YOGA

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0889-857X(05)70126-5Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open archive

The civilization of India has produced a great variety of systems of spiritual beliefs and practices. Ancient seers used yoga as a means to explore the exterior and interior world and, perhaps, ultimately to achieve wisdom and knowledge of the sacred Indian texts: the Vedas, Upanishads, and Shastras.6 These great teachers, or gurus, did not equate yoga with religion but more as an art of living at the highest level in attunement with the larger life–reality. The emphasis in yoga was on personal verification rather than on belief. The practice of yoga was a way to inner joy and outer harmony.

The Sanskrit word “yoga” comes from the root yug (to join), or yoke (to bind together or to concentrate). Essentially, however, the word “yoga” has come to describe a means of uniting or a method of discipline: to join the body to the mind and together join to the self (soul), or the union between the individual self and the transcendental self. Yoga comes from an oral tradition in which teaching was transmitted from teacher to student. The Indian sage Patanjali, called “The Father of Yoga, ” collated this oral tradition in his classic work The Yoga Sutras, a 2000-year-old treatise on yogic philosophy. He defines yoga as “that which restrains the thought process and makes the mind serene.” Patanjali suggests that ethics (yama and niyama) is the way to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit. He emphasizes a more psychological approach to healing and self-realization. The body's organs and systems are to be cleansed first through asanas (postures) and pranayama (controlling the breath).13 The Sutras provide guidance on how to gain mastery over the mind and emotions and how to achieve spiritual growth. The code of conduct includes the practice of the highest human virtues like ahimsa (noninjury) and satya (truth), and the promotion of the noblest feelings like amity and compassion.2

Initially, the discipline of hatha yoga used in the studies described later was developed as a means for meditation: preparing the body and the nervous system for stillness. Physical strength and stamina developed by asanas and pranayama allowed the mind to remain calm. The word “hatha” can be divided into two words: ha (sun) and tha (moon). The common interpretation of hatha yoga is a union of the pairs of opposites. Hatha yoga, the yoga of activity, addresses the body and mind and requires discipline and effort. It is through hatha yoga that most Westerners are introduced to the philosophy. Many people believe that this is yoga and are unaware of the totality of yoga as a philosophy of life.

Along with meditation, yoga asanas and pranyama have become popular in the West, and yoga has become “westernized.” Postures are taught as ends in themselves merely to heal an illness, reduce stress, or look better. The fact that these postures are a foundation for self-realization is generally ignored. Yoga is often thought of as calisthenics, epitomized by the headstand, the lotus posture, or another pretzel-like pose. Many think of yoga as a system of meditation or religion. Yoga, however, is meant to be practiced in the larger context of conscious spiritual discipline. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika is considered to be the classic manual on hatha yoga. The first chapter reminds the student that hatha yoga is used as a vehicle in self-realization.25 This goal should be kept in sight. Yoga is proposed to be a preventive as well as curative system of the body, mind, and spirit.14

Recently, large numbers of Americans are practicing yoga for its proposed health benefits. Some health professionals are referring their patients to yoga teachers for help in managing a variety of stress-related ailments. Yoga is regarded as a holistic approach to health that not only increases flexibility, strength, and stamina but also fosters self-awareness, emotional stability, and peace of mind. Yoga has become a household word in the West. Millions of men and women read books about yoga, attend classes or seminars, and do the physical exercises for which yoga is famous. Many have tried meditation or some other form of yoga on a regular basis. Clearly, yoga is alive in Western society today.

There are various styles of hatha yoga, and each has specific characteristics that reflect a particular approach to the yoga asanas such as Iyengar, Kundalini, Kripalu, and Sivananda. Iyengar, a popular style in the West, is based on the teachings of living yoga master named B.K.S. Iyengar. The method is orderly and progressive. Postures are adjusted to meet the needs and physical conditions of the student. There are specific anatomic guidelines in the execution of the asanas and pranayama.12 As a therapy, yoga is a system designed to refine human physiology. Asanas, or postures, if done properly, are believed to affect every gland and organ in the body. Postures have to be adjusted so that the various organs, joints, and bones are properly positioned so that physiologic changes may occur. Distribution of body weight has to be even on the joints and muscles so that there is no injury. Therapeutic yoga is the performance of postures for treating medical disorders. A key development in this application of yoga is Iyengar's use of props (e.g., chairs, belts, blankets, blocks) to assist the patient in assuming the posture without strain. It is said that each posture has a specific shape to which the body must be adapted and not the asana to the body.23

In a disease like osteoarthritis (OA) of the finger joints, asanas are proposed to realign the skeletal structure and loosen stiff joints. Effects may be the result of the geometry of the asana. Many musculoskeletal problems may be mechanical and have to be mechanically considered. Realignment of muscles is proposed to remove the altered stresses and strains and to re-establish anatomic relationships.8

Cited by (0)

Address reprint requests to H. Ralph Schumacher, Jr, MD, Veterans Administration Medical Center (151K), University and Woodland Avenues, Philadelphia, PA 19104