Stress and its effects on the immune system

Though we ignore often but it has been proved by the scientists numerous times that our immune systems are affected heavily with the prolonged and regular phases of stress. But at the same time it’s also true that short term stress can lead to an increased level of performance for some time, but that’s quite short lived.

Stress - effects on the immune system

Here lies the bottom line: whenever we face the situations of stress we fail to cope up with our sudden mental changes and end up with a prolonged phase of the stress issues.

Stress and immune system

Stress is known to deplete those cells in our body which are required to fight various illnesses. When we encounter some kind of stress in our lives then the endocrine system and the nervous system becomes hyperactive to respond to the stress situations. They release hormones and neurotransmitters which in turn affects the overall operational system comprising of the nerves and various body tissues.

Immune system

When the stress period continues for quite sometime then the above mentioned body systems also tend to continue their hyperactivity. Prolonged activation of the nervous and the endocrine system are quite harmful for the normal functioning of our immune systems. Such failure of the immune system may lead to medical conditions like obesity and failure of vaccines to various diseases including the likes of influenza, common cold etc.

Meditation: a humble yet effective mental exercise

Meditation is a form of mental exercise. If you practice it in a regular basis then you are bound to reduce the anxiety level from your personality. Moreover all kinds of mental pressures including depression and pessimism can be treated permanently with the help of regular practicing of meditation.

Meditation - Mental exercise

Meditation is a very simple and easy to use and understand mental exercise. It’s an effort to explore the undiscovered depth of the mind of one’s self. Being trapped into the mundane lifestyle we fail to understand the exact and enormous potential of our mind. Regular practicing of meditation helps us to realize the latent power inside us.

Meditation - help of regular practicing of meditation

You need not be a religious person to practice meditation. With some self-made adjustments you can easily deviate from the spiritual kind of meditation but at the end you’ll experience similar kind of benefits.

You need not be a religious person to practice meditation

Almost all the major religions of the world have got the concept of meditation in-built in it with some variations. Moreover some new age gurus have added their unique personal touch to the practices of mediation.

Meditation - Mental exercise

As the modern human beings are becoming more confined to their mechanical lifestyle these days so the practice of meditation holds more meaning for them as it can show them the path of real living and true meaning of the life.

Go for the Yoga Lotus pose for complete relaxation

The Yoga Lotus pose is a sitting pose. Among all the sitting Yoga poses the Lotus pose can be termed as the most effective one. But it should be remembered that this pose is not recommended for the fresh Yoga practitioners.

Yoga Lotus pose - cope stress

Moreover while practicing this Lotus pose you must not forget to reverse the legs. This Yoga pose is easy to learn and there is no adjustments needed to the floor or your drawing or living room.

Cope stress: Yoga pose - Lotus pose

The benefits of the Lotus pose are quite impressive. If you practice this pose regularly then a cool and relaxed mind is guaranteed. Moreover regular practicing of this pose is quite beneficial to stimulate the various regions of your body including the pelvis, bladder, abdomen and the spine. Then if you are a frequent sufferer of knee and ankle pains then the Lotus pose can provide you with permanent relief. In case of women this pose has a proven track record of providing relief to various discomforts emerging out of the menstruation issues.

Lotus pose, cope stress

Then as per established reports Lotus pose eases up the process of childbirth if it is practiced till late in the pregnancy period. But you should not manipulate the instructions while going for this pose.

Go for the tree pose to make your thighs stronger: learn about Yoga tree pose

The Yoga tree pose refers to that pose of Yoga where the Yoga practitioner bends his or her body like a tree. To start with this pose you need to stand in the Tadasana pose. Then try to shift your body weight towards the left foot. At this point don’t forget to keep the right foot firmly on the floor.

Cope stress - The Yoga Tree pose

In the next step try to reach down with the help of your right hand and remember to hold the right ankle. In the next step bring the right foot upwards and then place the sole towards the opposite side of the left thigh. Try to firmly put your right heel in the left groin region so that the toes point towards floor.

Cope sress: Yoga pose - Tree pose

In the next step you should concentrate on keeping the hands on the topmost pelvis rim. Then try to extend the tailbone to the floor. Push the right foot sole opposite to the thigh with resistance from the left leg. Then hold your hands together in the Anjali pose and stare at a point on the floor at a distance of 5 feet from your face.

Tree pose - Yoga - Cope stress

Try to be in that pose for at least a minute and then with a deep exhalation get back to Tadasana and repeat all the above steps reversing the legs.

