Yoga’s holistic approach to wellbeing means looking after the whole person rather than separate parts. As human beings we are multi-layered and miraculous! There is so much going on beneath the surface. Our layers are interwoven and do not function as individual parts. For example, our mind health is really important to our physical health – our thoughts and emotions can really shape our world.

The Pancha Kosha (maya) model illustrated below gives us a simple way of observing the person from five different aspects, (J Danford, 2016). 

Yoga’s holistic approach to wellbeing offers tools to support all our layers – supporting the functioning and activities of the Physical body via mindful movement, mobility, stability and awareness. Although we access prana (life force) from other sources e.g. food, water and the environment, focusing on the ability to breath well is vital in supporting all physical systems. This is how breathing exercises and pranayama come is useful. The Mind/Emotional body includes all of our emotional ups and downs. Working at this level is key to enhancing wellbeing and bringing about mental clarity and a calm emotional disposition. Here we can explore deep relaxation, visualisation, affirmation and meditation to help us stay calm and positive.  The Wisdom body engages the intellect and the higher faculties of the mind. In this place we can see from a different point of view, understand things differently, adapt and learn. Being open to learning and able to reflect on life means that lessons can be learned and positive changes can be made. We might find inspiration in many different places e.g. in the yoga tradition we turn to ancient texts (Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras). We may also be inspired by friends, health workers, educational films, podcasts etc. Keeping an open mind is essential. The Bliss body needs to be nourished adequately, and in simple terms it refers to our ability to find contentment and inspiration. Finding inspiration, those “ah moments’, connect us with a part of ourselves that takes you into a different realm, where you can experience spiritual connection and uplift. Finding beauty and awe links us to a part of our being that is fulfilling like no other. Rather than stumbling upon such experiences we need to actively seek them out! Watch the sea, see the sunset, listen to the dawn chorus, look at the stars, sit in a church – lift out of the everyday :-)) (J.Danford, 2016).

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Depression and anxiety can affect how we interact with life. Symptoms of anxiety can include feelings of agitation, racing thoughts, rapid and shallow breathing, insomnia, excessive fears and worries, feelings of inner restlessness. And a tendency to be excessively wary and vigilant. When suffering from depression, more often than not low mood predominates. It can feel really hard to motivate yourself to do daily tasks or activities that you once enjoyed. Getting involved in day to day tasks takes more strength and effort. Sometimes a sense of emptiness can be felt or feeling like you are devoid of feelings altogether. Concentration may be impacted, accompanied by low confidence. You may worry about what others think and fear being judged. It might be that you think and say negative things, feel irritable and be difficult to be around. You might experience feelings of shame or guilt and constantly trying to put on a brave face to cover up your illness can be exhausting. Depression and anxiety can hijack your life, leaving you feeling isolated and unhappy. Anyone can suffer from these conditions with symptoms varying from person to person. And there is increasing evidence that these illnesses seldom occur in isolation. The more stressed you get the worse depression and anxiety becomes. It’s important to learn how to take enough rest and self care.

How Yoga can help:

Yoga practices have been shown to reduce both situational and chronic anxiety within a period of 10 days. A regular Yoga practice can significantly reduce depression, anger, and mood disorders as well as heart rate variability. Meditation leads to positive changes in brain function and chemistry. Acceptance of present moment emotions and feelings can reduce fear and bring clearer thinking. Then one realises that these feelings are not permanent. Dedicating some regular time to some self care can feel empowering – an opportunity to take charge of your health and wellbeing.

A gentle asana (posture) practice can move energy around the body reducing feelings of stuckness and lethargy. Working with the breath helps to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, the relaxed response, to feel calm. Practicing mindfully, resting attention on physical sensations improves awareness and understanding of our physical body e.g. areas of tightness and tension etc. Yoga offers an ability to be in your body in a gentle and nurturing way. It offers a structured, supportive and self paced medium for people to make choices in relation to their bodies in a kind and gentle, caring way e.g making movements small or large, speed, fast or slow stop when ready, make choices to suit your experience. It’s also useful to give the mind something to focus on, taking you away from everyday worries and distracting thoughts. This can feel refreshing. 

Breathing practices and pranayama helps to slow thoughts and clear mental activity. Observation of the breath can act as an anchor for the mind, to discover stillness within. Breathing practices can increase energy by improving the function of the lungs and heart. They also stimulate the vagus nerve, calming the nervous system, creating a more peaceful, and balanced existence.  By calming the mind, sleep and energy can be restored. 

Relaxation, visualisation, mindfulness and meditation to allow for a feeling of groundedness and calm emotions. A useful opportunity to explore the experience of “letting go” and to relax. Individuals can exert the power of “will” to release tightness in the body and let go of tension. When tension becomes chronic it becomes the new norm. Sometimes we need to give ourselves permission to stop “doing” and just “be”. 

