How to tackle stress with yoga and mindfulness

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How to tackle stress with yoga and mindfulness

• The year 2020 hasnt been kind to the human race.
  A global pandemic has pulled the rug out of our
  feet and has halted life as we knew it. However,
  due to our resilience, we have managed to find
  new ways to keep our civilization running.
  Millions of people are now working from home and
  businesses have either switched or planning to
  switch to online models (among others).
• The transition hasnt been easy though. We have
  had to make significant changes to our daily
  routines. People who are working from home,
  housewives, and kids have all discovered new
  challenges of remaining indoors day in and day
  out.

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• Some of the most glaring ones are as follows
• Increased stress and anxiety due to rising
  uncertainties. People dont know how long this
  situation will last and how bad the outcome will
  be.
• Many people have lost their jobs and businesses
  due to the outbreak and this has caused them a
  great deal of stress.
• Lack of physical movement is another one. Even
  simple trips to the nearby shops are less
  frequent now. This has resulted in or could
  result in a number of health issues.
• People are feeling lonelier than ever as they
  dont get to see their friends and colleagues
  that often. As humans, its natural to want to be
  social, and not being able to do so has its own
  psychological impacts.
• Constant fear and anxiety of catching the virus
  and its consequences.

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• There are many other challenges that were facing
  due to our new reality. Its important that we
  deal with these challenges in any way we can.
  Fortunately, certain practices that have been
  with us since ancient times can help in that
  regard. Yoga and mindfulness are highly effective
  methods of tackling the stress and anxiety that
  people are experiencing. Lets take a look at how
  to tackle stress with yoga and mindfulness.
• Top Yoga Poses To Tackle Stress
• Yoga has given us a lot of tools to cope with
  stress and anxiety. It helps us relax and find
  inner peace which is the need of the hour for
  many. The following are the top yoga poses that
  anybody can do with ease to de-stress themselves

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• Forward Fold (Uttanasana)

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• This is one of the best postures to make stress
  leave your body. This can be done while standing
  or while sitting down, but what youre
  essentially doing is bending your upper body and
  moving towards your feet. As you get closer to
  your feet, your chest gets closer to your
  thighs.Remember to take a deep breath before
  bending forward. And when you get back to your
  original pose, breath out. This pose helps
  stretch your spine, balances the nervous system,
  and quiets your stressful thoughts.

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• Childs Pose (Balasana)

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• If you sit around all day, a lot of tension can
  accumulate in your lower back. This pose is
  perfect to release all of that tension. In this
  pose, you stretch your hands in front of you and
  fold your knees so that your heels are touching
  your sit bones. Your knees can be just under your
  upper body or slightly stretched outwards. For a
  better stretch, you can walk your hands in front
  of you.When youre in this pose, just breathe
  normally and try to relax as much as you can.
  This pose soothes the adrenals, stretches the
  lower back, and helps relieve tension from your
  hips.

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Legs Up The Wall (Viparita Karani)
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• You have probably done this pose as a child. As
  the name suggests, you lie down on the ground
  with your legs up the wall (such that they are
  parallel to the wall). You can also add a pillow
  under your back for support. You can stay in this
  position for a few minutes while trying to relax
  your mind.This pose provides the perfect
  relaxation to your low back and hips after a long
  and hard day of work. It helps stretch the back
  of your neck which is another area where tension
  accumulates in your body. It is also said to help
  reduce stress.

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Corpse Pose (Savasana)
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• This pose might look like you are just lying down
  on your back like you do when youre sleeping.
  But its much more than that. Typically done at
  the end of a yoga session, savasana requires you
  to bring your attention to each part of your body
  one by one. This gradually relaxes you and helps
  calm the mind.Savasana slows your breathing,
  lowers your blood pressure, quiets the nervous
  system, and helps relieve insomnia and fatigue.

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• Top Mindfulness Techniques For Stress Management
• Even though mindfulness as a practice has been in
  existence since ancient times, people are only
  now becoming aware of it. The rising trend of
  physical and mental health issues have forced
  people to discover this practice. Mindfulness is
  basically the state of nonjudgmental awareness of
  your thoughts, emotions, actions, and sensations.
  For stress management, you can adopt the
  following mindfulness techniques.

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• Mindful Eating
• During the lockdown, preparing something to eat
  can be a great way to spend some quality time
  with your family. To further enhance it, you can
  practice mindful eating. In this technique,
  applying the basic principles of mindfulness, you
  need to be fully immersed or involved in the act
  of eating.So, when youre eating, notice the
  texture of your food, its colors, and its smell.
  Notice how youre holding the spoon or fork. When
  youre chewing and swallowing, do it slowly, with
  total awareness of what youre doing in the
  present moment. This anchors your thoughts and
  emotions to the present moment and you stop
  worrying about the uncertainties of the future.

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• Mindful Movement
• Mindfulness doesnt require you to practice
  specific poses or workout intensely. But it
  requires you to be mindful when you are doing any
  sort of movement. It could be walking, running,
  rolling, or anything else. As with mindful
  eating, here too, you need to be totally aware of
  the movements you are doing.This entails
  noticing how your body moves through space, how
  your breathing changes with each movement, how
  your body interacts with the surfaces it touches,
  and so on. When you are practicing this technique
  of mindfulness, you learn a lot about your body
  and your thoughts dont dwell on the typical
  stressors.

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• Mindful Breathing
• This is one of the easiest techniques of
  mindfulness if you know what youre doing. You
  could say that this is a type of meditation. To
  practice this technique, you can sit down in a
  comfortable posture and just notice your
  breathing pattern. Simply bring your awareness to
  how you inhale and how you exhale.This is such a
  powerful technique that even 5-10 minutes of
  doing it is enough to calm your mind and
  de-stress you. It also does wonders for your
  focus. Naturally, if you are trying to deal with
  the stressors of the Coronavirus pandemic, you
  should make it a part of your daily routine.

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• Pranayama An Introduction

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• To understand what Pranayama is, we need to
  understand how the very word is formed. Its made
  up of two words prana which means universal
  life force and ayama which means to regulate or
  lengthen. So, basically, Pranayama means to
  regulate or lengthen the life force. In the
  context of human beings, it means to regulate the
  life force within us.
• There are many ways this regulation can be done.
  However, the most direct method is by way of
  breath. So, Pranayama has come to be understood
  as an aspect of yoga where we practice certain
  breathing exercises. Some of the most common of
  these are Bhastrika, Nadi Shodhana, Kapalabhati,
  Ujjayi, Bhramari, and so on.

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• Pranayama breathing exercises are another great
  way to get rid of your stress and anxiety. In
  fact, these exercises will help you live a much
  happier and healthier life. Some of the other
  great benefits of these exercises are improved
  focus, stronger immune system, increased energy,
  positivity, the calmness of mind, and so on. With
  so many benefits, you should definitely spend at
  least half an hour daily doing these breathing
  exercises.

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• Takeaways
• The current situation is stressful for most. We
  dont have any prior experience of dealing with a
  global pandemic and we dont know when it will
  come to an end. In an already uncertain human
  life, the pandemic adds even more uncertainties.
  Add to this the constant threat of getting
  infected and its understandable that stress
  levels and depression are through the roof.
• This is where we can turn to some timeless wisdom
  for relief. Yoga and mindfulness have been known
  to be extremely beneficial for our physical,
  mental, and emotional health for the longest
  time. Several scientific studies have shown this
  too. Following the principles of these practices,
  we can do away with most of the stress and
  anxiety that we are all grappling with. Not only
  that, but we can also start building a solid
  foundation to deal with a transformed world once
  the pandemic is over.