Secrets to a Happy, Stressful Life!

Stress – This word has been much maligned in recent years by the medical community, by magazines, the spa industry and by practically everyone else. We all want to “get rid” of stress. A lot of articles advocate that stress accelerates ageing and disease. But do we really know what is stress?

Contrary to general belief, the medical dictionary makes an important point by stating that
“Stress is a normal part of life that can help us learn and grow”. To drive the point home further, Happiness Guru Alexander Kjerulf, in his book “Happy Hour is 9 to 5”, says,

“Stress has nothing to do with how many hours you work, and everything to do with how you feel during those hours”.

Almost every stress relieving program will include the following advice:
1. Be optimistic
2. Take time to relax with structured “time-outs”
3. Eat wisely and well
4. Breathe properly
5. Take time to meditate
6. Get a massage
7. Listen to music
8. Enjoy sex and exercise
9. Laugh a little more
10. Quit smoking and alcohol

Quite straightforward one would say, except that for “stressed out” people, the above are easier said than done!

Secret 1: Your thoughts decide if stress is your worst enemy or best friend.

How does Stress lead to physical illness? Yoga theory states that there are five koshas (sheaths or layers) to the self:
1. physical (annamaya kosha)
2. energy (pranamaya kosha)
3. mental (manamaya kosha)
4. wisdom (vijnanamaya kosha)
5. bliss (anandamaya kosha)

The problem of long standing stresses starts with the Manamaya Kosha (mental state). Some of the initial symptoms include irritability, emotional liability, unwarranted smoking or alcohol urges, sleep disturbances, difficulty in taking decisions, and so on. The mind thus lies at the base of nearly all of the cases of non organic manifestations of stress. Over a period of time this goes on to upset the energy layer (problems of the digestive system like poor appetite, indigestion, etc.) and next the physical body (chronic illnesses, persistent aches and pains with no known cause).

Yogis and sages have told us that it is better not to waste too much time discussing what caused the stress. On the contrary, find out what is the current state of your mind when you are stressed. And take remedial action, using exercise as one component. As paradoxical as it may seem, one of the core principles of conventional exercise is the voluntary taking of stress! It is well known that if you don’t stress the bones, they will become brittle and if you don’t stress muscle they will waste away. Research shows that the brain works very much the same way.

So it is up to us to decide how we want to use this stress which is unavoidable.

Secret 2: Strike at the “Fruits” and then at the “Roots” of stress

To relieve stress, we need to first do those exercises that relieve the symptoms (fruits) of stress. This is a good starting point. Typically, these are exercises that
1. normalise heart rate,
2. normalise blood pressure,
3. relax muscular tension,
4. reduce irritability,
5. alleviate depression.

Regular exercise will show results within 5-7 days as some or all of the symptoms begin to recede. This forms the “Fruits” series in the workout.

After recovering some aspects of your well being over a period of between 4-8 weeks, one can start the second level of exercises (“Roots” series), that of increasing capacity to take stress. This is essential for us to maximise our potential in our professional, social and spiritual lives. These exercises are aimed towards :

1. Reduced triggering of the fight or flight response resulting in better endocrine function and sleep

2. Deeper breathing resulting in better oxygenation and organ function

3. Stronger musculoskeletal structure to enable more physical capabilities at work and play.

Thus a balanced workout includes a “Fruits” and a “Roots” series of exercises.

Secret 3: Design your exercise routine based on your “Mind state” rather than “Physical condition”.

“Getting stressed out” is actually a learned behaviour. The good news about learned behaviour is that it can be unlearned. For beating stress, break up your exercise routine initially into little, “easy” parts of 5 minutes each as described below. This will form your “Fruits” series.

Step 1. Every morning when you wake up, close your eyes and take 3 deep breaths. Become aware of how your body feels. Become aware of the 3-4 thoughts uppermost in your mind. Then think of any 5 small blessings in your life and thank God for it. Contemplate these blessings for a couple of minutes.

