Tag Archives: Management

Are Yoga and Meditation Good for My Brain? a Scientific Take on Stress Management

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Are Yoga and Meditation Good for My Brain? a Scientific Take on Stress Management

Copyright (c) 2007 SharpBrains

Yes!

Yoga, meditation, and visualization are all excellent ways to learn to manage your stress levels. Reducing stress, and the stress hormones, in your system is critical to your brain and overall fitness.

Why is this so? Its clear that our society has changed faster than our genes. Instead of being faced with physical, immediately life-threatening crises that demand instant action, these days we deal with events and illnesses that gnaw away at us slowly, without any stress release.

Dr. Robert Sapolsky, in an interview about his book Why Zebras Dont Get Ulcers, points out that humans uniquely can get stressed simply with thought, turning on the same stress response as does the zebra. But, the zebra releases the stress hormones through life-preserving action, while we usually just keep muddling along, getting more anxious by the moment.

Prolonged exposure to the adrenal steroid hormones like cortisol, released during the stress response, can damage the brain and block the formation of new neurons in the hippocampus, which is the key player in encoding new memories in your brain. Recent studies have shown these neurons can be regenerated with learning and environmental stimulation, but while short-term stress may improve attention and memory, chronic stress leads indirectly to cell death and hampers our ability to make changes and be creative enough to even think of possible changes to reduce the stress.

What are the best defenses against chronic stress?

- Exercise strengthens the body and can reduce the experience of stress, depression, and anxiety.

- Relaxation through meditation, tai chi, yoga, or other techniques to lower blood pressure, slow respiration, slow metabolism, and release muscle tension.

- Biofeedback programs that provide real-time information, allowing you to learn effective techniques for reducing stress levels.

- Empowerment, because attitudes of personal confidence and control of your environment resolve the stress response.

- Social network of friends, family, and even pets help foster trust, support, and relaxation.

If you want to learn more about the science behind these recommendations, you can enjoy these scientific papers:

- Bedard M, Felteau M, Mazmanian D, Fedyk K, Klein R, Richardson J, Parkinson W, Minthorn-Biggs MB. Pilot evaluation of a mindfulness-based intervention to improve quality of life among individuals who sustained traumatic brain injuries. Disabil Rehabil. 2003;25:722-31.

- Bremner JD. Traumatic stress: effects on the brain. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2006;8:445-61.

- Czeh B, Muller-Keuker JI, Rygula R, Abumaria N, Hiemke C, Domenici E, Fuchs E. Chronic Social Stress Inhibits Cell Proliferation in the Adult Medial Prefrontal Cortex: Hemispheric Asymmetry and Reversal by Fluoxetine Treatment. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2006 Dec 13; [Epub ahead of print].

- Warner-Schmidt JL, Duman RS. Hippocampal neurogenesis: opposing effects of stress and antidepressant treatment. Hippocampus. 2006;16:239-49.

- Sapolsky, RM. Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers (Owl Books; 2004). ISBN: 0805073698

Alvaro Fernandez is the CEO and Co-Founder of SharpBrains.com, which provides the latest science-based information for Cognitive Fitness and Cognitive Health, and has been recognized by Scientific American Mind, MarketWatch, Forbes, and more. Alvaro holds MA in Education and MBA from Stanford University, and teaches The Science of Brain Health at UC-Berkeley Lifelong Learning Institute. You can learn more at http://www.sharpbrains.com/

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Stress Management Exercises – 6 Simple Techniques

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Stress management exercises will be beneficial for you if you are feeling uptight and tense.

Stress is an everyday part of our lives, whether we like it or not. Stress can be good and bad.  It’s the bad stress that is concerning and if left un managed, can develop into depression and anxiety and wreak havoc on your health and your relationships.

What is it in your life that is causing you stress? Is it your job, your partner, your kids, your workload or all of the above. Some things we just can’t get out of (like raising the kids) but there are other area’s of our lives that we do have control over. If there are any changes you can make to help ease the stress, then make them. Change your job, or change the people you hang out with, if they are a drag. No-one controls your life except you!

First thing I did was to implement some stress management exercise. Here’s some idea’s:

1. Meditation – Easy
2. Gentle exercise
3. Stretching
4. Yoga
5. Laughing
6. Deep breathing

Make the time to do some stress management exercises, you will feel the benefits, I promise, even if it’s only deep breathing, which by the way is fantastic for making you feel instantly better.

