Yoga Therapy
"Excellence in action is Yoga " declares the Song
Celestial ( Geetha ), an authentic treatise on Yoga & the
quintessence of the Upanishads.
Yoga karmasu kausalam ! Yoga, as the science of Holistic
living, is a way of life. Yoga does not mean physical exercises even
though such exercises have been prescribed for improving the skill
of our body. Yoga comprises techniques that transform our intellect,
mind and emotions & provides a comprehensive philosophy for
Integral Life.
In order to live an integral life, we must develop skill in life.
Aurobindo defined Yoga as the Art of Conscious Self Finding. The
first & fundamental thing we should do if we are to expand the
limits of our Consciousness, is to gain mastery of the mind. This is
not easy.
The incidence of most of the physical diseases that have plagued
humanity for centuries have been reduced by glorious advances in
medical sciences. The eradication of most infectious diseases and
the control of many metabolic disorders have been effectuated by
better drugs and surgical techniques. Soon, even routine genetic
minterventions may be possible. But new and ever more common causes
of illhealth haunt us today. They are psychosomatic ailments &
chronic stress. Allopathy is less than effective when dealing with
these complaints.
The cause of these are found to be attitudes & lifestyle and not
physiological anomalies. Allopathy by concentrating on a physical
and mechanistic approach to healing, can do little to relieve
conditions such as these. The frenetic pace of modern life exposes
many people to continous high mental tension & unrelieved
stress. And if we are largely sedentary in our habits &
overindulge in health damaging substances & foods, as we are
fond of doing, our well- being & fitness will be furthur
compromised. Eventually stress may manifest itself in the form of
physical disease or mental breakdown. Allopathy is symptomatic, and
has countered with symptom- suppressing treatments, instead of
tackling the root cause of the problem. Lack of disease has been
regarded as health, rather
than as a dynamic growth process in which we feel truly well on
physical, mental level and spiritual levels.
The Evolution of Medicine & the
Three Eras of Medicine
Allopathic Medicine or " Physical Medicine" belongs to the
first era. It is Cartesian and creates a dichotomy between mind
& body. Treating a disease is like fixing a part of the machine.
The second era of medicine refers to 'Mind-Body medicine." It
became popular in the 1960s with the advent of Meditation, imagery,
hypnosis & bio-feedback. Mind and body are interconnected by
messenger molecules and these molecules are invoked to accomplish
the healing process.
The third era of Medicine refers to " Transpersonal Medicine
". It became popular in 1990s with the advent of group support
and spirituality to heal.
Yoga therapy supplements the second and the third eras of medicine.
Yoga therapy complements medical technology with a holistic system
of health care that addresses the triune problems - physical, mental
& spiritual. The author of Yoga Sutras, Patanjal, defined it as
the Science of the Mind. Mind is the root cause of bondage and in
order to redeem us from the thraldom of the mind, we have to
annilhilate the mind. Extirpation of thought waves is Yoga. And it
is through teaching us to control our mind, our desires, and our
reactions to stress, that yoga can fundamentally help us. It is
based on the tripod of Life - Body, Mind & Self & the three
levels of Being- Doing, Thinking & pure Being.
Mastery of the mind involves 2 aspects;
1) Concentration - The ability to concentrate our attention on any
given subject or object
2)
Meditation - The ability to quieten our mind at will.
Though the first has been mastered partially by most people, the
second is very difficult. It is difficult indeed to lapse into a
state of inner peace, let alone at will. As an intellectual,
skillful means for quietening the mind, Yoga is unparalleled. A
still mind is pure Spirit.
All aspects of the Fourfold Yoga work toward this in some way and if
we practice this master Science, we reach closer to our goal. Yoga
generates that inner mental peace perpetually, in all our actions,
and thereby we achieve physical and mental health. This calmness in
action is the secret to attaining the skill , according to Yoga
Philosophy. This is known as the strength of Superconscient
stillness !
