Home Practice to Ease Holiday Stress-A Chinese Medicine Practice

by Teresa Biggs, Dec. 2018 Yoga Journal

The Physiology of Stress

When we are in high gear, plowing through a long to-do list to get stuff done (read: we’re stressed!), the body turns on the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS), otherwise known as the fight-or-flight mode. When the SNS is turned on and we’re under perceived stress, it triggers energy to be released, allowing the body to fight or take flight.

By activating the SNS, the energy is directed to prioritized systems to fight or flight and takes energy away from (or shuts down) non-priority systems, such as the immune, digestion, and reproduction systems. This is why some people are more prone to illness, digestive upset, and for women, menstrual irregularities during or after stress.

The SNS’s counterpart is the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PSNS), or the rest-and-digest mode. When the PSNS is activated, the body conserves energy and turns “on” all down-regulated systems.

So, how can you activate the PSNS? By stimulating the vagus nerve: the longest cranial nerve that interconnects the brain to many organ systems and runs through the back of the throat and through the diaphragm.

Pranayama and Yoga are primary ways to access the vagus nerve, because the breath has the capacity to stimulate the vagus nerve through the back of the throat (hello, Ujjayi breath!) and diaphragmatic breathing (a.k.a. belly breathing). By stimulating the vagus nerve, we increase our vagal tone and turn on the PSNS, ultimately counter-balancing the stress response.

See also 8 Detoxifying Poses to Boost Digestion of Holiday Feasts—& All That Seasonal Stress

Interval Yoga: The Ultimate Counter to Stress

Interval Yoga is a combination of heart-pumping, timed movements interspersed with strengthening flows. The dynamic change between increasing heart rate and space for the heart rate to slow is great for a few reasons:

1. Research indicates interval training may lengthen telomeres by increasing activity of the enzyme telomerase. Telomeres are the ‘end-caps’ on chromosomes (DNA that carries our genetic information) that protect the genetic information and prevent cell aging. Every time a cell replicates, the telomeres become shorter, eventually leading to cell death when the telomeres have been “used up.” By increasing telomerase activity to add telomere length, we are essentially adding longevity to our cells—and therefore ourselves.
2. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, winter is the energy of yinwithin yin—and yin equals cold, rest, and non-movement. To counter-balance all of this yin energy, we will add yang energy (heat and activity) through movement and blood-pumping intervals.

In TCM, stress affects the energy of the liver, creating Liver Qi Stagnation. One of the liver’s functions is the free-flow of energy throughout the body and to all organ systems. Which means stagnation here can feel like constriction in the body, neck and shoulder tension, constipation, irritability, and being quick to get angry. The best remedy for liver Qi stagnation is movement. Moving the body and getting the blood flowing will move the liver Qi to alleviate the above symptoms.

 

A 12-Pose Home Practice to Counter Holiday Stress

The Holiday season is about giving to others—our time, presence, presents, and energy. That’s why it’s especially important to make this practice about giving to yourself. Create a space that feels supportive to you: play music that feels good for movement; light a few candles; diffuse your favorite essential oils; and set an intention to nurture you.

Also, keep in mind that you can customize how fast or slow you move based on your energy levels. Please, honor your body and modify this sequence to fit your needs.

1. Kapalabhati Breathing, Kundalini style

The holidays can make us short-tempered and emotionally reactive, and can trigger a huge range of emotions. This pranayama technique, known as the Ego Eradicator in the Kundalini tradition, moves pressured energy out, brings us back to center, and switches us into a response rather than reactive state. The activation of the diaphragm that results from this practice also stimulates the vagus nerve.

Find a comfortable seated position with your hips slightly higher than your knees, so your spine can effortlessly lift out of the pelvis. Lift your arms at a 45-degree angle, extending your thumbs toward your body and wrapping your fingers to your upper palms. Kapalabhati breath has the emphasis on the exhale, by exhaling forcefully through the nostrils as you contract your abdominal muscles and draw your belly toward your spine, feeling your diaphragm lift in and up. The inhalation happens passively as the belly relaxes. Start kapalabhati slowly and increase as you feel comfortable for a duration of 2 minutes. At the end of 2 minutes, inhale slowly as you bring your thumbs together and hold your breath for 5 seconds. At the end of 5 seconds, release your exhale slowly as you lower your arms to your sides. When you’re finished, sit and notice your internal state for 30 seconds.