Go for the innovative Yoga Cobra pose for a toned body

The Yoga Cobra pose is quite beneficial to provide relief to your worries for not attaining a fit and toned body. Then when you go for regular practicing of the Cobra pose then an overall calmness will embrace you as a bonus addition.

Yoga Cobra pose

It strengthens your spine, increases the body heat to combat various diseases and helps in the stimulation of the various abdominal organs. Moreover you can achieve well toned and strong buttocks with the Cobra pose.

Cobra pose - Yoga pose

The Cobra pose is easy to learn and get adapted to. Just lie on the floor facing downward. Then go for stretching your feet with the top touching the floor. Then spread out both the hands on the floor under the region of the shoulders with inward elbows towards your body. In the next move try to hold the pubis, feet and thigh tops to the floor. Then with an inhalation lift your chess with narrowed hips. Then keep the shoulders firm to the back with puffed up forward side ribs. You will feel a hard and firm back. Try to maintain this pose for at least 30 seconds.

Cobra pose is easy to learn

With the help of this pose you can treat your asthmatic problems, cope up with stress issues etc.

What is Yoga: things you should know about

Yoga is a gift from India to the world. It is a fabulous kind of physical and mental exercise for complete uplift of a human being. Extraordinary mind and body coordination can be achieved with the help of regular practicing of Yoga.

What is Yoga - Yoga is gift from India

The history of Yoga is thousand years old and can be traced back to the times of dedicated Hindu saints who sacrificed their lives in search of divine redemption.

What is Yoga - The history of Yoga

Yoga seeks to unify all the visible and invisible aspects of a human being. Within the last few decades the practice of Yoga has seen a terrific advancement and publicity. Thanks to the phenomenon called globalization, now Yoga is a popular practice in the Western part of the world as well.

Things you should know about:What is Yoga

With time Yoga has undergone some modifications. But the basic methodology and the poses still exist. Just with the emergence of new age Yoga gurus and schools some fresh varieties have been added to the existing history of Yoga.

What is Yoga:Things you should know about

In the simplest terms, Yoga can be defined as the holistic process by which a human being can realize his inner self with the appropriate coordination of the body, mind and soul. The overall benefits of Yoga are really more than superb.

Choose the appropriate Yoga poses for complete peace of mind

These days Yoga is a best-selling word in all parts of the world. Irrespective of caste, creed and culture now everybody has adopted the practice of Yoga for a complete peace of mind.

Yoga poses - Tree Pose

But at the same moment as Yoga is a combination of physical and mental exercises so the quest for mental peace is helping people to achieve a well-built body too. But we have seen that not everybody adopting Yoga are getting optimum benefits.

cope stress:physical and mental exercises

There may be a lot of factors behind this kind of failure. But the most important factor behind this failure is the wrong selection of Yoga poses. As Yoga is a gift from the orient to the occident so with time a lot of modifications have got immersed with the original poses and postures. So it has become a daunting task now-a-day to choose or select the appropriate Yoga poses for oneself.

Yoga poses - cope stress

We should understand the fact that there are different Yoga poses for various age groups of people. Moreover some Yoga poses are not suitable for people with specific medical conditions. Then these poses may vary depending upon the beginner or advanced level of the Yoga practitioner.

Yoga poses - Cobra pose, Lotus pose...

So, proper and accurate knowledge and information must be sought before moving into the path of Yoga. Otherwise, it may backfire in a huge manner. The most popular Yoga poses include Awkward chair pose, Bird of Paradise pose, Boat pose, Bow pose, Bridge pose, Camel pose, Cat pose, Child’s pose, Cobra pose, Compass pose, Corpse pose, Eagle pose, Eight angle pose, Fish pose, Lotus pose and Garland pose etc.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

When you are feeling stressed out or anxious, your body will feel muscular tension.

You will then feel all those aches and pains that go with being stressed or under pressure. The best way to relieve you of all those muscular tension is through exercise.

relieve stress - Progressive Muscle Relaxation

An effective form of exercise to relieve stress is the Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). This technique was developed by Edmund Jacobson in the early 1920’s. According to Jacobson, muscular tension accompanies anxiety. This means that in order to relieve anxiety, one has to relax the muscular tension.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

You can begin the Progressive Muscle Relaxation by sitting down or lying down and making yourself comfortable. Start by tensing all the muscles of your face. Inhale while holding this for the count of eight.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation - cope stress

Then, exhale and be completely relaxed. Let the tension from your facial muscles seep. Next, do the same steps on your neck and shoulders. Continue and repeat the procedure down your body.

