Yoga and More

  Time tested technologies for health and well being.

Figuring Out Stress

The traditional view treats stress as bad, as if all stress is bad.  The traditional view scores or rates bad stress triggers and teaches avoidance. 

This view can put smokers in a corner.  Continuing to smoke can beget bad stress over health issues.  Stopping smoking can beget bad stress over withdrawal from physical addiction, maybe mental addition, and perhaps from taking nicotine replacement therapies.  This traditional focus has not worked well.

Stress is good for you, some of the time.  Never good all of the time.  The traditional view will acknowledge that good stress is three minutes of windmills, followed by rest.  Or twenty minutes of walking at a brisk pace, followed by relaxing. Or twenty five push ups or sit ups or squats, followed by rest.
Competition of almost any kind that has a defined beginning and end can be good stress.  Golf, tennis, dancing, checkers, backgammon, watching a hockey game or any game can be good stress.  Stress that is constant or incessant, is deteriorating.
In the workshop, a personal self stress test allows you to discover stressors that are good for you, and tell you how good.  If you desire to include the traditional approach, the test can also score stressors that are bad for you, including how bad.  Knowing good stressors, and seeking them out without overdoing it, will reduce the effects of bad stress.  The workshop is also about training your relaxation response after any type stress.  Yoga taught in the workshops helps do this.
This self test works for all because it is tailored to each individual.  A stressor for one person, creating bad stress, can be an opportunity or blessing for another person, or be insignificant for a third person.  For some smokers who savor doing a work project and completing it, a deadline can be approached with satisfaction.  If a deadline begets increasing misery as the deadline comes closer, to a smoker not invested in the project's success or completion, nervous smoking can drive constant smoke breaks.  You can test yourself about anything you do, or about anything that happens to you, or about your relationships, or about whatever.  You can make your list.
This workshop is integrated with breathing and meditation.  There are yogic exercises, breathing patterns and meditations that have the effect of creating good stress or training your relaxation response.  Healthy recovery from stress evokes healing.  The self test may help you find activities that will rekindle your relaxation response to serve you when you experience bad stress.