An Analysis upon Various Comprehensive Approaches of Yoga Exercises to Manage Stress Management

Stress is the body's automatic response to any physical or mental demand placed on it. It is subjective and unpleasant felling of distress. Every one of us irrespective of our age, sex, education, occupation, socio-economic status, whether live in rural or urban area face stress. Stress effect body, mind, behavior in many ways and everyone experiences stress differently. It adversely affect a wide range of health condition and yoga is the most comprehensive approach to fighting stress. When we are in stress our nervous system respond by releasing a flood of stress hormone. This hormone stimulates the body for emergency action by "fight-flight or freeze‖ reaction also known as stress response. The agent which causes stress is known as ‗stressors'. Stress causes many harmful effects on the body such as, Physical impact - Weight gain/loss, unexpected hair loss, Heart palpitations, High blood pressure, Digestive symptoms (such as dryness of mouth, flatulence, nausea, butterfly stomach etc. Emotional negative effect includes Mood swing, Anxiety, Can lead to depression & unhealthy coping strategies (i.e. alcohol, drugs). All these changes occur because of excess secretion of adrenaline as hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal glands become hyper active under stress. Prolong stress leads to increased 'wear and tear' of the body and mind, which in turn lead to: 1. Accidental proneness: because of poor attention and concentration it occurs.

seen in people who are under stress. 3. Alcohol and other substance use: it is common experience that when a person is under tension he smoke and takes drinks more than usual and eventually become dependent on them.

Stress can be managed by following Stress Relief Strategies - 1. Breathing meditation techniques. 2. Physical exercise like yoga & workout routine. 3. Meditation. Stress is a Sudden Biological Change. It has become the curse of 21st century and is silent killer in the modern world. Stress is the greatest danger to the information era. Stress is the priceless poison for human life in the universe. It can disturb any one‘s physical, mental, emotional and behavioral balance. Stress can damage different parts of human body from muscles from tissues to organs and blood vessels. It can speed up pulse rate and respiration. It can raise blood pressure and body temperature. It can also interfere with the body metabolism, digestion, appetite, sleep, sexuality and even fertility. Occupational stress includes the environmental factors or stressors such as work overload, role ambiguity, role conflict and poor working conditions associated with a particular job. There are three stages a person goes through while suffering from stress. Know more about them. Alarm stage - This stage experiences an over acting of the sympathetic nervous system wherein adrenaline and cortisol increase and blood flows away from the brain to the muscles. As a result, dendrites shrink back in the brain to moderate the flow of information, slowing or closing down the nonessential body functions. The whole body starts preparing itself to fight against the reason of stress. The fear, excitement or pressure is evident on the sufferer‘s face. Resistance stage - In this stage, the body keeps making continuous efforts to cope with stress and therefore feels run down and the person starts feeling irritated, over reacts to minor situations and gets mentally and physically weak. Psychological, physical and behavioral changes are also clearly visible. Exhaustion stage - If a student is preparing for his exam and despite of every possible effort, he is not The stress could reach a height where he/she may feel completely exhausted and helpless to the extent of committing suicide. This is the exhaustion stage. This stage is further divided into two phases: The nature of stress is broadly of two types- Eustress (Positive stress, Distress (Negative stress). Stress is a negative consequence of modern living. In an age of highly dynamic and competitive world, man is exposed to all kinds of stressors that can affect him on all realms of life. Hans Selye (1936) first introduced the term stress into life science. The term stress is derived from the Latin word ‗Stringere‗ which means to be drawn tight. Stress is a complex, dynamic process of interaction between a person and his or her life. Eminent behavioral scientist Stephen P Robbins (2006) define it as: ―stress arises from an opportunity, demand, constraint, threat or challenge, when the outcomes of the event are important and uncertain. Organisations do not have any formal process for handling concerns or grievances relating to stress. We also hear too often that we should learn to ―deal‖ or ―cope‖ with stress at work. This implies that workplace stress is normal and that we need to ―manage‖ or ―handle‖ stress and just get on with the job. This view of stress is wrong. Negligence towards the stress of employees at workplace would lose the organization a lot in term of efficiency, productivity, Medical bills, compensation etc. The events produce distress-the degree of physiological, psychological, and behavioral deviation from healthy functioning. There is also positive side of stress, called eustress, which refers to the healthy, positive, constructive outcome of stressful events and the stress response. Eustress is the stress experience in moderation, enough to activate and motivate people so that they can achieve goals, change their environments and succeed in life‗s challenges. Employees frequently experience enough stress to hurt their job performance and increase their risk of mental and physical health problems. So, the main focus is more on distress than eustress. Job stress can be defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker. Job stress can lead to poor health and even injury (Sauter et al., 1999). Hence we can say that stress is a silent killer and prolonged exposure to stress may exert harmful effect on physical, Psychological and behavioral well-being of an individual. And organization must implement effective stress management techniques in order to maintain the productivity of the organization with Stress –free employees. This research focuses on use of Yoga, Meditation and soothing humor as stress

