Yoga Therapy
"Excellence in action is Yoga " declares the Song Celestial ( Geetha ), an authentic treatise on Yoga & the quintessence of the Upanishads. 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 !
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.
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