Yoga works at the same time body and mind to restore balance; That is why it is ideal for situations of excessive or prolonged stress. Start here.
What we call stress is the response to an overwhelming situation that threatens our physical and psychological well-being. The practice of yoga helps to recover the physical, mental and spiritual balance that stress has made disappear.
How does yoga help against stress? First, we must understand that, faced with a hostile scenario, the nervous system activates automatic responses for the defense or escape of said danger, which unbalance our well-being.
Responses may take the form of:
- insomnia,
- acceleration of heart and breathing rate, even leading to shortness of breath,
- dysfunction of the digestive system: gastritis, ulcers,
- phobias, irritability,
- muscle contractures…
We associate these responses with an emotional state that we call anxiety or anguish. Yoga helps counteract these effects.
THE 4 BENEFITS OF YOGA AGAINST STRESS
The practice of yoga helps against stress from 4 different points of view:
- You recover harmony body mind. Through the asanas -postures-, breathing and relaxation you will recover the harmony of body and mind. You will feel much more relaxed, centered and strengthened, which will allow you to face your external circumstances with more serenity, whatever they may be.
- Helps to fall asleep. On a physical level, the practice of yoga promotes elasticity, strength and dynamism, which provides a feeling of tiredness and physical well-being that facilitates falling asleep and feeling fit.
- Balances the nervous system. In addition, yoga balances the nervous, digestive, respiratory, lymphatic and circulatory systems. Breathing, together with movement, causes a slight massage in the internal organs, which ensure their proper functioning and oxygenation of the cells.
- Calm the mind. From the mental point of view, yoga helps calm the mind; By focusing attention on the breath, accumulated tensions are automatically released, which helps to put worries in perspective and detach from them, allowing you to live in a more relaxed and complete way, focused on the present and now.
SAVASANA POSTURE AGAINST STRESS
Learn to cultivate your inner calm every day by practicing the savasana posture. Before long, healthy joie de vivre will blossom in you.
Calm, serenity, is a practice that is at the basis of health. Tranquility is not only a psychosomatic state, but also a workout.
The desire to stop and rest is often accompanied by guilt. However, it obeys an organic need and is as natural as drinking water and breathing. Not giving yourself permission to do so is almost like saying: I don’t have time to look for the car keys, so I will walk the 500 km. Psychosomatic calm is the key to the engine: that of the heart.
Almost all the values we appreciate in others are the result of calm.
It’s hard to be kind and patient when you’re rushing or nervous. Almost all the values that we appreciate in others, when we recognize them, are the fruit of calm. It allows us to connect with our most loving and compassionate part.
Among the yoga postures one of the most effective to train calm is savasana or dead body posture. Serenity is the basis of any spiritual or personal path.
Our health and joy depend on this enjoyable practice.
HOW TO DO THE SAVASANA POSE
Start by thanking yourself for taking time to rest and find your key.
- How to get high. Place one cushion under your knees, another under your skull, and spread your arms apart. Or leave your hands resting on your belly.
- Close your eyes. Or cover them with a tissue. This way you tell the organism that there is no danger and activate the parasympathetic system. Relax your jaw.
- Attention to breathing. Focus on the rhythm, volume, and temperature of your breath at the tip of your nose.
- Better not to sleep. At first it is natural to fall asleep but with practice it will be easier for you to rest without doing so.
- Enjoy relaxation. Feel the openness and serenity you are cultivating and enjoy them.
WHAT OTHER VARIETIES AND POSES OF YOGA ARE RELAXING?
To relax in a situation of acute stress, it is advisable to practice hatha yoga, or one of its variants.
The most recommended postures to release tension are those that encourage the opening of the chest:
- the cobra (Bhujangasana),
- the fish (Matsyasana)
- or the bridge (Setu Bandha sarvangasana),
- and any twisting or inverted posture.
And the most suitable breathing for relaxation is the abdominal.
When stress overflows, it is advisable to start yoga with the help of a teacher and gradually practice also autonomously. You’ll see how you’ll feel much better.