Therapeutic Yoga

Therapeutic Yoga

YOGA is among of the few most ancient METAPHYSICAL KNOWLEDGE, which integrates in harmony the mind-body-soul-life complex of human existence. Investigating the nature of this complex and through its discipline awakens the super-conscious mind of the man which unites the mortal being with the EVERLASTING & EXISTING supreme spirit. Yoga leads to balance between and also throws light on both philosophy and religion.

The real bliss of life emerges when one can understand & achieve ADVAITHA, ie. to remove the distinction between nature and culture, wealth and poverty, movement and stillness, attachment and detachment.

Yogasana is a self-help system for curing and preventing illness , stress and enhancing physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. Its key concept is to increase vital energy. The energy is then circulated into health, vitality, balanced emotions, creative and spiritual expression.

Illness is caused by a blockage of energy. Too much or too little energy in one part of the body results in disease to the part and stresses the entire body. Stress or injury to one organ, Gland or system weakens the entire body. The body is also self - regulatory and will naturally move towards balance if you are regular in practice. Time cures. Western medical doctors have only recently discovered the disastrous effects on health of stressful living, and their methods of coping with stress are still in their infancy.

Yoga offers simple, easy remedies and modus operandi of health and hygiene to ensure physical and mental PURITY, health and strength with a systemized time & effort combined with low expense.

Yoga can serve both the individual and society. Yoga is neither a sect nor an ideology but a practical training of mind & body. Broadly speaking, YOGA has three main outcomes : it makes us more aware of our natural wisdom, it strengthens the body’s ability to recover from discomfort & illness; it teaches us how to ALIGN with universal flow of forces and also co-operate with others. Specific asana-kriya-dhyana-food combination is found to have direct impact in removing disease causing factors.

Yoga is the knowledge of life and the skill of living. It is the common sense answer to overall physical and mental fitness. Fundamentally Yoga is a scheme of physical and mental self improvement and ‘moksha’ . Yoga arose in the age of the Vedas and Upanishads. It is India’s oldest scientific , perfect spiritual discipline. Yoga is a method of training the mind and developing its power of subtle perceptions so that man may discover for himself the spiritual truths on which religion, beliefs and moral values finally rest. It is realization of our hidden powers and to TRANSFORM. Swami Shivananda said, “He who radiates good, divine thoughts does immense good unto himself and to the world also”.

ASHTANGA-YOGA: Eight stages of Patanjal Yoga are:

• Yama: The universal moral laws,
• Niyama: Personal moral roots of conduct,
• Aasan : Yogic stands,
• Pranayama : Acquiring and controlling prana or energy, by means of controlling the breath,
• Pratyahara : The withdrawal of the senses from the outer environment,
• Dharana : Concentration,
• Dhyana : Meditation, &
• Samadhi : Enlightment.

Yoga is also a practice for achieving purest form of self-awareness, devoid of all thoughts and sensations. Today some kind of reconstruction of thought is necessary to understand clearly what the great Yoga teachers of the past have taught. Patanjali, the systematiser of Yoga, has explained the thoughts through Yogasuutra. In the Bhagavad Gita and Vedanta we find a boarder and positive expression of Yoga. Ancient masters through Yoga teach us a skill of living a life for eternally blissful experiences by removal of being in non-alignment with the flow of forces, which is the root of miseries and sufferings of our mortal existence. Yoga promotes a systematic practice and implementation of mind and body in the living process of man to keep harmony within the individual, within the society and with nature.

Yoga is gaining popularity in schools and community programs for good reasons: It provides an antidote to our fast-paced, technology- based society in which we never stop to relax, dig deeper and learn more about ourselves and the world around us. Yoga Therapy guides you to a simple, safe and pragmatic method for Yoga instruction even if you have never learnt it before.

