Try a "Yoga Moment" for Stress Reduction and Weight Management

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Try a "Yoga Moment" for Stress Reduction and Weight Management!

By  June M Lay, MS

Mar 16, 2010 - 10:49:58 AM

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - Yes, I'm recommending yoga for stress reduction, but I'm also recommending it for our weight management efforts (as well as enhanced flexibility of course)! Yoga indeed is a popular form of exercise and in fact, there are more types of Yoga than many of us may get to try. I'm often asked about the benefits of Yoga, so this week let's focus on how it can help us to not only increase our flexibility and strength, but to help us manage our stress, because by doing so, it can also help us to manage our weight! We can do this in a class, at home, at our job, and we can even do this for a moment, a Yoga Moment", that is!

I prefer to consider Yoga as a discipline that at its best, combines stretching, postural alignment, and body awareness with mediation techniques. Some forms of Yoga also offer us a form of strength training through held poses, using isometric contractions. All forms of Yoga combine breathing exercises to help the flow of movement to enhance the mind-body connection. This is when we focus within, and on our breathing instead of the outside world, one way that yoga helps us to manage our stress.

So many of us are stressed these days, with too many of us using food to cope. Some of us are aware that we use food to relieve stress, but often many of us aren't. Yoga can be one healthy way to manage it, and I believe that it's important for us to find healthy ways to relaxing mentally and physically, because when we do, everything becomes better. Yoga can be great for men too as a stress reduction tool, so guys don't discount it.

Yoga, when practiced safely (as important with any exercise) can really be a great vehicle for improving our flexibility, coordination, balance, and again most importantly, it can be used as a great stress management technique. Many of the techniques practiced during Yoga can be taken "on the road", that is, practiced after a stressful day using simple poses with deep breathing. I always recommend a " time-out" as a tool (not just for children) when stress hits, especially before reaching for food, so practicing a yoga position with deep breathing for even 3 minutes can go a long way in bringing our stress level down (remember, as emotions rise, rational thinking declines). This can be a great tool to stop the impulse to reach for something unhealthy to eat.

Here then are a few tips to keep in mind when taking a yoga class to consider,

Look for a class that is an appropriate level, and feel free to speak with the instructor about the level of difficulty and purpose of the type of yoga, as well as the background of the instructor before the class starts.

Get a physician's approval if you are pregnant, or have had any injuries involving muscle/tendons or joints, or if you have or have had high blood pressure. You will need special instructions. Advise the instructor as well.

Start slowly. Start with the easier poses to enable the body to warm up.

Do not bounce or jerk into a pose or a stretch, as this can cause an injury.

Do not hold your breath during any pose even if the pose is being held for several seconds.

Go only so far. If the position feels too difficult, or does not feel right, TRUST your instinct. We are not ballerinas and we do not need to bring our toes to our ears. All muscles surrounding a joint have a "range of motion" meaning a direction and healthy limit to which they can be stretched. More is not necessarily better.

Okay, now we can start to explore which type of yoga is right for us. We can start with simple poses to improve our flexibility (most of us don't stretch enough), we can use a yoga pose with breathing to connect our body and mind in a quiet peaceful environment, in a class or at home, or for a 2 or 3 minute "time out" even at the office when we need to. We can use what I call a yoga moment each day if necessary.Our bodies and minds will function a lot better with a little less stress, and we just might reach for a little less food to cope! http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/finder/browse_categories/p_meditation.   It gives 10 meditation poses to choose from, all helpful to relieve some stress.

June M. Lay M.S.

www.junefit.com

Need more support getting started on weight loss program or just eating healthier? Don't forget, my book "It's Not a Diet, it's Creative Eating" is now available along with my screensaver program, and my weekly tips. I'm with you all year long.  June is Lifestyle Columnist at www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/index.shtml

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