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| Home > Articles on Yoga > The Healing Power of Yoga
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| | The Healing Power of Yoga
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People suffering from problems like backache, B.P, diabetes, asthma, etc., find the yogic treatments very useful and very appropriate for the management of such problems. However, mostly it does happen that people start taking proper medical treatments and then turn themselves to the yogic approach, if the conventional approach does not give the desired relief. Thus, it is also known as the alternative approach. Yoga is very helpful where one is seeking the cure or the control of his problem, since it is extremely useful during the period of convalescence, recovery and for the rehabilitation. But more than this, it is really useful in preventing the continuation and recurrence of the problem in future.
Yoga is a product of atleast the last five thousand years; it has remained as one of the most important facets of the Indian Culture, remaining vibrant and responsive to the changing times all through this period. The literal meaning of the word Yoga in Sanskrit is integration. Yoga represents a process through which one can learn how to live in the most integrated way. It involves, therefore, the process of identification and then elimination of all that would contribute in disintegration. Yoga becomes a continuous process requiring constant vigilance and involving all the aspects of life.
In this integrated way of living, the process of identification of all the elements causing ill health and the use of appropriate techniques to neutralize their ill effects become one of the primary concerns of Yoga. Thus, Yoga that essentially is a Science of personal growth for spiritual experiences has simultaneously become a Science of Health and Healing. Yoga brings the healing touch to the body and mind suffering from ill health. For this purpose, Yoga has the approach with the following three main components:
(A) Practical Discipline: This discipline involves the practices of Asanas, Pranayama and Meditation. Asanas involve the increased awareness of various physical and physiological processes influenced by controlled stretching, contraction and relaxation of various muscles, their co-ordination in balancing and during maintenance of posture.
Pranayama practices similarly involve the manipulation of breathing mechanism along with the increased awareness of the pressure changes inside the cavities of chest and abdomen.
Meditation or Dhyana practice increases the awareness of one`s own mental processes including the thoughts, emotions, memory etc. It can make one aware of how the constant restlessness at the level of mind contributes in the feeling of emotional stress, feeling of constant fear and insecurity. This increased awareness combined with the manipulative techniques of Pranayama practices, gradually restore the psycho-physiological functions back to their healthy, harmonious and balanced state.
(B) Diet & Habits: The regulation of Diet as well as the regulation of Daily Habits involving the pattern of sleep, recreational activities and working habits is the second important component that helps in removing all those irritants that are responsible for the imbalance in the functioning of body-mind complex.
(C) Attitude & Lifestyle: The Third component concerns itself with changes in one`s attitudes, behavior and life-style which would help in inducing the feeling of sharing, feeling of warmth in friendship and, concern, love and respect for the whole beautiful world. Thus, yoga not only involves varieties of Asanas, Pranayama and Meditation techniques, but even the attitudes & lifestyles are important.
But really speaking the Yogic way of living during the rest of the day is equally important from the healing point of view. The use of the Yogic skills throughout the day needs to be given proper attention. The last two components attend to this Upayoga aspect of Yoga. If one undertakes Yoga in this spirit, keeping this broad framework in mind and complies with all the instructions given, he would find that Yoga not only gives a relief from the problems but also opens up a new way of enjoying life.
For getting maximum benefit from the practical program of yoga, one should remember following things:
1. Some of the yogic practices are common to all and can be done by all irrespective of the cause or the nature of their problems. Exercises for Inner Awareness, Relaxation, Regulated breathing and Meditation can be practiced by all without any risk of aggravating their problem. But certain other practices involving the upside-down position of the body, or those involving extremes of movements of spinal column may not be helpful for the patients having weak heart, weak lungs or weak spine. Therefore, consultation with the specialist who combines medical knowledge with the knowledge of Yoga is very much essential to chalk out the specific yogic program for the patients suffering from some significant organic disorders and dysfunctions.
