Quick And Easy Yoga Poses to Reduce Chronic Stress And Anxiety!
How to Reduce Anxiety And Manage Chronic Stress With Yoga?
At some point in our lives, we might have suffered from some mild anxiety. This happens from time to time, but when the anxiety becomes chronic, it produces a tremendous effect on the human body. It drains the energy resources of the individual, thus leaving the body in a constant state of stress. reduce
The truth is that when you do not exercise the body as often as required, the effect of anxiety becomes magnified. When this happens, the tension in the muscles will build up, your breathing will remain constricted most of the time, thus leaving the mind troubled with the thoughts and feelings that feed the anxiety.
Stress is,
One of the most common ailments of the modern age. People have busy schedules, lots of responsibilities, and a variety of worries in their lives. One of the best ways to relieve stress is to practice yoga. Many studies have confirmed the effectiveness of yoga for chronic stress.
Here is a list of symptoms that stress can cause:
1. Physical:
- Insomnia-Back, shoulder or neck pain.
- Tension or migraine headaches.
- Upset or acid stomach, cramps, heartburn, gas, irritable bowel syndrome.
- Constipation, diarrhea-Weight gain or loss, eating disorders.
- Hair loss-Muscle tension-Fatigue-High blood pressure.
- Irregular heartbeat, palpitations-Asthma or shortness of breath.
- Chest pain-Sweaty palms or hands-Cold hands or feet.
- Skin problems (hives, eczema, psoriasis, tics, itching).
- Periodontal disease, jaw pain-Reproductive problems.
- Immune system suppression: more colds, flu, infections.
- Growth inhibition.
2. Emotional:
- Nervousness, anxiety-Depression, moodiness.
- Butterflies-Irritability, frustration.
- Memory problems-Lack of concentration.
- Trouble thinking clearly-Feeling out of control.
- Substance abuse-Phobias-Overreactions.
- Tearfulness-No sense of humor.
- Feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope.
It can also cause:
Increased arguments-Isolation from social activities-Conflict with co-workers or employers-Frequent job changes-Road rage-Domestic or workplace violence.
This is Where Yoga Comes in:
- Yoga allows you to face the daily fears, worries, frustrations as well as challenges that may come your way.
- It prepares you to handle them proficiently.
There are some special techniques that yoga teachers instruct their students to practice at home. The fact is, only in yoga classes can one truly appreciate as well as get completely familiar with the yoga poses and styles.
For Reducing Stress in the body:
- By investing your time to practice how to concentrate on the sound that is being produced by your breathing, as you inhale and exhale evenly.
- it will help you to effectively switch your attention from feelings of anxiety to that of relaxation.
- Quite a number of exercises can be adapted so that one can perform them in different settings like in an office chair.
- The Complete Breath technique is very important for people who often feel “stressed out.”
- Breath and mind, one can accomplish that by coping skills with a little daily routine exercising, breathing as well as meditation.
- This helps to control breathing and also relax the body by gradually releasing tension from the large muscle groups.
- flushing all parts of the body, including the brain with a fresh supply of blood, oxygen as well as other important nutrients.
- After this, they help to increase the feeling of the well-being of the individual. Performing a “whole body” exercise as the sun poses, for example, can be very helpful.
- This is so because they encourage you to breathe deeply as well as rhythmically.
- Once this technique is properly learned, it can be used anywhere, anytime to limit the effect of a panic attack, to make the mind calm or to cope with difficult and challenging situations.
- The most important thing about yoga is that daily practice is the key to achieving tremendous results.
- You should practice your daily relaxation as well as meditation regularly.
- This daily training that you perform by focusing the mind on stillness, will teach you how to consciously quiet your mind, anytime you feel overwhelmed.
- When you engage in meditations, you put yourself in a state where you get in touch with your inner resources; this invariably means that you will be less dependent on drugs, have great self-awareness and also live a happy and fulfilled life.
Meditation:
One of the most effective ways to reduce stress is to incorporate meditation into your daily routine. Take just a few minutes a day to clear the thoughts from your mind, center yourself and concentrate on your breathing.
- Meditation can do wonders to ease the effects of stress on your body and mind.
- You may also consider practicing mindful meditation, which can be done just about anywhere.
- Mindful meditation reduces stress by clearing all thoughts from your mind except for a single task or activity.
Whether it is driving, looking at the view from your office or eating your lunch, by simply concentrating fully on the task or activity at hand, you release all the other stressful thoughts from your mind.
How Yoga Reduces Chronic Stress And Anxiety?
