YOGA FOCUS
STRESS: THE GOOD
AND THE BAD…
By practicing some simple habits we can change the way we
respond to stressful situations and retain control of our day,
writes yoga educator Lisa Greenbaum.
lements of stress are good for us.
The fight or flight mechanism
hard-wired into our nervous
system can save our life. The knee-jerk
response to jumping out of the way of a
moving vehicle, the sharp intake of breath,
our hearts racing, the rush of adrenaline.
This is the rush many who love rollercoasters,
bungee jumping or other such intense
activities chase. This is good stress. Our
bodies have a chance to process the
increased cortisol released into our systems,
and we will often feel a bit of a high
afterwards. This same stress can be a great
motivator to try new things, to push our
boundaries. The butterflies we feel when we
are about to step in front of a class for the
first time and the rush we feel when we know
we have taught an amazing session.
When this same chemical reaction in
our bodies turns against us, it is almost
simultaneous to when we turn against it.
When our fight or flight mechanism kicks in
to situations we have no outlet for. Cancelled
appointments, traffic jams, unexpected
work projects and looming deadlines. We
feel ourselves seething. Our blood is boiling
or we turn inwards and feel helpless. Living
in modern society, it’s almost impossible to
avoid these events. However, controlling our
immediate response to stressful situations
will make the difference between our day
E
being ruined and simply encountering a
small bump in the road of life.
Regular exercise, including yoga, eating
well and getting enough sleep are the first
modes of defence against bad stress. As
fitness professionals, let’s make sure we are
practicing and teaching other good habits to
help in this defense:
1 Breathe
Between 3-5 minutes of deep, full belly
breathing before and after our workouts to
bring a deeper mind/body connection to any
workout. New research is providing the
science to back up the power of this process.
2 Listen to your body
It doesn’t always have to be no pain no gain.
Going easier on yourself every now and
then may teach you to be easier on yourself
outside of the gym as well.
3 Stretch!
Take time at the end of any workout to
stretch out your hard working muscles,
especially through the upper back and neck
area where most of our stress sits in our
bodies. Try putting on slower music, closing
your eyes and relaxing into your stretch
rather than pushing or pulling.
4 Participate in mind-body
workouts
Incorporate yoga and meditation into your
routine one or twice a week to give yourself
a complete mind-body workout. The
essence of YogaFit teaches us to breathe,
feel, listen to our bodies, let go of judgment,
competition and expectation and stay
present. These are all important elements to
help us reduce stress and become happier
in our own bodies.
Avoiding stress is probably impossible –
not to mention incredibly boring. Good stress
can create the richness in our lives, promote
growth and keep us trying new things. Bad
stress will make us sick – literally. It will age
us and make us feel incompetent. Being
aware of how our stress is affecting us and
where our stress is coming from is where
our attention should be placed. The next
time you find yourself in a stress-inducing
situation, take a moment to become aware
of your response and ask yourself, is it
helping or harming?
Lisa Greenbaum holds her E-RYT 500 in yoga and
is the Program Development Manager for YogaFit
Australia and Director of YogaFit Canada.
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32 | NETWORK WINTER 2018