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| Article Name : | | | STRESS MANAGEMENT THROUGH YOGA: STEP BY STEP | | Author Name : | | | MADHU GAUR | | Publisher : | | | Ashok Yakkaldevi | | Article Series No. : | | | ISRJ-111 | | Article URL : | |  | Author Profile | | Abstract : | | | If you do aerobics, which has no direct breathing or mindfulness component, the physical challenge can trigger a full-fledged stress response in the body. But when physical demands are met with mindfulness and steady breathing, as they are in yoga, the nervous system responds differently: It maintains activation while keeping an underlying sense of calm. It remains skillfully engaged but without going into full-fledged fight-or-flight mode. The great sage and codifier of yoga, Patanjali, must have been aware of the power of asana when he wrote sutra 2:46, Sthira sukham asanam: Postures should embody steadiness and ease. If you can find both elements in the midst of a stressful arm balance, you're not just training your mind. You're enabling your autonomic nervous system to imprint that response and therefore allow you to return to it during everyday stress. At first, you will need to very consciously tap into this response during your yoga practice by focusing on your breathing and thoughts. But with enough conscious practice, the rehearsed challenge response can become an ingrained automatic response—on and off the mat. Yoga also trains the nervous system to return to balance quickly after a challenge response. By alternating strenuous poses with gentler ones, yoga conditions you to move easily between states of challenge and rest. | | Keywords : | | - stress management, yoga, and autonomic nervous system.
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