The Effects Of Stress And Hatha Yoga As A Coping Strategy

16 Pages 4114 Words

Abstract
Why does mankind surrender to stress related circumstances such as: anger, fury and irritation, when he was shaped with the skill to choose otherwise?
The experience that is universally known as stress is in actual fact the result of certain emotional and physiological responses naturally inbuilt to ensure our survival. The ‘fight or flight’ response ensured that we would be well equipped to fight or flee from a dodgy situation. A flow of instinctual emotions activate the discharge of hormones and almost immediately our body and senses go into overdrive in order to face a life threatening circumstance.
However in present-day civilization, although being stuck in traffic or receiving a huge phone bill is not life threatening, our bodies have been trained to identify them as similar, if not identical situations.
The consequences of stress are many; our nerves shred; our cognitive abilities gradually fray; we become paranoid, over exaggerate things - but, above all, we jeopardize our physical and mental health with a stress related illness.
This paper defines stress and examines several effects it can have on our minds and bodies. However its main purpose is to inspect the confirmation claimed by those who investigate and practice Hatha yoga as a coping strategy of stress reactivity and its symptoms.
Therapists and practitioners of yoga claim that the ancient philosophy allows us to give us the ability to acquire and preserve a sharp and tranquil mind resistant to disturbances which include stress and anxiety, and at the same time alleviating many of the symptoms that these circumstances possibly cause.
Moreover it takes into consideration the fact that professionals in the medical field recognize and promote the practice of Hatha Yoga agreeing that it facilitates the mind and body in discharging harmful, surplus stress and anxiety, leaving the mind as it was initially created to be – a healthy drive...