ORIGINS OF STRESS
Through advances in science and technology modern civilisation has been able to conquer ignorance in many fields, but its pride in technological achievement is excessive and misplaced. It has triggered widespread feelings of competitiveness and envy. Financial tensions, emotional upheavals, environment pollution and, above all, a sense of being overtaken by the speed of events, have all increased the stress of daily life.
All these factors strain the body, causing nervous tension, and adversely affecting the mind. This is when feelings of isolation and loneliness take over.
To deal with this, people turn to artificial solutions to cope with the pressure of daily life. Substance abuse, eating disorders, and destructive relationships are some of the substitutes people grasp at in their desperate search for consolation. But while these measures may provide temporary distraction or oblivion, the root cause of unhappiness-stress-remains unresolved.
Yoga is not a miracle cure that can free a person from all stress, but it can help to minimise it. The worries of modern life deplete our reserves of bio-energy, because we draw on our vital energy from the storehouse - the nerve cells. This can, ultimately, exhaust our energy reserves and lead to the collapse of mental and physical equilibrium. Yogic science believes that the nerves control the unconscious mind, and that when the nervous system is strong, a person faces stressful situations more positively. Yoga improves blood flow to all the cells of the body, revitalising the nerve cells. This flow strengthens the nervous system and its capacity for enduring stress.
RELIEVING STRESS
The diaphragm, according to Yogic science, is the seat of the intelligence of the heart and window to the soul. During stressful situations, however, when you inhale and exhale, the diaphragm becomes too taut altering its shape. Yogic exercises address this problem by developing elasticity in the diaphragm, so that, when stretched, it can handle any amount of stress, whether intellectual, emotional, or physical.
The practice of Yoga and Pranayama helps to integrate the body, breath, mind and intellect. Slow, effortless exhalation during practice of a Yoga posture brings serenity to the body cells, relaxes the facial muscles, and releases all tension from the organs of perception: the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin.
When this happens, the brain, which is in constant communication with the organs of action, becomes Shunya or void, and all thoughts are stilled. Then, invading fears and anxieties cannot penetrate to the brain. When we develop this ability, we perform our daily activities with efficiency and economy. We don't dissipate our valuable bio-energy. We enter the state of true clarity of intellect. Our mind is free of stress and is filled with calmness and tranquillity.
STATES OF MIND
In Yogic terminology, consciousness or Chitta encompasses the mind or Manas, intelligence or Buddhi, and ego or Ahankara. The Sanskrit word for man, Manusya or Manava, means "one who is endowed with this special consciousness". The mind doesn't have an actual location in the body. It is latent, elusive, and exists everywhere. The mind desires, wills, remembers, perceives, and experiences, sensations of pain and pleasure, heat and cold, honour and dishonour, are experienced and interpreted by the mind. The mind reflects both the external and the internal worlds, but though it has the capacity to perceive things within and without, it's natural tendency is to be preoccupied with the outside world.
NATURE OF THE MIND
When the mind is fully absorbed by objects seen, heard, smelt, felt, or tasted, this leads to stress, fatigue, and unhappiness, the mind can be a secret enemy and a treacherous friend. It influences our behaviour before we have the time to consider behaviour and to consider causes and consequences. Yoga trains the mind and inculcates a sense of discrimination, so that subjects and events are seen for what they are and are not allowed to gain mastery over us.
FIVE MENTAL FACULTIES
We have mental faculties which can be used in a positive or a negative way. These are: correct observation and knowledge, perception, imagination, dreamless sleep, and memory. Sometimes the mind loses its stability and clarity, and is either incapable of using its various faculties properly, or uses them in a negative way. The practise of Yoga leads us to use these mental faculties in a positive way, thereby bringing the mind to a discriminative and attentive state. Awareness, together with discrimination and memory, target bad habits, which are essentially repetitive actions based on mistaken perception. These are then replaced by good habits. In this way, an individual becomes stronger, honest, and gains maturity. He or she is to perceive and understand people, situations, and events with clarity.
This seasoned, mature mind gradually transcends it's frontiers to reach beyond mundane observation and experience, making the journey from confusion to clarity, one of the greatest benefits of Yoga.
DIFFERENT STATES OF MIND
Yogic science distinguishes between five basic states of mind. These are not grouped in stages, nor are they, except the last, unchangeable. According to Sage Patanjali, these states of mind are: dull and lethargic, distracted, scattered, focused, and controlled. Patanjali described the lowest level of the mind as dull or Mudha. A person in this state of mind is disinclined to observe, act, or react. This state is rarely inherent or permanent. It is usually caused by a traumatic experience, for instance, bereavement, or when a desired goal presents so many obstacles that the goal seems impossible to attain. After successive failures to take control of their lives, many people withdraw into dullness and lethargy. Often this is exacerbated by insomnia or oversleeping, comfort-eating, or the ingestion of tranquillisers and other substances which make the original problem worse.
Yoga gradually transforms these feelings of defeat and helplessness into optimism and energy. The distracted state of mind is one where thoughts, feelings, and perceptions churn around in the consciousness, but leave no lasting impressions and hence serve no purpose. Patanjali calls this state, Ksipta. Someone in a state of Ksipta is unstable, unable to prioritise or focus on goals, usually because of flawed signals from the senses of perception he or she accepts and follows unthinkingly. This clouds the intellect and disturbs mental equilibrium. Such a state has to be calmed and brought to confront the factual knowledge of reality through the regular practice of Yoga and Pranayama.
The most common state of mind is ten scattered mind. In such a state, though the brain is active, it lacks purpose and direction. This state of mind is known as Vikspta. Constantly plagued by doubt and fear, it alternates between decisiveness and lack of confidence. The regular practice of Yoga gradually encourages the seeds of awareness and discrimination to take root, giving rise to positive attitude and mental equilibrium.
The ancient sages characterised the focused state of mind, or Ekaya, as one that indicated a higher state of being. This is a liberated mind which has confronted afflictions and obstacles and conquered them. Such a mind has direction, concentration, and awareness. A person in this category of mental intelligence lives in the present without being caught in the past or future, undisturbed by external circumstances.
The fifth and highest state of mind is Nirudha, or the controlled, restrained mind. According to Patanjali, Nirudha is attained through the persistent practice of Yoga, which allows an individual to conquer the lower levels of the mind.
At this level, the mind is linked exclusively with the object of its attention. It has the power to become totally absorbed in an activity, allowing nothing to disturb its absorption. When the brain is quiet, the intellect is at peace, the individual is serene and balanced, neither free nor bound, but poised in pure consciousness.
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