Coming into Balance: How Stress and Relaxation Work Together

by Baxter and Nina

Mirror Image by Melina Meza

So, you�re lying on a beautiful beach somewhere, feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin and listening to the sound of waves lapping at the shore, and you�re feeling totally comfortable and very relaxed. So what is happening to you? Is this the relaxation response? The rest and digest state? Conscious relaxation? Or what?

Another time you�re sitting alone in your house, meditating on your breath. Your knee hurts a bit. Your thoughts seem wild, and you feel fidgety and restless. But you keep coming back to your breath, and after several minutes your mind begins to settle and quiet. What�s happening to you now? And how is this different than being on the beach?

Or, let�s say one night you�re driving your car down a dark, winding road through a forest when suddenly a deer bolts into the road. Your heart begins to pound and your breath speeds up as you quickly try to take evasive action. Is this the stress response? The Fight or Flight response? On another night, you�re meeting someone you�ve just started dating. When you spot them on the street coming toward you, your heart begins to pound and your breath speeds up. It feels kind of like stress, but in a good way�you know, exciting. What�s going on there?

As we have been delving into the topics of stress and relaxation, we�ve found there�s some confusing terminology out there in the literature and even here on our own blog! So it seems like a good idea to try and define once and for all some of terms that have been most commonly bantered about. To start, let�s take a look at the following terms to get clearer on what they mean:

1. Stress Response
2. Fight or Flight State
3. Relaxation Response
4. Rest and Digest State
5. Conscious Relaxation

Stress Response. This term describes the response of your mind and body response of your mind and body when you are faced with a challenge. Sometimes the response is to a real or perceived threat, ranging from serious life or death situations to stressful situations like doing your taxes or getting lost. Other times the response is to a positive challenge, such as running a race, falling in love, brainstorming ideas, or creating a work of art. The stress response increases the activity of your sympathetic nervous system, speeding up your heart and breath rates, and dilating your pupils to get you ready for action. When the stress response is at its extreme, you shift into the Flight or Fight State.

Fight or Flight State. This term describes the state of your nervous system when your sympathetic system is fully operational, and generally you actually are in danger, threatened, or think you are in danger. For example, if you are about to get into a car accident, your nervous system sends quick signals to your adrenal glands to release adrenalin, unleashing a rapid physical response evolved to get you to safety. (See below for details.) 

Relaxation Response. This term describes the response of your mind and body to safe circumstances or a secure environment, causing your heart and breath rate to slow, your blood pressure to drop, your energy usage to slow and your digestion and immune systems to turn on. In our above example, if you successfully avoided the car crash, once you got home and had some time to decompress, your system would slowly shift to the relaxation response. The relaxation response increases the activity of your parasympathetic nervous system, and enters you into the Rest and Digest state. 

You can trigger the relaxation response through conscious relaxation techniques or just by ordinary resting and relaxing while you are awake, such as by listening to calming music on your couch or by lying on a beach feeling the sun on your skin and listening to the waves. (This is in contrast to activities that are distracting rather than relaxing. For example, while TV distracts us from our real-life concerns, it is not actually relaxing your nervous system because the action you�re watching is typically very stimulating�as anyone who tries to go to bed after a scary movie or violent show soon realizes.)

Rest and Digest State. This term describes the state of your nervous system when your parasympathetic system is fully operational, you are mentally and physically relaxed, your body�s vital signs are in their calm state, and the immune, repair, and digestive systems are up and operating. You enter this state naturally when relaxing at home or out in nature, or when you use conscious relaxation to trigger the relaxation response.

Conscious Relaxation. This term describes any technique that triggers the relaxation response, including meditation, breath practices that are calming, guided relaxation practices, and even gentle and restorative yoga asana practiced mindfully. Keep in mind that this describes an active practice technique with a desired goal. But the awesome thing about conscious relaxation is that you can use it anytime and anywhere. You don�t need to fly to Hawaii. And although a quiet peaceful environment is helpful, you can even meditate or do breath practices in challenging environments. (See 6 Ways to Bust Stress with Yoga).

The Healthy Balance of Stress and Relaxation

So let�s say you�re sitting outside in the garden talking with a friend, and you�re feeling very comfortable and relaxed. Then your friend tells you about an interesting idea he has, and you suddenly perk up a bit. You then pitch in with an idea of your own, and that leads to very animated discussion. What�s happening here? Are you relaxed or stressed? Or, is it possible that you are both at the same time?

Ding, ding, ding! Yes, it�s both at the same time. You see your autonomic nervous system, which is regulates your involuntary body functions, such as heartbeat, blood flow, breathing, and digestion, is divided into two subsystems, the sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system, which work together in tandem, providing you with a healthy balance of activity and relaxation.

Sympathetic Nervous System. This system stimulates you when you need to be active. The activity can be as basic as getting out of bed in the morning, writing an email, or practicing gentle yoga poses, something more challenging such as running a race or giving a public talk, or something really drastic such as trying to avoid a car accident. 

