1. Treatment of Stress
   • Homeopathic Treatment of Stress
   • Acupuncture Treatment of Stress
   • Psychotherapy Treatment of Stress
   • Conventional / Allopathic Treatment of Stress
   • Dietary & Herbal Treatment of Stress
   • Other Treatment of Stress
2. What is Stress
3. Symptoms of Stress
4. Causes of Stress
5. Risk factors of Stress
6. Complications of Stress
7. Lab Investigations and Diagnosis of Stress
8. Precautions & Prevention of Stress

Treatment of Stress

Homeopathic Treatment of Stress

Homeopathy is popular worldwide as safe natural and effective treatment of physical diseases, psychological disorders and psychosomatic complaints. It treats and cures stress caused by various reasons. And it relieves both mental and physical complaints of stress like irritability, emotional pain, lack of happiness, nervousness, fatigue, sleeplessness, body aches, frequent sickness or any other complaint. Homeopathic remedies supply the stimulation naturally and without any bad side effects. It helps in reducing the symptoms of stress. Some of the homeopathic remedies for stress are:

• Gelsemium
• Belladona
• Chamomilla
• Nux V
• Nit ac
• Ignatia
• Lycopodium
• Silicea 

Acupuncture and Acupressure Treatment of Stress 

Acupuncture treatment is very relaxing. Acupuncture helps to address the origin of the problem, while at the same time reducing the painful symptoms that are affecting your health and well-being. It gives immediate improvement in muscle tension and your overall energy level. In acupuncture therapist will first diagnose the case on the basis of energy system or chi blockage as well as on the basis of status of five elements. On this basis certain disease specific acupoints are selected and stimulated. 

Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy Treatment of Stress

Stress elimination psychotherapy and hypnotherapy is highly effective. It enables a person to tolerate stress more readily. It helps in decreasing the effects of stress and increases your capacity and tolerance. Psychological techniques that can actually help to reduce complaints of stress are Individual and group counseling, Biofeedback, Relaxation techniques, Self-hypnosis, Visual imaging and Learning or conditioning techniques. Hypnotherapy is safe and quick treatment of deep seated psychological issues and barriers. 

Conventional / Allopathic Treatment of Stress

Allopathic treatment includes drugs to control blood pressure or other physical symptoms of stress. It includes drugs such as tranquilizers or antidepressants that affect the patient’s mood. 

Dietary & Herbal Treatment of Stress

• Avoid Caffeine and alcohol
• Avoid foods rich in saturated fats
• Eat Whole grains
• Eat Food High In Fiber

Other Treatment of Stress

Yoga gives psychological benefits such as stress reduction and a sense of well-being. 

What is Stress

Stress is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand. Stress affects your body as much as food and exercise. Stress is related to both external and internal factors. 

Symptoms of Stress

• Sweating and tingling
• Rapid or shallow breathing
• Racing pulse
• Tension
• General anxiety
• Physical illness or pain 

Causes of Stress

• Increase of responsibilities
• Major life changes
• Work
• Relationship difficulties
• Family problems
• Sexual problems
• Financial problems
• Being too busy
• Injury and illness
• Consumption of alcohol or drugs
• lack of sleep
• Lack of money 

Risk factors of Stress

• Genetic factors
• Older adults
• Immune regulated diseases
• Stressful events
• The lack of network of family and friends

Complications of Stress

• Heart disease
• Eating disorders
• Sleep disorders
• Problem in Sexual performance
• Headaches jaw clenching

Diagnosis of Stress

Doctor will usually be able to diagnose stress based on your symptoms alone. He may also ask about your family history and your personal life. He may ask some tests such as a blood or urine, or a health assessment. 

Precautions & Prevention of Stress

• Try deep breathing exercises
• Do not skip meals
• Avoid unhealthy food
• Adequate sleep
• Avoid smoking

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The symptoms of psychological stress

• Lack of judgment
• Problems with memory
• Worrying all of the time
• Inability to concentrate
• Negative thinking
• Trouble thinking clearly

Psychological stress also has a physical impact on your body. Headaches are common for people under a lot of stress. People often feel muscle tension and stiffness, nausea, insomnia, chest pain and rapid heartbeats, hives, loss of sex drive, and frequent colds.

Stress can be reduced and even eliminated before it becomes a chronic problem. There are many things you can do for natural stress relief. The two primary ways to relieve your stress include:

• Exercise – Exercise is known to make anyone feel better after they have a good workout.
• Eat healthy – It is important to eat healthy and get all of the supplements your body needs in order to have proper stress relief.

Psychological stress may also have evolved from a real event that caused an emotional disturbance in the past. Counseling and psychotherapy can help people to accept the initial stressful event and rationalize the subsequent stress inducing thoughts.

How stress can harm you

Stress can harm in a big way, it can cause

• Anxiety and depression
• Poor memory, concentration and judgment
• Lack of motivation and procrastination
• Anger and violence
• Isolation and problem in relationships
• Negative thoughts and mood swings
• Poor performance in studies and work
• Disturbed or lack of sleep
• Lack of energy and life drive
• Aches and pains
• Back pain, migraine etc
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Nausea and dizziness
• Lack of libido and poor sexual activity
• Erectile dysfunction
• Frequent sickness like cold
• Eating disorder
• Loss or gain of weight
• Falling to substance abuse, smoking, alcohol
• Nervous restlessness or nail biting
• High blood pressure and heart attack
• Gastric Ulcer and acidity
• Irritable Bowel Disease
• Infertility
• Asthma
• Diabetes
• Poor immunity
• Early ageing
• Premature death

The basic principle behind acupressure is the fact that the body has an energy that flows through it at any given time. Many of us have an imbalance on the inside of our bodies and this can block the free flow of that energy, causing a number of different problems for us. Some of these problems may be recognized as physical problems, while others may be mental problems, such as excessive stress.