Cope with stress:Progressive Muscle Relaxation

For a shortened version, you can repeat the procedure just on the four main muscle groups. These include the face; neck, shoulders and arms; abdomen and chest; buttocks, legs and feet. The whole PMR session will approximately take you 30 minutes finish.

Morning Breathing

Are you feeling stressed out these days? You are not alone. Nowadays, people from all walks of life feel stressed out from all the pressures hounding them everyday. People no longer have the pleasure of taking some time out and just do the things that will help them forget their deadlines and other important stuffs to do.

cope stress - Morning Breathing

One of the most simple and popular forms of relaxation is doing some physical exercise. These exercises will not only keep you healthy but it can also help you in loosening all those tense muscles and clear your minds of things that are bothering you.

cope stress - physical exercise

Doing some breathing exercise will help you relax, relieve stress, and reduce tension. It will decrease high blood pressure, fast breathing, and increased heart rate. One of its popular forms is the morning breathing.

Relive stress - morning breathing

It is best to try morning breathing when you wake up in the morning. It will clear your clogged nasal passages and relieve muscle stiffness. From a standing position, with knees bent, bend forward from the waist. Your arms hang close to the floor.

Relax - Morning breathing

Inhaling slowly and deeply, return to standing position by rolling up slowly, lifting your head last. Hold your breath for a few seconds in this position. Return to original position while exhaling slowly.

Roll Breathing

With all our daily activities, hectic schedules and mounting deadlines, getting stressed out cannot be avoided. Stress, nowadays is a part of life.

Roll Breathing - meditation

Working adults, stay-at-home moms, and even students sometimes feel the pressure and get stressed out. Being under pressure or stress can affect not only our work but also our health.

Roll breathing - practice in any position

It is best for us to take some time out and relax our minds and bodies. We can do some exercises that can rejuvenate our body and clear our minds. Breathing is one of the most practiced forms of exercise. They combine it breathing exercise when doing yoga, imagery and meditation.

Roll breathing is a form of breathing exercise that is utilized to develop the full use of the lungs and focus on the rhythm of one’s breathing. You can practice roll breathing in any position. It is advisable though that when you are just starting out, it is best to lie on your back while bending your knees.

Roll breathing - breathing exercise

Put your left hand on your belly and your right hand on your chest. Breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth. Remember to make a whooshing sound when breathing out. There are some beginners who will feel dizzy the first few times.

Breathing Exercises for Relaxation

Breathing exercises is the easiest and cost-free exercise methods that we can use so that we can be relaxed. It makes us feel relaxed because our mind and body feels relaxed at the same time.

Breathing Exercises for Relaxation

It has been said that deep breathing is one of the best ways to lower if not eradicate stress in the body. It is so because when we do deep breathing, the neurotransmitters will be sending message to our brain to calm down and relax.

deep breathing - Relaxation

The message will then be sent by our brain to our body relaying the information that we should relax.We should be aware that our breathing pattern affects our body functioning. Breathing exercises is a very good way of relieving stress and reduce tension. Also, this type of exercise is very easy to learn.

Relieving stress and reduce tension

You do not have to go to a gym and enroll yourself in a program because it can be done anytime and anywhere you want it. There are no special tools or equipment that will be used in doing this kind of exercise.

breathing exercises - Relaxation

Lastly, there are different breathing exercises and all you have to do is learn how to do it and you choose which style of breathing exercises will work for you.

Pilates Yoga

People nowadays are very interested to know what is the difference between pilates and yoga. Actually, both forms of exercises have a lot in common. The six principles in pilates is centering, concentration, control, precision, breath and flow.

Pilates - Yoga - cope stress

These principles can also be used to describe yoga. But in , to these principles, pilates and yoga also have differences and through this aspect, it made the two form of exercise such a great team.

Pilates and Yoga: cope stress

Pilates is more focused on strength of the body while yoga is more focused on stretching the body to make it more flexible. Pilates also includes stretching and yoga also develops strength but the only difference is on the emphasis, on how it is being carried out.

stretching and Yoga - pilates - cope stress

These two exercises also share the same steps and techniques on how to achieve a more strong and sturdy body without losing its flexibility.

Pilates and Yoga - cope stress

Benefits of yoga and pilates are extraordinary. Different people of different ages can also try these exercises. It does not only develop a long, strong and graceful bodies but it also supports the achievement of very high levels of body, mind and spirit fitness. Both of these exercises can be used to decrease feeling of stress and increase state of well-being.