Disease is defined
as any imbalance in any of the three lower sheaths of existence. Ego
Consciousness, which is centered around the Self, predominates in
the physical, vital & mind sheaths. Harmony in these sheaths can
be easily disturbed as the ego is up in arms against the world most
of the time. The fourth & the fifth sheaths are permeated by a
larger, Cosmic Consciousness and cannot be disturbed as they are
closer to the Self. When we are truly healthy, the positive energy
in the higher sheath percolates freely through the lower ones and
brings total harmony & balance to all our faculties. But the
imbalances in the lower sheaths block the free movement of Bliss
despite the harmony of the higher sheaths being constant.
Stillness itself is inertia
Action itself is discord
When stillness and action equalise
Then is the Highest Cosmic Union ( Yoga )
Lo! steadfast a lamp burns sheltered from the wind
Such is the likeness of the Yogi's mind
Freed from sense storms and burning bright to Heaven
When mind broods placid, soothed with holy wont
When Self contemplates Self and in itself
Hath comfort ! ( The Song Celestial )
Health & Yoga Therapy
The World Health Organisation defines health as a state of complete
physical, mental & social well-being & not merely an absence
of
disease and infirmity. WHO also suggests a fourth dimension -
spiritual well-being. It is clear from this definition that health
should
be conceived as a continous function indicating the state of
well-being and not a lack of ill health.
The approach of Yoga Therapy is based on the holistic concept of
human being; the five " sheaths " of existence of which
the physical sheath ( Annamaya Kosha ) is only the first. The second
is the Vital Sheath ( Pranamaya Kosha ), that is made up of the
Vital Energy called Prana which flows through invisible channels
called Nadis. The third is the Mental Sheath ( Manomaya Kosha ) The
fourth is the Intellectual Sheath ( Vijnanamaya Kosha ) and the
final sheath is the Bliss Sheath ( Ananda Maya Kosha ). The Bliss
Sheath is found to consist of the positive energy associated with
the Divine Self. It is from this sheath that the inner peace
characteristic of true Bliss emanates.
A great treatise on Yoga, the Yoga Vasishta, declares that there are
two types of physical illness, & each requires a different
approach. The first are the illnesses with a strong physical
element, such as contagious diseases & accidental injuries.
These are most effectively dealt with by conventional medicine,
though Yoga can play a substantial supportive role. Yoga is
prophylactic & also helps prevent the occurrence of such
ailments by improving our general health & making us less
accident-prone.
The other types of illness arises through disturbances in the mind
sheath and includes all the psychosomatic & degenerative
ailments. In these disorders, psychological factors play a much
greater role, & conventional treatment alone cannot effectuate
healing. According to Yogic Psychology, such ailments are thought to
be caused by mental diseases called Adhis. ( Adhi creates Vyadhi ,
disease ). These arise when excessively strong feelings of like or
dislike ( Raga & Dvesha ) becomes amplified & established
acting to distort personality & to obstruct the flow of positive
energy to the lower sheaths. This causes imbalances that result in
physical ailments and also makes us feel restless &discontented.
The positive energy from the bliss sheath is responsible for our
natural state which is Peace . While the flow of this energy is
interrupted by Adhis ( mental blocks), our sense of well-being is
diminished, & in our attempt to regain it, we may be furthur
aggravating the problem by behaving inappropriately.
We may eat the wrong type of foods, lapse into negative states of
mind, drive ourselves too hard, overwork ourselves, live in
unhealthy surroundings and add more tension and stress. These
methods, however will give only momentary relief & may be
actually damaging to our health.
Y T provides that all-important element that conventional therapies
lack while dealing with psychosomatic illnesses, as it acts directly
on the mental imbalances that underlie them. While Meditation &
emotion- culturing makes us conscious of the fact that thoughts and
emotions are tyrants, Happiness-analysis teaches how to look within
ourselves to find beatific peace and contentment. This effectively
complements allopathic techniques which improve the situation
physically but are unable to eliminate the root cause of the
problem.
The root Cause of all Disease - Bhoga or Sensory enjoyments
Bhoga ( enjoyments of the senses ) is Roga ( Disease). It can only
be cured by Yoga ( Divine Alchemy ).
