How Yoga is Helpful in Stress Relief?

How Yoga is Helpful in Stress Relief?

What is Stress?

Almost every person in this world is going through stress and facing its ill effects, like anxiety attacks, feeling depressed most of the time, suicidal thoughts, etc. The demon of stress kills your thinking capability and mental ability. It also puts your health in bad shape. A person dealing with stress cannot lead his/her life normally.

There can be several reasons behind feeling stressed:

• Job or work-related stress
• Tech-related stress
• Relationships related stress
• Physical health and looks-related stress
• Stress induced by societal pressures

Mainly, an over-sensitive person goes through stress-related issues a lot. He/she starts to suffer from loads of diseases, like migraine, high BP, insomnia, etc.

Technically speaking, stress is the reaction of the mind which is produced when the person goes through some sort of physical, mental, or social discomfort.

The alarming symptoms of stress can be noticed in a person suffering from it. His/her behavior gives all the signs. 

Suffering from stress is always disturbing. It needs to be handled as soon as possible. Some take help if counselors, some start to rely on medicines that can be harmful in long run, while others take the help of Yoga and meditation to have relief from stress.

How Yoga is Helpful in Stress Relief?

Stress is ever-present. In some cases, it can be mild, in others it can be unbearable.

Fortunately, we have got yoga, which is proven to help reduce stress and the adverse health effects it causes. It is becoming quite popular as people are experiencing its physical as well as mental benefits.

If you adopt the practice of Yoga, you will see the positive changes yourself, Yoga aids in stress relief and gives you the following benefits:

• Relaxation of body and mind.
• Improvement of thinking and reasoning ability.
• Reduction in feelings of anxiety.
• Reduction in cortisol levels that maintain hormonal balance.
• Relief from allergies and asthma symptoms.
• Maintenance of BP levels.
• Development of greater resilience to stress over time.
• Better dealing with stressful situations and the capacity to overpower them.
• Sound sleep.
• Maintenance of a healthy heart.
• Synchronization of body, mind, and soul with each other.
• The feeling of positive energy.
• Improved concentration and reduced forgetfulness.
• Improved confidence levels.
• Great healing power.
• Slowing down the aging process.

Yoga Poses for Stress Relief:

To get relief from stress and the dangers posed by it, people constantly look for newer ways like calming teas, sound therapy, and spa treatments. However, one of the best ways to beat stress lies in an ancient practice, called Yoga.

There are various breathing, meditation, and relaxation techniques in Yoga that prove to be quite helpful in stress relief. Several pieces of research, indeed, back up the claims made by Yoga practitioners.

Here we are going to discuss various Yoga poses that can help in stress relief. To do these poses you do not need anything special but yourself. Find a comfortable spot where you can be alone and uninterrupted, and, if possible, use a Yoga mat.

Yoga Pose 1 – Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana):

1. Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose). Place your feet hip-width apart and keep your arms by your sides.
2. Reach tall and exhale while moving forward. Bend your knees enough to place your palms on the floor, with your head pressed against your legs
3. Relax your head and neck, and let your arms hang loosely.
4. Hold this pose for 5-10 deep breaths.
5. Come out of the pose by inhaling and lifting halfway up.
6. While inhaling, stretch your arms outwards and raise them and your torso back to the original standing position.
7. Repeat as necessary.

Yoga Pose 2 – Cat-Cow Pose (Marjaryasana to Bitilasana):

1. Start on your hands and knees with your wrists directly under your shoulders, and your knees directly under your hips
2. While exhaling, round your back toward the ceiling and bring your navel up towards your spine.
3. Now inhale deeply while curving your lower back and bringing your head up, tilting your pelvis up.
4. Repeat as necessary.

Yoga Pose 3 – Easy Pose (Sukhasana):

1. Begin in a comfortable seated position with legs crossed toward your torso and the feet directly below the knees.
2. Keep your arms to the sides and straighten the shoulder blades.
3. Now put your hands on the knees with your palms down.
4. Align your head, neck, and spine.
5. Keep your body weight balanced across the sitting bones.
6. Look ahead and concentrate on your breathing.
7. Hold the pose for 60 seconds and then release.
8. Repeat as necessary.

Yoga Pose 4 – Seated Forward Bend Pose (Paschimottanasana):

1. Begin by sitting down with your legs together and with your feet extended forward.
2. Sit on your sitting bones and keep your spine erect.
3. Inhale and reach with both arms toward the ceiling, and parallel to your ears.
4. Move forward while exhaling and touch the thumbs of the feet with the hands.
5. Maintain this position as long as possible but do not overdo it.
6. Inhale and come back to the original position.
7. Repeat as necessary.

Yoga Pose 5 – Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana):

1. Lie on your back and bend your knees. 
2. Place the feet flat on the floor hip-width apart.
3. Bring your arms alongside your body with palms down.
4. Inhale and lift the hips and the chest up while rolling the spine off the floor.
5. Hold the pose for 30 seconds and then release.
6. Repeat as necessary.

Yoga Pose 6 – Child Pose (Balasana):

1. Form a kneeling position while placing your knees together or slightly width from each other.
2. Keep your arms can be either stretched out to the front.
3. Slowly, bend forward by lowering your forehead to touch the floor and exhaling.
4. Rest your chest on your thighs.
5. Inhale and exhale deeply and relax your body.
6. Stay in the pose for 1 to 5 minutes.
7. Release the pose and come back to the normal position.

Yoga Pose 7 – Corpse Pose (Shavasana):

1. Lie flat on your back with your feet slightly wider than your hips.
2. Stretch your arms and legs out and away from your body.
3. Close your eyes, and take slow deep breaths through the nose.
4. Relax your body and mind completely.
5. Stay in the pose of Shavasana for 5 to 15 minutes.
6. Release and come back to normal.

In nutshell, Yoga is not magic that can eliminate stress permanently from life, rather it helps to manage stress in the best way. The positive effects of Yoga can be seen over time when it is practiced regularly. It will always keep you in high spirits and good mood.