Your sympathetic nervous system prepares your body and mind for action by stimulating your heart to beat faster and stronger and slightly raising your blood pressure to improve blood flow, by opening your airways so you can breathe more easily, and by stimulating your thought processes so you can assess your situation and think more quickly.

In extreme situations�where serious action on your part is needed�your sympathetic nervous system triggers the Fight or Flight response, as described above. In this state, your sympathetic nervous system actually turns off the background functions of nourishment, restoration, and healing that are provided by the parasympathetic nervous system because these functions will slow you down. Being in the Fight or Flight state is normal and healthy as long as it doesn�t happen too frequently or continue for a long period of time, when it becomes chronic stress (see see About Stress: Acute Versus Chronic).

Parasympathetic Nervous System. This system is responsible for nourishing, restoring, and healing your body and mind. As you move through your day, whether you are totally relaxed, slightly active, or even very active, your parasympathetic nervous system stimulates digestion, activates various metabolic processes, and keeps your immune system turned on. (These functions will only be turned off temporarily when you�re in a Fight or Flight state.)

When you are physically still and your mind is quiet, your parasympathetic system functions optimally, allowing you to enter the Rest and Digest state. Being in the Rest and Digest state is normal and very desirable, as it gives your body and mind time to relax completely and recover from stressful periods. There�s probably no downside to spending a lot of time in this state, except you probably wouldn�t get very much done!

On an average good day, when you�re feeling rested and cheerful, and are involved in normal work and social activities, your sympathetic and parasympathetic systems work together to keep you in balance, allowing you to be both fully functional and stay healthy. A well-balanced yoga practice, including both physical exercise and stress management practices, will help you maintain this balance when there are minor challenges in your life. It is only when you spend too much time with an overactive sympathetic nervous system due to ongoing stressful life circumstances that you can become out of balance. At this point, it�s very important to take steps to reduce your chronic stress and bring yourself back into balance again, as chronic stress is harmful to your physical, emotional, and mental health (see About Stress: Acute Versus Chronic). And conscious relaxation with yoga is the way!

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Circadian Rhythms, Jet Lag, and Yoga

by Ram

Pollard Willows and Setting Sun by Vincent van Gogh

The Ayurvedic scholars and yoga gurus certainly knew about circadian rhythms. Termed as dinacharya (day routines), ratricharya (nightly routines) and ritucharya (seasonal routines), traditional observances were encouraged in order to maintain the synchronicity of circadian rhythms with time of the day/night and seasonal fluctuations. These practices allowed an individual to tune the circadian rhythm and coordinate it with the earth�s movement (rotation and revolution). The masters were aware that if circadian rhythms went out of sync, disease and imbalances developed. And this is now understood by scientists and health experts who recognize that disharmony in the circadian rhythm contributes to physical, mental, and behavioral problems, including but not limited to mood disorders, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, cancer, and neurodegeneration. Conversely, if we are able to align our circadian rhythm, we can maximize our health span, mental alertness, immunity, awareness, and physical strength. 

A circadian rhythm is any biological process�physical, mental, or behavioral�that follows a roughly 24-hour cycle, and is modulated primarily by sunlight, darkness, and temperature. Circadian rhythms have been widely observed in humans, animals, plants, and tiny microbes, and primarily influence the sleep-wake cycles, feeding, hormone release, body temperature, and other important bodily functions. Present in all living beings are biological clocks throughout the body that regulate and coordinate our circadian rhythms. Furthermore, there is a "master clock" in the brain that controls all the biological clocks and consequently the circadian rhythms.

This master clock (aka the suprachiasmatic nucleus or SCN) is a group of ~20,000 nerve cells in the hypothalamus area of the brain that coordinates all the body clocks and downstream physiological processes. There are certain circadian rhythms in our body that are optimally active during the day and subside when the sun sets. Similarly, there are other circadian rhythms in our body (for example, sleep) that are optimally active during the night and ebb when the sun rises. These biological rhythms represent the optimum performance of different organs at certain times and their relaxation at other times. The circadian rhythms can be easily disrupted by several factors, including but not limited to time zone difference, environmental stress, emotions, and diet. 

Now that we have some idea of circadian rhythms, it is easy to imagine all those situations where the circadian rhythm can go awry. Specifically, long-distance travelers, pilots, and night shift workers among others will often suffer from circadian rhythm imbalance. I experience similar imbalances when I have to go to India to visit my folks. A difference of 12 hours between the two time zones (Pacific time and India time) disrupts my circadian rhythm causing what we call jet lag. The consequences are disturbed sleep, daytime fatigue, sluggishness, difficulty concentrating, and digestive issues.

One of the most important biological processes that is regulated by the circadian rhythm is the sleep response. The SCN, which controls the production and release of melatonin, a hormone that triggers sleep response receives information about the incoming light via the optic nerves (from the eyes to the brain). During sunset when there is more darkness and less light, the SCN triggers the release of melatonin that induces sleep. Come sunrise, there is more light that strikes the optic nerves so melatonin production is halted, thus triggering the wakefulness response. When I fly from California to India, I lose 12 hours of time. So when I wake up at 8:00 am in India, my biological sleep clock thinks it is 8:00 pm of the previous day, thus making me feel groggy, dazed and disoriented. My body's clock will eventually reset itself, but this often takes anywhere from two to seven days, depending on my physical and mental state. It is generally believed that it can take up to one day for each time zone crossed for the body to adjust to the local time. 

