________________
and all that we call asmit is used, the basal metabolic rate can be reduced by 24% to 27% in just 30-45 minutes. So, three times more rest in just 45 minutes! That is the method which releases stress at a deep level and the problem of stress is tackled very effectively.
Then there is a series of modern ailments which have stress as their basis. I call them stress-induced disorders, stress aggravated, stress-triggered or stress-maintained. These are cardiovascular ailments like arteriosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, and hypertension, and the main auto immune disorders like diabetes, thyrotoxicosis and rheumatoid diseases. Other disorders include many of the psychiatric problems such as anxiety neurosis, phobias, obsessions, hypochondria, drug addiction, migraine, epilepsy and tension headache, just to mention a few. What is the approach to these problems? Most of these are stress-induced, and stress is multi-dimensional. It is not only manifest at the physical level where it causes all these modern ailments, but the root cause for stress could be mental restlessness, emotional urges and psychological conflicts. Unless we remove the root cause of these we will not able to give a total solution to the problem. Therefore, we must handle the problems of man holistically. Once we do that with the integrated approach of yoga we find very fulfilling and satisfying results
One of the most important factors in yoga research is the follow-up. People get immediate relief after one to two weeks but what happens to them in the long term? A German doctor worked with us for six months and he measured the galvanic skin resistance, the pulse rate and the VMA levels, in a group of patients, which showed very clear, significant improvements. The improvement in the GSR which began after two to four weeks of practice continued on. The pulse rate is reduced, showing deep relaxation. The VMA levels show that the stress hormones in the urine had started decreasing considerably with two to four weeks of practice. Psychological questionnaires such as the General Health questionnaire and the Max Hamilton rating were administered to measure anxiety levels and neuroticism. Again, significant improvements in all these factors were indicated.
The German doctor submitted his dissertation back in Germany for which he not only got a degree, but also a special
252
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
