Dru yoga and meditation for stress reduction
What is stress and how does it affect us?
The body's reaction to stress is related to our fight or flight survival mechanism and is perfectly adapted for situations where we are in imminent danger. We produce stress hormones such as adrenalin and cortisol which have the following effects (designed for ability to react to danger quickly)
Increased muscle tension,
Increased heart rate
Faster shallower breathing –
Change in brain activity narrowing our focus to the immediate situation
Inhibition of systems not needed to deal with danger, such as the digestive and immune system
Once the danger is over, and we have exerted our bodies by fighting or running quickly, the stress hormones are dispersed. The brain then sends signals to the body to return to its natural balance.
The problem is that many people are in a chronic state of stress, linked more to our lifestyle than being in imminent danger.
As we look at the above list of effects, it's no wonder that chronic stress causes, among other things, tension leading to aches and pains, high blood pressure, spinning thoughts, inability to see the bigger picture, digestive upsets, and susceptibility to common bugs.
The stress response then becomes a habit pattern and a vicious circle.
How can Dru Yoga and Dru Meditation help?
The therapeutic stretches and flowing movements, combined with mindful breathing and relaxation are perfectly designed to relieve the physical effects of stress, and to relax and calm the mind, which can significantly reduce the impact of stress and break that vicious circle. Dru meditation is always combined with Dru yoga movements, breathing techniques and relaxation.
Joining a Dru yoga or meditation class or individual session can give you the following benefits:
Physical movement helps disperse build - up of stress hormones and release muscle tension
The relaxation element signals to the brain that the danger is over so that it can stop producing more stress hormones and return to balance
Dru yoga sequences are specifically designed to release physical and mental tension
Breathing techniques work effectively on changing troubling thought patterns
Meditation calms the mind and helps give us a better perspective.
These techniques together allow the whole system to relax and rejuvenate and helps us to come up with creative solutions.
Support of a like-minded people and/or a tutor can reduce any feelings of isolation.
Check out our classes
Weekly yoga
Monthly meditation
Workshops
Small groups and individual sessions
Research
'Dru Yoga can reduce perceived stress and back pain at work,' this was the finding of new UK research, published September 2012 in the Journal of Occupational Medicine
Over 80 participants from Conwy County Council were randomized into two groups; a yoga group who received one 50-minute Dru Yoga session each week for 8 weeks along with a short DVD for home practice, and a control group, which received no intervention.
Dru Yoga was chosen because it is a particularly safe and therapeutic form of yoga that can be practiced by most people
At the end of the trial, compared to the control group, the yoga group scores were significantly lower for perceived stress, back pain, sadness, and hostility, and much higher for feeling self-assured, attentive, and serene.
These results are consistent with the other published studies that show yoga to be very effective for improving general health and well-being
The study was published on-line in September in the Journal of Occupational Medicine (Oxford University Press). http://occmed.oxfordjournals.org/content/62/8/606
What is stress and how does it affect us?
The body's reaction to stress is related to our fight or flight survival mechanism and is perfectly adapted for situations where we are in imminent danger. We produce stress hormones such as adrenalin and cortisol which have the following effects (designed for ability to react to danger quickly)
Increased muscle tension,
Increased heart rate
Faster shallower breathing –
Change in brain activity narrowing our focus to the immediate situation
Inhibition of systems not needed to deal with danger, such as the digestive and immune system
Once the danger is over, and we have exerted our bodies by fighting or running quickly, the stress hormones are dispersed. The brain then sends signals to the body to return to its natural balance.
The problem is that many people are in a chronic state of stress, linked more to our lifestyle than being in imminent danger.
As we look at the above list of effects, it's no wonder that chronic stress causes, among other things, tension leading to aches and pains, high blood pressure, spinning thoughts, inability to see the bigger picture, digestive upsets, and susceptibility to common bugs.
The stress response then becomes a habit pattern and a vicious circle.
How can Dru Yoga and Dru Meditation help?
The therapeutic stretches and flowing movements, combined with mindful breathing and relaxation are perfectly designed to relieve the physical effects of stress, and to relax and calm the mind, which can significantly reduce the impact of stress and break that vicious circle. Dru meditation is always combined with Dru yoga movements, breathing techniques and relaxation.
Joining a Dru yoga or meditation class or individual session can give you the following benefits:
Physical movement helps disperse build - up of stress hormones and release muscle tension
The relaxation element signals to the brain that the danger is over so that it can stop producing more stress hormones and return to balance
Dru yoga sequences are specifically designed to release physical and mental tension
Breathing techniques work effectively on changing troubling thought patterns
Meditation calms the mind and helps give us a better perspective.
These techniques together allow the whole system to relax and rejuvenate and helps us to come up with creative solutions.
Support of a like-minded people and/or a tutor can reduce any feelings of isolation.
Check out our classes
Weekly yoga
Monthly meditation
Workshops
Small groups and individual sessions
Research
'Dru Yoga can reduce perceived stress and back pain at work,' this was the finding of new UK research, published September 2012 in the Journal of Occupational Medicine
Over 80 participants from Conwy County Council were randomized into two groups; a yoga group who received one 50-minute Dru Yoga session each week for 8 weeks along with a short DVD for home practice, and a control group, which received no intervention.
Dru Yoga was chosen because it is a particularly safe and therapeutic form of yoga that can be practiced by most people
At the end of the trial, compared to the control group, the yoga group scores were significantly lower for perceived stress, back pain, sadness, and hostility, and much higher for feeling self-assured, attentive, and serene.
These results are consistent with the other published studies that show yoga to be very effective for improving general health and well-being
The study was published on-line in September in the Journal of Occupational Medicine (Oxford University Press). http://occmed.oxfordjournals.org/content/62/8/606