Acupressure is a popular massage technique that is commonly in stress relief therapy. Similar to acupuncture, this technique uses points in the body meridians to relieve pain. Acupuncture uses needles while acupressure, as the name suggests, uses pressure by utilizing the fingers, thumbs and elbows. A very low electrical current is sometimes used also. This technique helps release tension in the muscles by applying a certain amount force and then releasing it to send the blood back to the tissue. Acupressure also releases energies located on this points that promote good health. Some of popular acupressure massage therapies are:

Swedish massage

The Swedish massage technique uses mild strokes on delicate and bony body structures like the face, hands and feet. Stronger, harder strokes are applied over thickly muscled areas like the neck and shoulders.

Shiatsu Massage

Shiatsu massage is a form of acupressure. This technique uses pressure while applying long strokes over the energy fields of the body. Shiatsu massage can also be performed while you are soaked in warm water. Warm water actually helps the muscles to relax.

Acupuncturist can relieve the sense of stress, or depression by encouraging the flow of qi in the chest and abdomen. It involves inserting fine needles at pressure points throughout the body. The needles stimulate the body’s natural healing processes in their energy system. When your body is subjected to constant stress, the Qi of the body becomes congested. This stagnation of the flow of Qi causes a variety of physical and mental symptoms, such as anger, depression, cold limbs, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), tight tendons and muscles, headaches, and pain. The most common Oriental Medicine diagnosis would be Liver Qi Stagnation, as it is the energetic function of the Liver to smooth the Qi of the body, allowing it to flow freely. By stimulating the points, the Qi can flow freely, thereby alleviating stress. Through acupuncture, the energy blockages can be addressed. Acupuncture points serve as the on and off ramps to the energy highway, and can help energy flow smoothly, and alleviate not only the symptoms of stress and anxiety, but the stress and anxiety itself.

Benefits of acupuncture for stress

• Acupuncture is very relaxing
• It works to balance the whole body
• It addresses the origin of the problem
• It reduces the painful symptoms that are affecting your health
• It helps you to manage stress more effectively.
• It also alleviate stress related health conditions

• Feelings: anxiety, irritability, fear, moodiness, embarrassment.
• Thoughts: self-criticism, difficulty concentrating or making decisions, forgetfulness, preoccupation with the future, repetitive thoughts, fear of failure.
• Behaviors: crying, increased or decreased appetite, “snapping” at friends, acting impulsively, alcohol or other drug use (including smoking), nervous laughter, teeth grinding or jaw clenching, stuttering or other speech difficulties, being more accident-prone.
• Physical: sleep disturbances, tight muscles, headaches, fatigue, cold or sweaty hands, back or neck problems, stomach distress, more colds and infections, rapid breathing, pounding heart, trembling, dry mouth.

There are many ways to manage unhealthy stress in your life. One of the important ways is through counseling. Talking through the issues you are facing with a counselor can help you to deal with any underlying issues that are affecting your stress levels such as low self-esteem. The counselor will ask you some questions that will also help you to realize and see the main root or the seed of your dilemma. Your counselor may also be able to identify your personal stress triggers and can talk you through ways of dealing with them.

Relaxation techniques are often encouraged and are a great way to alleviate tension in both your body and your mind. Mindfulness is another technique being used for stress and depression by many – the concept involves deep breathing exercises and focusing on the present. By eliminating thoughts about the past or future, mindfulness helps reduce unnecessary stress and focuses on the here and now.

Stress is a natural reaction to psychological and physical threats. Physical effects include sweating, raised heart and breathing rates; while psychological impacts include the development of phobias or fears, irritable behavior and an inability to concentrate.  When not assessed and managed, stress can lead to serious illnesses such as heart disease and high blood pressure.

Homeopathy has a huge range of remedies for practically every ailment and condition, including stress. is effective because it is a holistic medical practice that treats the person as a whole and thus addresses the underlying issues that lead to stress. Factors such as the mental/emotional state of a person, the location of the symptom, the behaviour of the person towards the symptom, susceptibility, family history, and more are addressed and analyzed by the practitioner, allowing her to recognize underlying causes of stress

Homeopathic remedies relieve stress levels. The benefits of homeopathy include:

• It nourishes the immune system.
•  It soothes the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing the risk of panic attacks, mood swings and phobias.
• It Alleviates muscle tension.
• It decreases susceptibility to headaches and Decreases emotional sensitivity.
• It replaces some essential nutrients so you can make it through your day.

Some of the homeopathic remedies for stress are:

• Phosphorus
• Lycopodium
• Ignatia Amara
• Kali Phosphoricum
• Arsenicum Album
• Silicea

Homeopathic medicines have a huge advantage over sedatives. A remedy does not act in a chemical way, suppressing anything within the body. Rather it stimulates the natural mechanisms of healing, repair and resilience.

Hypnosis is a successful way to relieve stress. The power of hypnosis works at a subconscious level. Affirmations or positive statements are are used to overcome stress and anxiety. These affirmations are repeated again and again in the sub conscious mind, so that the person is motivated to achieve his goals and targets Stress management hypnosis can switch off the stress and activate a relaxation response, a natural physical reaction which can cause a wonderful feeling of tranquility and calmness. Your physical and emotional health are positively impacted by the relaxation response.

