Use Mindfulness To Beat Stress: Here Are 5 Different Ways

It is unfortunate how commonplace stress has become. Stressful situations can arise anywhere. When ignored, stress slowly builds up to an aggravated state leading to high blood pressure, hypertension, diabetes, obesity and many other health conditions. When you follow a regular practice of yogic techniques like asanas, pranayama, and meditation practice etc., this will take care of your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Begin each day with a few cycles of Surya Namaskars or Sun Salutations, breathing and meditation techniques. All you need to dedicate is about 15-20 minutes on your yoga mat for at least thrice a week.

Ways to beat stress with, yoga meditation and much more

Start with Sukshma Vyayam or subtle exercises. These consist of gentle rotation of neck, arms, wrists, hips, ankles to slowly warm up the joints. Walk around briskly, and stretch and mobilize your muscles. This will prepare your body for a practice, and keep you safe from practice-related injuries.

Here are a few simple asanas that you can hold for upto a minute each.

1. Asanas

• Hastha Uthanasana
• Dhanurasana - Bow Pose
• Urdvamukha Svanasana - Upward Dog Pose
• Veera Bhadrasana - Warrior Pose
• Sarvangasana - Shoulder stand

Follow this up with a breathing technique for another 3 minutes, meditation for 2-3 minutes too, and you can wrap it up by chanting a few mantras.

Yoga can promote overall health and reduce stress
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2. Meditation

Swaas Dhyan

Formation

• Sit in a comfortable posture (such as Sukhasana, Ardha Padmasana or Padmasana)
• Place your palms on your knees facing up (Prapthi Mudra)
• Straighten your back and close your eyes
• The time you take to inhale and exhale should be in a ratio of 6:6, i.e., if you inhale in six counts, you need to exhale in six counts
• Focus on your breath entering and then leaving your nostrils as you inhale and exhale

Be an observer of your flow of thoughts by not resisting them initially and letting them flow. Gradually, keep shifting your awareness to your breathing until you reach a point where your complete focus is on your inhalation and exhalation with your mind almost completely devoid of thoughts.

Disha/direction: Face towards East

Also read: Can Stress And Anxiety Cause Hair Loss? Know Types And Ways To Hair Fall

Benefits

• Brings your mind to the present and makes you more aware
• Reduces stress
• You will experience calmness
• Clears your mind of unwanted thoughts

Meditation can help you relieve stress and anxiety
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3. Pranayama

Method:

• Sit in any comfortable position - Sukhasana, Ardha Padmasana, Vajrasana or Poorna Padmasana.
• Keep your back straight, shoulders relaxed and close your eyes to focus on your breath.
• Place your palms on your knees facing upward (in Prapthi Mudra)
• Duration You may begin by practicing this breathing technique for 1-2 minutes a day and gradually increase it with time.

Kapal Bhati

In Sanskrit, 'Kapal' means skull and 'bhati' means 'shining/illuminating'. Therefore, this Kapalbhati Pranayam is also known as Skull Shining Breathing Technique.

Method

• Sit in any comfortable pose (such as Sukhasan, Ardhapadmasan or Padmasana)
• Straighten your back and close your eyes
• Place your palms on your knees facing up (in Prapthi Mudra)
• Inhale normally and focus on exhaling with a short, rhythmic and forceful breath
• You can use your stomach to forcefully expel all the air from the diaphragm and lungs by compressing it
• Inhalation should happen automatically while you decompress your stomach

Also read: 7 Best Yoga Poses To Get Your Summer Body Ready

4. Spandan Kriya

• Sit in any comfortable pose (such as Sukhasan, Ardhapadmasan or Padmasana)
• Straighten your back and close your eyes
• Inhale and exhale normally
• Use your index finger to start making gentle taps in the center of your forehead 
• Feel a tingling sensation in the center of your forehead

5. Invest in a hobby

It is important that you must have some me-time alone. This can be your personal space where you are either working on skill-building, improving your creativity, or doing something that you love. This could be anything whether it is learning a new language, or a picking up a new skill such as knitting, singing, and dance, practising a musical instrument or even reading.

All these processes allow you to bring clarity of thought, help you clear your head of the incessant chatter and connect with yourself in a deeper manner. This mindfulness is what brings you out of difficult situations that life throws at to you. Commit yourself to imbibing these 5 simple steps to gradually upgrade the quality of your life. Remove stress from your life, by channelling your energies towards growth, and self-development.

Also read: Hypertension: Can Yoga Reduce Blood Pressure? Know 5 Best Yoga Poses For High Blood Pressure

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