NEW STUDY EXPLORES HOW YOGA REDUCES STRESS

The mechanisms underlying yoga’s stress-reduction benefits are highlighted.

·      Research has found that yoga reduces stress perception and stress reactivity.

·      A new study suggests yoga reduces stress by changing one’s psychosocial resources, such as by increasing interoceptive exposure.

·      Those receiving conventional treatments for stress, anxiety, or depression may also benefit from doing yoga. stress-reduction benefits are highlighted.

Yoga is a popular form of exercise and stress management. It is assumed to have not only physical benefits (e.g., increased relaxation, enhanced flexibility, better circulation) but also mental health benefits. Recently, the mental health benefits of yoga (e.g., increased positive emotions; decreased depression, anxiety, and stress) have received more research attention; however, many questions remain about the mechanisms involved in how yoga provides these benefits—for instance, it is not clear how yoga reduces stress. 😌

In an article published in the February issue of Stress & Health, Park and colleagues examine potential mechanisms involved in how yoga reduces stress. Specifically, the authors test whether yoga’s beneficial effects on stress are due to any of the following five psychosocial mechanisms: Increases in self-compassion, mindfulness, spiritual well-being, interoceptive awareness, and self-control.

Sample And Method

The study involved a yoga intervention. The sample had the following characteristics: 42 individuals; 62% female; average age 41 years, 64% White (12% Asian, 10% Hispanic); average body mass index (BMI) 25; one third with bachelor’s degrees and one half with graduate degrees. Participants were assessed at time T1 (the beginning), T2 (8 weeks later), and T3 (12 weeks later, when the intervention ended). The intervention, Kripalu yoga classes, included two segments and lasted 12 weeks in total. The first segment was a manualized introduction to mindful yoga. It was eight weeks long and consisted of two-hour sessions of yoga philosophy and practice (e.g., breathing exercises, relaxation practices, meditation). The second part consisted of four 90-minute weekly sessions.

A variety of scales were administered. These scales measured the following variables:

·      Perceived stress (perceptions of life as unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overwhelming)

·      Stress reactivity (e.g., feeling agitated, having trouble relaxing)

·      Mindfulness (e.g., observing, describing, non-judging, non-reacting, acting with awareness)

·      Interoceptive awareness (accurate awareness of the body’s internal states and sensations)

·      Spiritual well-being (e.g., faith, sense of meaning and purpose)

·      Self-compassion (e.g., self-kindness)

·      Self-control (e.g., self-discipline, resisting temptations)

The results showed that perceived stress and stress reactivity were correlated with each other and with lower mindfulness, self-compassion, and self-control. As the intervention progressed, participants reported experiencing less perceived stress (e.g., saw life as more controllable) and less stress reactivity (e.g., found it easier to relax). The former, however, did not reach statistical significance. Nevertheless, the authors found “stronger associations of within-person changes in psychosocial resources with perceived stress than with stress reactivity, suggesting that cognitive/emotional aspects of stress may be most directly linked to the proposed ‘active ingredients’ of a yoga intervention.”

Over the course of the program, participants reported significant increases in their psychosocial resources—particularly increased mindfulness, spiritual well-being, interoceptive awareness, and self-control. Some of these improvements reached statistical significance only by the end of the intervention, suggesting that the length of yoga practice is important. So, yoga’s most immediate and largest benefit appears to be increased awareness and attention to bodily sensations and internal states. Changes in most of the mechanisms, except self-control, corresponded closely with changes in stress, particularly perceived stress. Changes in self-compassion, in contrast, were more closely associated with changes in stress reactivity.

Mindfulness and spiritual well-being, the authors suggest, might be the “active ingredients” in yoga and meditation programs that succeed in changing perceived stress.

In summary, the present study found a link between the practice of Kripalu yoga and reduced stress reactivity and reduced perceived stress.

In addition, the data showed that mechanisms for the stress-relieving benefits of yoga appear to involve changes in psychosocial resources (e.g., increased interoceptive exposure, increased mindfulness).

