Yoga as Stress Buster: An Effective Way of Living

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Stress and anxiety have become a part of our lives. The pressure to complete the work on time, be safe in a pandemic, study, and many other things increase stress. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has increased the stress level in people. If you get worried about your boss’s call or news on a pandemic that makes you feel uneasy, you are under stress, and you will have to control it. Yoga is a perfect stress buster. Yoga also helps COVID patients for speedy recovery.  Many people look at Yoga for physical flexibility and strength, but it also relaxes your mind.

A healthy body is incomplete without a healthy mind, and Yoga is healthy for both. Our mind is a crucial organ. It never stops working. When we are awake, we think, and when asleep, we dream. So anxiety, stress and overthinking have become regular issues with most of us. As the body gets rest when we sleep, the mind gets rest when we perform Yoga, especially ‘Pranayam’. Believe it or not, there are a few yoga asanas that help students score well in exams. The yoga asanas boost concentration skills, and we all know concentration is the key keep many things in mind.

The breathing control exercises and meditation make Yoga a stress buster. It makes you have control over your thoughts, soothes your mind, and lowers heart rate and blood pressure. Please continue to read further to know more about Yoga and its stress-relieving benefits. First, we will discuss how Yoga can be described as a stress buster.

Yoga as a Stress Buster

Yoga is an ancient Indian art that our forefathers used to perform for a healthy body and mind. At present, it also helps to reduce stress and increase flexibility. It is believed that Pantanjali, an ancient saint, invented Yoga. Ancient art is relevant in the present time as well. The benefits of Yoga are numerous. Many people believe that Yoga is only to relieve stress and anxiety and boost concentration, release muscle knots, and weight control. Yoga release feel-good hormone, endorphins that make you feel positive and reduces the stress level. The fact is scientifically proven that Yoga is a stress buster and Government of India promote this practice to handle the anxiety disorder. Let us know about the various research done on this topic.

Scientific Research On Yoga

Though Yoga was invented in India now, it has reached all the corners of the world. International Yoga Day made this practice more popular. People from various countries have accepted that Yoga practice should be a part of a healthy life. Many kinds of research also conducted on it to find evidence of its benefits. Here are a few of them;

In a study conducted in 2018, it was found that Hatha Yoga helps reduce stress, anxiety and depression. On performing Hatha Yoga 3 times a week for a month, the depression reduced drastically. Though still there is a scope of deep research on the effects of Yoga on stress and depression, the initial results of studies are motivating.

In 2020, one more study was conducted on adult men to check Yoga’s effect on cortisol levels. It showed that daily Yoga effectively reduces the cortisol level, and it also had positive effects on parasympathetic nerve activity. In another study conducted in the same year, the effects of Yoga Nidra Meditation were checked. It was found that meditation helps reduce stress level and improves sleep quality. Hence we can say that science has also approved Yoga as a stress buster.

How Yoga Help in Reducing Stress

Breathing exercises or Pranayam in yoga work to calm the mind and body. Now we know that our mind plays a crucial role when we are under stress and anxiety. When we perform breathing exercise, they relax the mind. The deep breathing exercise helps the mind release feel-good hormones, and the stress level starts to come down. The deep breathing exercises help you to have clear thinking. They work like cleaning all the negative thoughts from your mind and help you to feel positive. Here are a few popular and easy pranayams.

  • Alternate nostril breathing 
  • Humming bee breath (bhramari)
  • Breath of fire (kapalabhati)
  • Ujjayi breathing
  • Lion’s breath (simhasana)
  • Sitali breath

Yoga Poses for Stress Relief

Apart from breathing exercises, there are some yoga poses too that help offers stress relief. These asanas are eay and performed by beginners.

Cat-Cow Pose 

The pose helps to strengthen your spine, release the tension from the upper neck and shoulder. The breath movements in the pose help to relieve the stress.

  1. Begin with your hand and knees on your yoga mat.
  2. Your wrist should be under the shoulders and knees under the hips. On exhale, bend your spine toward the ceiling like a cat. When inhale, let your belly move towards the floor, like a cow. 

Child’s Pose (Balasana)

It releases stress and calms the mind. It also release the tension from the shoulders and chest.

  1. Begin with a kneeling position and spread your knees wide on the mat.
  2. The top of your feet must touch the floor.
  3. Let your belly rest between your thighs and your forehead touch the floor.
  4. Take a deep breath and allow your mind to relax.

Corpse Pose (Savasana)

The pose is a must to perform after every yoga session. It helps to calm the mind and body.

  1. Lie flat on your yoga mat.
  2. Your feet should be wider than the hips and keeps your arms next to your body.
  3. Your head, neck and shoulders should be in one line. Now, relax in the same position for 10- 20 minutes. Take deep breaths and try not to think anything. 

Tips to Adopt Yoga for Stress Relief

A lot has been talked and written about Yoga as a stress buster. Many researchers have approved that yoga asanas and Pranayam calm the body and mind. So now most of us want to indulge it in our daily routine. Though your yoga trainer will guide you in a better way, the below-given tips will also help you to male your mind about participating in Yoga;

Watch Your Thoughts

Negative thoughts will come to your mind when you do the pranayama or Yoga to demolish them. Do not boost negative thinking by think more and make your mind free from all kinds of thoughts. The negative thoughts will get vanished soon, and your mind will be clear to perform yoga practice. Here you are to be free from negative as well positive thoughts. Detach yourself from the thinking process and focus on your breath.

Breathing for Stress Relief

Stress doesn’t hit you at a particular time, so you should also hit it back according to your convenience. For this, you will have to perform stress relief techniques when you are not in a yoga session. Whenever you want to get rid of overthinking, take a few deep breaths with closed eyes. A healthy diet will also help you to lead a stress-free life.

The Bottom Line

Yoga is a solution to many problems, so it’s a must to include it in your daily routine. Many celebrities and fitness influencers have accepted that they start their day with Yoga. India is the country where this art was invented, and we have educated the world about it. It is the time when we adopt it as a daily routine and educate the kids to practice Yoga daily.

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