Top 5 Tap Into Peace Stress Busters

It seems nobody’s immune to the impact of our global recession. A good friend of mine recently lost a contract, with one day’s notice; my retired aunt may have to go back to work part-time; and I just lost half my classes at a studio that is cutting back due to low attendance.

But quick! Before you start to think of this as just another gloom and doom report, let me get to the point. When we can’t do anything about the state of our economy, we can do something about the state of ourselves.

Top 5 Tap Into Peace Stress Busters
1 Take a Hike
My favourite morning walking meditation–great for getting out of the the endless “I’m so stressed, this is awful!” circle, and working out tense shoulders, arms, and lower back–is outlined here.
2 Take Some Vinyasas
This flowing, breath-linked-with-movement type of asana is often easier for our mind to start with, when using asana to calm down. Other, less dynamic postures, can be harder to stay present in–and out of our racing mind.
3 Take a Seat
When our mind is racing, simply staying still can help us tap into that peaceful place beyond the nutty-ness. Zen dude Patrick, of the reaction-inducing blog Zen is Stupid, offers these tips:
4 Breathe it Out
Kapala Bhati is my favourite seated stress release pranayama/breathing exercise.
5 Put Your Legs Up The Wall
Viparita Karani is known as one of the master poses enabling deep relaxation. Ashtanga teacher and sleep research scientist Dr. Roger Cole wrote a detailed article on what activating systems this pose counteracts, and why it works, in the December issue of Yoga Journal, and has a list of other restorative poses here.

Let me add that, yup, I’ll be on the hunt for more work, putting in extra hours doing everything I can within my power to track it down, but I figure I’ll be better at it–more alert, aware, receptive, and productive–if I’m calm and steady.

What works for you when you need to calm down to be more alert? I’d love to hear from you.

If you liked this post you might also enjoy:
Stress Buster: Sleep Easy
Stress Buster: SkyTrain Meditation