Yoga for Managing Stress

/

A goal of yoga practice is to apply what we do ‘on the mat’ with what we do in our lives ‘off the mat’. A good opportunity to use our yoga skills in daily life is in managing stress. There’s no question we all have some stress in our lives, and now, in Covid-time, we all have more. We experience stress in various ways: physical (tension, headaches, bellyaches… ) emotional (moody, distracted, despondent… ) and mental (negative, circular and catastrophic thinking… ). How can yoga help?

Physically

Get grounded!

Sitting or lying down, take a few minutes to feel where your body is connected to the floor/bed/couch/chair. Notice the points of connection and release your weight into them (heels, thighs, buttocks, shoulder blades, back of the head)

Untitled_Artwork-2.png
Healing-Yoga-1.png

Mentally

Observe Your thoughts but don’t engage with them.

Sitting or lying down, choose to be quiet and still. As thoughts or distractions come into your mind notice them but do not follow them.

For example, as you start to think about plans for dinner, label this a future thought and blow it away. It will come back again later—you can count on that!

Untitled_Artwork-3.png
Untitled_Artwork-4.png

Energetic

Use the breath as the bridge between mind and body.

Focus on conscious breathing by counting the breaths in and out. 4 counts to inhale and 4 counts to exhale. Mind is focused (1-2-3-4) and body relaxes.