Depression, Anxiety and Stress Management

Yoga, as we now know, has proven to demonstrate enormous benefits in many different spectrum and aspects of life. In the past 30 years, research in mind-body medicine has placed yoga as a leading approach to promoting greater balance and relieving stress. Many contributors to this work involves several researchers and physicians including but not limited to Dr. Dean Ornish, who adapted an Integral Yoga Hatha class (calling it stress management) as part of a lifestyle change program to reverse heart disease; Jon Kabat-Zin used hatha yoga as a mindfulness of movement practice at the Stress Reduction Clinic

of the University of Massachusetts Medical Centre; and Herbert Benson described “relaxation response” based on his study of transcendental meditation and other yoga techniques, eventually founding the Mind and Body Institute at Harvard Medical School. Th ere is a growing research that recognizes stress as an important health concern. Th ey continuously support the efforts to bringing awareness of the benefits of yoga in the medical community. Yoga fosters a renewed sense of the body and mind, developing the skills to transform our physical, mental and emotional responses. Th e yogic approach to stress management is an adaptation of the yoga practices and philosophy (such as Hatha and Raja yoga); making these tools accessible and relevant to people from different backgrounds in a variety of settings. Hatha yoga includes centering, stretching, breathing, and meditation, and Raja yoga includes developing self-awareness and using the power of the mind to manage change. It was concluded that a combined methodology is the most effective.