EFFECT OF SMET PROGRAM BASE LIFESTYLE ON STATE ANXIETY ON MANAGERS Shatrughan Singh, M.Sc.,Balram Pradhan, Ph.D.,Nagendra HR. Ph.D. Division of Yoga and Management, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA), Bengaluru All correspondence related to this article has to be addressed to: Dr. H. R. Nagendra, Eknath Bhavan, #19, Gavipuram Circle, Bangalore 560 019, Phone numbers 080 2263 9961, E-mail address: hrnagendra@gmail.com ABSTRACT Objective To determine the short term effect of SMET programed on top executive managers. Design 73 managers were participated in a five days Yoga based stress management program. The session was comprised of lecture on stress, mediation techniques, devotional sessions, discorses on Bhagavadgita, and practical seesions SMET. Main outcome measures The pre- and post SMET effects were mesured using the State Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Results Thre were significant reduction in state anxiety after five days, Changes from pre to post-session assessments suggested improvement in anxiety score (10.45%, p<0.001) Conclusion The reduction anxiety score may have contributed due to impact of different yoga techniques and well-structured lifestyle intervention supervised program. Key word: Anxiety, managers, STAI, self-management of excessive tension. 1 INTRODUCTION Yoga is an ancient Indian science which helps to improve physical, mental, social and spiritual health. To achiev the state of health various yoga techchniques have been used as a tool. Patanjali has precribed eight limbs of yoga but most of the people very often used asana, pranayams, and mediation. Apart from conventional treatment many choose yoga as an atlenatve excecise. A article on yoga program reported combines meditation and regulated breathing (pranayamas) as a program called Siddha Samadhi Yoga, reduced scores of anxiety (state and trait), depression, and feelings of tension were reported [1]. Also some similar scientific studies on different study found improvement in stai including other measures immediate effect of relaxation responces, Deep Relaxation techniques [2]; cyclic meditation [3] showed reduction in State Anxiety. In a clinical randomize study Integrated approach of yoga therapy had positive effect on reducing pain, morning stiffness, state and trait anxiety, blood pressure and pulse rate in patients with OA knees[4]. Japan study showed the irrespective of age difference, yoga shown positive effect on different age group. Senior group (65 to 75 years) and Younger group (20 to 30 years) found reduction salivary amylase activity, State and Trait anxiety score following on month of Yoga practices of 90 minutes ones or twice for a month [5]. The pre and post Tai chi/yoga effects were found increase relaxation including decrease anxiety and a trend for increased EEG theta activity [6].Yoga program is helping to achieve relaxation and reduce stress which performs in a daily as their routine activities, and increases the quality of life in cancer patients measure by state and trait anxiety inventory [7]. Sahaja Yoga meditation is a safe and effective strategy for dealing with work stress and depressive feelings. The findings suggest that "thought reduction" or "mental silence" may have specific effects relevant to work stress and hence occupational health [8]. Job satisfaction, job involvement, goal orientation, effective organizational commitment and team building behavior are the five indicatore to measure the work attitude to improve the organizatioanl performance. This depends on the manager who works for its developments. Scientific investigation showed that Yoga Way of Life by managers had a significant positive impact on four out of five of these indicators of organizational performance indicators [9]. A 2 study had shown improvements in Emotion intelligence [10] on the managers. Since, there is no study which evaluates the anxiety. Hence this study was attempted to investigate the State anxiety of the manager undergoing 5 days of SMET program was taken up. Material and Methods The present study consisted of 73 Managers (58 male; 15 Female) with the age range of (37 to 62 years) with a mean±SD of (52.38±5.02). All participants were from Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited. They were free from cognitive impairment but having mild form of physical illness. The signed informed consent forms were obtained from them after explaining them about detailed study design. The pre-post design for the present study due to fact that the participant staed over in a residential setup and all of them were sent by the ONGC to join this SMET program. Hence any kind of control group design was quite impractical in present conditions. Interventions All participants followed 5 days of a SMET based lifestyle modification based on the following schedule given in the Table 1 and Table 2. 