Everyday, one is exposed to a surge of potential stressors. Meeting deadlines, family pressures, a hectic schedule, and watching the latest tragedy on the news, all send the adrenals in to overdrive. Living in a high-adrenal haze is tough on the body, the mind and the soul.
Yoga is an ideal way to banish stress, ease tension and worries and dispel the gloom. It checks the occurrence of a host of psychosomatic ailments and keeps one energized and cheerful all day.
How Does Yoga Help De-stress?
The Yoga Asanas are great channels to physically work out emotional stress. Focusing on the various poses gives the mind that much-needed holiday. That’s why people feel relaxed and composed after even a 20-minute session of Yoga.
- The free-flowing and fluid motions of the various Yoga postures help open up the obstructed or blocked Prana (i.e. the vital principle that governs the body). Thus the channels through which the Prana flows get purified.
- Psychologically, Yoga soothes frayed nerves. The Asanas provide tranquillity and peace by giving the nervous system a chance to rest.
- A range of psychosomatic and lifestyle disorders can be prevented through a sustained and regular practice of Yoga.
Yoga Asanas to Fight Stress
These Yoga postures have a restorative effect on the body. They work on the entire body-mind-soul complex. They dispel all negative emotions, alleviate anxiety, prevent excessive and unwarranted thinking and provide a simple method to stress reduction.
Makrasana (The Crocodile Pose):
Makrasana is a restful and intuitive pose. It frees the mind of all unwanted clutter and chaos. It reduces mental chatter and unnecessary thought patterns and helps quell worries, fears, anxieties, apprehensions and fretfulness.
The technique:
- Lie down on the abdomen.
- Open the legs wide apart and turn the heels inwards, such that the inner thighs, knees and ankles touch the floor.
- Now, bend the forearms and bring them to the head. Cup each elbow in a palm.
- Rest the forehead on the arms. If necessary reposition the elbows and arms, so that the head is comfortable.
- Stretch the whole front of the body.
- Stay in the pose for about ten minutes, breathing gently.
The Crocodile Pose is an excellent Asana to increase energy levels and invigorate the body. It makes the spine a lot more flexible and strengthens weak back muscles. It boosts willpower and determination and adds a zest to life.
Pindasana (The Embryo Pose)
Pindasana is a soothing pose that helps forget the stressful and mundane events of life and helps reconnect with the gentle aliveness within the body.
The technique:
- Get down on the knees, and sit such that, the buttocks rest on the toes. Then, curl the upper body over the thighs.
- Let the head be turned to one side, the cheek resting on the floor.
- Nestle the fists between the chin and the knees.
- Breathe slowly and gently, and try to connect with the rhythmic breathing.
- Keep the mind free of thoughts and make the body relaxed and serene with each breath.
- Stay in the pose for about 15 minutes.
When one feels overwhelmed and engulfed in a highly stressful situation, practising this Asana yields extraordinary results. It gives the mind a rest from all the overthinking and provides mental spaciousness.