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Stress and Yoga
©
By Philip L. Milgrom
Stress
is one of the leading causes of disease. Prolonged exposure to stress can
lead to physical ailments such as insomnia, chronic muscle tension,
digestive disorders, ulcers, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Mental and emotional consequences include memory loss, inability to
concentrate, anxiety, hostility, and depression.
Stress
is subjective. What is stressful to one person might be stimulating to
another. The difference is in perception or one’s inner conditioning.
Yoga is one of the best tools for managing stress because it encourages
you to focus internally. Yoga conditions your mental “muscles” along
with your physical muscles to help you prevail under pressure and to
respond more gracefully and effectively. At the same time, yoga helps
eliminate and soothe the damaging effects of stress.
Anyone
can practice yoga. Some of the physiological benefits of yoga
practice include:
-
Better
health
-
Improved
sleep
-
Normalization
of weight
-
Decrease
of physical tension
-
Greater
flexibility and strength
-
Increased
vitality, endurance, and resiliency
-
Improved
circulation and digestion
-
Improved
posture
Some
of the psychological benefits include:
-
Decrease
of anxiety, hostility, and depression
-
Improved
memory, attention span, and ability to concentrate
-
Calmness
-
Improved
mood and sense of well-being
-
Greater
self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-actualization
-
Improved
balance
Yoga
promotes a healthy interaction between the mind and body —
an important benefit given that so many common physical ailments are
attributed to stress and one’s mental or emotional state. For example,
recent studies show that a majority of common back ailments are triggered
not by physical abnormalities or by heavy lifting, but by chronically
tight muscles caused by stress. Emotional stress causes the back muscles
to become tense and more vulnerable to injury. Gentle yoga stretches help
reduce physical tension directly. Simple breathing techniques and
encouragement to stay aware in the present moment help alleviate the
mental and emotional distress that causes such tension.
The mind-body interaction works in both directions. When you are
physically tense, the mind becomes more easily agitated and critical. When
muscles relax, as they do in yoga practice, the mind becomes more
tranquil. The result is greater clarity, a healthy change of perspective,
and the ability to respond to challenges more creatively and with calm and
ease.
Much
of the stress people feel today results from feeling disconnected or
powerless. The greater pressures of balancing work and family
responsibilities can easily overwhelm anyone.
Yoga’s emphasis on inner focus helps you connect with and develop
an inner strength. Yoga helps you slow down to appreciate and create a
balance among all aspects of your being — physical, emotional, mental,
and spiritual. As you become more relaxed, you can find more peace and joy
in life and bring more peace and joy to others.
Yoga
practice does not require a large, time-consuming commitment. A few
minutes a day can go a long way. Attending a yoga class once or twice a
week can provide you the support you need to learn and maintain your
practice. Finding a well-qualified teacher is important. To find a teacher
in your
area, ask your health care professional or visit the Massachusetts Yoga Alliance website at
http://www.massyoga.com.
Phil Milgrom
teaches Svaroopa Yoga classes and a variety of Yoga workshops nationally,
including Yoga for Your Back and
Laughter Is a Good Stretch, Too!, as well as in the Littleton/Westford
MA area and at The Centered Place Yoga studio of Warren, MA, which he
co-directs with his life partner, Nancy Nowak. For more information, call
800 815-7374, or e-mail CenteredPlace@attbi.com. Phil is also a stress
management consultant, and has a web site at http://www.philmilgrom.com.
http://www.philmilgrom.com
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