Reducing Stress the Yoga Therapy Way

by Marcel Allbritton

Stress is among the major contributors to poor lifestyle choices. Stress causes us to over eat, drink too much, exercise too little and engage in unsupportive behaviors. But what exactly is stress and what is it about stress that causes us to engage in such unhealthy activity?

Stress is the body’s reaction to an environmental stimulus. Characterized by increase in heart rate and shallow breathing, stress throws the body into a fight-or-flight reaction.

One of my clients commented-  prior to practicing Yoga Therapy, I used to feel stressed when taking the subway during rush hour. Typically, the subway cars would be filled with people causing, at times, conflicts to arise. Such conflicts caused me to feel endangered.

Yoga Therapy reduces our easily excitable feelings through a regular practice of breathing and movement. Over time, our perception of stressful situations shifts allowing us to feel less agitated. Yoga Therapy helps us to feel less stressed by situations, allowing for us to respond to them in a more healthful way, reducing our chances of reaching for a mood-altering substance or mind-numbing habit. Yet another reason to give Yoga Therapy a try.

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