Yoga for Women: Seven Simple Self Care Steps To Overcome Stress and Relax

Be honest. Much as you enjoy life have you ever woken up, feeling jaded, tired and desperate to spend a little longer in bed? Your body aches and you don't have the energy to wake up and get up?
In the back of your mind you know you have to get up yet the thought of facing your day makes you sigh and snuggle deeper into your duvet.

Maybe your eyes feel puffy, your nose bunged up, shoulders ache and you feel bloated and heavy. Perhaps your body is screaming out for you to stop, unwind and rest yet you ignore your aches and pains and carry on.

As a busy mum, three active teen daughters and running my business I often feel like this. And as my girls will tell you, I snap at them, get ratty, lose my calm and generally carry on like a drama queen. It isn't funny. You love what you do. Get a buzz from running your own business and being in charge of your life, but lately it feels too much, you are too tired, too stressed and tired of running on auto-pilot?

As a business woman it is hard for you to find time to care for yourself.

Work, family commitments and social obligations are your first priority. Making time for you - to have a spot of Me-Time seems like a luxury.

Well, believe it or not, given the multitude of things you do, it is essential you find time during your day to care for and nurture yourself.

All of this running around takes it toll on your health.

When was the last time you cooked an evening meal and ate it with your family; at the dining table, undisturbed by the television, Facebook/twitter updates or text messages?
If this sounds like you, don't' worry. Stress relief is on its way.

You Matter

It Is Time To Stop Running Around After Everyone

You are your business. You matter. It is possible to cut the purse-strings and put your self first. It is possible to be self-ish and give your self a taste of the love, care and attention you so freely give to others, yet somehow fail to give to yourself.

Here are seven simple steps you can follow to care and nurture yourself.

1. Breathe: In yoga and meditation we are taught to live in the present, to focus on a single thought, mantra or posture. If you apply this to your daily life, when you feel stuck, tired, overwhelmed and tired, stop what you are doing, take a deep breath in through your nose and slowly breathe out. Do this 3-5 times and you will instantly feel calmer, clearer and more able to refocus and complete the task in hand.

2. Rest: Rest is vital to your health and wellbeing. Learn to incorporate a few simple relaxation techniques, such as self massage into your daily routine. For instance, give yourself a hand massage at lunch time or simple facial massage feet before your go to bed.

3. Exercise: A few gentle yoga stretches at the beginning of your day helps to energise and awaken your body. During the day practice chair yoga stretches to ease tension from your neck and shoulders.

4. Attitude: Your attitude, way you respond or react to certain situations makes a difference. Aim to develop a positive attitude, to see the glass as half full and recognise the good in all situations.

5. Take Time-Out: Give yourself permission to take time-out during your day. Take a day-off. Book a massage, have a private yoga lesson, meditate or just unplug everything for 10 minutes and sit quietly focusing on your breath.

6. Healthier Options. Learn to choose healthier options when doing things. For example, where possible walk instead of taking the car or bus, make healthier snack time choices; substitute your early morning doughnut and coffee with a packet of raw nuts and raisins and herbal tea; sip water instead of fizzy drinks; try to go to bed 20 minutes earlier and wake up 10 minutes earlier to stretch and ease yourself into your day.

7. Embrace Life. This is essential. Life is for living. Even on days when all hell breaks loose and everything feels out of control and out of alignment, find something good in the madness and celebrate that moment. Without simple enjoyment life is harder and the journey long.
You are important. You matter. So whenever you feel manic, overwhelmed, frustrated, tired and weary, just remember to Breathe. To chose one of the above seven self-care steps - and allow yourself to rest, relax and recharge. You will feel vibrant, refocused and more able to enjoy being with your family and feeling positive and productive at work.

Yoga Relaxation Tip If you are reading this and feeling energised and keen to learn more about the positive benefits of yoga and meditation, then I would like to invite you to visit my blog at
 http://www.yogainspires.co.uk and sign up for my Free 7-Day Yoga, Self-Care and Relaxation eCourse -for busy women at http://yogainspires.co.uk/marvellousyou/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ntathu_Allen

How Can Yoga Help in Dealing With Stress?

Along with a state of mental discomfort, there is also an almost tangible feeling of anxiety and restlessness associated with the term stress. There are numerous ways to beat stress, but Yoga is one of the best proven techniques to combat and prevent chronic stress.

Yoga brings about mental tranquility and a physically calming effect that helps to de-stress your body by mollifying your mind and undoing the tension in your muscles. Overall, yoga helps in the following ways:

• Reducing heart rate
• Loosening wound up muscles
• Increasing the supply of oxygen into the body
• Reduces anxiety

There are 4 Yoga techniques that work in curbing stress:

Breathing- Correct breathing forms the very basis of Yoga, in fact there are separate yoga asanas (postures) centered entirely around breathing. Kapalbhati and Pranayama are two asanas that helps you to breathe deeply and expel the bad air from the body. When you are stressed, you tend to take short and shallow breaths, leading to a deprivation of oxygen in the body and which further clouds your brain.

Such deep breathing related yoga asana helps you to relax and calm your mind.

Stretching- Doing yoga on a regular basis increases the flexibility in the muscles. When you are stressed your muscles tenses up and become taught, especially that of your neck and back. Stretching helps to unwind this heaviness and increase the flow of blood to the body and hence the brain.

Rolling your neck in a 360 degree, while simultaneously putting pressure on your neck is a quick way to relax.

Meditation- Meditating for half an hour twice a day has immense health benefits. First off, you need to learn the basic of meditation, which depends upon the correct posture and your chosen method. Some people meditate to a low intensity music or sound, like that of rain drops or clock ticking, while others focus on an object or sometime on a thought.

Yogic meditation is not very different from the modern-day meditation that most people engage in. In both cases, you need to sit upright, breathe correctly and shift your focus towards the desired object.

Some Yoga postures that help in reducing Stress

Pranayama- Sit upright preferably on the floor or chair and breathe in deeply till your full capacity. Now slowly exhale till all the air has been expelled out of your body. Repeat for at least 20 times.

Dradhasana- Lie on your side and keep a hand underneath your head like you would have kept a pillow.

Now align your body so that you are laying in a straight line, close your eyes and give each part of your body the command to relax starting with your toes and moving upwards.

Alternate Breathing- Sit upright, slightly tilting your face downward, now take your ring finger and place it on your left nostril and breathing in deeply through your right. Now alternate with the right nostril and repeat this at least 10 times.

My name is Mulyadi Kurnia. I am a practitioner of meditation and yoga and has been experiencing the benefits of the practices. For more information on stress management tips, visit http://www.stopstressandanxiety.com, http://www.howtotreatanxiety.preferredmall.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mulyadi_Kurnia