Revitalising mind-body techniques for stress and to power up your year end
Stress is something I bet we’re all familiar with. Whether it’s the stress of the daily school run or the anxiety ahead of yet another Zoom meeting, of tasks that just seem to pile up or within our personal relationships, somehow it all feels that much more overwhelming come year end. That’s why October was such a fitting time for my final workshop of the year: Dive into Wellbeing.
And what a refreshing session to go out with! We lit candles, practiced soft belly breathing and even had a mini dance party right in our homes. It was a power hour dedicated to combating stress, trauma and fatigue with simple and effective Mind Body techniques that you can practice in your day-to-day life. If you missed the session, you can still catch up by downloading the on-demand video for just R189.
In it, I tackle the important issues of everyday trauma, our body’s response to chronic stress and the long term impacts of stress on our mental and physical wellbeing. What’s more, I demonstrated some of the revolutionary techniques of Mind Body medicine in real time, and if you download the workshop, you’ll also receive a copy of my specially devised Wellbeing Workshop Breakthrough Guide.
To give you a little taste of what’s inside, here are four bite-sized takeaways from this exciting workshop.
1
Stress isn’t always our enemy
Just the thought of stress is stressful, right?! But stress isn’t always a bad thing. It’s our body’s way of helping us deal with high-demand situations that’s been carefully evolving ever since we were hunting and gathering, giving us the added energy reserves to fight or flee our perceived threat. Once the threat has disappeared, our body goes into rest and digest mode, counteracting that earlier burst of adrenaline.
2
Chronic stress triggers negative coping mechanisms
When that stress stretches on for weeks, months and years, our bodies don’t have a chance to go into the rest and digest mode. That’s when we start feeling permanently tired and constantly anxious. At this stage, we might try to counteract it ourselves, self-medicating with comfort foods or alcohol for example. Prolonged periods of stress can lead to health risks such as high blood pressure (which can cause heart disease and stroke), decreased immune functioning and even illnesses such as Crohn's disease.
3
You can identify your signs and symptoms of stress using mind-body practices
Mind-body medicine is founded on the belief that we can use our mind to control our nervous system, giving us the power to recognise and subdue anxiety. It’s a truly accessible technique that puts the tools of healing in your own hands, so you can identify your own triggers and harness your response to them. When you watch my workshop, you’ll be equipped with three different practices that’ll showcase that powerful connection between mind and body.
4
‘As long as you’re breathing, there is more right with you than wrong with you’
This famous quote by Jon Kabat Zinn, who brought meditation to the West, speaks to the power of breath. Many mind-body practices focus on the breath because it’s an automatic process that we all have access to, no matter who we are or where we come from, and when we focus on the breath, we’re given an anchor to stay present, preventing our mind from getting lost in loops of anxiety, worrying about what was or what is to come. I take a deeper look at the science behind breathing practices in this workshop.