Veterans, and many others, can suffer from stress in the most severe ways. Luckily, there are not pharmaceutical ways to combat stress and its associated symptoms. Yoga and mindfulness has scientific data proving its usefulness in managing stress and depression. For some, medication helps, others counseling, but for many neither work as effectively resulting in people exploring alternative avenues.

WHY STRESS IS IMPORTANT TO MANAGE

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), “when someone perceives a situation to be challenging, threatening, or uncontrollable, the brain initiates a cascade of events involving the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which is the primary driver of the endocrine stress response. This ultimately results in an increase in the production of steroid hormones called glucocorticoids, which include cortisol, often referred to as the “stress hormone.” When stress strikes, all the muscles tense up at once but then release tension when the situation or stress is over. Unfortunately, with chronic stress or those sufferings with PTSD, the tension is more constant, which after long periods of time trigger other reactions or result in disorders. Long-term ongoing stress can increase the risk for hypertension, heart attack, or stroke. Other reactions can include respiratory symptoms like shortness of breath or rapid breathing; strong emotions tend to constrict airways. For most people, this isn’t too big of an issue; however, psychological stressors can exacerbate breathing problems for people with pre-existing respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. For more information on stress effecting the body, click here and more a more indebt list of symptoms and a hidden stress screening test click here.

YOGA & MINDFULNESS

Veterans, especially those who have post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD, will find yoga and mindfulness particularly beneficial. The health benefits associated with yoga will help combat the effects of PTSD including (but not limited to) destressing, relieving anxiety, improving heart health, combating depression, promoting sleep quality, and relieving migraines. According to the Medical News Today, “Persistent surges of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, may damage blood vessels and elevate blood pressure. However, research has shown that people who practice yoga regularly have low cortisol levels. Studies have also found that practicing yoga for at least 3 months may lower cortisol and perceived stress and reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines that cause inflammation.”

If new to yoga, there are some tips to keep in mind to help you get started. Let go of expectations of what yoga should look like, focusing instead on how each pose makes you feel. Breathwork is vital in yoga, making your movements slow and watching your breathing as you go through the poses. Start with fundamental poses and gradually build as you feel ready. If you’re having issues where to start, Johns Hopkins Medicine has some advice below.

Stress: Corpse Pose; Lie down with your limbs gently stretched out, away from the body, with your palms facing up. Try to clear your mind while breathing deeply. You can hold this pose for 5 to 15 minutes.

Sleep quality: Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose; Sit with your left side against a wall, then gently turn right and lift your legs up to rest against the wall, keeping your back on the floor and your sitting bones close to the wall. You can remain in this position for 5 to 15 minutes.

Heart health: Downward Dog Pose; Get on all fours, then tuck your toes under and bring your sitting bones up, so that you make a triangle shape. Keep a slight bend in your knees, while lengthening your spine and tailbone.

Back pain: Cat-Cow Pose; Get on all fours, placing your palms underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips. First, inhale, as you let your stomach drop down toward the floor. Then, exhale, as you draw your navel toward your spine, arching your spine like a cat stretching.

Strength & Flexibility: Tree Pose; Balance on one foot, while holding the other foot to your calf or above the knee (but never on the knee) at a right angle. Try to focus on one spot in front of you, while you balance for one minute.

Yoga is an excellent opportunity to practice mindfulness — as you move through the poses, take note of the sensations in your body. If you haven’t heard of mindfulness it is a state of intentional, nonjudgmental focus on the present moment. Mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment, whether you’re doing the dishes or hugging a loved one. Alternatively, there have many challenges defining it because it’s been used to describe both meditative and non-meditative states. Regardless of how scientists decide how to correctly define it, by paying attention, you can quiet the mind and release anxious thoughts or feelings. “Most of the time we’re caught either in the past or in the future with our thoughts and we’re really missing out on what’s going on in this moment,” said Christiane Wolf, MD, Ph.D., lead consultant for VA CALM, a mindfulness facilitators training program for clinicians.

A small study by Harvard conducted a couple years ago discovered that “people who meditated over an eight-week period had a change in the expression of 172 genes that regulate inflammation, circadian rhythms and glucose metabolism.” Unfortunately, this study like several others have had some criticism due to sample sizes and problematic experiment designs. But it is assessed that mindfulness does show promise for alternatives to medication or therapy insomuch that is has been used in portions for therapy patients. Gaëlle Desbordes, an instructor in radiology at Harvard Medical School and a neuroscientist at MGH’s Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging explains that mindfulness research is encouraging, “There are a few applications where the evidence is believable. But the effects are by no means earth-shattering. We’re talking about moderate effect size, on par with other treatments, not better. And then there’s a bunch of other things under study with preliminary evidence that is encouraging but by no means conclusive.”

If you’re someone who hasn’t had much luck with medications or therapy, or want to supplement your treatments, mindfulness and yoga may be a great alternative for you. Comment below to let us know your experiences! If new to mindfulness, the University of Washington Healthy Aging & Physical Disability Rehabilitation Research and Training Center has published some techniques on how to get started:

Mindful breathing: One of the most straightforward exercises is mindful breathing. Please spend a few minutes focusing your awareness on the movement of your thoughts and your breath in and out, without trying to change them in any way.
Body scan: While seated or lying down, gradually focus your attention on one body part at a time, noticing any physical sensations without judging or reacting to them. A typical body scan might start with the feet' soles and then progressively move awareness to the knees, hips, back, belly, chest, neck, and head.
Mindful eating: This exercise involves eating very slowly and deliberately while paying attention to the sensations of holding the item, smelling, tasting, chewing, and swallowing it.
Loving-kindness meditation: An exercise in which you direct positive thoughts and wishes first to yourself, then to your close family and friends, then to more distant acquaintances, and finally to all humanity.
Mindful movement: While walking or rolling, pay close attention to your breathing, our body movements, and your surroundings. You can also practice mindfulness while doing regular exercises, such as yoga, focusing on the physical sensations as you enter and hold each pose.