BSF men turns to yoga therapy for combating stress

Aizawl, Aug 11: Border Security Force (BSF) has coined the idea of introducing yoga to reduce stress and mental strain of the jawans, especially for the personnel, are maintaining most backward boundary of the country against a number of odds.

When A Jayapaul, the former commandant of the Tripura-Cachar- Mizoram (TCM) frontier of BSF, saw his 'boys' suffering from stress, which led to suicide sometimes, he could not remain a mute spectator.

Frequent complaints from the jawans spurred him to combat the stress illness, what he calls, 'enemy no 1 for the profession' what Jayapal came up with an idea of introducing yoga theraphy, as a part of their training, which he is being practicing for the last 30 years.

''We have already introduced yoga during morning physical training for about 500 jawans in Tripura-Cachar-Mizoram as well as Kolkota region informally, where they got a tremendous result in combating their mental tension,'' Jayapaul now additional DIG (Prov) told UNI.

''Now we have also recommended to the Defence Ministry to make it most formal at least for the personnel, who deployed in far-flung NE region,'' he added.

Sharing his personal experience, Mr Jaypaul stated that he has been practicing yoga for past 30 years and recieved a good feedback from the people including jawans, who are suffering from hypertension, heriditary daibetes and most complicated other psycho-phisical complications.

After introducing the yoga therapy especially to the jawans, who were posted in Tripura area now started winning medals in the all India BSF athelitic competition, Mr Jayapaul claimed.

''After practicing yoga, I won gold medal in the marathon event in the BSF national level competition'', Anil Kumar, a jawan posted in Tripura area added.

Mr Jayapaul himself feels that yoga and meditation act as a good stress buster.

''The boys are under duress. The rise in the number of sucides in the different forces is an issue of concern. I believe yoga can go a long way in relieving tension'', he said.

He however, added that besides shedding extra kilos, yoga therapy enable the personnel to gain sound body and mind by recovering almost all ailments fully including heart problems, mental stress including dipression caused due to separation from family and hazardous duties.

According to the BSF sources here more than 85 per cent jawans of BSF deployed in NE states are from outside region and due to poor communication facilities they can't enjoy leave and holidays most of the time.

Long separation from the family and relatives sometimes caused mental dipression, which led to suicide and homecides among the security forces, said state's leading psychiatrist Dr John M. Ralte.

Apart from Yoga and pranayams, Mr Jayapaul is also a rained hand at Reiki. Come rain or sun, there has been no deterring the hard task master.

It is this dedication, which motivates his loyalists, who were posted in the remote part of NE region.

UNI