Effect of Suryanamaskar on Stress Levels in SSC Students - Open Journal Systems
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218 Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, July-September 2021, Vol. 12, No. 3
Effect of Suryanamaskar on Stress Levels in SSC Students
Sharayu Agre1, Ronika Agrawal2, Sayed Ishrat Fatima Asgar3
1
Associate Professor, 2Principal and Professor MME&RC’s M.A. Rangoonwala College of Physiotherapy, Azam
Campus, Pune, 3MME&RC’s M.A. Rangoonwala College of Physiotherapy Azam Campus, Pune
Abstract
Background - Suryanamaskar is a popular traditional Indian yogic practice. According to studies, it
was found that stress was higher in students appearing for the SSC board exam. Non-pharmacological
management of stress includes yogasana practice.
Methods and Materials – A total of 120 adolescents studying in 10th standard ( Age 16 to 18 years )
from schools in Pune were approached. The initial screening was done by using Smith Stress Symptoms
Inventory (SSSI). A total of 50 out of 120 students who were identified as high stress on SSSI were included
in the study. Subjects completed the suryanamaskar program of 13 cycles for 2 weeks (14 sessions) and were
assessed pre and post-intervention by using Smith Relaxation Dispositional Inventory.
Result – A highly significant improvement was noted in components od smith stress symptom inventory on
mental quiet, ease/peace, love and thankfulness, somatic stress, worry, and a significant reduction was seen
in components like sleepiness, mystery, disengagement, and negative emotions.
Conclusion – This study concludes that suryanamaskar intervention is effective in reducing the stress of
SSC students.
Keywords – SSC Students, Stress, Suryanamaskar, Smith Stress Symptoms Inventory (SSSI)
Introduction (53.52%). It was also found that the prevalence of stress
was more in students who felt overburdened with the
Stress may be defined as a psychophysiological
schedules, academic works, late-night studies, etc due
process usually experienced as a negative emotional
to which they are not able to concentrate properly(4,5) .
state (1). Stress is experienced as a response to a range of
A 2012 lancet report also quoted that the 16 to 18 age
physical, occupational & emotional stimuli. Continued
group bracket in India has the highest rate of suicide in
exposure to stress can lead to physical and mental
the world(6) .
disorders (2). Stress is a part of every student’s life. As a
student, the origin of stress may be related to academics, Teenagers, especially those who are students always
social situation, environment & lifestyle. Adolescents face learning problems, career management, and also
comprise about 1/5th (21.5%) of the total Indian problems in solving personal and social matters. These
population(3). According to the studies it was found that are the factors that contribute to stress in life (7). This is
stress was higher in SSC board class (10th) students the period of development where the academic stress of
students is found to be a considerable factor influencing
Corresponding Author: both the academic achievement and health status (8).
Dr. Sharayu Agre,
To overcome the stress in SSC students different
SIU Ph.D. Scholar, M.PT (Master of Physiotherapy),
non-pharmacological therapies like yogaasan,
Associate Professor MME&RC’s M.A. Rangoonwala
meditation, physical exercise can be used to calm their
College of Physiotherapy Azam Campus, Pune.Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, July-September 2021, Vol. 12, No. 3 219
minds and to reduce the stress. The initial screening was done by using Smith Stress
Symptoms Inventory(SSSI). A total of 120 students were
Yoga is an ancient physical & mental activity that
screened out of which 50 were included according to
affects mood & stress. Yoga is essentially acclaimed to
inclusion and exclusion criteria. Two students dropped
be the science of holistic living. It is an effective method
out one due to fever and other due to menses.
for improving health in addition to the prevention and
management of the disease. Suryanamaskar is a popular It is seen in literature that the stress of SSC students
traditional Indian yogic practice. It is a set of sequential was maximum before the final exam so intervention was
yogic postures which are called asanas. Past literature planned in such a way that it would coincide with timing
suggested that yoga may be equally effective or better after the preliminary board exam and before the final
than exercise at improving a variety of health-related board exam.
outcome measures. It has a positive effect on mood
The suryanamaskar activity was conducted on the
states such as anxiety, stress, and depression, through
school terrace in the morning session. Students were
physiological and biochemical mechanisms, including
informed to carry comfortable clothing (track pant) for
endorphins, mitochondria, neurotransmitters, and the
suryanamaskar session. All the sessions were observed
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
by the therapist.
