Relaxation Strategies Essay

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Relaxation Strategies: Benefits of Yoga and Meditation in Relation to Stress Katherine I. Sharp Nova Southeastern University Relaxation Strategies Stress is a condition in response to a physical threat or psychological distress that triggers the body’s adaptive stress response which involves the physiological arousal of various body systems that may suffer from negative consequences depending on the duration and course of the stress reaction. The result of such a response to stress is physiological support for the body’s fight-or-flight response that includes an increase in heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, and serum cholesterol (Greenberg, 2013). As a part of the adaptive response to stress, various body systems such as the autonomic, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and immune systems may be affected (McEwen, Stellar, 1993). Research has shown that chronic stress is related to an increased risk of the development of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, coronary heart disease, tension headaches, migraine headaches, backache, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcers. “Given the negative impact of stress at intrapersonal and somatic level, it is important for healthcare professionals to master a repertoire of stress management techniques” (Varvogli, 2011, p. 75). Yoga Yoga is an old Indian practice that fosters mental and physical awareness creating a mind-body connection that allows one to engage in conscious breathing coupled with physical postures. Yoga is a meditative practice that allows one to overcome the perceived limitations of oneself (Choudhury, 2007; Iyengar, 2001). Commonly practiced in the Western world, Hatha yoga is one of the many branches of yoga that unites the body and mind through the use of physical postures and movements (asanas), breathing practices (pranayama), and meditation (Collins, 1998).

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