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Yoga For a Healthy Living
Adolescents in different situations experience a wide range of emotions that could vary from positive to negative, such as, happiness, satisfaction, sadness, anger, frustration, etc. They have high expectations from themselves that may be further reinforced by people and environment around them. This may cause stress in them.. There are many occasions when they may get stressed or feel angry or frustrated. It is natural for adolescents to experience both positive and negative emotions. It is also necessary to express their feelings and emotions. There are positive and negative ways of expressing the emotions. It is pointed out that negative emotions and their expression in negative ways may be caused by certain stresses experienced by the adolescents. In today’s life, stress is becoming a major cause of many health-related problems. It is a known fact that chronic stress negatively affects health. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus ,cardiac problems, depression, anxiety attacks, road-rage, etc., have become common now-a-days. The most common emotion faced by all of us during this COVID-19 pandemic is fear. It has also made us panicky and anxious to deal with such issues. Yoga can help us in dealing with stress and mental health issue during this time. In the management of stress, lifestyle plays an important role. A healthy lifestyle reduces stress and promotes one’s health. Here, it is important to recognize that stress can be tackled and definitely decreased. Many times, we may not necessarily be in control of the situations but we can control our over-all response to such situations.

What is Stress ?
Stress can be understood as a state of physiological and psychological imbalance resulting from demanding or difficult situations which the person is not able to cope with.In day-to-day life, a person faces many situations. Some situations are easy to handle; while some are difficult. As a result, the body starts responding at physiological and psychological levels. At the physiological level, there may be changes in heart rate, pulse rate, blood pressure, secretions of hormones, etc. At the psychological level, there may be changes in attention, concentration, memory and alertness and also in the emotional state (like anger, fear, hate, sadness, etc.). Stress generally occurs as a result of major events in life, such as, tough competitions, getting low scores in an examination, recent break-up in friendship, not getting a good job, a fight with others, and so on. There are several other factors which may cause stress in a person, like, diseases, poor living conditions, poverty, problems in relationship, challenges of adolescence, wrong habits, high aspirations, unrealistic goals, death of a close relative, discrimination, fast changing life and many others. However, sometimes it may also occur due to minor issues, such as, not getting up early, not getting ready on time, reaching school late, not getting the desired food, arguments with a friend, not getting permission from parents for attending a late night party, and so on. Intensity of stress varies from person to person and generally depends on perception of a particular situation by that person. A situation may be easy to handle for one person, while it may pose a big challenge to another. For example, examination may cause stress in one student, while it may not another student.Stress which motivates us to perform better and learn new skills is beneficial. For example, getting admission in a new course, preparing for an examination or getting promotion may cause stress but this stress is beneficial as it finally contributes towards growth and development. Stress may be harmful also. When stress is severe and chronic it reduces efficiency of a person. This kind of stress may adversely affect our ability to feel, think and act. During severe stress, people may become restless and worried. They may not remember the things properly. Even small things may make them angry. You also might have observed that when you are in tension you become restless. You may not be able to focus on your studies and small things may cause irritation. Chronic and severe stress reduces our body’s ability to fight diseases. It can lead to various psychosomatic diseases, such as, peptic ulcer, migraine, diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, etc....c. It could even result in heart attack, brain stroke and death. Several psychological disorders, such as, anxiety attacks and depression may also result from chronic and severe stress. However, the fact is — we cannot avoid stress. Therefore, Stress Management is necessary.

Yoga As A Way Of Life For Stress Management
Yoga has been considered a panacea for managing the stress. In this context, we will discuss the role of yoga in developing a healthy lifestyle by which stress can be managed. Yoga practices when become a way of life, play an important role in stress management. You have learnt about asana, pranayama, kriya, mudra, bandha and meditation in Class IX. However, yoga is not limited to the physical postures, breathing techniques or meditation for a few minutes only. Rather yoga is a way of life also. It propounds several principles and practices, such as, asana, pranayama, kriya, mudra, bandha and meditation which are relevant to healthy living. Yogic principles and practices of healthy living can be adopted by all, irrespective of age, gender, profession or place. As a way of life, yoga gives direction about food, eating habits, thinking, recreational means and conduct. Yogic way of life, if adopted in true sense, empowers us to deal with stress and promote physical and mental health. The components of yogic way of life are — • Ahara (Food) • Vihara (Relaxation) • Achara (Conduct) • Vichara (Thinking) • Vyavahara (Behaviour or actions.

