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STEPHANIE THANKAPPAN '05
PH.D. IN APPLIED MANAGEMENT AND DECISION SCIENCES
Stephanie Thankappan traces her interest in spirituality to her mother, a longtime yoga practitioner, and her scientific approach to health and exercise to her physician father. The 33-year-old native New Yorker combined those areas of expertise when she transformed her lifelong commitment to yoga into a thriving business enterprise. Today, Thankappan holds a practitioner certificate in clinical Gestalt psychology, is a certified yoga therapist with several yoga teacher training certifications, and has traveled to more than 70 countries.

 

For several years, at the ashram in South India established by her husband’s family several generations ago, she taught daily classes, intensive month-long programs, and one-on-one yoga therapy sessions. She also organized free yoga programs, bringing together diverse religious leaders, politicians, and the larger community. A desire to develop the management skills required to run two successful businesses—a yoga center in New York City and the family ashram in South India—led her to complete an M.B.A. at Walden University in 2003. The experience was so positive that she continued her education, earning her Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Sciences with a specialization in Leadership and Organizational Change in 2005.

 

Stress No More. Studies document the role yoga plays in reducing stress and improving medical conditions such as asthma and heart disease. It is generally recognized that more than two-thirds of people in yoga classes are seeking relief from specific ailments, including back pain, cancer, or stress. With so many members of our society suffering from so many health problems, the medical community is slowly accepting yoga as an alternative method of healing for many illnesses and a way to decrease tension.

 

Get a Solid Foundation. Yoga can be practiced anywhere, anytime, but I believe it is best to get started in a formal class setting. It is easiest to learn with a qualified instructor; your interest will be held longer. Then, once you get in a rhythm, you can transform yoga into a personal practice. Almost immediately, you will experience less tension and a greater feeling of relaxation.

 

Most people practice hatha yoga, a style designed to encourage a more flexible body and a calmer mind. I recommend students begin with simple exercises and take what they can into their daily lives. Yoga is about increasing awareness of our imbalances and working to change them. You do not have to be fanatical about yoga. You can do it in moderation.

 

Meet Your Breath. Breathing is the main connection between the mind and body. You need to take time to slow down your breathing and observe it: Breathe in and breathe out. By coming to your breath, you can calm your emotions and stay in the present moment. Some yogis, many of whom live well beyond age 100, have slowed their breathing to four or five breaths a minute, and a recent study by the Santa Fe Institute, an independent research and education center, connects the slower pulse rates of the world’s larger mammals to their expanded lifespans.

 

Be Mindful. With so many demands at home and in the office, our brains are pushed to the limit every day. To be truly mindful, you must empty your mind and come to the present moment. Our brains are not meant to multi-task. When you slow your pace and breathing, you feel calmer.

 

A Worthy Investment. The most common excuse for avoiding regular exercise is lack of time. If a child gets sick or if there is a crisis in your family, you make time to deal with the problem. People must see yoga as an investment in the future and as a protection from future illness. Yoga can bring you long-term enjoyment and engagement throughout your life.

 

 

 

Breathing Exercises for Energy and Relaxation

 

The more efficiently we breathe, the more we increase our energy levels, says certified yoga therapist Stephanie Thankappan, a graduate of Walden’s Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Sciences program. These three simple exercises, repeated five to 10 times, can help increase concentration, reduce fatigue, and decrease stress. Practice the exercises with feet flat on the ground to allow you to fully concentrate on breathing.

Abdominal Breathing: Slowly inhale, bringing your arms out to the side and lifting them over your head. Focusing on one point, simultaneously come onto the balls of your feet and lift your heels. Feel your abdomen expanding, and slowly exhale while relaxing the arms and feet. Notice the abdomen flattening.


Thoracic Breathing: Bring your arms straight in front of you parallel to the floor with palms touching. Slowly inhale while bringing the arms apart. Simultaneously come onto the balls of the feet lifting the heels up. Feel the abdomen and the chest region expanding. Slowly exhale while bringing the palms back together and the feet flat on the ground.


Clavicular Breathing: Slowly inhale while bringing your arms straight up in front of the body. Continue lifting the arms over the head while rising onto the balls of the feet, lifting your heels up. Feel the abdomen, chest and upper chest expanding. Then slowly exhale while relaxing the arms and feet down.


 

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