If you’ve ever felt that work life balance is an overrated fallacy, you are not alone. Many empowered souls across the world feel ‘balance’ is not a static state for that would mean staying put in one position once you achieve it. In reality, balance is not about symmetry – it is about perspective. It isn’t about drawing lines between ‘work’ and ‘life’ but about realizing the difference between ‘being’ and ‘doing’ and that is what one gets with Yoga practice – the ancient Indian art that dwells on creating awareness in every action combining mind, body and spirit.

Ahead of the International Yoga Day on 21-June, 2017, let’s explore what yoga teaches us about life balance and stress management.

Release your stress right through yoga asanas

Yoga asanas and pranayams (breathing exercises) are more than just physical exercises – they are triggers for release of pent up emotions. Here is how to strike the right pose to release your stress right:

#1 Backward bending yoga poses: Regular practice of backward bending asanas is helpful at giving you the skills needed to face life’s myriad personal and professional challenges without breaking. For those who find these poses especially difficult, it may indicate a reluctance or fear to face life or even psychic stiffness – inability to break certain negative patterns of thought. Practising backward bends is a way of confrontation with these emotions, leading to natural closure over time.

#2 Inverted yoga poses: Life changes ever so often and if you don’t overhaul your perspective, you risk being left behind. Inverted yoga asanas do just that – turn your thinking upside down to make way for fresh insights and purification of the mind and body, bringing peace and calmness in turn.

#3 Twisting yoga poses: For most of us, life feels constantly entangled in a mesh of worries, tasks, priorities, commitments, and emotions. Twisting yoga asanas are a great way to begin untangling those knots and problems. Combine twists with backward bends for a better understanding of how to untie knots by facing life’s problems head-on and that too with calm, composure, and peace.

#4 Balancing yoga poses: In order to achieve balance in any aspect of your life, you need to reach that state in your mind first and balancing asanas are great at helping one achieve a clear perspective.

#5 Breathing poses or pranayams: There are a variety of deep breathing Yoga Poses and all have one common objective – to make you focus on your breathing and nothing else, so you become one with yourself for that time of meditation. Apart from making these a part of your regular yoga schedule, you must also switch to breathing poses when any of the other asanas make you uncomfortable or a surge of emotions comes calling – it helps restore calm and peace.

It’s not about striking or holding that yoga pose but about yielding and moving instead         

Balance doesn’t come from being rigid or stable – it comes from your ability to move and adapt quickly and wholly. So instead of always trying to perfect or hold your yoga pose longer even of it hurts badly, learn to flow with the movements that affect your pose and adjust your muscles accordingly. After all, yoga is all about achieving flexibility – in mind, body, and spirit.

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