The modern world of today is said to be the world of competition and achievements. Throat cut competitions has given undue stress on our body and the mind. Today everyone's life is full of ups and downs and it seems to appear that we can not get rid of this. Due to stress, our physical and mental abilities are reducing and our body resources are going towards negative balance. But we can keep ourselves strong enough to face stressful situations and negative thoughts by regular practice of yoga. History of Yoga spans four to eight thousand years ago when it was integral part of daily life. The word yoga derived from two roots viz. 'Yuzur' and 'Yuja'. One referring to Yoking and the other referring to Mental Concentration. According to Yoga, the human body is full of potentialities and if we are able to control and direct our energies then we can do wonders. Modern science, which is based on facts, has also acknowledged the healing power of yoga.

If we think and put a serious look over the society then we can easily judge that the students are the main victims of stress. Present education system which starts from pre-nursery at the age of two has no any end. Students are every time under stress whether they are in school, college or at home. They have to come up as per the expectations of their teachers, parents and society. So if yoga is taught right from the school age, then these permanent victims can be saved from various chronic diseases and temperamental problems.
Yogic Asanas helps to manage undue stress and tackles stress related problems like migraine, sleeplessness. It helps in establishment of a proper co-ordination between mind, body and soul. Various Asanas strengthens our muscles, nervous tissues and internal organs. They all work better as their toxins are removed. Asanas also improves our stamina, both physical and mental.
Pranayama or the controlled breathing promote dominance of parasympathetic nervous system which helps in controlling stress, tensions. It helps in curing of chronic diseases. Continued controlled breathing also helps to reverse the adverse effects of chronic stress and maintains optimal health.
Meditation has an anchoring role in problems related to students and youth. Meditation is not only stress reliever but it also gives positive energy. It teaches us the way how to control our thoughts and negative emotions. Students must be taught about the way of meditation in their school so that anxiety, emotional immaturity, temperamental instabilities, headaches, unstable appetite, depression and memory deficits etc can be controlled.
Thus it can be concluded that yoga has a great potential to deal with almost all types of physical and psychological disorders that today's students generally encounter. Regular practice of Asanas, slow-controlled breathing and meditation will surely help the students to overcome stressful situations.
M.D. (Kayachikitsa)
Lecturer (Deptt. of Swasthavritta)
Dayanand Ayurvedic College, Jalandhar-8 (Pb.).
09465466589