The following questions were made by Yoga Alliance Professionals and answered by us. We hope both questions and answers could be useful not only in removing some doubts you might have about this subject but also allow you to clarify and reflect what Yoga Therapy is.
1 – What are your views on Yoga Therapy?
Yoga therapy is a fundamental contribution of yoga for modern life, based on ancient principles, offering natural solutions and using what you already have with you, (your body and your mind) to heal yourself and see yourself whole and complete despite your circumstances and in this way contributing in a very real sense to an integral and healthier human being.
All yoga techniques that are used for self-realization have also therapeutic effects on relief and curing diseases. In the yoga scriptures and in the path of yoga, health is considered as something very important. Most of this benefits are being proved by scientific means now a days showing the therapeutic and healing effects of this ancient techniques and philosophical points of view. Something that we yogis already know through direct experience.
Always bearing in mind that in Yoga there is no division between mind and body, practice and philosophy, both are connected, and in a sense, both are one.
In the scriptures the disease is simply considered as a cause of the sense of limitation and as an obstacle to the goal of yoga. Several yoga ancient scriptures like Yoga Sutra, Yoga Vashistha, Hatha Yoga Pradipika and some Yoga Upanishads among other texts refer to and describe this therapeutic effect of the techniques of Yoga.
Below we have some examples:
Hatha Yoga Pradipika
Paschimottanasana is the best among asanas. By this asana the pranic currents rise through sushumna, the digestive fire increases, the abdomen becomes flat, and the practitioner becomes free from diseases. HYP 1:29
This is called padmasana, destroyer of all diseases. Ordinary people cannot achieve this posture, only the few wise ones on this earth can. HYP 1:47
Whether young or old, very old, sick or feeble, one can attain perfection in all the yogas by practicing. HYP 1:64
Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Bihar School of Yoga
“These obstacles are disease, inertia, doubt, heedlessness, laziness, indiscipline of the senses, erroneous views, lack of perseverance, and backsliding. YS 1.30
“Sorrow, despair, unsteadiness of the body and irregular breathing furhter distract the citta.” YS I.31
“The pains which are yet to come can be and are to be avoided” YS 2:16
“Applying samyama on the navel circle, one acquires the knowledge of the constitution and functioning of the body itself.” YS 3.30
Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, BKS Iyengar
Yoga Vasistha
Dialogue between Rama and Vasistha about Disease (vyadhi and Adhi) and its Causes
Excerpt taken from the 6th section (nirvana prakaranam) of Yoga Vasistha, The Supreme Yoga translated by Swami Venkatesananda, page 293
Rama asked: What are vyadhis (illnesses), and what are adhis (psychic disorders), and what are the degenerative conditions of the body? Pray, enlighten me on these.
Vasistha continued: Adhi and vyadhi are sources of sorrow. Their avoidance is happiness; their cessation is liberation. Sometimes they arise together, sometimes they cause each other, and sometimes they follow each other. Physical malady is known as vyadhi, and psychic disturbance caused by psychological conditioning (neuroses) is known as adhi. Both these are rooted in ignorance and wickedness. They end when self-knowledge or knowledge of truth is attained.
Ignorance gives rise to absence of self-control, and one is constantly assailed by likes and dislikes, and by thoughts like 'I have gained this, I have yet to gain that'. All this intensifies delusion; all these give rise to psychic disturbances.
Physical ailments are caused by ignorance, and its concomitant, total absence of mental restraint, which leads to improper eating and living habits. Other causes are untimely and irregular activities, unhealthy habits, evil company, and wicked thoughts. They are also caused by the weakening of the nadis, or by their being cluttered or clogged up, thus preventing the free flow of life-force. Lastly, they are caused by unhealthy environment. All these are of course ultimately determined by the fruits of past actions, performed eitherin the near or in the distant past.
Vasistha continued: All these psychic disturbances and physical ailments arise from the fivefold elements. I shall now tell you how they cease. Physical ailments are twofold: ordinary and serious. The formerarise from day-to-day causes, and the latter are congenital. The former are corrected by day-to-day remedial measures, and by adopting the proper mental attitude. But the latter (serious) ailments, as also the psychic disturbances, do not cease until self-knowledge is attained. The snake seen in the rope dies only when the rope is again seen as rope. Self-knowledge ends all physical and psychic disturbances. However, physical ailments that are not psychosomatic may be dealt with by medication, prayers, and by right action, as also by baths. All these have been described in medical treatises.
