The Vedic Way
Words: Ashwini Guru Ji of Dhyan Ashram
Are you stressed? Is it because your job doesn’t pay you enough? Or because your spouse and children do not listen to you? Perhaps it is because your talent goes unnoticed and you feel undervalued. Or maybe it is the gradual decline of your body and appearance that troubles you. You are not alone. Look around and you will find that almost every individual is caught in the same web of four worries—health, finances, relationships, and status.
In today’s world, I see stress gripping nearly every individual. Work pressures, financial struggles, relationship challenges, and the constant bombardment of digital information leave the mind restless and the body fatigued. Modern remedies—pills, therapy, or brief relaxation exercises—may offer momentary relief, but true and lasting peace, I have witnessed, comes only from the ancient Vedic way.
You may have noticed that you are naturally drawn to some people and instinctively want to avoid others. This has little to do with their words or actions, and everything to do with the vibrations they emit. A person who is calm and at peace—shant—radiates healing energy that uplifts everyone around. Someone who is restless or anxious—ashant—spreads that very disturbance, affecting both themselves and their environment.
Stress is not merely a personal problem; it is a vibration. It flows through your body, your mind, and even the space around you. A stressed mind projects disturbance outward, and that disturbance returns amplified, creating a vicious cycle that damages health, relationships, and harmony.
I often explain to seekers that stress is the result of an imbalance in prana(energy), the life force that sustains us. Our thoughts, emotions, and physical health are deeply interwoven with this subtle energy.
When prana is blocked or disturbed— through negative emotions, unhealthy habits, or disconnection from nature— stress manifests as anxiety, irritability, and even disease. The solution is not to fight stress from the outside but to realign your inner world.
Simple Vedic Practices for Stress Management
People get stressed when they want to control others, worry about the future and have lot of expectations in their relationships and work environment. The stress and emotional congestion causes vital fluids of the body to dry up which leads to imbalance in the body and is the cause of diseases. Over the years, I have guided seekers to dissolve stress and restore harmony through ancient yogic techniques. These practices reconnect you to your pranic flow and awaken a state of inner peace:
Ujjai Pranayam
- Sit in vajrasan with your spine straight, preferably on an empty stomach in a clean environment.
- Bring your awareness to the abdomen.
- Inhale slowly, expanding your abdomen as if filling it with air.
- Exhale very slowly, pulling the abdomen in without bending your back. Exhale, contracting the stomach while producing a soft hissing sound from the throat.
- This breath first warms and then cools the body, purifying the lungs and energy channels.
- Continue this cycle as long as comfortable, gradually slowing your breathing and increasing its depth. Modern life pushes us to breathe fast and shallow. Mental and emotional stress accelerates metabolism—the rate at which your body’s cells consume energy—causing faster cellular burnout. Ujjai Pranayam slows metabolism, preserving cellular vitality and extending life, without reducing efficiency or alertness.
Asans
Modern science now recognises the vagus nerve, which mirrors the yogic sushumna nadi, the central energy channel. Stimulating this pathway reduces stress and balances energy. Two highly effective asans are:
Marjari Asan (Cat Pose)
- Go down on your palms and knees, hands under shoulders, knees under hips.
- Inhale, lift your head and gaze upward, arching the spine downward.
- Exhale, pull your abdominal muscles in, and arch the spine upwards, gazing toward the navel.
- Repeat gently seven times.
Vyaghrasan (Tiger Pose)
- Begin on palms and knees in the same position.
- Inhale deeply, lift the right leg as high as possible, bending the knee, and curve the neck backward.
- Exhale, bringing the knee between the arms, arch the spine upwards, and gaze toward the floor between your hands.
- Repeat seven times with each leg.
After completing these asans, relax in Shavasan:
- Lie flat on your back, palms facing
up, breath slow and relaxed. - Exhale fully and allow the muscles
to release all tension
Regular practice calms the mind,
rejuvenates the body, and lends a
natural glow.
Yoga Nidra (Yogic Sleep)
- Lie in Shavasan, and focus on your breath with the silent chant of so-hum.
- Move your awareness slowly through the body, from toes to head, observing every cell.
- Visualise a cool whitish-blue wave washing through you, dissolving all stress and fatigue.
- Conclude by bringing awareness to the agya chakra (between the eyebrows), offer gratitude to the Guru, and awaken with renewed calm and vitality.
The True Key to Stress Relief
Remember, any yogic kriya becomes truly transformative only when channelled by a Guru who possesses siddhis and is free from maya.
Stress management is not an external act—it is an inner realignment of prana, mind, actions, and environment. When you embrace this path, restlessness transforms into resilience, and anxiety dissolves into bliss.
If you are ready to experience this transformation—through Sanatan Kriya which is based on Ashtang yog —I invite you to visit a Dhyan Foundation centre or explore www. dhyanfoundation.com.
Step into a life where peace is no longer something you chase, but something that naturally radiates from within you. To know about a simple tonic about amlas, which will cleanse your system and restore peace and inner vitality, you can write to me at info@dhyanfoundation.com
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