There is a lot of information out there about overcoming jet lag and disturbed sleep cycles and correcting the out of sync circadian rhythm. But in my case, I always turn to yoga. I discussed this issue briefly in my post Yoga in the Skies (Airplane Yoga). In addition to the poses that I described in the post that I do on the plane, after I reach my destination I continue my yoga practice with:

• a few rounds of Sun Salutations
• mild inversions (headstand and supported handstand)
• hip stretches, including High Lunge (Vanarasana), Dropped-Knee Lunge, Warrior series (Virabradrasana), Triangle pose (Trikonasana), Extended Side Angle pose (Utthita Parsvakonasana), and Wide-Angle Seated pose (Upavista Konasana)

I focus on fostering both strength and flexibility, especially in my legs and shoulders, and a good overall hip opening (after sitting for nearly 24 hours in the plane) because they have positive impact on posture, locomotion, balance, and agility (see Opening Your Hips without Knee Pain). The inversions I include are effective at stress reduction, as I find much needed relaxation that is probably achieved from the reverse blood flow (All About Supported Inversions). The entire practice lasts for about 30 minutes followed by 5 minutes alternate nostril breathing and 5 minutes of mindfulness meditation. 

I have noticed that in the last few long-distance trips, I am able to adjust to the new day/night schedule within 24 hours of my arrival to the new destination. There is no doubt that yoga has been helping me to recover quickly from travel-associated sluggish moods, fatigue, lethargy, and disorientation. But I wondered, is there a research study to prove this anecdotal personal experience?

So I was happy when I came across this recent poster presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting Effect of YOCAS yoga on circadian rhythm, anxiety, and mood: A URCC CCOP randomized, controlled clinical trial among 410 cancer survivors. Since this work is not yet published, I do not have all the details. But I did learn that, as it turns out, chemo and radiation therapies disrupt the circadian rhythm and exacerbate the anxiety and mood disorders experienced by cancer survivors (75% breast cancer) that impair ultimate recovery and quality of life. To study the role of yoga on circadian rhythms and mood behavior, the researchers divided cancer survivors into two groups: 

1. Those who received standard care.
2. Those who received standard care plus a four-week yoga intervention. The yoga intervention group (75 mins each yoga session and two sessions per week) received a specialized program (YOCAS) that consisted of pranayama, 18 gentle hatha and restorative yoga asanas, and meditation. 

All subjects were tested for their circadian rhythm, anxiety and mood before and after intervention. The YOCAS intervention seemed to have favorably altered circadian rhythm, improved anxiety and mood among cancer survivors, which lends credence to my personal experience. 

So the next time your travel takes you through several time zone boundaries, remember that yoga is there to help you ward off the jet lag and the disturbed circadian rhythms. Happy Travels!

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Stress Management for When You're Stressed!

by Nina

When you�re not feeling particularly stressed out, a well-rounded practice that includes active asanas and short-sessions of the stress management techniques of your choice will help keep your stress levels in check. And if you chose meditate every day, or do breath practices, restorative yoga or supported inversions on your rest days, all the better. 

But the nature of human existence is such that we all go through times when stress levels are high, whether that is due to family problems, illness, employment conflicts, uncertainty about the future, or even more serious problems. Today�s post provides recommendations for periods when you�re going through chronic stress. (For information about improving your sleep, see 5 Tips for Better Sleep. And for information about changing the way you react to stressors, see Re-Patterning Your Nervous System: Practice for the Real World.)

Confession: It was very easy for me to write this post because it was born out of my own experience. Practicing yoga on a regular basis to keep my stress levels in check in general and to give myself special attention when stress levels go up due to life circumstances has been a godsend to me. But I did have Baxter read through what I wrote and add a few recommendations of his own. So it�s all medical doctor approved!

How Often to Practice. Although we don�t recommend practicing a full-length active asana sequence seven days a week (your body needs time to rest and recover), if you are going through a stressful period, we do recommend practicing at least a short stress management session for about 20 minutes every day. What you practice for your short stress management sessions could be any of the relaxation practices you prefer or that work in your particular circumstances: seated or reclined meditation, calming breath practices, one or two restorative and/or supported inverted poses, or a guided relaxation program. And because exercise is important for reducing stress, you should aim for doing an active asana practice (or another type of exercise, such as walking) around three to four days a week.

How Long to Practice. For a balanced asana session, practice, such as one of our strength or flexibility sequences, we recommend practicing for 30-45 minutes. For a short stress management session, we recommend practicing 20 minutes per day. For both these sessions, you can actually divide them up, and practice part of your session in the morning and part later in the day. For example, you could practice active asanas in the morning and restorative poses at the end of the day, or you could meditate for 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening.