While doing some exercising is most beneficial, it won’t cure the root cause of your stress or anxiety. You will need some additional help. Second thing I did, was seek out a good program to help me find the cause and get rid of my stress.

I found a wonderful all natural stress conquering program which helped me to see why my stress was making me feel so bad and gave me techniques to help me recover.  This is what the program will do for you:

Discover the root cause of your anxiety, stress or depression Give you solutions to your pain, eg: headaches, backaches, muscle aches and tension Find out why you keep suffering, easy to do techniques to break the loop Resolve your negative behaviors Ways to get your motivation back Plus much much more

I have discovered a far better way to live than a life filled with stress and anxiety. All it takes is a commitment to yourself to find the resolutions to overcome your obstacles. If you are living a stress filled life, make some simple decisions, that will change your life for the better. For more information on resolving your stress, go to www.conqueringstress.info.

www.wilddivine.com Stress Management Techniques are the core concept behind the inneractive exercises in Healing Rhythms. Be able to manage stress is an important part of our daily life. Whether you prefer a quest or guided meditation practice, there is a Wild Divine title for you. Visit www.wilddivine.com to read more about Healing Rhythms steps to a more balanced life featuring the expert guidance of Deepak Chopra, Andrew Weil, Dean Ornish among others inspirational leaders in the lifestyle movement, biofeedback, meditation and further information on stress management. For more from the Wild Divine, be sure to subscribe or add us as a friend. The Wild Divine can be found on myspace at http

Teaching Yoga for Teen Stress Management – What Parents Should Know

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Are you looking for an alternative method, instead of a prescription, for your stressed-out teenager, at home? If you have researched natural methods to lower the levels of anxiety, and stress – Yoga is probably a top consideration, by now.
Before you make any quick decisions, you should discuss your options with your primary care or family physician. If you do not like what you hear, you can always get a second or third opinion. Sometimes, a prescription is a solution, but prescriptions can have side effects, so you want to be aware of all of them.
You can research any prescribed drug by entering the name of the drug, in a search engine, on the Internet. You will find details, forums, or lists of common, and not so common, side effects. You can also check with Web MD.
This is not meant to scare you, but to help you make an informed decision. There are times, when the local pharmacist knows more about the side effects of a prescription than anyone. So, it is worth your while to discuss the subject with him or her.
Prescribed medicine may also be addictive. In order to lower stress levels, CNS (central nervous system) depressants can be prescribed to slow the brain functions down. Some of these are very addictive, so this may be a temporary solution. Yet, prescription medicines are also life savers. Due to the quick results, prescription medicine may be your first choice.
In comparison, Yoga has no such side effects, but the positive results may take weeks or months to see. Depending upon the situation, Yoga may be used as an adjunctive therapy at first. Later on, Yoga may become the primary therapy for stress management.
Yoga has many uses, but establishing family bonds is a valuable part of the practice. What should you do if the family ties between a parent and child were not so strong to start with? Sometimes, a parent and teen are complete strangers to each other.
For example: What if the family became separated, went through a divorce, if the children were brought up by a day care system, or if one of the parents was so career-oriented that family ties were not a priority? It is never too late to re-establish family ties, but there is much repair to be done.
Yoga, and other non-competitive activities, give both parties a chance for joint participation, without an adult being portrayed as the controlling parent or teacher. Activities, which are non-competitive, such as Yoga, give both parent and teen some “breathing room.”
One point for estranged parents to be aware of is – it takes time and a long-term commitment to develop strong family ties. Joint participation, in Yoga classes, gives time to repair the relationship. At the same time, Yogic philosophy guides teens to develop many good health practices.
In Hatha Yoga classes, careful alignment of the spine is emphasized, muscles are strengthened, the body becomes balanced, flexibility is enhanced, and a sound mind is developed.
The value of a healthy spine is overlooked, by those who are lucky enough to take it for granted, but it is a crucial nervous center. The spinal maintenance aspect is a valuable habit to learn at a young age. Yoga practice helps to create some space between the vertebrae, thus extending the life of our spine, and helping us to stay pain free in our later years.
With all the emphasis on good health, and developing awareness, teens that practice Yoga are less likely to be pressured into substance abuse or “following the leader.”
As teens approach adulthood, some of the best gifts parents can bestow on them, beside love, are: Establishing good health habits, the ability to see things as they are, and the ability to think for themselves. Yoga prepares teens for all of their challenges.
Copyright 2008 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA. He is an author of many books on the subject of Yoga and has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995.

http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org

laughteryoga.org – Dr. Madan Kataria, founder of laughter yoga clubs explains how Laughter Yoga helps to reduce physical stress, mental stress and emotional stress in the business world. It will help to improve the performance increase the efficiency and business outcome.

