the asanas and pranayama. The body, mind, breath, and emotions of an individual are closely integrated. A problem with one of these affects the other factors. So, through the body, we can also access and alter the condition of the breath, mind, and emotions.
The fundamental principle of yoga therapy in this system is to understand the alignment of the body, not only in the basic standing, sitting, and supine positions, but also in the range of asanas.
Iyengar created specific sequences of asanas for different conditions, which forms the basis of yoga therapy. Further individualized modifications are given depending on the age, health, and condition of the individual. “Asanas are not prescriptions or descriptions,” said B.K.S. Iyengar, “thus, it is not just what asanas are done but how they are done that is important.” This is the reason much emphasis is given in this system on precision and alignment in practice. For those who are unable to attain such precision, props or supports such as blankets, belts, pillows, chairs, bolsters, ropes, and other wooden props are used.
Kaivalyadhama model
According to Swami Kuvalayananda, founder of Kaivalyadhama, positive health does not mean mere freedom from disease but is a jubilant and energetic way of living and feeling that is the peak state of wellbeing at all levels—physical, mental, emotional, and social. He says that one of the aims of yoga is to encourage positive hygiene and health through the development of the inner natural powers of the body and mind. Thus, the adaptation and adjustment of the internal environment of man [sic] helps him enjoy positive health and not just mere freedom from disease. He emphasizes that yoga produces purification of all channels of communication (nadi shuddhi) and eradication of factors that disturb the balance of body and mind (mala shuddhi).
According to Swami Kuvalayananda, yoga helps cultivate positive health through three integral steps:
• Cultivating the correct psychological attitudes based on friendliness, compassion, cheerfulness, and indifference (maitri, karuna, mudita, upekshanam) towards those people, places, and events that are at ease, suffering, virtuous, and non-virtuous, respectively (suka, duhkha, punya, apunya).
• Reconditioning the neuromuscular and neuroglandular system—in fact, the whole body—enabling it to better withstand greater stress and strain.
• Laying great emphasis on appropriate diet conducive to such a peak state of health, and encouraging the natural processes of elimination through various cleansing processes (nadi shuddhi or mala shuddhi).
Swara Yoga model
According to Shiva Swarodaya,23 a classical text on Swara Yoga,24 disease develops when smooth and regular airflow (swara) in the nostrils does not adhere to fixed timings and days. Normally swara flows in the nostrils in a certain pattern according to phases of the lunar cycle. In the case of a disease developing due to the erroneous functioning of breathing (swara), a correction of that malfunctioning can cure that disease. The use of different techniques is also advocated for changing swara to relieve various disorders.
In summary, it is worth mentioning that India is leading the way in accepting and using yoga as a therapeutic modality. The Government of India is currently promoting indigenous systems of health through the recently formed Ministry of AYUSH.25 Among other activities, it oversees research in yoga and yoga therapy through its Central Council for Research in Yoga & Naturopathy (CCRYN). A Yoga Certification Board (YCB) certifies yoga instructors and teachers at Level 1 and 2, while the Health Sector Skill Council has recently collaborated with the Indian Yoga Association to define and create vocational training for job roles in yoga therapy. The Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga is currently the only government-run institute for yoga, and has brought together all the major traditions of yoga. It was awarded the status of a Collaborative Centre for Traditional Medicine (Yoga) by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2013. The WHO recently held a Working Group Meeting with experts from all WHO regions to finalize a document regarding the setting of benchmarks for yoga training.
Most notably, however, AYUSH has recently (as of November 2018) announced a new initiative to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs, also called chronic psychosomatic diseases) that have become endemic with a large population of teenagers and a middle-aged population succumbing to lifestyle diseases. In an effort to implement lifestyle changes, AYUSH will include yoga and meditation and will teach certain asanas for patients with borderline diabetes, hypertension, and osteoarthritis.
The aim is to try to change the lifestyle of many who are becoming prone to diabetes and hypertension at an early age. It is mainly pre-diabetics and those suffering from borderline ailments who will be located and treated to prevent them from developing these diseases. There are 201 NCD centers across the state of Karnataka, one in each district, including 80 health centers and 121 community health centers. Besides diabetes, hypertension, and osteoarthritis, the centers also cater to patients with stroke, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, with a focus on oral, breast, and cervical cancer.26
Another notable initiative is the Integrated Cancer Project (I-CAP)27 submitted by the Network for AYUSH Cancer Care, Standing Research Committee, and Indian Yoga Association to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. In an 80-page document it recognizes the need to improve awareness, affordability, and access to care for Indian cancer patients. It further outlines detailed comprehensive strategies to deal with these challenges, and recommends setting up a center for excellence in yoga in oncology, with the mandate to further evaluate and understand the mechanism of interventions of yoga for cancer patients.
India is perhaps today the most advanced country in accepting yoga therapy by its government body and applying yoga therapy as a complementary modality in preventing or healing NCDs. In the West the approach is notably different, with the profession still not well recognized or regulated by government. There remains much confusion and many misconceptions around yoga therapy, and we will now attempt to clear these up in the next chapter, which is dedicated to yoga therapy, its principles, and its application.
CHAPTER 2
Yoga Therapy and its Application
Yoga therapy, part of yoga
“Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,” said Rudyard Kipling in “The Ballad of East and West.” This dichotomy, however, seems to have been overcome in recent times, as many Eastern healing traditions have slowly and steadily percolated through to the healthcare system worldwide. This is especially true of mind–body therapies that focus on the health-promoting intrinsic connections that exist between the human brain, mind, body, and individual behavior.
Yoga may be understood as the art and science of conscious living. This may, indeed, be as ancient as the universe itself, as these principles are truly transcultural, transcendental, and timeless in their universality.
In recent times, however, yoga has become more popular as a therapy, with the majority of people often coming to it seeking to alleviate their physical, mental, or emotional imbalances. This has been aided by a number of published studies and systematic reviews offering reliable scientific evidence of the potential of yoga in treating a wide range of psychosomatic conditions.
Illness, disease, and disorders are common in this world, and people everywhere are desperately seeking relief from their suffering. Yoga helps us to think better and to live better; indeed, it helps us improve ourselves in everything