What to Practice. For days when you want to do a full-length active practice, practice any sequence that includes a combination of poses for cultivating the four essential skills (strength, flexibility, balance, and agility) or a sequence that focuses on one of the skills. Generally, it makes sense to include the active poses at the beginning of your sequence, although if you�re fatigued you can start with a resting pose and ease into the more active poses. But always quiet down after the active poses with a stress management practice. For days when you just need a short stress management session, choose any single or combination of stress management practices that work for you in your particular circumstances.

Static Poses. These poses are good for grounding you when you�re feeling anxious or flighty and for tiring yourself out a bit when you�re feeling hyper. Standing poses, such as Warrior 2 and Triangle pose, are particularly effect for this. But a balanced practice that includes poses from every category will engage your body and mind, and release physical tension from your body. Practice mindfully for best results (see Practicing Yoga Mindfully).

Dynamic Poses. These poses are good for releasing held tension in your body, engaging your body and mind, and mildly energizing yourself when stress makes you feel fatigued. Be careful, however, not to practice (or breathe) too quickly, as this can over-stimulate you. Practice mindfully for best results (see Practicing Yoga Mindfully).

Supported Inverted Poses. For many people, supported inverted poses are so effective for calming the nervous system and quieting the mind that even just one 15-minute session of Legs Up the Wall pose can turn the day around. And if these poses work well for you, during your active practice days, always include one or more near the end of your practice (before Savasana or meditation). Choose poses that you can hold for extended periods of time and use appropriate propping to ensure you�ll be comfortable. Warming up for these poses with active or reclining poses that stretch your legs and open your shoulders may help you be less fidgety. 

Restorative Poses. If stress is making you feel exhausted and depleted, you can put together an entire asana practice from restorative poses or even practice a single pose on its own. And if you are doing a more active practice and you enjoy restorative poses, include one or two at the end of your practice. Choose poses that you can hold for extended periods of time so you can relax, completely and use appropriate propping to ensure you�ll be entirely comfortable.

Focused Relaxation. Guided relaxation, meditation, calming breath practices, and Savasana with a mental focus are practices that you can do on their own or include in an active practice. Although these are good practices to end your practice with, you can also use them to start a practice as a way to center yourself. Choose the techniques that work best for you and your particular circumstances (maybe you�re on an airplane, for example). And make sure to use seated or reclined positions that you can hold for extended periods of time so you can relax completely, and use appropriate propping to ensure you�ll be entirely comfortable.

If you've tried any of these techniques when you're feeling stressed out, please let us know which are your favorites!

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Video of the Week: Dynamic Reclined Twist

This dynamic version of Reclined Twist is great for building core strength�who doesn't want more of that?�and for releasing tension in your outer hips and the sides of your torso.
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Your Nervous System Needs TLC

by Baxter and Nina

Nerve Cells

Although we tend to think about the nervous system only when we�re feeling stressed (or nervous!), your nervous system is essential for your survival. Basically, it provides the following essential functions:

• Controls background processes that keep your body alive and healthy, such breathing, maintaining normal temperature, and adjusting blood pressure to match activity.
• Responds to external stimuli (which come in through our senses), such as having a positive reaction to a beautiful smell, a pain response to a burn, or a quick reaction to an oncoming car 
• Obeys our conscious mental instructions, such as to talk, move, or breathe more slowly. 

By communicating through your nerves, your nervous system constantly monitors the internal activities of your body systems, attempting to keep them in a healthy balance called �homeostasis.� It also monitors your environment to assess if it is safe or dangerous, and sends messages to your body either to relax and enjoy or act quickly to get to safety. 

Your nervous system is made up of two main parts: the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. However, even though we�and our anatomy books!�always discuss the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system as two separate systems (see below), they are really a continuation of one another and are in constant communication with each other about the state of your body. 

Chronic stress has a negative effect on your nervous system, contributing to the development of anxiety, depression, sleep problems, lack of concentration, and memory impairment. Therefore, using your yoga practice to keep stress levels in check and to manage your stress during challenging periods, will support the health of your nervous system overall. Additionally, besides by staying generally healthy through exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet and drinking enough water, getting enough rest, and avoiding smoking, you can support the health of your nervous system by:

• Treating conditions that can negatively impact the system, such as diabetes and hypertension.
• Avoiding alcohol and drugs that affect the nervous system. 
• Decreasing use of over-the-counter medications, because as you get older, these can negatively affect your nervous system. 
• Testing your hearing and vision regularly (when they are not working well the brain has a harder time recording information).
• Cultivating brain health (see 6 Ways to Foster Brain Health with Yoga). 

Now let�s have a look at the individual components so you can understand how they all work together, how important they are for your basic survival and functioning in your daily life, and how yoga can help you keep your nervous system healthy. 

