Yoga Saved My Life

Dancer's Pose- one of my favorites :)

I have a very prominent Type A personality; failure and relaxation were never in my vocabulary while I was growing up.  I hardly took the time to fully relax, time for myself, and feared failure to the point of extreme tunnel vision and exhaustion.*  In the beginning of this year, I realized this wasn't a very good way to go through life.  Oh, it wasn't realistic- failure happens and it's not always bad (just a thought)!  I decided to take a pilates class through the Health and Exercise Science Department on campus, start out with pilates then transition into yoga was my plan.  Best idea yet! 


My pilates teacher was the bomb diggity!  She was fun, knowledgeable, patient when teaching new exercises, let the class decide most of the workouts, and best of all- started teaching yoga for $5 dollar sessions later at night (9 pm)!  I decided to go to one of her first yoga classes and feel in love; I felt so relaxed and a reduction of overall pain, especially in my scapular region.  The style of yoga she taught us was flow or sports based; thank the heavens! We were constantly moving through poses, generally only holding things for less than a minute to generate heat in the muscle.  I personally can't sit through highly meditative, earthy yoga where you hold poses for an absurd amount of time; I'm that ridiculous kid in the back laughing and making jokes.  



Bird of Paradise- ah so close
to getting those legs straight!



The concept of relaxation is interesting to me.  You can either relax by calming your mind first and your body feels relaxed (cognitive anxiety reduction) or you can calm your body and your mind follows (somatic anxiety reduction). 

Popular Somatic Anxiety Techniques

• Biofeedback- become aware of your body's stress responses (ie. heart rate) and learn how to control them
• Breath Control- maintain deep, rhythmic, belly breathing giving your body and brain a calming effect
• Progressive Relaxation- contract every muscle in your body for 30 seconds then release; start at your toes and work up to your head

• Be Active- exercising releases endorphins in the brain that make you feel happy hence you feel relaxed

Popular Cognitive Anxiety Techniques

Legs up the wall- great restorative pose



• Relaxation Response- clear mind of all thoughts through basic elements of mediation
• Autogenic Training- think or say warm and heavy repeatedly, body experiences these physical sensations
• Imagery- imagine your most relaxing place in vivid detail, body experiences physically being there

I encourage you to try out some of these relaxation techniques or continue practicing your favorite one.  Everyone is different, it's important to find what works best for you and stick with it.  Although with that being said, make sure your relaxation method matches your given activity.  I can't always bust out yoga poses while I'm in class that's why listening to music is another great way to relax.***

Today's song is Details in the Fabric by Jason Mraz feat. James Morrison.  This is one of my favorite songs to listen to when I'm wicked stressed.  Find peace and serenity.**

* Still have a problem with this but it has gotten better!
** Haha sorry guys, couldn't resist.  It is a post about relaxation after all! ;-)
***Keep up the good work living healthy by one simply step at a time!  I'll be back with a post in a few weeks after my professor grades this project.  Don't get overwhelmed or frustrated during this process; everything takes time and has minor setbacks.  Continue listening to your body and discovering your perfect workout activity!  Oh, and don't forget to smile; there's always a silver lining to that rain cloud.  -Christine