3 Table 1: The schedule of the Self –Management of Excessive Tension Program Time Activity 5.00 AM Ablution 5.30 AM Prayer (Prathasmaran) 6.00 AM Asana / Special yoga technique Time Activity 3.00 PM SMET lecture session 2 4.00 PM SMET practice (Cyclic Meditation) 5.00 PM Tuning to nature 7.15 AM Friendship meet (Maitri Milan)- 6.00 PM Devotional session(Bhajan) Gita sloka chanting and discourse(Satsang) 8.00 AM 9.30 AM 10.30 AM 11.30 AM 12.05 PM Breakfast SMET lecture session-1 SMET practice (Cyclic Meditation) Milk or Ayurvedic Tea (Malt) Special yoga techniques 6.45 PM 7.30 PM 8.30 PM 9.15 PM 10.00 PM MSRT(Mind Sound Resonance technique) Dinner Happy assembly (Yogagame session)/ Cultural program Group discussion/ Self practice Lights off 1.00 PM Lunch and rest 4 Table 2: Lecture sessions during Self –Management of Excessive Tension Program. Sl.No Session 1 1 Concept of stress 2 Stimulation- Relaxations 3 Stress levels and its release 4 Executive growth 5 Group awareness Session 2 Stress-induced problem and management Stress and its management according to yoga Recognition of stress is half the solution Depth of perception and awareness Progress in tune with nature Cyclic Meditation The SMET program is based on the cyclic Mediation which was developed at Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation to combat the stress of excessive tension [11]. Cyclic meditation is repetition of cyclic order of dharana and dhyana phase of yoga component. These components trained the practitioner to develop mental wakefulness, vigilance, concentration without getting disturbed by stress and distracted thoughts; they were able to reach to a state of mental equilibrium. The practitioner trained himself to recognize distracted thought (stress and tension) and gradually converted it into the focused or attentive thought (Relaxation). Throughout the Cyclic Meditation practice subjects kept their eyes closed, and followed the instructions given by the instructor. The instructions emphasized carrying out the practice slowly, with awareness and relaxation. The practice began by repeating a verse from the yoga text, the Mandukya Upanishat [12]; followed by isometric contraction of the muscles of the body ending with supine rest; slowly coming up from the left side and standing at ease (called tadasana) and ‘balancing’ the weight on both feet, called centering; then the first actual posture, bending to the right (ardhakatichakrasana); a gap of few min in täòäsana with instructions about relaxation and awareness; bending to the left (ardhakatichakrasana); a gap as before for few min; forward bending (padahastasana; another gap similarly as given earlier; backward bending (ardhacakrasana); and slowly coming down in the supine posture with instructions to relax 5 different parts of the body in sequence. The postures were practiced slowly, with awareness of all the sensations that are felt. The key features of cyclic meditation are (i) postures interspersed with relaxation, (ii) slowness of movements, (iii) continuity, (iv) inner awareness, (v) feeling of heart beat, changes in blood flow and sound resonance, and (vi) recognition of linear, surface, three-dimensional and all pervasive awareness. Assessments State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was given before and after 5 days of SMET programm to assess change in State anxiety. The State anxiety evaluates how respondents feel right now which consisted 20 questions and each question is rated 1 to 4. In responding to the STAI S-Anxiety scale, partiipants rated on the standard test form to the right of each item statement, which describes their feeling 1) not at all, 2) somewhat, 3) moderately so, 4) very much so. The questionnairs consisted of both anxiety questions and anxiety absent questions. The score of the anxiety present items are the same as the respondent rated in the test form i.e. 1,2,3, and 4 whereas items are reversed for the anxiety absent items scored as 4,3,2,1 for 1,2,3,4 respectively. Scores for the STAI scales ranges from 20 to 80 [13]. 6 DATA ANALYSIS The data were analyzed using SPSS 16. Twelve participants were excluded from the final analysis because they were not given the post assessment. The paired‘t’ test used to compared the pre and post of state anxiety score. RESULTS There was a significant different in state anxiety score (P<0.001, 10.45%) compared to its base line. Table 3 State anxiety score pre and post 5 days of SMET program. Values are Group Mean and Standard Deviations. Variables Total Score Assessments Pre Post Score (n=73) 33.0 ±9.59 29.55±6.29*** Percentage changes 10.45% p-values P< 0.001 *** P < 0.001, pre compared with post using paired‘t’ test. 7 DISCUSSIONS The present study showed an imoprovement of 10.45% in anxiety reduction following 5 days an integrated yoga-based SMET programed attended by top-executive managers. In the previous study, there was a 6% reduction was seen followigng immmediate effect a combined form of 20-minute of tai chi/yoga [6], 13.88% reduction in state anxiety followong yoga based lifestyle intervention [14]. Scientific investigation had showed reduction in anxiety through relaxaion techniques [15], systemic review on yoga [16], with six session of yoga programed on dementia caregiver [17], and a week yoga program amonge flood surviors [18], 20 yoga sessions programe in participant diagnosed with anger and anxiety symptoms [19]. 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