Stress management in work-place and ancient holistic science.

By Suman Bhurtel

Workplace stress is recognized world wide as a major challenge to individual mental and physical
health and organizational health (International Labours Organization 1986) psycho-social hazards
caused by work organization, work environment and labour relations and occurs when job
requirements do not match the workers capabilities, resources and needs (National institute of
occupational safety and health 1999).
Today workers all over the world are facing significance changes in work environment and labour
relations, they are under pressure to meet the demand s of modern working life. The psycho-social
hazards such as increased competition, higher expectations. Longer working hours are all contributing
to increase stress in work place. In addition, economic recession, reduced work opportunities ,fear of
losing jobs, and financial responsibilities are all contributing in work related stress which results
serious consequences in mental health and well being of every employee, it has been obvious
necessity to cope with globally arising work related stress to individual and organizational level.

The cause of work-place stress:

The work place environment and work demands exceeds the capabilities and needs and resources of
workers is major cause of work place stress. The causes of work place stress can be categorized as
following:

1. work environment causing stress:

Problem regarding the reliability,availability, suitability of equipment and facilities.
Lack of varieties or short work cycle, or meaningless work, under use of skill.
Work overload, high level of time pressure.
Unscheduled work, unsocial working hours.
Unpaid salaries, cut off payments.

2. individual factors causing stress:

Poor communication, low participation in decision making.
Social or physical isolation, poor relationships with superiors
Interpersonal conflicts.
Lack of social support.
Low support at home, dual career problem.
Lack of control over work.

The effects of work place stress.

When stressed, specifically, the body mechanism release the cortisol and adrenaline hormones. These
hormones keeps the body and mind coiled, alert and ready for reaction to the threats, has a huge
range of effects in the body, including controlling metabolism, affecting insulin, sensitivity, affecting
the immunity system and even controlling blood flow. Chronic stress causes hyper-activities of these
hormones, resulting the hormonal imbalances. The adverse effect of stress in many hormones like,
cortisol, catecholomines, vasopressin, gonadotropins, thyroid hormones,growth hormones procatin
insulin, cause these hormones to hyper or hypo production which impacts on our body functioning
negativity.
Apart from this stress on work place affects the organizational health, physical health and
psychological health. Some adverse effect of stress in work places are:

1. disability and accident: stress related distraction or sleepiness accounts major accidents on the job.
2. Absenteeism: most of the workers miss work each day because of stress, this costs work
organization a huge loss.
3. Presenteeism: most of the employees come to work yet not function up to their abilities on the job,
losing productivity due to stress. And companies have to pay for presenteeism a hge amount compare
to the productivity.
4. Physical effects on individual: the untreated, prolonged stress can raise the risk or developing
chronic and costly diseases. Among them, heart disease, diabetes, and even some cancers, stress can
also lower the immune system and play a role in persons susceptibility to more colds, flu and other
infectious diseases. Stress also causes pain related conditions and a host of other ailments form teeth
grinding and chest tightening leading asthma to fatigue.
5. Psychological effects on individual: stressed workers experience mental problems including poor
concentration, shot temper, job dissatisfaction and low morale. Stressed worker are risked of
developing mental health problems ranging from anxiety and substance abuse severe depression.
stress on work places makes individual unhappy,unsatisfied and feed up from his life, perhaps, leading
to suicide. Apart from this sexual abuse and harassment are increasing in alarming rate in work places
between co-workers due to stress.
6. Social effects: a stressed individual carrying the responsibilities of his own and his family; feel
depressed causing disturbed family life. Lack of time to give in family is breaking families.stress has
been encountered as major factor for ruining sexual health causing coldness in relationships. Stressful
life in modern days is creating distance between individual and society.

Stress management.
stress management refers to the wide spectrum of techniques and psychotherapies aimed at
controlling a persons levels of stress especially chronic stress usually for the purpose of improving
everyday functioning (wikipedia).
There are numerous techniques being adopted and practiced today for the stress management. Work
organization and individual are spending large money on stress management to reduce the stress-
related issues in work place. Here we put forward few techniques of yoga and ayurveda for stress
management which are more effective, less time consuming and comparatively less expensive and
reliable than other various techniques.

Yoga and stress management.