Neurons. The basic component of your nervous system is a specialized cell called a neuron, which are both part of your brain and also make up your nerves. The human brain contains about 86 billion neurons, and its neurons are densely packed and are only 10 microns long. While aging results in the loss of some of our brain neurons, the ability of our brains to grow and change (brain plasticity) means that continuing to stimulate our brains with learning will actually cause our brain neurons to grow and existing brain neurons to be repurposed. 

Neurons connect the brain proper to your spinal cord, and from the spinal cord connect to neurons in your peripheral nerves. Using your asana practice to maintain healthy posture and proper alignment of your spinal bones will help to keep your spinal cord safe from pinching and narrowing, which could cause nerve dysfunction or pain. 

Your peripheral nerves consist of longer neurons, which can be up to 1 meter in length. They transmit messages through the nerve via electrical signals and use chemical neurotransmitters to send the impulses from one neuron to the next. A sedentary lifestyle and structural injuries can negatively impact your peripheral nerves. With a regular asana practice, you can release holding patterns around your nerves, allowing them to function them better. 

Central Nervous System. Made up of your spinal cord and your brain, your central nervous system receives and processes information from all over your body. In response to conscious thoughts, your central nervous system sends nerve impulses to your peripheral nervous system to make the requested action happen. And in response to nerve impulses that your central nervous system receives from your senses and your autonomic nervous system (which keep your background systems in balance), your central nervous system sends nerve impulses to make your body react appropriately. 

Besides communicating through your nerves, your central nervous system also communicates with your organs and the rest of your body through chemical and hormonal messages, for example, by releasing the stress hormone adrenaline when you need to react quickly. 

Peripheral Nervous System. Consists of nerve fibers that branch off from your spinal cord and extend to all parts of your body, including your neck, arms, torso, and legs, as well as all your muscles and internal organs. The nerve receptors and long nerves that travel all over your body and back to your central nervous system are either delivering information to your central nervous system or receiving instructions from it. For example, when you decide to raise your arms in Warrior 1 pose, your brain sends a message via the peripheral nervous system to the appropriate muscles. Or, when you�re stressed, your peripheral nervous system speeds up your heart rate. Likewise, if you cut yourself, taste some chocolate, or sniff a flower, your peripheral nervous system communicates lets your brain know all about it. 

The peripheral nervous system is divided into somatic and autonomic systems.

Somatic Nervous System. Provides voluntary control of your body movements. In yoga, we use our somatic nervous system when we practice poses, perform breath practices, stay still when we meditate, and consciously relax muscles in restorative poses and guided relaxation. Obviously we want our somatic nervous to function optimally because to function well in our daily lives we need quick and coordinated responses to our mental requests for movement or rest. You can use your asana practice to support the health of your somatic nervous system by practicing a wide variety of poses and movement patterns to activate all those nerves on a regular basis, and by practicing balance and flow poses to keep your proprioceptors (the nerves that allow you to sense where you are in space) healthy. 

Autonomic Nervous System. Regulates involuntary body functions, such as heartbeat, blood flow, breathing, and digestion. It�s called �autonomic� because it works autonomously (automatically) without your conscious effort. (You don�t need to tell your heart to beat the same way you need to tell your front knee to bend to 90 degrees in Warrior 2 pose. Voluntary movements, such as knee bending, are controlled by your somatic nervous system.) 

Although the functions of the autonomic nervous system are generally involuntary, some of them are not outside of your awareness, and they may be influenced by your state of mind. For example, although you can�t tell your heart to beat faster or more slowly, you can feel it beating. And when you�re calm, you�ll notice that your heart beats more slowly and when you�re afraid or angry, you�ll notice it beating more rapidly. 

The autonomic nervous system is divided into two parts that function in tandem with each other: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. Learning about these two systems and how they interact with each other is one of the secrets to learning to keep your stress levels in check (see Life Changer: Understanding Your Nervous System). 

We hope this little anatomy lesson helps you understand the importance of your nervous system and the value of giving it active attention as you age. All the yoga tools at your disposal, including asanas, meditation, breath practices, relaxation practices, and even yoga philosophy, will help you support its good health.

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Understanding Pain

by Nina

The Black Finger Bandage by Berthe Morisot

If you stub your toe, cut your finger while chopping vegetables, burn your hand while taking something out of the oven, or twist your ankle while walking down the street, you experience a physically and emotionally unpleasant sensation. That�s because when something harmful or irritating occurs, your body reacts by creating an urge for you to stop it. And that urge is what we call pain. 

So as uncomfortable as it is, pain is actually beneficial. As part if your body�s protective mechanisms, its function is to: 

1. Motivate you to pull out from a damaging situation and prevent further damage to the tissue.
2. Allow the damaged tissue to rest and begin the healing process.
3. Avoid similar encounters.

But while pain is generally a good thing�people who suffer from congenital insensitivity to the pain response are easily injured and most die at an early age�pain is also a major symptom in several medical conditions and can interfere with your quality of life and general functioning. 

Besides being influenced by the type and intensity of the stimulus that causes your pain, the level of pain you feel is also influenced by how your brain perceives the experience. Several factors can influence your pain perception, including: 

Age. As brain areas degenerate with age so does brain circuitry, so older people have lower pain tolerance and sometimes face problems dealing with pain.

