Yoga and stress: advice from a Wello partner
The beginning of the school year is a defining moment in a year. The end of the holidays and the return to work, it is a period filled with emotions and questioning. For some people, the start of the school year can be stressful.
In this new article, we suggest you fight stress with the help of yoga! Follow the valuable advice of our partner Florence Piers, kinesiologist and yoga teacher, below 👇
Yoga and its benefits
Yoga has many benefits for the human body. According to Florence, everyone should do it!
The practice comes in different styles that are more or less adapted to the individual. It is ideal for preventing mental and physical illness and for protecting the body in general.
The body remembers everything that a person has experienced. To purify this memory and avoid heavy consequences (pain, anxiety attacks, compulsive behaviour, etc.) yoga is an ideal tool. It works on this memory to rebalance the body and to reconnect the body, mind and soul. At the end of a session, one feels a sense of calm, serenity, and reconnection to oneself.
Managing stress with yoga
As yoga rebalances the body as a whole, it will allow it to release stress gently and naturally. During a yoga session, the body may start to shake, emotions (stress, sadness, anger, etc.) may come out, and it is important to let them out to give the body a chance to purify itself.
On a daily basis, some yoga exercises can be performed to feel better and less stressed.
- Simply breathe: taking one conscious breath a day is already a big step towards good stress management.
- Warrior posture number 2: brings stability, security and confidence.
- Twisting: to learn to let go gently.
- The happy baby: to relax the pelvis, an area where many emotions, including stress, are housed.
What about children?
The start of the school year can be stressful for children too. They are like sponges for emotions. The sooner yoga practice is started, the sooner it is possible to manage emotions, develop self-confidence, grounding, concentration and inner calm.
Some simple exercises can be performed by the youngest children to calm and relax, for example before going to sleep:
- Breathing: inhale, inflate the belly like a birthday balloon, and release completely through the nose. The child can also put his hand on his belly to feel the inflation.
- The child's posture: big toes touching, sit on the heels and relax the forehead on the mat. In this position, you can feel your belly swelling on your thighs.
- The prone twist: to let go gently.
- The savasana posture: feel your whole body on your bed and feel drawn to the centre of the earth. This posture allows you to anchor yourself, release stress and fall asleep peacefully.