Visualisation can be highly effective for achieving your life goals. There is a massive link between thoughts and behaviours, a very important connection for achieving your best life. Athletes, organisations and businesses thrive on using these techniques and so can the average person to enhance their life experience. Visualisation harnesses the power of the mind, and the will, studies also show it can promote healing. It activates positive thinking, influencing function of the hypothalamus, endocrine system, body and organ function. 

Mindfulness is designed to improve focus and concentration and improve awareness. Becoming more mindful of our thoughts and how they impact our emotions and behaviour can be the first step towards creating some better choices and coping strategies in life. Spending more time in the “Present Moment” can bring a sense of aliveness, and the ability to see the positives, opportunities and abundance of life. When feeling happier in ourselves we become more aware of our true selves, our unique qualities that make us who we are and how best to use them.

It’s been found that mental practices can enhance motivation, increase confidence and self efficiency, improve motor performance, prime your brain for success, all relevant to achieving your best in life. 

References:

http://www.apa.org/monitor/dec01/anewtake.aspx

Using Integrative Yoga Therapeutics in the Treatment of Comorbid Anxiety and Depression, International Journal Of Yoga Therapy, No18, 2008.

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Understandably lockdown is taking its toll on many of us, our mental and physical health. The stress associated with distancing from our loved ones, our friends, family and school is testing our emotional resilience like nothing else. Some might be benefiting from a simpler life. Less rushing round, spending more time with the family, and discovering nature. Others might be struggling with the changes, the lack of freedom, feelings of overload, loneliness, missing education and friends etc. The added pressure of home schooling and trying to continue with full employment might be testing our patience and emotional resilience considerably causing feelings of frustration. 

During these particularly challenging times I have found having some daily coping strategies really useful! They have helped lift my mood and maintain positivity. I thought I would share some, hopefully they will help you too: 

“Being kind to yourself is one of the greatest kindnesses” by Charlie Mackesy, 

Self-compassion is one such teaching that’s particularly emphasized in the Kripalu Yoga tradition (Kripalu means “compassionate” or “merciful” in Sanskrit). Self-compassion is the act of expressing understanding, acceptance, tenderness, kindness, and love towards yourself as a response to feelings of suffering or inadequacy. We are all suffering in various ways during the current lockdown. Perhaps you are being overly critical of your ability as a teacher and parent, feeling that you are not good enough. Self-compassion enables us to accept our imperfections and to be able to see opportunities for growth, learning, and wisdom in our mistakes and misfortunes. While suffering is part of our human experience, we can consciously and mindfully choose to be compassionate when it arises in our lives.

How to cultivate more self compassion during these challenging times…treat yourself like a beloved friend, and give yourself a break, it’s OK to have an off day!

Try not to beat yourself up over mistakes made, To succeed we have to make mistakes, maybe think of them as opportunities to learn. Keeping on top of daily struggles at the moment is tough. Realise that you are doing a great job! Avoid comparing yourself or your child to others, it’s the biggest waste of time since we all are unique and are gifted in many different ways.  Focus more on providing opportunities for love and happiness, seeking inspiration and positive experiences. Maybe you can give yourself permission to self care for yourself as a loved one or beloved friend might. Can you finish a little earlier from work, take a lunch break and find some time to relax and unwind? Get some fresh air to take your mind off your worries and concerns etc. Ask yourself how you can be kinder to yourself?

Finding pleasure: ten mins of mindfulness daily to focus on what looks beautiful e.g.a sunset, a view of the countryside, fresh fallen snow, watching birds at the bird table, a squirrel running across the top of the fence etc. Start a hobby or interest that inspires you e.g. SING, have a music playlist ready when you feel any sadness or frustration creeping in. Listen to your favourite upbeat tracks that bring feelings of positivity, read a book, paint, plant, watch your favourite movie etc. It can be the simplest thing!

Be grateful, Rick Hanson, author of the Buddha Pill recommends noting down five things at the end of your day that you are grateful for. This helps move us towards a sense of abundance in which you feel fed beyond measure and in turn give with all your heart unconditionally. 

Have faith... the antidote to doubt and fear and strengthens you during hard times. Faith fuels hope and optimism and lifts your eyes to the far horizons, towards what’s sacred, even Divine. HOW…make a list of what you have faith in, both in the world and in yourself. Maybe pick one of your own strengths or virtues. Remember the good reasons for relying upon it and imagine how trusting more in it will help you. Also you could try considering some of the good qualities and aspirations in your innermost heart. Give yourself over to them. Try and have faith in the best parts of yourself, they’ve always been faithful to you. 