Memory. Our past experience dealing with pain can influence our neural responses to it, causing us to be more sensitive to pain.

This is exactly why yoga pain management techniques can be so effective. Using yoga, you can change your relationship to pain, influencing your pain perception, improving pain tolerance, and changing habitual ways of reacting to pain. 

Acute vs. Chronic Pain

Pain that is the result of injury, surgery, or illness and that lasts for short period of time is acute pain. Acute pain starts when there is a real threat to your body and leads to a reasonable protective response. It then recedes when the stimulus is removed or the damaged tissue has healed. Common examples of acute pain include sprained ankle, headache, paper cut, and stomach ache.

In a perfect body, pain occurs only when needed, and turns off when the initial stimulus is withdrawn and the tissue has healed. However, there are certain medical conditions, such as arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and low back issues, in which pain is a constant feature and persists for at least three months. This is chronic pain. 

Typical causes of chronic pain include:

• Chronic neck and back conditions, such as a herniated disc or vertebra slippage. 
• Chronic conditions that have pain as a symptom, such as many forms of arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and related conditions, and Lyme�s disease.
• Cancer and/or post-cancer treatment pain from chemo and radiation therapy. 
• Terminal illnesses that cause immobility, such as severe emphysema, congestive heart failure, and Parkinson�s disease. 

In addition, there are chronic conditions that cause intermittent pain, such as migraine headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, and multiple sclerosis. Because this pain occurs regularly, it is essentially is a form of chronic pain and you can treat it as such. 

Chronic pain differs from acute pain in three ways: 

1. Your body can become more sensitive to the threat of possible pain symptoms leading to feelings of fear and anxiety.
2. Your brain can become more likely to interpret situations as threatening, and sensations as painful (eliciting a pain response).
3. With the experience of repeated reactions to pain, your ability to differentiate between the many aspects of the pain response (sensations, suffering, and stress) maybe become blurred.

So chronic pain is challenging because it goes beyond the physical presence of pain, and affects your mind-body connection. And the ongoing presence of chronic pain can affect your daily functioning due to changes in: 

• Breathing. Your breath can become more shallow and shaky, making exercise and even normal physical activities more challenging. 
• Muscle Tension. Because your body is in a constant state of �alert,� muscle tension can increase. This will limit your range of motion, which in turn will can worsen stiffness. 
• Movement Patterns. As you try to protect the area of pain, your movement patterns can change dramatically. Some people stop all inessential movement, obviously limiting what they can do in the short term and causing both stiffness and weakness in the long term. Other people grit and bear the pain, only stopping when the pain is so intense that they can�t continue, but they may be creating unhealthy movement patterns that result in uneven physical wear and tear. 
• Body Image. How you view yourself can change from physically capable to weak and incapable, which makes you less willing to take on physical challenges or even to keep yourself exercising regularly. 
• Thought Patterns. Chronic pain can cause you to become less optimistic about your pain and your life in general.
• Emotions. Your emotions may become generally more volatile, leading you to become angry, frustrated, tearful, and/or overwhelmed. 

Although chronic pain can cause all these serious issues, they are all problems that you can address with yoga. And as you consciously address your chronic pain, you can reverse the physical, mental, and emotional damage that it has caused. 

Whew! Now that you�ve learned about the difference between acute and chronic pain, and about the side effects caused by periods of chronic pain, you�ll be better able to use the tools we describe in our posts Techniques for Managing Pain with Yoga and Changing Your Relationship with Pain.

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Why You Should Care About Your Digestive System

by Baxter and Nina

Chocolate Kouign Amann by Rosie Gibson

At a very primary level, your digestive system is essential for maintaining your health. After those first gasps of air and the initial cry of a newborn, the first action of a new life is to feed! And a digestive system in decline can be one of the first signs of serious illness or advanced age. The digestive system provides the following four basic functions:

1. Ingestion. Using your mouth to take in foods and fluids, chewing the food, and then swallowing both chewed foods and fluids.
2. Digestion. Breaking down what you eat and drink into smaller and smaller particles, which can then be absorbed into our blood. Anything that can�t be absorbed is passed on for elimination.
3. Absorption. The process of passing the small particles of digested food from the digestive tract into your blood stream, where they can be delivered for fuel to your 70 trillion cells by the circulatory system.
4. Elimination. Removing leftovers of the digestive process that you cannot use from your body. 

These four functions are the how your digestive system provides you with the fuel your body needs to function every day as well as to create the building blocks needed for to growth and repair. And this is also how your digestive system removes waste from your body, a process that is as necessary for your health as ingesting and digesting your food. 

In general, staying physically active, eating a healthy diet and taking in adequate liquids, resting after meals if you can and sleeping well, and good oral care helps you maintain the health of your digestive system. However, one of the most important things you can do to keep your digestive system functioning optimally is to keep your stress levels in check, as stress can have a huge impact on your digestion. (Nina can testify to this, because when she's very stressed out, she literally becomes so nauseated that she can't even eat at all!)

