Most of us understand intuitively that prolonged stress is not good, but do you know that stress actually manifests itself on a physical level?

Each time we find ourselves under pressure the hypothalamus stimulates the release of stress hormones including adrenalin and cortisol. Many studies have shown the ongoing activation of our stress-response system disrupts almost all of the body’s major processes, putting people at risk of numerous health problems including:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Digestive problems
• Heart disease
• Sleep problems
• Weight gain
• Memory and concentration impairment

Yoga is the most uniquely appropriately form of ‘exercise’ for managing stress because it is very much a psycho-physical practice.

The practice of yoga asana integrates and harmonises the body and mind, both of which harbour tensions or knots. Every mental knot has a corresponding physical, muscular knot and vice versa. Yoga asana helps to release these knots, releasing mental tensions by dealing with them on the physical level.

Combined with the positive physical effects of yoga asana, yoga also helps us develop our powers of concentration and mindfulness, and learn to manage the way we respond to stressful stimuli.