A ​technique​ to reduce stress

The fastest way I know.

Three years ago.

I was building a team of 30 digital marketers from scratch. I had to do it in 2–3 months. I was also dealing with about 300 unhappy clients in the meantime.

I barely slept.

For almost a year.

But I loved it!

The problem: I didn’t know how this would impact my health.

When you’re under stress, you don’t perceive it as an issue.

The damage comes after your stress is relieved.

The year after I gained 15kg of weight. My confidence was lowest low. I had no energy. It started affecting my performance. My people noticed I wasn’t the same Yana. I had to do something…

I searched for help.

Turns out, the lack of oxygen makes a big difference.

Why?

Oxidative stress. When you’re stressed, your breathing is shallow and fast. There is not enough oxygen in your blood. This leads to oxidative stress - one of the most common causes of many serious health conditions.

Fastest way to restore?

Deep breathing!

What’s the technique?

It’s called SKY.

S-K-Y is the acronym for Sudarshan kriya yoga and is Sanskrit for ‘proper vision by purifying action‘. The practice was discovered by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living.

I took a 3-day seminar to master this technique with them.

Here’s what it is in a nutshell:

You sit in a chair or lie down. Then do the following procedure:

1. Breathe in and out veeery slowly through the nose. 20 times.

2. Breathe in and out normally through the nose. 40 times.

3. Breathe in and out very fast (as if you’re running) through the nose. 40 times.

Repeat from point 1. three times in total.

When you’re finished you will feel a bit dizzy. Lie down and close your eyes for a while. Breathe real deep and slow several times.

Do this every morning, before any physical activity. It’s the fastest way I know to reduce stress.

And remember to have a GUT time!