Coping effectively with stress begins with awareness. The key to coping with stress is to be able to respond creatively to each situation rather than with behavior conditioned by past experiences.

The goal is to help my client learn that she can turn off the stress response in her body if she is aware of what is going on in her mind during the stressful situation. With a 15 min practice of stretching, breathing and guided meditation, she can think more clear to deal with stress.

The client selected is a 45 year old Brazilian woman who suffers with chronic stress, takes medications for depression and has high levels of anxiety. She works in a very stressful work.

Prior to the session, the client will receive a survey asking about general health, as well as depression and stress levels.
The session begins with an introduction about stress mechanisms and stress response based on the SMTT manual. It follows
a centering technique with breath and body awareness; stretching (neck, shoulders and bouncy twist) to relieve tension in the body; 3 part breath with imagery; and meditation with affirmation. A brief assessment will be done at the end.

I used Raja, Jnana and Hatha Yoga.
In Raja Yoga, I used two main concepts:
1.Be able to think of life changes as an adventure as it is described in the SMTT Manual.
In this way one can recognize their thoughts and feelings without being swept away by them.
2. Live in the golden present. Yoga Sutras, Book One, Sutras 2 and 3 say that the ability to focus one’s full attention steadily while remaining relaxed offers to the practitioner a serene mind, free from anxiety and distraction, clear perception, deep insight, and creativity.
The practices of adaptive Hatha Yoga through the stretching can effectively address relieving tension and developing a foundation of balance.
Jnana Yoga uses the intellect to transcend our reaction to stress. Identifying ourselves as the observer, as a spark of the infinity, not as the body or mind, helps one to relieve stress.

After the first session, the client felt very good after both sessions. She felt her body relaxed, relieved from mental tension and a sense of peace.
She said she practiced some parts of the session at home everyday.
At the beginning of the second session, we talked about how she was dealing with stress in her life.
After the second session, she said she felt very good and that it was a precious gift for her.

The therapist suggested that the client continue practicing the breath awareness, streching, pranayama (3 part breath) and meditation with affirmation.
The affirmation given was "I am a spark of the infinite, I am light" from Paramahansa Yogananda, as the client is a student of Kriya Yoga.
The therapist also suggested a technique called "pratipaksha bhavana", which is a concept from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali that determines how one should cultivate positive thinking every time a negative thought enters one's mind.

Yes, the plan was applied, and the goal was achieved.
The client felt she was more relaxed and she had some tools to use from now on.

I had to adjust the time of the second session. I learned that I needed more time with the client. The first session was 20 minutes, which was previewed, but the second session was more than 30 minutes, maybe because the client needed to talk a little more, and that's ok.

I would approach the same way, I think it worked beautifully.
The client was feeling very well after the session. I also felt very comfortable during the sessions and happy to see the results that came from the work.
I think this mini session of stress management can be a precious tool for those who don't have a long time to spend in a sadhana practice but can enjoy the sweet results of contacting their inner light, love and peace in a short practice session.