Yoga for Relaxation and Stress Relief

The modern world is a busy place. We live our lives constantly on the go, attached to our devices, rarely taking time to fully switch off. By incorporating even an hour of yoga for relaxation into our weekly routines, we can really help to cultivate balance in our lives, as well as giving ourselves much needed space to let the mind rest.

Connecting the Body & the Breath

One of the fundamental principles of yoga is the connection between the body and the breath. In Yoga we work towards connecting breath with movement through practicing physical postures, as well as learning how to strengthen and control the breath through breathing practices known as Pranyama. Through developing a connection and understanding of our breath in this way, we can begin to learn how to manage different types of stress.

Learn to Keep Calm from Daily Stresses

When we feel deeply stressed or in danger, the fight or flight mechanism in our brain kicks in. This mechanism has evolved within the human body over millennia out of necessity for our ancestors to be able to survive and thrive, however in the modern world, the vast majority of us hover around this point in our everyday lives. Day to day stress has become magnified through long working hours, long commutes, and busy personal lives; but by connecting our minds to how we breathe, we can give our bodies a much needed pause from these types of stress. The impact that coming to a point of stillness and bringing our awareness to our breath for just a few moments can have on our health is huge; we can slow down the production of adrenaline, thereby stopping our nervous system from entering fight or flight, helping us to stay calm and in control of whatever confronts us.

Switch off your Mind and Be ‘In The Moment’

Through a regular yoga practice you will not only learn the tools to help deal with stress through breath, but also how to help the mind switch off through guided relaxation practices. Often, even when we think we are relaxing we may still be in front of a screen, watching television or browsing on our phones, our minds are still busy with thoughts and distractions. In contrast when we experience relaxation in a yoga class setting we are completely in the moment, with just the voice of the teacher to guide us and if you can learn to let go of anything that your body doesn’t need, relaxation practices can be incredibly nourishing for both the mind and the body. By incorporating even a small amount of the breathing and relaxation tools you learn through your Yoga practice into your day to day life , overtime you will feel and see great benefits to your overall health and well being from reduced stress, to better sleep and a more positive and relaxed outlook to life.

Add an hour of yoga into your weekly routine and join us every Tuesday at 19:45, Sunningwell Village Hall. You can book here.

View our full timetable here and find us on Facebook or Instagram.

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