Hypnosis can be used to reduce stress by doing the following:

• Do hypnosis by putting yourself in a relaxed state without tension to trigger your most relaxed response to both your mind and body. By continuing to do this on a right time and place while you prevent distractions and noises, you can reduce chronic stress.
• You can also achieve a healthy lifestyle change with hypnosis that can alter stress to come into your life. One good example is finding an exercise program that will keep shift your focus to day to day clutters at home. By doing this, you can also cope with stress easier as you overcome negative habits as well.

The process of hypnosis involves entering a trance, or a deeply relaxed, but focused state (like that of daydreaming or meditation), and making suggestions for your subconscious mind to accept. You can go to a trained professional for hypnotherapy, and they will talk you through it. Or, you can employ the use of books, videos, or even short articles to learn what’s involved, and achieve effective results at home.

Lifestyle is nothing else but ‘way of living’. Good Lifestyle is not about lavish living and it is not something that is available only for very rich people. It is available for every single human being.  It requires understanding of facts related to wholesome living and making small corrections in our living ways by making sensible and healthy choices. The changes required are small and simple but the positive impact of these changes on our life is considerable. It has three components :

1. Awareness : Getting factual information about good living.
2. Choices : Opting for healthy and positive choice.
3. Action :  Persevering with healthy choices with commitment.

Why lifestyle is significant ?

Just like sensible investments which give you good returns, sensible and healthy lifestyle give a quality life with abundance of good health both at mental and physical level, along with mental peace, joy, satisfying relationships and realization of self potential. Poor or faulty lifestyle has been implicated in many dangerous diseases like Heart Disease, Hypertension, High Cholesterol, Atherosclerosis, Obesity, Diabetes Mellitus, Alzheimer’s Disease, Cancer, Chronic Liver Disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Osteoporosis, Stroke, Chronic Kidney Disease, Arthritis etc. It is also responsible for complaints like stress, depression, anxiety, behavioral disorders etc. Apart from these physical and mental complaints, bad lifestyle also results in lack of energy and poor efficiency which results in lack of growth and achievement in life. It can also directly or indirectly affect success and satisfaction in relationships. On the other hand, Good Lifestyle improves the overall quality of life and helps in dynamic living with positive health.

Determinants of Lifestyle

• Organized life  

• Organized life means creating order and system in life.
• It is done by allocating due space, time, money and effort to different things, tasks or aspects of life.
• Making a ‘to do’ list, diary or planner helps in organizing life.
• Setting up priorities and giving due consideration to different things, task or aspects of life helps in organizing.
• Organizing life helps in giving control over life, helps in better planning, improving efficiency & achievement.
• It avoids life becoming messy, reduces stress and saves time, space, money & effort.
• It must be done keeping in mind own and family needs in consideration.
• It must have scope of flexibility to save life from becoming mechanical and monotonous. 

Harmony and Moderation

• Harmony in life is something similar to harmony in music. When notes are in harmony, music is pleasing. Similarly when a person is in harmony in family, with friends & relatives, with environment, at work place, in community etc, there is minimum conflict. This saves emotional energy and keeps motivation high. Harmony with environment also improves health. Positive combination of parts into whole is harmony and it is based on the fact that welfare of whole results in welfare of parts. So when family members live in harmony, peace prevails & family grows and all family members gain. Same applies to human and environment combination.
• Moderation refers to avoidance of extremes. Excess of anything spoils the balance and creates disorder. This applies to each and every aspect of life. Excess of work is as bad as lack of work. Excess of eating is as harmful as deficient eating. Both excess and lack of sexual desire affects happiness in life. Extremes of climate are not suitable for efficient functioning.

Discipline of life

–          Discipline of life refers to developing control of body and mind. It is not imposed but internal.

• Lack of discipline is responsible for poor mental & physical health, affects relationships, affects growth in life and leads to chaos in society.
• Discipline helps in developing self control, improved adaptability, better health & efficiency. It prepares one for bigger things in life.
• It is developed by perseverance of observing self control, understanding & accepting responsibility and resisting temptations.
• Kaalcharya in Sanskrit refers to self discipline at physical and mental level according to Kaal (time & situation). This can be Dincharya (discipline of daily routine), Rwitucharya (discipline according to seasonal variation for example changing eating habits according to season) and Ayucharya ( discipline according to different stages of life).

Time Management

• On one hand there are people who do a lot and still have time to relax and on the other hand there are people who are not doing large amount of work but still are always short of time. The difference is time management.
• Poor time management lead to inefficiency, under achievement, time pressure, chaotic life and stress apart from always feeling burn out & losing out in life.
• Good time management leads to maximizing time utilization, better efficiency & results and sufficient time for different tasks. Goals are achieved quickly and more goals can be achieved. The important tasks are not missed and get enough focus. One gets enough time to relax & rejuvenate.
• Time management involves working on its two aspects – time and tasks.
• Tasks : Clarify & write down tasks. Divide into short term, mid term and long term tasks. Mark priorities. Delete unnecessary tasks. A well marked ‘To Do’ list is very helpful. Mark ‘Must Do’ tasks, ‘Daily / Periodic’ tasks. Delegating and overlapping task helps in incorporating more tasks in available time.
• Time : Create a Time Log (time spending details) to see where the time is going. Mark time wastage and avoidable time spending. Pool your work. For example instead of going to market everyday, list items and purchase in one go. Also you can save time by work pool with friends, family members etc. To drop your child school, you can so arrange with your friend so that your turn is only twice a week. Maintain a planned daily routine which gives you enough time for daily work, important tasks as well as for health promoting activities & relaxation. Keep time for unexpected work. Avoid procrastination & unplanned work to save time. 

