I recently watched a program that claimed 3 things at the foundation of being happy and healthy:
Sleep, Stress and Food. I’m going to tackle the first two, because yoga practices/lifestyle really are instrumental in managing these for optimal health. I’m also a big proponent of healthy eating, but we’ll leave that for another post.
Stress and Sleep are intimately related. Too much stress and it’s impossible to get a good sleep; not enough sleep and it’s likely you aren’t coping with much of anything well, which adds to the stress quotient.
Significant stress / poor sleep creates a harmful trifecta: agitation in the mind, damaging emotions and tension in the body. My approach to dissolving and managing stress is multi-layered; I believe it’s useful to try differing techniques, ascertaining the best methods for the circumstances, depending upon the individual.
Say your brain is on the monkey-mind station. A guided meditation might help you shift your mind and thoughts to an experience of calm, safe; the agitation lessens each time you venture into that guided realm – over time the monkey has shrunk in size.
But for some, the mind might be unable to stay present to auditory guidance – so it doesn’t quite make the shift to tune into a different channel. In this case, we might try some breathing practices, promoting a focal shift in to the physical body, bringing the breath deep into the diaphragm area. For those experiencing anxiety, the breath is often shallow and in the chest. Deep abdominal breathing can quickly and significantly shift one’s mind and emotions to a more serene, relaxed place.
However, depending upon one’s (in)ability to actually breathe deeply and/or focus on lung expansion, this approach may not be the best approach to begin with. In that case, releasing tension from the physical body might be the most accessible practice; one option is to bring attention to a group of muscles, clench them and hold on the in-breath, then relax on the out-breath. When one over contracts muscles, they can then relax and release more fully/deeply. It feels wonderful and is accessible at the onset for most folks suffering from stress of any kind.
Each of us is an interweaving of physical, emotional and mental energy, so any of the approaches will positively influence all of these aspects; however, playing with differing approaches will ensure the best practices are engaged by each unique individual’s needs. These may change over time, especially as one comes to different stages of awareness that results when healing happens and ancient tensions are dissolved.
I’d like to offer you a guided audio of the last-mentioned practice: the muscle ‘tense and release’ method of reducing stress. You can do this sitting comfortably on/in a chair, but likely it’s most beneficial if you lay down on your back body, supported as feels comfortable, put the earbuds in and follow the directions. It’s about 10 minutes long. Please note your ‘before’ and after states: physically, emotionally and mentally.
I’d love to hear about your experience! Comment and share please.