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Yoga In Stress Management

YOGA IN STRESS MANAGEMENT

By

Dr.J.Rajakumar

                       To-day, Science and Technology has made it advancement at the greatest pace. Yesterday’s innovation becomes obsolete to day. Human minds have to conform to the speed of technology by employing their intellect. In this process their mind becomes fatigue and ultimately it leads them to stress and strain. The doors of opportunity to relax do not knock at to them. This stress not only has its impact on them, but also on their sub ordinates, dependents and on the society as a whole.

           STRESS

                                Stress is described as a state of anxiety, strain, nervousness, tension, constant worry or pressure. It is what our bodies and minds experience in order to adapt to our consistently changing environment.

                                 According to R.S.Lazarus, stress arises when an individual perceives that he/she cannot adequately cope with the demands being made on them or when they perceive threats to their well being. Stress results from an imbalance between demands and resources.

 

                                  According to S.Palmen stress is the psychological, physiological and behavioral response by an individual when they perceive a lack of equilibrium between the demands placed upon them and their ability to meet those demands, which over period of time, leads to ill health.

                                   Mind loses its equilibrium when any external or internal problem strains it harshly. Consequently, its functioning gets disturbed and its harmony begins to diminish slowly or rapidly, depending upon the individual’s state of mental health. The person so affected for a long period, becomes mentally sick with intensity proportionate to the degree of harmony lost. As a result, the individual’s thought action, manner, and behavior and out look become imbalanced and take various forms and shapes of abnormal expression. This can involve persons of any age, of any sex, of any socio economic back ground and of any land.

    CAUSES OF STRESS:-

                                       In order to make the methodological process of yoga comprehensible, a brief analysis about the causes of mental stress is essential. All troubles which affect the mind of an individual spring from three basic sources

                  i)    Nature

                  ii)  Society

                  iii)    Self

 In other words, the particular problem which strains and causes mental imbalance in an individual is Nature- oriented, Society- oriented or Self- oriented.

        NATURE:-  The stress from Nature could be in the form of some natural calamity, threat from certain animate creatures and the peculiarity of natural phenomena.

(Ex) Tsunami, Earthquake. Etc.,

         SOCIETY:-The stress comes from societal problems likewise, could be religious, ethnic, racial, economic, political etc., or also they might involve the varied problems of adjustments to certain customs, manners, way of life, etc., of a particular community.

  (Ex) Judgments in the rural set up

          SELF:- There could be countless problems of individual’s own creation, while arise because of certain beliefs, faith, notions, habits, manners and also because of some inner feelings, such as, hatred, jealousy, revenge, love, romance, likes and dislikes.

 EFFECT OF STRESS:-   According to Selye, stress is not necessarily some thing bad, it all depends on how you take it. The stress of exhilarating, creative successful work is beneficial, while that of failure, humiliation or infection is detrimental. Stress can sometime lead to severe health problems and in extreme cases, can cause even death.

             Stress gives positive as well as negative results. If it is an optimum stress

               i)     It helps us move to action

               ii)     Stimulating and exciting

               iii)    New awareness and out look

 So, for any work we are going to do or we are going to face any task, we should have optimum stress. If the stress level increases, the following physical and mental problems arise and disturb the individual. Stress indirectly and sometimes directly will affect the people those who are near and dear to him.

 Physical problems:-

                               i)  Severe Head ache 

                               ii)  Hyper tension

                               iii) Cardiac failure

                                iv)  Diabetes

                                v)  Strokes

  Mental problems:-

                               i) Distrust

                              ii) Rejection

                             iii)  Anger

                            iv) Depression

                            v) Insomnia

 

People with high stress usually feel poorly about themselves or the world around them. They struggle with inactivity, isolation and feelings of hopelessness.

 YOGA:-    Yoga is the restriction of the flections of consciousness. Yoga has a complete message for humanity. It has a message for the human body, human mind and human soul. Yoga sastra unmistakably recognizes the interdependence of body and mind. It prescribes exercises for both body and mind, so that the two might develop themselves in a spirit of co-operation to such a balanced psycho- physiological condition that they should cease to enslave the human soul. Yogis are convinced that thus freed from the thralldom of body and mind, the soul realizes the boundless existence of infinite bliss. 

                       Through constant practice of yoga, one can over come all difficulties and eradicate all weakness. Pain can be transmitted in to bliss, sorrow in to joy, failure in to success and sickness into perfect health. Determination, patience and persistence lead us to the goal.

                          It may be said that the goal of yoga is to bring about a complete harmony within the individual, due to the collation of the process of desire and achievement, as a result of realization of the futility of that process. It is a state of separation from misery and sorrow, a state of silence and peace. But it becomes almost impossible for most of us to attain such a state, because the minds of most of us are endlessly caught up in wishful thinking, seeking security, prestige, power, permanent and lasting pleasure and so on. We thus, forever carry a burden caused by desires, cravings, hopes and despairs, greed envy. It becomes very difficult to understand clearly how this burden and tension is essentially of our own making, because our beliefs, judgments and conclusions, hardly ever permit us to think in a free manner. We are conditioned by the beliefs that we unknowingly gather from our parents, friends, teachers, leaders and other influential members of the society. This process of conditioning has an overwhelming influence on almost every child born in the society. The goal of yoga is to put an end to this conditioning, society and grief. An individual, then, stops looking at the problems he confronts, through what others have said, and the starts understanding any situation as it is. But all this indeed remains beyond the grasp of most of us, because we lack sensitivity and simplicity of mind. It is therefore, that individuals who reach the goal of yoga are very rare in any society.

 

DESCRIPTION OF SELECTED YOGIC PRACTICES FOR STRESS FREE SITUATION

                                    The following are the selected yogic practices divided in the training package.

 

i)                    Meditation (observing breath)

 

ii)                   Ujjayi pranayama

 

iii)                 Paschimottan asana

 

iv)                 Bhujanga asana

 

v)                  Trikona asana

 

vi)                 Sarvanga asana

 

vii)               Dhanur asana

 

viii)              Hala asana

 

 Results of yogic practices

 

i)                    Stable autonomic nervous system equilibrium, with a tendency towards Para sympathetic nervous system dominance rather than the usual stress – induced sympathetic nervous system dominance.

 

ii)                   Blood pressure decreases (of special significance for hypo reactors)

 

iii)                 Sleep improves

 

iv)                 Somatic and kinesthetic awareness increases

 

v)                  Mood improves and subjective well- being increases

 

vi)                 Self- acceptance and self actualization increase

 

vii)               Social adjustment increases

 

viii)              Hostility decreases

 

ix)                 General health improves

 

   The above results help us to decrease stress.

 

            

 

        REMEDIAL MEASURES FOR STRESS

 

i)                    Avoid peer pressure

 

ii)                   Proper exercise and proper diet

 

iii)                 Breathing control

 

iv)                 Relaxation techniques

 

v)                  Good sleep

 

vi)                 Calm, clear thoughts and quiet confidence

 

vii)               Building self confidence

 

                                   Research results in the recent days prove that yoga is a good remedy for stress. By strictly adhering to the above mentioned remedial measures, we, in turn practice yoga. The above remedial measures are part and parcel of yoga.

 

                                    The trend prevalent all over the world at present situation is that people are aware of the fact that yoga is indispensable for one’s safe and secured life. But it must be a compulsory practice at all levels from childhood to adulthood. It is imperative to make it a compulsory program from the budding stage of a child at the school till his/ her last breath.

 

                                                 

 

                   

 

 

 

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