Stress in the workplace had emerged as a major issue for businesses and it has reached alarming proportions. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 80 percent of workers experience job stress. According to David Fontana: Stress is a demand made upon the adaptive capacities of the mind & body. The stress response is a complex emotion that produces physiological changes to prepare us for ―fight or flight.‖– to defend ourselves from the threat or flee from it was quoted by Walter-Cannon (1932). Keeley and Harcourt (2001) in their study on ―Occupational Stress: A Study of the New Zealand and Reserve Bank‖ Revealed that stress is caused by heavy work demands in the job itself, which the unskilled employee with little control over how the work is done, cannot adapt to or modify. Kulkarni GK (2006) in an article Burnout published in Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2006 said that rapid change of the modern working life is associated with increasing demands of learning new skills, need to adopt to new types of work, pressure of higher productivity and quality of work, time pressure and hectic jobs are increasing stress among the workforce. Further he added that privatization and globalization has ignited mergers, acquisitions, and precarious employment has critically affected the domestic industry. Stress that an employee encounters affects the productivity of organization (Bhattacharjee, 2009).Team morale and company productivity is also adversely affected. Thus, stress is both a friend and a foe. Studies of stress in the work environment tend to focus on psychosocial influences in the environment. This paper asserts that another important influence on work performance results from physical features of the work environment. Evidence is accumulating that the physical environment in which people work affects both job performance and job satisfaction. The tasks workers perform in modern office buildings are increasingly complex and depend on sophisticated technology. According to Sonja (2004) managers can be trained to identify the beginnings of mental stress among their workers. This is according to the „Managing stress‟ reported by Sydney University's ACIRRT. The report says that mental stress is the number one workplace injury and disease in terms of lost production. It warns managers that stress issues must be addressed if they do not want to face workers' compensation claims. The report includes six case studies, which illustrate managerial intervention in stress problems. Chitra (2007) explains the biggest occupational hazard at most workplaces today is stress. After surveying 81 companies, a recent study by Alka et al. 2007 of the Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), says that if corrective action is not taken quickly, the losses from occupational stress-induced diseases could total a staggering $200 billion (approx. Rs 7,800 trillion) in the next 10 years. The ICRIER study especially points to India‘s outsourcing industry, where maximum incidents of work-related stress are being reported. Marek (2003) says that it is true that the advent of technological evolution has proved to be a boon for the corporate sector. But, it has also given rise to stress related problems in workplace. Most working class people today are experiencing stressful days in life. As a result, the de-stressing programs and methods have got a boost. There are many people who are turning towards the de-stressing programs to get that much-awaited relief. The paper throws light on the de-stressing methods being adopting by companies to overcome stress. Bahru‟s (2003) work says that the workplace holds a plethora of anxiety-producers. Many are from unpredic-table sources such as sudden job losses, relocations, losing co-workers to downsizing or having multiple bosses in quick succession. The article states that to reduce stress brought by such changes, employees need to assess their skills periodically, learn new ones, participate in professional or trade associations and stay current on industry trends. One cannot eliminate stress, but there are ways to manage it. Marmot (2004) concluded in his research that conflict between home and work explains the effect of multiple roles on mental health. Single fathers in all three cohorts and of single mothers in the Helsinki cohort had poor mental health and this was partly explained by their higher levels family-to-work conflict. Both types of conflict affect the mental health of men and women independently of each other. Japanese women had the greatest conflict and poorest mental health while Helsinki women had the lowest conflict and best mental health. The aim of Mijoc‟s (2009) study was to identify the symptoms of stress in the studied sample, and to establish gender differences in stress symptoms. First, Mijocs (2009) tried to find out if there are gender differences in the stress level at work, secondly, if there are gender differences in terms of stress symptoms frequency, and finally, if there are gender differences in terms of the intensity of experiencing stress symptoms. In this study, 85 managers from Slovene companies of random choice participated. The results of the study have shown that there are gender differences in terms of all the aforementioned factors, namely a statistically higher level of stress in women. In terms of stress symptoms occurrence, there are gender differences in some stress

