By Diana Diaz
Pins and needles, needles and pins, a happy man is a man that grins.
You know how we get those physical signs of stress and anxiety? We might feel tired or have random aches and pains that we can’t really pinpoint? We stretch, we breathe, and we feel rejuvenated right afterwards. But after a few days, the same aches and pains are back, and sometimes accompanied by new ones.
One reason is because stress shows up in the body, but starts in the mind, and if we don’t address it in our mind, our bodies will keep tensing until we do something about it.
I know – “stress” is a catch-all word. Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. It’s a feeling, and feelings tend to be very personal. So the little things that stress you out can be as individual as you are.
I tend to be an obsessive thinker. I can remember times when obsessive thinking distracted me from work and studies, movies, and conversations, and I even told myself, “Hey, you’re sabotaging your own fun!” But then I’d go back to obsessing.
And the stuff I obsess over is often ridiculous. Like, “I let that 40% off coupon expire!” And that spirals into, “See ya shoulda set an alarm to use it,” or “I can’t believe I forgot!” I can ruin my whole day.
Enter Sutra 2.33: When disturbed by negative thoughts, opposite, positive ones should be thought of. This is Pratipaksha Bhavana.
As it turns out, it is impossible to hold two thoughts in your head at once. That’s right. You may think you’re multitasking, but in fact, you are rapidly switching focus from one thought to another.
So when I catch myself obsessing, I’ll deliberately think of something pleasant, or something I actually accomplished that day, and I’ll repeat that to myself instead.
This week, when I was upset that I didn’t get to save on those expensive Ghirardelli chips for my cookies, I replaced it with the thought that I successfully baked gluten-free cookies that didn’t crumble or suck.
Sometimes it works like a charm right away, and sometimes it takes some effort to replace the aggravating thought … something like – wasted coupon – cookies! – wasted coupon – those Ghirardelli chips in the cookie are delicious!
I can do this all day, so I try to amp up the pleasant thinking a little. I thought about the cookies I did make and how many people enjoyed them, then how good they tasted, and guess what? That’s so much more fun than obsessing over the coupon, and they’re gonna’ send me another one in a couple of days anyway.
I definitely feel emotionally better the more I practice. But I hadn’t expected that, when I think about lighter things, I don’t feel achy or heavy. I literally feel lighter.
And you can test it out for yourself – if you tell a story about something, your body punctuates those emotions. Watch yourself or someone else tell a story about something that makes them happy, and see how their body moves with the energy of that emotion. Also watch as the body reacts when speaking about something unpleasant or upsetting.
And it’s definitely a practice, as is all of Yoga.
Diana Diaz is a friend of Vashon and an advanced certified yoga teacher (RYT500) specializing in Yoga for Stress Management, Sound Healing, and Yogic Philosophy.
