By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed
With the Autumn Equinox only a few days away,
the warmth of the sun’s rays are beginning to cool as the seasons are shifting.
During the mid-afternoon, the temperatures are warm enough to enjoy a quick
swim. Towards the evening, the temperatures are dropping significantly and
indicate the imminent arrival of much colder temperatures. During this time of
the year, many Yogis and Yoginis find themselves busily savoring the final warm
days of summer by participating in many of their favorite warm-weather
activities, such as sailing, swimming and or practicing Yoga on a
paddle-board.
Additionally, many students and Yoga teachers
are busy during the fall season beginning a new school year or Yoga teacher
training program. The combination of squeezing in every last ounce of summer
with a new course of study or professional development program can create a
hectic pace of life, which can increase persistent feelings of pressure, stress
and anxiety. When stress and anxiety levels are heightened, difficulty sleeping
often develops at the same time. The physiological reason for this is that when
anxiety and stress levels are high, your sympathetic nervous system, also known
as the “fight or flight” nervous system, is stuck on overdrive!
One of the propelling forces of an overactive
sympathetic nervous system is high cortisol levels. When cortisol
levels remain consistently high, it is very difficult to unwind, calm down
and fall asleep. In addition, unremittingly high cortisol levels raise
inflammatory markers in the body and lower the functioning of the immune
system. High levels of cortisol are also linked to unbalanced blood sugar
levels, hormonal disruption, depression, and gastrointestinal problems. None of
these conditions are optimal for your physical or emotional well-being.
Cortisol levels and the balance between your
sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems can be optimized by a healthy
diet, regular exercise and healthy sleeping patterns. One of the primary ways
of enhancing your ability to sleep deeply and restoratively is to exercise
moderately at least five times a week, spend an adequate amount of time in the
sun daily and to keep a regular bedtime schedule. Practicing Yoga asanas, Yogic
breathing exercises and mediation techniques several times a week will further
support you in creating a state of optimal physical and mental health.
The breathing exercises of Yoga are known as
pranayama practices. The term “prana” in Sanskrit refers to the breath of life,
and the term “yama” is translated as restraint. So the term pranayama refers to
the control of the breath through restraint. There are a wide variety of
pranayama techniques in the Yoga toolbox. Some pranayama exercises are very
detoxifying and increase heat or tapas in the body. Other pranayama exercises
cool and relax the body and the mind. If you find that your are struggling to
fall asleep at night because you are so wired you cannot relax, practicing
cooling and soothing Yogic pranayama exercises prior to going to bed will calm
down the flight or fight response as it turns on the relaxation response by
enhancing the functioning of your parasympathetic nervous system.
In Pantanjali’s Yoga Sutras, he describes the
process of practicing pranayama exercises as making the breath long and smooth
by breaking the unconscious shallow breathing patterns related to stress and
anxiety. Take the example of finding a snake slithering in the grass just
outside your front door. What is your first response? For many of us it would
be to gasp and hold our breath in anticipation of the snake’s next move. This
unconscious response to something that creates fear is the same response many
of us have to situations that upset us, such as a traffic jam when we are late
for work or a long line at the bank if we are late for a doctor’s appointment.
The list of situations that can cause stress and anxiety are almost endless.
Of course, our own individual response to these
situations also determines the effect these situations have on our physical and
emotional health and well-being. By recalibrating the balance between the
sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, through a steady and regular
practice of Yoga poses and pranayama exercises, you will help to nourish the
health of your body and mind. In turn, this balance will help to nourish your
entire being by generating a state of equipoise, lightness and energy.
Releasing tension and stress through a daily Yoga practice, including breathing
exercises, will allow you to fall asleep with less difficulty and to sleep more
restoratively.
© Copyright 2014 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division
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2 comments:
Yogic breathing exercises and mediation techniques help to create a state of optimal physical and mental health that helps for better sleeping.
Some pranayama exercises cool and relax the body and the mind so it can bring a better sleeping at night.
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