 The exact mechanisms involved might depend partly on the type of yoga practiced. For instance, Kripalu yoga stresses self-compassion, non-judgmental acceptance, and management of the effects of stress on the body (using specific yoga poses). So Kripalu yoga puts greater emphasis on techniques useful for reducing stress reactivity, as opposed to stress perception.

In comparison, a yoga or meditation program that promotes directing one’s “attention away from stressful experience,” or reappraising “perceptions of events as less stressful” would likely result in a greater reduction in stress perception than reactivity.

So, if you are receiving conventional treatments for stress, anxiety, or depression, you might also benefit from doing yoga! 🙌

Original Post by Psychology Today 🧘‍♀️

Sahasrara or Crown chakra

Sahasrara, the most common Sanskrit name for the Crown chakra, means ‘thousand-petaled.’

This energy centre controls our connection to spirit, and our sense of universal consciousness, wisdom, unity and self-knowledge. Association with the colour violet reflects the Crown chakra’s link to spirituality and enlightenment.

The Crown chakra stores energies amassed through kind thoughts and actions, faith, meditation and prayer. Here we are able to transcend the material world and commune with the divine. Sahasrara is aligned to seek an intimate relationship with the universe.

Key elements of the Crown chakra

• Sahasrara: Thousand petals

• Element: The element associated with Sahasrara chakra is thought.

• Physical Body: The crown chakra is located at the top of the head, or slightly above – like a crown, radiating upward. Its location means it is closely linked to the brain and the nervous system. Sahasrara is associated primarily with the pituitary gland, secondarily with the pineal and the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus and pituitary gland work together to regulate the endocrine system (all of the body’s biological processes). Energetically, the seventh chakra has a connection with the first chakra – they are bookends of the chakra system.

• Emotional Body: Devotion, inspiration, prophetic thought, mystical connections and transcendental ideas come from the Crown chakra. Extraordinary dreams may be messages from your Crown chakra…

• Mental Body: When working with the Crown chakra, we divert our attention from ourselves to the world around us. Questions may arise like: How am I connected to the world? How can I gain clarity about my place in the world? How can I better serve the world?

Signs of imbalance

As we’ve learned in previous chakra articles (see below), stress in any layer of the body (physical, mental, emotional and energetic) can cause you to slow down, stagnate or completely go into overdrive. An imbalanced Sahasrara chakra may manifest as confusion, distraction, lack of focus, feeling disconnected from the body or world, or hyper spiritualization (too much meditation!).

Checklist for the Crown chakra

• Connect! The more people who connect with the power of this chakra, the greater the shift of our collective consciousness towards a holistic understanding of health, biodiversity and humanity as a whole.

• Discover the power within. Understanding that we are responsible for what we create – in turn learn to act, think and speak with love and wisdom – helps us to become happier, healthier and less reactive.

• Learn from obstacles and illusions. Seek meaning from physical and emotional obstacles but let them go once they’ve served their purpose or taught their lesson.

How to balance your Crown chakra

Balancing the Crown chakra may help you feel more ease. Mentally, the ability to situate yourself in the world around you brings relaxation and clear-headedness. Increased synergy between the physical and mental allows a deeper connection with the spiritual realm. There are things you can do on and off the mat to strike an equilibrium.

Yoga poses for Sahasrara chakra.

Balance this energy centre with these targeted yoga poses:

• Supported Headstand (Salamba Sirsasana)

• Plough (Halasana)

• Supported Shoulderstand (Salamba Sarvangasana)

• Lotus (Padmasana)

• Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)

• Reclining Bound Angle (Supta Baddha Konasana)

Chantra mantras or sound vibrations

Om is the Kundalini bija mantra. Chanting OM (pronounced AUM), works on the vibrational frequency of the Crown chakra. Use the breath – breathe in and as you breathe out vibrate the sound OM. This mantra is very powerful and signifies the essence of the ultimate reality.
Mudra for the seventh chakra: The Mudra of a Thousand Petals 

In a comfortable seated position, sit up tall. Touch the tips of your index fingers and thumbs together to form a pyramid shape. Allow the other fingers to extend upward, keeping them straight. Raise this mudra to about 6 inches above the top of your head.

