Yogic Approach for Stress Management
“Stress Management” is a terminology that we come across quite often, from self-help book covers to corporate workshops. And everyone has their own methods of approaching and dealing with stress. But does it always suffice? One doesn’t know. Different methods work differently for different people. One has to find out what works for him/herself.
I studied Stress Management Teacher Training as part of RYT-300 through Integral Yoga Institute. The training was designed to give Yoga teachers, Yoga therapists, and healthcare professionals the essential skills and confidence to teach Yogic practice as Stress Management in a wide variety of surroundings.
Today, we will explore how the ancient science of yoga has its unique way of stress management. Unlike other approaches, Yoga doesn’t identify the circumstances as the source of stress. Rather, it compels us to look inside and find what inside of us gets stressed and how to deal with it. This gives us the freedom from dependency on the outside world for our mental well-being.
Let’s understand stress management from a yogic perspective 
The body-mind connection:
In the yogic philosophy, body and mind are not two entities working independently. Rather, these two are deeply connected and affected by each other. Stress occurs when the harmony of this body-mind-energy system is disturbed. And one can work on either of these three to bring the harmony back. But, since the mind is very subtle, it’s very difficult to work directly on it. Working on energy is comparatively easier and working on the body is the easiest.
Thus, yoga starts with the body. Any changes that we make to the body automatically has an effect on our mind and energy system. This approach is known as “Hatha Yoga”. Once we learn how to work with the body, we move to the next step, known as “Pranayama” where we work with our energies. And once we become adept at that too, we move to the final and most important level, which works directly on the mind, known as “Dhyana” or meditation. We shall understand each step in detail.
Hatha Yoga, the first step:
Hatha yoga is a branch of yoga that focuses on physical postures, known as “Asanas” and is often considered the foundation for many modern yoga practices. In simple terms, it is a stretching exercise for the body, with very simple to the most difficult postures. Regular practice of these stretching exercises yields great benefits to one’s health and overall well-being. And once the body is harmonized, the tension is released, and a relaxation descends. It naturally makes the mind calmer. The body, which worked as a hindrance before, becomes an effective gateway to overall stress management.
Pranayama, the second step:
Pranayama is a practice within yogic framework that focuses on the regulation and control of breath. The term comes from two Sanskrit words: “Prana” (life force or vital energy) and “Ayama” (extension or control). Pranayama involves specific breathing techniques designed to enhance the flow of prana throughout the body, promoting physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
Yogic philosophy attributes the disruption of the natural flow of pranic energy as a major reason for stress. The purpose of Pranayama is to restore and harmonize the natural flow of prana again. If this is achieved, then the mind is set free of much of its unnecessary activities. The activities that caused stress and anxiety. The purpose is not to block the mind, but to get rid of its debris, which Pranayama helps to achieve.
Meditation, the last step:
Once one has cleared the hindrances(obstruction) at the level of body and energy, it’s time to start working on the mind. It’s the most important step. Some yogic texts have even said that unless one is initiated into meditation, there’s no use of doing other yogic practices. The very purpose of Hatha Yoga and Pranayama were to bring oneself to a state where one could enter into the realm of meditation.
Now, meditation is popularized in many forms, through numerous practices and methods. But here, we will discuss it in its purest and original form. The Sanskrit word for mediation is “dhyana”, which simply means “awareness”. So, to meditate means to become aware. Of your surroundings? No. It means to become aware of yourself, of your mind.
Meditation is not some esoteric activity. If we apply words stringently, we can’t even call it an activity. Because to meditate, one is not required to “do” anything. One is required just to “see”, without interference or judgment. Just always keep a very subtle eye on yourself. That is all there to meditation is.
When you are doing something, don’t become unconscious in the flow of it. If you remain aware, you will understand your real motive for doing that action. Maybe it originated out of fear, maybe out of greed. And you don’t have to judge or regret, just see, observe, and move on. Someone said something to you, see how your inner self reacted to it. See what runs on your mind when you are sitting idle. See what you feel towards your relationships, towards your work. Just this. No analysis or interference is required. Just break your slumber and start seeing.
Well, you could ask, what’s the use of all this? Valid question. The stress that is caused due to instability of body or energy, we have addressed already. But what remains is the stress caused because we don’t understand ourselves. We have a lot of assumptions and ideas about ourselves and the world. And when reality doesn’t match with our ideas, stress is a natural outcome. And the only solution to stress of this nature is understanding. There’s no other way.
Hence, when you start becoming aware of yourself and start seeing clearly, you come face to face with your reality. As a result of that confrontation, your ideas and assumptions die a natural death, and what remains is just the “truth”. And finally, the place where true peace could be achieved is the lap of truth only.
Final Words:
Through walking this three-step path, we can achieve effective stress management. And this won’t be a superficial one, as we tend to see everywhere around. This will be the final solution, striking at the very root of stress. And it’s not necessary that one has to practice these steps one after another. One can slowly start them consecutively as well. At the end, what matters is not what you have gathered, but rather what you have put to practice. That is what will take you far.
I will close this article with a quote by J. krishnamurti, who famously used to say, “Meditation is not a means to an end. It is both the means and the end.”
If you are interested in practicing traditional Hatha yoga with me, I teach weekly at Three Birds Yoga Studio on Sunday at 8 am. You will experience what I have shared here today.
Namaste
Yuka