Health Management

• Keep health high in priority.
• Inculcate health promoting habits.
• Spend time with nature.
• Maintain personal and surrounding hygiene.
• Maintain healthy body weight & good posture.
• Give adequate time to rest and sleep. Avoid long afternoon sleep.
• Be alert and take necessary precautions to avoid injury. Learn First Aid.
• Get recommended immunization, regular medical checkup and follow advice.
• Improve health using natural food & habits, avoid unnecessary health tonics.
• Generate and maintain healthy environment (physical, chemical, biological etc). Minimize pollutions (air, noise, water etc) and toxins. 

Nutrition & Eating Habits

• Understand the significance of healthy eating.
• Eat balanced diet to nourish your body. Minimize unhealthy and junk food.
• Do not skip breakfast. Eat light dinner. Observe regular eating schedule.
• Do not overload your stomach. Do not eat when not hungry.
• Chew your food well. Eat slowly.
• Make required changes in diet according to age, health status, body needs, activity level, climatic & seasonal changes etc.
• Avoid other activities while eating like talking, reading, watching TV etc.
• Eating together with family and colleagues improve relationships but take care not to over eat. 

Physical activity and Exercise

• Physical activity and exercise is must for mental & physical health. It helps in staying fit, weight management, improves confidence & self esteem. It also helps in preventing many disease conditions.
• One must build an attitude of being active, must avoid lethargy and sedentary life. Do not wait for the day when you will be ‘ready’. Start now.
• Incorporate physical activity in day to day life.
• Make regular exercise a necessary component of everyday life.
• Do not miss opportunity of physical activity. When you can walk, avoid car. When you can climb stairs, avoid lift.
• Take active part in games, sports, dance etc.
• Find activity buddy. Go for walk with life partner, family members, friends etc.
• Avoid being couch potato. Eliminate excuses for inactivity. 

Self Management

• There is no teacher better than life itself. It gives an opportunity to learn and grow, to work on self and to make one’s mental health and life better.
• Awareness : Learn to read signals about self in day to day activities & incidents. Be more observant of self & environment without immediate judgment. Be present minded, do not live engrossed in past or future thoughts.
• Habits : Look for your habitual way of thinking and behavior. See if that is positive for your living or not. Assess reasons behind learning of these habits and change them if required.
• Emotions : Understand your emotions to understand yourself. It will also help in understanding others and avoiding conflicts. EQ is said to be more helpful for success than IQ. Do not be ashamed of or suppress negative emotions like fear, hatred, jealousy etc. Look for what triggers that emotion. Learn to express your emotions in appropriate manner. Be assertive. Nurture positive emotions like love.
• Intellect : With modernization, intellectual growth is becoming more and more important. Intellect can be developed by being in intellectually stimulating environment. Engage yourself in activities like reading thought provoking articles, puzzles, crossword, active entertainment, learning new language etc. Gather authentic information. Develop creativity by thinking differently.

• Stress Management

• Stress is the most prevalent factor that affects mental and physical health along with quality of life.
• Stress can result from almost anything like emotional trauma, bad relationship, work overload, poor personal or professional skills, time pressure, change in life, mishappenings, poor health, grief and so on.
• Stress can be managed by learning stress coping skills and avoiding the avoidable.
• Learning problem solving, decision making, conflict solving, goal planning, and organizing life helps in stress management. 

• Addictions

• Addictions refers to indulgence in any activity when it predominates & affects one’s life, affects mental & physical health, affects relationships and the person is unable to check it.
• It can be of diverse nature like drugs, alcohol, tobacco, sex, shopping, gambling, food, TV / Internet, some person or even work.
• Precaution of not getting into addiction is better than its cure.
• Addictions are treatable. Take professional help and support of family & friends.
• Plan deaddiction. Look for any underlying stress. Watch out for triggers. Act with firmness but do not get disheartened by slips. Praise yourself for success. Replace it with some positive activity. 

Sexuality

• Sex & sexuality hold a unique place in human life. Apart from procreation it also serves for self identity, self expression, love, relationships, pleasure, stress release etc. It can be either constructive or destructive depending on its development.
• Under development of sexuality results in personality disorders, relationship difficulties, aversion to sex, lack of desire & satisfaction, sexual function disorders etc.
• Mal development of sexuality results in sex addiction, relationship difficulties, gender identity disorder, deviant sexual behavior like pedophilia, exhibitionism etc. It can also result in poor adjustment in life and anti social behavior like rape.
• Healthy development of sexuality results in self confidence, self respect and better relationships. It requires early education. Teenagers must get sex education. They must be told not to rush into sexual activity before physical and mental maturity. They must be helped in developing healthy views and values about sexuality. Everyone must learn about own body, sex and sexuality. Learn about sexual identity, physical attractiveness, sexual orientation etc. One must understand and assume responsibility of sexual behavior. The role of sex and its impact on relationships must be clear. One should get information about sexual disorders, sexually transmitted diseases, deviant sexual behavior, sex addiction, pregnancy & contraception etc. Sex addiction can be prevented by avoiding casual sex and using sexual activity for immediate gratification & escape from frustrations of life. 