Now let�s take a look at the actual components of your digestive system and the related systems, and the effect that stress can have on them.

Mouth, Tongue, Teeth and Pharynx. Digestion begins as you take food and drink into your mouth and start to break down the food into smaller bits by chewing it and mixing it with your saliva, which contains digestive enzymes. In some people, acute stress can temporarily turn off the production of saliva, negatively affecting your initial breakdown of food.

Esophagus. This tube that runs from the back of your throat to your stomach sack moves your partially mixed food and water to your stomach. In some people, stress can interfere with the smooth muscle rhythm that moves food to the stomach, creating difficulty in swallowing. 

Stomach. Continues digestion by releasing stomach acids and enzymes, and by churning the stomach contents to further break down solids and liquids. In some people, stress can negatively affect digestion by contributing to minor digestive problems, such as heartburn and nausea, as well as more serious problems, such as acid reflux and ulcers. 

Small Intestines. After the stomach finishes its work, the small intestines (a 15-17 feet long tube) use more digestive enzymes to break down the food into even smaller particles of sugars, fats and proteins, which near the end of the tube are then absorbed into your bloodstream. In some people, stress can interfere with smooth movement of food downstream and/or with healthy absorption of food into the circulatory system. 

Large Intestines. After the food particles are absorbed, the large intestines (the final 4-5 feet of tubing that follows after the small intestines), allow most of the remaining water content for our food and fluid intake as well as vitamins and salts to be absorbed into our bloodstream. The waste that remains is collected here and then expelled through your rectum and anus in the form of a bowel movement. Your large intestines are also where much of your gut microbiome lives (see below). In some people, stress can affect the performance of the large intestines, resulting in constipation or diarrhea. 

Liver. Although it has many other functions, the liver aids digestion by producing bile salts, which assist in the breakdown of fatty foods. In some people, stress can produce inflammation in the liver that could contribute to the development of serious liver diseases such as cirrhosis, which will ultimately affect digestion (and cause other serious problems).

Gallbladder. Stores the bile salts made by the liver and releases some into the small intestines when fatty foods are detected. In some people, stress can inhibit the normal release of bile from the gallbladder into the small intestines, which will negatively impact your ability to digest fats appropriately. 

Pancreas. Although it has other functions, the pancreas aids digestion through the production and release of digestive enzymes into the small intestines. In some people, chronic stress makes the pancreas more susceptible to diseases, such as pancreatitis, which will negatively affect its ability to produce digestive enzymes.

Gut Microbiome. The community of microorganisms living in our large intestines and elsewhere in our digestive system make up our gut microbiome. Our gut microbiome has a variety of functions, including the metabolism of certain nutrients in our food, the regulation of our immune system, and modulating various behaviors such as hunger, satiety, and sleep. Maintaining a large variety of the organisms in our gut microbiome is important for the health of our digestive and immune systems as well as for the other systems that interact or communicate with our digestive system, such as the central nervous system. In some people, stress can negatively affect the diversity of the gut microbiome, which has a negative impact on our digestion and overall health.

Enteric Nervous System. A semi-independent web of nerves, the enteric nervous system, sometimes called the gut brain, helps coordinate some of the digestive processes that takes place from the stomach to the beginning of the large intestines, and also signals the brain information that results in feelings of hunger and satiety, whether or not you�re experiencing stress, and if you�ve ingested a disease-causing microbe. 

In some people, stress can interfere with normal signaling of the enteric nervous system contributing to gut symptoms such as cramping and bloating, or causing confused signaling of hunger after stress events that leads to stress eating.

Central Nervous System. To help coordinate your digestive processes your brain is in constant two-way communication with your digestive system though your autonomic nervous system and your hormones. Because of this two-way communication, the health of the central nervous influences the health of the digestive system, and the health of the digestive system influences the central nervous system.

And your state of mind has a profound effect on your digestion. When you are in a state of acute stress, your brain shuts down your digestive system temporarily until the emergency has passed. And when stress is chronic and ongoing, your digestion is compromised because your digestive system isn�t functioning optimally. 

On the other hand, when you�re relaxed and in the Rest and Digest state, your brain turns on the digestive functions that were offline while you were stressed, and is able to work in greater harmony with other systems that support good digestion.

Circulatory System. Delivers absorbed food particles to all the cells, structures and organs of your body, including your digestive system organs themselves by the circulatory system. Water not needed for body functions eventually gets delivered to your kidneys for elimination. In some people, stress can disrupt the normal blood flow to the digestive system, especially to the small intestine, which can compromise the absorption of food into your body. 

Immune System. Along the route of the digestive system are immune functions that are an integral part of the immune system. Examples include:

• salivary enzymes in the mouth, which can kill some organisms that come in with our food
• acidic fluid of the stomach sack, which can kill some invading organisms
• Peyer�s patches, special groups of immune cells that line the inside of small intestines, which can detect and start to fight invaders that make it past the mouth and stomach
• gut microbiome, which may help our immune system adapt more quickly to new infections in the gut

So maintaining the health of your digestive system will aid the functioning of your immune system, just as maintaining the health of your immune system will aid the functioning of your digestive system by keeping your digestive system healthy (see Techniques for Supporting Your Immune System with Yoga).

