By James Cassa
Many alternative therapies, and people that practice them, offer cures for various maladies. I believe this to be a wrong approach. After all dealing with effects, not the cause , is a sure way to failure. I prefer a more wholistic approach. Focus on health. Yoga has been the pathway to vibrant health and energy for me. Oh yes, it helped with my panic attacks too. Here is an overview of how it worked for me.
The ease of the environmentYoga alters your stress levels towards the environment. It works like this. Place yourself in a stressful place and observe yourself. You may notice the following physical and emotional states.
- Increase in heart rate.
- Breath becomes shallow and rapid. Holding the breath is common when shocked or in a fearful emotional state.
- Body becomes tense. Check for tension in the jaw, shoulders and neck. Cutting down circulation.
- Posture drops. An erect spine turns into curved spine.
-Head and eyes tend to look down self confidence leaves.
What's happening here is the body tunes into and mimics the environment. It's as if the body wants to match the environment. Match it in emotion and physical rigidity. Now let's do one more. Imagine your body in a peaceful environment. For example on a beautiful sandy beach on a warm sunny day. Not too many people around. This is a positive, peaceful and healthy environment. Take a moment and mentally observe yourself on the beach. You may notice the following.
+ Heart rate slows down.
+ Breath becomes deep and exhalation is a little longer then inhalation.
+ Body feels relaxed. Facial muscles at ease. Shoulders totally relaxed. Circulation to all body parts flows easily.
+ Posture is straight. Creates a feeling of self confidence.
The environment impacts the mind and body. In turn our health is influenced. Is it making sense so far?
My 3 health pillarsThis is a Health program that I use. It works for me. I have separated my health program into 3 parts to make comprehension easier. Each part complements the other.
Body movement, internal and external
Body movement is essential to health. Sometimes getting some movement into our busy day, others may call it exercise , can be challenging. Lifestyle in the 21st century does not encourage our body to move. We can design our own movement program to overcome this. This , in a nutshell, is where yoga worked for me.
The fundamentals of movement are of two types. Internal and external. External muscles such as the arms, legs and back for example. Internal muscles such as the lungs, heart, and digestion. The best movement programs place emphasis on both the internal and external muscles. When was the last time you thought about how well your digestion was working? What about how efficiently your lungs are taking oxygen into the bloodstream? This is done automatically of course. Without our conscious participation. This is a major reason why we neglect our health. Our automatic body systems work, usually, so well in the beginning we take them for granted. This can lead to neglect. In some cases even abuse. I strongly believe our bodies cannot handle the stress of the 21st century. When a person undergoes continuous ongoing stress the body starts to break down.
Panic attacks are common in modern society. They were all too common for me. It for this reason I turned to yoga. It helped my health in general and with the dreaded panic attacks I experienced.
Deep restful relaxation
Did you know there is a machine that measures brain activity? It is called an EEG machine. EEG stands for electroencephalograph. Our brains have a tendency to produce brain waves of various states. One common state is called the 'alpha' brain wave state. As we close our eyes and relax brain activity slows down. Alpha brain wave frequency when measured is from 8 to 13 Hertz. When alpha waves become dominant throughout the brain the sensations of calm and pleasantness result. People who are healthy and stress free produce a lot of alpha activity.
There is a way to get into the alpha state consciously. It can be done through a technique called progressive restful relaxation. Progressive restful relaxation takes the body to a deep level of ease and calmness. It produces an alpha state. Dr Herbert Benson explains this well in his book 'The Relaxation Response'. Some major benefits with progressive relaxation are less wear and tear on the body, increased circulation, and a sense of inner calm.
Healthy breathingAn automatic activity like breathing is too often taken for granted. Think of the following health factors and how intertwined breathing is with them.
- Poor posture. Weak muscles of the chest 'cave-on'. This results in shallow breathing.-Shallow , rapid , uneven breathing limits the possibility of an expansive , relaxed nature. It's hard to be relaxed and calm when you find breathing difficult.
A major reason why many of us are unaware of basic health building principles is because we had no one to sit down and take the time to explain it to us. Understanding increases our awareness. Greater awareness leads to greater choice. It can also lead to greater energy levels. I found out the hard way it is not how much I know but how much energy I have that makes a difference.
For most of us Fantastic vibrant health is more of a dream than a reality. Imagine having lots of energy to do what you want to do. So I wind up this article by wishing you the best of health.
Yoga is an aid, not a cure, for panic attacks. A powerful system that will help you create the health that you're after. The health that you deserve. The health that you can have.
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posted by Cheryl Levesque @ 1:15 PM
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