The Value of Rest
“tranquility is the basis of all health”
According to Dr. Herbert Benson author of The Relaxation Response “The fight or flight response, your bodies reaction to stress, is like that of a fire station responding to a call. All the players need to be dressed in protective gear, equipped, and trained for firefighting…your blood pressure, breathing rate, and speed of metabolism increase; muscle tension also increases and your brain waves become more frequent and intense. On average, you will have a 300 to 400 percent increase in blood flow to the muscles of your arms and legs, all this so that you will effectively fight or flee. Most of the stresses we face daily are false alarms. Yet because the fight or flight response is a knee-jerk reaction , ingrained in us as it has been in human physiology for millions of years, we often cannot prevent the mobilization…the same adrenalin and noradrenalin can induce cardiac arrhythmias, lower ones threshold to pain, and contribute to higher levels of anxiety, depression, anger, and hostility”. Benson (1996).
I totally agree with Dr. Benson that most of the stresses we face today are false alarms. Yet our reactions turn negative because there is nothing really chasing us down, or no one to fight. For millions of years these responses would literally save our lives. Today if gone unchecked, they will take them. So how do we off- set this response within ourselves? One word: relaxation! Relaxation is a lost art that is well worth the effort to reclaim. There are a number of disciplines you can explore. The one that I have explored at great length is yoga. Yoga goes to the core of our stresses in our bodies and minds. Yoga is not a religion or cult, or even exercise per say, but a system of progressive relaxation. Allowing yourself to completely chill for 10-15 minutes every day will do more to enhance your health then most other things you do. In my opinion peace of mind is where all radiant health begins.
Yoga is an active scientific exploration towards inner peace. It is one body of work that has found expression through different styles. Experiment with an open mind until you find out which style works best for you. After finishing a yoga session you will feel very relaxed and centered, and never like you “have been worked over”. Incorporating yoga into your fitness routine is great way to start to break the vicious cycle of the fight or flight response.
Exercise helps to reduce stress, Yoga relaxes your entire nervous system, thereby relaxing all organs of the body, and in turn the mind. In Yoga philosophy, the concept of vinyasa means to place in a special way on the next step. I came upon this concept 15 years ago and completely changed the way I taught not only yoga but other fitness modalities. It shifted my teaching philosophy from that of “drill sergeant” to compassionate guide. In the words of T.K.V. Desikachar, “Our teachings first and foremost are based on the truth that each student must be taught according to her or his individual capacity at any given time. Each progresses in different ways, at different rhythms.” Desikachar and his father are world-renowned yoga teachers who have presented some of the most authentic, and popular styles of Yoga to the west. (Desikachar, 1995)
“our teachings first and formost are based on the truth that each and every student must be taught according to her or his indivudual capacity at any given time. Each progresses in different ways, and at different rhythms
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