Om Mantra Dyan (left) NadishodhanaPranayama (right). Image Courtesy – Vijay Gautam.
Stress exists when the adaptive capacity of an Individual is over whelmed by events. Stress is normally experienced by three sources.
1. Environment
2. Body physiology
3. Self appraisal
Follow three 3R’s to become stress free.
A. Rest
B. Recreation
C. Relaxation
People are agitated temperamental, sentimental and Emotional. The wear and tear of the body is compensated during sleep by nature. Stress seems to be the root cause of ill health – physical and mental. The nerves cannot relax because of their fixed grip on the muscles.
Effects of stress on your health
Physical and mental problems like Insomnia, Anxiety, Nervousness, weight gain/lose, Heart disease, Arthritis, Weakness of immune system, Loneliness, Hypertension and Menstrual disorders etc. Yoga is very helpful and beneficial for a person who is suffering from stress.
AMAN MUDRA: Sit cross – legged or on a chair with your back straight. But not stiff. Join the palms together pointing up, not touching the body. The base of the palms and fingers below their tips should be touching softly and straight. Hold the palms at the centre of the body. DURATION: Stay in this position as long as you enjoy it. It can be 30 seconds or more. Any time once a day do it regularly the same time.
FOUR STEPS BREATHING
CHEST BREATHING: Inhale and expand your chest. Then exhale and relax your chest. This is one round of chest breathing. Do it ten times.
ABDOMINAL BREATHING: Inhale and expand your Abdomen. Then exhale and relax. Do this breathing also ten times.
YOGIC BREATHING: Inhale and first expand your abdomen then expand your chest. Exhale and relax your abdomen first and then your chest. Do this yogic breathing ten times.
TADAN BREATHING OR AJGARI MUDRA: In hale from both the nostril slowly while inhaling expand your abdomen make pot belly. Hold for 5 seconds then exhale from your Nose and pull your stomach in while exhaling. Do it ten rounds.
OM MANTRA DHYAN: Sit in comfortable meditative pose with eyes gently closed. Keep your back straight and stretched up with the shoulders relaxed. Recite silently “OM MANTRA” with full attention; the mind should be fully focused on the rhythmic flow of the mantra. Both the hands in Gyan Mudra. Practice this OM Mantra Dhyan minimum for 15 times daily. And slowly increase the time as per time available.
PROGRESSIVE RELATION TECHNIQUE: Exercise and relaxation are complimentary to each other. Neither can one sleep after too much of sleeping. Nor can one work after too much of working. The correct techniques to first tense you and then relax.
WARM UP CUP THERAPY: Rub your hands together vigorously until they become warm. Then cup them over your closed eyes for five seconds. While you breathe deeply.
MINI SELF MASSAGE: Massage the palms of one hand by making a circular motion with the thumbs of the other hand. Do this exercise with both the hands.
NADI SHODHANA PRANAYAMA: Sit in comfortable meditative posture. Keep the head and spine upright. Relax the whole body and close the eyes. Then with help of right hand thumb close the right nostril. Now breathe in through left nostril. Then close the left nostril with ring finger and release the pressure of the thumb on the right nostril while breathing out through the right nostril next then inhale through the right nostril. Hold and release the left nostril. This one round of Nadi Shoudhana Pranayama Do it minimum 20 rounds.
Read: Naval displacement and its cure with yoga
BENEFITS: This pranayama ensures that the whole body is nourished by an extra supply of oxygen, Carbon Dioxide is efficiently expelled and blood is purified of toxins. This pranayama increase vitality and lower level of stress and anxiety by harmonizing the ‘pran’. Nadi means channel or flow of energy and shoudhana means purification. This pranayama is very – very good for stress and mental depression.
SHAVASANA: Lie flat on the back with arms about 15cm away from the body. Palms facing up-wards. Let the fingers of both hands curl up slightly. Close the eyes. The head and spine should be on a straight line. Relax the whole body and stop all physical movements. Become aware of your natural breathing, now with every inhalation chant the word SO and with every exhalation think of the word HUM repeat the mantra for five to 10 minutes. Duration according to time available. Physical first on relaxing the whole body then on the breath. And spiritually on AJNA CHAKRA (Eye brow center gazing is called Ajna chakra).
BENEFITS: This asana relax the whole psycho –physiological system. It should be practiced before sleep also tries not to move body at all during practice of this asana, because slightest movement will create muscular contraction. This asana works as Ram Barn for. H. B. patients, Heart patients, depression and stress.
