Having a healthy relationship with stress and how mindful yoga can help

Did you know that we need stress? It is an essential part of a healthy life. Stress gives us the energy to mobilise and get things done. The most important thing to know is that healthy stress (eustress) is short term, within the capacity of our resources and we know we can cope. Our automatic flight and fight (sympathetic) response is designed to deliver a burst of stress hormones to get us to safety quickly and then our rest and digest (parasympathetic) response takes over, helping us to recharge, before we need to get moving again. Think of the animals in the jungle who chase their prey (or run from their predator) and once food (or safety) has been achieved, they spend a lot of time relaxing and licking their paws in the sun. Sounds like heaven, doesn’t it?

Issues arise when stress is prolonged and we are often aware of its unpleasant feeling (distress). We feel overwhelmed and pushed past the capacity of our resources - we feel unable to cope. Our stress hormone levels stay elevated, we feel exhausted and our immune system takes a back seat whilst our body prioritises the stress response. Our performance declines, we may become unwell and our interactions with those we love suffer (we’ve all been there!). This can have a downward spiral effect on our physical and mental wellbeing unless we can learn to recognise what is happening and invest the time to hit the pause button. It might seem counter-productive to stop when it feels like everything is on top of you, but it is actually the best thing you can do to ensure the sustainability and quality of your work, relationships and most importantly, your physical and mental health. Just think how different the animals in the jungle would be if they spent their lives constantly running with no time for rest. They’d be less likely to catch or graze for the food that they need or on the flip side, not make it to safety from the grips of a predator, including keeping their young out of harms way. They’d be exhausted, hungry and their coats would lose their shine. And they’d certainly have no time for relaxing in the sun to lick their paws, ready for their next burst of healthy stress.

This is why a regular mindful yoga practice is such a valuable part of your self care tool kit. Investing regular time-out from the grind of modern life to slow down and just ‘be’ offers your body and mind the opportunity for your body to do what it is designed to do - to bring your nervous and hormone systems back into balance for healing and restoration so you can get back to living the life you want.

“You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day. Unless you're too busy, then you should sit for an hour.” (A classic Zen saying or nugget of wisdom)