Yoga can play a role in the reduction of chronic stress for several reasons. Firstly, the performance of yoga moves can induce the release of a hormone called serotonin in your brain. When released, serotonin induces feelings of calm and happiness.
Upon experiencing these emotions, the feeling of stress can be reduced substantially. While this stress reduction is only temporary, individuals who begin to do yoga moves regularly can experience the aforementioned sense of peace and calm on a regular basis.
Yet another reason,
That yoga is effective in reducing the experience of chronic stress is because of the steady breathing that it typically involves. As many health and fitness experts know, steady breathing can normalize the heart rate. This cardiovascular activity is important for people who suffer from chronic stress because it is oftentimes associated with irregular heartbeats.
The Best Part of Yoga Is:
That it helps you discover more about your mind, body, and emotions. Yoga can help you become more balanced, calm, focused, and relaxed as you go through life’s usual ups and downs.
Of course, you won’t instantly feel more positive, calm, or energetic after doing a few yoga poses. As with all good things, the effects of yoga need to build up over time.
- If you give yourself a half-hour each day to do a few yoga poses, after a couple of weeks you should start noticing a subtle change.
- Keep going longer and yoga will become a natural part of your daily routine, ready to help you manage life’s stresses well into the future.
Here’re Easy Yoga Poses to Reduce Chronic Stress and Anxiety:
The specific exercise that yoga provides helps to manage stress in a way other exercises do not. Specific yoga poses encourage flexibility, blood flow and deep breathing which translates into a calmer countenance in your everyday life. Yoga has been proven to lower blood pressure, improve sleep, and reduce muscle tension, all factors, and symptoms caused by stress. Improved physical fitness can also increase self-esteem, allowing you to feel better about yourself, thus allowing you to manage your stress more effectively.
I. Hop-Switch Lunges:
This is one of my go-to practices for getting rid of that extra energy. It takes arm, core, and leg strength to hop and switch legs in this position (I leave my hands on the floor and switch the forward leg only). It takes about 10 reps and my heart rate starts increasing. Soon I realize that the thoughts which were rolling in my mind have now gone.
II. Mini-Kicks toward Handstand:
I’ve never been able to balance in the Handstand position for more than a few seconds. And when I’m tensed about an urgent assignment, it is obviously not the time to try balancing myself in the handstand, but a few controlled kicks remind me of limitless possibilities. As an added bonus, they’re funny and interesting – something that reminds me of not taking everything so seriously.
III. Chaturanga:
This pose makes me feel positive. I am capable, I am strong and I can achieve anything – That is how I feel after doing Chaturanga.
IV. Headstand:
I usually avoid it until I’ve burnt my extra energy with a few other poses mentioned above. But when I do it, I feel really focused and filled with a new perspective about doing things.
V. Seated Meditation:
No matter how high is my mind flying, 10-20 deep breaths are enough to bring it down. Sitting up at the angle of 90°, resting my hands down on my knees, and breathing deeply helps me in relaxing my mind. As a result, I’m able to focus on my work again. reduce reduce reduce reduce
Meditation Technique to reduce stress:
- Start by sitting comfortably and making sure your spine is straight. Look downward and do not focus on anything.
- Allow your eyelids to drop to a level that feels comfortable. Do not close your eyes.
- Keep looking downward. Your breathing should become slower, deeper, and more relaxed.
- Take a deep breath, breathing in from the stomach and not the chest; fill your lungs to capacity.
- Exhale completely, compressing your stomach to expel all air from your lungs.
- Now take four short breathes in rapid succession, again pulling air by breathing from your stomach.
- Take another deep breath filling your lungs completely and hold it for a count of 5 seconds.
- Repeat this 1 long and 4 short breathes 5 times.
- On every exhale be mindful of releasing all negative thoughts and feelings.
- After the breathing exercise:
- Now quiet your mind, focus on the stillness, the silence, and stay only in this present moment.
- After several minutes, return your eyes to their normal focus. You should be feeling more relaxed.
Meditation is not an easy thing to learn. You have to be dedicated and religiously practice it in order for it to fully benefit you. Do not be discouraged for it may take a few sessions for you to retrain your mind and body to truly relax in stillness.
Summing Up:
If you are feeling under pressure, anxious, and worried – take a moment to pause, sit down, relax your shoulders, soften your gaze and take a long steady breathe in and slowly exhale. Practice this 3-5 times and observe what difference it makes to how you feel. I am sure you will feel calmer, less stressed and energized.
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Disclaimer: “Nothing in this article makes any claim to offer cures or treatment of any disease or illness. If you are sick please consult with your doctor.”