What is Stress?

Stress, whether it is emotional, physical or situational stress, exacts a response from our body. The normal response to stress is often referred to the “fight or flight” response. Our bodies are beautifully prepared to respond to stressors in an effectual way. Chronic stress, the brain’s response to negatively perceived events or situations for a prolonged period over which an individual feels he has no control.

Effects of Chronic Stress

Long-term exposure to stress can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can suppress the immune system that may lead to increased frequency of colds.  Chronic stress can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disease. It can cause hormone imbalances that can lead to low libido, infertility, and speed up the aging process. Long-term stress can even increase your experience of anxiety and depression.

Balancing Chronic Stress in Your Life

There are many ways we can support our bodies and minds during times of chronic stress.  Some of the more obvious ways we can do this is by 1) eating fresh, organic food that is at least 50% raw (think salads and raw fruits and veggies) 2) getting at least 8 hours of sleep every night 3) reducing the amount of alcohol intake and 4) enjoying some moderate exercise daily e.g. walking, yoga.  Unfortunately, when we are dealing with long-term stress, these suggestions are the hardest to adhere to.  There are many other additional ways that we can help to alleviate and manage stress in our lives.  Massage therapy is a wonderful way to relax the mind and body while helping to rid the body of toxins that disrupt our immune system.  Nutritional supplements and nutritional IVs restore optimal levels of vitamins and minerals to your body that you may not be obtaining from your diet.  Yoga is a superior method for strengthening the body, relaxing the mind, supporting the immune system and detoxing the body- all at the same time!  Guided meditation and hypnosis can help break down internal barriers to healing.

The Team at Bodhi Body can help design a stress-reduction plan for you.  It involves looking at the stress you are exposed to and how you are supporting your body in its attempt to deal with the stressors. Our facility has been designed with you in mind.  Our comfortable rooms and comprehensive therapies will help melt your stress away.  Some of the most common therapies prescribed for stress reduction are: neuromuscular massage, yoga, nutritional therapy (IV and oral), guided meditation and hypnosis, acupuncture, along with a whole host of complete detox therapies.  Our bodies are amazing, resilient machines and can handle moderate amounts of stress beautifully.  But long-term, chronic stress can do a lot of damage.  Assess your stress levels and help support your body as it supports you.

With the current meteoric rise in yoga’s popularity, the range of class and style options can be confusing. Looking at class schedules can be like trying to learn a whole new language.

Yoga is all about you, so when seeking a class, ask yourself: What do I want from my experience? Are you looking for a workout or a way to relieve stress and find peace of mind? Are you concerned about aging and the loss of flexibility or range of motion? Are you seeking to support a healing process in your body? Do you want to lose weight and gain muscle tone?

Begin your journey by first identifying your immediate needs and goals (these may change over time) and setting your intention clearly in your mind. It might also be helpful to look at your patterns. Like attracts like. Are you allowing the habitual nature of the mind to create your preferences?

For example, if you are living a fast-paced, stressful life, you may instinctively look for a fast-paced, physically demanding style of yoga. But pushing yourself on your yoga mat may be the last thing you need. Ask yourself what will bring balance to your body and into your life.

Getting to know the different styles of yoga is a good starting point in choosing the yoga that’s right for you.

Looking for a vigorous class to burn toxins and impurities? Go for Vinyasa, Power, Core, Bikram, Hot, Ashtanga or Jivamukti.  Something therapeutic to heal? Seek out Viniyoga, Hatha, Iyengar, Integrative, Yin and specifically targeted yoga therapy classes. Want to meditate and relax? Try Sivananda, Integral, Gentle, Kundalini or Kripalu.

Being familiar with these styles is definitely helpful, but keep in mind: Every teacher will instruct the defined style differently, as an expression of their personality and life experience. Yoga is flexible!

Check out our class descriptions here!

Please feel free to contact our Yoga Advisor and Program Director, Kristen Butler, at 480.237.2410 or via email at kristen@bodhi-body.com.

by Bodhi Yoga Program Director Kristen Butler

I recently read that living yoga master, B.K.S. Iyengar, begins his day with a bath, a drink of milky coffee with sugar and an hour’s practice of pranayama, the yogic art of breath control to release energy throughout the body.

The combination must be working for him! Iyengar is 91 years old and has followed the yogic path for over 70 years.

He says, “The yogi’s life is not measured by the number of his days but by the number of his breaths.”

I’ll take his word for it. After all, humans can survive for three days without water and nearly six weeks without food, but only moments without a breath of oxygen.

So how does one begin to comprehend pranayama – a topic and science that is literally as vast as the air we breathe?

First, let’s understand the term and its goal.

Prana is usually translated as breath (although it is also often referred to as the energizing force within the breath), and ayama means regulation of the breath.

Pranayama includes a process of controlled, extended inhalations and exhalations, as well as retention of the breath. Inhalations and retentions distribute prana or energy throughout the body. Exhalations release toxins from the system.

The practice of pranayama seeks to quiet the mind by bringing it under control through smooth, deep and rhythmic breaths. Through pranayamic breathing, the brain becomes calm, and the body’s blood stream is saturated with oxygen. This allows the nervous system and every organ to function more effectively.

Sounds simple? It isn’t. The art of pranayama can take a lifetime to master as it reaches beyond the physiological level to spiritual dimensions, where, according to yogic texts, our consciousness opens into its natural and pure state.

However, there is hope! A regular yoga asana practice can help remove obstacles that impede the flow of prana.

You can make a beginning by approaching your pranayama practice during class with these simple steps:

1. Give up the struggle. In pranayama, the breath is drawn in and released gently and gradually. There are no sudden movements.
2. Don’t stress. Keep your body and facial muscles relaxed. Eventually, you will become aware of the smooth and stable flow of the breath to the most remote parts of the lungs.
3. Count. Try breathing in to a count of five and out to a count of five with a slight pause between inhalations and exhalations.
4. Go with the flow. Remember that during asana practice, you will typically perform an upward motion (expansion) while inhaling and a downward motion (contraction) while exhaling. Follow your body’s cues.
5. Snore. A little snoring sound and sensation can help regulate the breath. Don’t be shy! Try partially closing the glottis in the back of the throat to create this effect.

Here’s to you and a long life filled with many happy breaths!