How to Use Yoga as a Natural Remedy for Stress and Anxiety
According to studies an astonishing 70-85% of doctor‘s visits are related to stress, but only less than 3% of the doctors talk about stress management.
If doctors don’t talk about stress management, it means that there is only treatment for symptoms in form of pills or other drugs, which every time have some side effects. Apart from that the root cause is not addressed, therefore the problem is not solved and over time it will only get worse.
If you read those numbers again, you can see how very important stress management is.
Stress is a normal human reaction that happens to everyone. It is a much needed reaction to save us in dangerous situations. When it happens, the Sympathetic Nervous System gets activated, it sets off a series of hormonal changes (segregation of cortisol and adrenalin) which then leads to physiological changes (heart rate is elevated, blood pressure rises, digestion slows down...)
The main problem is that nowadays we spend most of our days with our nervous system in this red alert zone, so stress becomes chronic, and that can lead to serious health problems (from overweight to cancer or from chronic pains to insomnia any diseases may develop).
Stress management techniques can help manage the perception of the stress and also relieve physical and mental symptoms. Some of these techniques are easier to learn and practise basically anywhere (like deep belly breathing), others might need more time, practise and/or special place to practise (like meditation, physical exercise, tracking your stressors...).
And sometimes we need to seek a professional help like a health or wellness coach, or in more severe case a mental health professional. That is total fine. Asking help is not sign of weakness, but the sign of being courageous and ready to take steps towards a healthier and happier you.
Yoga can be a wonderful tool for stress relief, it combines the deep belly breathing, the physical activity, stretching, and the meditation.
Numerous studies have shown that yoga may help to:
reduce cortisol level (stress hormone)
lower blood pressure
reduce stress and anxiety
improve sleep quality and quantity
lower heart rate
reduce the tension in the muscles
pain relieve
improved sense of well-being
And the list goes on.
Many times with chronic stress we just don’t feel like moving or doing any exercise, but without any physical activity the stress hormones level constantly peeks at a very high level which than creates even more sense of stress or anxiety.
With as little as 15 minutes of stretching combined with deep belly breathing there is a significant improvement in the yogis general well-being. If you can, listen to some relaxing music too as it helps to relax your body and mind even further.
Check out my YouTube channel, I have some short yoga videos with which you can start to practice today. If you check the “office yoga” videos, you will see that you can start even without changing your clothes or having a yoga mat. Give yourself 15 minutes of care and love! I promise, you will love it. Click here for the videos
Take it one step at a time, and remember progress is more important than perfection.
With much love,
