What is stress?
“Stress is the body's reaction to feeling threatened or under pressure. It's very common and can be motivating to help us achieve things in our daily life, and can help us meet the demands of home, work and family life.
But too much stress can affect our mood, our body and our relationships – especially when it feels out of our control. It can make us feel anxious and irritable and affect our self-esteem.”
Stress can be interpreted in many different ways. As stated above from the NHS website, stress is a bodily reaction to certain feelings. In other cases, stress is defined as an emotional response to external factors as detailed in the Oxford English Dictionary definition, “emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances" such as work-related issues, relationship issues, studying or moving home etc.
Regardless of interpretation, anatomically it is known that when we experience a stressful situation or trauma, the Autonomic Nervous System, which is ‘independent (autonomic) of the conscious mind’ (Parker, 2019) activates the Sympathetic Division, causing the body to respond in certain ways. The adrenal gland produces the stress hormone known as cortisol which can contribute to symptoms of anxiety, is just one anatomical response of many.
What are the positive and negative effects of stress?
Society today often associates ‘stress’ with having only a negative impact on the mind and body, but without ‘stress’ actively creating a response from the Sympathetic Nervous System, also known as our ‘fight of flight’ response we could struggle to survive as a species.
The positive effects of stress help us to be alert and aware in dangerous situations, allowing our survival instincts to kick in. Likewise, with the secretion of adrenaline and noradrenaline, it makes us able to meet deadlines, stay alert for exams and remain competitive in challenging situations. With the ‘fight or flight’ system controlling the release of endorphins too, which allow us to feel excitement and happiness, the anatomical association with stress isn’t all bad.
The negative effects of stress are somewhat different and can be quite immobilising for some. IBS and other digestive problems can often be caused by stress, as the stomach produces fewer digestive enzymes when the sympathetic nervous system is active.
The long term damage caused when the stress hormone is secreted ready for use, but is often not used, for example when we feel really anxious or nervous about what we think will be an uncomfortable meeting, that turns out to be a pleasant experience, can cause a lasting affect to our health. Conditions such as, high blood pressure, stroke, respiratory disorders, eating disorders, skin problems are a common outcome of repeated stress in a person’s life. Less commonly known too, but something that I have experienced personally are health issues with my reproductive organs. HPV of the cervix is an ever-growing virus that attacks the cells of the cervix, which are weakened due to a woman often having experienced trauma or heightened stressful situations in her life.
How does relaxation and conscious breathing reduce the negative effects of stress?
The second part of the Autonomic Nervous System is the Parasympathetic Division, the ‘rest and digest’ response. When we are relaxed and the parasympathetic division is activated, our bodily functions respond with positive affect such as heart rate slowing down, liver is able to store glucose and we are able to digest food more efficiently.
With yoga practices, such as relaxation and conscious breathing, we are actively stimulating the parasympathetic division to help calm the mind and relax the body and as Swanson (2019) states ‘Yoga practices are shown to reduce cortisol levels’, the body secretes less of the cortisol hormone, helping us to balance out the negative effects of the sympathetic division.
“In order to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system via our respiratory system we need to adopt either belly or diaphragmatic breathing” states McGonigle (2020). Sending our breath to this region naturally slows down the inhalation and exhalation, stills the mind and brings us to a sense of calm. Being present in this sense of calm is what helps to reduce the negative effects of stress. McGonigle (2020) goes on to explain the relevance of ‘belly breathing’ with the vagus nerve (the predominant nerve of the Parasympathetic Nervous System) as “the pressure exerted on the abdominal cavity also stimulates the vagus nerve as it travels through the abdomen” which helps us to “calm and restore the effects of the sympathetic nervous system”.
Likewise, with conscious breathing exercises, such as ‘belly breathing’, Bee breath or breath with movement, most forms of relaxation techniques reduce the negative effects of stress too. Autogenic relaxation “is a relaxation method producing deeply relaxed, peaceful states of mind and body” (Willis, 2020) by maintaining slow deep breaths which in turn helps to stabilise the heart rate.
Another method of relaxation follows Patanjali’s 8 limbs of Yoga. ‘Dhārāna’ translated to ‘concentration’ (Carrera, 2017) is the practice of focusing ‘our attention on something other than what causes you stress’ (Gibson, 2020) which can be very useful for stress relief. Allowing our minds to focus on one object, allows the chattering mind to be still, the breath naturally slows down, as does the heart rate and any stressful thoughts can melt away into the distance as we hold our focus on one object.
How might breathing and relaxation techniques need to be adapted for different individuals?
Sufferers of anxiety, nervousness, hyperventilation or panic attacks should always be guided towards calmer and quieter breathing practices. Sending the breath into the abdomen and focusing on the diaphragmatic movement with the breath can help to diffuse anxiety. Breath practices such as kapalabhati or bhastrika should be avoided for these individuals as they are faster paced and can make students feel panicked with the shortened breath.
Asthma sufferers will require breathing practices to be adapted for their needs. Focussing on the breath can increase anxiety in asthmatics, so it’s often best to draw attention away from the breath and focus on movement or sensations in the body. Consideration should also be given to those with colds or hayfever, where breathing through the nose can be difficult and to overcome it, simply allowing the breath to flow through the mouth instead of the nose can help.
Some visualisation-based relaxation techniques can be tricky if individuals have suffered from previous traumas, that can sometimes resurface if the point of visualisation is a trigger. For example, Saradananda (2011) suggests using ‘Visualising your Mind as a Lake’ meditation to help clear any blockages in the Swadisthana chakra. I would be cautious of teaching a relaxation or meditation technique like this in a class as it is possible that a student may have a past trauma, relating to that visualisation.
Similarly, individuals who suffer with depression should avoid long relaxation practices, visualisations or yoga nidra as these can sometimes lower mood even further. To adapt and include these individuals in the practice still, we can introduce shorter relaxations to no longer than 15 minutes.
Conclusion
‘Stress’ is something that affects everyone at some point in their life. I believe that yoga is a brilliant tool to help neutralise the negative effects of stress.
As someone who often responds to life stresses in a heightened and anxious way, using breathing practices and relaxation techniques daily help me to reduce my conditioned response to stress.
I have witnessed the medical impacts of stress on my body, as mentioned previously with the HPV virus infecting my cervix and that when stress impacts our bodies on a cellular level, the cells become receptors to the stress and almost seek out more stress to feed them, which in turn makes you stressed from the inside out! Learning to manage my stress and stress responses has been fundamental on my journey to begin healing my body from the damage that stress has caused, and I’m only 32! Some people have gone through their entire lives, almost to retirement age, not recognising the damage that stress can cause them medically and anatomically. It’s this that really drives me to become a yoga teacher. I’m passionate about helping others to recognise the impacts of stress and give people the tools to help manage their stress, even if they only use it when they come to class once a week, it still helps to build some awareness.
Swenson (2017) sums up the relationship between yoga and stress beautifully;
“Yoga is a place of refuge and a soothing balm for the stresses of modern life.”