How To De-Stress

It's only been one full month of school, but I'm already drowning in stress. Luckily, I've decided to find ways to quell my stress storm and I'd like to share a couple of thoughts with you. Lately, I've been focused on meditation and deep breathing, so I thought what better way to breath deeply than Yoga or Tai Chi?

Yoga originated about 26,000 years ago in India and has strong ties with Buddhism. The practice of yoga is about balancing the body energy known as chakras, of which there are seven in all.  There are yoga poses that match with each of the different energy levels. More than just improving your stress level, yoga can have effects in different areas such as flexibility, strength, balance, and stamina. In order to prevent injuries when first starting yoga, it's best to attend a class with a trained instructor.

There are many types of yoga, but for this article I'm only going to highlight a two different variations. A traditional form of yoga that focuses on gentle poses, meditation, and achieving a deep sense of relaxation is known as Satyananda. This type is ideal for anyone looking for stress relief, and particularly suited for beginners. Yoga isn't just about relaxation, however, and has a very strong tie to the body and controlling muscles. If you want to relax as well as exercise, then try power yoga. Power yoga has intense poses, and focuses more on fitness than relaxation.

In my current yoga class so far we have done both relaxation and power routines. Even though I'm a beginner I love the light, cleansed feeling I get when we finish a routine. However, the other day I walked by a Tai Chi class and I was immediately mesmerized by their movements, because it looked so foreign to me.

My discovery is that Tai Chi is another good alternative to de-stress. Tai Chi comes from an ancient Chinese form of martial arts, although today it is mostly used as a low-impact form of exercise. Tai Chi is a series of slow, fluid body movements. The purpose of these type of movements is to enhance relaxation, concentration, and help circulate the movement of vital energy throughout the body. 

Tai Chi is based on the idea that wellness and relaxation require that the body's bio energy, or ‘Qi,' flows smoothly throughout the body. The muscle movements of Tai Chi are designed to stimulate the flow of the Qi through the body and other organs. Tai Chi has body postures that have spinal alignment designed to release tension, improve the digestive system and remove stress from the back.

Like meditation and yoga, Tai Chi focuses on the importance of breathing. Even though there are set poses and movements, breathing is important to the de-stressing. A healthy breathing pattern is a three count inhalation with a five count exhalation. However, you should do whatever is best for you.

For both Tai Chi and yoga, it is important to focus the mind's attention in the present moment in stead of letting it wander to other typical daily problems that plague the mind constantly. Instead of letting your mind wander with thoughts like, "I haven't finished that paper yet," or "I still have fifty pages of reading left," it's best to focus on breathing. Sometimes, yoga or Tai Chi instructors will suggest that you have a mantra, which is a word or phrase that acts as a concentration aide, and comes from Buddhism. A traditional buddhist mantra practiced in yoga is ‘Aum' meaning Spirit, the Word of God, which creates, preserves, and transforms.

This information just skims the surface of the different variations of both yoga and Tai Chi, and if it sparks an interest, check out a class. Tai Chi classes are offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11:10 a.m., and yoga classes are at 6:30 p.m. Check with the instructor to see if there is open space, and then prepare to let your stress slip away.