Yoga and Stress Relief
The events of recent months vie for our attention and tug
at the normalcy of everyday life. We now live in such extraordinary
times that the very fabric of our society that had so long
sheltered and embraced us is now rife with menace and danger.
Although material abundance and technology surrounds us, there
is an underlying primal fear and anxiety that is both elemental
and pervasive, which does not go away. This is today’s reality
and for the foreseeable future, fear and anxiety are here
to stay.
On
the other hand, fear and anxiety should not go away, for they
are proper responses to those events and things, both tangible
and intangible that threaten us. Fear and anxiety are nature’s
way of stimulating our nervous system in order to ensure that
we are able to respond to impending danger. However, excessive
fear and anxiety can quickly escalate to the point of circumventing
our ability to take appropriate action.
During
periods of stress or extraordinary challenge, we most commonly
hold our breath or even hyperventilate. Yet both physically
and psychologically, holding your breath is the very worst
thing you can do. The mechanics of excessive stress create
an abundance of harmful blood chemistry that is both damaging
to your body and to your emotional health.
Both
your physical body and your emotional well being react to
prolonged and excessive stress by elevations in blood pressure,
pulse, metabolism, and oxygen consumption, all of which interferes
with proper functioning. And if that weren’t enough, prolonged
stress greatly interferes with effective thinking and decision-making.
Although it is never appropriate to lose one’s control, now
is a particularly critical time to maintain command of your
physical and emotional health.
One
of your most important tools in learning to control your stress;
or more importantly, how to control your reactions to the
enormous stresses being generated day-to-day, is learning
about your breath. If you practice yoga, or any other form
of the body-mind-breathing arts, you already know that these
practices begin with or revolve around your breathing. Even
though your breath is “autonomic,” meaning that it is always
there and there’s nothing you need to do in order to breathe;
it is also controllable and in so doing, controlling your
breath yields substantial rewards. Reflecting both your emotional
and physiological states, controlled and quiet breathing allows
you to soothe both your mind and body. If left unchecked,
stress often causes you to either breath too shallow or to
hyperventilate. Both are bad.
Shallow
breathing is characterized by unconscious breath holding or
gasping and is usually a “startle” or “alarm” reaction causing
your abdomen to tighten. As you inhale into your upper chest,
oxygen absorption declines and your heart rate and blood pressure
increase. Furthermore, gastro-intestinal distress can increase
along with chronic neck and shoulder tension. Hyperventilation
is characterized by rapid, shallow breathing interspersed
by frequent sighs. During hyperventilation, too much carbon
dioxide is expended which increases the blood’s alkalinity,
which can cause or exacerbate anxiety, phobia, and/or dizziness.
Controlled breathing circumvents both problems, which brings
us to the subject of yoga and controlled breathing. Yoga exponents
have known for millennia what science has only recently confirmed;
that there is an intimate connection between yoga breath control
and controlling aspects of your nervous and immune systems,
your emotions, and your overall health.
Forget
about learning esoteric yogic techniques and forget about
contorting your body into a pretzel. Anyone and everyone can
learn simple breath control techniques, for it is scientifically
proven that a regular practice of even the most rudimentary
breath control techniques create positive changes in both
brain and body chemistry. This in turn lowers blood pressure,
increases oxygen absorption, and slows metabolism; all of
which helps you to think more clearly, especially when under
stress. The more you practice, the more you get.
A
basic and simple practice will yield immediate relaxation
and a clearer mind. A sustained practice over time provides
a potential for maximizing physical and emotional stability
and health. It’s said that in life, there is no such thing
as a magic bullet or a panacea that can fix everything; but
to my way of thinking, controlled breathing is the next best
thing.
Article
by yoga instructor Sam Dworkis, auther of Recovery Yoga
and ExTension. Visit his web site at www.extensionyoga.com
.
The above article
is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease
or condition. A qualified health care professional should
be consulted before beginning ExTension or Recovery Yoga,
or any exercise program. Read the rest of our disclaimer
and terms of use.
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