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Untitled Document
Part 1: Comparison of Concepts of Stress & its Management in Yoga & Ayurveda
Part 2: Effect of an Integrated Yoga Program on Autonomic Functions in Police Trainees
By
Deepika Shetty
ABSTRACT
PART: 1: COMPARISON OF CONCEPT OF STRESS AND ITS MANAGEMENT ACCORDING TO AYURVEDA AND YOGA
Stress is the major problem in modern times. Man today is subjected to a large number of stressful situations in his fast way of life for which his physical and mental faculties have to cope up and thus his balance is frequently disturbed. Causes of stress are multiple and complex leading to many psychosomatic disorders.
Yoga has its origin nearly four thousand years ago. Yoga is a way of life; it is a conscious process of elevation to manifest the immense potentialities dormant in us. Yoga strengthens the will-power, sublimates the emotions, calms the mind, and expands our power of insight, vision and analysis. Through the practice of Yoga one develops awareness of the inter- relation between the emotional, mental and physical levels, and how a disturbance in any one of these affects the others. Gradually this awareness leads to an understanding of the more subtle areas of existence. The ultimate goal of Yoga is expansion of consciousness, increase in awareness and depth of perception and thereby reduction in the levels of stress reactions in the mind-body complex and thus to prevent stress induced disorders.
Āyurveda is the ancient Indian medical science. 'Āyu' means life and 'Veda' means knowledge. Āyurveda is based on the balance of tridoña (vāta, pitta and kapha), sapta dhātūs (plasma, blood, muscles, fat, bone, bone marrow and semen), agni (digestive fire) and malās (faeces, urine and sweat) .This human body is an entity combining Śaréra (body), Indriya (senses), Sattva (psyche) and Ātmā (Soul). Āyurveda aims at not only maintaining the health in the healthy but also at curing the root cause in the diseased. Āyurveda works at both the mental and physical levels by advocating various invasive and non-invasive procedures to bring about homeostasis in the mind-body complex and thus to prevent stress-induced disorders.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Āyurveda and Yoga being traditional Indian systems of medicine as well as way of life originated several thousands of years ago. It’s founders were great sages and saints. They gave rational interpretation to their experiences and brought about practical and scientifically sound method within everyone’s reach.
Stress is a major problem of the modern society and also a great challenge to the future generation. Āyurveda and Yoga have similar concept of stress eventhough the management differs. Management of stress through Āyurveda is by different methods viz, faith in god, usage of herbal medicines, purifactory therapies, controlling the mind, etc.Yoga believes in stress management by following yama, niyama, āsana, prānāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhārana, dhyāna, samādhi,etc. Hence these traditional ways of life comprehensively gives authentic explaination for the concept of stress and it’s effective management.
PART -II: EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM ON AUTONOMIC
FUNCTIONS IN POLICE TRAINEES
Background: Police personnel are more vulnerable to stress due to their work conditions. Regular practice of yogic techniques is found to balance the autonomic nervous system functions. Yoga is known to be effective in management of modern day stress and tensions.
Aims: To evaluate the effects of (i) yoga and (ii) physical activity on indicators of psychophysiological arousal (i.e., autonomic and respiratory variables) after one month of practice of either intervention.
Subjects: The subjects were 64 male police trainees, with ages ranging from 20-35 years, from Police Driving Maintenance School, Yelahanka, Bangalore, having a minimum of 3 years experience in the field. The group average age ± SD for the yoga group was 28.8 ± 3.3 years, while the same for the physical exercise group was 28.3 ± 2.9 years. Subjects undergoing training at a Police Driving and Maintenance School, Yelahanka, Bangalore participated in the study.
Design: This was a prospective longitudinal randomized control trial. The subjects were allocated into two groups i.e., Yoga and physical exercise group, both groups were given their respective interventions for a period of one month . Both groups were assessed at the beginning and end of one-month training period during which they had undergone respective interventions.
Assessments: Autonomic and respiratory variables, this included the heart rate (HR)
(based on electrocardiogram, EKG), breath rate (BR) (derived from the polygraph trace)
galvanic skin resistance level (GSR) and blood pressure (systolic and diastoloic).
Intervention: Yoga group practiced integrated yoga program, which consisted of yogāsanas (physical postures), prānāyāma, guided relaxation and meditation. Control group practiced physical exercise, which is part of police exercise.
Data extraction: Autonomic and respiratory variables: The heart rate was calculated by counting the R waves of the QRS complex in the EKG trace of the polygraph record for one minute. The breath rate was calculated by counting the number of breath cycles in a minute from the respirogram. The galvanic skin resistance was noted every 20 seconds. The blood pressure was recorded with a sphygmomanometer by auscultation over the right brachial artery.
Data analysis: The Wilcoxon paired signed ranks Test was used to compare data recorded after one month with those at baseline of each group, separately. The Mann-Whitney U Test was used to compare the data of the two groups at baseline.
Results: Significant decrease in respiratory rate following both yoga and physical education with a greater decrease following yoga (27.7%) compared to physical education (15.5%).
Conclusion: Both yoga and physical exercise decreased the breath rate (which is one of the indicators of arousal). Changes were of higher magnitude in the yoga group.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
This study examined the autonomic and respiratory variables, in two groups of 64 police trainees, who received the test interventions (yoga) and control intervention (physical exercise). They were randomly allocated into two groups i.e., yoga (average age ± SD, 28.8 ± 3.3 years, n = 31) and physical exercise (average age ± SD, 28.3 ± 2.9 years, n = 32) were followed for a period of one month. 63 subjects completed the trial.
The findings have shown that there was a significant reduction in respiratory rate in the yoga group when compared with that of the physical exercise group indicating the fact that yoga reduces psychophysiological signs of arousal. There were no other significant changes in other variables such as heart rate and systolic blood pressure. However, there was a non significant increase in galvanic skin resistance in the yoga group and decrease in diastolic blood pressure in both the yoga and physical exercise groups. A longer duration of the test intervention might have resulted in distinct changes consistent with the earlier physiological studies.
Both yoga and physical exercise decreased the breath rate (which is one of the indicators of arousal). Changes were of higher magnitude in the yoga group.
Keywords: Stress,Ayurveda,
Police Trainees.
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