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Meditation Is The Only Stress Management Activity

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Stress management can be spiritual or secular. The combination of spiritual and secular activities can be a perfect tool for stress management activities.

As far as spiritual activities are concerned, take to the universally accepted technique- meditation! A better tool has yet to be found for stress management. It not only eliminates your present stress, it takes the stress out of your life for all times to come.

Do you think that an individual is a self-contained personality? It is proved beyond doubt that you use less than 5% of the actual powerhouse that you are! The rest of the energy is not utilized by a human being! You can activate through meditation, as you reach the higher levels, brain chemicals that slow your aging process and dramatically increase your functional life. Through medication you can have the inner vision and mind-blowing experiences.

You may wonder, how meditation could be one of the stress management activities! In fact, it is not just one of the stress management activities. It is the only one! Other techniques are kindergarten stuff before this ultimate tool of stress management. Meditation kindles the light within.

Take this example, and try to understand the benefits of meditation as a tool that controls the stress. Suppose you enter a dark room and switch on the tube light. Then, it is not necessary for you to inform or urge the darkness to go away. The moment light arrives, darkness goes automatically.

Similarly, the moment the light experience takes hold on you, the negative tendencies will fall apart, automatically. They move out, without being told. Light and darkness can not stay at the same place. Similarly, stress and peace of mind cannot walk together. Can two persons walk together, except they be agreed?

What are the universally accepted negative tendencies of an individual? Prominent among the galaxy of negative traits are, anger, fear, anxiety, sadness and greed. These simple looking negativities, are deeply entrenched within you, and you have to go their roots to remove them. The positive qualities like creativity, improved focus and concentration can meet the challenge of stress effectively.

Listening to soothing music, and inspiring talks through video/audio cassettes, has found a prominent place among the stress management activities.

In the final analysis, stress management is all about understanding your mind. Engage it in a frank silent talk. It has the habit of not listening to you and running its own way. You can check it through meditation and begin to control it. In the end, I will assure you, that it has no other option but to surrender at your feet!

I will also caution you that it will do so, after lots of struggle and by offering you stiff resistance, at every stage!

http://www.aboutstressmanagement.com/stressrelief/ & Stress Management provides detailed information on stress management, ways to manage stress, stress management tips and more.

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Kids Yoga: Stress Management Sessions for Children

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Let’s think about it: Being a kid these days is not what it used to be. If you grew up watching “Leave it to Beaver,” you cannot really relate to the current peer pressure, multi-tasking, sub-par education programs, and daily distractions that our children and grandchildren accept as part of daily life.
Family structure is not what it used to be either. Many children live in single parent households. This has become a painful fact of life for children to accept growing up without both of their parents. The family unit has changed and parents need practical solutions a lot more than criticism or a lecture.
Peer pressure in school is much more than just drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol. Children are harassed by their peers, over every issue, including the clothes they wear. These days, children are pressured into pretending they are rich or joining a gang. This causes children more stress, at an early age, than they need.
So, what is a caring parent to do? Kids Yoga is one answer. Yoga classes for children offer a positive refuge from life outside the Yoga studio. Just by stretching muscles, deep breathing, laughing, getting proper exercise, learning how to relax, meditating, and playing “Yoga games,” a child can be a kid again.
Kids Yoga allows a child to deal with daily stress. Each time a child enters a Yoga class for kids, he or she can “close the door” on negative feelings that stress overload brings. Children who attend Yoga classes have one common thread: Their parents care about their well being.
It is not easy for children to socialize with other “good kids,” at a time when physical education, recess, children’s programs, manners, and social skills are being placed “on the back burner.” Yet the structure of a Yoga class allows children to bond, socialize, learn, and improve their lives, with new life skills.
Yoga classes are usually non-competitive, but a parent can easily observe just to make sure. Competition is everywhere, but there is no need for it in Yoga or any form of Mind and Body health maintenance.
Lastly, Yoga has many benefits for both genders. Yoga is good for both boys and girls to learn. The physical skills and knowledge will carry over into other hobbies and sports. Most of today’s elite athletes learn Yoga for cross training purposes. An athlete, who is flexible, strong, and calm under fire, is a formidable opponent. This is the reason why so many of the world’s professional sports teams cross train their players and teach them Yoga.
Copyright 2007 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995.

http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org

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