SAHAJA

YOGA

STRESS
MANAGEMENT
Part ΙΙΙ
Stress is a physiological mechanism
 Stress and Evolution

 Stress is not a disease or harmful

“byproduct” of civilization. Stress
mechanisms emerged very early in
the history of life
 The stress response has been shaped
by natural selection to increase the
ability of organisms to cope with
situations that require action or
defense
 Stress and Evolution

 The stress system is a complex,

sophisticated, and carefully
regulated adaptation system
 Development of stress system gives
a selective advantage to the
organism
 That advantage must be substantial
in order to outweigh its huge costs
 Stress and Evolution

The ones who had the

strongest stress
reaction…
were
survivors!

We have “in blood” their

strongest “Genes of
Stress”
 Stress mechanism
(very very simplified ☻)
cerebral cortex
neuro-
The nervous stimuli coming from transmitters
the cerebral cortex, the reticular midbrain amygdala, hippocampus
(limbic system)
formation and the limbic system neuro-
activate the neuroendocrine cells transmitters
of hypothalamus which releases hypothalamus
the corticotrophic hormone
releasing factor (CRF) and CRF AVP
vasopressin (AVP). When CRF

HPA Axis
reaches adenohypophysis it elicits pituitary
a discharge of adrenocorticotrophic
hormone (ACTH) into the general
ACTH
circulation. Upon reaching the
adrenal cortex, it causes adrenal
secretion of cortisol and other cortex
glucocorticoids. This chain of
events is cybernetically controlled
cortisol
by several biofeedback
mechanisms (not shown).
 Major acute effects

Increase:
heart rate, breath rate;
blood pressure;
muscle and brain blood
circulation;
cholesterol and fatty acids in
blood;
production of blood sugar;
blood clotting; Decrease:
stomach acids. inner organs blood
circulation;
immune response;
protein synthesis;
digestion.
 Major chronic effects
Increase in size of the adrenal and thyroid
decrease in size of the thymus, spleen, lymph
glands and liver
formation of erosions in digestive tract
general body growth ceases
exhaustion of central and autonomic nervous
system
psycho-emotional disorders
autoimmune disorders
cancer
cardio-vascular diseases
fat metabolism deviances, obesity
carbohydrate metabolism deviances,
diabetes
 Three phases of Stress

Response to Stress by Hans Selye (1946)

Crossed
Specific

Frequent or chronic exposure to

stress cause faster and deeper
Resistance

Baseline
exhaustion
+ +
Shock Counter
Shock The phases of alarm and
STAGE: Alarm Reaction Resistance Exhaustion
exhaustion is not only unpleasant
but really destructive for health

The proposal to use the phase

of resistance for productivity
boost is very popular but
extremely dangerous
 The Benefit and Cost of Stress
Stress always costs your
health
saving One will say it is evil !
health for life = great
deal

Nor good, nor bad – it’s our

nature. The stress response is
meant to increase the ability of
organism to cope with
health for
ambitions
or money = ???

situations that require action

or defense. The problem
comes when we “misuse” it.

Just be aware for what you trade

your health…
 Medicine and Stress

One should be very careful using

medication for the stress solution.

The effect of many medicines based on

suppression of central and autonomic nervous
system as far as stress hormone production.
As a result of that the effectiveness of an
“emergency response system” can be
dramatically reduced.
 Do not suppress stress
reactivity !
Stress
Stresswithout
with real
real
threat
threat
cost

heavy moderate light no

stress stress stress stress
reaction reaction reaction reaction

The cost may be much higher if stress

mechanism is suppressed by medication in
case of real threat. One of the most
powerful natural action/defense system
will be disabled.
Prevention and recovery

Improve your
meditation
Avoid the
medication
How Sahaja Yoga can help you?

• Meditation can improve your life and

reduce the chance to face stressful
situation
• Meditation can help you to get reed of
the stressful thoughts
 However sometimes
the ‘things’ use to
happen…
Can Sahaja
yoga meditation
help you in such
case ?
 Mind + Body + Soul

 The solution is in unique knowledge about

Mind-Body-Subtle System (Soul) connection
and interaction.

 Sahaja yoga is not only giving this

knowledge but the skills to improve that
interaction.
Organs and systems responsible for stres

cortex

Almost the whole

Limbic system
body are involved
in mechanism of
stress, but there
are organs and
systems that play
the key role.
 Mind-Body-Soul Interaction
Sahaja Yoga improves the
sahasrara chakra
conditions of your subtle energy
agia chakra centers (chakras) and channels
(nadis) that have particular
influence on corresponding
pingala nadi organs and physiological
systems engaged in stress.
ida nadi

Sahaja Yoga
provide the special
swadhistan chakra
techniques for
“cleansing” chakras
and channels that
help you to fix your
“week points”
 Sahaja Yoga – triple stress
protection
(The summary)
Stress in Your Life
• Behavioral protection
before
– Sahaja Yoga transform
.

your life style so that you our stressful

avoid stressful situations thoughts
the situations
we can control
the situations
• Mental protection – we can't control
. Thoughtless Awareness
achieved through Sahaja
meditation a unique barrier
for development and
amplification of the vicious after
circles of stress

• Physiological the harm

reduced
protection – special skills
of self-regulation reduce the
invincible damaging effect of
stress on our organism and
increase the efficiency of
post-stress recovery
 Practical advises

• Do not try to analyze the cause of your stress.

