Yoga Therapy as a Whole-Person Approach to Health. Lee Majewski
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during meditation, this will lead to bringing the mind under control.
6. Improving the flow of healing “pranic life energy”: Prana is the energy of life and it can be used effectively for healing. The various energies driving different physiological functions of the body (vayu)8 need to be assessed and corrected to bring about harmony. As an example, in those suffering digestive disorders, the focus may be more on balancing the functional energy of that area (samana vayu), whereas in pelvic conditions or in cases of constipation, it would be more on the functional energy centered in the pelvic region (apana vayu).
7. Non-reaction to omnipresent stressors: We have very little control over our surrounding environment and the stressors within it. So often the only way to reduce the impact of stress levels is by increasing our ability to deal with them. As the saying goes, “When face to face with the innumerable thorns in a forest, we may either choose to spend all our time picking them up or choose to wear a pair of shoes and walk through the forest.” The difference is primarily in the attitude that is consciously chosen. Practicing points 1–6 will result in effective management of our reaction to stressors.
8. Increasing self-reliance and self-confidence: The challenges we encounter every day should be reframed and understood as opportunities for change. We must understand that we have the inner power to overcome each and every challenge that life throws at us.
9. Facilitating natural elimination of wastes: The natural elimination of wastes from the body is facilitated by cleaning practices such as the upper gastrointestinal cleanser (dhauti), lower gastrointestinal cleanser (basti), and nasopharyngeal cleanser (neti). Accumulation and stagnation of waste materials in either the inner or outer environment always causes problems. Yogic cleansing practices help to wash out the impurities (mala shodhana), helping the process of regeneration and facilitating healing.
10. Taking responsibility for our own health: Perhaps this is the most important principle. This requires the client to examine their life and change the disease-forming factors that are in their reach. The current healthcare system fosters an attitude of victimhood and disempowerment, with the power and responsibility for our health entrusted completely to the medical profession. This relieves us from taking responsibility for our disease-forming habits. Yoga empowers clients with tools so they can experience their own power.
Scientific basis of using yoga as a therapy
Numerous studies have been done in the past few decades on the psychophysiological and biochemical changes occurring following the practice of yoga. A few clinical trials have also shown promise, despite yoga not being ideally suited to the scientific gold standard of “double-blind” clinical trials.
The difficulty of finding the right methods and apparatus to study the higher aspects of yoga is still to be overcome. The subtle aspects of yoga are yet to be scientifically measured, and may only be understood when more sensitive equipment and methods of research become available. Most of the research done on yoga to date focuses on its bio-physio-psychological levels.
Some important physiological benefits of yoga
Yoga produces a stable autonomic nervous system equilibrium, with a tendency toward parasympathetic nervous system dominance rather than the usual stress-induced sympathetic nervous system dominance. This is of great potential in psychosomatic stress-related illnesses. Cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory efficiency increases. Heart rate and blood pressure decrease, leading to a reduced load on the heart. Respiratory rate decreases with improved respiratory efficiency. The amplitude and smoothness of respiration increases, along with all parameters of pulmonary function such as tidal volume, vital capacity, and breath-holding time. EEG alpha waves increase. Theta, delta, and beta waves also increase during various stages of meditation. Gastrointestinal and endocrine functions normalize, with improvement in excretory functions. Musculoskeletal flexibility and joint range of motion increase. Posture improves with improvement in strength, resiliency, and endurance. Body weight normalizes and sleep improves, with increased energy levels, and immunity increases with improved ability for pain tolerance.
Some important psychological benefits of yoga
Somatic and kinesthetic awareness increase with better self-acceptance and self-actualization. There is better social adjustment with a decrease in anxiety, depression, and hostility. Psychomotor functions such as grip strength, balance, dexterity and fine motor skills, eye–hand coordination and reaction time, steadiness and depth perception, and the integrated functioning of body parts improve. Mood often improves and subjective wellbeing increases while cognitive functions such as attention, concentration, memory, and learning efficiency improve.
Overall biochemical effects of yoga
The biochemical profile often improves, indicating an anti-stress and antioxidant effect, which is important in preventing degenerative diseases. There are decreased levels of blood glucose, total white blood cell count, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). At the same time, following yoga, it has been reported that there are increased levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, ATPase, hematocrit, hemoglobin, thyroxin, lymphocytes, vitamin C, and total serum protein.9
Therapeutic modalities of yoga therapy
There are numerous therapeutic modalities used in the application of yoga as a therapy. It is important to remember that yoga therapy is not a prescriptive modality and we always start from assessing the client and their disease and keep the assessment process throughout the length of the therapy. As different traditions of yoga emphasize using different methods for yoga therapy, it is therefore beneficial for a therapist to be familiar with the different lineages that offer specific practices. The more we know, the more research we study, the more tools we have at hand to help our clients. As therapists our loyalty is with the client and not the lineage—we should always use the best tool for the client’s benefit, no matter what lineage the tool comes from.
In general terms, however, we can divide a vast array of yogic practices into the following:
Physical therapies
Consciously adopted static postures (asanas), systematic and managed breathing coordinated with movements (kriyas), and seals and locks for neuromuscular energy (mudras and bandhas) gently stretch and strengthen the musculoskeletal system in a healthy manner. They improve the mobility and flexibility of the different joints and groups of muscles. There is also concomitant improvement in the systemic function such as respiration, circulation, digestion, and elimination. A general sense of health and wellbeing is also promoted by these aspects of yoga that help release “feel good” hormones such as endorphins and encephalin.
Emotional and mental therapies
Yoga addresses the deeper aspects of emotional wellbeing and introspectional self-analysis (swadhyaya), breath-based techniques of vital energy control (pranayama), practices enabling mastery and withdrawal from sensory reactivity (pratyahara), intense concentration (dharana), and contemplative oneness (dhyana). Chanting, devotional music (bhajana), and yoga nidra are very effective in managing emotions, attitudes, and thought processes.
Development of healthy psychological attitudes
Yoga encourages us to step back and take an objective view of our habitual patterns of behavior and thoughts. This enables us to cope better with situations that normally put our bodies and minds under strain. Patanjali emphasized the need to develop the following qualities in order to become mentally balanced human beings: a non-attached and objective meta-cognitive attitude (vairagya), balanced acceptance of life (chitta prasadanam), friendliness towards those who are at ease with themselves (maitri), compassion for those who are suffering (karuna), cheerfulness towards the noble and virtuous (mudita), and indifference