YOGA FOR STRESS MANAGEMENT

Week 02_ Module 06: Stress Hazards and Yoga

In this fast-changing world where the advance in the science and technology, the changing
economical activities, business models, livelihood, all leads to various kind of stress and
strain in the society and put pressure on the individuals to adapt to these changes. Not all are
equipped to cope up with these demands and many undergo these challenges develops severe
stress. Their coping strategy to these stressful conditions will be maladaptive and that can
lead to further complication to the individual and society. These developments can be
considered as stress hazards.

These stress hazards are reflected in many ways in the society in the form of;
• Student unrest
• Drug culture
• Alcoholism
• Violence
• Terrorism

Individuals are not equipped to cope up with the stressful conditions and in the educational
phase, there is lack of total personality development at the physical, mental, emotional,
intellectual level.

These conditions can lead to physical and mental issues in the individual leading to,
Non-Communicable Diseases like
Hypertension, Ischemic Heart Disease, Asthma, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Diabetes,
Cancer, etc and psychiatric problems like Depression, Anxiety, Neurosis and Psychosis

How yoga can help?

Yoga education and yoga-based life can contribute to the cultivation of total personality
development, the fourfold personality; physical, mental, emotional, and intellectual.

Also, these development helps the individual to have better civic sense, social awareness,
service seal and spiritual quest. This also leads their better physical, mental and social health,
which is in line with the definition of health by the World Health Organization; that health is
not the absence of a disease but the state of well-being at the physical, mental, social and
spiritual level.

This needs a paradigm shift in our understanding about the life, existence and its purpose.
There we need to move from matter-based paradigm to consciousness-based paradigm, which
we had discussed in the previous modules. Pancha-kosha viveka and the consciousness based
downward causation model, where everything emerges from the pure consciousness.
The material and spiritual world of Yoga:

Yoga based life is not against material life or its pleasures. Instead, it equips us to enjoy this
world in a better way by providing us better physical and mental health and at the same time
reminding us that, this material life should be lived according to dharma or on ethical basis
and this material life is not the ultimate and one need to have mastery over the physical and
mental levels and eventually transcends the limitation of this material world to become one
with the pure consciousness or the divinity itself.

This concept is very much reflected in the concept of the four pillars or guidance called
Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. That is one can acquire wealth (Artha) through their
intellectual or physical capacity but that should be ethical (Dharma). One can satisfy their
desire and enjoyment in this world (Kama), but that too should be based on ethical
foundations. Finally, having attained maturity and purity in the mind one should progress
towards moksha or liberation. That is the transcendental state, where one transcends the
limitations and worries of this material world. But that need a conscious attempt to
understand the fundamental and make steady progress in the way we lead a meaningful life.
That approach helps us to manage the stressful condition in the life in a better way