Ahara (Food)
The principles of ahara are related to food consumption. Yoga emphasises on mitahara, which is related to quality and quantity of food and also the state of mind during the intake of food. As for the quality, the concept of mitahara implies that food should be freshly cooked, nutritious, nourishing and in the natural form. Regarding quantity of food, mitahara mentions that two quarters of the stomach should be filled with food, one quarter with liquid and the remaining quarter (one‑fourth) should be left empty for free flow of air. This implies that quantity of food may vary from person to person depending upon the individual requirements. It is very natural that a sportsperson will require more food as compared to a person who is doing desk job. Mitahara also advocates that the food should be eaten with positive state of Mind with utmost concentration. You might have observed if someone eats while watching the television or in an angry mood or when the person’s attention is somewhere else, then they tend to just gulp down the food without enjoying it. So, the state of mind is also very important while eating. Thus, mitahara emphasises that right quality and quantity of food should be eaten in a positive state of mind.

Vichara (Thinking)
We know that thoughts are very important as our behaviour is guided by the kind of thoughts we have. Our thinking should be positive. Positive thoughts bring pleasure to our life; while negative thoughts can make us unhappy. Right thinking guides us towards appropriate behaviour. It helps in prevention and management of stress-related health problems. Yoga prescribes that one should have positive thoughts. Positive thoughts give us strength to bear the sorrows of life. Yogic practices like yama, niyama, pratyahara, dhyana (meditation), study of good literature, etc., help us in controlling our thoughts and thereby promoting optimism in Life

Vihara (Relaxation)
Vihara means relaxation, which can be brought about by activities, such as, exercise, recreational and creative activities like drawing, painting, singing, etc. These activities help to regulate and channelise our emotions and bring us joy and happiness. Yogic practices of asana, pranayama and meditation relax body and mind. In addition to this, relaxation can be attained in good company also. Sound sleep is also important for relaxation. It is, therefore, important that we should regularly follow a timetable that provides adequate time for yogic and creative activities which are relaxing.

Achara (Conduct)
Achara means conduct that includes emotions, attitudes, desires, instincts and habits. Right conduct is essential for a stress-free life. Positive emotions and positive attitudes, good habits and control on desires help in making us strong, both, individually and socially. The right conduct protects us from unnecessary stress caused by negative emotions and attitudes like hate, jealousy, fear, etc. Therefore, we should have control on our desires, instincts, emotions, habits and attitudes. Here, yoga is important as it encourages good conduct in our personal and social life. Yoga advocates for positive emotions and positive attitude towards self and other persons. In this context yogic principles of Yama (restraint) and Niyama (observance) help to develop control on our desires and emotions and bring about peace and harmony.

Yama (Restraint) and Niyama (Observance)
Yamas (restraints) and Niyamas (observances) are sets of the dos and the don’ts. They can be considered as the universal codes of conduct that help us in following high standards in our personal and social life. Yamas are concerned with one’s social life; while the niyamas are concerned with one’s personal life. Yama and Niyama are part of Ashtanga Yoga that has been propagated by Patanjali. The five yamas are ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non stealing), brahmcharya (celibacy) and aparigraha (non possessiveness). The five niyamas are: Shaucha (cleanliness), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (austerity), Swadhyaya (self study) and Ishwarpranidhana (surrender to god).

Vyavahara (Behaviour and Actions)
Vyavahara (behaviour) means actions. Vyavahara is the result of ahara, vihara, achara and vichara. Yogic philosophy propounds that our actions should be right. We should not indulge in wrong activities. Our behaviour towards others should be appropriate. Karma‑ yoga proposes that we should perform right and act with full dedication and to our utmost capacity without worrying about the results. We can remain stress-free and be happy if we follow this philosophy and act accordingly.

Yogic Practices
The practices which can strengthen the autonomic nervous system with the dominance of para-sympathetic system of body are beneficial for managing stress. Here are some asanas, pranayamas, kriya and relaxing practices which are helpful in stress management.

Hastottanasana
Hastottanasana comprises of three words— hasta, uttana and asana. Hasta means ‘arms’; uttana means ‘stretched up’ and asana means ‘posture’. In this posture, the arms are stretched upwards, hence is called Hastottanasana.