Thought is the quality of the Crown chakra

Discover the infinite within, and know that it is one with all outside of your. Working with the top of the head through asana is a beautiful step to help clear the Crown chakra. When we work on the body, tightness and stagnation can come to the surface. If we can find the patience and the wisdom to sit with it and watch it without judgment, we can start to understand the deeper lessons, meanings and connections of everything that arises and then consciously let it go. As a result, we find freedom. Within the Crown Chakra, this means the freedom to deeply connect with all.

Meditation for Sahasrara chakra

Violet is the colour for this chakra. Try visualising it during your relaxation or meditation – perhaps as a glowing halo just above your head. With your eyes closed, imagine the radiance. Let it pulse with the breath, awareness rising up into a column of light, shining back down into you. Draw it in through your crown, to fill your entire body and the space surrounding you, rise back out through the crown, encasing yourself in a sparkling violet spotlight… As you meditate on your crown, visualizing your breath as a beautiful column of violet light – chant the sound OM to connect with all that exists inside and outside of you.

How Meditation Can Help You Through the Winter

In the cold, dark days of winter, many of us may wake up later, leave our houses less, and struggle to stay motivated. These months are likely to feel longer and more stressful than sunnier seasons, which is why prioritising mental health and turning to meditation for its mood-boosting benefits may help.

“Meditation provides an island of sanity in an otherwise chaotic and tumultuous reality,” says Tal Ben-Shahar, PhD, co-founder and chief learning officer of the Happiness Studies Academy.

Meditation has many known health benefits. Mental health and meditation experts share more about the best ways to use this tool to get through the difficult winter months.

Practice Mindfulness Meditation

While there are many techniques worth trying, mindfulness meditation is highly recommended for decreasing worried thoughts, improving mood, and stress management. Best of all, you can use this technique at any time throughout your day. 

Dr. Ben-Shahar explains the four leading guidelines of mindfulness meditation and how they can help you in your daily practice. 

• Allow the mind to rest on a single object. The object can be anything: a physical posture, a bodily sensation, a word, a visual cue, a sound, or even another person. When we rest our mind on an object without trying to change it, without criticising it—just observing it with friendly curiosity—we begin to see clearly.

• Return to focus. Mindfulness doesn’t require ongoing concentration. Our mind inevitably wanders and when we catch this happening, we should bring our focus back to whatever our object of meditation happens to be.

• Breathe slowly, gently, and deeply. While this applies to most meditation practices, though not all, breath is often the foundation of a practice. Deep, slow, and gentle breaths open us up to positive change.

• Practice non-judgement acceptance. The key when you meditate is to rid yourself of expectations. There are no expectations to be calm or joyful or focused. When meditating, give yourself permission to be human. By assuming the light and gentle quality of a calm breath, life can become easier.

“Whether you managed to focus for 20 minutes straight, or caught your mind wandering often and immediately, or were constantly distracted for 15 minutes—it doesn’t matter,” says Dr. Ben-Shahar. “There is no good or bad meditation, there is only meditation.”

Meditate Often for More Benefits

Like writing, running, or cooking, meditation is a skill that should be practiced. The more you practice, the more you improve. But be aware that over-practicing can lead to burnout. 

Meditation is meant to ground you where you are, bringing you back to the present and allowing you to recognise all of the senses that surround you. If you’re new to meditation, start slowly and know that short meditation sessions offer just as many benefits as long ones.

Chris Lemig, CHT, contributor to Choosing Therapy, recommends meditating in short, manageable sessions over a long period of time, starting with just five minutes every morning. Gradually, as it becomes a habit, you can add time and even increase the number of sessions you do each day.

“Ten minutes a day, or even three minutes once in a while, can go a long way in resetting our nervous system,” says Dr. Ben-Shahar. 

