Stressing and Stretching: Taming Tension the Yoga Way

You've just done your first yoga posture! It's called the half-moon series, and you can do it whenever you feel stressed.

Pain in the Neck?

Neck sore from hours of reading? Try the neck roll.

Do two rotations in each direction, making sure to coordinate the movement with deep breathing; feel the tension drain away from your head, neck, and shoulders. If you stop and do a couple of neck rolls every hour, you'll probably find that you remember more of what you are reading, because you'll be less tense all the way through.

Yoga postures work on the same principle as the breath. When you're stressed, your muscles contract, your blood vessels constrict, your immune system weakens, and your digestion is thrown out of whack. As a result, you feel anxious and depressed, in other words, just plain bad. When you move in yoga postures, all the systems of your body are stimulated. Your circulatory system brings more nutrients to your cells and removes more waste, your lymph system fights infections better, your muscles are lengthened and relaxed, and your metabolism is given a boost. You wind up feeling healthier, less stressed, and more connected to yourself.

Practice the breath, the half-moon series, and some neck rolls for 10 minutes in the morning for six days, and you'll be surprised at how good you feel and how much easier it is to take on those finals and anything else that comes your way!