Step 2. On an empty stomach, step out for a walk alone. Stroll for the first minute, brisk walk for another 3 minutes and stroll again for the last minute. While walking, look into the distance at trees, sky or water bodies if possible. Green and blue shades in nature calm the metabolic and nervous system. Take a look at Figure 1 and you will see how it feels.

Figure 1. Exercise in the open and use vision and nature to reduce stress build up.


Drink a couple of glasses of water slowly when you return indoors ( juices won’t do the job of flushing toxins from your system!)

Step 3. On your way to work or school (or at home if you are a housewife), train yourself to become aware of your breath. Breathe so that your stomach, lower chest, upper chest and sides of the rib cage expand as you breathe in. Feel them all collapse gently as you breathe out. While standing or sitting, continue mindfully breathing for 5 minutes.

Step 4. Take at least 5 flights of stairs on foot. Do not run. If you need to go to the 10th floor, get off the elevator at the 5th floor and walk up.

Step 5. Before taking a difficult decision at work, do step 1 again.

Step 6. Before lunch, do step 1 again.

Step 7. On the way home from work, do step 3 while commuting.

Step 8. In the evening or about an hour before dinner, do the sun salutation sequence ( For starts, I recommend reference 6 below) for 5 minutes mindfully and gently, working up from about 1 sequence per minute in the initial days to 4 sequences per minute after a couple of months. Add to this everyday with any ONE of the following activities, whichever you may enjoy on a particular day.

8 (A) Go for a run or brisk walk immediately after at a comfortable pace making sure

you are not tired at the end. Take along your spouse/kids/friends.
8 (B) On alternate days, do a 15 minute weight training of any two related body parts.

Do not repeat the same parts before 48 hours.
8 (C) Play a physical sport with your kids and /or spouse
8 (D) Try movement activity like yoga, martial arts forms, dancing to music, etc.

Choose the time duration for activities from 8(A) to 8(D) as you see fit. It will be difficult for you to make time for this evening activity, but it is essential to maintain well-being especially if you have any chronic condition like diabetes, obesity, etc.

Step 9. Follow step 8 and the supplementary activities above by relaxing in “Shavasan” position. Lie down flat on your back on a firm mat, spread your arms and legs a little to open up the armpits and perineum. Starting from the toes, relax all parts of the body progressively upto the muscles of the face. Allow the body and breath and mind to rest for 3-5 minutes.

Step 10. Before you hit the sack for the night, repeat step 1. If there is an opportunity for sex and physical touch with someone you love, it is one of the best exercise antidotes to stress!

Figure 2. The Bowstring© 5 minute formula. Beating stress is not about
“how much” you exercise but “how often” you remind your mind and
body that you are aware and that you care.

You can cut out Figure 2 and keep it in your wallet as a reminder. Treat every 5 minute step as a time-out from your worries and your illnesses.

Secret 4: Don’t forget to strike at the root!

As we grow, demands on our energies, faculties and time also grow. So do not forget to enhance your capacity to take all types of stress, for this is the only way you will stay stress-free.

Choose for yourself from the whole galaxy of exercise systems available to you. Yoga, martial arts, aerobic workouts, dance workouts, swimming, climbing, weight training, physical sports, playing with kids, and whatever catches your fancy. This forms the “Roots” series of exercises and they will replace 8(A) to 8(D) of the “Fruits” exercises in the long run.
Remember the four main components of exercise as shown in Figure 3.

Fig3. Stress is a result of Imbalance. Create a balanced workout and lifestyle

routine which exercises all the “Koshas”

The “feel good” effects of massages, vacations, parties, a few drinks are short lived in the absence of a healthy lifestyle. For optimum well-being and performance, the “Roots” exercises should be done at least every alternate day for the rest of one’s lifetime. Always stay alert not to lose your anchor, the “Fruits” series, especially when the tough times arrive.

Ultimately, this combination will help move you to the Anandamaya Kosha (see Secret 1). Needless to say, once there is bliss, stress ceases to exist.