Build a Sustainable Practice

Meditation can be practiced anytime, anywhere, but everyone’s practice looks different. What works for someone else may not work for you, so if you’re new to meditation, listen to your body and be patient with yourself. 

If you’re starting a meditation practice or looking to improve your current practice, these suggestions may help.

• Listen deliberately. Meditation is present-moment awareness, so we can simply focus on the sounds around us. Rather than perceiving them as distractions, we can perceive them as the object of meditation itself, says Dr. Ben-Shahar.

• Sit in silence. Paul Greene, PhD, director of the Manhattan Center for Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, recommends meditating at a time when you won't be disturbed. It's understandable to want some stress relief when things are chaotic at home, but he believes that's not the right time to meditate. Wait until things are quiet and you know you'll be left alone for a while.

• Focus on your breath. The key to meditation, and lowering stress levels, is the breath. Dr. Ben-Shahar recommends taking slow, gentle, and quiet inhalations and exhalations, ideally through the nose and all the way down to the belly.

• Avoid over-meditating. Meditation is beneficial, but doing too much of anything can be problematic. By meditating for just 10 minutes per day, Dr. Ben-Shahar says you can change the structure of your brain, ultimately supporting your overall well-being.

• Try guided meditation. There are dozens of free meditation videos or recordings online. You can also download an app such as Headspace, Calm, or Sattva. These can be helpful when starting out, says Dr. Greene, but you’ll benefit more from meditating alone.

While meditation can help lower stress levels, Dr. Ben-Shahar says it’s important to realise that stress, in and of itself, is not a problem. Stress can actually help us become stronger, more resilient, and healthier. We just need to incorporate recovery time.

“Think about stressing our muscles in the gym,” Dr. Ben-Shahar says. Doing so makes them stronger. But when there is no recovery, we get injured. Recovery is necessary for gaining benefits, he explains, and meditation provides the recovery we need.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to meditation, you’ll gain the most from a consistent practice. Even if your mind shifts away from your chosen focus or your time gets cut short, you can still enjoy the benefits of meditation. 

Be mindful of how you’re feeling this winter. If you’re building a healthy meditation practice but still experiencing heightened levels of stress and anxiety, consider additional methods of self-care such as individual or group therapy. Meditation should be used as a mental health tool, but know it’s not the only one available to you.

How to stimulate your vagus nerve to reduce stress and anxiety

What is the vagus nerve?

The vagus nerve is a long and powerful nerve that connects the brain and gut together. It runs from the brain, passing and contacting the tongue, vocal cords, throat, heart, lungs, diaphragm, liver, spleen, large intestine, small intestine, pancreas and kidneys, ending as a ball of nerve endings in the stomach. Hence why it’s often referred to as the ‘wandering nerve’!

The vagus nerve and our relaxation response

The vagus nerve largely contributes to the parts of the nervous system responsible for both the fight or flight and rest and digest responses. And as the vagus nerve connects with the lungs and diaphragm, means the way we breathe affects it. If the vagus nerve senses relaxed, slow breathing, it relays messages to the brain that everything is a-ok, and there’s no need to stress.

Whilst the science behind the nervous system runs deep and you could read about it for hours, there’s no substitute for first-hand experience. Simply put; we know what it feels like when we stimulate the vagus nerve, because we feel more relaxed. Think of the vagus nerve a little like your in-built de-stressor, available to engage with at any time. In a world where many of us are currently experiencing situations that could elicit anxiety and stress, it’s worth knowing how to work with the vagus nerve to bring your body into a state of balance, and empower yourself with your own healing tools.

Five ways to start working with the vagus nerve in yoga

1. Slow deep breathing

Breathing is one of the most simple and effective ways to stimulate the vagus nerve and elicit the relaxation response. Simply taking a slow, long and diaphragmatic breath is enough to encourage the vagus nerve to let the brain know it’s time to relax.

