Healthy Living Series: Reduce Stress with Yoga and Protect Your Memory

Stress can contribute to a number of medical problems and create health concerns over the short and long term. When the body is under stress for any reason, powerful hormones called adrenaline and cortisol are released into the body to help cope with the stress. However, the long-term impact of continued stress can be pronounced, as our bodies were not designed to be under high levels of stress for long periods of time. To keep a healthy balance in the body and mind, it is important to take steps to reduce stress levels and protect your memory.

Understand Your Triggers

It’s important to understand what triggers a stress response and how that response manifests in your body. Stress can affect people in different ways and can produce a variety of effects on the body. Think about how your body feels when you are under stress. Which part of your body feels the most tension? Do you feel your heart race? Do you lose your temper with people more readily when under stress? A stress response could be something as simple as a feeling of tightness in the stomach or in the throat. Stress is also directly correlated with aging-related illnesses such as dementia and Alzheimer’s so knowing your triggers can help you avoid them.

Try Yoga to Reduce Stress, Avoid Age-Related Illnesses, and Stay Healthy

Exercise is a great way to de-stress, and yoga is designed to help you find instant relaxation. Studies have consistently shown that practicing yoga daily can help you regain more balance in your life, stay healthy, and reduce stress. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Yoga is a mind-body practice that combines stretching exercises, controlled breathing, and relaxation. Yoga can help reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and improve heart function.”

Yoga typically involves slow movements, stretching, and other techniques meant to calm the mind and relax the body, so it is typically an ideal exercise for people of all ages, as it is easy on the joints and other areas of the body.

How to Stay Healthy and Reduce Stress with Yoga and Meditation

There are many different styles and types of yoga that can be used to help you maintain your health, get fit, and reduce stress levels. Combining your favorite style of yoga with meditation is a winning recipe for reducing levels of stress and anxiety and subsequently diminishing the risk of contracting age-related illnesses. Using these two techniques can also help improve your overall sense of well-being and your mood. If you have been diagnosed with a chronic condition, yoga can also help you cope and manage conditions like heart disease, depression, high blood pressure, insomnia, anxiety, and chronic pain.

Shasta Orthopaedics now offers weekly yoga classes. Sign up for a class today to experience the healing benefits and stress-relief of regular yoga sessions.