As we all know, stress in everyday life is inescapable. It could be due to work pressures, health concerns, family concerns or a host of other myriad reasons!!
While loads of stress is quite bad for us, the very issues also give as happiness and meaning to one's life. Take a moment to think about the issues in your life; family, work, having too much on your plate..Now, imagine a life without these issues..
Doesn't it feel good? Not really..Most of us don't want an empty, uninteresting life..but we want to learn the tools to handle a busy and yes, even complicated life.
The good news is that you can learn tools to handle the stress. You can learn to respond to stressors with just the right mixture of inner calm and outer action. In yogic terms. this is called the 'challenge response' and its something which can be learned through regular yoga and pranayama practice.
It would be great to feel capable and empowered to handle whatever Life throws at you, without having to panic or overreact, right?
I have tried to put together a small sequence of Yoga Asanas to help combat the daily stressors of Life.
These are all simple asanas, but I would like to point out to all my students and readers that they have to be done gently, always being aware of your body's response.
Listen to the muscles moving and opening, listen to your heart beat, listen inwardly and make the movements slow and thoughtful. The practice then becomes meaningful and an inner dance, so to speak.
Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start (quoting Maria from 'Sound Of Music').
The practice takes 30 - 40 minutes. So, do mute your cell phone and withdraw from the external world..I assure you, the world will still be fine at the end of this time :))
Do wear comfortable clothes. Do have a light snack 30 minutes before practice.
Make a strong inward intention that you will not leave the practice and your mat till you are done...This really is the key to making this work for you..
Yoga Sequence for Stress Relief:
1. Sukhasana / Simple Seated Posture :
- Sit in a comfortable position, take support for your back, if needed.
- Lengthen your spine, release shoulders down, relax hands on thighs, relax knees towards floor, close your eyes and bring your awareness to your breath.
- Practice deeper breathing for the next 6 - 8 breaths.
2. Table :
- Come to Table position. Place hands directly beneath shoulders and knees beneath hips, spread feet hip-width at back.
- This posture helps to align the lower back, counters the pressures of sitting on the hip muscles and helps bring open-ness to the hands and feet. Practice 6 - 8 breaths.
3. Table- Bitilasana / Cow Posture and Marjariasana / Cat Posture:
- From Table, as you inhale, lift your hips towards the ceiling, look up slightly, release belly towards the floor.
- As you exhale, round your back muscles and release neck down.
- These two positions are done alternatively, for 5 rounds. You can do 2 rounds of this sequence.
- They really help in releasing deep tissue tension in the lower back and hips.
4. Balasana / Child's Posture :
- From Table posture, slowly lay your hands on the floor, sink your torso over your legs, release your shoulders towards the floor, and again bring your awareness to deeper breaths.
- This is a resting posture, with slow stretching at the spine. You can be here for 10 - 20 breaths. Come back slowly on the inhalation and observe your feeling-tone of the body.
- This pose calms the brain and relieves nervous tension.
5. Standing Forward Bend / Uttanasana:
- Move to a standing position. Take a few seconds to observe how the body and the mind are feeling.
- Keep feet hip-width apart, keep hands on hips. As you exhale, bend forward from the hips, slowly releasing your torso and head towards the ground. Once you have reached your expression of the pose, release hands towards the floor or let them rest on your knees or ankles.
- The variation to this pose is keep your knees bent when you fold forward. This also is a great stretch for the hamstrings at the back of the legs and the lower back.
- You can stay for 10 - 15 breaths, before coming back to center.
- This posture calms your brain and relieves stress and depression.
- It helps with digestion and stimulates the pancreas and liver.
6. Shavasana / Deep Resting Posture:
- This is the ultimate Resting Posture, considered easy to get in, but the most challenging, because one has to maintain awareness of the breath and relax the body at the same time.
- Release your body onto the mat, release both legs and soften all the muscles at the back and relax them into the floor.
- Release both your hands besides the body, turn your palms upward, soften fingertips, relax shoulder blades into the mat.
- Open the space between your eyebrows, let your eyes close gently and soften your breathing.
- Stay in this pose for 5 - 7 minutes. Rest your awareness on your breath; anytime the mind wanders to the past or the future, gently guide it back to the present moment.
- After Shavasana, come back to seated posture.
- Chant 'OM' gently and open your eyes and re-enter your world :))
My sincere wishes for you ongoing practice,
Asha
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