Recreation

• Recreation is any socially acceptable activity that gives you fun. It could be indoors or outdoors, singular or in group, activity oriented or learning oriented, physical or mental.
• Apart from being fun, healthy recreation helps in a number of ways like giving rejuvenation & stress release, it adds to development of personality, it helps in self expression & self identity, it improves physical & mental health, it improves relationships, community participation & social integration, it gives learning opportunity & improves skills, it promotes positive behavior and it can even help in professional growth.
• Do not take any recreational activity by force or its social status. Explore different options. See what activity you can identify with, which one gives you fun and help you in self expression & self growth. Activities with active involvement are better. Integrate activity well in your life. 

Socialization & Relationships

• Man can not live in isolation. Relationships are said to be the first indicator of person’s happiness and quality of life. These can vary from close relationships like family and friends to colleagues, neighbors, business associates, acquaintances and even strangers.
• Healthy relationships are good for mental health & happiness. Relationships can be kept healthy by proper management. One should be sure about type of relationship, is it short term or long term, professional or personal.
• Priority : One must be clear about priorities in relationships giving due space, time and involvement to each relationship.
• Roles : One must clarify the role one is required to be play in relationship.
• Expectation : One must have realistic expectations for healthy development of relationship.
• Space : one must create sufficient self space and respect others space.
• Values : Values like respect, honesty and sincerity are crucial for healthy relationship. Do not forget to observe cultural norms, etiquettes & manners.
• Communication : Lack of proper communication is the cause of most relationship problems. Learn the art of communication, assertiveness etc.
• Conflict resolution : Do not allow conflicts to linger on. Discuss and solve at earliest opportunity.
• Company : Keep good company. Remember negativity is contagious. Good company will keep you in good spirit and you will automatically pick up life skills.

• Work & Finance Management

• Work / Vocation / Profession is the core of every human being. It takes significant amount of time and energy. It gives a meaning & purpose to live, it gives financial support, self identity, social recognition, feeling of growth & achievement, opportunity for socialization and better health by being active.
• Work requires ongoing planning. Start with exploring options & your needs, see which identifies best with you, which suits your positive traits and which gives higher opportunities. Keep a track of your growth and needs. One should not be afraid or rigid about change options but it should be a well calculated move. Keep updating your skills.
• Learn work ethics like commitment, responsibility, efficiency, punctuality and accountability. Take it seriously, have positive & professional approach,
• Learn and observe soft skills. Have warm but professional relations at work place. Keep your space and respect others. Stay away from negative politics and manipulations.
• Keep a balance of your professional and personal life. Do not carry your office worries to your home and your home worries to your office. Keep sufficient time for both. If few days are more hectic at work, use holidays to spend good time with family and rejuvenate.
• Finance : Keep full account of your earning and expenditure. Make budget. Cut wastage like paying interest on credit card. Plan your shopping to save and not over spend. Save some even if it is a small sum. Invest in diversity. Allocate money for different purpose starting from most necessary.
• Home making must be respected and considered as one of the most demanding work on earth. Most often it goes thankless but it forms the basis of wellbeing, functionality, progress and happiness of entire family and in turn entire society. It requires high levels of working efficiency and skills like time management, resource management, finance management, human resource management etc. 

Philosophy of Life

• Philosophy of life is the set of principles on which life & living is based. It gives the basis of effective functioning and everyday living.
• Attitude, Values (like truth, humanity, righteousness, justice, love, peace, non violence, coexistence etc), Morals (like honesty, respect, non stealing, etc) Faith & Beliefs form components of philosophy of life. They give an effective code of conduct, freedom from conflicts & peace of mind, self respect and respect in society. They also help in harmony & peaceful coexistence in society.
• They are learned over a period of time. Modeling and exposure to incidents helps in their learning. One should look at long term gains of upholding such higher philosophy. Do not be shy of accepting mistakes, this will make you stronger.
• Live every moment of your life with zest and richness. Incorporate richness and positive elements of culture in your everyday life. Cultural traditions, festivals, norms etc gives richness to life, makes life easier and helps in social identification and integration.

Spiritual growth

• Spiritual growth helps in understanding meaning & purpose of life and living, of self existence & being. It generates a realization of oneness & wholeness. It is not for becoming a saint but to have better consciousness, better awareness and minimum possibility of errors & wrong choices.
• It helps in living a life without darkness, fear and regrets.
• It helps to understand deeper meaning of good / evil, pleasure / pain,  right / wrong etc.
• It helps in understanding of compatibility & wholeness of science, civilization, religion, emotions, humanism, nature etc.
• One should be cautious in not assuming religious rituals & fanaticism or escapism from life as spiritual growth.
• Spiritual growth is a life long process. It is not necessary to observe severe self denial to attain spiritual growth. It is possible in day to day living by carefully observing the process of life.

Benefits of massage therapy

Massage therapy benefits people of all ages. It can be used in the treatment of both acute and chronic stages of conditions. Following are some benefits:

• Relieve stress by releasing tension
• Relieves tired and aching muscles
• Increases flexibility and range of motion
• Strengthens the immune system
• Improves concentration
• Enhances skin tone

Types of massage therapies 

There are many kinds of massage therapy. Some popular therapies are listed below:

Swedish massage Therapy – This massage is primarily meant for relaxation. It is most popular and common type of massage.

Hot Stone Massage – It is good for relieving muscle tension. It helps to loosen and warm tight muscles

Thai Massage – Compressions and stretches are used in the performance of this massage. It improves the range of motion and flexibility.

Aromatherapy Massage – One or more plant oils or essential oils that have a pleasant aroma are added to the massage. It is most suited to relieving emotion related stresses.

