Calm your stress with stress yoga

The basis of yoga: useful for stress yoga

To understand why yoga is an option to protect yourself from stress, you just need to delve into the source and reasons for the existence of yoga. After which, you would be curious to try stress yoga!

The philosophy of yoga

Yoga aims to reconcile body and mind with physical exercises that require respiratory and mental skills, particularly for concentration and coordination. Then at the end of the session, you will have the right to moments of meditation or relaxation yoga. 

Yoga is a true art of living. Indeed, the goal being to find a harmony of body and mind. Thanks to pineapples, which are the postures of yoga, to breathing and to the mind, you are anchored in the present moment. Many people see yoga as a physical activity, but at its core, yoga is a science of well-being to arrive at a balance between body and mind.

The issue of yoga

How can yoga help you manage your stress? Being in agreement with the philosophy of yoga is already a step towards healing. Yoga is a natural activity that appears to have the ability to prevent ailments such as stress and anxiety. Its objective is to help you achieve the fullness. Not only does it teach you how to channel your stress but it is effective in no longer worrying about things you cannot change, to understand stressful situations, you will have more perspective and perspective on daily life. 

In addition, yoga allows you to change yourself in depth. As the sessions progress, you will learn more about yourself and others.. You will become more caring. Wondering what this has to do with stress? Stress arises in two ways: our contradictions and our inner questions, it is also our relationships with others which give us stress. But don't worry, yoga teaches you to understand others, to be more tolerant and therefore less stressed!

Generally, yoga improves your physical condition and your mind. Stress causes short, choppy breathing. As for yoga, it gets you into the habit of breathing slowly, deeply and regularly. 

It is a complete discipline that makes you work on all angles of your vital energy, whether physically with asanas or morally with pranayamas. Yoga is a stress blocker thanks to its virtues which put you in a spiritual and mental state where you will be more inclined to find inner serenity. 

Breathing

Breathing is the source of relaxation in yoga. Indeed, breathing exercises relieve the body and mind. Your stress results in blocked breathing, concentrate on prolonging it, make sure to extend it as much as possible and restore its vital function. Obviously, in this situation, managing your breathing is complicated. The air you breathe in is quick and short so you don't have time to completely fill your lungs. And if you've ever wondered why you have muscle contractions and tension throughout the body, it's because the carbon dioxide residue you breathe acidifies the blood.

If you exhale longer than inhale, your brain will increase the parasympathetic nervous system and then decrease the sympathetic system in parallel. This is good news because it means your heart rate will not change and your stress will not be activated.. This formula will help you achieve a state of calm by slowing down your heartbeat and your breathing will lower your blood pressure. 

Meditation

What would yoga be without meditation? Meditation allows you to keep your cerebral cortex healthy and improve your brain's performance and better control your emotions. Meditation is a very good ally for the most stressed personalities since it will push you to find inner peace within yourself. It makes you a person more aware of your environment and its problems, your stress and anxiety will be limited. 

Types of yoga against stress

Some yoga is recommended for stress yoga. Although basically any type of yoga can help you reduce stress. However, here are 4 that are different, it's up to you to find the way that best suits you. disappear your stress. 

Yin yoga

Yin yoga is a slow practice with asanas that lasts longer than in other forms. You can stay 5 minutes in the same position. Yin has a therapeutic scope louser fight against stress and achieve a deep state of relaxation. He is in no way seeking to strengthen muscles or improve his physical endurance. 

It's a yoga that seeks to dig deep within you, he asks that you accept your emotions and your sensations which pierce you during the different positions. To do this, you will use the meridians of your body, in particular that of the heart, intestine, lungs and large intestine. They are connected to different areas of the body, energy passes through your body using meridians and if the latter are well irrigated, they are carriers of your physical and mental balance. 

Also, yin helps to relax muscles, joints and ligaments to make them more supple and strengthen your back. 

Yoga nidra 

Yoga nidra consists of a half-awake, half-asleep state of consciousness in order to use the full potential of your mental faculties and does not require any physical effort. It is also called yogic sleep since it is a meditation practice which aims at meditative state which can be dynamic sleep or conscious sleep. 

Thus, it aims to lead you towards deep states of consciousness while examining different parts of your mind while you are in a state of deep relaxation. You will be verbally guided by a teacher so that you stay alert while being on the verge of sleep. The instructor will take you through the preliminary stages of sleep so that you reach an extremely deep level of meditation. 