Past research documents suryanamaskar as an
Some discomfort due to physical activity was
effective intervention for college students has been
there which was informed to the students prior. If
effective in improving the psychological variables like
the musculoskeletal pain was not relieved until the
a sense of wellbeing and feeling of relaxation. A study
next session, they had been asked to discontinue the
revealed that yoga and relaxation training reduced
protocol. The attendance records for all the students
stress and competition anxiety and increased mental
were maintained and the reasons for participants who
toughness among tennis players (3). A study “Effect of
discontinued were recorded. No student discontinued
Suryanamaskar on stress level’’ concluded that it plays
protocol due to residual body pain.
a positive and significant role to decrease the stress level
of the subjects (4).
Hence the purpose of this study was to see the effect
of suryanamaskar on stress levels in SSC exam going
students.
Material and Methodology
Students were selected between the age of 16 to 18
years, had scored above 75% on a minimum of 4 out of 6
subscales of SSSI and those who were not participating
in any other exercises/sports activity. Students with any
musculoskeletal disorders which do not allow them to
perform suryanamaskar were excluded from the study.
After approval from the Institutional ethics
committee of M. A. Rangoonwala College of
Physiotherapy & Research, the study was conducted in
a school setting. Appropriate permission was obtained
Intervention-Students received suryanamaskar
from the principals of selected schools. Students were
session for 14 days. The everyday suryanamaskar
selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria.
session included warm up, 13 rounds of suryanamaskar
The procedure was explained and demonstrated to the
with breathe controls and cool down. Proper instructions
participants and written consent was taken from them.
were given throughout the session.220 Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, July-September 2021, Vol. 12, No. 3
Suryanamaskar (steps)- with 30 questions and these questions are grouped in
17 subcomponents. These sub-components are further
Results classified in R-dispositions (Relaxation) and stress S
The statistical software IBM SPSS statistics 20.0 dispositions. It is hypothesized that suryanamaskar
Descriptive and Inferential statistical analyses were group will be higher on R-dispositions and lower on
carried out in the present study. The level of significance stress dispositions compared with the control group (9).
was fixed at p < 0.05 and any value less than or equal
Since observation was on the ordinal scale, we have
to 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.
used Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test to test the efficacy.
The scale used in this study was SSSI. This is a scale
Table 1: Shows Results For Stress S Dispositions.
Median
Wilcoxon Signed Rank Z
P-Value % Effect Result
Value
Pre Post
Sleepiness 7 3 -5.948a 0.000 45.60 Significant
Disengagement 6 4 - 6.222a 0.000 33.33 Significant
Mystery 4 3 -4.388a 0.000 23.75 Significant
Timeless 3.5 2 -6.122a 0.000 52.98 Significant
Somatic stress 9 5 -6.165a 0.000 47.92 Significant
Worry 3 2 -6.181a 0.000 51.81 Significant
- ve Emotion 10 7 -6.110a 0.000 37.71 Significant
Results show that sleepiness, disengagement, Timeless, Worry, Mystery, Somatic stress and negative emotions
were reduced significantly. The reduction was more than 30% except for mystery which was less but still statistically
significant.
Table 2 shows results for Relaxation R dispositions.
Wilcoxon Signed
Median P-Value % Effect Result
Rank Z Value
Pre Post
Physical
2 4 -6.002b 0.000 35.50 Significant
Relaxation
Mental Quiet 3 7 -6.145b 0.000 55.03 Significant
At ease/peace 3 9 -6.158b 0.000 63.49 Significant
Rested&
2 3 -5.475b 0.000 38.52 Significant
Refreshed
Strength& Awe 4 7 -5.612b 0.000 37.39 Significant
Joy 4 6 -6.164b 0.000 37.60 SignificantIndian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, July-September 2021, Vol. 12, No. 3 221
Cont... Table 2 shows results for Relaxation R dispositions.
Love & 53.75
4 6 -6.078b 0.000 Significant
thankfulness
Playfulness 2 4 -6.158b 0.000 55.88 Significant
Child like
1 2 -4.768b 0.000 33.33 Significant
behaviour
Awe& wonder 4 7 -5.612b 0.000 37.39 Significant
Table 2 shows that Physical Relaxation, Mental seemed to cause mild sympathetic stimulation thereby
Quiet, At ease/peace, Rested& Refreshed, Joy, may increase the capacity of the sympathetic nervous
Strength& Awe, love and Thankfulness, Playfulness, system (SNS) to respond to acute stressors without
Child like behaviour, Awe& wonder which are rapidly exhausting its reserves (12). This affects the
components of R dispositions improved significantly. experience of calmness and relaxation combined with
Overall improvement was more than 30%. Especially increased vigilance and attention.
