Have you ever felt stressed after work, then went to the gym to punch it out, or push yourself on the assault bike till you felt like queasy? Then the next week you do the same thing. Don’t get me wrong exercise is definitely a better solution then using other external emotional behaviours. The difference is yoga and meditation teaches you to breath deeper and slower. This is not only the life force in your body but it also teaches us how to respond better in stressful situations. Yoga was built around the concept of being non-judgemental & compassionate towards yourself and others, which will be a very powerful tool as so much of our stress comes from us being hard on ourselves or frustrated with others. Yoga and Meditation also teaches us the magic of observing without a reaction.

Imagine bringing all of these teachings into our life.

There is so many ways to relieve stress which we are going to go in to more depth in our upcoming workshop ‘Get Results’. At Real Fitness, we recommend complimenting your 1 on 1 personal training or your semi private personal training to come to a min. of one yoga class a week, for an ultimate stress release try Yin Yoga we have 3 of these classes running a week, otherwise any other yoga will not only create a perfect balance for your training but also for your life. Check out our most recent timetable here and look for class type (Hatha, Vinyasa, Yin)

Now I am going to show you FOUR stress relief methods which don’t even require you to leave your bedroom door. Attach one of these poses to your daily routine to help with a good night’s sleep.

All of these poses are simple and quick.

Breathe.

Breath is the only function in the body which works unconsciously and consciously as it works with two different set of nerves and muscles. Breathing is the only function in our bodies where we can change the involuntary nervous system. It is the improper functioning of the involuntary nervous system that is the root of many health conditions including high blood pressure, digestive disturbances and circulatory disturbances and so forth.

Dr Andrew Weil has found a sleep induced breathing technique which he recommends doing twice a day within 6-8 weeks you will notice wonderful changes in the body! I have! This takes only 30 seconds so there is no excuse not to do this one.

Start practicing ‘4-7-8’ method with these steps:

1. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.

2. Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.

3. Hold your breath for a count of seven.

4. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.

5. This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths

Childs Pose

Try sitting on the knees and bending forward with arms forward or by your side. Resting your forehead on the ground in this pose will help to relieve additional anxiety. It is a restful pose that can be sequenced between more challenging asana. This pose can also be done with arms alongside the body rather than over the head. Do what feels best to you.

Savasana | Corpse Pose

Savasana is a pose of total relaxation, making it one of the most challenging asanas. Shavasana gives the nervous system a chance to integrate that in what can be thought of as a brief pause before it is forced once again to deal with all the usual stresses of daily life. Lie on your back with your eyes closed, arms by your sides and palms facing up, you may also use an eye pillow but not necessary. Allow your ankles to fall outward. Allow your body to melt deeper into the mat with each breath, think of Vicky’s voice taking you through a meditation (kidding!) focus on your breath and just be. Allow thoughts to come not pushing them away, knowing that it is all completely normal. With more and more practice, the mind will become quieter the breath will become deeper, quieter and more regular. Stay in this pose for a minimum of 5 minutes.

Viparita Karani | Hold 5 minutes

This relaxing pose allows blood flow out of the legs and brings blood and lymph fluid back towards the abdomen and up to the brain. This blood flow helps energize and awaken the circulatory system. Lye on your back with legs up on the wall, you can place a blanket or pillow under your head or lower back for more support. You can also practice your breathing technique whilst you are here.

Try to add these to your day to begin to manage your stress levels and feel your most enlightened self.

We will be releasing many more knowledge bombs around the mind and your health in our next workshop. ‘Get Real’ I would highly recommend bringing an open heart and mind to this workshop to learn more on not only how to improve your health but also how to improve your mind-set for our very busy everyday life. We understand life can be overwhelming with more on our plates than ever before, but we also know by implementing strategies you can improve your own life which then will improve those around you. To guide you through your own mind-set shift around your health which directly impacts health register your interest in our next challenge 66 BY RFT. Find more information on our next challenge here

If you are in the Hills District area including Castle Hill, Kellyville, Bella Vista, Baulkham Hills, Glenhaven, West Pennant Hills, Dural, Rouse Hill and surrounding areas we would highly recommend bringing your family and friends to this complementary seminar on Tuesday 6th February at 7:00pm hosted by two very passionate individuals Mitch and myself (Vicky) with over 18 years combined knowledge this will be a seminar which provide knowledge for your year ahead. Book here

Yours in complete health,

Coach Vicky

Co-founder and Director of Real Fitness Training