Have you been stressing out lately at work? Do you feel you find it hard to manage because you barely even have time for that? If stress is getting down on you gradually, you might as well allocate a time during weekends to join yoga sessions.
One of the most effective stress relief techniques is yoga. This form of meditation exercise is proven to enhance stress management and relaxation skills. There are many yoga classes offered everywhere since this is becoming a popular form of relaxation exercise. However, if you want to just do yoga at home on a lazy weekend, there are simple do-it-yourself yoga steps you can follow.
Understanding Yoga as a Meditation Exercise
Yoga, which originally started in India, has been around for thousands of years now. The original yoga philosophy requires participants to be in touch with their behavior, diet, and meditation to achieve ultimate relaxation and stress relief. Yoga is aimed at attaining a balance between the mind and body.
The belief in yoga is that a healthy person is someone whose mind, body, and spirit are working harmoniously. Also, yoga helps a person achieve enduring health and happiness. To some, yoga is more than just an exercise; it is a philosophy that brings calmness and peace in the spiritual, mental, and physical aspect of an individual.
This form of relaxation method comes in varied styles and strengths or levels. Yoga exercise comprises of physical and mental practices such as stretching, breathing exercise, and meditation. There is yoga directed to create a complete change in the lifestyle of the person. It is usually termed as power yoga. For stress and anxiety management goals, a gentle yoga will do. Even basic yoga for beginners is already a good start.
Tips before Doing Yoga Practice
When starting a yoga practice at home or in a class, you have to consider your fitness level and health condition. Make sure that you are not experiencing any health or medical issues when doing yoga. Always choose an environment that is comfortable and ideal for relaxation, so if you decide to do it at home, your bedroom could be an ideal place to do it.
Also, in starting the yoga practice, do not perform positions or actions that are beyond what you are able to do. It may be a cause of pain and injury if you do so. Always be on the guard for any hint or sign of pain so you can pause before you continue with your exercise.
If you are experiencing high blood pressure, it is not advisable to do yoga. People with osteoporosis are also discouraged to do the exercise since it requires bodily movements and physical activities like stretching which may worsen their conditions. When you are feeling intensely stressed but you are suffering from a health complication, consider consulting with your doctor first before doing this form of exercise.
Hatha Yoga for Stress Relief and Other Benefits
Hatha yoga is one of the many forms of yoga that is strongly recommended for beginners and stress management. With an aim to achieve a calmer mind, this style of yoga requires two basic processes—poses and breathing. Poses may vary in positions and that includes simply lying on the floor while relaxing.
There are about ten to thirty poses a participant can learn in the yoga sessions. If the pose is quite complicated, you need not force yourself to follow it. Just dwell on the simple and comfortable ones. In yoga, breathing control is very essential to master. When you are able to regulate your breathing, you have control over your mind and body. To do this, simply pay attention to your breathing making sure that you breathe with the abdomen and not the chest.
Yoga has been amazingly known to relieve people not just from stress and anxiety but also illnesses, even the complicated diseases. With hatha yoga, the person can develop increased mental well-being, emotional stability, and general well-being. Yoga, in general, helps increase the body’s flexibility.
This makes us less prone to injuries and body pains. Remarkably enough, regular yoga practices eventually relieves chronic stress condition of a person as well as other chronic health conditions such as asthma, depression, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, and even memory problems.