Rama asked: Pray, tell me how physical ailment arises from psychic disturbance, and how can it be dealt with by means other than medical.
Vasistha continued: When there is mental confusion, one does not perceive one's path clearly. Unable to see the path in front of oneself, one takes a wrong path. The life-forces are agitated by this confusion and they flow haphazardly along the nadis. As a result, some nadis are depleted of energy and others are dogged.
Then there arises disturbance in the metabolism, indigestion, excessive appetite, as also improper functioning of the digestive system. Food eaten turns into poison. The natural movement of food in and through the body is arrested. This gives rise to variousphysical ailments.
Thus psychic disturbance leads to physical ailments. Just as myrobalan is capable of making the bowels move, even so certain mantras like ya, ra, la, va, can also remedy these psychosomatic disorders. Other measures are pure and auspicious actions, service of holy men, etc. By these, the mind becomes pure, and there is great joy in the heart. The life-forces flow along the nadis as they should. Digestion becomes normal, diseases cease.
2 – How would you define Yoga Therapy?
Yoga therapy is the therapy that uses the techniques, philosophy, physiology and psychology of yoga to alleviate, treat and cure disorders and illnesses while always keeping in mind the actual goal and purpose of Yoga
3 – Have you personally experienced any form of yoga therapy and what was the outcome?
Yes, the greatest application of yoga therapy we had was on ourselves. And in a way this is the process of yoga, using the techniques, philosophy, physiology and psychology of yoga on yourself to remove the obstacles (mistaken views, beliefs, diseases) that one might have to the realization of yoga.
And also with our teaching and practical experience over many years with students with different physical and mental health conditions and issues (scoliosis, rheumatism, psychosis, schizophrenia, depression, herniated disc, urinary tract infection, osteoporosis, various types of cancer, etc.) with excellent results.
(Marco) In my case I had personal experience in using yoga to deal with addiction to nicotine, trauma of sudden and tragic loss of family and friends (best friend at age 15, my sister at 40), and accidents (fell of from a roof), etc.
(Gonçalo) In my case I had personal experience in using yoga to deal with: Urinary infections, chronic headaches, anger, lack of motivation to live, meditation made me experience many benefits in the first years of practice but also after that triggered depression, lack of motivation to live and this made me want to deepen the same techniques that brought me so many benefits but also triggered other harms.
4 – Some teachers would say that yoga is therapy and there is no need to cal it yoga therapy-what do you think?
Yoga has its own therapeutic view and approach to deal with illness (physical, mental and emotional), but Yoga is not the same as therapy.
This is only an aspect and a step of Yoga (arambha avastha). As we said before, the goal of Yoga is self-realization.
Many students come to practice yoga and it's very common that they have health issues to deal with. Using Yoga Therapy this issues can be dealt with, and a further advancement of this health issues can be avoided (heyam dukham anagatam).
They should be informed about yoga therapeutic approach, because Yoga Therapy is needed not only for treating but also primary should be used in preventing health issues.
Each person is unique. Some students face mental, others physical and others emotional challenges especially if they come for yoga, Teachers should know the dos and don’ts , teachers should take this in consideration and know how to teach, guide and adapt the practise and orient the student on a personalized way.
The student should feel improvement in health issues, gain self confidence in his yoga practise/path and specially realize the totality of him/her self in his daily life.
The student is not a sick person, he has sickness issues that he must deal with.
5 – Are you concerned that some Yoga Therapists may be making exaggerated claims of the effectiveness of what they are offering?
Comparing with what has come to us in the scriptures, they are being too modest.
But its very important that the teacher should be serious and not promise results that he cannot meet or give, but at the same time the potential that Yoga therapy has is so huge that in a way it cannot be put into words.
And Yoga therapy can also be complementary to any allopathic or natural treatment.
We should also emphasize that in yoga therapy the responsibility is primarily in the practical application of the techniques and philosophy in the reality of the patient's life and not only in what he does when he comes to the yoga therapy session.
Yoga unleashes within us the healing potential, connecting us with the same universal creative principles that sustain all manifest reality.
We have not yet found a limit to the benefits and applications of Yoga therapy.