Yoga and stress

management
Sampada Deshpande
Advisor-Prof.Fahringer

What is Yoga

Yoga originated in India

From sanskrit word yuj meaning union
between mind ,body and spirit.
Include ethical discipline,physical
postures,breathing control and meditation.
Yoga is not only stretching.
There are 8 limbs of yoga.
Physical postures called Asana is just
one of the eight limbs of yoga
Majority of types more concerned with
mental and spiritual well being.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga

spirit
mind
Body

1.Yama
2.Niyam
3.Asan
4.Pranayam
5.Pratyahar
6.Dharana
7.Dhyan
8.Samadhi

Yama

Five ethical guidelines regarding

moral behavior towards others
Ahimsa-Nonviolence
Satya-Truthfulness
Asteya-Nonstealing
Brahmacharya-No lust or sexual
activity within marriage.
Aparigraha-dont collect things that
are not necessary.

Niyam
Five ethical guidelines regarding moral
behavior towards others
Sauch-Clealiness
Santosh-Contentment
Tapas-Sustained Practice
Svadyay-Self Study
Ishvara Pranidhan-Surrender to God

The Eight Limbs Cont.

Asana-Practice of yoga postures

Pranayam-Practice of breathing
exercises
Pratyahara-Withdrawl of the senses,
meaning that the exterior world is
not a distraction from the interior
world within oneself.

The Eight Limbs Cont.

Dharana-Concentration,The ability to
focus on something uninterrupted by
external or internal distraction
Dhyana-Meditation
Samadhi-Bliss. Building upon
Dhyana,the transcendence of the self
through meditation. The merging of
self with the universe.

What is Stress

The wear and tear our bodies

experience
The state of threatened homeostasis
Stressors cause imbalance
Body tries to balance
Yoga can be a great help balance the
imbalance!

Stressors

Can be positive and negative.

Positive stressors-can help compel us
to action, can result in a new
perspective.eg:Birth of a new baby, a
job promotion, getting married.
Negative stressors-can result in
feeling of distrust,rejection,anger
etc.eg:death of a loved one, loosing
a job, getting divorced.

Clinical Significance of yoga

Reduced stress
Spiritual growth
Sense of well being
Reduced anxiety
and muscle tension
Increased strength
and flexibility
Slowed aging
Sound sleep

Improve many
medical conditions:
Lower heart rate
Lower blood
pressure
Allergy and asthma
symptom relief
Smoking cessation
help

Stress and Healthcare Providers

Providing care to others is a rich and

rewarding experience
Often feel improved self esteem and
confidence
But.They have the responsibility of
another human beings life.
No wonder they live under
tremendous stress!

Stress and Healthcare providers

Continuous exposure to suffering

Psychological effects of death and
dying patients
Decreased sleep and food
Long hours of work
Constant worry about law suits
CME study ,study , study!

How Yoga Can help

Practicing yoga can be a best thing a

provider can do for himself/herself
Doing simple Pranayam (breathing
technique) in breaks can calm their mind.
Practicing yoga for hr. a day can make
their body fit to take care of others.
Yogic thought process- will teach not to
work only for money.

Most Research in India

Study at LTC ,Mumbai,India to determine

if practice of yoga has any effect on
anxiety status during routine activities and
prior to exam done showed reduction in
baseline anxiety as well as anxiety before
exam.
Study at Nehru hospital,Chandigarh,India
The psychological tests after yoga therapy
showed high sense of well-being in the
nurses

Conclusion

A body with a stressful mind can not be a

healthy body
HC providers are people who help others to
keep their body healthy
Off course, to do so, first they need a
healthy body without a stressful mind
Yoga helps the mind to become clear and
pure and clear mind is not affected by
stress.
HCP with this kind of pure and clear mind
can really work better for the well being of
their patients.

References

1) Pizer A, The Eight Limbs of Yoga, June 7 2006,

Available at http://yoga.about.com, Accessed on February
19, 2007.
2) Cooper C, Balamurali TB, Selwood A, Livingston G. A
systemic review of intervention studies about anxiety in
caregivers of people with dementia. International Journal
of Geriatric Psychiatry.2006 Sep; (Epub ahead of print).
3) Scott E, Stress Management, May 10 2006, Available
at http://stress.about.com, Accessed on February 19,
2007.
3) Malathi A, Damodaran A. Stress due to exams in
medical students-role of yoga. Indian Journal of Physiology
and Pharmacology. 1999 Apr; 43(2):218-24.
4) Parshad O, Role of yoga in stress management. West
Indian Medical Journal.2004 Jun; 53(3):191-4.

References cont.

5) Shapiro SL, Schwartz GE, Bonner G, Effects of

mindfulness-based stress reduction on medical
and paramedical students. Journal of Behavioral
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intervention for dementia caregiver stress.
Journal of Clinical Psychology.2004 Jun;
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7) Walia IJ, Mehra P, Grover P, Earnest C, Verma
SK, Sanjeev, Health Status of nurses and
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