As many as 90% of doctor visits are in some way related with stress, but only 3% of those visits involve a doctor telling their patient how to reduce that stress.

Perhaps that fact has something to do with the society in which we live and operate. One in which stress is accepted as a normal part of daily life, an obvious byproduct of hectic schedules improperly balanced with self-care.

But if we knew how much stress affected our mind and body and their ability to function healthily, we’d be far more concerned about learning how to reduce it.

Read on to understand more about stress, its impact on your wellbeing, and how you can begin to manage stress with yoga.

UNDERSTANDING STRESS

Stress is a chemical response to harmful situations that occurs primarily in the brain. When you sense a potential threat, the hypothalamus tells the adrenal glands to release adrenaline and cortisol.

These chemicals are known as stress chemicals and this chemical reaction is what we call the “fight or flight” or stress response.

In the stress response state, your heart rate increases, your breathing becomes more shallow and rapid, your muscles tense up, and your blood pressure rises. All of these physical responses kick in to allow you to react quickly should there be an emergency.

In many ways, we benefit from this response. It can help us avoid harmful situations and injuries. It can even help you complete important work and tasks.

But our mind and body were not designed to handle stress in large doses. When our body is in a state of stress more often than not, it can seriously impact your health and wellbeing.

What is stress doing to your mind and body?

Stress has a profound effect on your mind and body. More than the immediate symptoms in the moment you’re experiencing it, stress can affect everything from your physical health and emotions to your behaviors and your cognitive function (aka your thinking ability).

• Physical symptoms of stress include low energy as well as insomnia or trouble sleeping. But you may have physical symptoms of stress you didn’t even know were stress, such as an upset stomach, frequent headaches, colds and infection, or even aches and pains in your body.
• Emotional symptoms of stress include being easily agitated, frustrated, and moody. You may also feel overwhelmed or as if you lack control. It can also cause low self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness, loneliness, and depression.
• Cognitive symptoms, stress leads to constant worrying and an inability to focus, which you likely already know. More that, though, stress can muddy your memory and ability to stay organized. Being focused on frantic thoughts and not staying present can also cause poor judgement.
• Behavioral symptoms. Behavioral symptoms might be reflected in your appetite or in a tendency to procrastinate and avoid responsibilities. On the more severe side of these symptoms, stress can lead to increased use of alcohol and drugs.

Individually, one or more of these symptoms may be tolerable. But, over time, chronic stress can cause serious health problems, including:

• Cardiovascular disease (i.e. high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, heart disease)
• Obesity and other eating disorders
• Sexual dysfunction (i.e. loss of sexual desire)
• Skin and hair conditions (i.e. acne, eczema, hair loss)

Chronic stress can also lead to mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, and even personality disorders. For all these reasons and more, it’s imperative to find relief from stress as well as ways to manage it.

Manage your stress with yoga.

Yoga is an extremely effective solution for managing stress. In fact, one study found that more than 85% of people who practiced yoga experienced stress relief from their practice.

But how does yoga for stress management work? It works on a number of levels, each of which we describe in more detail below.

Relax your mind

A stressed mind is a busy mind, full of thoughts, worries, and predictions for a future that has not yet occurred. Pranayama, or the practice of focusing on each inhale and exhale while releasing other thoughts, is an incredible way to clear the mind.

While focusing on each breath, you’re obliged to remain in the present moment. You use this ability to focus while moving through difficult or complicated poses. Eventually, that ability follows you off the mat, and you learn to use your breath when a situation gets difficult or complicated.

Relax the body

A busy mind has consequences for how our body feels, too.

When we’re in a state of stress response, we tend to take shallow and rapid breaths, and that can lead to more anxiety. But pranayama teaches you how to breathe in an effective way, where you utilize the diaphragm and all of your lung capacity. The result is that we become more aware of our breath as a tool for relaxing our body.

That increased awareness also gives us insight as to how our body feels when it’s beginning to get stressed. By being aware of the early symptoms of stress in the body, we can take steps to respond to them – and those steps will be more mindful than habitual reactions.

Release tension

Physical exercise, including yoga, helps relieve stress because it releases serotonin and endorphins. These naturally-produced chemicals make you feel better. But, unlike a lot of other physical activities, yoga has the added benefit of stretching.

When you’re stressed, your muscles tense up. Normally, the muscles release when the reasons for your stress have disappeared. When you’re in a chronic state of stress, though, your muscles remain tensed and this can cause everything from headaches to back and shoulder pain.

A big part of yoga – and some types of yoga more than others – is stretching and releasing those muscles. Plus, many yoga poses focus on the biggest problem areas, such as the shoulders, hips, and lower back.

Cultivate self-compassion

For many of us, a big part of our stress comes from being hard on ourselves or being frustrated with others. But one of the most important underlying philosophies of yoga is compassion and awareness.

That compassion and awareness is not just for us but for others. A consistent yoga practice teaches us not to be judgmental, which can help reduce those feelings of disappointment in ourselves and those around us and relieve just a little more of our stress.

Feel less stress today with a yoga practice

While stress is an important function for helping us avoid potentially harmful situations and even completing tasks, our bodies were not meant to be under chronic stress. Chronic stress has physical, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive consequences that worsen when they’re not properly dealt with. It can result in mental health issues or even severe health problems such as cardiovascular disease.

One incredibly effective way to deal with stress is to practice yoga. Yoga for stress management works on so many different levels, from learning to relax your mind and body to learning how to be easier on yourself.

Try this 5 minute video for yoga for stress relief.