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Yoga and Yoga Therapy In yoga, wellness and healing occur through deep experiential knowing of all the aspects of our being which brings integration of body, mind and spirit. Physical and emotional health is a natural reflection of this integration. Yoga is a 5,000 year old science that allows practitioners to accept and integrate many parts of their being including physical, energetic, emotional, psychological and spiritual. Through the process of yoga, each aspect of the self is integrated in a moment-to-moment experience of wholeness. This is seen in the root of the word yoga which is derived from the Sanskrit verb yuj meaning “to yoke” or “to join”. You may hear it referred to as "union" of the body, mind and spirit. I think of it as "reunion", as being integrated is our natural state. How is Yoga Therapy different from Yoga? Yoga Therapy is yoga with specific focuses. First, Yoga Therapy is student-centered, molding the teachings to the needs of the student at any given moment.. This approach is distinct from systems of Yoga where class structure and content are pre-arranged and the student molds his/herself to the form of Yoga being taught. Secondly, Yoga Therapy, with its focus on the overall well-being of the student, places equal emphasis on all five koshas. To learn more about the koshas, click here. Who Can Benefit from Yoga Therapy? Yoga Therapy is valuable for all students who sense a need for a student-centered approach to learning Yoga. Yoga Therapy has special value for certain groups and individuals: *Those with specific health conditions can benefit from an approach designed specific to their needs*Specific professional groups who would like classes tailored to the specific needs of their workers*Those who are out of shape and need a slow and personally designed program to move them toward optimal health*Those who have been practicing yoga within a set system which has created imbalances or who are in pain or restriction*Those who would like to focus on particular aspects of Yoga such as pranayama, asana, mudra or self-inquiry*Those that recognize a need for stress management as part of their overall health and wellness plan. Why a Yoga Based Wellness Program? Yoga is a very simple, yet profound way to support your body, mind & spirit .Through the practice of physical postures (Asana), breathing practices (pranayama), meditation, mudra, visualization and relaxation, practitioners can maintain and/or regain wellness. These practices directly affect all the major systems of the body; skin, muscular, skeletal, respiratory & circulatory, endocrine, digestion/elimination, nervous and immune. Instead of “fight or flight” from stress, we can learn to flow with it! Stress contributes to many of the medical conditions confronted by healthcare practitioners. In fact, when the reasons for patients’ visits to physicians are examined, between 60-90 per cent of visits are related to stress and other psychosocial factors (Cummings, VandenBos, 1981; Kroenke, Mangelsdorff, 1989). Current pharmaceutical and surgical approaches cannot adequately treat stress-related illness. Mind/body approaches including the relaxation response, have been demonstrated to successfully treat stress-related disorders.1 Yoga induces the relaxation response in many ways: The focused repetitive movement /The steady even breathing/The release of muscular tension /Repetition of mantra /Leads the practitioner towards meditation in a step by step fashion/Many of the postures have a sedating effect. A recent WebMD.com article offers “A lot of people come to yoga for back pain, stress management or because they’re trying to manage some physical illness. In mild cases of asthma and high blood pressure, yoga can reduce the need for medication. Yoga can also be helpful in helping people cope with diabetes, Parkinson’s, cerebral palsy, ADHD and back pain.” Experience with our yoga students has also shown a decrease in depression & anxiety and an increase in overall sense of wellbeing. EveryBODY can do yoga! Its fun and
feels great! 1 Mind/Body Medical Institute/Yoga As Therapy, 2001 *Match a yoga style and teacher to suit your needs. Feel free to explore different ones until you find the right fit. *Don’t practice on a full stomach. Digest at least 2 hours after light eating. *Wear comfortable clothing without restrictive waistbands-practice in bare feet. *Practice on a clean mat or other surface that’s not too hard, soft or slippery. *Be GENTLE with yourself. Move slowly, consciously and respect your limits. *Breath slowly and deeply. Move with your breath and allow your body to move at its own pace and to let go in its own time. Don’t force anything! Never enter into pain. *Remember that you can accomplish more by doing less!
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