Three-minute Ayurvedic stress reliever
by Ananga Sivyer
Stress is everywhere. We know it’s unhealthy and we know the conditions it can lead to.
Many of us feel we really should do something about it, but the trouble with stress is that when we’re in it’s grip it’s difficult to do much about anything.
Meditation, relaxation and visualization are the standard recommendations for reducing stress. They are beneficial and useful, but are not so easy to put into use when stress strikes with it’s disruptive companions: frustration, confusion, and anxiety.
Learn this simple Ayurvedic self-treatment and you can diffuse stress quickly and easily, anytime and anywhere:
1. Rub your forehead with both hands in vertical lines from your eyebrows to your hairline for a few moments.
2. About an inch above each eyebrow you will find a bump –- rest your fingertips there lightly and hold.
3. Take a deep breath in and lighten the pressure of your fingertips until they are only softly touching those points.
4. Breathe deeply again and allow yourself to sink into how you are really feeling right now -– focus clearly and specifically on the one thing that is mainly causing you stress, or anxiety.
5. Allow yourself to think the truth of the matter, hold the points and breathe and remain that way for a couple of minutes.
6. Concentrate on the area you are holding and feel for pulsations under your fingertips as the blood flow, previously diverted by stress, is restored to your forebrain. Now you can begin to think clearly again as you feel stress drain away and find yourself in control and able to choose how you wish to respond to what’s at hand.
What many of us don’t realize about stress is that although it is often triggered by our mental states and emotional responses, it is a physical occurrence. The body responds directly to every impression we feed it, real or imagined. If you tell your body that you are stressed, it will respond immediately by sending the majority of the blood from your forebrain to your chest so you can breathe faster and pump blood more efficiently through your heart and to the muscles of your legs for whatever action they may need to take.
When you consider this automatic physical response it’s easy to see why we don’t always think well under stress.
Use the simple Ayurvedic stress-reversal exercise for:
- Diffusing stress on the spot and stopping it from accumulating.
- Easing worries.
- Regaining control of your resources and having access to your full capacity for dealing with any given situation.
- Preventing the digestive disorders associated with stress. (Use this before eating to make sure that your digestive system is ready and willing to receive the goodness from your food in a calm and efficient manner.)
- Relaxing and clearing your mind before sleep.
- Inducing a feeling of calm from which you can then step deeper into a meditative or relaxed state.
About the Author:
Ananga Sivyer is a writer for LifeScape magazine and author of The Art and Science of Emotional Freedom. Subscribe to her ezine and get a free copy of her Energy Balance e-book.