Chesler (2010) said that there is substantial evidence showing that it is not uncommon for workers to face unfriendly relationships, poor organizational climate, and aggressive bosses, among other things, in their work settings. However, there are many modes to deal with that such as self-help readings, relaxation exercises, yoga, mental cure therapies, psychological counsel, and so on. Nonetheless, this paper focuses on prayer and its effects through a phenomenological study. The results indicate that the sample members usually pray every day and/or many times during the day. The findings show that the average time that is spent on praying varies.

Yoga is most Recognized form of Exercise, Stretching, Aerobic exercise and Meditation. The definition of yoga is ―to yoke or joint together‖ it integrates the mind and body focusing on balance posture, deep breathing, stretching and relaxation. Yoga evolved from of the Hindu, Jaina, and Buddhist religious traditions in India. Yoga alters stress response and person‘s attitude, towards stress along with improving self-confidence, increasing one‘s sense of well-being, and creating a feeling of relaxation and calmness. Yoga is an ancient art that is defined as the union of the soul with God. It is ―a path of personal spiritual development that utilizes meditation to bring enlightenment, self-realization, and, ultimately, the attainment of God and bliss‖ . Originally, the ultimate goal of yoga was called Samadhi, or self-realization. Patanjali is father of yoga around the sixth century B.C. appeared in the massive epic The Mahabharata written by sage Vyasa and containing The Bhagavad Gita. Krishna explains to Arjuna about the essence of Yoga as practiced in daily lives (‗Song of the Lord‘), uses the term ―yoga‖ extensively in a variety of ways. In addition to an entire chapter dedicated to traditional yoga practice, including meditation, it introduces three prominent types of yoga: Karma yoga: The yoga of action Bhakti yoga: The yoga of devotion, note Krishna had also specified devotion itself was action similar to above. Jnana yoga: The yoga of knowledge. Patanjali introduced -Ashtanga or Power yoga - a more demanding workout where you constantly move from one posture to another (―flow‖).The dimensions of yoga are • Pranayama (breathing) • Asana (postures) • Yama (restraint) • Pratyahara (sensory withdrawal) • Dharana (concentration) • Dhyana (meditation) • Samadhi (higher consciousness) Various techniques in yoga have been documented to help in stress management. These techniques work at an individual level and also at a collective level to ensure that there is significant respite from the condition of extreme stress. They help in relieving the physical as well as the psychological negative effects of the problem by ensuring a healthy and productive response to the stress stimuli. Yoga can have a positive effect on the parasympathetic nervous system and aid in lowering heartbeat and blood pressure. This reduces the demand of the body for oxygen. Yoga can also improve digestion, strengthen immunity, help in effective elimination of toxic wastes and also increase lung capacity. Effective use of this practice can also reduce the chances of stress culminating in anxiety and depression. The practice of yoga involves forming various body postures, slow stretching movements, breathing exercises that can at times lead to progressive relaxation, imagery and meditation. All these specific techniques are meant for a specific purpose and they culminate into a higher awareness of what is happening to oneself during stress – emotionally, physically, mentally and energetically. One develops an understanding of each part of the body by being more aware of it. The practice includes paying attention to each and every part and therefore ensures a holistic therapy. The start of the practice is with becoming aware of what the stressful stimuli is so that one knows what one is fighting. Understanding the enemy is an important factor in combat and similarly in a understanding the factors that cause stress can help you in deciding how it needs to be tackled. Yoga enables and empowers you to control the natural and immediate reactions to a stressor. With practice the psychological responses can also be mastered. This means that the previous reactions that put the body in an alert or alarm mode do not take over as soon as a stressful situation occurs. And this leads to a situation wherein irrespective of the challenges you face, you remain calm, composed and capable of tackling the situation with a level head. Stresses, almost all are victim of this drastic term. People from all occupations are facing stress in their life in one way or the other. In this article I would like to summarize the causes and cure for stress through natural therapy called ―YOGA‖. But before coming to that point we should have clear understanding of what exactly the stress is. Stress is usually a mental pressure exerted due to fatigue or excessive work. It is also caused from worrying about the work or happenings in the past, present or future. Suppose

