Australian_Yoga_Journal_October_2017

BLISSED

OUT

RETREAT

WYBALENA ORGANIC FARM

BYRON SHIRE

sohoyoga.com.au

Join Amanda Zdanowicz for

this 4-day/3-night retreat

where we will escape the

pre-Christmas madness

and dive into yoga and

mindfulness meditation

practices to create space in

the body, mind & life. De-

stress, detox, declutter and

find your inner bliss.

1-4 DEC 2017

With 20 years of experience,

Loraine Rushtonis a leading

authority on yoga for children

and teens. Worldwide, she has

trained thousands of people how to teach

children’s yoga in a way that is educational,

meaningful and fun.

One of the best techniques is the
STRESS method. Teach it to the teens in
your life and, even better, practice it with
them to eliminate stress while leading a
highly rewarding and happy life.

STOP STRESS IN ITS TRACKS

1. Stop
   As soon as you notice you are getting
   stressed, immediately stop what you are
   doing. You may notice you are having
   an emotional reaction such as getting
   upset or angry. Some teens will shout
   to release pressure and others cry it out.
   Physical symptoms are also a good clue:
   headaches, shaking, tense necks and
   shoulders, tummy upsets or anxiety are
   all common.


2. Time out
   Take a breath and hit the pause button.
   A calming breathing exercise is helpful
   at this stage to create a moment to allow
   yourself to separate from the thought or
   feeling that has arisen. Square breathing
   is very effective for this and can be done
   anywhere, anytime.


3. Rethink
   Rethink or relook at the situation from

a proactive, logical approach, rather

than from the automatic reaction that

has probably triggered the stress.

4. Empathise
   Have some compassion for yourself and
   don’t beat yourself up. Tell yourself you
   are doing great.


5. Smile
   Alter your physical state, and your
   mental and emotional state will follow.


6. Start again
   Restart the activity stress-free and with
   a happy, calm, clear mind.

IN PRACTICE

Let’s see how this works in practice.

Your teacher says, “Maths pop quiz!”

and your automatic reaction is, “I’m not

ready, I will fail, I don’t know enough.”

Your tummy and jaw tightens and you

feel sick. As soon as you notice your

stress levels have risen, instantly press

the stop button, sit back in your chair,

close your eyes if you need to, and

breathe. Imagine a square in front of

you and breathe in to the count of four

up one side of the square, hold the

breath in to the count of four across,

breathe out to the count of four down

the other side and hold the breath out to

the count of four across. Then, take

another look at the situation. This is the

moment to realise that you’ve come to a

conclusion before you even know what is

on the test. Look logically at what you do

know, how much work you’ve done, and

understand that you are making up

conclusions that are not real. Tell

yourself, “No matter what happens on

the test, I’ll be fi ne.” Put a big smile on

your face, let the stress go, and pick up

your pen ready to go.

Next time you are feeling stressed

think, “Stop.” Take timeout to rethink,

empathise with yourself and how you

are feeling, put a big smile on your face

and start again. Then teach the teens in

your life this simple, mindful practice to

relieve stress and anxiety and move

forward with ease and grace.