2. You should not expect any miraculous results immediately from these practices. As they involve the correction of wrong habits or misuse established over a long period of time, it would similarly take a long time before one can feel the good effects of these practices. It is therefore, necessary to practice Yoga daily; regularly and for sufficient long time without losing patience.
3. Each day one should keep some time set aside for the practices of these techniques. More than how many different varieties of practices one does, how to do it and how regularly one does it, is more important bearing on the results one can achieve.
Apart from Yoga one should give sufficient attention to Upayoga. The increased awareness of how the Body-Breath-Brain activity is being carried out, which results from the correct performance of yogic practices, should be constantly applied in daily routine activities throughout the day.
One should not forget to give proper attention to his food: Its Quality, Quantity and Regularity, as well as the manner of eating food.
Proper attention to Sleep-Recreation-Leisure is equally important. There should be a proper balance between the work time and resting time. This ensures that the body and mind remain fresh, regain strength and stamina and does not lead to the feeling of being overburdened, while carrying out daily routine activity.
Ultimately, it is very important to remember that one should never feel Lonely.
In a nutshell, the Bhagavad-Gita needs to explain, "Yoga is not for him who eats too much or who does not eat at all; nor for him who sleeps too much or keeps awake in excess. Yoga is for him, who is moderate in eating and recreation, moderate in his efforts in work, moderate in sleep and wakefulness; his practice of Yoga becomes the destroyer of all misery." However there are also some rules to be observed during the performance of the asanas, Pranayama and meditation practices. They are as follows:
All your movements in Asanas should be comfortably slow and well controlled at every stage. You should avoid sudden, jerky and hasty movements.
The final position in any Asana should be such that it can be maintained for some time without any feeling of discomfort. Your motto should be "Maximum to your capacity but within your limits". Day by day your capacity will increase, but let it happen naturally and never force yourself to go beyond your present limits.
While moving or during maintenance of final position, learn to use your body parts selectively. Allow only those muscles to work, which are required in particular, movement or for the maintenance of particular pose, but keep the rest of the body completely relaxed.
Breathe normally all through the practice of each Asana. Avoid holding the breath at any stage of the practice as it may increase the tension in the body. While maintaining the final position it is better to breathe 5 to 10 times deeply and slowly.
During the practice of Asanas keep your eyes closed which would help you to keep your attention focused on the correctness of the technique, on free flow of breathing, on proper relaxation of the non-required parts of the muscle groups and on the overall feeling of pleasure generated by being with the activities going on in the inner body-space.
While practicing Pranayama, remember that it-concerns not only with the breath alone but also with the mind. Awareness of spontaneous breathing, regulating the breathing pattern to deep and slow abdominal breathing and using it from time to time for healing, i.e. cleansing the body parts of all the unwanted, unpleasant and hurtful sensations during exhalation and filling it with relaxing, healing, life-giving energy during inhalation and the techniques of Anuloma - Viloma and other Pranayamas, all require full mental participation.
In Meditative practices, whatever techniques are used, the effect that is expected is the same. But one should expect the results to vary from day to day and never get easily disheartened when the results are not according to the expectation. Never lose patience but keep on trying.
Useful hints for practising Asanas
The best time to practice Yoga is early morning before breakfast.
Dress during the practice should be minimum, lose-fitting and light so as to allow free movements of the limbs in all directions with no constriction around neck, abdomen, waist or wrists.
Remove spectacles and wristwatch during the practice.
Before beginning the Yoga Session it is better to empty the urinary bladder.
It is better to have a light stomach during the practice. Do not practice Yoga within three hours after heavy meals, within two hours after breakfast and within half an hour after some liquid intake. Wait for 15-20 min. after Yoga before taking food.
During menstrual period in women, it is better to suspend some Asanas, which would increase pressure over the pelvic area, but one can continue with practices of relaxation, simple breathing, gentle stretching and meditation.
Keep at least half an hour gap between Yoga and other types of exercises like walking, swimming etc.
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