Yoga for Health
The origins of Yoga are still not fully explored, but previous research shows that it was developed over 5000 years ago. Yoga is considered to have been developed during the time of Gautama the Buddha around 500 B.C. This was until archeologists discovered the Indus civilization also known as the Indus-Sarasvati civilization credited with the development of Yoga. Archeologists and researchers came to this conclusion after finding yogi-like figures engraved on seals made of soapstone (Feuerstein, 2006). The Indus-Sarasvati civilization got its name from two major rivers the Indus and Sarasvati the later being the most commemorated in the Rig-Veda. The Rig-Veda is written in Sanskrit and it is this same language that has been used in the compilation of the original Yoga scripts. The language used in writing the Yoga texts relates directly with the Indus-Sarasvati civilization and this shows development of Yoga was during the same period of the civilization (Feuerstein, 2006).
The history of Yoga has been classified in five continuous stages and these are: Vedic, Preclassical, Classical, Postclassical and Modern Yoga.
Vedic Yoga
The teachings in the Rig-Veda and three other hymnodies are referred to as Vedic Yoga. Rig-Veda is a combination of two Sanskrit words with Rig meaning praise and Veda meaning knowledge together they translate to praise of a higher power. This forms the basis of the Hindu faith as it is known today. The three other hymnodies which form the Vedic Yoga are: Yajur-Veda (Knowledge of Sacrifice), Sama-Veda (Knowledge of Chants), and Artharva-Veda (Knowledge of Artharvan) (Feuerstein, 2006). Yajur-Veda contains sacrificial formulas which were used by Vedic priests. Sama-Veda has chants which follow the sacrifices. Artharva-Veda contains magical prayers and very powerful philosophical hymns (Feuerstein, 2006). Sacrifices were offered to connect the living and the dead for ancient Indians. The people performing the sacrifice had to practice prolonged meditations for successful performance of rituals. The meditation for purposes of going beyond ordinary mind is the key to Yoga and during meditation a Vedic Yogi would have a “vision” if successful. An expert Vidic Yogi was referred to as a “seer” and they were able to see the depths of existence.
Preclassical Yoga
Although it has its basis around the Vidic Yoga, the preclassical Yoga goes beyond. Bhagad-Gita or the “Lord’s song” where Mahatma Gandhi an international reformer spoke from when he said “When disappointment stares me in the face and all alone I see not one ray of light, I go back to the Bhagavd-Gita. I find a verse here and a verse there and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming tragedies-and my life has been full of external tragedies-and if they have left no visible, no indelible scar on me, I owe it all to the teachings of the Bhagavad-Gita” (Feuerstein, 2006).
The Bhagavad-Gita’s main teaching states that to be living means being active and if one is going to avoid difficulties for the individual and others then the behavior should be active and be above ego (Feuerstein, 2006). The Ramayana and Mahabharata have their schools of thought developed from the Preclassical Yoga. They have developed the basis for deep mental focus techniques which can be used to develop intricate knowledge about the body and the mind (Feuerstein, 2006).
Classical Yoga
This is also known as Raja Yoga and is made up of 200 verses taught in Yoga-Sutra by Patanjali (Feuerstein, 2006). It was written around second century A.D. The Yoga-Bhashya is the earliest written work associated with Vyasa and was written to explain Patanjali’s cryptic statements. Patanjali believed that each person is made up of spirit (Purusha) and Matter (Prakriti) (Feuerstein, 2006). He shows understanding of the principles of duality whereby Yoga brings the separation of the matter and spirit. India’s systems of philosophy embrace nondualism and this is contrary to Patanjali’s beliefs which are established on dualism where the two aspects are not the same (Feuerstein, 2006).
Postclassical Yoga
This is a form of Yoga which combines all the other Yoga schools that were developed after Yoga-Sutra by Patanjali. Postclassical Yoga asserts the complete unity of every aspect this is contrary to the classical Yoga which has its basis on the independence of everything. This forms the core basis for the teachings in the Postclassical Yoga teachings of Vedanta which are also based on Upanishads teachings (Feuerstein, 2006).
Classical Yoga based on dualism principles is viewed as a short break from nondualistic teachings of early Vedic Yoga. These teachings assert that everything belongs to one same reality. Brahman is Sanskrit for the one reality which means “that which has grown expansive”. After Patanjali other Yogis took it upon themselves to figure out the hidden potential of the human body. Previous Yogis did not put their efforts on this potential but instead focused their energies in learning about outer body experiences where they leave the physical self and enter the spiritual realm consciously. Influenced by alchemy these new Yogis and Yoginis have shifted focus to understand body processes and develop methods to keep it healthy and refreshed to ensure its survival. Considering the body as a vessel carrying the immortal spirit pushed them to review advanced techniques geared towards rejuvenating the physical body to a level where it is made immortal. This led to development of other forms Yoga such as the Hatha Yoga and Tantra Yoga which have a growing number of adherents all over the world (Feuerstein, 2006).
Modern Yoga
Believed to have been developed during the 1893 parliament of Religions in Chicago where a one of the masters (Swami Vivekanada) of Yoga made a lasting impression on the people who attended about the greatness of Jnana-Yoga (Feuerstein, 2006). Previously other Yogis and Yoginis had crossed the geographical boundaries to Europe, but their influence did not reach Swami Vivekanada’s levels. This master’s influence on a majority of people led to other Yogis involvement in preaching about Yoga and its advantages. The other Yogis who followed in the Swami Vivekanada’s success were Paramahansa Yoganada, Swami Rama Tirtha, Yogendra Mastami and Ramacharaka. The first one arrived in Boston in 1920 and established a Self realization centre. He died or left his body at age 59 and his body showed no signs of decomposition for 20 days. The second was a teacher who established a center on Mount Shasta located in Carlifornia but drowned in the Ganges River at age 33. The third arrived in America in 1919 and went ahead to demonstrate the elegance of Hatha Yoga and established a branch of the Indian organization Kaivalyadhama in America. The fourth Yogi who apparently was a combination of two people a student and his teacher came to the fore in the 1920s. The student was Paul Brunton and the teacher was Baba Bharata. Their books can be located in select used bookstores (Feuerstein, 2006).