The vagus nerve runs through the throat and vocal cords too however, so specific yogic pranayama techniques like Ujjayi breath and Brahmari breath (humming-bee breath) can be even more powerful. To practice Brahmari breath, take a long breath in and then let out an audible ‘hummmm’ with your mouth closed as you exhale. 

2. Singing and chanting

Similar to the way Brahmari breath vibrates the vocal chords, singing and chanting have been shown to work with the vagus nerve to bring the body into a state of ‘rest and digest’. If singing makes you feel self-conscious and stressed, try singing in the shower or singing along with the radio in your car! Any song or mantra you enjoy can help to bring about this response, but the ‘Aum’ or ‘Om’ mantra is particularly effective for cultivating a sense of calm, and is said to send out purifying, positive vibrations to the environment around you. 

3. Cold therapy

Have you tried cold showers yet? Popularised by Wim Hof and his style of breath work coupled with cold showers, cold exposure has increasingly been found to help relieve anxiety and stress, stimulate the vagus nerve, and promote healthy mitochondria (the ‘engines’ within each of our cells). If a full-on cold shower isn’t possible, try splashing your face with cold water – especially when in the midst of a wave of worry or anxiety – as this has similar effects, or stepping outside for short amounts of time with minimal clothing in cold weather. 

• If you want to take this further, combine the cold showers and breathing techniques with yoga targeting the core in our Strong core radiant health program.

4. Meditation

Whether it’s a guided meditation session, or a regular routine of sitting and watching your breath, meditation has been shown to activate the parasympathetic nervous system by slowing the heart rate and breathing, relaxing the muscles of the abdomen, and slowing brainwave activity.

All of these aspects signal to the vagus nerve that the body is in a relaxed and safe state, thus sending messages to the brain to let it know it’s ok to relax. Positive, loving thoughts are also highly beneficial for vagus nerve activity, so try the Buddhist Metta Bhavna or ‘Loving Kindness’ meditation to start with.

5. Gut Heath

The brain and gut are in constant communication via the vagus nerve. Which is why gut health and mental health are so intrinsically linked. In fact, research shows that when it comes to people with food sensitivities, anxiety, gut problems, brain fog and depersonalisation, a poorly functioning vagus nerve is often at play. 

Having a good balance of healthy gut bacteria has been shown in numerous studies to positively affect the vagus nerve and contribute to better brain health. If you suffer with digestive issues – reflect upon whether these bouts of indigestion or stomach issues tend to be accompanied by mood swings or brain fog. If the answer is ‘yes’, it’s time to take greater care of your gut, as over 80% of our immune system is actually located within it!

Taking a good quality probiotic can help improve gut bacteria, as can including more pre and probiotics in your meals – think sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha or kefir. Practices like occasional fasting, ensuring you’re not eating too late at night, and cutting down on refined sugar can also have a positive impact upon gut health, thus reducing anxiety and stress too!

Yoga for mental health

The ancient science of yoga unites poses with breathing and concentration to build strength, awareness and harmony between mind and body. Yoga provides many obvious physical benefits – flexibility, stamina, circulatory health, to name a few – and now more than ever, we realise its important role in our mental wellness too.

Self-care is a hot topic, thankfully, as with life continuing to pick up speed all around us – we’ve got to slow down and look inward, at our own mental health.

Yoga helps our mental health by:

• Relieving anxiety

• Lowering depression

• Promoting better sleep

• Fighting fatigue

• Decreasing stress

• Improving focus

• Increasing tolerance

Up the ante with the extensive neurological benefits of meditation. Studies show that it increases focus and concentration, and lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Anxiety, stress and depression are often inter-linked. They manifest in many different ways, causing everyones’ experience of mental illness to be unique, sometimes including:

• Physical sickness

• Difficulty breathing

• Emotional outbursts

• Low mood

• Poor sleep

• Physical aches and pains

• Coping strategies such as addictions

Yoga and meditation promote relaxation

Yoga and meditation promote relaxation – the opposite of anxiety, stress and depression. They build our ability to stay centred, which is vital for stress management. By pausing to breathe, meditate or stretch, the mind is directed away from the trigger and a biological reaction of calming begins.

