Yoga Can Help Manage Holiday Stress
Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 3:54PM We are now in the mist of what can be the most hectic part of the holiday season. We just enjoyed the thanksgiving holiday and now we’re on the run to find that perfect gift for our friends and family. Compatibility is a major issue and we may find that we cannot get along with even our favorite relatives, creating stressful times. In this part of globe holidays are in winter, unlike Australia and New Zealand where December is the midsummer month. Cold weather and stress aggravates the Vata, which can further make you prone to anxiety. Cold weather also aggravates Kapha, which can make many people feel slow, sluggish, isolated or depressed. Holiday feasting on sweets will do more to imbalance Kapha which results in weight gain. Conversely, Vata will become wired, with variable energy, increased anxiety and fear.
Time tested yoga practices can provide hope for these issues. In a study released this year, teenagers with cancer and their parents were given yoga instruction, which resulted in a decrease in their anxiety scores.1 Even though the subjects were under the tremendous stress of dealing with cancer, they found yoga to be a positive experience.1 In another study published this year, 80 patients with chronic lower back pain (CLBP) were divided into two groups. Half were given physical therapy exercises. The other half were in a yoga group, receiving instruction on asanas (physical postures), pranayama (breathing practices), meditation and lectures on yoga philosophy. The yoga instruction resulted in better stress management and greater mobility improvement than the physical therapy exercises.
Members of the yoga group improved their perceived stress scores significantly more than the physical therapy group.2 Yoga group members also exhibited a 31.1% increase in right leg mobility in the straight leg raise, compared with 18.7% increase in the physical therapy group.2
One very simple way to release stress is the sighing breath: Take a deep breath in to full lung capacity and then hold for 3 seconds. Exhale out slowly with word HA. Repeat this exercise for 10-15 minutes, you will feel noticeably relaxed.
1. Thygeson MV, Hooke MC, Clapsaddle J, Robbins A, Moquist K. (2010). Peaceful play yoga: serenity and balance for children with cancer and their parents. J Pediatr Oncol Nurs. Sep-Oct;27(5):276-84. Epub 2010 Jul 16.
2.Tekur P, Chametcha S, Hongasandra RN, Raghuram N. (2010). Effect of yoga on quality of life of CLBP patients: A randomized control study. Int J Yoga [serial online] [cited 2010 Nov 17];3:10-7. Available from: http://www.ijoy.org.in/text.asp?2010/3/1/10/66773
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