Because of the importance of your digestive system to the health of your entire body, maintaining healthy digestion is an integral aspect of healthy aging. In general, a well-rounded yoga practice will allow you do this by providing the exercise and stress management�especially stress management!�that you need to keep your digestive system functioning optimally. But if you are experiencing digestive problems, you can target your yoga practice to improve your digestion (see How Yoga Helps Your Digestive System).

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Getting Juicy! Advice from Maria Mendola

by Beth

Whatever season your part of the world is experiencing now, spring will arrive sooner or later. Spring is the season of renewal, new life, new growth, and vitality both for the planet and for each of us. Vitality is one of the meanings of the word �juicy� and best expresses Maria Mendola�s recommendation for spring: �Get Juicy Now!� The idea being that being vital and getting juicy is about embodying health, radiance, contentment, and so much more. Juicy joints, juicy thoughts, juicy moves! Let�s age, juicy! Isn�t that a helpful image to keep in mind as we age? 

I decided to interview Maria for a couple of reasons. I�ve known her for many years, and have been fascinated by her story and impressed by the way she �walks her talk.� I�m encouraging her to write a book and have offered to help. Recently we were teaching together in the foundational two-week training for the Integrative Yoga Therapy program, and I decided that interviewing her would make a good post for this blog and might be a way to move the book agenda forward. 

Let me tell you a bit about her. Maria began her work in the health field as a holistic nurse. She has since studied with Dr. Vasant Lad, the late Mukunda Stiles, Tias Little, and Joseph LePage. For her, the idea of aging juicy began with a personal crisis. Twenty years ago as she was riding her bike in Mexico, she was hit from behind by a pickup truck. The accident resulted in massive brain injury and a broken back. She was told she would never walk again. She used time and yoga to begin the slow process of healing and self-discovery. Now at age 58, she is walking, running, dancing, teaching yoga classes, managing a yoga therapy practice, offering a Yoga Alliance Approved training program in Functional Yoga Therapy, and can dead lift 120 pounds with perfect form. She is a walking source of juicy advice for aging well and functioning optimally.

About aging, she says: 

�Most of our perspective on aging is in our minds. We do have a biological clock but I don�t believe that aging equates with the body failing. We need to adapt to the changing seasons in the same way we adapt to the seasons of aging.�

Her recipe for healthy aging consists of three words: Expand, Nourish, and Root. I asked Maria to recommend a yoga technique for each concept. 

Expand

Maria says, �One major key is balance. It�s the first thing to leave after age 40 but we can get it back through yoga.� Her suggested technique is Dynamic Stork pose, performed slowly with full engagement of body, breath, and mind. (You can find many excellent posts on the importance of balance by Nina and Baxter on this blog, such as  Yoga and Balance: An Overview and Techniques for Improving Balance.)

Instructions

1. Stand in Mountain Pose, with your feet slightly wider than hips-width apart. Shift your weight and strengthen into your left leg.
2. Keep your spine straight, and your eyes open and focused on a point on the ground in front of you or straight ahead. 
3. Inhale and expand as you float your arms out to the sides, bend your right knee and slowly raise your right leg in front of you until it is in line with your hip. 
4. Pause at the top of your inhalation and hold for a beat or two.
5. On your exhalation, release your arms and legs and return to Mountain pose.
6. From Mountain pose, if your feet are not already slightly wider than hips-width apart, step them into that position. Shift your weight and strengthen into the right foot and leg, and repeat the pose on your left side.
7. Repeat at least six times on each side.

Maria recommends practicing in bare feet on a firm surface. 

Nourish

As part of a daily meditation practice, Maria suggests using Jala Mudra, the gesture of water. This mudra is said to:

• Encourage fluidity and flexibility in both mind and body
• Lubricate the joints
• Support the health of the urinary, reproductive, digestive, and eliminatory systems

Instructions

1. In your favorite seated position, touch the tips of your thumbs to the tips of your little fingers, and extend the other three fingers straight out.
2. Rest the backs of your hands on your thighs or your knees.
3. Soften your shoulders and sit with your spine comfortably straight.
4. Hold for 5 to 10 breaths, or as long as you�re comfortable 

Root

Maria says, �Love your feet! Our feet move these body temples of ours along the earth. Daily, feed your feet with loving massage and oils. Treat them to being barefoot, and wearing shoes that fit well. Love each toe. Roll your feet with a ball. Take time to both look and touch your toes to wake up your nervous system. Life is too precious to allow its chaos to sweep us away. Take time to feel your feet daily, to exhale fully, and then inhale energy up from the earth through your whole body. Imagine your energetic roots reaching deep into the earth, bringing in sustenance.�

For more of Maria�s �juicy� advice, visit her website MariaAlive.com.

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