Restore The Flow
“Up at 5 a.m. The morning jog wasn’t that refreshing. A bowl of cereal and I am off for the office. Dropping the kid at school. Dashing for the meeting at 10 a.m. Conference calls until noon. The report is due by 1. The corporate yoga failed to Zen me out. Building some trading models until 4 p.m. The stock market closes at 5. Still unfinished business to tend to. Skimming through unpaid bills. Failed to meet the deadlines. Family chores undone. Back home at 9 p.m. Staring at the T.V. I’m tense, overworked, beat….Crawling in bed so the wheel rolls tomorrow again. How can I cram a life in my crazy schedule? I have no time to relax. ” The confession of a student of mine who came to Yogea to de-stress. It seems that in the midst of a busy day relaxing becomes a hurdle on our massive to-do-list.
The situations my student just exposed bring us a modern day version of the caveman’s stress reaction to the tiger. Your body doesn’t need to run, yet if the stress source is unpleasant and upsets you, the adrenalin and other chemicals needed to get you running. Besides your heart rate going up, your blood vessels dilate and with a decrease in metabolism, extra glucose surges into your blood stream to give you extra fuel. The cortisol levels hike up, causing weight to pile on around your tummy and destroying your brain cells. Funny enough, back in caveman times, you would have needed all these chemical reactions to escape danger. These same chemical reactions pump away as you pick up the phone to ask the doctor about your pap test results, or when you disagree with your loved ones. Similarly, these chemicals speed about in your body if you’re screaming silently at the driver ahead of you to turn on the arrow . . .and he doesn’t. Now you are cursing to beat the band while glaring menacingly at the back of that slow car. This scenario is actually labelled road rage. You’re all geared up to deal with that scary tiger … as you sit in your own car.
Stress has become an indelible part of urban life translating into the body’s reaction to any change that requires an adjustment. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental, and emotional responses. Although the human body is designed to experience stress, when the stress levels rise we face a state of “distress” or continuous challenges without relief. Distress can lead to physical symptoms including headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and insomnia. Whether it arises from ongoing work pressure, long term relationship problems, loneliness or persistent financial worries stress becomes chronic. It piles in the body’s cells and gradually destroys the homeostatic balance, impedes the flow.
A product of the acceleration of time, the inflated demands of the ego, the social constructs and impositions and the blind ambition to succeed at all costs the self-generated stress puts great pressure on the nervous system and drains creative resources, vitality, and insight. What’s the recipe to a stress-free life? With a click of a mouse you get tons and zillions of tips, instant remedies ranging from physical exercise to nature worship, from mindful practice to lavish spa retreats. What works best?
In Yoga stress is considered a product of fear – one of the most destructive afflictions, known as “kleshas”, which prevent the individual from leading a wholesome life. In turn, when fear settles in the body it triggers a chain reaction of negative emotions like doubt, insecurity, suspicion, confusion, existential angst and constant worry. As a result the parasympathetic nervous system is bombarded daily and impairs the relaxation response. The mind can never rest, even during sleep, and perpetual tension builds up in the cells to clog the nerve channels and neuro-pathways that supply oxygen to the brain. Just like fear stress is illusionary, it doesn’t exist, it is a self-created limitation, a phantom that feeds on negativity. And because in yoga limitations are regarded as possibilities for growth we can find our optimal ways to de-stress. Physically, it is essential to rub the head to stimulate blood flow and reduce tension. Pragmatically, it is key to prioritize our daily agenda, artfully eliminating meaningless stuff and gaining more clarity into what really matters and resonates with us at each stage of our journey.
When you next catch yourself in the tight grip of his majesty “King Stress”, refrain from fight or flight, instead practice mindfulness and reconnect with your center to regain balance. And if you don’t have time to take a leisurely walk during your afternoon slump or pop into a spa every other night of the week, sooth away your stress with this tension tamer sequence.
De-Stress Yogea Routine: Restore The Flow (open level)
This Yogea sequence is designed to eliminate stress residue stored in the cells, and elicit the relaxation response in the body, restoring balance and inner peace. A special breathing technique involving pelvic twists and shoulder pulls warms up the ball and socket joints while rinsing out tension build up in the hip flexors. Stretching the scapula and undulating the spine boosts vitality, while crossing the meridians provides an even blood circulation and balances the right and left brain. A soothing skull massage in puppy pose stimulates the nerve endings and follicles to reduce tension. A series of externally and neutrally rotated standing poses facilitate a strong center, and further hip and psoas openers combined with reclining forward bends provide deep stretching for the lower body half. Rejuvenating backbends pair with shoulder openers to expose the stress to the surface and let it dissolve into a joyful burst. A series of seated forward bends, bridge poses and inversions sooth the body and reverse the flow of gravity to restore the flow. The relaxation pose reverses face down to embrace the Earth and release tension to encourage practitioners to fully merge with their balanced self.
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