Yoga Techniques for Stress Management | Asana to reduce Tension

Author: Randeep Singh / go to all articles on Yoga cure

Yoga for stress relief:

For the human body the stress can be mental as well as physical; both ways it constricts the inner cavity, space within which the body exists, negatively impacting its important functions which lead to ill health.

Yoga for stress relief benefits by dissipating the harmful stress. One of the dictionary meanings of stress implies a pressure, or pull applied on something.

This meaning of stress stands true even when it is applied to the context of human mind and the associated body. Stress is compressive, pushing its object inwards from its periphery, reducing the volume within – restricting any flow or transmission within it in case were happening before the onset of the application of the stress on it.

The stress which has its origin in the mind pulls all the reigns of its control on the physical body, nervous system, circulatory system, endocrine system etc. in a stressful constriction, purportly in defense against the stressor, limiting their area, space needed for their healthy functioning.

For example, the constricted arteries of the circulatory system increase the speed of flow of the blood within them in order to supply a quick dose of oxygen rich blood to the parts of the body which need to act to defend against the external stressor. One can take this test to know one’s stressors. Likewise all the systems going into a stressful state contribute their bit in preparing the body against external threat or the stress it is experiencing at the moment.

This drill of the body for preparing itself against external stressors is meant to last for shorter durations only; the body systems start feeling the damaging effects in case this stressed out defense mode is made to be held, by the persistent presence of the threat, for longer durations.

Endocrine system goes imbalanced impairing the efficiency of all the connected body systems. The heart can give up, in case it is made to pump the blood at higher rate than naturally normal for extended periods of time, due to the prolonged exposure to the stressor. The muscles go stiff in case the nerves ending are held tight, by the stressed out mind, any longer than they can bear.

Tension in the muscles that cause jaw movement due to stress causes the problem of teeth grinding. All these and other effects of the stress so created within the body culminate into external symptoms of afflictions like diabetes, cardiac issues, fatigue, lack of concentration of the mind leading to a plethora of psychosomatic disorders, at worst stress can be fatal. Stress at work place can dampen the efficiency of the workforce, simple yoga for relieving stress in office is gaining popularity in the corporate world.

Yoga for stress relief

Yoga reverses the compressive impact of stress by strengthens the regions and channels of the nervous system which connect to the section of the brain which is responsible for logical thinking. In reality all the influencers present in the environment are not perceived as stressors by the Mind.

The emotional section of the brain, on which the software of the mind is installed, is responsible for perceiving a particular stressor as a threat, which in turn releases the related chain reaction of various defense mechanisms within the body known as stress.

Yoga asanas to reduce tension and other stress relief techniques are the set of yoga poses which strengthen the logical thinking section of the brain via emboldening the nervous system through their working on the connected muscles. Once the logical thinking overpowers the emotional response the brain refuses to perceive the same stressors , present in the environment earlier, as threat.

Or, the brain has been strengthened, trained to be able to manage the stress. Thus the yoga for stress relief triggers an alternative way of thinking in the mind than was earlier where in the mind stops reading every external influence as a threat.

A lot of anxiety, the initial response to any real or perceived threat has a tendency to settle into the area around the hips due to the presence of a certain kind of nerve complex there. One of the stress management techniques of Yoga included in the yoga asanas to reduce tension stretch the muscles around the hips, evaporating the stress being held captive there as energy in the process.

Yoga Pranayamas for reducing stress, or the yoga breathing exercises cleanses the channels of the nerves, running along the length and breadth of the body, of any impurities by infusing the rejuvenated prana into them. The nervous system so enlivened is free becomes light and relaxed.

Yoga asanas to reduce tension are a sequence of movements designed to aid the breathing process,: the energy, prana, shifts with the sequential alternating compression and relaxation of body parts. A yoga asana necessitates an exhalation at every compression and an inhalation at every relaxation of the body parts.

The relaxation techniques forming the part of yoga for mental stress, as well as innovative ideas for relaxing taken from daily life, train the mind to voluntarily trigger the relaxation response in the body whenever required. One of the benefits of yoga techniques for stress management is that it adequately strengthens the muscles of the heart; this in turn boosts the combative power of the body against stress through improved circulation.