Stressed? Breathe!

Stressed? Watch your thoughts!

Stressed? Relax!

These directives do not work for most people in highly stressed states!

Mostly because the body is in fight or flight mode, and when we try to direct it toward relaxation, it has not got rid of the adrenaline that is coursing through the body. 

In short, the body needs to move!

This is why mindful yoga (or even mindless yoga) can really help against stress. In our teen classes at the moment, this is the week when GCSEs and A Levels start, we find ourselves, reaching out for the acro yoga, the partner yoga, the strong postures, involving quad flexing and glute flexing, which burn away the stress hormones fixed to these muscles ready for flight.

It is imperative that the body moves strongly and quickly initially in order to fully relax later. This is when the mindfulness, the breathing and the watching of the thoughts may be possible. It might not!

If you are stressed – go out, move your body, release the physical tension that has built up thanks to the stress, then relax profoundly and completely!

You might find this a useful resource for the relaxation: , there are free downloads of lovely, relaxation visualisations.

parnter yoga for oxytocin and de-stressing

Good Luck with the exams.