several countries, his business is doing fine and growing but somehow a situation comes and he finds his business on decline though there might be some cause for this and it could be short lived making his business to bloom once again, but within this short span the person develops stress which may lead to severe mental hazards. In the modern world we face stress in every sphere and every step of our life, whether we are in schools, colleges, offices etc. Students face stress due to exams, serviceman face stress due to huge pile of pending work etc. As a result people often practice medications like taking sedatives, narcotics and tranquilizers (medicines to cure anxiety) which calm the mind but in future it creates serious other maladies. But still there is a therapy which is purely natural and is considered to be the best weapon against stress and that is ―YOGA‖. Yoga is the ancient mantra for sound health and also to retain juvenility to a great extent. It has been practiced by several Rishi-Munis in ancient India and now has become a major concern among the modern genre too. So back to stress management, Yoga provides a unique way of managing stress through Prayanama (A breathing technique), in this technique an individual do slow and steady breathing - like inhaling through his one nostril and exhaling through other. Besides there are fast breathing movements like intake of air through nostrils and exhaling through mouth at fast pace, this way air is passed properly through blood capillaries and the person feels himself / herself in light mode i.e. he / she feels that there is no burden over their mind and soul.

MODELS OF STRESS MANAGEMENT

Transactional model - Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman suggested in 1984 that stress can be thought of as resulting from an ―imbalance between demands and resources‖ or as occurring when ―pressure exceeds one‘s perceived ability to cope‖. Stress management was developed and premised on the idea that stress is not a direct response to a stressor but rather one‘s resources and ability to cope mediate the stress response and are amenable to change, thus allowing stress to be controllable. In order to develop an effective stress management programme it is first necessary to identify the factors that are central to a person controlling his/her stress, and to identify the intervention methods which effectively target these factors. Lazarus and Folkman‘s interpretation of stress focuses on the transaction between people and their external environment (known as the Transactional Model). The model conceptualizes stress as a result of how a stressor is appraised and how a person appraises his/her resources to cope with the stressor. The model breaks the stressor-stress link by proposing that if stressors are perceived as positive or challenging rather than a he/she possesses adequate rather than deficient coping strategies, stress may not necessarily follow the presence of a potential stressor. The model proposes that stress can be reduced by helping stressed people change their perceptions of stressors, providing them with strategies to help them cope and improving their confidence in their ability to do so. Health realization/innate health model - The health realization/innate health model of stress is also founded on the idea that stress does not necessarily follow the presence of a potential stressor. Instead of focusing on the individual‘s appraisal of so-called stressors in relation to his or her own coping skills (as the transactional model does), the health realization model focuses on the nature of thought, stating that it is ultimately a person‘s thought processes that determine the response to potentially stressful external circumstances. In this model, stress results from appraising oneself and one‘s circumstances through a mental filter of insecurity and negativity, whereas a feeling of well-being results from approaching the world with a ―quiet mind,‖ ―inner wisdom,‖ and ―common sense‖. This model proposes that helping stressed individuals understand the nature of thought—especially providing them with the ability to recognize when they are in the grip of insecure thinking, disengage from it, and access natural positive feelings—will reduce their stress.