Note: Kapalabhati breathing is contraindicated for people with high blood pressure and women who are pregnant. It is not recommended if you have a full stomach. And if you feel dizzy during this practice, stop and sit quietly for a few minutes.

This breathing exercise is then followed by: Cat/Cow, Down Dog, Sun Salutation,  Extended Twist, Dolphin, Pigeon, Childs Pose, Relax into Corpse Pose

Cal Fire Employees Benefit from Yoga

The Sacramento Bee, Nov. 17, 2019

Firefighters and police officers have a significant amount of stress in their jobs. Stress has been identified as the main contributing factor to disease. That would indicate that reducing stress would be significant in reducing disease. Stress and trauma are also assaulting first responders’ bodies and brains. Stress sets off the body’s alarm systems, releasing neurochemicals to help overcome immediate threats. When this “fight or flight” mechanism is repeatedly activated it can ultimately damage blood vessels, cells, the brain, and cause all sorts of symptoms. With the number of fires in the last few years and the number of first responders being lost to suicide, something had to be done to help prevent this crisis.

Cal Fire had for the last 5 years offered counseling to those already suffering from stress. A new approach was looked at to give employees tools to keep stress and trauma from becoming overwhelming. The deputy chief, decided it was time to move past the reactionary model of care. Susan Farren, a paramedic, started First Responders Resiliency, Inc. after she had surgery for kidney cancer. She was told by her doctor that he treated many first responders for organ cancers. This stuck with her so she researched for many months to find effective techniques to address the harm being caused by their profession. She is now training her fellow men and women with skills such as Yoga and meditation to restore a sense of harmony in their neurological systems. Having a clear mind gives the brain focus and clarity. Old traumas can re-emerge later in life that we may or may not even specifically remember.

Meditation helps reshape certain structures in the brain. Here are a couple of things you can try without pressuring yourself to clear your mind. This is called box breathing: Inhale for four seconds, then hold your breath for four seconds, the exhale for four seconds. Do this for three to four minutes and then just notice how you feel. There are lots of different meditations on-line and with apps like Headspace.

This Month’s Mighty Nest

I was just about to use the last of my plastic wrap the other day and was wishing I could find something more environmentally friendly. The same day I received my monthly home product from Mighty Nest. It’s beeswax paper to use instead of plastic wrap! Adults on my Christmas list are getting Earth conscience products this year. All change starts with awareness. What can we do to lessen our negative impact and improve our overburdened planet? Reduce, reuse, recycle and plant trees. Check out mightynest.com for green home products.

Use the Magic of Mushrooms

This supplement from lifecykel.com which I also found on Amazon, addresses a variety of issues. The product contains several ingredients for digestion, hair, skin, nails, increased energy and focus. The mushrooms come from an area of Australia where the land is clean and the mushrooms organic. See below for benefits of this natural formula.

• BRAIN HACKING FORMULA: Noted for its cognitive support, Lion’s Mane extract gives your brain an unfair advantage by naturally stimulating brain activity, leading to improved focus, memory and creativity, while also helping to boost your mood
• ANTIOXIDANTS & VITAMIN C: Includes Australian Wild harvested Kakadu Plum. Known to possess the highest Vitamin C content of any fruit in the world amplifying the benefits of the mushroom.
• ADAPTOGEN LIFESTYLE: Customers report improved Focus, Memory, and REM sleep leading to greater feelings of restoration and recovery in the morning.
• CONVENIENT & TASTY: Convenient and high quality with a smooth & light taste. Simply add to water, tea, coffee, smoothie or food, upgrading your day with changes to the taste profile
• STANDARDS: Non-GMO, Vegan Friendly, Adaptogen. Grown, made and engineered at our farm in Byron Bay, Australia.

 

We finally have winter rain and snow. I invite it all in to bring clean air and water. Moisture and fog have arrived to revive our stressed trees and control those nasty fires. Let’s continue to celebrate our good fortunes and keep our thoughts on what we want to see for ourselves and those around us.

I am making this month about enjoying little things and creating memories that come from the heart. I am grateful for all of the support from my family and friends around me. Namaste

 

With each new day comes new strength and new thoughts.

Eleanor Roosevelt