I had mentioned in a previous article about my desire to relieve stress from my world. I wanted to share some tools I have discovered that may be useful to others. I started off with my basic issue of sleep deprivation and discovered some great apps for my iPod Touch. These apps are mostly sound-based such as WhiteNoise which plays a variety of background noise such as wind chimes, rainfall, airplane travel and more. Another discovery and one that was a little awkward to get use to is iBrainWave which allows you to “tune your brain”. It is a binaural brain stimulator by playing constant tones at frequencies you choose, you can sleep, meditate, or relax. If you need energy, just simply raise the megahertz frequency.
I have even downloaded a few yoga and meditation apps to guide my breathing, posture, stretching and body/mind relaxation. I’ve even downloaded a few relaxation/meditation podcasts that incorporate verbal instruction as well as soothing music to help relieve stress.
Perhaps as a new year resolution to self I will pursue light yoga as a means to stretch and relax my body more. In the past I will admit I had had reservations about these techniques but when I hear of professional athletes using these as a means to stay healthy in addition to their workouts…well, it deserves consideration. I will avoid all references to Eastern spiritualism as I know it is not relevant in my world. Instead I will probably meditate on God’s Word just as the writers of Psalms instruct.
I’ll be honest when I say that this is an endeavor I will struggle with and could use some support and guidance. How do you manage your stress?
I was a little uncomfortable with the idea of yoga at first, but I have found it to be absolutely wonderful. Yoga in it's truest sense is a spiritual discipline with a physical element. I have been able to easily incorporate some of the references to Eastern spiritual ideas with my faith…for example the Bible says “be still and know that I am God”. A big part of yoga is learning to be still, learning to quiet the mind and all its chatter…soooo hard for us. But I am quite certain that when we can be still and listen, God speaks to us. Prayer is not intended to be solely us talking to God…we need to be able to listen too. Also yoga is not just about stretching, but also about strengthening…if you get into it you will find muscles you never knew you had. 🙂
Hey Sarah! Thanks for reminding me about strength training with yoga. I spent a few sessions on a yoga program on the Wii that kicked my tail more than a few times.
You are right too regarding scripture and meditating on God's word as well as listening!
Hey Sarah! Thanks for reminding me about strength training with yoga. I spent a few sessions on a yoga program on the Wii that kicked my tail more than a few times.
You are right too regarding scripture and meditating on God's word as well as listening!