YOGA THERAPY WORKS... BUT, HOW?

NAGARATHNA R., M.D., F.R.C.P.
Dean, Division of Yoga and Life Sciences
Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation, Bangalore, India.

Complimentary and Alternative Medicine are indicative of the dissatisfaction of the community about the modern medical approach in the effective management of health and diseases. This limitation of the modern medical system is rooted in its uni-dimensional approach. As these ailments are multi-dimensional, they need a multi-dimensional approach. It is this that Yoga provides. The challenges of stress and stress induced disorders are well recognized by the medical community. We have used the integrated approach of yoga therapy for nearly 20 years to tackle these problems of the modern society. The documented data have resulted in about 50 published research papers. Yoga can also be used for promotion of positive health. A brief summary of the same will be presented. The other areas of our work are in rehabilitation of the mentally handicapped, schizophrenia, community home girls, children with visual impairment and Personality development in children. These researches are pointing towards a holistic approach to take us towards reality, will also be discussed. The modern life style related ailments have opened up the door to mind body medicine. Last three decades of research has unraveled many of the highly complex orchestra of mind body interactions. All these point out to a form of feedback rhythm that involves many electrochemical mediators. This knowledge has definitely led us to understand and tackle the problems at a more fundamental level. The oriental thinkers who tried to understand the mind body interaction hit upon a totally different type of mediator which seems to be subtler than the electrochemical feedback loops. This intermediate stuff, the mediator that translates the thought (mind level) into a physical phenomenon (chemical change at the body level) was called by various names i.e., prana, chi, qi, vital force, tridosha, triguna, etc., they could learn and teach others to perceive, measure and assess disturbances in prana by observations of pulse, tongue, nostril dominance, respiratory rhythm abnormalities and many other clinical indicators. Over a period of time, with more and more experience this knowledge became so important that they could soon develop techniques to correct the imbalance in this vital energy rather than a symptomatic treatment. In this presentation have tried to highlight the concept of how the uncontrolled upsurges of prana from the basic cause of most of these disease and how we try to correct them to bring about significant demonstrable results in many of these diseases.

AN EXPLORATION OF THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING
THE KNOWN BENEFITS OF YOGA PRACTICE

SHIRLEY TELLES, M.B., B.S., Ph.D.
Joint Director-Research, VYASA International, Bangalore, India

Several effects of yoga practice have been demonstrated through systematic research. These include improvement in physical health (suggested by better cardiovascular efficiency and lung functions, among other changes), enhanced performance in perceptual and motor tasks, and in 'higher brain functions'. Apart from this, yoga practice has been shown to improve emotional stability and reduce mental stress as well as the psycho-physiological effects arising from it. The physical benefits and the improvement in motor tasks following yoga are comparatively easy to explain. Understanding the mechanisms underlying the other effects (viz., as stress reduction, remaining emotionally balanced, and a sense of spiritual-connection), is still in the exploratory stage. An attempt will be made to describe the possible mechanisms in terms of changes in functioning of specific brain areas and subsystems. These changes may be related to which neuronal systems are involved their activity patterns and connections with other neuronal systems.