Stress Relief

Challenges and demands are inherent in modern life. When demands rise to a level where they are interpreted as a threat, the body automatically prepares for action by entering a state known as fight-or-flight response. It is activated when the hypothalamus in the brain stimulates the adrenal glands to secrete the hormone adrenaline, which triggers the sympathetic nervous system.

In primitive life, arousal of the sympathetic nervous system was caused by threats to survival and was usually immediate and short-lived. In today’s context, the fight-or-flight response is commonly related to work pressures or anxiety over emotional or financial issues. Emotionally “on-edge”, we go about our lives in a rushed way, thinking and worrying about the past or future, until we start to experience frequent tension and fatigue in the body. Some people develop significant needs for external stimulation to feel good (e.g. caffeine, food, sex, TV, alcohol, money, accomplishments etc).  

Since such concerns cannot usually be resolved quickly, they continue to trigger the sympathetic nervous system for an unnaturally long period of time, which can be extremely damaging to the body. What we call stress is the deep exhaustion that results from the persistent fight-or-flight arousal.

Over time, it leads to burnout. Stress is the invisible epidemic of our times, predisposing us to common complaints like insomnia, backaches, headaches, digestive disorders, thyroid dysfunctions, and major illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and strokes.

A combination of restorative postures, deep breathing, relaxation techniques, guided imagery, and meditation will engender healing. By inducing the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system, yoga helps to lower stress levels and restore energy by directing blood flow to the vital organs, so that a stable and balanced internal environment can be achieved. As a result, the mind is calmed and we are more poised to handle the challenges that come our way.  

Women's Issues

Common problems of the reproductive system faced by many women include pre-menstrual syndrome, irregular menstruation, endometriosis, excessive menstrual bleeding, and menopause. These conditions have a complex of physical and psychological symptoms, such as irritability, depression, mood swings, headaches, bloating, and fatigue. Symptoms of menopause generally include hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, weight gain, and mood swings.

In yoga therapy, there are many strategies that can be adopted to help balance and soothe the reproductive system. The focus is on strengthening and increasing circulation in the lower abdomen, and helping it to relax and reducing cramps. Yoga poses also stimulate the ovaries and pituitary gland to produce more hormones.

Since stress plays a significant role in the severity of menopausal symptoms, using yogic tools for stress relief would be helpful in dealing with mood swings and hot flashes. In addition to its effectiveness in dealing with stress, yoga offers weight-bearing postures that help build bone strength, which protects against thinning bones (a major menopausal concern).

Digestive Problems

A strong digestive fire is a sign of good health. When this fire, known in Ayurveda as agni, is impaired due to imbalance, the body’s metabolism is affected. Most of the time, what we eat is based on habits or convenience. We often eat on the run, or in the midst of other activity. The result is usually indigestion, which prevents our body from absorbing the maximum nutritional benefits of our food, and also hampers waste elimination.

Food that is not digested properly becomes lodged in the large intestine, producing toxins or ama  that lead to many disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, flatulence, and constipation. In many cases, indigestion is also contributed by tension, anxiety and frustration. When our digestion is weak, we lack energy. Our sleep may be disturbed so we don’t feel refreshed even after a full night’s rest. Our complexion may not be clear, and the odour of our breath and body unpleasant. We are also more susceptible to weight gain and disease. 

When we suffer from digestive problems, we can help ourselves through the appropriate combination of lifestyle changes and yoga practices. Yoga increases blood flow to the digestive tract, stimulates the agni, and also calms and relaxes the abdomen to release trapped gases. The movement (peristalsis) of wastes along the intestinal tract is also enhanced. While the fight-or-flight response of our sympathetic nervous system actually stops the digestive process, yoga counters this by activating the parasympathetic response that calms the body, thereby enhancing digestion. 


Common aches and pains

The spinal column is considered to be the supreme centre of human life. The column of 33 bones running from the base of the skull to the lower part of the back provides the central support to the skeleton. Between each bone is a disc to cushion the spine against shocks, and, with the appropriate muscles and ligaments, to facilitate body flexibility. The bones are actually hollow, forming a canal through which runs the spinal cord. Nerves exit between the bones to penetrate every part of the body.

Discs naturally degenerate with age, reducing their cushioning effect. Herniated or ruptured disc may also result from injuries and strains. Many painful disc conditions can be effectively treated by a combination of rest, medical treatment, and yoga therapy.

The spine has four distinct segments, namely the cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral vertebrae. The normal curves of the spine serve to protect both the spine and brain from shocks generated by walking, running and jumping. The curves run forward and backwards, not side to side. When one segment of the spine deviates from a position directly over its point of support (for reasons like poor posture, degeneration, injuries etc), compensation occurs in other segments to prevent the whole body from becoming unbalanced. In doing this, a certain price is paid for spinal misalignment– often in the form of back pain and leg pain.
  
Many people also suffer from chronic tension in the neck and shoulders. This tension not only restricts movements of the head and arms, but contributes to a general feeling of stress. When severe, it can restrict blood flow to the brain, causing tension headaches and reducing mental performance.

For the body to function without pain, it must be used so that no undue strain is put upon muscles, joints, bones, or ligaments. If we neglect or abuse the muscles that hold our bones and joints in the right place, we will start to experience pain in various areas of the body. The contraction and relaxation of muscles ensure an efficient circulation of blood and fluids throughout the body. The correct practice of yoga postures should result not only in the correct alignment of bones, but in a greatly improved supply and utilisation of energy within the body.

