A prescribed therapy is based on person’s diagnosis.
Diagnosis is based on a medical system. Yoga Therapy
is based on the Traditional Medicine of Ayuveda. Yoga
is an integral part of Ayurvedic Medicine. Therefore, to
fully benefit from the healing potential of Ayurveda,
Yogic principles need to be integrated into our life.
Ayurveda philosophy teaches us that healing the body
and the mind while realizing our soul’s journey while
being in harmony with the environment in which we
exist should be the goal of our life. Both Ayurveda and
Yoga recognize the role of consciousness as the prime
factor in our wellbeing. Yoga tools like Asana, Pranayama
and Mantra Meditation together with ayurveda
based healthy lifestyle (Dinacharya) which includes
proper diet, herbs, massages and Ayurvedic treatments
help to counteract balance disturbance in the
physical and mental plane of our existence.
In other words, Yoga and Ayurveda provide the knowledge
and foundation to live a healthy life free from mental of
physical disease. So, what is the relationship between classical
Yoga and the traditional system of medicine Ayurveda?
Both Ayurveda and Classical Yoga arose more than 5000 years
ago in the ancient Vedic period before the rise of Buddhism,
Christianity, Jainism and Islam. Thus we understand that both
Yoga and Ayurveda are coming from the Vedic civilization and
are considered the most ancient healing systems in the history
of the humankind. Classical Yoga manifested as a spiritual
practice with the aim at Self-realization, which lies beyond the
physical plane. That is the reason why traditional Yogic texts say
little about disease, diagnosis, or treatment. When we find information
on health issues in Yogic texts, it comes from Ayurveda.
On the other hand, in the system of Vedic sciences we will find
that classical Yoga is part of Ayurveda as a branch that specifically
deals with physical and psychological diseases and focuses
on their treatment. We could say that Ayurveda is the traditional
Yogic system of medicine. Even (Tibetan) Buddhist and Jain
traditions in India and abroad have integrated certain Yogic aspects
and principles and rely on Ayurveda for their medical applications.
Ayurveda takes the philosophy, principles, and practices
of Yoga and orients them towards the healing of body and
mind. It extends the Samkhya philosophy, on which classical
Yoga rests, into an integrated system of mind-body medicine.
It takes such prime Yogic principles as Purusha, Prakriti, the five
Pranas, and the five elements and shows their implications at
the level of health. It provides a sophisticated view of anatomy,
physiology, constitution, and the disease process through such
factors as the three Doshas (biological humors), seven Dhatus
(tissues), and the Srotas or channel systems. It considers the
role of the mind, meditation, and the Purusha, or higher Self,
for both mental and physical health. Ayurvedic practitioners,
particularly those trained in traditional Ayurveda, commonly
prescribe Yoga practices of asana, pranayama, mantra, and
Ayuryoga
Therapeutic approach to Yoga
Prakash Deep
Ayurveda Today 15
27
meditation, along with natural healing methods of diet, herbs,
and massage according to a person’s biological constitution. If
yoga teachers possess knowledge of Ayurveda, its view on the
body and mind, health and disease, including a person’s biological
constitution and Ayurveda's natural approach to healing
and living, they and their students will derive immense benefit
from it. Studying the Ayurvedic view of anatomy and physiology,
the constitution and the disease process, which follows the
energetics of prana, will greatly enhance the Yoga therapist's
view of disease and how to treat it in a Yogic manner. Studying
the Ayurvedic view of how physical diseases are connected to
psychological diseases developed from the lack of connection
with our inner consciousness, will greatly expand the realm of
Yoga psychology. It is recommended for Yoga teachers to learn
the role of Ayurvedic therapies that work well with Yoga therapy,
including diet, herbs, massage, and cleansing Pancha Karma.
Thus Yoga can be more effective if applied along with Ayurvedic
lifestyle guidelines (dinachara) and treatment measures. It
can be very helpful for Yoga teachers to use Ayurvedic treatment
protocols for the application of Yoga therapies like asana
and pranayama. It is therefore of great importance to know a
person’s disease which imbalances his or her constitution before
recommending the proper asanas and yogic techniques. For
example, asanas, pranayama, or meditation recommended for
a person with high vata dosha will naturally be different than
those for one with high pitta dosha.
Pranayama works on prana, which is directly
connected to vata dosha, the most important of the
three doshas, and has a strong therapeutic value in reducing kapha dosha, which causes diseases of mucus and congestion
in the stomach, lungs, and the heart. Pratyahara, with its reduction
of sensory overload, is a key factor in stress reduction
and is emphasized in Ayurvedic sensory treatments and massage.
Indeed, the patient who receives a deep oil massage in
Ayurvedic treatment is also being given a pratyahara therapy.
Pratyahara is central to healing because it allows the healing
prana to be taken within, rather than dispersed outwardly.
Yogic concentration, mantra, and meditation practices are
important for treating all psychological disorders, according
to Ayurveda, and are a necessary part of any healthy lifestyle
for body and mind. They not only help to balance the doshas
but also to increase sattva guna, the quality of inner harmony,
balance, and contentment that is another important concept
in both Yogic and Ayurvedic healing.
These are but a few brief examples of how Yoga and Ayurveda
can work together. Indeed, it is hard to imagine a future for Yoga
therapy without Ayurveda. Ayurveda can help us add the medical
background, diagnosis, and greater treatment options. This
makes Yoga Therapy a part of a full Yoga system of Medicine.
Antonina is spain based teacher of Ayur Yoga.
www.ayuryogainstitute.com
Ms. Antonina Ramsey
Enroll for our next certification : Ayurveda & Yoga Teacher Training 2020 & 2021 Courses
Should you have any queries or suggestions, drop into the address given below or just give us a call. We would be more than glad to hear from you and get back to you.
Contact Address: Prakash Deep Institute of Ayurveda and Yoga Sciences, National Highway 58, Haridwar-Rishikesh Highway, Raiwala, Uttarakhand-249205.
Phone: +91-9756-888-654, 9997-270-232
Email: info@ayuryogarishikesh.com
Copyright © 2020 PDI Ayurveda . All Rights Reserved | Design by Wide Web Studio