yoga for stress releif

Understanding Stress

Your body talks to you in the form of stress. Stress is the reason we procreate, innovate, run marathons, and get promotions. It is how we get out of bed in the morning and why we are motivated to put food on the table. When something within us wants change, we are driven to make it happen. That want for change is motivated by stress. Feeling tired? Stress. Feeling hungry? Stress. Low blood pressure? Stress again.

Stress is defined as any challenge to the balance (also known as homeostasis) of the body. Challenges can range from simple changes in the weather to traumatizing world news, looming deadlines, pollution, a cold, blood pressure changes, hunger, feelings of fatigue, inflammation, sleep deprivation, eating processed foods, or emotional stress. Stress can manifest as real, life-threatening challenges or hidden stressors like the act of worrying, feelings of low selfworth, or a faulty immune system that can’t mount a strong antibody response. To the brain, anything that challenges the body’s homeostasis qualifies as stress, and it doesn’t matter whether it is physical, psychological, emotional, real, or imagined. As long as the brain perceives that your state of balance is being challenged, it counts as stress, and with that, a physiological stress response is always mounted so that the problem can be solved and you can adapt and ultimately survive

Negative Effects from Stress

7 poses for stress relief

1.Child’s pose

Benefits:

 Gently Stretches the hips, thighs and ankles. Calms the brain (nervous system). Lengthens and stretches spine. Relieves tension in back neck and shoulders. Relieves stress and fatigue.

Instructions:  

Kneel on floor

 Touch big toes together

 Sit back on heels  

Spread knees wide

 Exhale and lay torso between thighs Rest forehead on matStretch fingertips towards from on mat. 

2.Legs up the wall

Benefits:

Relieves tired or cramped legs and feet. Stretches hamstrings, front torso and back of neck. Relieves mild backache. Improves circulation. Calms the mind. Helps with insomnia.

Instructions:  

You will need one or  2 thickly folded blankets or a bolster

Bring support 5-6 inches away from wall

 Bring right side of body against the wall –seated on bolster

 Bring legs up against the wall      Sitting bones should dip down slightly in between bolster and wall (If stretch is too intense lower support). 

3.Cat pose

Benefits:

Stretches spine. Tones abdominal muscles. Improves circulation. Strengthens wrists, shoulders and knees. Improves digestion. Relieves tension and stress.

Instructions:

 Come onto hands and knees on mat – knees hips width apart, hands shoulder width apart Inhale

Exhale – Press palms into mat, arch back, drop head and gaze back towards belly button Inhale back to flat back

Repeat 4-5 times

4.Standing forward bend or rag doll

Benefits:

 Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression. Stretches hamstrings, calves and hips. Helps with digestion. Reduces fatigue and anxiety. Relieves headache and insomnia. Relieves tension in back and neck.

Instructions:

Stand with feet hips width apart Bend forward  

Bend knees depending on tension in low back and tightness in hamstrings  

Bring fingers into crooks of elbows Release head and neck

 Draw shoulders away  from ears

5.Savasana 

  Benefits:

 Calms nervous system, Rilieve tension, stress and anxiety. Relaxes the body. Reduces headache, fatigue and insomnia.   

Instructions:  

Breath: Let go of any control over breath or body 

Draw knees in towards chest

 Wrap arms around knees

 Imagine your body as a sponge that sops up stress and tension  

Squeeze body into a tight ball – Tense every muscle in body – squeezing tension , stress and any negativity out of your sponge

 Release legs and arms

 Let legs come out wide – toes dropping out to side

 Arms out wide – palms facing up

 

6.Supine Twist 

Benefits:

 Stretches the back muscles and spine. Stimulates the kidneys and abdominal organs. Helps with digestion. Relieves stress.

Instructions:

 Lye on back with knees bent.

 Hug right knee in towards chest and straighten left leg

Draw right knees over to the left (shift left hip to the right if needed) 

Arms stretch out wide

 Gaze to the righRepeat with left leg 

7.Down dog

Benefits:  

Calms nervous system and helps  relieve stress. Stretches shoulders, calves, hamstrings and arms. Improves digestion. Relieves insomnia, back pain and fatigue. Strengthens arms and legs. Energizes the body. 

Instructions:

 Begin on hands and knees (tabletop) knees hips width apart, hands shoulder width apart

Walk hands slightly forward in front of shoulders. Spread fingers wide.

 Tuck toes and lift hips up

 Bend knees slightly or generously depending   on tightness in back and hamstrings

 Press palm into mat – lengthen arms.

 Gaze back towards back of room 

THANK YOU