Many of us carry around thoughts of fear and anger that affect the way we interact with the world. At many times during the day, we may find ourselves challenged by traffic congestion, angry bosses, family tension and the urban syndrome of feeling perpetually late; causing us to live in a permanent cycle of fight or flight. It is a constant low-level fear, which we often describe simply as stress. This stress manifests itself not only in our emotional response to our lives, but also in our bodies, affecting our physical health. The lessons that yoga teaches us about mindfulness and equanimity can help us balance our emotions and melt away the layers of stress that wreak havoc on our minds, bodies and relationships.

For many people, yoga is something that happens for ninety minutes in a studio with hardwood floors, a few times a week. But after the mats are folded up, a large majority of us find ourselves feeling abandoned out in the world, struggling to keep up with everyone else. The peace of savasana might be replaced by anger as a driver cuts us off on the freeway. These negative emotional responses produce harmful chemical reactions in the body that are counterproductive to physical health and the peaceful meditative state which we develop through the practice of yoga.

Our reactive emotional habits have a dramatic and unhealthy impact on our bodies. The surge of hormones, adrenaline and endorphins associated with these emotional surges can put unhealthy stresses on the heart and cardio-pulmonary system; blood pressure and respiration rates rise, and physical manifestations can appear as aches and pains, fatigue or even severe illnesses and infections. These negative thoughts and actions are also prevalent in maintaining addiction cycles, whether they involve drugs, alcohol, sex or food. Sometimes we even create addictions to the very stress that is harming us, letting negative thoughts rule our minds, ever circling and creating a junkie’s mentality toward anger and adrenaline, resulting in a great deal of harm to our physical bodies.

We have the ability to break free of these cycles. By practicing self-awareness during challenging moments in our lives, we can move into a more complete state of health. We can judge whether an action or thought is a good choice by looking at past results. As our thoughts unfold into actions, they either become positive, constructive experiences or negative, destructive ones. By acknowledging these results in the moment, we can make a habit of taking actions that support positive interactions.

The tools to manifest these habits are surprisingly simple. The next time you find yourself in a stressful situation, rather than reacting immediately, STOP! Take a breath, scan your body, your thoughts and your feelings. Notice the physical sensations that result from the situation and then make a choice that will diffuse those that are negative and support those that are positive. Stopping to take a deep breath has almost become a cliché, especially in yoga, but there is tremendous power in the simplicity of this small, momentary act. In the moment that it takes to stop, breathe and scan the body, we become present and responsible rather than reactive and defensive. By actively creating a more positive reality, we become accustomed to happiness and our intelligence will crave this new and healthier way of being. We may not have the ability to stop a war or break up a gang, but we can control the course of our own lives and bring peace into the world through our choices one interaction at a time.

scarletyogi@aol.com