De-stress with Yoga (Alison Christie)
Topic outline
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Welcome to this short course on de-stressing with yoga. I'm Alison your tutor who has been practising yoga since 2001 and teaching Ashtanga, pregnancy yoga and children's yoga since 2006. This course will teach you:
- How to observe the breath.
- How to get started with yoga.
Core reading:
The Yoga Sutras [online]
Psychology Today Changing the brain's stressful habits [online] [Accessed 18 February 2014)
Harvard Yoga Scientists Find Proof of Meditation Benefit [online] [Accessed 18 February 2014]
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Yoga is an ancient practise originally from India and commercialised by the West from the 1960s.Yoga is a great way to improve your health and wellbeing. There are many styles of yoga and as a student it is important to try different styles and teachers to see which one suits you. Regardless of which style you eventually connect with, yoga teaches us to be aware of our bodies at a physical, emotional and spiritual level.
Yoga also helps to develop an awareness of the breath, it is essentially a breathing exercise. Proper breathing increases the oxygen capacity and in turn nourishes every cell in our body and calms the nervous system. This is how we begin to realise the goal of yoga "yogas chitta vritti nirodhah", which roughly translated means to control the modifications of the mind, to be unbound by the outside world.
Activity: Take this short quiz to get started
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A simple exercise to begin
Our emotions and breathing are inextricably linked; we hold our breath when we see or hear something shocking, our breath is broken up when we sob with grief. We have sayings like "you took my breath away", "let me catch my breath."
How often are you consciously aware of your breath? Are you aware of when you are under stress how much that impacts on your breathing? Listen to this audio exercise
to feel what is happening to your breathing.Please take into account
Leave a good break after eating and before practising yoga breathing. Do not practise if you are unwell. If you are under medication please seek the advice of your doctor before beginning.
Alternate nostril breathing
Now watch the following video for clear instructions on how to begin with
. This is a basic yoga breathing exercise for beginners but please remember don't force your breath. Things you may notice:- Breathing flows more easily on one side.
- Breathing is short in length.
- You feel calm after practising this exercise.
- Are you breathing with your shoulders?
Practise this breath regularly as it will help to lengthen your breath and calm the mind.
Yoga breathing (pranayama) is a powerful practise, go gently.
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The postures
The more you practise yoga the more you realise the links between the body, breath and mind, for example postures where the body is folded forward tend to be calming and restorative whereas a backbend is invigorating but can also expose our fears. This week we would like you to explore how different postures make you feel. Start with the sun salutation videos first before progressing further.
Good or bad, our bodies remember every experience we have during our lifetime. These experiences leave impressions at a cellular level. Over time these "bad" impressions can create an imbalance within the body. Yoga addresses this imbalance through asana (postures) and pranayama (breathing techniques).
Our yoga practise allows us to open our heart and go beyond the ego so that we can tune into our true Self. Many yoga students find the calmness yoga brings, gently spills over into other areas of their lives, when this happens we are not only practising yoga but living it too.
Activity: Practise and all is coming
Compare the following two videos and if you can, practise them on a non-slip mat so you can experience how each feels. Which one does your body feel comfortable with today?
Esther Ekhart -
(beginner)Kino McGregor -
(intermediate)Tip! Don't forget to breathe