Deep Tissue Massage – It is used for recovery from injury, postural problems, repetitive strain, painful or tight muscles.

Pregnancy Massage – reduces anxiety, stress and depression, relieves pains and aches and decreases swelling.

Sports Massage – It increases flexibility and loosens muscles. It is effective in preventing and treating injury and enhancing athletic performance.

Shiatsu – It uses finger pressure in a rhythmic sequence on what are known as acupressure points that are on the body.

Reflexology – This massage is done on certain specific points on the foot. It is good for people who spend most of their time standing

Back Massage – This massage is done on the muscles of the back and the neck to relieve aches and pains of the back and the neck.

Almost everyone today has heard about meditation. People are practicing meditation for different reasons. Some common reasons for which people meditate are – it is good for mental peace, it helps in spiritual growth, it is a way of worship, it improves concentration etc. But this is not all. Meditation, if understood well, can prove a way to improve the entire quality of life. We must know what meditation is, how it is to be done, what its benefits are and why it should be part of everyone’s life. Before understanding what meditation is, let us see how it can help us.

Benefits of Meditation

• It helps in development of mind and its functions like concentration, memory, intelligence, judgment, creativity etc.
• It improves self control over mind as well as minds control over body.
• It improves the state of consciousness
• It improves awareness and power of observation.
• It improves self understanding & understanding of environment and world.
• It helps in understanding the mystery of life & death and purpose of living.
• It helps in understanding the logic behind do’s and don’ts of life thereby improving the effectiveness of behavior.
• It helps in self growth and realizing best of self potential.
• It helps in spiritual growth and realization of self & truth.
• It relieves stress, gives calmness, acceptance, compassion and better relations.
• It improves health through better choice making and through mind body relationship.
• It even helps in treatment of physical & psychological diseases.

What is meditation ?

There is lot of confusion about what is meditation. Confusion is also there because of the fact that there are innumerable ways of meditating. For a beginner it is difficult to decide which method to adopt and this sometimes result in disappointment with the progress. Therefore, to progress well, it is important to understand what meditation is. Before understanding meditation, it is necessary to know what is mind.

Every human being is in a state of consciousness. This consciousness, which we refer to as ‘ I ’,  is dynamic, functional and progressive. It has both material and non material component. The material component is referred to as – My Body along with its sensations and functions. The non material component of ‘I’ is referred to as Mind which is expressed as – I Think, I Feel, I Love, I Understand etc. Some of the functions of Mind are Perception, Awareness, Thinking, Feeling, Memory, Intelligence, Judgment, Creativity, Understanding, Will etc. Mind should not be confused with brain, the organ through which mind carry out its functions. In a broad sense Mind can be divided into three zones.

1. Input – Perception & input of information picked up by senses like vision, hearing, smell, taste and touch. Past memory also serves as source of input.
2. Assimilation – Assessment & assimilation of information by Thinking, Feeling & Understanding. This could be Fact, Incident or Abstract oriented with Intellectual or Emotional predominance. Information and its meaning are saved as Memory which is later used to understand further information. This entire process forms the basis of organization and reorganization of self.
3. Output – Output is the resultant behavior based on input and assimilation and is effected through Judgment & Will

In order to function in good capacity, mind requires development. And this process of development of Mind is called Meditation. Without development, Mind works in a narrow range of awareness with less / faulty input, poor assimilation, distortion of reality and poor output which is unhealthy and negative behavior. Thus the person feels problem with self or the world around and which can range from mild day to day problem to severe mental sickness. Meditation helps to prevent this state and improves functioning of mind. Mind if developed has enormous potential which in most of us remain untapped. You can very well appreciate that with a developed mind how well you can have better awareness & understanding of world around, better relations, better performance & efficiency, better growth in life with happiness, and with such inclination, better spiritual growth. Spirituality is nothing else but better understanding of self & life and realization of truth.

Types of Meditation

Meditation can be done in a number of ways. Most of the methods can be put under multiple types. These can be broadly divided into three types depending on the aspect of mind it is working on. It can be based on :

1. Input of Information like perception. For example focus on an image, listening to mantra, observing breath etc.
2. Assimilation & Assessment of Information. For example thought watching, observing inner self.
3. Output like behavior. For example activity meditation, chanting of mantra, yogic posture meditation etc.

Other ways of describing types of meditation can be :

• Intellect Predominant / Emotion Predominant. It can be based on intellectual function of mind or on feelings / emotions.
• Active / Passive Meditation. It can be done by active effort as in fantasy visualization or it can be done in passive manner like done in observation of breathing.
• Dualism / Oneness Meditation. It can be done in a manner in which distinctiveness of everything is maintained or it can be done in a manner in which oneness of everything is seen.
• Focus / Wholeness Meditation. It can be done by focusing like meditating on an image / object / thought or it can be done towards universality as done in thoughtlessness.
• Past / Present / Future – It can be done by meditating on past, present or future.
• Concrete / Abstract – It can be done by meditating concrete objects / facts of life or by meditating on abstract thoughts or ideas.
• Structure / Non Structured. It can be structured in time, place, way etc or it can be non structured.
• Mind training / Awareness / Spiritual Meditation. Mind training meditation is done to train specific mind faculties like concentration, creativity, learning etc. Awareness meditation is done to become more aware about self, world around, life process etc. Spiritual meditation is done for spiritual growth and realization of self & truth.