It might increase rampaging fire in your head.
Simply work on your chakras according to the
current problems (indications of your fingers).
• Sahaja yoga is very amazing living process. Do
not get fixed on your problems it makes them
hard to go.
• Very fast you can learn how to help other. That
will increase your progress.
 Meditation
Click on the icon
for music

Now… Put on some music

please forget all this scientific stuff

Open your heart,

open your mind and…

enjoy the magic of Meditation

 Thank You
and good luck in becoming your
own Master of Stress Management
 Questions & Feedback

You are most welcomed to ask any questions at this

moment

Feel free to contact us at any time:

phone: add yours
E-mail: add yours

Always for You and Your friends all-around the world -

International website of Sahaja Yoga:
www.sahajayoga.org
 Here
is…

… some more funny stuff !

 What could be a
Stressor

Social (mental) threat

Physical threat

Everybody knows about these

types of stressors because its
associated with negative emotions
 What could be a
Stressor

Do you aware that these are very

powerful stressors too…

Social (mental) appetition

Physical appetition
 What could be a
Stressor

cortex
Limbic system

Normal state
Social (mental) appetition

Physical appetition

Its push the same buttons. Some may miss the point STRESS
because its masked by positive emotion. But stress is
stress – we are paying our health
 Different Types of Stress

According to the character of exposure

stressors can cause different kinds of
stress:
Acute Stress

Episodic Acute Stress

Chronic Stress
 Acute Stress
Source:
It comes from demands and pressures of the recent past and
anticipated demands and pressures of the near future.

Examples:
the auto accident that crumpled the car fender, the loss of an
important contract, a deadline one‘s rushing to meet, child's occasional
problems at school, etc.

Health threat level is Low:

Doesn't have enough time to do the extensive damage. Sometimes
can cause tension headache, chest, back, and jaw pain; heartburn,
diarrhea, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome; short-term
elevation in blood pressure, dizziness, migraine headaches, shortness of
breath, etc.

Treatment is Easy:
Highly treatable and manageable.

stress
stress stress stress
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 Episodic Acute Stress
Source:
Personality characteristics that creates frequent episodes of acute stress.

Examples:
The cardiac prone, "Type A" personality have an excessive competitive drive,
aggressiveness, impatience, a harrying sense of time urgency, and almost
always a deep-seated insecurity;
"Worry warts" see disaster around every corner and pessimistically forecast
catastrophe in every situation. The world is a dangerous, unrewarding,
punitive place where something awful is always about to happen.

Health threat level is Moderate:

Often leads to extended over arousal and tension, aggressiveness, anxiety
and depression;
Typically cause persistent tension headaches, migraines, chest and back
pain;
Significantly increase risk of hypertension disease, coronary heat disease,
diabetes etc.;

Treatment is Complicated:
 Treating requires multilevel interventions, generally requiring professional
help. Usually patients see nothing wrong with the way they conduct their lives.
They blame their woes on other people and external events. Sometimes
stress
appears to be fiercely
stress
resistant to change.
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 Chronic Stress
Source:
Chronic stress comes when a person never see a way out of a miserable
situation. It's the stress of unrelenting demands and pressures for seemingly
interminable periods of time. With no hope, the individual gives up searching
for solutions.

Examples:
It's the stress of poverty, of dysfunctional families, of being trapped in an
unhappy marriage or in a despised job or career. Some chronic stresses stem
from traumatic, early childhood experiences that become internalized and
remain forever painful.

Health threat level is High:

Chronic stress destroys bodies, minds and lives. It kills not only through
deadly diseases such as heart attack, stroke, cancer etc. but also through life
critical behavior such as suicide, acts of violence, loss of control in a
dangerous situations.

Treatment is Very difficult:

May require extended medical as well as behavioral treatment and stress
management. The worst aspect of chronic stress is that people get used to it.
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 Do you know that…
 Stress is very old. The most primitive one cell
animals has reaction that can be qualified as stress
reaction.
 the experiments on animals has shown that the
offspring of mice exposed to stress during the
pregnancy has life-long tendency to obesity increased
by 25%.
 Until the age of 3 years the child blood level of
stress hormones significantly correlates with the
stress level of the mother.