Yoga for Stress and Burnout

By Timothy McCall, M.D. (yogajournal.com)

Just about any system of yoga can help reduce stress levels, and this is undoubtedly a major reason for the current surge in yoga's popularity: Sky-high stress is endemic in our society. Not only can stress make life less enjoyable and contribute to such bothersome symptoms as headaches, insomnia, and back pain, but it's linked to many of society's killers, including osteoporosis and heart attacks. Even conditions that aren't caused by stress can prove much more bothersome during stressful times.

While vigorous asana practices can help burn off nervous energy, stressed-out students need to watch the tendency to overdo. Strenuous workouts may leave them feeling temporarily more sattvic but, if not balanced by sufficient winding-down and relaxation, they can lead to increased vata derangement and, ultimately, a quick rebound of symptoms. Also be careful with strong breathing practices such as Kapalabhati and Bhastrika, which can increase vata. Specific yoga practices to lessen excessive vata include squatting, as in Malasana (Garland Pose), standing poses in which an emphasis is placed on grounding well through the legs, and a regular practice of inversions such as Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand).

Breathing and Stress
One of the ancient yogis' most profound insights was the link between breathing patterns and state of mind. Shallow, rapid breaths—the way many people breathe most of the time—can, from a yogic perspective, be both a cause and a result of stress. Think of how you breathe if you are startled, with a quick inhalation primarily to the upper lungs. Physiologically, habitual rapid chest-breathing is a bit like getting startled thousands of times per day.

The yogic remedy is to slow the breath down. One way to do this is to breathe through the nose. The greater resistance to air flow in the nasal passages compared to the mouth results in a naturally slower respiratory rate, and nasal breathing is also beneficial because it warms and filters incoming air.

It's also calming to breathe more deeply than most people usually do. Abdominal breathing, in which the diaphragm is used to maximum advantage on the inhalation and the abdominal muscles help squeeze air out on the exhalation, results in larger breath volume. It turns out that slower, deeper breaths are much more efficient in bringing oxygen into the body while not exhaling more carbon dioxide (CO2) than is desirable. Rapid, shallow breaths, in contrast, tend to deplete CO2 levels, which has a number of negative effects, including promoting mental agitation. (ok, so, while reading this, are you breathing slower?? -Emily)

A simple technique, which can provide almost instant stress reduction, is to lengthen the exhalation relative to the inhalation. Doing so increases the tone in the parasympathetic nervous system, which increases relaxation and decreases the sympathetic nervous system's fight-or-flight response.

Pratyahara
Pratyahara, the turning of the senses inward, is the fifth of Patanjali's eight-limbed path of yoga and can be an important tool for stress reduction. I believe one reason so many people in the modern world are stressed out is because of the visual and auditory stimulation constantly bombarding us. Even if you don't realize it, ringing phones, blaring TVs, and traffic noises tend to activate the sympathetic nervous system. Many people add to their sensory overload by reflexively turning on the TV or radio while they eat or sit down to relax.

Consciously going inward on a regular basis can be a partial antidote to regular assault on the senses, both calming the nervous system and making you more resistant to future assaults. Practices such as Savasana (Corpse Pose), pranayama, and meditation cultivate introspection. Regular practitioners can usually notice when external or internal stressors are mounting, portending a serious flare of stress. Detecting the spark before the fire, as Buddhists put it, can help you institute breathing practices or take other action before stress spirals out of control.

Yoga's ability to reduce stress deepens with regular practice. A little bit every day is great preventive medicine for stress, and it will make the use of breathing practices, deep relaxation, and other yogic tools more effective. If you think you are too busy to practice regularly, that's precisely why you need to find a way to do it!

Let's all use this moment to SLOW DOWN, Em

BYOM In The Rain!

Last month the rain stopped all the fun, but this time a few dedicated souls decided that the Yoga Glow was worth a little downpour. Just goes to show that connecting with yourself and nature sometimes means a brand new experience!

BYOM to meet this Saturday, August 9th

Come one, come all, yoga enthusiasts, UNITE! It's park time, BYOM! Let's meet at Antioch Park, Saturday, August 9th, 8:00-9:00. At the main entrance you can drive between shelter 4 and the picnic symbol. It's a flat area and has the sound of a fountain in the lake. I'd say park in the one-way loop area. It's been a while since we've been able to meet, so I hope to see everyone there, as well as your curious friends and family members! :) can't wait~ Namaste, Emily

Barefoot Yoga goes Tuesday and Thursday

Thanks to your overwhelming support, Barefoot Studio is going Tuesday AND Thursday in August, and hopefully Monday or Wednesday in September. Thank you for your interest and continued enthusiasm. We could not do this without you. Spread the word, as there is room to grow and expand. Who knows where this will take us next!!! Namaste, Emily

