We live in one accelerated society. Our life rhythms go very fast and we don’t always find the time to rest. We combine work with family and social life as best we can, we want to get to everything and we sacrifice quality time with ourselves, hours of sleep or exercising.
(Xuan Lan, the yoga guru: “Happiness is a work of trial and error”)
All this translates into stress and anxiety, physical and emotional tensions. It is the body’s reaction to a challenge or demand that we cannot meet.
Unfortunately, if we don’t treat it in time, it can end up affecting our health and causing us headaches, hair loss, heart disease, obesity and other chronic diseases.
If you feel that stress is consuming you, there is a very simple solution with multiple benefits that will help you better manage this situation: the Yoga.
It is a mind-body practice that combines physical postures, controlled breathing, and meditation or relaxation. It is considered one of many types of complementary and integrative approaches to health and can help bring peace of mind to both body and mind.
It is scientifically proven that daily meditation allows us to improve our quality of life by significantly reducing stress levels. It is a way of practicing slow life, a movement that advocates the slowdown of the current lifestyle marked by immediacy and the overload of stimuli generated by the accelerated contemporary society.
To practice this type of life, it is important that the mind and body are in balance, and to be conscious and grateful beings.
Yoga for stress according to Xuan Lan
One of the best-known benefits of practicing yoga is that it manages to calm the nervous system and change our mood. Different studies have shown that yoga can help reduce stress and anxiety.
Yoga helps connect mind, body and soul. When these three elements are connected, we live in greater harmony and well-being.
Yoga teacher and wellness expert Xuan Lan says that consistently maintaining a routine of healthy habits is a key factor in feeling the long-term benefits of yoga.
He recommends doing a yoga routine that fits your needs and incorporating it into your day to day to enjoy having a more serene and calm mind. It is not necessary to spend a lot of time, but it is necessary to be constant to be able to see the benefits in the long term.
The most recommended yoga styles for stress
- Hatha Yoga suave: suitable for beginners is based on performing postures at a slower pace. It focuses on balancing the entire body through movement and breathing. This deepens your body awareness and your mind-body connection helping to manage stress.
- Yoga Restaurativo: seeks to achieve deep relaxation and renewal of mind and body. It is executed through soft postures that are maintained for several minutes, and accessories such as blankets, blocks, and belts are often used, which help make the posture more comfortable and sustained.
- Yin Yoga: It is a calm and meditative style of yoga that works according to the Chinese meridian system and through the idea of yielding our body to gravity. It relieves tension and teaches you to slow down or stay still. It focuses on releasing tension from the fascias and joints, increasing their flexibility.
- Vinyasa Yoga: It is a practice that uses the same positions as hatha yoga, but it goes from one to another in a more fluid way. It is a good option to manage stress because it requires a lot of focus and attention on the movement you are doing. This teaches you to focus on the present and not be aware of several things at once, one of the factors that usually generates more stress.
The best yoga poses to relieve stress and tension
Savasana
To do it, we must lie on our backs, totally relaxed, with our arms and legs extended and our hands at our sides, with our palms up and our eyes closed.
Benefits
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Reduces blood pressure and helps us relax body and mind.
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Calms the brain, relieves anxiety, stress or depressive symptoms.
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Reduces fatigue.
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Relieves headache.
Balasana or child’s pose
This posture consists of joining the thumbs of the feet and sitting on the heels with a straight back. Then you have to exhale and lower your head to the ground, resting your forehead on your mat and your chest on your knees. Finally, the arms are brought back, leaving the palms up, at the height of the feet.
Benefits
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Stretch the lower back.
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Help you keep your mind calmer
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Reduces insomnia and improves sleep quality
Sukhasana The Easy Pose
It is a prayer and meditation posture that consists of sitting cross-legged with your feet touching the mat, you can use a block to sit on if it is more comfortable for you.
Benefits
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Strengthen the back muscles.
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Flex ankles and knees.
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Facilitate the opening of the hips.
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Improve blood circulation.
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