Fight, flight, freeze or submit

Many people seek to relieve stress by practicing Yoga because it is one of the main stress management healing modalities. The practice of Yoga reduces physical and emotional stress because it stimulates the nervous system.

The nervous system governs our sensory perception and how we experience pain, pleasure and control our body movements. It also regulates our vital body functions such as breathing and our body temperature. It is the most important network for the development of language, thought and memory. The brain and spinal cord are the main components of the central nervous system.

Stress often negatively impacts the nervous system, but it can be used in a positive way to help motivate us. For example, stress can push you to study before an exam. However, it can be so overwhelming that it severely affects our well-being. Have you ever had sweaty palms before a presentation? Or were you so stressed during an exam that you could not think clearly and concentrate? Or have you ever driven down a dark road in the countryside and suddenly seen a cow standing there? The cow being so stressed by the approaching car, it stands there completely frozen.

In general, the body’s response to stress is known as fight, flight, freeze or submit. When under pressure or stressed our autonomic nervous system often malfunctions. The autonomic nervous system consists of two systems: The Sympathetic Nervous System (which  activates fight or flight because it activates the muscles) and the Parasympathetic Nervous System (which controls the body’s calming mechanisms or shuts the body down). In the frozen state, the autonomic nervous system shuts down with the SNS and PNS over-working simultaneously. This is why stress either results in nervousness, hyperactivity or sluggishness, dissociation or numbness.

An internal relaxation response is triggered when you focus on breathing or begin practicing Yoga. This means that your physical and mental states shift from fight or flight towards a state of rest which is regulated by the Parasympathetic Nervous System. Yoga guides practitioners on how to connect to the nervous system through breath and movement, which delivers a higher level of inner peace (tranquility) to the practitioner.