Yoga and sleep are closely linked, find out how in our dedicated article! 

The fact that you are focused both on the voice speaking to you and on your breathing triggers relaxation and chases away negative thoughts, especially stress. As you might expect, nidra helps you have a peaceful mind to fall asleep. The body and mind are thus freed from a weight. You will have less stress and therefore more difficulty sleeping.

Hatha yoga

Hatha yoga is the ancestral practice of yoga. She was born in India several centuries ago. Then, it conquered the West in the 20th century. In this form, we find yoga postures with breathing exercises and a moment of relaxation at the end of the session. It is considered a real physical activity compared to other styles of yoga. Because Hatha mixes lying, sitting and standing positions. 

Its slow movements require fluidity, this is what characterizes this practice. She is very popular with the public and is seen as gentle, revitalizing et soothing.

It is known for its many benefits. On a physical level, Hatha allows you to maintain good health, slightly strengthen your muscles and make you more flexible. Then, mentally, it allows you to let go and relax. This results in a better ability to manage your stress, of overcome everyday obstacles, d'raise your self-confidence and concentrate better.

If you are curious to learn a little more about Hatha yoga, take a look at our article to know what type of yoga to choose to start. 

Postures to relieve stress

It is difficult to calm down when we are faced with a stressful situation. But there are yoga postures that will help you fight stress and reduce it little by little. 

How is it that positions can have such an impact on reducing your stress? By keeping your attention on the inside of your body, while you stretch your muscles, you limit your tension. In addition, the postures act on your nervous system which helps you erase the bad postures that you used to take. The objective of the postures is that you feel a deep well-being after the sequences.

Bridge posture

Bridge posture allows you to take a step back from a situation. This posture should allow you to unblock your diaphragm and massage your solar plexus. The exercise is to lie on the ground with your feet flat. You must raise your pelvis by placing your hands under your lower back to support your weight. Before placing your pelvis on the ground, breathe 10 times. Once the pelvis is positioned, you can lower your back vertebra by vertebra. Repeat twice. 

It is a position that stretches the back and legs. It facilitates the reduction of stress and tension. It is a posture with therapeutic benefits such as reducing anxiety, fatigue, headaches and calms the frequency of insomnia. 

Child's pose

Child's pose generally appears in the middle of a sequence when the efforts are too intense, it allows you to breathe. It's a resting posture which stretches the entire back, chest, hips, thighs and ankles. 

This posture is practiced as follows: sit on your knees on your heels. Lean forward until your forehead touches the floor and your thighs touch your chest. 

It is a position that calls for introspection, your gaze on yourself brings a notion of comfort. From the moment you are in this posture, you will feel a feeling of immediate relaxation. As it is a posture that lasts a few minutes, you can easily disconnect from reality, allowing you to truly be relaxed et de-stress. 

Stork posture

The stork pose is known for stimulate blood circulation at the level of the brain. To reproduce this position you must be standing, legs together, feet together, the weight of the body distributed over the feet. Take a breath while raising your arms while irritating your spine. Exhale, back forward, your torso should be glued to your thighs, stretch your stomach as much as possible by reaching for your knees. Finally, place your hands next to your feet.

It is effective in cases of stress, fatigue, anxiety and sleep problems. It promotes blood acceleration in your brain therefore relieves your headaches.

If you would like to know more about the bond that unites yoga and fatigue, go to our article!

The benefits of yoga

Yoga not only helps reduce stress, it also helps you manage post-traumatic stress. Indeed, in the United States the MBSR was created mindfulness based for stress reduction (mindfulness for stress reduction) by Jon Kabat Zinn in the 1970s. In America, yoga adapted to trauma is treated and recognized to help suffering people. This therapy has worked on veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress. It put them on the path to healing.

Stress on the nervous system

We know that yoga works on stress. As said previously, we have sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. The sympathetic system is stimulated every day. It is mainly through this area that stressful situations come to mind.

Concerning parasympathetic, it is in this space that the relaxation. Yoga will therefore draw on this reserve so that you can be totally relaxed. Yoga has the ability to create a balance between the two systems, which calms you and drastically reduces your stress. 

More information on the yoga relaxation in our dedicated article!

