The Healing Power of Yoga Therapy

By Shahid Mishra

To the uninitiated yoga is simply a form of exercise. Even those who practice yoga on a semi-regular basis are not aware of just how powerful yogic science actually is. Yogic science is one of the world’s oldest medicines. The reason that people have used yoga for healing for all of these centuries is because it is effective.

Take a common condition like asthma. This disease impacts millions of people all over the world. Severe asthmatic episodes can be powerful enough to critically injure or even kill someone.

Yogic postures and breathing routines can do a lot for the asthma sufferer. While asthma is a real condition and should be treated as such, many asthma sufferers know very little about their breathing habits.

Simple yogic breathing exercises (pranayama) preformed daily can help asthma sufferers learn to control their breathing. These exercises also strengthen the lungs. Finally, in the onset of an asthma attack, those who practice yoga training are more likely to be able to regulate their breathing.

Anxiety is one of the most widely reported medical conditions these days. People from all walks of life are reporting higher incidence of worries, anxiety attacks, and racing thoughts. Modern medicine has few answers for the person who suffers with this condition. In most cases strong medicines are prescribed.

The difficulties with providing a pharmaceutical solution to a spiritual problem are many. Many people today suffer emotionally from a lack of spiritual health. In many cases, prescriptions have exactly the opposite effect of what is wanted. Even in successful cases, side effects from medications often produce highly toxic results.

Yoga therapy on the other hand, is about physical and mental discipline. By cutting anxiety and worry off at the root, yoga eliminates them naturally. The only side effects of yoga are beneficial ones.

Every conceivable medical condition has a yogic treatment. Because yogic medicine focuses on providing practical solutions for mental and physical ailments, so-called ‘modern’ problems like ADHD and PTSD can also be treated with yogic science.

There is a lot that modern science does well. There have been an amazing number of success stories that are directly attributable to breakthroughs in research and treatment. There are however a number of conditions that continue to stymie even the best minds that modern science has to offer.

Yogic medicine has never needed to compete with western or alternative forms of medicine. Yoga has always been adept at bridging the gaps between conventional and ancient wisdom. The reason for this is that at its core, yogic science respects all wisdom no matter what source it has been derived from.

© Copyright 2013 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

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Yoga for Emotional Health

By Amruta Kulkarni

While obstacles and mood swings are a normal part of life, they don't have to get in the way of living a happy and calm existence. Yoga has a number of physical health benefits, but its potential for benefiting emotional health is extensive. The power of yoga to heal and upkeep emotions is an important factor that contributes to overall health.

Healing and Prevention

Yoga training sessions can provide comfort and healing to any emotions that overpower daily life, and can help control the emotional drives experienced by a traumatized, stressed, or depressed life. Yoga can be used as a mood management tool by utilizing the calming effects of various breathing techniques, poses, and meditation. These tools are used to promote a calm state of mind that is effective in fending off negative emotions such as anger, stress, and depression. Over time, practicing yoga cannot only remedy these negative emotions but can provide a barrier of prevention.

Pathways to Comfort

Scientific research has indicated that practicing yoga can, over time, alter brain chemistry by increasing the intensity of the "good" neurotransmitters. This particular pathway to better emotional health can soothe and reduce anxiety and depression. In addition, certain yoga techniques can improve the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for automatic reactions that happen when the body is in a relaxing state. Improving the parasympathetic nervous system helps to subdue negative reactions and can offer a faster turnaround time for getting to calming emotions.

Mindfulness and Acceptance

Yoga has also been shown to increase concentration and achieve mindfulness, which are two key components of reaching optimal emotional health. Mindfulness training is often used with psychotherapy, due to its contribution towards promoting acceptance of negative emotions. Instead of reacting negatively or avoiding the problem altogether, examining and consequently accepting whatever is causing pain or anxiety is key to relinquishing the control these negative emotions can have on emotional health.

Boosting emotional health can be accomplished through practicing yoga poses and breathing techniques that relieve stress, quell depression, and promote better awareness and control over negative emotions. Yoga training is a way to improve mental clarity to help understand and calm negative emotions that can cause problems and unrest in everyday life. 

© Copyright 2013 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

See videos, demonstrations, and lectures related to inexpensive yoga instructor training programs and specialized continuing education programs.