How to Meditate

• Chose your way. How to meditate depend on many factors like how it relates to your personality, your lifestyle, your need to meditate, the aspect of mind you wish to develop etc. No method is ‘better’. It all depends on your choice and suitability. But do not change your method too often.
• Start now. Do not wait for time when you will be ‘ready’ for it. Meditation is an ongoing journey. Begin it now and keep progressing.
• Have patience. Do not expect great results immediately. With patience and regular practice you can progress well.
• Enjoy the journey instead of meditating in a monotonous manner.
• Be fully involved in meditation; do not meditate in a mechanical manner.
• Initially structured method may help more, select appropriate time and place, be free from distraction. It is better done on empty stomach but one should not be too hungry to get distracted. Wear comfortable clothing.
• Basic posture is sitting comfortably with straight but relaxed back, hands on lap and eyes gently closed. Take regular, deep breaths and relax your body. Select the technique and practice regularly.

Some Popular Techniques

• Meditation on observing the breathing. Both active and passive.
• Meditation on body relaxation.
• Vision Meditation. Focus on some object / picture.
• Meditation on hearing. Focus on sound, mantra etc.
• Thought Meditation. Thought watching, thought wandering, thoughtlessness etc.
• Fantasy meditation. Meditating on imaginary objects, incidents, light etc.
• Self awareness meditation. Meditating on self (physical / emotional self), past and present.
• Real life meditation. Meditating in day to day activity with present mindedness.
• Activity meditation. Meditating with dance, painting, playing music etc.
• Kundalini meditation. A powerful technique which combines various other techniques to meditate on energy centres called chakras resulting in activation of kundalini (yogic) energy.
• Other popular techniques are Preksha meditation, Vipassana meditation, Transcedental meditation, Mindfulness meditation, Zen meditation, Buddhist meditation, Yogic meditation, Tantra meditation etc,

There is lot of commercialization of meditation these days. But you need not spend big money to meditate. The real power of meditation is always there within you. Every human being is given unlimited capacity of mind. Only thing you need to do is to start the journey, it does not matter which path you take. Do not worry about result. Enjoy the journey. Every step, every second spent on meditation will unleash the inner energy. The world of success, freedom, joy, love and happiness is waiting for you.

Get going !!

The effects and results of Yoga are so profound and almost incredible that it is fast becoming a ‘must’ for healthy living. It is there for ages but recent scientific research has reconfirmed its beneficial effects on health, psychological state and even on improving the entire quality of life. Therefore it is not surprising that in today’s stressful life, people are making Yoga a part of life to keep healthy both physically and mentally. 

What is Yoga

The word Yoga has different meaning for different people. For some it is a type of exercise to keep healthy. For others it is a way to develop spirituality or mental peace. Yoga gives both but it is much more than these. Yoga refers to Yog derived from Yuj which in Sanskrit means ‘to unite’. Yoga or Yog Sadhna is the holistic unification of Body Mind and Soul with internal and external harmony. It is a systematic process to bring about transformation of physical fitness, mental calmness & function and spiritual awakening to enable one to live in good health of body & mind and to pursue higher purpose of living. By breaking physical barriers (of sickness & poor health) and mental barriers (of mental weakness & distress) it opens up new horizons of self awareness, self control & self growth. In short it is the way of good living. 

History

Yoga was originated in India about 5000 years ago. The ancient scriptures in India are replete with text on Yoga. Vedas, Upanishad contains yogic teachings which give the background philosophy of Yoga with explanation of atman (self), karma (deeds), dharma (duty) and brahma (the ultimate reality). It tells that higher purpose of living is to perform duty and transcend self to ultimate reality. . It is not possible for someone to live in happiness and progress if one is sick. Yoga is the stepwise process of doing this and helps to achieve required mental & physical health and harmony for the purpose of higher living 

Schools of Yoga

There are various paths (types) of Yoga. The goal is same but these different paths have different philosophy and methodology. Some of them are – (1) Bhakti Yoga – The Yoga of devotion (2) Jnana Yoga – The Yoga of knowledge (3) Karma Yoga – The Yoga of rightful deeds (4) Kundalini Yoga – The Yoga of awakening dormant energy or kundalini. (5) Tantra Yoga – Yoga of wholeness (6) Sahaja Yoga – Yoga of being spontaneous (7) Hatha Yoga – Yoga of Energy balance and  (8) Raja Yoga – The Royal Yoga also called Classical Yoga, the Yoga of self awareness & self realization. Of these Raja Yoga is the one which is most popular and being studied as a mean to attain good health of body and mind. Its most popular text is given by sage Patanjali in Yog Sutra (aphorism). Patanjali Yog Sutra focuses on means and stages of achieving ultimate liberation through Samadhi (ultimate unification & consciousness) through Ashtanga Yoga. Ashtanga means eight limbs, Ashtanga Yoga gives eight progressive steps of Yog Sadhna. Every step is thoughtfully developed to improve one’s present state and prepare for next stage.

Ashtanga Yoga

The eight stages of Ashtanga Yoga are :

1. Yam – The code of conduct. It incorporates Ahimsa (Non Violence), Satya (Truth), Asteya (Non Stealing), Brahmcharya (Control over senses), and Aparigrah (Non Greediness).
2. Niyam – The Self Regulation. It contains Shouch (Cleanliness), Santosh (Contentment), Tap (Austerity), Swadhyay (Study of scriptures), Ishwar Pranidhan (Devotion & surrender to God)
3. Asana –  Postures of health and harmony.
4. Pranayama  –  Control & balance of Prana (life force)
5. Pratyahara  –  Control of senses and going beyond them.
6. Dharna  –  Awakening concentration
7. Dhyana  –  State of meditation
8. Samadhi  –  Ultimate oneness, consciousness & liberation. 