Yoga is a general term that encompasses breathing techniques, postures, strengthening exercises, and meditation. Many types of yoga exist. One of the more popular forms in the United States is Hatha yoga, which incorporates postures, breathing techniques and meditation to benefit physical and mental well-being. Hatha yoga is further categorized into the Iyengar, Kundalini, Bikram, Ananda, Vivnoya, and Anusara styles. It is estimated that over 15.2 million Americans employed some form of yoga for health purposes in 2002. With yoga's increasing popularity and emphasis on a spiritual connection between the mind and body, it is reasonable to explore its role in the treatment of mental disorders, such as anxiety and stress. Anxiety and Stress - Anxiety and stress have unfavorable effects on the body that may progress into chronic conditions if left untreated. For example, psychological stress has been linked to deleterious effects on the immune system, while anxiety has been connected to coronary heart disease, decreased quality of life, and suicidal behavior. Anxiety disorders are subdivided into panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post- traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder, phobias, and

pain and tachycardia to insomnia, all of these disorders center on an intense, unwarranted fear for a defined period of time1 and affect approximately 18% of Americans in any given year.12 Pharmacotherapy used to treat anxiety disorders, as outlined by the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), consists of benzodiazepines, beta-blockers, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and antidepressants. In contrast, psychological stress is perceived and is less defined than anxiety disorders. As a result, no recognized pharmacologic treatment algorithm exists for stress. Additionally, it should be recognized that some people experience stress and anxiety without having been diagnosed with a specific disorder by health care professionals; such individuals may also benefit from yoga exercises. Assessment of Anxiety and Stress Disorders - The extent of stress and anxiety is subjective, but can be quantified using the scales. Of these, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Hamilton Anxiety (HAM-A) scales are the validated instruments used most frequently in the studies described herein. While most studies' results were based on validated questionnaires, one study used an unvalidated investigator-constructed questionnaire. Because stress and anxiety can manifest as physical symptoms, vital signs, such as blood pressure and heart rate, are sometimes utilized as indirect measures of stress and anxiety. In addition to these surveys and vital signs, some other physiological indicators of stress and anxiety were used in the described studies. For example, the hormones Cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) tend to be elevated in acute situations of psychobiological stress. While hyper secretion of Cortisol occurs when under stress, its secretion is also nonspecific; it is released from the adrenal glands not only when under physiological stress, but also with changes in circadian rhythm and imbalances in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Additional physiological markers have been used in some of the reviewed studies, including theneurohormone, melatonin, and the neurotransmitter, y-aminobutyric acid (GABA). In contrast with Cortisol and DHEA, melatonin and GABA are implicated in relaxation, with increased levels associated with relaxation and decreased levels implying stress and anxiety.

CONCLUSION

Thus, after the analysis it was concluded that yoga is a very important therapy in coping up stress. As yoga is the answer for healing stress among working men and is only growing on the popularity. Yoga means different things to different people because it encompasses various aspects that affect an individual'slife. The techniques of yoga comprise physical postures (asanas), breath expansion and enhancement (pranayama), relaxation techniques, meditation, lifestyle management and philosophies to live a positive life and which if practiced properly can yield wonderful and fast results. Actually yoga combines several techniques to combat stress. Yoga provides a combination of benefits such as breathing exercises, stretching exercises, fitness program, and meditation practice and guided meditations all in one technique. That is powerful, that is very powerful! Even for people who have physical limitations yoga can be very beneficial just by practicing the breathing techniques, the meditation and the guided meditation. Just by doing this you can have great benefits with the practice of yoga. So in conclusion yes yoga can be a great remedy for stress and can offer some stress relief. Yoga has combined set of principles and exercises that can greatly benefit you and help you to deal with stress.

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