A Journey Back To Wholeness Series: Yoga Therapy is written by By M. Mays.
Much like other therapies, this one is not always presented true to the adequate definition or principles. It is not necessarily following the root/ history. In the United States, it is a billions of dollar industry, but other parts of the world embody this in every motion/breath + it doesn’t cost anything more than your attention, effort, practice & willingness to try.
DISCLAIMER: The pieces in this series are not to be considered official medical advice… As with any health care treatment option, there are risks that each individual must consider, pros/cons to be weighed and ultimately a personally made decision for what’s believed to be best for themselves. Though meant to serve as unbiased and educational, this series was written based on over two decades of personal experience which by no means is intended to speak or be true for all. You are invited to enjoy with an open-mind and heart, take what resonates and leave the rest.
Yoga therapists prescribe regimens of techniques such as breathing exercises + postures, to applicably adhere to specific needs– including but not limited to the use of props such as:
- Bolsters.
- Blankets.
- Blocks.
- Straps.
- Sandbags.
Yoga comprises a wide range of mind/body practices that interconnect. It’s a relational art. Postural and breathing exercises can be tailored to health needs of an individual, meaning it’s up to our creation & our participation.
Yoga works to relieve us from stress giving our bodies the ‘OK’ to settle & ‘BE’– which can provide immediate relief. Not that it takes all pain away, it can at times heighten or expose things we’d rather not feel. Tapping into a conscious connectedness to ourselves and the ‘other’ the world.
Dissolve everything and Become a new Self
Taking time to ‘land’ in our bodies in a way that is not on auto-pilot or operating from a place of fight or flight \ survival mode. Is necessary & typically not something that comes naturally.
Yoga Therapy, is an individualized approach to deal with a particular [medical] or other ailment or condition. Whereas a Yoga Class can be set to a more generalized flow. Yoga in itself is therapeutic & has offered many benefits for an extended period in history: origins can be traced to northern India over 5,000 years ago.
The word yoga was mentioned first in ancient sacred texts called the Rig Veda. Yoga was refined and developed by Rishis (sages) whose beliefs/practices were documented in the Upanishads.
The Sanskrit word YOGA, has several interpretations and meanings. “To put to active and purposeful use.” Other translations are: “yoke, join, or concentrate” because the goal is to unify our beings with what we’re experiencing.
Essentially, yoga has come to describe a means of UNITY. Yoga comes out of an oral tradition in which the teaching was transmitted directly from teacher to student. When reflecting upon how we ordinarily think of this practice in modern day life; first thoughts include poses, which isn’t wrong. The element that dates back the farthest is sound vibration also known as Nāda Yoga.
We might think of the art and science of yoga as a kind of magnificent tapestry that is woven together by the threads of universal truths
Initially, the discipline of Hatha which is the physical aspect of yoga, was developed as a means for meditation, preparing the body (particularly the nervous system) for cultivation of the necessary strength & stamina that allows for a calm mind.
The word “Hatha” also has several translations. With ha meaning “sun” and tha meaning “moon,” we have the common interpretation of hatha yoga as “a union of the pairs of opposites.”
A more technical translation of hatha yoga is “force or determined effort.” Thus hatha yoga, the “yoga of activity,” is the yoga that addresses the body and mind and requires discipline and effort. It is the yoga that we can feel, that we can experience right now/here, that can help with:
- Cognitive impairments,
- Memory improvements,
- Reduced risk of heart disease,
- Believed to relieve stress + other physical symptoms of the human experience.
Yoga is the acknowledgement of the universe that exists within us– honoring that we are the rulers over that- exploration of “BALANCE”, finding harmony amidst the chaos.
About the author: M. Mays, iPain Living Writer, iPain Community Impact Award Winner 2021
Other parts to this series:
A Journey Back To Wholeness Series: Energy Healing
A Journey Back To Wholeness Series; Massage Therapy
A Journey Back To Wholeness Series: Mindfulness
