Andi Eslee Man

The fast-paced tempo of life calls for counterbalance. Yoga is the pivotal practice for this. Yoga asanas (positions) and pranayama (breathing techniques) have been calming minds for thousands of years. It teaches us how to stay present, recognizes stressors, and respond in a more balanced fashion. Even when you walk into a yoga class, you might feel like you are in a rush or bursting with tension. Then, within minutes, it all releases and upon completion, leaving you rejuvenated. How? You may ask.

Our nervous system receives the close effects of yoga practice. Namely, the autonomic nervous system is made of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which accelerates brain activity and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which pulls the breaks on it. When we are in balance, our PNS is the dominant one. It is how our muscles relax, our heart rate slows down, and our body conserves energy for its functioning. 

At the opposite end, when we are stressed, our adrenal glands start racing, and the SNS takes over. We tense, pulse starts racing. Through yoga, we learn how to build up a more resilient nervous system. In other words, we say we are in balance.

Yoga moreover, makes you more self-aware. It is not just about the intricate poses that you don’t know how to get into, let alone out of. Our lives tend to look like fireballs of stress waiting to explode. Just watching others pace around nervously, trying to tackle a million errands at once can make you stressed. Don’t let it get to the point where you can’t handle it anymore. 

Stress causes the release of two hormones—adrenaline and cortisol. It is an incredibly protective mechanism when you’re after your life. It is, however, too hypersensitive if you only deal with your daily tasks. In the world where we are targeted with a million stressors a minute, the hormones don’t get enough time to recover. That’s where anxiety and other ailments that affect both your immune and digestive systems arise. To minimize the effects of today’s world under pressure, we need to keep our stress levels as low as possible.

Here are some simple ways how to implement peaceful habits into your daily activities. 

• Do yoga as it is so much more than exercise, but it reenergizes your body and calms your mind. Try practicing a couple of simple yoga moves every morning and see where it leads you—but especially how it makes you feel.
• Get out in nature. A walk through a local park will do. But if you have the option of totally disconnecting from the Internet-powered society and giving yourself a break in the mountains’ solitude, this can be very beneficial to your mind, soul, and heart.
• Get grounded or closer to nature by walking barefoot, lying on bare ground, and, first and foremost, disconnecting from your electronics for a while.
• Make your home a place of peace. Having green plants around also helps with relaxation. Plus, plants produce fresh air for us to breathe.
• Have a designated place where you work if you happen to work from home.
• Enhance everything you do with aromatherapy as it helps reduce anxiety, induce better sleep, and strengthens your immune system.
• Laugh! It releases happy hormones. You don’t even need to indulge in chocolate to feel better.