How many times have you said, “I’m just so stressed out?”

Does this sound familiar?  Phones ringing off the hook at work, and no matter how hard you try, you can’t please irate customers, it seems like everyone wants something from you; there are too many demands on your time and finally, you think, there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

We all have “bad days.”  We all have “stressful days,” but too much or chronic stress can cause “burnout.”   This burnout can negatively impact your immune system and even accelerate the aging process.

Having trouble remembering things or being able to concentrate?  Does it take forever for you to fall asleep at night?  Do you have back pain, neck aches or muscle spasms?   Are you experiencing anger or frustration over little things?  Has your breathing changed so much during stressful times that your pulse is racing?

Stress that’s left unchecked can contribute to health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.  And, more importantly, stress can shorten your life expectancy by 2.8 years.

So, what can we do to keep ourselves healthy and in the game?  The best answer is to start making yourself and your health a priority.  Tune out.  Give yourself permission to take a little time that is all about you.

One of the best stress relievers out there is yoga.  Yoga is no longer a “woman’s” activity.  Men, too, are finding that yoga can help ease tendonitis from playing golf or tennis. Yoga can ease the back pain and numbness in our legs that we all feel from sitting in front of a computer or hunched over our phones for hours at a time.   It can also reduce pain in the knees and back from weight lifting.

According to The Good Body and YOGA BUSINESS websites, yoga has become one of the fastest-growing practices for well care in the past decade, with approximately 300 million people, worldwide, regularly practicing yoga.  In the United States, 34.4 million people practice yoga; women make up 70% of yoga practitioners and the number of adults over 50 doing yoga is over 14 million.

If yoga is something you think you would like to try, the Leland Cultural Art Center, located at 1212 Magnolia Village Way, has recruited three new yoga instructors for the fall and winter seasons.

Stephanie Washburn will be leading basic yoga once a week.  This program alternates between holding postures and a gentle accessible flow of movement.  Stephanie is an ERYT 500 certified yoga instructor.

Jamie Annette will be leading basic and vinyasa flow yoga once a week.  Jamie has her RYS 500hr certification.  Vinyasa flow unites breathing with sun salutations and fluid movement between postures.

Finally, Theresa Griffin will be leading chair yoga once a week. Theresa obtained her RYS 200hr certification.  This is a wonderful program for those who are not able to lower to the floor but still want the benefits of yoga.  The practice includes postures while seated in a chair and standing postures with the support of the chair.

The world is a crazy place, full of stress and demands.  Don’t give in. Relax.  Call the Leland Cultural Arts Center at 910 385 9891 and get more information on their yoga programs or go to the website, at https://bit.ly/3D6cnnn.

Stephanie Washburn will be leading basic yoga once a week.  This program alternates between holding postures and a gentle accessible flow of movement.  Stephanie is an ERYT 500 certified yoga instructor.

Jamie Annette will be leading basic and vinyasa flow yoga once a week.  Jamie has her RYS 500hr certification.  Vinyasa flow unites breathing with sun salutations and fluid movement between postures.

Finally, Theresa Griffin will be leading chair yoga.  Theresa obtained her RYS 200hr certification.  This is a wonderful program for those who are not able to lower to the floor but still want the benefits of yoga.  The practice includes postures while seated in a chair and standing postures with the support of the chair.

The world is a crazy place, full of stress and demands.  Don’t give in. Relax.  Call the Leland Cultural Arts Center at 910 385 9891 and get more information on their yoga programs.