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Yoga Techniques Can Help Reduce Stress Levels
But perhaps “stressbuster” is too strong a word. Practicing yoga doesn't necessarily "bust" stress away as much as it can help reduce it over time, in the process teaching the yoga enthusiast techniques to handle stress if it occurs again in the future. Yoga can be an effective way to handle stress in that, unlike pills or other medications, it doesn't create harmful side effects or bring with it the possibility of chemical dependence. Yoga, in fact, can be the exact opposite, helping you to cut your dependency on pills and medications to help you relax and instead teaching you how to discover the natural stress reducers that are inside of you to help you handle the obstacles that life may throw at you. To begin with, “stress” (in its most common use today) is a term developed in 1932 by scientist Hans Selye and defined as “the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change." Although many researchers and scientists today refrain from defining stress, including those at the American Institute of Stress (because there can be good stress - such as winning a football game - and bad stress - losing a football), they do agree that programs like yoga can aid in reducing bad stress. The scientific discovery of the benefits of yoga in reducing stress is continually being tested and analyzed. In a study by the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, the effects of Sudarshan Kriya Yogic breathing on reducing stress was tested. Researchers found that “there is sufficient evidence to consider Sudarshan Kriya Yoga to be a beneficial, low-risk, low-cost adjunct to the treatment of stress, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, stress-related medical illnesses, substance abuse, and rehabilitation of criminal offenders. ...Yoga techniques enhance well-being, mood, attention, mental focus and stress tolerance." In a different study, done by the Department of Psychology and Center of Health Equity Studies at Sweden's Stockholm University, 26 women and seven men who worked at a large corporation were split into four groups and were treated with either cognitive behavioral therapy or Kundaliniyoga for four months in an effort to reduce stress. The study found that not only did the psychological and physiological levels of stress decrease, but there was no significant difference in the amount of the reduction between the two groups. “The results,” the study said, “indicate that both cognitive behavior therapy and yoga are promising stress management techniques." Due to studies such as these, doctors have begun to accept and promote many of the relaxation and stress reducing techniques that have been used for ages in the practice of yoga. These practices involve slow, careful movements, muscle stretching, controlled breathing, visualization and meditation. All of these techniques, yoga practitioners are well aware of, help to bring together the mind, body and spirit in a way that medication or medical treatments can never achieve. As a bonus, yoga holds the potential to alleviate or eliminate conditions related to several other negative physical conditions. Yoga has been known to lower blood pressure, relieve insomnia, reduce muscle tension, provide relief from allergies and asthma, aid in attempts to quit smoking and help control overeating. By eliminating the need for pills or other medical treatments which can be expensive, yoga can help individuals achieve a level of relaxation safely and naturally, using the healing elements that lie within the body. Yoga may not be a "stressbuster", but it can help keep stress levels in check. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Linda Adams enjoys all things health related. One of the most excellent yoga websites Linda has found is Kamloops Yoga Instructors, which is a exceptional mix of yoga and exercise. For more information, have a look at Eager Yoga Students Should Know the Rules of the Studio one of the finest Yoga blogs. |
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