All food that is tasty is detrimental to the body, declares Prakriti
Therapy The food which cometh from Nature, fruits and vegetables,
are alkaline by nature. Maximum health is in an alkaline body. We
can only be healthy if we keep a 80%- 20% ratio. ( 80% alkalinity
& 20% acidity). This means we have to eat more natural foods
& less processed foods ( which are more or less acidic ). Truly
speaking, processed foods,even though they taste well, are robbers
as they rob us of our natural, vibrant health.
Happiness Analysis for Lifestyle Change
Happiness Analysis is a technique for analysing the cause of
happiness, what constitutes Bliss, the inner beatific peace that
characterises the fifth level of Being. It basically embodies the
realization that happiness comes from within and is not
dependent on material possessions or physical enjoyment.
When we achieve desires, we are happy temporarily because of the
satisfaction involved and happiness is often associated with
jubilation and excitement. But such feelings of euphoria are often
followed by negative feelings such as tiredness &
disillusionment.
The Beatific Peace, which is the aim of Yoga, involves no great
effort and engenders no fatigue. The authoritatie texts of Yoga
postulate that the Ultimate State of Bliss is a state of eternal
silence, wherein we are not troubled by tormenting thoughts &
fears and where we are freed from all sorrows.
Though Yoga practices lay the foundation needed for us to achieve
this, we must also make determined efforts to sustain a state of
perfect happiness by analysing our feelings of pleasure. The basic
hypothesis of Yoga is that actions bring pleasure when they briefly
evoke the inner silence that defines true happiness. When our desire
is fulfilled or when a goal is won, at the very instance of
success our thoughts vanish & our mind dips momentarily into the
Bliss sheath. Actually what we do is to open up temporary channels
to the higher sheath, hence evoking positive sensations. This is
merely a temporary feeling and cannot be perpetuated.
Can we generate that moment from within and free ourselves from
dependency on external aids? Yes, we can, if we try enough. Practice
makes one perfect and at first we may not be able to maintain inner
peace for long, but gradually we will become less vulnerable to
negative influences. The likes & dislikes ( Raga & Dvesha )
that can lead to mental diseases ( Adhis ) will become less
important and our growing awareness of Cosmic Consciousness will
give meaning & coherence to every aspect of our life.
The Basis Of Yoga Therapy
Yoga therapy is fundamentally different from allopathic practice in
its approach to health care. Instead of trying to reduce the cause
of disease to a single factor and to correct it using a specific
cure, Yoga aims to treat illness by improving health on all the five
levels of Being - physical, vital, mental, intellectual &
spiritual - simultaneously & restoring inner harmony.
Ill-health occurs when the total balance of perfect health is
disturbed. And although the original disrupting influence may only
affect one level at first, viz the physical level, the disturbance
soon spreads to the other four levels. All the five sheaths of
existence interact, thus something that primarily affects the mind
can soon spread to the body & the subtler sheaths. A bad day at
work may make us irritable & it also increases stress reaction,
makes our muscles tense and often depletes our energy level leading
to chronic fatigue.
While emotion culturing generates equanimity, Relaxation &
Meditation can calm our mind. Positive action produces harmony, just
as as negative influences spread disruption. The different types of
yoga practice augment each other & are more effective when done
together. All wisdom is given in the one word " Relax".
Physical relaxation can be effectuated when we do the prescribed
Asanas & stretch our muscles as muscular tension is released.
Mental relaxation is effected when we relax our mind during
Meditation and release suppressed emotions.
This is the essence of Yoga Therapy, both prophylactic &
therapeutic. Daily practice of a complete Yoga session can restore
our natural balance and harmony, bringing positive good health to
the three levels of Being - physical, mental and spiritual.
The Therapeutic Potential of Yoga
Yoga, holistic science and integral life, has become popular because
it promotes positive health and is also useful in the prevention and
treatment of diseases. Its therapeutic potential has largely been
investigated for stress-related pyshco-somatic ailments. But with
the recent interest in " Psycho-neuro- immunology" ( the
effect of psyche on the immune system ), there is also a possibility
that Yoga therapy can modify the course of infectious diseases.
