Imagine this… you are a student and have your exams in a week, the day before the test you realize that you have to finish all chapters. So before starting your studies, you can say – yes, I’m ready for the test! Or imagine- you are an employee who has to finish a task assigned to him within the stipulated time frame, and is lagging far behind! Or a working woman who has to multitask and juggle between her career and family. Or even a home-maker who has to manage all aspects of family life! Or let’s say, a senior citizen who just feels helpless due to the advancing age and maybe some health issues as well! Did you relate to any of these characters? Well, if the answer is yes, you may have felt something that is common to all these situations- Stress! Yes, it’s everywhere! And the response you have to stress is anxiety! If we start counting the number of times we have experienced anxiety in our lives, we may lose count. It’s that common!
Anxiety is the feeling of not being comfortable in the moment due to a flow of emotions like fear, worry, anger and often not trusting your own self. Well, our bodies are smartly made to invoke a ‘fight or flight response’ in events of stress, but the problem starts when being in stress and being anxious becomes persistent, as that can lead to a condition called Anxiety Disorder. Anxiety brings with it a host of physical and mental illnesses and hence it is better to nip it in the bud, i.e. before it starts affecting your health. What I mean is, you may not be able to change the event, but you can surely change and control your response to the event that may produce anxiety!
Yoga is a mind-body practice that has a blend of postures, breathing practices, other de-stressing techniques such as meditation, mindfulness and relaxation. It helps in various ways- starting from normalizing the heart rate to helping you change your outlook towards the different types of stress in life! So, let’s hit the mat and start our Yogic journey tocounteract the ill-effects of stress and anxiety.
The most effective Yogic practices that help manage anxiety, are:
Postures (Asanas):
1. Balasana (Child’s pose): The classic asana for relieving anxiety and stress! Doing this pose for at least 5 mins daily calms down the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) and relaxes the physical and mental processes. A must for all those who are under constant stress!
2. Uttanasana (Hastapadasana or Standing forward bend): This posture improves blood circulation towards the brain and calms it down, thus helping you relieve stress.
3. Ustrasana (Camel Pose/ Kneeling backward bend): this pose too, helps in improving the blood circulation, which means more oxygen supply to different parts of the body, and thus improves emotional well being.
4. SetuBandhasana (Bridge pose): When in the pose, you feel your chest opening up and get a beautiful stretch on your back. By enhancing the flow of blood, this posture helps in achieving a relaxed mind by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms you down.
5. Shavasana (Corpse pose): Shavasana involves lying down as a corpse, with no movement at all, thus relaxing the entire body as well as the mind. Focus on the breath while performing Shavasana to enter a tranquil state of mind! One can also practice ‘Guided Shavasana’, which involves relaxing every part of the body one by one.
Breathing Practices (Pranayama):
1. Anulom Vilom (Alternate Nostril Breathing): Anulom Vilom is a practice wherein you inhale from one nostril and exhale from the other in an alternate manner. This pranayama quiets the mind by having a calming effect on the mind and relaxing the body.
2. Abdominal breathing: This breathing technique can help in achieving inner harmony as it can calm you down and also promote good sleep.
3. Bhramari Pranayama (Humming bee breathing): Bhramari involves making the sound of a humming bee while exhaling, which creates vibrations in the body and relaxes the nervous system.
Along with the Asanas and Pranayamas, there are various other practices in Yoga like Meditation and Relaxation that promote a tranquil state of mind and enhance your emotional and mental wellbeing. Also, one needs to keep in mind that Yoga is not only about asanas and pranayamas. It is a way of life, a philosophy; and it is highly recommended to practice the 4 pillars of Yogic Philosophy in your day to day life, to bring a beautiful balance in your mind, body and soul.
The 4 pillars of Holistic Health as per Yoga are:
1. Aahar (Diet): following a healthy, Sattvic diet promotes not only physical health but also helps in achieving sound emotional and mental health.
2. Vihar (Recreation): Vihar is the physical activity and leisure activities that are necessary for the optimal functioning of the body as well as mind.
3. Achar (Routine): How regularly do you follow any regime, be it Yoga or sleep or food habits, is very important for holistic development of an individual and achieving success in life. Organizing your day and avoiding procrastination are few of the best ways to avoid unnecessary stress in daily life.
4. Vichar (Thoughts): And last, but not the least, we all know the power of positive thinking. Havinga positive outlook towards life is a sure shot way to avoid stress and anxiety!
So guys, what are you waiting for? Grab your mats and enter a complete state of calmness with Yoga!