Yoga for Body Mind and Soul 

Yoga transforms & harmonizes body, mind and soul. Its effects and benefits are seen at physical, mental and spiritual level.

At physical level, it improves health by improving the functioning of all body organs & systems. It increases flexibility, strength and stamina. It is one of the rare therapies which have the capacity to improve functioning of hormonal glands like pituitary, thyroid, adrenal, pancreas & sex glands. It improves body metabolism and chemical equilibrium. By improving physiological functions, it removes toxins from the body. It increases resistance to diseases by improving immune system. It increases life force and gives vigor & vitality. It gives a youthful appearance. It shows beneficial effect on investigative tests like cholesterol, creatinine, ECG etc and is found helpful in treatment of various diseases.

Physiological Benefits of Yoga

• Balance pulse & blood pressure
• Better coordination of opposing muscle groups
• Breathing becomes deep & rhythmic
• Eye-hand coordination improves
• Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) increases
• HDL cholesterol increases LDL cholesterol decreases
• Hematocrit & Hemoglobin increases
• Joint mobility and range of motion increases
• Pain tolerance increases
• Posture improves
• Reaction time improves

At psychological level, it decreases stress, balances mood & relaxes mind. It improves mental calmness, concentration and mental control. It gives mind a positive outlook, creates internal harmony and self acceptance. It helps in personality growth. It gives freedom from addictions. It sharpens mental faculties like attention, memory, learning and creativity. It has shown beneficial effect in treatment of psychological disorders.

At spiritual level, it gives inner harmony & peace, creates understanding of self & life and gives humanistic outlook. It helps in self growth and self realization. It also helps in unleashing yogic energy. Finally it helps in attainment of ultimate consciousness and liberation. 

The Science of Yoga

Yoga refers to complete wellness & harmony of body, mind and soul. It has been scientifically arranged in a stepwise manner so that every step takes care of your present status and prepares for the step ahead.  For example attaining state of meditation is not easy for those who are not prepared because of physical sickness or mental distress. Therefore the initial steps prepare by improving physical and mental health with better control over body and mind. In Yoga the complete wellness and harmony of body, mind and soul is achieved by activation of energy centres called Chakras which parallel the axis of body along spine (Sushumna Nadi). These chakras represent and controls different aspects of physical, mental and spiritual being. The chakras must remain in balance and activated for good physical & mental health and heightened spiritual consciousness.

Yoga for Treatment (Therapeutic Yoga)

Those who are unable or disinclined to embrace Yoga in totality can still benefit from it to get relief from physical & psychological complaints and diseases. Research has confirmed the ability of Yoga in improving health and treatment of various diseases. Different conditions and status of patient require assessment and selection of a specific program. One should not diagnose one’s sickness and try Yoga treatment himself / herself either by reading books or watching TV. It must be done under supervision of a trained Yoga Therapist. The components of Yoga which are used in treatment of sickness are :

• Yogic Shuddhi (Cleansing)
• Yogic Asana
• Yogic Relaxation
• Pranayama & Bandha
• Yogic Mudra

Yoga is not intended to replace ongoing medical treatment. Yoga improves overall health and has proved beneficial in treatment of various conditions like :

Physical Sickness – Diabetes, hypertension, allergy, asthma, hypothyroidism, digestive complaints, obesity, back complaints, arthritis, sciatica, nervous weakness, menstrual disorders, rheumatism, piles, headache etc.

Psychological Disorders –  Stress, mental weakness, anxiety, depression, phobia, psychosomatic & psychosexual complaints. 

Yoga for weight management

Overweight and obesity have become one of the major health concerns today. It could be because of poor lifestyle, overeating, thyroid dysfunction, genetic condition or even virus infection as indicated in one recent study. Cause may be any but the damage it causes is too big to ignore. Apart from psychological and social problems, it makes one prone to many life threatening diseases like hypertension, diabetes, ischemic heart disease etc. One way of losing weight is diet control and exercise. These are helpful and good for health but most of the times are not sufficient and some people find them very tedious. Yoga offers an effective solution to this. It improves body metabolism, balances hormonal system, removes water retention and keeps the skin healthy as one loses weight. One looks younger with yogic weight management. As Yoga becomes part of life, there is no slipping back and one continues in good shape and health. Yoga is equally good for underweight conditions and can bring body to good shape naturally. 

Precautions

• Yoga must be done under supervision of a trained therapist. There is a trend now a day to get into Yoga after reading books or watching TV. This can harm instead of helping. Yoga requires assessment of the health so that proper precautions may be taken. Certain conditions contraindicate some asana and pranayama. Secondly if Yoga is not done in right manner, it will harm the health in place of helping.
• Yoga must be done in a stepwise, regular manner. There should be no hurry. Asana may take 4 – 6 months to perform fully. Hurry will only injure the body tissue and organs.
• Yoga must be done with a calm mind. There should be no distraction. One must get fully involved to get good benefit. Do not mistake Yoga for any ordinary exercise.
• Yoga must be done empty stomach. Early morning is the best time to do Yoga. Otherwise it can be done in the evening and there must be a gap of at least .2 hours after a meal.
• Select a calm, clean place for Yoga. It must be done on floor where one can use a mat. Wear light & loose / stretchable clothing.
• Do it gently, take breath through nose except when indicated.
• Avoid Yoga during acute illness.
• Adopting positive lifestyle with light & nutritious diet helps in getting greater benefit from Yoga.