Let us perform Hastottanssana by following the steps given below. 1. Stand erect on the ground with both feet together. 2. Slowly inhaling, raise both arms over the head. 3. Interlock the fingers and turn the palms upward.4. Exhaling, bend from the waist towards the right side. Maintain this position comfortably for 5-10 seconds in the beginning. 5. Inhaling, come to the centre. 6. Repeat it from the left side as well.

Benefits

 * It relieves pain in the neck, shoulders and arm
 * It relaxes the whole body.
 * It is beneficial for increasing the height of growing children


 * It increases flexibility of the spine

Padahastasana
Padahastasana consists of three words: pada, hasta and asana. In Sanskrit pada means ‘feet’, hasta means ‘arms’ and asana means ‘posture’. In this asana, the hands are brought near the feet, hence it is called Padahastasana. It strengthens the organs located in the abdominal area and improves their functioning.Let us perform Padahastasana by following the steps given below. 1. Stand erect, keep both feet together with hands beside the body. Balance weight of the body on the sole of the feet. 2. Inhaling, raise both arms above the head and stretch them up. 3. While exhaling, bend forward from the waist. Place the palms on the floor beside the feet or touch the feet with palms. 4. Maintain this position comfortably for 10–15 seconds. 5. To come back, slowly come to the standing position keeping your arms up over the head. Then slowly bring the arms down to the starting position.

Benefits

 * It improves digestion.
 * Liver and spleen are activated by this asana.
 * Abdominal muscles are toned by this asana.
 * It improves circulation of blood to the head and upper region of the body.
 * It increases the flexibility of the legs’ muscles.

Kapalabhati
Kapalabhati is a kriya (cleansing procedure). It helps to revitalise the nervous system which becomes exhausted due to stress. It invigorates the person and helps in fighting negative effects of stress.

Let us perform Kapalabhati by following the steps given below.


 * 1) Sit straight in any meditative pose like Padmasana or Vajrasana.
 * 2) Take deep breath through the nostrils.

3.Exhale forcefully in such a way that the lower abdomen is contracted to expel out the air. Inhale spontaneously and passively without making any efforts. Do not make effort to inhale. Air will enter the body through the passive inhalation. This is one stroke of Kapalabhati. Begin with 20 strokes at a time. This is one round. One can paractise one to three rounds in a pactical session. Gradually increase the strokes in one round.

Benefits

 * It stimulates the nerves in the abdominal region, tones up the abdominal muscles and improves digestion.
 * Kapalabhati expels more carbon-dioxide and other waste gases from the lungs than the normal breathing.
 * It improves blood circulation throughout the body
 * It improves heart and lungs capacity and therefore good for bronchial asthma.
 * It energises the body and removes lethargy.

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Anuloma-viloma pranayama (Alternate Nostril Breathing) relaxes the body and mind. This pranayama nourishes the body with oxygen, purifies the blood and improves efficiency of the brain. It lowers stress by developing harmony in various systems of the body. For managing the stress, anuloma-viloma pranayama should be practised daily.Let us perform anuloma-viloma by following the steps given below. =====


 * 1) Sit in the position of Padmasana or in any other comfortable meditative posture.
 * 2) Keep the body erect and place the hands on the respective knees.
 * 3) Raise the right hand and place the right thumb on the right nostril and close it.
 * 4) Inhale slowly through the left nostril.
 * 5) . Close the left nostril by the ring finger and the little finger and exhale slowly through the right nostril.
 * 6) Again inhale through the right nostril.
 * 7) . Close the right nostril with thumb and exhale through the left nostril. This is one round of Anuloma-viloma.
 * 8) Repeat it 10 times.

Benefits

 * It calms down the mind and improves concentration.
 * It improves functioning of all cells of the body by providing them sufficient oxygenated blood.
 * It purifies the blood.
 * It improves blood supply to brain.
 * It helps to regulate blood pressure
 * It helps in managing stress by reducing anxiety.


 * It is beneficial in many diseases, such as, asthma, high or low blood pressure, insomnia, chronic pain, endocrine imbalances, heart problems, hyperactivity, etc

Do it Everyday and BE Safe and Happy and Healthy.

Thank You !

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