We might dream of a picture perfect, no drama, stress-free year, but let's be realistic, that only happens in the movies. Life happens every day which inevitably brings on stress and that’s not factoring the seasonal changes and adding in the holiday hustle and bustle, all of a sudden you find yourself overwhelmed. We all know by now that stress isn’t good for the body; it leads to poor sleep, irritability, and quickly affects all aspects of your life. In this blog, Joyful Yoga NH gives you concrete tips to DE-STRESS all year long, not just during the month of December!
Lavender Everything!
Just about everyone can immediately relate to the instant calm that lavender brings.
How Does Lavender Help to De-Stress?
Lavender doesn’t just smell delicious; it works as an anxiety reliever. Lavender interacts with the neurotransmitter GABA which functions to reduce neuronal excitability. In return, Lavender has proven to help quiet the brain and nervous system activity, thus reducing agitation, anxiety, anger, aggression, and restlessness. Specifically, Lavender has been known to be used in a variety of ways to help calm you throughout the day, improve sleep, and remediate a high-stress environment.
Where can I Purchase Pure-Grade Lavender?
Lavender is the most available essential oil on the market, even the supermarket carries lavender oil. You can find it online, purchase from a local herbal shop, craft or hobby shops, whole food markets, or even grow your own and extract the oil. Please remember that quality is more important than quantity when purchasing and using essential oils for your well-being. To find the best product, look for high-grade essential oils by reviewing descriptions and product ingredients to ensure a natural, pure-grade lavender was used as many products unfortunately carry synthetic fragrances which can be harmful for inhaling or applying to the skin.
How to Use Lavender?
Lavender can be used to de-stress in a variety of ways and simply depends on what appeals to you most. You can always find lavender being used during aromatherapy, a wellness modality using aromatic materials.
Essential Oil – Apply a few drops to a warm, damp wash cloth and place on your face just after your yoga practice or while soaking in the tub. Add a few drops to your pillow before bed. You can also apply a calming oil rub to your wrists at the beginning and end of the day to keep you feeling relaxed all day long.
Lotions – Make your own lavender scented lotion with a natural carrier oil such as coconut, jojoba, extra virgin, or aloe vera.
Candles – Find an all-natural candle made from soy bean, bees wax, or coconut oil made with pure-grade lavender.
Diffuser – Add a few drops of the water into your diffuser for a restful sleep or during the day at the office to set a calming atmosphere.
Spray Mist – Use on your body or yoga mat before and after practice or while running errands.
**Please note, some pure essential oils should not be used unless diluted appropriately otherwise you may experience skin irritation.
Focused Breath Work Helps to Calm the Mind
TAKE THAT DEEP BREATH!
Seriously, take that extra 10 seconds and take a deep breath! Just 10 seconds of deeper conscious breathing helps send extra oxygen to the brain to activate the parasympathetic system, helping to calm the fight or flight response.
A simple rule to follow when feeling that anxiety begins to bubble to the surface,
Stop, Count your breath, Take 10 deep inhales and exhales.
Repeat, because it feels great!
How Does Light Sensitivity Affect the Brain?
TURN OUT THE LIGHTS!
Although you may think you’re accustomed to living daily with artificial light, it can act as a subconscious disruptor to our brain. If you’re feeling you’ve had a long day and are simply burnt out, it’s time to turn off the lights and light a candle. We are bombarded with a number of different lighting effects all day, all of which disrupt melatonin production and sleep patterns, possibly contributing to anxiety and other mood issues.
Lights out, candles on, choice of lavender accessory and take that deep breath! Pair this activity with your warm bubble bath or taking a walk at dusk for a bit of fresh air.
SOUND THERAPY = MUSIC TO YOUR EARS!
Sound therapy is becoming more popular than ever. Music or sound actually
affects the amount of stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, that the body releases, and reducing these hormones can help relieve symptoms of anxiety.
Some favorites to help ease anxiety are:
Sounds of nature, such as water, rain, thunder
Classical music, instrumental music with no words
Instrumental music in healing MHz, such as 432mhz or 174mhz
to name a few. Each MHz resonates with a specific
Healing within the body.
“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” — Nikola Tesla
Guided Meditation Helps with Reducing Stress
Meditation for beginners!
If you’ve never tried meditation, it’s easier than you could ever imagine yet so beneficial for de-stressing. Guided meditations are focused on giving the brain something to follow; easy, gentle instructions to give the mind a place to go. Guided meditations done by a certified, professional use calming voice and sound techniques to bring you through layers of meditation in order to get your mind, body, and spirit into a deeper state of relaxation. According to Healthline article, statistics have been reported that meditation can improve anxiety levels significantly, reduce wake time of people with insomnia, increase employee productivity, and reduce children’s school suspensions. In other cases, studies suggest benefits such as reduced blood pressure, pain relief, lower risk of depression and enhancing your overall, well-being.
The best way to begin is simply doing a search online for a guided meditation or checking in with Joyful Yoga NH for a beginner’s meditation class.
Joyful Yoga NH also has a simple guided meditation online to help release stress and anxiety for you from home at any time, click below to listen:
CHOOSE A MINDFUL YOGA CLASS TO PRACTICE
Try a yoga class
Ready to de-stress? Find a mindful yoga class, one that focuses on the gentle aspects of a yoga practice. The breath, slow movements in and out of postures and an inward focus, enables you to cope with stress and beginning the unwinding of tension held deep in the body.
Savasana, is the best part of any yoga practice! This magical time where simply lying peacefully, resting on your back, body suspended in a deep calm state, is the exact moment where healing begins. Resting in the quiet, meditative environment benefits the entire body resulting in a more balanced and rejuvenated physical and mental status.
Joyful Yoga focuses on gentle yoga
At Joyful Yoga NH, 80% of our classes are gentle and mindful in nature giving you the perfect opportunity to reduce stress not just from the holidays but any-days!
Joyful Yoga NH is calm. Our clients tell us all the time how peaceful our studio is, how calming our classes are and how it’s exactly what is needed after a stressful day. We invite you to experience this too!
As a special treat, our new clients can take advantage of our extra savings on our 3 class package for $39. Reduce your stress today at Joyful Yoga NH!
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