Recession Meditation

Stress is finding its way into every layer of life. All the more reason to start or continue the holistic practices of Yoga, pranayama (deep breathing), meditation and Pranic Healing. These are the healthy choice alternatives that we cannot afford to set aside during these trying times!

The current recession amounts to mental stress, which will impact your thoughts, dreams, imagination and daily attitude - personally and professionally. Resorting to smoking or drinking or eating is neither healthy or realistic, for it only creates additional stress.

Recession stress is mental, which directly impacts your body. So the body needs some calming attention, to maintain balance throughout your entire being.

This is where Yoga comes in. I have list here are a few approaches that are easy to either introduce or continue in your life during these trying times. But more importantly, these lifestyle approaches will help you keep not just our head above water, but guide you towards a firm footing.

-Prana Therapy: With all the job cuts, increase in gas and food prices, company closings and the like, our future seems limited. To survive, many feel compelled to work harder, which increases their stress levels. With Prana Therapy you can de-stress your mind by changing your breath, which then changes your energy levels. Once balanced, you become a more effective thinker and do'er, more confident and relaxed in your daily interactions.

This inner harmony then manifests in how you interact with employees and employers, so enhancing your performance and productivity on every level. A weekly Yoga class that includes Prana Therapy - like here at Hamsa Yogashala - will increase your 'game' within a month.

-Do Balancing Poses: It’s easy to get caught up in work related problems and so ignore your personal life. When this happens, you need to 'build awareness' find finding balance.

Yoga's balancing poses keep you aware of the imbalances in life; this happens because the body’s de-stress mechanism is brought to the surface during a Yoga class.

For example, while practicing Natrajasana (Dancer pose) or Vrikshasana (Tree pose), we stand in a way that is not completely balanced, prompting our central nervous system to find balance - which means getting toned and strong, from the inside out.

-Yoga Sleeping: In Yoga, there is a deep relaxation, guided meditation pose called Yoganidra. It is a complete approach to health and fitness through meditation.

Yoganidra encourages the body to let go and relax deeply, to enter the subconscious state, where emotions are bottled-up. There, we can calmly face through these stressers, bolstering our emotional wellbeing.

-Meditate: Self-confidence comes with meditation because it helps you face a situation with calm and a positive outlook.

Your mind is so filled with clutter - from deadlines and meetings, to reports and performance reviews - that meditation is truly the only relief. Meditation helps you to re-evaluate where your at and were you need to be. It helps you see the 'big picture' of career and life and passion of our job.

-Think Positive: Yes, this is part of Yoga, and has been for centuries. Many professionals now are frightened by the recession, which is all the more reason to stay physically and mentally fit.

Yoga works on your mind and body, which increases your overall productivity, increases your creativity, allows you to have more fun with your life and helps you attain a balance between personal and professional life.

For example, if you’ve lost your job or experienced a drastic salary cut, you would visibly become a negative person and will remain in that state for a longer period than actually required. But if you start a Yoga class or continue to take one, you will feel healthy and your mind will soon recover from that traumatic state. With an induced sense of positivism, you can deal with recession stress by looking upon its brighter side, which can be - that you may get a salary hike soon.

-Breath!: In Yoga, your breath is the clearest indicator of your mental state, so if your breath is fast and unsteady, you can do simple breathing exercises to bring it back to normal. Likewise, if your tense and your body is stiff, you can do simple stretches and asanas to relax your body.

Short shallow breathing or heavy deep breathing changes body chemistry and produces different fluids flowing through your body. Some of these cause stress, others can disrupt health, and something alter your wellbeing. Here at Hamsa Yogashala, we practice Bandhas (neuromuscular locks) which balance your hormones and body chemistry, bringing your entire system to its optimum level.

Om Peace!
Yogini Valarie Devi