Yoga-chikitsa (Sanskrit) or Yoga Therapy has never been very easy to define, largely owing to the depth and breadth of the subject.And yet, simply stated, Yoga Therapy could be called a system of health care that helps treat human indispositions as naturally as possible, to alleviate pain and suffering through set of exercises, both physical and mental. Ideally, yoga therapy is preventive in nature, as is Yoga itself, while being curative in many instances, soothing in others, and restorative in most.
Yoga therapy is of modern denomination and represents man’s first attempt to combine age-old concepts and techniques with contemporary medical and psychological know-how. So, where traditional Yoga was primarily concerned with spiritual transcendence, yoga therapy aims at holistic treatment of a variety of psychological or psychosomatic disorders ranging from sinusitis and asthma to emotional distress.Nor is it external. Rather it is an inner faculty. Yoga endeavors to re-establish inner balance through a variety of ways, ranging from the gross to the subtle. Which is why it is considered a holistic art.
Rather than prescribe treatments, yoga therapy encourages awareness. Through age-old yogic techniques, we get to know ourselves better. From that knowledge, comes the ability to more easily accept and adapt to change, resulting in enhanced well-being in body, mind, heart and spirit. Hence its applicability to almost all chronic conditions.Contrary to modern medical science that tries to identify the pathogenic factor (be it a toxic substance, a micro-organism, or metabolic disorder) then eliminate it, Yoga takes a totally different point of view. It holds that if a person is sick there must be a deeper reason behind it – that illness doesn’t arise by chance. It is the result of an imbalance, a disruption in the body-mind complex that creates the condition. Here the symptoms, the pathogenic factors, are not the issue. Yoga believes that the root cause lies somewhere else.First of all a lot of Yoga institutes are tying up with Ayurvedic hospitals, clinics and companies – and vice versa – in a bid to enhance their therapeutic capabilities. The result is the rise of a new concept in healing – Yoga therapy and Ayurveda schools.
Although there is no official recognized list of such institutions, there is proof that there are literally dozens – if not hundreds – of such institutions in the US alone.And the rate at which they are proliferating is staggering. The reasons are obvious. Sick and tired of the age-old, tried and tested allopathic remedies – no remedies, really, just palliatives – people are fast waking up to the truth. So much so that the reverse is taking place once more.
Like once happened in the good old days, the medicine man – and woman – saw their patients drift away from them to the allopathic doctors in search of quick cures. Now, having discovered that their grandparents and parents had not actually received any permanent cures, this generation is, finally, waking up to the fact that old is really gold, in this case, the olden therapeutic techniques. Over the years, we can only expect to see a drastic rise of this phenomenon together with the number of Yoga therapy and Ayurveda schools in the world.It was developed in India over 5000 years ago. Yoga is not a religion or a set of exercises to be mastered. Rather it is a many faceted gem with many different practices. Yoga can offer us as much today as it did thousands of years ago.
Yoga therapy is but one facet of this ancient science. It focuses on health and wellness at all levels of the individual. These include the physical, psychological and spiritual. Yoga therapy exploits yoga as a healing journey, which brings balance to the practitioner’s body and mind. This is an exclusive and exceptional healing journey for each and every one.
Mind-body medicinal research has also shown a collection of immune power traits. These health habits have lived up to the examination and analysis of researchers. In fact, we can develop them to serve as shock absorbers against immune system breakdown and progress of disease. Coming back to Integrative Yoga therapy, these include being aware of the mind body feedback, learning how to view life with a sense of commitment. It also includes being able to control and challenge yourself. Further it is a tool in developing strengths to fall back on in the wake of loss, and a capacity to confide traumas and feelings to ourselves and others. Immune power is proven in people who can discover true bliss and meaning, including good health, when life offers up its most difficult challenges. Integrative Yoga therapy, in short, can help deal with and heal any condition in totality.
