Feeling Frazzled? How Yoga Can Help with Stress Relief
As modern life becomes increasingly more pressured, we often find ourselves feeling overwhelmed. We have too much to do, we have too many worries - about health, finances, family, work… it’s normal now to feel as though we are sinking in a sea of stress. We have to start taking care of ourselves physically, emotionally and mentally to reduce our stress levels, relieve our anxiety and really support our wellbeing.
Understanding Stress
Our body has to have a stress response so we can react if we’re in true danger but it shouldn’t be normal to feel so stressed in daily life. When our body and mind work together to sense danger or threat, our Sympathetic Nervous System starts to work to prepare us to react to this danger. Our body is preparing to run away, fight or hide! Our heart rate increases, blood pressure increases, our digestion slows down and our muscles get tense and ready for action. Our body is pumped with the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline to give us a burst of energy.
However, nowadays unless we are in a truly dangerous situation, we don’t need to get ready to run or fight, for example when that 50th email pops into our inbox, or we get our electricity bill. Our body and brain might still see these things as threats, so we get the same stress reaction we would if we were about to be attacked by a tiger!
I have a strong tendency to feel stress. I’ve had two periods of my life where the stress was so intense, I experienced symptoms such as insomnia, heart palpitations and panic attacks. Stress can feel scary, and this causes - yep, you guessed it, more stress and anxiety because we wonder what is wrong with us.
How can you help yourself if you are stressed?
There are a multitude of ways you can help yourself if you are feeling stressed - before it gets to the point where your body is paying the price, and talking about how you feel with loved ones or even trained mental health workers is really important. Pushing stress away simply doesn’t work. Prioritise taking care of your general health by eating well, moving your body and doing things you enjoy! We are so caught up in our to-do lists that we forget to focus on what brings a smile on our faces. Yoga can be part of your tool kit for stress relief. Here’s how yoga helps with stress relief:
When we’re stressed, we breathe fast and short breaths. In Yoga, we learn to breathe more slowly and consciously. This signals to our brain and our nervous system that we are safe and helps us feel calmer.
We hold lots of tightness in our bodies, especially when we are stressed. Yoga helps us release that tightness and tension so our body feels physically more relaxed. This again signals to our brain that we are safe so our Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) kicks in to gear, helping us feel calmer.
Moving our bodies also helps boost hormones that make us feel good, e.g. serotonin and endorphins.
We learn to rest in yoga. When we are in a rest state, our PNS is working whilst our stress response is dialling down or switching off.
Yoga teaches us mindfulness. We hear this word a lot and all it means is we are being present. Feeling focused and concentrating on the here and now rather than getting lost in thought. Stress is usually a response to lots of thoughts in our head - thoughts about how we don’t have enough time for example. Being mindful means letting those thoughts go and simply being here and doing the task at hand.
Yoga teaches us to be compassionate to ourselves and others. We learn to make mistakes, to try new things, to stop worrying about what other people think of us. We give ourselves this precious time to simply look after our bodies and minds.
If you are struggling with stress, yoga can be a wonderful gift of self-care. I design all my yoga class for stress-relief. You will leave feeling calmer, more relaxed and more connected to yourself. Join my yoga classes in Coalville to soothe your soul in this hectic world. Find a little time out for yourself to just be present, to move and breathe. It makes SUCH a difference.