Yoga teaches you to breathe with full self-awareness. Breathing comes from the abdomen, which activates your parasympathetic system. As if by magic, you will be perfectly relaxed! The state of tranquility in which yoga has put you generates a reduction in heart rate. Additionally, you will digest more easily et soften the intestinal tract.

The benefits of postures

Stress also happens to the body! The postures help strengthen your joints and stretch your body, this is where it gets interesting. Stretching plays a major role since it pulls on the fine tissues that surround the muscles.

And even if you feel tense with muscle contractions, know that yoga minimizes them because by acting on your posture, yoga helps the body to release absorbed annoyances. 

Physically, yoga gives you qualities like: 

• Better amplitude 

• Development of flexibility

• Strengthens your joints 

• More dynamism

• Greater resistance to fatigue

• A new cardio respiratory habit
• Modulation of blood pressure

Morally, yoga helps you regain psychic strength: 

• Return of calm and serenity

• Improves the sleep cycle
• Finding the basics of balance

Yoga adapts to all profiles, especially stressed people

Faced with the frenetic speed of modern life, many people feel the weight of stress. Overwhelmed by this incessant flow of concerns, they seek a salutary escape. As such, yoga turns out to be an ideal practice. Yoga is much more than a simple physical exercise, it is an effective way to free the mind from everyday worries, to ease tensions and to find inner harmony” according to Marie, owner of this Toulouse yoga room. Indeed, this ancestral discipline promises not only clarity of mind but also a deep communion between mind and body. Regardless of age or fitness level, yoga is modulated according to the profile of each individual.

If stress is your pet peeve, yoga postures called “asanas” can help you tame it. They have, among other benefits, that of improving blood flow, thus reducing anxiety and creating a feeling of calm. Postures like balasana, utthita trikonasana or shavasana are recognized for their positive impact on stress management. To these postures, it is recommended to add the pranayama practice, effective breathing methods in anxiety management.

Yoga is not just a physical activity. It is also an art of living. Through their daily commitment, the practitioner develops strong resilience in the face of stress and the various tensions of life. On the yoga mat, negative thoughts have no place. Meditation, an integral part of yoga , allows total relaxation, an invitation to introspection and letting go. The mind becomes aired, freed and finally finds comfort in the gentle embrace of yoga. So what's better to relieve stress?

To remember

To ensure that stress yoga is your ally in chasing away the thoughts that haunt you, there are solutions such as adopting the yoga that you like and choosing your exercises carefully: 

• Yin yoga : it is made for those who do not want physical exercises and prefer a slow practice with therapeutic aim. In this style, it is important to accept and understand your emotions to be able to enter a state of deep relaxation.  

• Yoga nidra : it is recommended for people with stress before sleeping or insomnia. This style places you in a half-awake, half-asleep state of consciousness without ever crossing the threshold of sleep. There is also a quest for deep relaxation which translates to your teacher's voice coaxing you into the preliminary stages of sleep. Your body and mind will feel lighter, stress will no longer invade you and you will be more inclined to sleep.
• Hatha yoga : it is the oldest practice in the history of yoga. She oscillates between sitting, standing and lying postures with slow movements with a moment of relaxation at the end of the session. Not only does it allow you to better manage your stress but it is useful for let go, overcome everyday obstacles and gain confidence in yourself. 

As for postures, if you have sleep and stress problems, you can practice stork position and the bridge posture. Child's pose is suitable for those who need to introspect and relax immediately. 

Finally, yoga has many benefits, Here is a non-exhaustive list :  

On a physical level, yoga helps you to have: 

• Better amplitude 

• Development of flexibility

• Strengthens your joints 

• Be more dynamic

• Greater resistance to fatigue

• A new cardio respiratory habit
• Modulation of blood pressure

Mentally, yoga allows you to regain psychological balance: 

• Return of calm and serenity

• Improves the sleep cycle

• Finding the basics of balance

Relax at POSES Studio

Do you feel ready for stress yoga ? Come and be inspired by rhythmic and immersive yoga from POSES Studio. 

Live in the moment and get rid of your stress for 50-minute workout sessions open to all and for all levels. 

Relax to the sound of the voices of our wonderful coaches attentive to the needs of others. 

POSES studio is an innovative concept which is practiced around light shows in the heart of the 3rd arrondissement of Paris.

Want to let go of stress and recharge your batteries?