Taking care of another person, particularly when they’re a family member or loved one, is a delicate duty.
Whether the patient is a newborn, an elderly parent, stricken with a chronic disease, or has a temporary setback after surgery, their needs are always put to the forefront – and hopefully with a loving smile. But it’s not always so easy.
The challenges of caregiving were even made “official” by President Obama on October 31, 2013, when he signed the Presidential Proclamation declaring November 2013, National Family Caregivers Month.
If you’ve ever taken care of another person, you know that your stress level can increases to a point that affects your mental and physical well being, and all you want is a break to care for yourself.
How can you take care of another if you can’t take care of yourself?
Stressful times are when we need to access our instant calming solutions the most to be able to weather the emotional storm. And, depending on the individual, the solution might be food or it could be exercise.
The best solution, of course, is one that is going to provide a healthy sense of calm, comfort and nurturng for the caregiver who is constantly nurturing another.
Nurture the caregiver with yoga.
Mindful breath work (pranayama), movement, stillness and the “letting go” of the physical and mental tension during a yoga practice all help to actively calm the mind and body. And it can be done in the home, or in a group practice, easily by anyone at any age.
It has been proven that simple, mindful breathing – whether done during meditation or asana practice – calms the nervous system and the mind, in turn helping to close the door for potential disease and depression.
One key principal in yoga is that the breath is a mirror of the mind. An agitated breath reveals an agitated mind; while a calm breath reveals a calm mind. This is why gentle and restorative yoga classes, as well as classes focusing on guided meditation such as yoga nidra, are powerful tools for relieving stress, and understanding the source of the stress.
The stress statistics of care giving.
According to the Presidential Proclamation, “more than 60 million Americans take up the selfless and unheralded work of delivering care to seniors or people with disabilities or illnesses.”
According to a recent article published in the central Michigan paper, The Morning Sun, “more than one-third of caregivers suffer from poor health. Their health issues include higher blood pressure; poorer immune function; slower wound healing; and even coronary heart disease.”
The article also states, “Research has found that middle-aged and older women who provide care for an ill or disabled spouse were nearly six times as likely to suffer depressive or anxious symptoms in comparison to those who had no caregiving responsibilities. For women who cared for ill parents this rate of depression and anxiety was twice as much as non-caregivers.”
Resources for caregivers.
There are a number of yoga studios as well as hospitals, health-related non-profits and hospice organizations that understand the importance of keeping the caregiver healthy, during and after the caregiving is done.
Organizations such as Wellness House of Annapolis and Hospice of the Chesapeake in Pasadena, Maryland, offer yoga classes for caregivers to help them heal during the stressful process of dealing with a loved one’s illness or death.
Suggested yoga sequence for caregivers.
A successful stress-relieving practice will focus on the source of tension you may be holding – mental or physical – and aim to soften your grip and let it go.
In times of stress, we tend to hold the tension of our fear or anger in some major areas where future problems tend to show up: the shoulders and chest, hips, and the back, causing bad posture and energetic block around the body.
The best yoga practice for a caregiver would include a gentle moving class that focuses on mindfully controlling the breath, and opening the stressed areas of the body – especially the heart.
The following is a very easy five-part sequence to use to relieve stress:
- Begin seated on a chair or the floor in a comfortable seated position. Start focusing on the quality of your breath. Mindfully develop an even count breath, breathing in and out gently through the nose. (For example count to four on both the inhale and exhale.) Focus on filling the lungs on the inhale and emptying the belly on the exhale.
- Start moving your arms over your head on the inhale, and lowering on the exhale using the even count breath you established above. Be mindful to let your hands reach above your head at the top of your inhale; and let your fingers reach your hips at the bottom of the exhale. Don’t rush the movement or the breath. Synch the two actions mindfully together.
- Seated twist. Taking turns on the left and right to place the opposite arm to the outside of the opposite knee. Lift the spine and fill the lungs on the inhale, twisting towards the direction of the held knee while emptying the breath from the belly to deepen the twist.
- Seated cat and cow. Place your hands, palms down, on your knees, spine straight and shoulders rolled back to open the chest. Once again establish your even count breath. As you inhale, gently arch the back and fill the lungs, allowing the chest to expand; then exhaling, slowly round the back forward, empty the belly and lower the head towards the heart. The slower the movement and the deeper the breath the more powerful the effect.
- Svasana, or full resting pose. Even if you do nothing else, this pose is the easiest and one of the most important. Begin by lying on the floor (use blankets under the body as needed) allow the body to completely relax. Notice where you might be holding any tension in the body: the shoulders, hips, fingers, eyebrows – or even the mind, and let go. Notice your thoughts but don’t follow them. Be an observer. This is a great way to intentionally let go of the stress. Do this for 5 to 10 minutes.
From: Examiner.com