How Yoga can help with Stress

Tense, nervous and anxious, we are caught up in the hellish grind that drives us inevitably into "stress," because our constant state of anxiety stops us from facing up to the relentless demands of modern life which, behind a friendly and comfortable exterior, conceals an inhuman machine and an unrelenting struggle for existence. Is it really surprising, then, that millions of people live with the depressing feeling that we are "out of step," overlaid by apparently impossible tasks with which we cannot possibly cope, and from which we can never escape.

Tranquilizers, or what is often referred to as the "happy" pills, bring temporary relief; but in the long run the cure is worse than the disease, since it does no more than damp down the roots of our anxiety and nervousness without eradicating it. There are two types of remedy, both preventive and curative: controlled breathing and relaxation. The latter is the most direct cure.

Relaxation is essential to true yoga, and without it there is no chance of happiness, peace, or health. Tense people, even when we have everything to make us happy, keep happiness at arm's length. Relaxation is also the source of creative thought. We should all learn to relax our bodies consciously every day for a few minutes, so that we remain relaxed afterward in any situation.

We must first understand the underlying techniques in order to grasp their purpose and apply them wisely. Then we can study the methods that lead toward this restful state, which is better than sleep itself. The art of relaxation can be acquired, and those experiencing the euphoria it brings for the first time find it to be an eye-opener. The body, which had become lifeless and heavy is limp and relaxed while the spirit seems to soar, freed from material affairs, and outside its earthly shell.

There are two types of muscle: First is the voluntary ones attached to the skeleton that allows us action and movement at will. They are able to contract and shorten with lightning speed when stimuli are applied to the relevant nerve; second, there are the plain or unstriped muscles, which surround the ducts of the body. These powerful muscles contract and relax slowly in automatic movements, and are free from voluntary control, although a yogi can reach a state where they can be controlled.

In relaxation it is the first group, with which we are concerned, and we must be careful to dissociate the muscle from the nerve that stimulates it to action. We may compare the muscle to an electromagnet and its nerve to the electric wire that connects it to the mains of the brain, and from there we can go on to examine the different states in which these voluntary muscles may be found.