Specific yoga and meditation practices stimulate our vagus nerve which is involved in our parasympathetic nervous system – our rest and digest response.

These simple practices amplify awareness of what’s happening in our body, making it possible to detect changes and early signs of mental health issues. How? One way is by teaching us to be present, rather than worrying about what’s occured in the past or what may happen in the future.

And… Exercise naturally increases the flow of serotonin, ‘the happy hormone’. So moving and relaxing our body calms the mind, and enhancing our mental health positively affects our physical health.

When the world feels out of balance, unequal or low, yoga can help us maintain our internal equilibrium and elevate our experience of daily life. And it’s available to us anywhere, any time.

Yoga and process of letting go

Have you ever entered into a yoga practice with a lot on your mind? When you stepped on your mat, did thoughts about finances, relationships or your desire to achieve a certain posture fill your thoughts? Sometimes, when the mind is cloudy or racing in this way, our asana hardly feels like yoga at all. Rather than embracing our “union with the Divine,” we find ourselves just going through the motions while distracted, stressed and unfocused.

This is where the beautifully simple, yet abstract and often elusive act of “letting go” comes in. Yoga teachers use this phrase frequently, and for many of us, hearing the words  “let it all go,” may be our primary reason for attending regular yoga classes.  Most of us have had teachers prompt us to “let your worries wash away with every exhale,” or “let go and release into the posture.” In this case, “letting go” means to release any thoughts, worries or fears that keep us from receiving the gift of total relaxation and rejuvenation.

These comforting and supportive words are commonly heard in gentle yoga classes as well as restorative styles of yoga. But truth be known, most of us hear about “letting go” during physically challenging asanas as well. In these poses, we need more than brute strength and exertion to evolve our practice. Ever struggle with a pose like Salamba Sirsasana (Headstand) over and over again? When we finally “get there”—that is, access a pose that requires strength, balance, and steadiness—it is often because we’ve learned to see the exploration aspect of asana as equally valuable to the goal itself. We’ve let go of the need to “achieve” and surrendered to the process.

Letting go takes courage

It takes faith. It takes trusting in something that we often only see glimpses of. In the Yoga Sutras, this simple phrase is given a depth of meaning, as many passages are offered to explain what “letting go” really entails.

In the translation by Sri Swami Satchidananda, Sutra 1.29 states, “From this practice, all the obstacles disappear and simultaneously dawns knowledge of the inner Self.”  During yoga, consciously moving towards “letting go” creates space for becoming more engaged and connected with our inner wisdom and truth. We are no longer held back by limiting beliefs, repetitive thoughts (for example, thoughts about groceries, work or to-do lists) and desires for our practice to look a certain way. We transcend limitations of the mind and body and step into a deeper knowing. And even though doing so can be hard to do, it is only when we “let go” that the real yoga begins.

Letting go and higher awareness

Yoga means “to yoke” or “to connect” with our higher selves, our true wisdom and Divine nature. Therefore, in order to do so, we must necessarily release the worries of the smaller self, if only for our practice. We can think of “letting go” as happening simultaneously or just before stepping forward into a higher awareness.  Sometimes, this feels like release. Sometimes it feels more like acceptance. Sometimes it’s more active, like moving forward to pursue higher knowing. Some days, letting go means celebration, while others it feels like surrender.

However it feels to you, it is important to remember that this practice, though subtle and mostly undetected by others, requires a strength that is to be commended. We must not think of letting go as giving up or, worse, “settling.” Rather, a deep trustful surrender is an act of wisdom. It is the courageous choice to relax into your potential greatness (often inconceivable to our limited thinking minds) instead of striving for what the ego-self thinks is best. It is trusting that the shape you take in the world at the moment of surrender is greater than you might even realize. When we practice this way, we are often amazed at what unfolds next.

Article Author: Megan De Matteo

Article Source: https://www.yogabasics.com/connect/yoga-blog/yoga-and-the-process-of-letting-go/