Doctors and psychologists have long recommended yoga and meditation as a way to combat stress. While doing yoga won't cure depression, incorporating the practice into your routine has many benefits.
Practicing yoga, for example, is a great way to reduce work-related stress!
Opt for a yoga routine with Magic Me, our anti-stress solution to feel calm in all circumstances!
First of all, what is stress?
Talking about anti-stress yoga and meditation to reduce stress is fine, but first we need to understand what exactly stress is.
Stress is originally a survival reflex. It is normally triggered only in case of vital danger. However, you will have easily noticed that this stress reflex is triggered in many situations that are absolutely not dangerous for our vital health. When I have to make an important phone call with a client or when I am overwhelmed with work, for example. However, these situations are extremely conducive to stress at work, and stress has multiple adverse effects on your body and mind. Bad mood, anxiety, anguish, difficult sleep, disturbed metabolism, the consequences of stress are numerous.
To reduce this feeling of stress which overwhelms us, it is then necessary to re-educate its mental to not perceive any more these situations as dangerous.
Doing yoga to reduce your stress reflex
Doing yoga at home, in the studio or at work can help us manage this stress reflex because it helps us to anchor ourselves in the present moment and stop thinking about our worries. This stress is very often the result of a projection into a negative future situation (e.g. that phone call that went wrong) or the memory of a similar situation that went wrong for you or for a loved one. Who has never stressed about doing a task because he or she has seen several people around him or her also fail in trying to do it?
The objective to limit this stress reflex is to develop one's anchoring in the present moment? This may seem abstract to you, but you will quickly understand. Most of the time, we stress by anticipation. If we focus on the present moment, this stress has no reason to exist because the negative situation we are apprehensive about will not occur. The question now is how to anchor yourself in the present moment and stop dreading these negative situations? Well, not surprisingly, it turns out that yoga and meditation are excellent answers to this problem.
Develop your anchor to focus on the present moment
The most effective way to anchor yourself is through meditation. Taking a few minutes in a quiet place (without any external noise, ringing phone or crying children) while concentrating on your breath or your body sensations allows you to get back to peace. A few minutes during the day or during your lunch break if you have a quiet place at your disposal will do the trick.
If meditation doesn't interest you, there's also the yoga option! Whether it's gentle or dynamic yoga, focusing on your breathing and postures will also help you find that general state of well-being.
Not very athletic? Try Yin Yoga, which is a gentle but profound yoga. It uses classical Indian yoga postures but with a deep letting go approach. It is a yoga that is mostly practiced on the floor, which makes it very accessible to people who may have mobility problems. It is sometimes practiced in hospitals. The objective of Yin Yoga is to achieve a total muscular relaxation to stretch the deep tissues without pain. This generates a better blood and energy circulation, as well as a deep feeling of relaxation.
Are you athletic and like to challenge yourself? Why not try Vinyasa or Ashtanga Yoga? Very often assimilated to fitness, these types of yoga are very physical. Indeed, they are particularly sporty yoga because the movements are linked to the rhythm of the breathing which will have the effect of increasing the body temperature. A good physical condition is largely appreciated to carry out more complex asanas (postures in Sanskrit). But it is also a very good way to create this physical condition, because yes, yoga and in particular Vinyasa or Ashtanga, that muscles!
How about yoga at work?
A study has shown that the sedentary way of working that many French people have causes serious damage to the back in the long term (76% of employees say they suffer from back pain related to prolonged sitting). This same study observed that the practice of yoga in particular the stretching postures (such as the posture of the child or the head down dog) relieve back pain. Doing yoga is great, but why not do it at work directly? Indeed, because of the benefits demonstrated above, there is a real interest in practicing it during the week. We all know that when we leave the office in the evening, we are quickly very busy and it becomes difficult to free up time for a new activity. Some companies have observed that doing sports at work is an excellent way to evacuate the stress of the day, to have a better concentration afterwards and especially to create a group cohesion between the different employees.
Now you will have understood, all the reasons are good to start yoga, then do not wait any more!
Which yoga mat to choose?
This article is written in collaboration with Yogom, a French brand of yoga mat eco-responsible products. Discover the different Yogom products on their shop: more than 40 non-slip and ecological yoga mats and as manyaccessories for yoga and meditation. You want to practice at home? Discover the Yogom Academy, a library of more than 150 free online yoga classes (gentle yoga, dynamic yoga, meditation etc) available on Youtube.
