PEOPLE’S experience of the pandemic varies but we’ve all memories of differing strength and although life may now feel more familiar we’re still on a state of alert.
With talk of a further wave of infection later in the year and 2. 8 per cent of the U.K. suffering long – Covid , war threatening Europe and families facing the cost – of – living crisis how do we move ahead with our lives and stop thinking “what if?”
Yoga is an ancient discipline that harnesses body and breath to focus our attention inwards so we can learn to relax with physical sensations and live in the moment.
During lock – down classes moved on line with Zoom and YouTube and now there’s some movement back to face – to – face although some of the changes remain.
As well as current stress, memories of how defenceless we were against Coronavirus can be stored as muscle tension leading to backache, migraine headaches, fibromyalgia and other chronic pain holding us back from moving on with our lives.
Loughborough yoga teacher Victoria Boyle set up remote classes on Facebook during lock – down and said as a heavily pregnant mother when she had anxiety she needed to ease she applied the breathing techniques of pranayama.
“Heavily pregnant lying wide awake with insomnia during lock – down the deep inhalations calmed and soothed the tension we suffered,” she said.
Victoria now teaches classes at Arc Community Centre, Grange Park, Loughborough.
“Now my students have returned to face – to – face classes they use their practice to ease stress as we move from the pandemic. They still suffer anxiety although at class it’s not talked about but handled through the stretching and breathing,” said Victoria.
People react differently to stress; some throw themselves into work and exercise, others over – eat and drink too much and our muscles can become stiff from fear of the future.
Through the practice of yoga two branches of the central nervous system, the sympathetic and para sympathetic align to manage our energy and reduce physiological turbulence.
The sympathetic is an accelerator releasing adrenaline speeding up heart rate, increasing blood pressure and moving blood to muscles to trigger action. The parasympathetic acts as a brake; it initiates self – preservation producing Acetylcholine calming the heart rate and lowering blood pressure.
Through yoga postures, asanas, and breathing practice, pranayama, the two branches of the central nervous system work symbiotically. Through stretching and holding positions while concentrating on the breath the tension in muscles relaxes and we become more comfortable with how we feel in the moment.
As athletes inhale vigourously to prepare for action, long slow exhales slow our heart rate inducing calm.
Some types of yoga work with either technique; astanga is a fast – paced dynamic style while yin holds postures for longer with deep, slow controlled breathing.
Dave Rennie of Space to Breathe Collective in Leicester, used to be a serious runner and didn’t think yoga offered him much. Since yoga training in Rishikesh, India with a recovery expert and having talking therapy, he set up the not – for – profit yoga cooperative on Hotel Street after discovering
the power of asana postures and pranayama to be bring you comfortably into your body and be at one with yourself.
Dave said yoga’s particularly helpful for post – traumatic stress disorder when memories, often from the past, particularly childhood can be managed to become less difficult allowing the space to live more easily within your body.
“Yoga is a great modality for healing; a beautiful steady anchor in life grounding our physical body and through applied breathing, pranayama, bringing us into the present,” said Dave.
Concentrate on the breath, focus attention on the now and live in the moment: you can’t breathe in the past or the future.
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Charnwood News 
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