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many of us are familiar with the effects
of stress on our body from headaches to
upset stomachs body aches and tiredness
but what about the effects of stress on
one of our most precious assets
our brain
how about a crash course and what
happens to the brain under stress and
how we can handle it
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under stress a physical response is
triggered which directly affects the
brain in ways that impede our ability to
focus and concentrate
this response limits our ability to
connect with friends and colleagues and
strains our relationships
you might remember from high school
biology that brain cells use chemicals
called neurotransmitters to communicate
under stress a hormone called cortisol
is released which hinders the
functioning of neurotransmitters making
it harder for brain cells to talk to
each other
this makes it difficult to think clearly
and is the reason why we get confused in
a crisis or a stressful situation
cortisol also causes a chemical reaction
that directly kills brain cells
in addition cortisol triggers the
fight-or-flight response this directs
blood glucose or energy away from the
brain to our muscles so we can fight or
flee this can save our lives if we're
running from danger but in daily life
when stressed the response creates an
energy crisis in the brain which
obstructs our ability to learn new
things
fortunately these effects can be
reversed when stress is reduced
knowing how stress affects the brain
one would think the solution is to
simply force the mind to relax
unfortunately the mind has a terrible
time telling itself what to do
for example telling your mind to sleep
usually leads to little or no sleep at
all
research at harvard university found
that forcing our minds to do something
like relaxing just doesn't work
a solution to effectively managing
stress and calming the mind can be found
in a more tangible tool
breathing
because there's a direct link between
breathing and emotions
european researchers studied people
watching movies that induced emotions of
anger
sadness and happiness they discovered
that each emotion creates a distinct
breathing pattern
they also found that just having people
breathe in these patterns induce the
same emotions this demonstrates that we
can influence our emotions through our
breath
so instead of simply being overwhelmed
by our emotions we can transform them
through specific breathing techniques
numerous independent studies have shown
that the sudarshan kriya breathing
techniques or sky are effective stress
management tools
psychiatrists at india's national
institute of mental health found that
levels of the stress hormone cortisol
are significantly lower in sky
practitioners published research from
sweden shows that sky significantly
reduces the stress anxiety and
depression we face under the demands of
everyday living and increases our
optimism and well-being
it's as effective as standard
anti-depressive drug therapy is free of
side effects and has less drain on the
wallet
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sky can also increase our ability to
excel it has been found to enhance brain
functioning published research shows
that sky significantly increases beta
brainwave activity which is associated
with heightened alertness and increased
focus
independent research worldwide indicate
that sky is a potent breathing program
that significantly reduces stress and
enhances brain function this can improve
our ability to focus solve problems and
understand complex issues
in addition to the physical benefits
like lowering cholesterol and boosting
immune function regular practice of sky
relieves anxiety and enhances well-being
and positive emotions
in fact prolactin a well-being hormone
is shown to significantly increase from
the very first session of sky practice
and it is well known that emotional
well-being is directly related to
productivity concentration learning
ability and success
the benefits of practicing sky for any
business organization or family are
obvious and results grow over time in a
world where everyone is under increasing
pressure regular practice of sky creates
a powerful advantage for our mind body
and how we interact with everyone around
us
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you