From time to time, we all have a bad day, or even a run of them – and the nature of things seems to be that everything compounds at these times. Sometimes though stress can become our default outlook – it ceases to be a state and becomes a trait.
Our bodies and minds need a little stress, it keeps us on edge, but generally in modern society we trend toward too much stress. Too much stress can affect us physically and emotionally, from heart conditions and back pain, through to anxiety and depression. The load stress places on our bodies is called “Allostatic Load”, and when this gets too high, we become susceptible to disease -literally dis-ease – and stress related illness.
Yoga is well placed to help with these issues. Simply taking time out to focus on ourselves can be a start. Add in some attention to how we place our bodies in simple yoga postures, how we breathe, where our minds are wandering off to, and Yoga can help make a real change.
Like many things perseverance is important, so a regular Yoga class, ideally backed up with half an hour every day or so at home, will help build resilience over time which allows us to adapt better to stress and bounce back from times when we get over stressed.
If you are interested in using Yoga to deal with stress, then it really is best to work with an experienced teacher – books and YouTube have their place, but a teacher’s eye can notice the subtle things that help you get more out of your practice.
As a Yoga Therapist as well as Yoga teacher, Stress related conditions, and an understanding of their physiology and psychology, is a specialist area of mine. All of my group classes are suitable for dealing with stress, and if you would like more personalised attention, I can help one on one as a Yoga Therapist.
You can learn more about my Yoga Classes at www.yinspire.co.uk, where you can book a class and find out more about my studio between Brading and Ryde, Isle of Wight.
I’ve also written a lot more about Stress and Yoga on my Yoga Therapy website, www.yinspire.co.uk/yoga-therapy which is worth a read.
