How Yoga Reduces Stress

Worried, Anxious or Depressed? Do Yoga.

Jul 1, 2009

Are life problems making you anxious? When worry takes over, stress mounts. Gone is inner peace. Depression follows. The practice of yoga helps you reduce stress.

Psychologists can help anxiety-ridden people sort out their problems and suggest solutions. But, what about the damage stress does to your heart, your blood pressure, and your immune system? One way to get calm and undo the damaging effects of high anxiety and stress is to practice yoga, according to Timothy Mc Call, M.D., author of Yoga and Medicine. His book explains the healing benefits of yoga for 40 conditions or diseases. “In yoga the breath is used to relax the nervous system, which in turn calms the mind,” writes Dr. McCall. “When the mind is still, yoga teaches, you have access to deeper wisdom from within, and both creativity and healing are facilitated.”

Calm The Mind

Yoga requires concentration. The postures (asanas) are new and they require thoughtful practice. While focusing on correct body alignment to do a posture beneficially, it is hard to dwell on your problems. “In yoga you do your spiritual work and it affects the body,” says Dr. McCall. “You calm and strengthen the nervous system and it effects the mind. You cultivate peace of mind and it affects the nervous system, the immune system and the cardiovascular system.” In Yoga, repetitive, nagging, obsessive thoughts about what you fear or hate are examples of the “monkey mind.” Most people think that the constant mental dialogue in their heads is normal. They are thinking continuously about either past hurts or failures, or future dreams and hopes, but rarely experiencing the goodness of the present moment. Yoga trains you to live in the now and experience freedom from negative habitual thoughts. That alone will help with stress reduction. Yoga helps lower the levels of stress hormones such as cortisol, according to the University of Minnesota’s Center for Spiritual Healing and Life Science Foundation.

Yoga For Physical Fitness

Yoga is a mind-body practice with origins in ancient Indian philosophy, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) website. Yoga is actually an involved religious practice for many practitioners worldwide. Yet following tenants of any religion, or even having any beliefs at all, is not necessary to gain significant benefit from practicing yoga.

While many people do practice yoga to elevate their spiritual life, many others are merely seeking improved physical fitness. In the United States, yoga is often offered at gyms and spas and some hospitals as part of a wellness program. “Research suggests that yoga might improve mood and sense of well-being, counteract stress, reduce heart rate and blood pressure, increase lung capacity, improve muscle relaxation and body composition and help with conditions such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia,” states NCCAM.

Yoga Helps Meditation

Yoga has spiritual affects hard to ignore. In the conscious act of controlled breathing and focused awareness of the body, yoga practitioners frequently report an experience of “mindfulness.” In this state you can achieve an awareness of your own being in a non-judgmental way. While doing yoga the goal is to achieve a harmonious and balanced state of mind and body which can be used as a doorway to meditation. For the beginner, a meditative state of contentment may not last long, but with regular yoga practice it will become prolonged. In some practices, teachers will spend time leading the class in a chant or mantra, the most poular being the sound “Om.” Chanting, especially in a group, calms the nerves.

How to Study Yoga

Yoga is a far more complex system of practices than a few simple exercises. It is an art, according to B.K.S. Iyengar, a yoga teacher whose comprehensive methods are popular worldwide. There are many kinds of yoga classes in almost every major city in the world, and they won’t be hard to find. Some are more strenuous than others. The quality of training can pose a problem since some teaching certificates from certain yoga schools are easier to obtain than others.

Teacher training and experience is extremely important. One way to get started is to study yoga by watching yoga tapes. They can be rented or checked out of the library. After watching a variety of workout tapes, not necessarily doing them, you will come to comprehend that yoga has many different forms and styles to accomplish many different ends. One single method, or some schools of yoga and styles, may not be what your body needs for a healthier and happier life. Choose with wisdom.

Warning

Yoga has thousands of variations and some specific yoga poses may not be good for you. You can get injured doing yoga improperly. Yoga is not for everyone. Yoga is not an instant fix. It takes time and patience to undo years of physical neglect. People with medical conditions or diseases should get the advice of their physician before starting a yoga program. Yoga is not a substitute for good medical care but can complement it.

Other health benefits of yoga are discussed in this article about reducing stress and alleviating depression.

Timothy McCall, M.D. Yoga As Medicine. Bantam Books. New York, New York. 2007.

The copyright of the article How Yoga Reduces Stress in Mind/Body Fitness is owned by Susan Etchey. Permission to republish How Yoga Reduces Stress in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.