improvement in At ease/peace, Mental Quite, Love and
thankfulness and playfulness improved more than 50%. Many studies have shown that suryanamaskar
exerts positive effects on both the physiological and
S dispositions reduced and R dispositions improved psychological variables (13,14) . Brown RP, Gerbarg
which suggests that stress reduced and relaxation PL 2005 studied the effect of yogic exercise on stress,
improved anxiety, and depression. They explained in their study
that yogasan and deep breathing exerts its endocrine
Discussion
effect by modulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal
An adolescent is a transitional stage where a teen (HPA) axis, which is essential for fight and flight
experiences extreme stress in almost every sphere of life. response. It increases the quantity of good mood and
Stress sets in motion a series of adaptive or defensive neurotransmitters like serotonin. The increase in the
physiological reactions in the body and mind. Several coordination of the body and mind is good for the feel
studies indicate that the prevalence rates of individual good. This feel-good helps with reducing disengagement
disorders: stress, depression, and anxiety are growing and sleepiness (12).
among adolescents. For relieving stress yogic exercises
are beneficial, as it promotes calmness of mind and Suryanamaskar involves forming various body
subsides stress and anxiety level. postures, slow stretching movements, breathing
exercises. Regular practice/training of suryanamaskar
The present research aimed to study the effect improves the flexibility of body muscles especially leg,
of suryanamaskar on stress levels in SSC students. back, and chest. Z. Radak et al (2008) suggested in their
Table one two highly significant difference was seen study physical activity is aimed at improving muscle
in mental quiet, ease/peace, love, and thankfulness tone (suppleness) and plasticity of muscles and joints
Rested& Refreshed, Joy, Strength& Awe, Playfulness, (15,16). Rhythmic stretching of muscles of the body leads
and Childlike behavior, Awe& wonder. These are R to its increase in the strength of muscle spindles. It also
depositions which suggest relaxation was improved. increases the suppleness and plasticity of the muscles.
The possible reason behind this could be suryanamaskar Suryanamaskar with their rhythmic, mechanical
a yogic practice improves relaxation through reducing stimulation of connective tissues and muscular fibers
sympathetic activity and improves the sense of general lining cause an improvement in their muscle tone
well being by increasing parasympathetic activity (11). and contractile power which in turn improves their
The regular practice of yogasana has seen to affect the functional capacity. This adequate muscle length leads
nervous system. Alternate deep breathing during asana to reduced muscle work leading to less fatigue during222 Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, July-September 2021, Vol. 12, No. 3
ADL. This particular leads to progressive relaxation. Conclusion
The salutation to the sun may be regarded as the
Our study concluded that the 2-week intervention
meditation in the movement of the body as it enhances
of Suryanamaskar has made a significant difference in
the mental concentration improving relaxation and
reducing stress dispositions and improving R dispositions.
reduces depression, anxiety, and stress. Results of this
This all together reduced stress in SSC students so could
study are in consensus with a study done by A. malathi*
be used as an effective non-pharmacological tool in SSC
and a. damodaran in 1999 where they studied Stress due
students who are experiencing increased stress.
to exams in medical students - the role of yoga and dr.
ashoke mukherjee and dr. Jayarajan David (14) where Financial Assistance: NIL
they studied the Effect of yogic practices in mental stress
management of school teachers. Conflict of Interest: NIL
Yogasan is seen to affect the HPA axis. Cortisol, Ethics committee Clearance: Ethics clearance
a stress hormone and an end-product of the HPA axis, was availed from Institutional ethics committee of M.A.
has been reported to be flattened with yogasan practice. Rangoonwala College of Physiotherapy And Research,
Improvement in HPA axis deregulation, fluctuations of Pune.
cortisol has been shown to cause down-regulation of the
Acknowledgments
immune response as a result of stress. (17, 18)
The authors wish to thank all schools for allowing
Due to the activation of parasympathetic activity, it us to conduct the study at their school and helping with
is seen to reduce resting heart rate, deep breathing in each basic infrastructure. We wish to thank all participants
position of cycle leads to increased lung capacity and for their cooperation during the study, for their time
improved breathing pattern. Calm breathing ultimately and consent. Authors acknowledge the immense help
leading to the reduced respiratory rate at rest. These all received from the scholars whose articles are cited in
regulations are related to stress so improving those leads the manuscript. The authors are also grateful to authors/
to a reduction in stress. One of the symptoms of stress editors/ publishers of those articles, journals, and
is increased muscle tension. With alternate postures and books from where the literature has been received and
stretching, rhythmic change in positions improves blood discussed.
supply to muscles, suppleness of muscles leading to
reducing tension on muscles hence reducing stress. Reference
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