Yoga is well-suited to help prevent or minimise the erosion of cartilage that causes the joint pain of osteoarthritis. From the perspective of yoga therapy, the factors that are responsible for the damage to cartilage are related to bone misalignments, dysfunctional body movement patterns, lack of body awareness and poor posture. These are problems that a well-planned yoga practice can help to correct. Yoga is also ideally suited to deal with stress, which is believed to be a factor in the worsening of symptoms in both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. For those people whose arthritis is severe, yoga can teach them how to cope better with pain (e.g. through breathing and meditation techniques) that they cannot eliminate entirely.  


Proper Breathing

Breathing is essential for the life and function of every cell in our body. Through inhalation, oxygen in the air passes through the lungs, into the bloodstream, and then to every cell of the body. Through exhalation, waste material (carbon dioxide) is returned from the cells, via the bloodstream, to the lungs, and is exhaled out of the body. The normal rate of breathing for an adult is between 12 and 18 cycles per minute. 

Usually we are so caught up in the momentum of our activities that we are unaware of our breathing patterns. It is not uncommon to find our breathing to be shallow, restricted, and even punctuated with holding patterns. When our breathing patterns are weak, we may have low energy and find ourselves easily fatigued and more emotionally stressed. On the other hand, when our breathing patterns are deep, smooth and strong, we have increased endurance, and a sense of well-being.

There are many factors that could reduce the efficiency of the respiratory system, ranging from environmental pollution and exposure to weather extremes, to structural causes (e.g. weak respiratory muscles, rigid and inelastic structures of the chest), to lifestyle habits (e.g. poor postures, improper diet, smoking, lack of adequate physical exercise), to infections and a weakened immune system that lead to allergies (e.g. asthma) and attacks (e.g. common colds, flus, chronic bronchitis) on the respiratory system.

The main focus in yoga therapy for working with respiratory conditions is relaxation, strengthening the body, developing the breathing capacity by strengthening the inhalation or exhalation, and especially achieving greater control of the diaphragm. Many respiratory problems are often linked to the digestive system. With improper digestion, mucus and phlegm are produced in the stomach and accumulated in the lungs. A careful assessment of diet and other lifestyle adjustments are also essential ingredients for healing.

Weight loss

Being overweight can have major health consequences, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and some forms of cancer. Particularly dangerous is fat around the middle torso area. Extra body weight also makes back problems more likely, increasing strain on the joints and contributing to injuries of the hips, knees and ankles.

According to Ayurveda, a person who is overweight or obese typically has a dominant kapha constitution, which is the dosha associated with inactivity and weight gain. The idea that carbohydrates like desserts, white flour and white rice would contribute to being overweight is consistent with the Ayurvedic principle, because these foods increase kapha in the body.

Yoga can be helpful to weight loss in several ways. Because of stress’s role in overeating and in the formation of fat, yoga’s proven ability to fight stress is a crucial aspect of its usefulness as an aid to weight loss. Obesity is a sign of metabolic dysfunction and accumulation of toxins in the body, often a result of poor digestive fire. By stimulating digestion and elimination of waste material in the body, yoga helps to restore proper metabolism and reduce weight.  

Yoga teaches about bringing mindfulness to what may be unconscious eating habits. As we refine our ability to tune in to bodily sensations, we may notice when we are not hungry but simply eating out of habits or emotional neediness. 

Insomnia

Insomnia or the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep long enough to feel rested often afflicts people whose nervous system is in a near-constant state of arousal. Insomniacs tend to have not just higher levels but more frequent bursts of stress hormones (e.g. cortisol), in response to either environmental stimulation or constant thinking. Research has shown that people who sleep poorly may not necessarily have more stressful events in their lives than others, but tend to perceive them as more stressful, and react to the events more intensely.  

Diabetes

Diabetes is manifested in two types. Type I diabetes usually appears in individuals below 40 years old, most frequently in childhood. It is characterised by inadequate insulin-producing cells, requiring injections of insulin into the bloodstream. Type II diabetes usually affects individuals above 40 years of age. For this group, while insulin production may be normal, the insulin itself is not being properly utilised by the cells (i.e. insulin resistance). Over 90% of people with diabetes have Type II. Being overweight, a high-fat diet, and sedentary lifestyle are often contributing factors. Common symptoms of diabetes include unusual thirst, frequent and profuse urination, weakness and drowsiness, and itching of skin.
The yoga theory of treating diabetes is to stimulate the area around the adrenal glands and pancreas, increasing circulation and bringing vital nutrition and oxygen to these areas. The aim is to restore balanced functioning of the glands and pancreas by practising stretching and strengthening poses.

Yoga can also moderate the impact of diabetes through stress-reduction. This is because high levels of stress hormones (e.g. adrenaline and cortisol) raise blood sugar levels, and elevated cortisol levels tend to promote overeating and accumulation of intra-abdominal fat, which contributes to insulin resistance.

Reference:

1. McCall, Timothy, M.D. (2007). Yoga as Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing. New York: Bantam Dell.

2. Kraftsow, Gary. (1999). Yoga for Wellness. New York: Penguin Books.

3. Lark, Liz, & Goullet, Tim. (2005). Healing Yoga. London: Carlton Books.

4. Mohan, A. G. & Mohan, Indra. (2004). Yoga Therapy: A Guide to the Therapeutic Use of Yoga and Ayurveda for Health and Fitness. Boston: Shambhala.

5. Brown, Pamela. (1997). Your Back, Yoga and You: The Comprehensive Guide for Pain and Stress Free Health. ACT: Broga Trust.

6. Faulds, Richard. (2005). Kripalu Yoga: A Guide to Practice On and Off the Mat. New York: Bantam Dell.