Howard Napper is one of the UK's best known yoga teachers and authors. Based in West London, where he teaches at studios including Triyoga, he aims to teach in an inclusive style, addressing some of the real health problems of our age. In an exclusive interview with YA, Howard Napper talks about yoga's role in tackling the serious, even life-threatening effects, of stress.
We hear the word 'stress' so frequently it's easy to lose sight of its implications. Why are stress levels endemic?
It is true that we have had a big elevation of stress levels because of the recession. But over the last 10-15 years, the pressures of society have been growing greater, partly due to the increasing accessibility of technology.
Essentially, it has become very difficult to switch off and many of us don't have the tools to be able to relax.
For me, the crux of all this pressure is the amount of background stress we are under. It's not so much that X or Y has happened; it is an accumulation of background stress.
The base line against which stress levels are measured is far higher than ever before.
Consequently, most of us are continually stressed out, sometimes without realising it - and this is regarded as a normal state of being.
What is the evidence that we are so stressed out?
There are growing volumes of research in this area. Stress has been found to be responsible for 80% of injuries and 40% of all staff turnovers. Life today is, on average, 40% more difficult than it was 30 years ago - and that was according to a 1996 survey, so the findings are likely to be far worse today!
And a recent 20 year study by the University of London concluded that unmanaged reactions to stress were more of a danger factor for the occurrence of cancer than either smoking or high cholesterol.
Of the three major killers in today's western society - cancer, heart disease and Alzheimers - stress is implicated as playing a significant role in all three.
But isn't some stress beneficial?
Stress per se isn't bad. What is bad is existing in a constant stress - and this is because of the high levels of cortisol present in the body, which then has a physically damaging effect on the heart, scaring tissue.
Stress is an inevitable part of people's lives and is part of the human condition. The question is, how to start to get a handle on it?
How do we, as a society, start to tackle this huge issue?
Information and education are the key. If you are going to encourage
someone to change their lifestyle, you have to educate them and it may mean that person has to make choices.
For me, yoga has been about dealing with the human condition - it's just amazing how it deals with so many aspects of human suffering, whether that is spiritual, emotional, physical.
Going beyond the physical, yoga was always designed to change our relationship with thought and thought processes.
It has been proven now that the way you think and process information is absolutely key, and influences your biological age. Genetics only plays a small role, as has been found by carrying out studies on twins.
How, specifically, can yoga help?
The breath, and breathing correctly, is possibly one of the most effective coping mechanisms for stress.
When we become stressed there are 1,500 reactions within the body that take place; 30 of these are within the body's biochemistry. Learning to breath properly has a direct affect on the central nervous system.
The key element to the breath is the exhalation, which is often overlooked. Following this pattern of breath for a few minutes a day has a tremendously positive effect on the sympathetic nervous system: breath in for a count of four; hold for a count of seven; exhale for a count of eight.
The central nervous system has two components: the parasympathetic (which is indicative of a relaxed state) and sympathetic (indicative of a stressed state). By bringing attention to the exhale, we can change the emphasis to the first - the parasympathetic, when the person is in a relaxed state of being.
The problem with constant stress is that we never get back to that balanced way of being; never able to have the respite where the body goes into the parasympathetic state. Focusing on the exhalation is possibly the most effective way to do this.
There should be no separation between pranayama, meditation and asana. The whole idea is to bring all these disciplines together as we tend to separate them. Yoga itself is a form of meditation.
Are there any negative aspects surrounding the application of yoga for stress?
People have very preconceived ideas about yoga. So I am always looking for ideas to circumnavigate these preconceptions, which sometimes happen as soon as you say the word 'yoga' or 'meditation'.
Once you give a name to something you automatically put it into a bracket. It then has edges, which makes the thing more tangible and easier to get to. On the downside, you then confine it and make it much smaller. To me, the crux is to make the practise of yoga accessible, and 'not weird'.
Another issue is that the simplicity of breath practises simply isn't very sexy. But once people work with the breath and realise how wonderful it is (the highs, the freedom) then it sells itself.
Is there anything else you would like to say about tackling stress?
Yes - finding coping mechanisms is essential. Once you have found something that works for you (whether it is yoga or a walk in the park) you need to make an effort to return to it over and over again, trying to re-programme the body. The constant barrage of stress needs something equally up to the task of pushing back this flow of stress.
The wonderful thing is: the breath is accessible at any point in the day, and it's free! The other great thing is that nobody even has to know what you're doing. So you can do it sitting on a bus, train - it's completely hidden.
Also, one of the things I recommend when someone is trying to change their habits (i.e. giving up smoking) is to associate with people who have the habits you would like to adopt.
It's important to remember that the process of the practice isn't just about doing it on a mat; it's about finding people who share your thoughts and beliefs. Making those very real choices in environment can have a very profound effect on your path.
You recently launched an iPhone and iPod Touch application called the dStress pill. How has this gone down (so to speak)?
Yes, it works on iphones or Ipod touch. The instructions use scientifically proven techniques to help people in everyday situations manage and relieve the damaging effect of stress in their lives.
These techniques are easy to use in either a work or home environment, offering instant relief in very much the same way as a regular pill would. The application includes 20 flash cards containing information about stress, a 40 page e-book about relieving stress; and two relaxing de-stress audio exercises.
Could you summarise two anti-stress breathing techniques for us?
The first would be to follow this instruction with your breath: inhale for a count for four; hold the breath for seven; and exhale for eight. Continue for as long as is comfortable, but for at least four rounds.
The second is as follows: take the tip of your tongue and place it on the ridge of the top of the teeth. Breath in through the nose on the inhalation and out through the mouth on the exhalation, almost pursing the lips together as you exhale. Inhale for four, hold for seven, exhale for eight. The tongue is kept in the same place the whole time. Only three rounds can be enough to have an extraordinary affect.
For more information about Howard Napper's classes, DVDs and books, plus his new iphone application, see http://howardnapper.com
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