Relax and calm by watching your breath: sitting or lying comfortably, find your breath in your body and just watch it. Notice the two parts, the inhale and exhale. Fully experience your breath, welcome and honour the life force, Prana, bringing vitality and life. Perhaps notice where you feel it most, shoulders, chest, abdomen, elsewhere? No judgement just observing with detachment. 

Imagery relaxation, a favourite place, or scene: lying down or sitting comfortably. Begin by taking a deep breath, then letting it out gently. Close your eyes. Inhale another slow, deep breath. As you slowly exhale, you may feel yourself beginning to relax. Maybe you can bring to mind the most relaxing place you know. Perhaps it’s a favourite place, somewhere you have visited, or a peaceful scene of your imagination, like a meadow, beach, forest, or island if you prefer, somewhere that you feel at peace. Take a few moments to get that peaceful image in mind. You might like to imagine yourself in that special place, using all of your senses, smell, colour vision, hearing, touch, to feel all the good feelings you have there. Just enjoy being in this favourite place. Enjoy the feelings you have while you are there. When you are ready, take one last moment in your peaceful place. Take your time coming back, and bring those calm, peaceful feelings with you. As you return, take a slow, cleansing breath, wiggle your fingers and toes, and open your eyes.

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Restorative Yoga is my favourite type of Yoga…When practiced it feels wonderful, like you are giving yourself a special gift, a box fill of kindness and compassion. From a physiological perspective, it’s the antidote to stress. It’s the Yogic pill to relieve stress and anxiety, and supports your immune system and all others e.g. digestive, respiratory, cardiovascular, reproduction, hormones etc. Its restorative approach means that it  switches off the stress response (sympathetic nervous system), activating our rest and digest (parasympathetic NS). Although the stress response plays a really valuable role in our survival, if constantly switched on, this can damage our health in the long run. 

It seems quite a challenge these days to be relaxed rather than stressed. Our busy, frantic lifestyles don’t support health and wellbeing. Coupled with the COVID pandemic many people are finding themselves, constantly on alert for a threat, struggling to cope with the demands of life. Consequently our fight/flight (stress response) is constantly on in the background. Often this state can become a habitual pattern of being, preventing us from noticing how we feel and recognising the physical and mental symptoms of stress (refer to my stress journal). So we continue on autopilot, regularly fire fighting the challenges that life throws at us! 

We can be more proactive, and put in place preventative measures to help us ride the waves of uncertainty and suffering that are an inevitable part of being human. Many Yoga techniques can be practiced off the mat, in everyday life to help us live a more relaxed and happy life. 

Restorative Yoga, what is it and how does it work? 

A restorative Yoga class will include some gentle asana poses to reconnect body and mind. Improving awareness of physical sensations can be really helpful to identify tension in the body and release it. Breathing practices and Pranayama are also included to calm the Nervous System, our stress response, and restore natural breathing rhythm to fully oxygenate the body. Relaxation, mindfulness and meditation can also be included to bring balance to body, mind and spirit. To bring new perspectives, a feeling of positivity and hope. Yoga’s holistic approach means that it works on the “whole” being, rather than separate parts, thus mirroring how the human body, mind and spirit functions as a complete organism.

Since many chronic health conditions evolve from states of continuous stress (dominance of Sympathetic NS), Yoga empowers individuals to take responsibility for their health and wellbeing, consciously making a positive difference to their health in the short and long term. It can be used for chronic health conditions to improve overall functioning, plus can be considered as a preventative measure for occasions of acute stress and anxiety. 

Restorative Yoga can help many health conditions: Nervous system e.g. Fibromyalgia, Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Autoimmune e.g. Rheumatoid arthritis, Polymyalgia, Asthma, Allergies, COVID, Menopause & Reproduction issues, High Blood Pressure, Digestion e.g. IBS, and many more. 

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Stress is our body’s response to pressures from a situation or life event. A build up of stress could be caused by over working, a busy home life or just trying to keep on top of everything. Some other factors causing stress include something new or unexpected happening, something that threatens your feeling of self, or feeling you have little control over a situation. Stress can vary hugely from person to person but what typically results is that we stop taking care of ourselves and may eventually end up in “burn out”.

When stressed, our body releases hormones that trigger “flight or fight’ which activates our immune system. Sometimes stress is beneficial, helping us to push through situations that can be nerve-wracking or intense, like giving a speech to a large crowd. We can quickly return to a resting state without any negative effects on our health if what is stressing us is short-lived. Many people are able to deal with a certain level of stress without any lasting effects.

