Antistress Yoga

Yoga practice can ease anxiety and stress. This recording package covers fundamental yogic principles and techniques that help us regulate stress and maintain balance in the nervous system. We work with coherent, calm and extended breathing, rhythmic movement and circular Sun Salutations. The package includes targeted classes that address physical stress triggers such as the psoas, shoulders, facial muscles and a tight diaphragm, while naturally working with the body as a healthy whole. Everything in nature tends to release, restore balance and move towards health, and the body does the same when we give it the opportunity. Through stressful thoughts and identification with difficult emotions, we trap anxiety within the system; by struggling to make it pass, we prevent it from passing.

Through yoga exercises, we lengthen the muscles and create space that is lost in anxiety and stress, restoring openness and flexibility. We learn to see things from another, broader perspective and gradually experience life more through the body and less through ideas and concepts.

Themes covered: 

• asanas for stretching
• regulating the nervous system through breathing
• increasing lung capacity
• gentle yoga practice
• yoga for mental health
• mindful yoga
• somatic meditation
• a compassionate attitude
• positive affirmations

INTRODUCTORY TALK AND YOGA CLASS ON THE MONTH’S THEME

Antistress practice, or in positive words, our capacity for breadth, peace and feeling well in body and mind, can be trained. Yoga is synonymous with relieving stress and feeling well; this has been one of its intentions since ancient times. Since stress emerged as a modern problem, yogic principles have also been used specifically to help us return to balance. In today’s talk, I introduce several fundamental principles through which we will approach this state and practise during the month. Naturally, even if we are not stressed, we will mobilise comfortably and enjoy ourselves. 

1. COHERENT WAVE

This morning, we begin with coherent, comfortable breathing. We practise equalising the length of inhalation and exhalation and feeling how the breath glides and moves continuously without sudden sections or pauses. With this energy in the body, we begin with fundamental movements, raising and lowering the arms, followed by the variation of Sun Salutations we use this month. The entire class is like a rhythmic wave, coherence travelling through the spine and whole body. The movements are simple and repeated, so close your eyes, remain within, dance with yourself and express your movements.

2. THE BREADTH OF MY HOME

The body is our home, especially the ribcage with its feeling of comfortable, spacious breathing and a calm nest for the heart. To develop the capacity to feel well within the body, we soften the chest and mobilise the shoulders, lengthen the chest muscles and breathe into the corners of the lungs beneath the armpits and ribs. Small muscles here can restrict the free expansion of breath when they are in spasm. Today, we spend much of the class expanding and opening the chest and mobilising the shoulders and upper back through backbend asanas and strap exercises.

3. RELAXING THROUGH THE FACE

The class has two parts. In the first, we practise face yoga; in the second, restorative asanas on the floor. We sit calmly and upright for approximately 20 minutes during the first part, so if sitting on the floor or a cushion is difficult, use a chair. Face yoga works with the facial muscles through expressions, movement, strengthening and massage, smoothing lines and stretching the muscles. In the second part, we take Cat Chasing Its Tail, descend into the pathway of physical sensations and practise a somatic body scan.

4. WINDMILL

Our rhythmic, spacious movement resembles a windmill in this class, especially with wide circles of the arms. The wind of the breath powers us. Our wind is balanced, with inhalation and exhalation of equal length. The windmill’s momentum helps the breath penetrate deeply. We mobilise comfortably and move from a Warrior II base, creating lateral movement through the spine. On the floor, we briefly use a strap to lengthen from a Janu Sirsasana base.

5. GOOD MORNING, PSOAS

This morning, we descend a little lower and address stress and tension accumulated and held in the hips, specifically the psoas. Whatever caused the psoas to freeze, today’s class tells it good morning. Through deep breath, smoothing the lines of the front body across the hips, inhaling nourishing Pranic energy and exhaling what is heavy, we work gently on reprogramming and dissolving tension.

6. RIGHT RELATIONSHIP

Beyond mobilising the body, our intention is to establish the right attitude by choosing how we experience the physical sensations awakened through movement. When we contact discomfort through reason, we often judge immediately what it is, why it is present and conclude that it should not be here. During a practice of comfortable, slow movement, we instead contact discomfort, pain and rigidity through BREATH. Breath is the magic of Pranic life energy, maternal unconditional love and openness. When breath touches pain, we do not hate it or wish for it to disappear; we simply remain with what is.

7. UNWINDING STRESS

If stress winds itself into the nervous system like a screw, a class like this can unwind it. We begin with complete relaxation, massage, breath, movement and swaying, then gradually raise the pace and practise several more intense standing asanas with deep backbends that I hope you will regulate carefully. Afterwards, we return to the floor, stimulate the crown of the head and once again release everything unnecessary. Take time for yoga. This month, we use slow movements, and it is especially important to remain in the body with the breath, surrender and return home to ourselves, to a comfortable little house without hurry.

8. THE DIAPHRAGM BREATHES

Continuing our antistress work, we naturally give the diaphragm room to move freely so that we can breathe more fully. We attend to the centre and awaken the abdominal muscles, which support fluidity and softness throughout the body. We also open the middle of the torso, imagining that the diaphragm itself breathes directly through this space. The class follows the familiar rhythm used throughout the month, while thoroughly mobilising and stimulating every system. Enjoy breathing deeply.

9. LET THE EARTH SHAKE

Today, we return to the hips, our earth, and their power to “shake” everything tight within the body. When we establish a rhythm of hip movements, the whole body resonates and shakes away what is unnecessary from this centre. This is why ethnic and tribal cultures dance to rhythmic music, with movement of the hips as the foundation. It is so healthy for body and soul that I would venture to say that urban life makes us rigid precisely because we do not dance with our hips. The class is slightly more dynamic, awakening energy throughout the body and working especially with the pelvis and glutes. 

10. YOGA FOR TIRED DAYS

Today, we begin gently lying on one side and deepen the breath to awaken the body and start moving without effort. The class is gradual. We move through several rounds of Sun Salutations and a few asanas, emphasising length in the hamstrings. Enjoy and begin the year with yoga. Prepare a yoga strap for the class. 

11. THE WHOLE

After a brief summary of the month and the principal techniques that help regulate the nervous system, we move through a practice that unites everything. Naturally, we first establish coherent breathing and comfortable, slow movement accompanied by breath. We then use rhythmic waves through the spine, a beautiful way to return to ourselves. Among the asanas, we practise several Warrior and standing stretches that lengthen the groins, hamstrings and shoulders, uniting everything addressed in this month’s targeted classes. On the floor, we relax completely in Bananasana and then sink into Shavasana.