Yoga’s holistic approach that focuses on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects. Yoga philosophy in simplified take- home messages help people live better lives. Yoga can enrich students health and that’s why it should be a vital part of their lives. Yoga students commonly to improve their self-awareness and emotional intelligence, enhance their abilities to focus and concentrate, develop greater cardio respiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility; and learn how to handle stress (particularly helpful for kids with learning, behavioural or social and economic challenges). One will learn all about the basic physical poses, breathing techniques, play, visualizations and relaxation methods. Teaching yoga can help create a safe and relaxed atmosphere for students. Yoga requires little or no equipment and can adapted to anyone’s needs. It helps people slow down and discover or rediscover, who they are. Best of all, anyone can do it. With the expert guidance and practical approach of yoga, it can do nothing less than revitalize the self.

Yoga is the Core Theme of Indian Philosophy. However, its scope and applications have been changing. In order to define its contemporary relevance it is necessary to evaluate the form and fundamentals of Yoga and founded in its Foundation Texts viz the Early Upanishads, Bhagwad Gita and Yoga Sutras and Patanjali followed by alternations occurring due to the impact of different religious schools and philosophies down the ages. Further transformations in the concept and approach to the practice of Yogs can be visualized in the thoughts and works of contemporary Indian Phillosophies like Swami Vivekanand, Aurobindo and Mahatma Gandhi.

There is a far greater purpose to life than suffering, disease and death to counter this, one requires a keen intellect, and a strong will, which are products of a healthy body and mind. The ancient rishi’s/ sages were revealed of YOGA which is an ancient, external device, and supreme knowledge. (Just like 10 commandments to be revealed to Mosses). The systems of YOGA were want to ward –off or retard the decaying or catabolic process to result in keeping the physical and mental faculties strong.

The system of YOGA, is a simple and natural program involving 5 main principles:

• Proper Exercise - Asanas
• Proper Breathing - Pranayama
• Proper Relaxation - Savasana
• Proper Diet- Veg : SAATWIC
• Positive thinking & Meditation: Vedanta & Dhyana. Simple living & high thinking are the basis of YOGA.

PROPER EXERCISE: acts as a lubricating & active to the joints, muscles, ligaments and other parts by increasing circulation & flexibility.

PROPER BREATHING: aids the body in connecting to its battery, the solar plexus, where tremendous potential energy is stored. Almost every cell of the body is activated by supply of oxygen. Through PRANAYAMA (special Yoga breathing technique) the energy of the solar plexus is released for physical and mental regeneration.

PROPER RELAXATION :(Savasana ) - cools down the system , as does the radiator of a car .When the body and mind are continuously over worked ,their efficiency comes down .Relaxation is nature’s way to re-charge the body.

PROPER DIET: (veg) provides unadulterated and correct fuel for the body . As adulterated fuel clogs the system of a car, other foods cause intense toxicity in the body (although body is also designed to pump out this toxicity, ex- alcoholic). Beyond a certain limit non-veg progresses to serious damage and sometimes non –reversible damage occurs. [why be veg? : refer section in ‘GENERAL’ for a physiological comparison]

POSITIVE THINKING & MEDITATION: is the divine method to remove the negativities of the mind, besides other benefits .The intellect gets purified .The physical body is brought under control of the subtle-vital force.

YOGA helps ONE TO LIVE IN HARMONY WITH THE BODY, MIND & SPIRIT.
Last six decades appear shrouded with studies and applications of different Yoga practices for promotion of health and also for treatment of certain disease with highly encouraging results. As such Yoga is emerging as a powerful therapeutic tool in the case of a range of chronic intractable diseases and life style related ailments. The mode of action of Yoga practices in Health care the therapy has been the subject of investigation and by now lot of evidence has gathered which throws light on practice of Yoga viz Asanas, Pranayama and Meditation as regard to their influence on body functions.

The Core effect of Yoga practices is relaxation response and anti stress effect, Autonomic balancing, bio-purificatory effect and immune-stabilization. It is expected that if the set of Yoga practices are suitably chosen and prescribed in a therapeutic tuning the body physiology can be appropriately monitored and managed. Therapeutic function of yoga constitutes a negligible scope of what yoga in meant for.

Yoga teaches us the truth through mind and body rather than theory, it brings about deep change in perspective & behavior. The entire thrust of our life is to devote total attention to every action and, at the same time, to trust in the power of the absolute. Elevated awareness brings about a realization to the individual about the existence of the absolute within; ie ‘Aham Brahmmasmi’ & ‘Tatwamasi’ .