It is always good to stay Connected

Your friend is your needs answered. He is your field, which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving. And he is your board and your fireside.

For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.

— Khalil Gibran (Friendship IXX)

Gibran’s words sum up the universal truth about friendship. The best of friends always laugh, dance, cry and help each other through thick and thin. Friends, in a way, counter stress.

"The answer to all my problems is just a call away, whenever I am low I just need to call up my best friend and speak to her about it," says Sheena Sippy, a 25-year-old, executive producer. She adds, "The best part about her is that she is a great listener and knows exactly how to bring a smile to my face."

Spending time with a good friend is said to help one rejuvenate. Research also reveals that friends have immense therapeutic value.

For instance, in 2004, researchers at the Ohio State University conducted a study to understand the physiological mechanisms by which social support improves health. They looked at the effect, social contact had on wound-healing in stressed hamsters. Results showed that skin wounds healed nearly twice as fast in the hamsters paired with a sibling. These animals also produced less of the stress hormone cortisol than unpaired hamsters.

Assistant professor of psychology Courtney DeVries, after the research concluded, "Stress delays wound-healing in humans and other animals, and social contact helps counteract this delay."

Television actor Vir Das says, "Family and friends are the two constants in my life. Though I am a celebrity, they do not treat me like one. They keep me grounded and are definitely my weakness as well as my strength." With work and hectic lifestyles, it gets really difficult to spend time with friends. But just sitting and talking about unrelated things with friends can brighten up your day and lift your mood.

Often it is not the amount of time but the quality of time that you share with these friends. Here are ways one can find time to kick it with friends:

1. Exchanging daily pleasantries: Kalpana Raman, college student says, "The best thing about college is friends. Usually we hang out in between lectures or during the end of the day, randomly gossiping and chatting. We actually feel uncomfortable, if we do not catch up on a particular day." Even at work, lunch and tea breaks help you bond with your colleagues.

2. Weekend breaks: Partying, movies, clubbing, coffee are all but an excuse to get friends under one roof and have a great time together. It is a great form of recreation.

3. Hanging out with old friends: Meeting old friends happens rarely but they bring along a sense of nostalgia and sometimes take you into another world altogether. The memories can make you cry, laugh and also relieve you from stressful situations.

4. Going on a holiday with friends: Ryan D’souza, a Mumbai-based banker says, "I have this group of close friends and we plan a holiday every six months. We just take off to some remote place in the outskirts of the city, even if that is a village. Sometimes our holidays are as short as two days, but it really helps us unwind."

5. Online networking: Internet and networking sites have made it possible to stay connected with friends and also discover new friends who share similar passions and ideas. Group chats, blogs, online communities and networking sites bring friends together virtually.

‘I do breathing exercises’

Q How do you deal with stress?
When I am really stressed, I do breathing exercises like pranayama. Otherwise I also do yoga every morning.

Q What stresses you out the most?
Work overload really distresses me. I cannot handle doing too many things at a time.

Q Does your job stress you out?
With my job it happens all the time.

Q How do you manage to find a balance between work and regular life?
I have just started acting and I am slowly getting into the flow. As a model I have learned to do things on my own.

Q Does spending time with your family or friends help you relax?
Sometimes when it gets too much, then I go to my hometown in Delhi where I catch up with my folks and friends.

Q Are there times when you just need to get away from it all?
At the end of the day, I really feel I need to go on a holiday. But somehow my work commitments make it impossible.

Q Is there any unique technique you use to deal with stress?
Hitting the gym.

Q Does spending time with you family or friends help you relax?
My family is in Pune, spending time with them helps me relax.

Relax the body, mind and soul

To unwind at home, you can listen to soothing music, have a regular pre-bed routine, drink milk, eat regular meals and avoid spicy food. Yoga and exercise are great stress busters too. But if you’re in the mood for a proper pampering, go for one of these de-stressing treatments.
A salt scrub contains natural sea salt infused with pure essential oils of rose, vetiver (khus khus) and sandalwood. This is good to stimulate and strengthen the skin, and calm the mind.
Aromatherapy massage is a gentle nurturing treatment with pure essential plant and flower oils. It promotes superb physical and mental well being, and creates a deep sense of relaxation.
A traditional Thai massage, also known as yoga massage, combines assisted yoga postures, gentle rocking and rhythmic compressions with targeted point pressure and a variety of stretching movements. This massage revitalises both body and mind.
Reflexology is a holistic treatment which uses acupressure points on the feet to help restore and maintain the body’s natural equilibrium. This encourages the body to work naturally to restore its own healthy balance.
The Himalayan honey and rose facial is a stimulating and refreshing facial using a blend of sandalwood and rose essential oils. Pure Himalayan honey is massaged into the skin and a mask of cooling cucumber is applied.
Earth stone therapy draws on a rich tradition of employing stones of contrasting temperatures for therapeutic purposes. The therapy uses heated stones and chilled marble rocks combined with oil and massage. This assists with circulation and alleviates sore muscles while providing a sensuous experience.
In Shirodhara, luke warm herbal oil is poured in an even stream on to the forehead to pacify and revitalise the mind and the body.
Hatha yoga postures along with breathing (Pranayama) and meditation techniques are very potent tools to de-stress the body, mind and emotions. This has somato-psychic effects whereas meditation techniques like Yoga Nidra relax the mind and emotions directly.
(By Mark Sands)
(The writer is the spa manager of Ananda Spa in the Himalayas)

Alleviate neck pain with asana

Yoga can be the answer to your stiff neck problem. However, before you do anything, consult a doctor. Specific yoga exercises will help strengthen muscles and increase flexibility in the neck region. Even exercising your neck gently speeds nutrients to the area.
Neck Stretches

* Start in seated position.* Sit up tall, reaching up through the top of the head.* Draw shoulders back.* Exhale, drop the chin towards your chest, keeping elbows and shoulders pulled back.* Inhale, raise the head back to the centre.* Do this five times, then exhale, drop the chin and stay in this position for three breaths, breathing through the nose.* Inhale, raise the head back to centre.* Exhale, slowly drop the right ear towards right shoulder.* Inhale, raise head back to the centre.* Do this five times, then at last, exhale, drop the ear towards the right shoulder and stay in this position for three breaths.* Inhale, raise head back to the centre.* Repeat on the left side.
Half-Circle

Rolling your head around in a full circle can actually cause more damage, so avoid it. However, half circles in the front can be done instead. For this, first drop your chin to your chest. Move your chin towards the right shoulder, and then back to your chest. Then move your chin towards the left shoulder and back towards the chest. Repeat this movement three to five times.
Press

Place the palm of your hand against the back of your head and gently press while resisting with your head. Hold for a count of 10. Repeat with your palm on your forehead. Now place the palm of your right hand against the right side of your head and press, again resisting the movement with your head. Repeat on the left side. This exercise helps strengthen the muscles of the neck and makes them less prone to strain.

(By Sandhya Gupta)