Are stress and anxiety running your life? Discover how yoga for stress and ancient wisdom can help you regulate your emotions.
Life moves fast. One moment, you’re racing to meet deadlines, juggling responsibilities, and trying to keep up. The next, you’re drained, running on empty, and barely making it through the day. If this cycle feels familiar, you’re not alone. Stress and emotional overwhelm have become the norm—but they don’t have to be.
Understanding how your nervous system responds to stress and learning how to shift your energy can make a world of difference. That’s where The Window of Tolerance and The Gunas come in. These two powerful frameworks—one from modern psychology, the other from ancient yoga philosophy—can help you create a greater sense of calm, clarity, and balance in your daily life.
“Our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are constantly influenced by the Gunas, always fluctuating and shaping one another. This is the law of nature and the universe. Understanding their qualities and recognizing where we stand on this spectrum is the key to freedom.” STEVE BAVOYSI
The Window of Tolerance: Finding Your Emotional Sweet Spot
Dr. Dan Siegel introduced the concept of the Window of Tolerance to describe the zone where we function at our best—where we feel present, capable, and in control. Inside this window, we can respond to challenges without feeling overwhelmed or shutting down.
But stress, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion often push us outside this space:
- Hyperarousal (Fight-or-Flight Mode): Racing thoughts, anxiety, irritability, restlessness—like you’re constantly “on.”
- Hypoarousal (Freeze Mode): Feeling drained, numb, disconnected, or stuck in a fog.
By engaging in Yoga, breathwork, and mindfulness you can actually widen your Window of Tolerance, allowing you to handle life’s ups and downs with more resilience and ease.
The Gunas: Understanding the Energies That Shape Your Mood
The word “Gunas” comes from Sanskrit and can be translated as “qualities,” “attributes,” or “tendencies.” In yoga philosophy, the Gunas represent the three fundamental forces that shape everything in the universe, including our mind, emotions, and behaviors:
- Rajas (Restlessness, Overactivity, Anxiety) – When this energy dominates, you feel scattered, stressed, and unable to slow down.
- Tamas (Heaviness, Fatigue, Numbness) – This creates feelings of exhaustion, procrastination, and disconnection.
- Sattva (Clarity, Balance, Calmness) – The sweet spot: a state of peace, presence, and inner stability.
If you’ve ever felt anxious and overworked all day, only to crash into exhaustion at night, you’ve experienced the push and pull of Rajas and Tamas. Yoga helps shift you toward Sattva—where peace and clarity reside.
Ana’s Story: A Daily Battle with Stress and Overwhelm
Ana is a high-achieving professional who starts her day with stress. The alarm goes off, and before she even gets out of bed, she’s scrolling through emails, already thinking about work. She skips breakfast, rushes through traffic, and spends her entire day running on adrenaline. She’s in a Rajasic state—overstimulated and anxious.
By the evening, exhaustion sets in. She feels too drained to cook, too tired to move, too overwhelmed to even think. So she orders takeout, mindlessly scrolls through social media, and falls asleep watching Netflix. Now, Tamas takes over—numbness and depletion.
But one night, she makes a small change. Instead of reaching for her phone, she unrolls her yoga mat. She practices Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing) for a few minutes, then flows through gentle movement, syncing breath with motion. A sense of calm washes over her. That night, she sleeps deeply, and the next day, she feels just a little more at ease.
Little by little, these practices help Ana step out of survival mode. She’s no longer bouncing between stress and exhaustion—she’s finding balance, stepping into Sattva. She is slowly becoming more resilient to daily stressor, and start to feel happier day after day..
How to Use Yoga to Expand Your Window of Tolerance & Shift Your Energy
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or overstimulated (Hyperarousal, Rajasic Energy):
- ✔ Try restorative yoga with long-held postures like Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose).
- ✔ Engage in deep, slow breathing like Nadi Shodhana to activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
- ✔ Unplug from screens and spend time in nature to slow down your nervous system.
If you’re feeling exhausted, unmotivated, or emotionally numb (Hypoarousal, Tamasic Energy):
- ✔ Move your body with gentle yet energizing yoga flows like Sun Salutations to awaken your system.
- ✔ Get outside—fresh air and sunlight help lift heavy energy and reset your mood.
- ✔ Engage in uplifting activities, like journaling, listening to music, or connecting with loved ones.
To create lasting balance (Sattva & a Wider Window of Tolerance):
- ✔ Establish a consistent yoga and meditation routine, even if it’s just 10 minutes a day and slowly extending to 60min-90min practice to get the full experience of Yoga.
- ✔ Nourish yourself with wholesome, grounding foods to support mental clarity and well-being.
- ✔ Cultivate self-compassion—listen to your body’s needs, and honor them.
Your Path to Balance Starts Now
Your emotional state isn’t fixed—it’s fluid. And the good news? You have the power to shift it.
It starts with small steps. Take three deep breaths right now. Stretch for five minutes before bed tonight. Try a gentle yoga flow tomorrow. These small moments of awareness add up, helping you reduce stress, improve emotional well-being, and feel more grounded.
Balance isn’t about perfection—it’s about noticing where you are and gently guiding yourself back. Through yoga, breathwork, and mindfulness, you can navigate life’s highs and lows with greater ease.
So, are you ready to step onto your mat and reclaim your balance? Start today—your path to emotional healing begins with a single breath. Get my FREE resource: 3-Day starter pack “Take a deep breath” to help you reduce the impact of stress and regain calm with short practices that can make a huge difference on your day, ideal to start a daily routine.
If you liked reading this post, if you find it educational, please like it to support my work, and share it to anyone that could benefits from knowing this powerful insight.
With Love and compassion,
Steve Bavoysi
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