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Turning to asanans

is fast becoming a favourite tool for fighting stress, writes S. AISHWARYA

MEDITATION Concentrating hard Photo: M. MOORTHY

Stress is a much discussed subject of late, more so among working women. Work pressures and anxieties at the office and at home seem to be definite invitations.

Prone to stress

Confronted with dual responsibilities, the freshers in jobs are particularly more prone to stress and related trauma. With institutions of higher learning hardly focusing on anything else other than academic concerns, most students are ill-equipped to handle life's trying situations. "My students won't face these problems," assures Meena Seetharaman, Economics Professor at Holy Cross College.

The college has hit upon the idea of organising a household management programme for final year undergraduate students. "College students are also victims of stress," she says. As the programme coordinator, she aims at teachings students the art of balancing academics and household chores. An optional part IV activity in the curricula, this programme has been alluring students for the past few years.

Meditation sessions

Yoga classes are a part of this programme and are conducted after the college hours. After the day's hustle bustle, the students join their health educator S. Dharmarajan, who starts off with a meditation session. The whole class promptly repeats some basic asanas illustrated by him and moves to meditation.

"The students found it very difficult at the start to even stay motionless, let alone meditate," says Dr. Dharmarajan. But now he finds a tremendous improvement in them with their concentration improving gradually.

The students were all smiles when asked about the effects of yoga. "Though I find some asanas difficult but at the end of the yoga session I feel energised," says Sandhya S, an enthusiastic novice.

Prasanna Aarthi, a black-belt holder in Karate points out the similarity in the warm-up exercises of Karate and Yoga. "The difference is I feel exhausted at the end of Karate practice, but yoga revitalizes me!"

Autosuggestion

Interestingly, Dr. Dharmaraj follows Dr. Norman Vincent Peale's method - the power of positive thinking. But he has given it a different name. He calls it autosuggestion, where the students are asked to repeatedly state their positive traits loudly. But for how long? "So long as it gets imbibed in them as a habit," he replies. Autosuggestion has its own advantages," he adds.

"It not only gives them confidence but also serves as a refresher that breaks the monotony of exercises and meditation during the session."

Considering the vastness of yoga and the limited time frame for the course, Dr. Dharmaraj concentrates on women-specific exercises. "The course is definitely not to make them experts in yoga," he says.

"It is to equip them to strike a balance between work and household management in the years to come."

The students too concur with their guru. "What we are taught is said to tone our body and mind and that's exactly we are looking for," says S. Sindhiya, a final year student of Economics.

Wouldn't workouts at gyms bring out visible difference much quicker than yoga? "They do. But the question lies on sustainability," says Dr. Dharmaraj.

Also comes the point of flexibility that is achieved very easily by a yoga practitioner but is highly unlikely for those who opt for `sweating out' exercises.

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