Support fellow yogis

Kat has been teaching yoga for us in the Barefoot Fitness yoga studio for the past few months now. Today I attended her class. Wow! It was great to "let go" myself and become a participant. As a yoga teacher, this can be one of the hardest things to do, to allow the other teacher to lead you through a yoga practice. Because Kat is a great yoga teacher herself, I was able to let go of my own expectations, competition, and judgement. Thank you, Kat, for the experience. I also had a great time being a student for the first time in my own yoga studio. I was able to look at the room, sights and sounds, and embrace what I now understand others have been able to feel on their own. If you would like to get to know Kat more and where she's teaching, visit her website at http://yogamar.blogspot.com -em

5 Steps to Weight Loss

I received an email from this company, and while I am not endorsing them, I do feel this article has some good information for us to consider... let's take our yoga mindset "off of the mat."

Written by Carly Cummings, President Hyp-Yoga Inc.

1. SLOW DOWN - How hectic has your day been? Frantic - Steady - Frustrating - Long - or Calm? On a Scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest) what is your current stress level? Anything above a 3 and your body is not ready to shed any pounds. In order to lose weight your body needs to be convinced by your mind that it is safe. There is no emergency and no need to store fat just in case the world is ending - that's what your body thinks when your life is a constant struggle to survive. Let your body know it's okay, it can use the fat stores it has saved as energy to fuel your everyday activities. In Hyp-Yoga Weight Loss you learn tools to deeply relax the body, shut down stress fighting hormones and free radicals and start losing weight naturally. (Bonus - All of this also reduces the speed of aging on our bodies too!)

2. ENJOY YOUR LIFE - This is the only life you have, and all we really have is this very moment. Since every moment is a gift, we should learn to enjoy it as much as we can. To lose weight and keep it off, we know we need to make exercise a part of our daily life, and that means we must enjoy our exercise. Start making a list right now of activities that you truly enjoy doing and make a plan to do these activities weekly. Enjoying your life also applies to food. Make a list of healthy foods that you enjoy and are accessible to you and start thinking about them often. When you are eating, make sure to eat consciously and savor every bite. This will also allow you to slow down while eating and actually eat less.

3. ORGANIZE - If you are a planner, this is a fun step. If you are not a planner, this is still a necessary step, and doing it with even a little half smile will help. Take a few minutes at the beginning of your week to plan out meals that will reward and encourage your weight loss efforts. Then take a little extra time each morning to plan a daily success strategy. This might mean packing your lunch, eating a good sized breakfast, or putting dinner in the slow cooker. Your foresight will be rewarded not only with healthy meal options, but less stress during your day.

4. ACCEPT A LITTLE HELP...FROM YOURSELF! - You are your own best friend. Your subconscious mind is the part of your brain that controls your autonomic processes such as beating your heart, controlling your metabolism, keeping you breathing, walking and even driving. We also store all of our memories, emotions and learned behaviors here. It makes perfect sense that we would want to put our new healthy eating and exercising activities into this part of your brain where they can more quickly become automatic habits and a part of who we are. "I am an exerciser. I am a healthy eater."

5. EMBRACE THE NEW YOU - You can never go back. A little dramatic, but it's true! The weight loss path is a journey not a destination that ends when the weight is gone. If you go right back to your old habits - anxious living, 4 hours of TV a night, and processed sugar for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner - it will all come back. It's time to embrace the new you! The healthy you. The you, nature intended you to be. It's time to keep breathing deep, enjoying every moment of your life, eating healthy, exercising regularly, organizing your time, and most importantly - keeping up your motivation through the help of your own powerful mind! -em

Walk the Plank

Core: Try these variations on a popular core exercise.

by Debra Orringer, MS

The necessity of working the core still attracts a lot of attention. However, many people remain puzzled as to what the core is. Much more than just the abdominal wall or the back, the core includes all the muscles from the pelvic girdle to the shoulder girdle; it connects the lower body and upper body, providing the foundation for all movement.

For strength, stabilization and support, working the core in its entirety is important. While traditional crunches train the abdominal wall to an extent, we need to open up the exercises to achieve more functionality and stabilization. Having a strong muscle is one thing, but having a strong, functional muscle is another. My favorite way to achieve this is with plank-based exercises.

When you are in a proper plank position—on the toes or knees—the entire body works to stabilize itself. The plank has a very functional aspect, as it focuses more on postural muscles, which are important for balance and spinal support.

Give yourself time to breathe and stretch between each set. Fitness should not be about “no pain no gain,” but about movement with control. Remember, weak or tight muscles can lead to injuries and negative postural realignments. As science continues to grow and develop, so too do methods and approaches to training the body. Physical activity that focuses on strength, stability, power and function is the key to keeping the body young and feeling strong. -em