Yoga is the science of mind, which involves physiological and psychological facets of human being. The
major goal of yoga is to restrain the mind-fluctuations, resulting the absolute relaxation on body, mind
and spirit. In addition, yoga is the science of self- realization and self- observation. As multiple studies
concluded physical relaxation and self observation necessary to recognize and reduce the effects of
stress are the key for stress management.
There are stressors like, excessive physical exercise, vigils, fasting, injury, exhaustion, uneven body
postures which cause physical level stress and anger,fear, grief, anxiety, greed, attachment, confusion,
detachment,are other stressors causing psychological level stress. These stressors can be minimized
through physiological aspects of yoga and through psychological or meditative aspects of yoga.

Physiological aspects of yoga for stress management:

First four limbs of Asthanga yoga, ie. Yama, Niyama, Asana and Pranayama, work in the physiological
effects of yoga.
Yama (restraint) and Niyama (healthy observance) are helpful in individual to change the attitude
toward the stress. For example, if one practices Yama,he practices sub-Yama, viz. Non-violence,
truthfulness, non-stealing, chasity and non-possessiveness, which changes his perceptions towards
stress- developing situation.
Asana are another effective ways to reduce stress and also to treat the physiological problems
originated from stress. Various asana like, shavasana,makarasana, vajrasana, bhujungasana,
trikonasana, virasana, siddhasana, padmasana and yogamudra are important relaxative asanas. These
asanas impacts on neurovascular system giving brain enough relaxation as well as improving blood
flows and regulating hormonal functions. Hence asanas are important physiological aspects of yoga in
stress management.
Pranayama is simply the breathing techniques which rejuvenate to carry on individual work with extra
energy. Anulom -Bilom, Vastrika, Vramari, and Nadhi-sodhana pranayama are imrtant in stress
reduction. These affect on respiration and blood circulation which lower the stress level. Pranayama
also makes one active and reduce mental fatigue and other adverse effects of work stress.

Psychological aspects of yoga for stress management:

Pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi are internal four limbs of Asthanga yoga, mainly these 4
yogic techniques are psychological and more meditative techniques, which works in mind level rather
than physical level. They increase concentration and self observation which are proven techniques for
stress management. Meditations leads one from self observations to absolute consciousness, where
mind stuffs completely get eradicated. The regular practice of meditation makes one able to
distinguish the stressors and know which mental impulses need to storeand which to let go. Individual
becomes friendly with stress factors, as he realizes that stress are natural fight to fight response of
human body. Meditation practitioner will be able to manage the stress knowing the fact that stress is
a temporary body response to the situation.
Yoga nidra is widely accepted and scientifically proven practice of meditative sleep, which is very
effective in managing stress. It is also called the yogic sleep where one links his awareness to his
physical body to relax the physiological stress factors and lead ones consciousness to unconsciousness
level of mind to eradicate all mental obstacles for the flow of mental energy smoothly. Yoga says, the
obstacles in the flow of mental energy creates stress in mental level creating various granthis (knots)
in the vital level which are major cause of ailments. Hence, it is not that stress itself makes us sick, but
its continuation creates conditions for other ailments to make us ill.
Therefore, yoga is alternative therapy for the various diseases which are caused due to chronic stress.
The holistic methods of yoga for treating diabetes, asthma, cardiovascular disorders, depression
insomnia, anxiety and other stress-related issues are well accepted by modern medical science.

Ayurveda and stress management.

Ayurveda recognizes the fact that stress, which is known as Sahasa plays an important role in
aetiology of various diseases. Therefore, ayurveda suggest sahasa or stress are strictly avoidable, if
not possible Sahasa (stress) causes Ojakshya - loss of immunity, increase the susceptibility of the
body to several diseases. Ayurveda recommends Yogic techniques to avoid stress where not possible,
refers various treatments.
Some ayurvedic treatments/methods for treating stress and stress-related disorders are:

1) The panchakarma measures:

