It is a known fact that yoga and meditation help to relieve stress and bring peace to individuals practising these activities. Today, there are also new breathing techniques that aim to release us from stress and anxiety. Here is how they can all help you manage your stress and which other benefits they bring.
An Era Filled with Stressors
It would be foolish to think that the previous generations did not have their lot of stressors. However, we can affirm with certainty that with the high speed of our lives, and with jobs that require us to be much more versatile than before, the stress elements have probably not been that high too many times throughout history. And now that the pandemic has also modified our way of life, removing the leisure part of it almost completely, and leaving many people unemployed or without revenues, it has gotten even worse.
Anxiety has come to add its own weight to the stressful lives we were already living. In these times of uncertainty, many feel helpless and don’t know how to cope, crumbling under the weight of this new situation. That is why it is so important to remind people of the benefit of yoga and meditations and the need to control the way we breathe, so we can regain control of our lives.
New Breathing Technique
As anxiety and stress are present almost every day of our lives now, we need to find a way to adjust our breathing to this new evolution. That is what Intermittent Breathing teaches us through breathing exercises for anxiety. Once you learn how to breathe right, you can call upon the technique at any moment, to regain control of the way you breathe. It is naturally helpful in moments of high stress, but also for meditation, as it helps to calm the mind during sessions.
The Benefits of Yoga and Meditation on Our physical and Mental Health
What affects our mind also reflects itself in our bodies. The tension that we have been feeling over the COVID-19 crisis has left many with symptoms from what is now called POST-COVID Stress Disorder. Naturally, it affects more seriously individuals on the front line (health care workers, government leaders, …) and those who had a family member affected by the virus, but so many more are left weakened.
Even if you have been kept safe from the virus and its secondary effects, it is still a good idea to think about yourself and find ways to manage all the negative energy, in order to stay healthy. It is proven that yoga and meditation can help you to do so in different ways, which are:
LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE
High blood pressure is a serious condition, which can be induced by stress. This disease can lead to heart attacks and strokes, so it must be taken seriously. Yoga and meditation are stress relievers. They calm the nerves and bring peace to the individual that practices it. The most interesting yoga positions, for people suffering from high blood pressure, are: The supported bridge, the legs up the wall and Savasana, also known as the corpse pose.
PROMOTES HEALTHIER JOINTS
If you are one of the new teleworkers that were requested to work from home because of the coronavirus, you probably don’t have a fully equipped office at home. That means you probably don’t sit in an office chair, specifically created to keep your body healthy. Maybe you sit on a kitchen chair or even remain in bed with the laptop on you knees. This can have a devastating effect on your joints. Soon they will lack fresh oxygen and the nutrients they need. By adopting yoga and meditation, you will strengthen the muscles around the joints, which will help stabilize them. It will improve the flow of synovial fluid (which is probably blocked while you work sitting), and lubricate the joints.
ENHANCES SLEEP QUALITY
Now that you spend so much time at home, you probably do more house tasks than ever before. Cooking, cleaning and taking care of the kids… Enough to make you wonder how you used to do it before. All of this brings additional stress to your life. And although you should be resting and sleeping more, you can’t find a way to rest peacefully at night.
Yoga and meditation will augment your level of melatonin. That hormone regulates sleep and has a significant effect on anxiety, depression and pain; all elements that keep you from sleeping well at night.
The Power of the Mind
Some may argue that whatever we believe can become the truth. The power of the mind is often forgotten, as we are overwhelmed by the events of life. Instead of taking the time to think rationally about what is going on and analyse the situation before making a decision and acting upon it, we react. That often leads to a chain of reactions, which are uncontrollable and can lead to destructive results. If you are not in a position to decide and you still do so, be weary of what may come.
Yoga and meditation, coupled with the right breathing technique to calm your anxiety down, will enable you to enter yourself completely and find new ways to remain in control of your mind and your body. You will find a place inside you where you can go, when the tension gets too high, so that you find a way to calm down and look at life more peacefully, even in moments of high stress. It will help you make better decisions and to stay on top of your life.
Start Now
As you can tell, with COVID-19 still around, this is the perfect time for you to start practising yoga and meditation. Once you learn the breathing technique to keep you in control of yourself, you’ll be able to enjoy these two activities and reap the benefits they bring. It only takes a few minutes per day to start feeling better. You will find online specialists, providing courses you can follow live through social media or through pre-recorded videos.
