Yoga for Stress Relief



Why Yoga for Stress Relief?



Life can be stressful. For starters, there's your busy schedule —
waking up super early for school, studying late at night for tests,
juggling sports practice, homework, and meals. It's a lot to balance!

Everyday issues can add emotional stress, too — counseling a friend
through a breakup, regretting a disagreement with a parent, weighing an
important decision, or stressing over whether you'll make final cuts for
the varsity team. With lots on your mind, it's easy to feel stressed.

There are many different ways to cope with stress. Talking with
friends, exercising, and seeing a school counselor are just a few. Yoga
can help reduce stress because it promotes relaxation, which is the
natural opposite of stress. Yoga can benefit three aspects of ourselves
that are often affected by stress: our body, mind, and breathing.

You don't have to wait to feel stressed out to do yoga, and you
shouldn't! People who do a little bit of yoga each day often find
they're better able to handle things when life gets a little crazy.
Practicing yoga builds your ability to calm, focus, balance, and relax
yourself.

Yoga Is More Than Just Stretching



Lots of people think of yoga as stretching or twisting the body into
various impossible-looking pretzel shapes. But yoga is easier than it
looks. There are simple poses
as well as complicated ones, so there's something for every ability.
Yoga requires no special equipment, so you can do it almost anywhere.



Yoga poses are good exercise and can help loosen up the tense muscles
in your body. The areas of the body that tend to carry the most stress
are the neck, shoulders, and back. But other parts of the body (like the
face, jaw, fingers, or wrists) also can benefit from simple yoga
stretches.

Yoga is so much more than just physical exercise, though. The key to
getting the best out of each pose is to focus not only on your body, but
also on your mind and breathing.Getting the Most Out of Yoga



When you're in a yoga pose, think about how you can unite your body, mind, and breathing.
Even a simple pose like mountain pose is a stress reliever when you
focus on keeping your breathing slow and even, and visualize yourself as
firm and steady as a mountain.

Stay 'in the moment.' When we're under stress, we're
often thinking about what we need to do in the future ("I have to cram
for that test") or what we could have done better in the past ("I wish I
hadn't said that!"). Instead of letting your thoughts wander as you do
yoga, think about what your body and breath are doing in this moment.
Notice how a particular muscle or area of the body feels. Focus on
breathing in slowly as your body stretches tall, and breathing out
slowly as you curl up.

Being in the moment like this helps you build your ability to focus and concentrate, which helps in all aspects of life.

Use your breathing when things get difficult. When a
yoga pose feels challenging, imagine sending your breath to the area in
your body that feels stiff or tight. Does it help? You can use this
skill in the rest of your life, too. Whenever something challenges you —
a tough homework problem, an argument with a parent — try to focus on
your breathing. You may be surprised by how much better you deal with
the situation.

When to Try Yoga



Try taking a weekly yoga class or using a yoga DVD to help you learn
some yoga poses. There are classes as well as yoga DVDs created
especially for teens.

You can also incorporate mini-bits of yoga into your daily life to help you manage stressful moments. Here are some ideas:

• Before a test. Do easy neck and shoulder rolls
  right at your desk to relieve tense muscles in your neck, shoulders, and
  back. Also try squeezing and relaxing your fingers and hands. These
  exercises can take as little as 30 seconds, and can be repeated as often
  as you need!
  
• While studying. Try a few simple yoga moves to help
  relax any areas that may have become tense while studying. Neck and
  shoulder rolls can release tension in your back and shoulders. Forward
  folds and twists will relieve lower back strain. Give your face a
  mini-massage to help loosen up a tense jaw. Balancing poses, like tree
  pose, can help focus your energy so you can concentrate on what you need
  to do!
  
• Before bed. Do a few yoga stretches before bed to
  help you relax — especially if you have a lot on your mind. Poses where
  you fold forward, like child's pose, tend to be calming. They allow you
  to tune out the rest of the world and feel quiet and peaceful. Stay in a
  forward fold for 3 or 4 full, slowing breaths, and allow your body and
  mind to relax.
  
• Yoga and YOU
  
  
  
  The best part about yoga is that it helps you discover more about
  your mind, body, and emotions. Yoga can help you become more balanced,
  calm, focused, and relaxed as you go through life's usual ups and downs.
  
  Of course, you won't instantly feel more positive, calm, or energetic
  after doing a few yoga poses. As with all good things, the effects of
  yoga need to build up over time.
  
  But if you give yourself a half hour each day to do a few yoga poses,
  after a couple of weeks you should start noticing a subtle change. Keep
  going longer and yoga will become a natural part of your daily routine,
  ready to help you manage life's stresses well into the future.