Yoga and Mental health
Yoga is known to prevent and even cure certain ailments among these is mental disorders. Yogis over the years have developed techniques that help one focus on the mind to understand the body, spirit and mind connection. Yoga has been seen to cure incurable ailments such as Asthma but science is yet to explore and accept these methods. Pantanjali stated that Yoga’s main focus is to restrict tendencies of the mind and go beyond the ego- Yogaschitta vritti nirodhah (Bhusan, 1994). According to Swami Satyananda “Yoga is a science of consciousness” it provides understanding of the mind processes. It has developed techniques which can be used to experience the different levels of the mind the unconscious, subconscious and conscious as stated by Freud. Freud also states that it is only a small part of the mind which falls under consciousness. On the contrary Yoga suggests that the mind can be developed to become conscious making it super conscious. This gives the individual experiencing this level of consciousness the ability to perform without use of their sensory organs for example; an individual will be able to see without eyes. Yoga works only when the body and mind are combined this also ensures the wellbeing of both the mind and body and a heightened sense of spirituality (Bhusan, 1994). Yoga is done in full consciousness with eyes closed coupled with rhythmic breathing to enhance functioning between the mind body and prana. Prana is the energy which gives life to the body. Free flow of this energy keeps an individual mentally and physically healthy.
The pranic system involves concentrating breathing through both the nostrils the Ida and Pingala to create a balance in both known as sushumna. Excessive or reduced flow in either Ida or Pingala results in psychological health problems. Yoga is practiced to establish a balance between the two to ensure good physical health and to focus the mind on meditation (Bhusan, 1994).
Kundalini Yoga is a procedure geared towards attainment of full super consciousness. It is done by the stirring of the kundalini which is a person’s spiritual energy. The stirring of this energy takes place through gradual unlocking of the seven chakras. In case of over activation of the Ida or the pingala exposes the individual to risk of developing psychopathic problems. The unlocking of the chakras not only leads to physical wellbeing but also gives the individual the ability to develop their super consciousness (Bhusan, 1994).
Yoga used for psychotherapeutic purposes
Certain psychotic and neurotic disorders can be managed or treated by practice of yoga. This is because practice of certain types of meditations ensures mental stability. For example, shavasana can be used in the treatment of hypertension and anxiety. Psychoanalysis differs from Yoga because psychoanalysis is geared towards resolution of the conflicts and strengthening of the ego for the individual to adjust to the situation. This is contrary to Yoga which removes mental strain and goes beyond the ego for a higher level of spirituality (Bhusan, 1994).
Mental health yoga techniques
Mental issues such as depression can be cured by certain forms of yoga such as Vajrasana, shashankasana, garbhasana anandamadirasana, and pranayama. There are other forms of yoga which help in relaxation such as Antar Mouna, Ajapa Japa and Yoga Nidra. These forms change’s an individual’s mind and re-establish their inner genius. To bring out transformation of the mind practice of pratyahara from Raja Yoga developed by patanjali’s is most useful. Through this form of Yoga the unsettling mind is focused to look within and enhances relaxation and improved mental concentration (Bhusan, 1994).
Yoga has demonstrated its ability to lower depression, anger and anxiety this in turn helps to stabilize the mind. Patients’ hostility has been handled by Yoga sessions this is according to doctors who also state that yoga has demonstrated reduced tensions in patients suffering from chronic ailments (Yoshihara et al., 2011). This reflects the need for individuals with physical or psychological issues to participate in yoga training to enhance their health. Yoga has shown that short term practice has far reaching effects which can be developed further to enhance complete control of both the physical and spiritual self. Long term practice of Yoga results into better health this is attributed to the reduced mental disturbance and fatigue. Research has shown that Yoga reduces stress and depression this is seen when researchers conducted a study on pain perception in three groups (Yoshihara et al., 2011). The participants were subjected to painful thumbnail procedures. The group comprising of individuals who regularly practice Yoga showed low pain perception as compared to the rest of the groups (Yoshihara et al., 2011). MRI scans were performed and the results showed a lot of activity around the brain area related to pain perception in the individuals practicing Yoga (Yoshihara et al., 2011). Yoga uses controlled breathing patterns to ensure total body and spirit control where the Yogis focus their mind towards attainment of complete inner peace. This goes to reduce a variety of ailments. Controlled breathing techniques have displayed the ability to treat depression and early stages in recovering alcoholics (Yoga for anxiety and depression, 2009).
In conclusion, Yoga has numerous health benefits that can be used to ensure longer healthy lives. It still has room for research which can be guided towards further development of the Yoga process.
References
Bhusan, J. L. (1994). Yoga and mental health. Retrieved from http://www.yogamag.net/archives/1994/
Feurestein, G. (2006). A short history of Yoga. Retrieved from http://www.swamij.com
Yoga for anxiety and depression. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Mental_Health_Letter/2009/April/
Yoshihara et al. (2011). Profile of mood states and stress-related biochemical indices in long term yoga practitioners. Biopsychosocial Medicine, 5(6). Retrieved from http://www.bpsmedicine.com/content/5/1/6