Vamana: induced therapeutic vomiting, calming the respiratory and digestive tract and
regulating the hormonal functioning.
Virechana: purgation through therapeutic purgative, which provides te symptomatic relief of
mental illness.
Vasti: colon cleansing, using water or herbal medications to detoxify body, cleanses accumulated
toxins from colon.
Nasya: nasal medication as a purification of head and sensory organs leading to clarify the mind.
Shirodhara: medicated, herbal oils, milk poured on the forehead through special method for
specific time period, reducing anxiety, depression and mental stress and rejuvenates the central
nervous system.
Abhyanga: applying medicated oil in the body with relaxing massage,rejuvenating skeletal-
muscular and neuro-vascular system. Relaxing and soothing body function to reduce physical and
psychological stressors.
2) ayurvedic medicines:
Herbal medicine called medhya rasayana in ayurveda are useful in stress, they promote intellect
and nourish the neurological tissues. They are nervine tonics. Some of these medicines are:
Ashwagandha, Brahmi, Shankhapuspi, Jatamasi,Munakka, Raktachandan,Dashmula, Kutaki etc

3) marma chikitsa:
A branch of ayurveda dealing with 107 subtle and sensitive energy points which if pressed, massage,
fomented or applied herbal oils (vasti) open the energy channels and regulates the neurovascular
system.

Conclusion
Yoga and Ayurveda were never a different topics or subject in Ancient Bharat Sub-continent, therefore,
writer here includes Yoga and Ayurveda as integral science of ancient world for holistic health. Yoga
and Ayurveda play an important role to control stress. In a busy day life one have no time to go
through lengthy and time consuming Menthos for the stress management, where as yoga and
Ayurveda are simplest yet profound techniques.
Both organization and individual can manage an hour or half before or after the work for yoga
practices which minimize work place stress and work-related stress. Adopting Ayurvedic methods once
in a week or two, are beneficial for stress management. In addition, yoga and Ayurveda works as
complete package on treating various stress originated diseases. So in conclusion, yoga and Ayurveda
are easiest, less expensive and work friendly remedy for stress management and leading healthy and
prosperous life.

References:

1. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/phwa-survey-summary.pdf

2. http://healthadvocate.com/downloads/webinars/stress-workplace.pdf

3. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/75-001-x/2007112/article/10466-eng.pdf

4. http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---protrav/---
safework/documents/publication/wcms_466547.pdf

5. http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/effects-of-stress-on-your-body

6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3079864/

7. http://iamj.in/posts/images/upload/iamj31.pdf

8. http://iamj.in/posts/images/upload/iamj31.pdf

9. http://iamj.in/posts/images/upload/iamj31.pdf

Yoga Teacher and Meditation Guide

Moscow, Russia

Introduction of writer:
Learning and practicing yoga since the age of 12 in various schools/ashrams of
Himalaya and India. During this tenure, learned from many schools of yoga, viz.
Bihar yoga (Satyananda Sarasvati), Patanjali yoga (baba ram dev), art of living (sri sri
Ravisankar), Iyenger yoga (B.k.s.Iyenger), raja yoga (swami Vivekananda) and many
other.
Apart from this, learned different meditation, i.e. Osho dynamic meditation,
vipassyana meditaion, kriya yoga meditation, tantra meditation, prekhsya dhyan of
Jainism and Vajrayana Buddhism meditation. Dedicated 6 years on yoga and gave me
the confidence on hatha yoga (physical aspect of yoga mainly Ashana and Pranayama)
with the incense of classical style of yoga as well as modern styles of yoga, like,
Astanga yoga, hot yoga, vinyasa yoga, power yoga, bikram yoga etc. Enrollment in
Nepal Sanskrit University as in academic study in yoga and Naturopathy added the
therapeutic impacts on my yoga practice.
Formal intuition in Guru-Sikshya Parampara (teacher- student system) at the age of
18, from Guruji Sri Radha Bihari Sharan Bhisagacharya (Ayurvedacharya and
Yogacharya awarded from the former president of India, Mr. Sankardayal
Sharma). I got to learn about the theoretical aspects of yoga and practical experiences
on Kundalini and Meditation, and of course of on Ayurveda.
3 years of guided learning from his holiness Guru, got the permission to teach yoga
and meditation. Since then I have been teaching yoga in many yoga centers of Nepal
and India, like Pantanjali Yoga Trust haridwar and some hospital as naturopathy
therapist and yoga instructor, and many yoga studios. Currently working as a Yoga
Teacher and meditation Guide in Moscow, Russia.
With all my efforts and humble respect to the divine word of holy Guru, I aim to
serve, with hatha yoga for physical health and kundalini Maha Yoga for psychological
wellness. I am teaching ancient science of yoga in modern perspective with various
styles that individual likes to master in.

Hari Om Tatsat..