However, there can be times when stress becomes excessive and too much to deal with. If our stress response is activated repeatedly, or it persists over time, our health can be affected. Permanently in a state of ‘fight or flight’ can cause wear and tear on the body and prevent key systems in our body from functioning properly. This pressure can make us feel overwhelmed or unable to cope. Feeling this overwhelming stress for a long period of time is often called chronic, or long-term stress, and it can impact on both physical and mental health. Mental Health Foundation.

Some physical signs of stress can include an increased heart beat, even palpitations, butterflies in tummy, diarrhoea, constipation, indigestion, muscle tension, e.g. the jaw, clenched fists, hunched shoulders. General aches and pains, restless, nail biting, finger drumming, foot tapping, frequent need to visit the loo, immediate need to “empty”, lump in throat, rapid shallow breathing, exhausted, sleep difficulties, headaches, frequent illnesses, e.g. cold and flu, over eating and loss of appetite.

Mental, emotional symptoms, feeling worried, tearful, deflated, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, impatient, easily irritated, angry, frustrated, bored, inadequate, guilty, vulnerable, rushed, hypercritical, over reactive, lack of creativity, irrational, difficulty thinking clearly, feeling overloaded, withdrawn, feeling unable to cope, anxious and depressed.

Note: these are also symptoms of other illnesses too, always check with GP if worried.

What can we do to reduce our stress?

Prioritise some time for self care. Be kind to yourself and consider any rest time a gift to yourself. There are some helpful tools that Yoga can offer when feeling fearful, unstable, disoriented and unable to cope. Asana, pranayama, relaxation, visualisation, mindfulness, and meditation are just some of the wonderful practices available that can calm the nervous system and activate the relaxed response. To bring back a sense of balance and peace. To feel safe, stable and grounded once more, with the faith that things are going to work out in the end.

Simply STOP for just 20 minutes, lie on the floor with a small cushion under your head. Also a couple of pillows placed under the knees for support and a blanket for covering. And just be with your breath, watch your breathing without interfering with it. Be the silent observer, fully experiencing with all of your attention how your breath moves your body, really feel it. If your mind wonders just return to just watching your breath. At the end have a stretch and notice how wonderful it feels to be still and silent. Maybe try and develop a regular routine to enjoy some much needed rest.

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Our physical health is very much linked to our mind health – a happy mind means a happy body.
We are very used to attending to our physical needs, whether it’s through exercise, eating well, skin care etc. But for most of us our mind is forgotten about and we have little awareness of the impact the mind has on the body. For example how conscious are you of your mind activity on a day to day basis? The internal dialogue, thoughts, positive and negative, the way you talk to yourself? And how these thoughts make you feel.

Why is this important? We have a little saying in Yoga “prana follows thought”, prana, the life force energy, follows whatever we focus on. Our thoughts are very powerful in shaping our life and our happiness. Our actions begin as thoughts, our thoughts influence how we feel about ourselves and others. Perhaps we are all only really limited in life by our own beliefs and attitudes. How often do we believe we can’t do something and then instantly give up trying? E.g. I believe I’m rubbish at technology and typically run from it! However during lock down I have been forced to embrace it and make it part of my Therapy practice. On reflection it has been a useful opportunity for me to face it head on and realise it’s benefits. Using Zoom has opened up a whole host of positives I hadn’t even appreciated existed, as well as improving my confidence using technology! Maybe if we spent less time focusing on our limitations and more time focusing on what we can do and influence, we could really impact our present moment and future in a positive way!

We all have the ability to direct our attention with conscious effort, it’s under voluntary control. However it’s hard to rest it in a specific place and keep it there, it takes practise! Amazingly, your mind is very trainable, and practise makes perfect! There are also lots of benefits – your ability to concentrate will improve and you will gain more control over your mind activity. Focusing on just one thing with full awareness is very calming, activating the relaxed response, taking you away from your day to day worries and enabling you to witness your experiences rather than being so swept away by them. Developing better emotional resilience, means negative experiences will have less impact on you.

Mindfulness is natural. The trouble is most of us only stay mindful for only a few seconds at a time. The trick is to have more “episodes” of mindfulness and to lengthen and deepen them. Becoming more mindful in our everyday life brings us into the present moment, where we can truly appreciate the abundance of life, see the beauty all around, and experience a sense of aliveness like nothing else.

Here’s how: set aside 10 minutes a day to be mindful, to really experience the world through your five senses. Maybe choose one thing to focus on each week, e.g. noticing the needs of family and friends e.g listening with full attention. Whilst out on a walk fully appreciate the wonders of nature e.g. wonderful autumn colours, red, orange, brown, yellow, green, listen to bird song. Feel the warmth of the sun on your face. Notice the wonderful smell coming from the oven etc.

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift, that is why it’s called THE PRESENT

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