.
Stress increases:
· acidity in the body
· inflammation
· infection
· constipation or diarrhea
Stress is also the root cause of so many of our modern diseases (cancer, diabetes, CVA,..).
Use Yoga to help manage your stress level so it returns to a degree where stress is not depleting you
When you are stressed, slowing down might seem a long shot, out of reach, even scary. If this is your case, your yoga practice can be dynamic and also include the following:
- Mindful movement, shifting your attention onto your mat to escape from your worries. You can easily observe what is happening in your body, your sensations in each posture. If this is too hard, then focus on your breath, following your inhale and exhale.
- Forward fold to calm the mind
- Twists to activate the digestion which positively impacts our mental health, as they work in tandem.
- Stretches to release muscles tensions
- Hip opener to release blocked emotions
If you don’t mind slowing down, you could also include:
- meditations and yoga nidra (1 hour of yoga nidra equals 3 hours of sleep, NOT KIDDING!) to reduce reducing cortisol level which is wrecking the body by stopping the digestion and impacting our blood pressure and fat storage.
- pranayama exercises: simply lengthening the exhalation to calm down and let go to tap into our parasympathetic response. Be mindful of your breathing capacity when trying pranayama to avoid hyperventilation.
Remember stress is good as long as it keeps us going, avoiding the negative effects of procrastinating but not to the extent where your body past the red line. Yoga will not only help you manage stress to never cross this line but also give you the tools to make your way home to a sustainable level of stress if you cross the line.
Please do not confuse stress and anxiety which are not the same thing. Anxiety can be healed through yoga but not using the same tools as the body is not experiencing the same thing.