One of the stress conditions which can definitely be controlled
through yoga therapy is bronchial asthma. Beneficial effects of
specific yoga practices, such as pranayamas, or kriyas can alleviate
asthma. Patients with type II daibetes mellitus were also shown to
improve significantly following yoga practice. Systematic studies on
the effects of Yoga therapy for essential hypertension has shown
that Y T compares favourably with bio-feedback. A study conducted in
the UK on patients with rheumatoid arthritis demonstrated that Y T
reduced symptoms and need for medicine.
Scientific studies also show that if pathological Angst ( anxiety )
patients practice Yogic techniques such as Pranayamas ( which
means the control of the Vital Force, Prana ), they show significant
improvement.
Yoga therapy has also been used in the rehabilitation of the
mentally handicapped. Ten months of yoga practice significantly
improved the IQ, eye-hand coordination and social adaptation of 45
children with varying degress of mental retardation.
Psycho-neuro-immunology has given rise to interest in the idea that
Y T can be used for the management of infectious diseases such
as pulmonary tuberculosis. Studies indicate two months of Y T along
with short term chemotherapy caused tremendous change for the
better. This beneficial effect of Yoga on the immune system has
delighted the alternate medical community. Holistic health
practitioners how talk about the the effect of Y T in cancer and
even in AIDS patients. It has been shown that the practice of Yoga
reduces the unpleasant side effects of chemotherapy in patients with
cancer of the uterine cervix. It is also interesting to study
scientifically investigated reports on cancer regression following
meditation. It is encouraging to note that there has been a
scientific
study which showed that AIDS patients benefited ( clinically,
psychologically, immunologically ) from Y T.
Ayurveda, Tai Chi, Y T, Kai-Igaku, Pranic Healing, Reflexology,
Reiki, Acupuncture are all included amongst the 70 systems of
Alternative Medicine which are prevalent today. All these come under
Holistic Medicine which highlights the greatness of the Whole more
than the parts. ( " The Whole is greater than the sum of its
parts " )
Yogic Diet & Prevention of Cancer
Modern reasearch shows that diets such as smoked fish/ meat or other
foods known to contain carcinogenic chemicals should be
avoided at all costs. Because of the Western fast food type diet,
colon cancer in men, promoted by high meat ( beef ) and fat
consumption is on the increase in the West. There is no doubt that a
high fibre, low-fat diet reduces the risk of colon cancer.
Many compounds which are potent carcinogens are contained in
cigarette smoking as well as smoked or barbecued meat or fish
products. They include benzenes ( in the tar component of cigarette
smoke), heterocyclic amines & polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (
in smoked / barbecued meat or fish ). That explains why lung cancer
is on the rise in the Western male population during the last
century. Colon cancer has reached endemic proportions in the West (
because of higher consumption of barbequed meat and beef fat ) &
stomach cancer occurs at an alarming rate in Japan because of the
Japanese habit of consuming fish.
Claims which need furthur research
While spices such as ( black or green) or spices such as fresh
ginger, garlic & turmeric have been reported to reduce the risk
of colon
cancer, onion is claimed to lower the risk of stomach cancer.
Soyabean products reduces the risk of prostate cancer. Skin
cancer is reduced, it is claimed, by topical application of some
constituents of ginger oil and ginger extract. It is true that more
research is needed on natural compounds. One breakthrough is the
discovery of taxol, a plant product which is of tremendous
benefit in certain cancers. There are many such waiting for their
discovery, particularly from indigenous plants in India, with proper
scientific research tools & testing.
Hygiea's Commandment that "Thou shalt eat unprocessed, living
natural food " merits consideration here. Naturopathy
asks us to consume 100 grams fruits & 300 grams vegetables (
organically grown ) daily. Yoga with its emphasis on a naturopathic diet of fruits & vegetables can show us the path to perfect
health & Wisdom. Naturopathy is a branch of Ayurveda, the
Science of Life, which is allied to Yoga.
The Healing Centre in us
Yogic philosophy averrs that true healing comes from within, the
Self, the divine component in man.
His great transparent mirror, Self !
Within each of us is the source of
Life and health, the Divine Centre. We have to learn to turn to that
source and return to it again and again. When we breathe it in, the
freshness engages us. Yoga frees us from the thraldom of both mind
and matter & we become
more whole.
