Yoga As Therapy

DSc Health Promotion and Wellness faculty member promotes balanced living through Yoga and meditation

As health promotion educators, we follow evidence-based scientific advances through continuing educational resources (e.g., journals, trainings, conferences). Staying up-to-date is critical to fulfilling our ongoing commitment of employing best practices in serving our students, clients and patients. Recently, a business-training grant from the Wyoming Workforce Services Department provided an excellent opportunity for me to enhance my understanding of the power of therapeutic yoga.

I attended the 2015 Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research (SYTAR) June 4-7, which is annually hosted by the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT). IAYT is the global professional organization for yoga teachers and therapists that advocates research and education in yoga. SYTAR is a conference dedicated to updating attendees on research, best practices and policy issues. I was so inspired at this international event that I am eager to share some of the most stimulating topics and presenters with you!

The content, venue and atmosphere at SYTAR 2015 radiated a sense of community, professionalism and integrity! Thought-provoking seminars revealed how therapeutic benefits of yoga can optimize lifelong health and wellbeing. Many sessions focused on practical applications for treating individuals with chronic diseases, structural issues and emotional and psychological conditions. Numerous presenters concentrated on successful integration of yoga therapy into conventional health care systems. A few speakers provided informative lectures on history and early champions of yoga therapy, healthy aging practices and combining neuroscience with mindful yoga. Presentations on utilizing yoga as a powerful tool in preventive health care stimulated conversations about its effectiveness as a complementary accompaniment to necessary Western medical treatments.

Loren Fishman, MD, a Columbia University professor, concentrated his workshops on situations related to back pain, rotator cuff and osteoporosis, which were highly interactive; everyone became involved! Dilip Sarkar, MD, FACS, CAP, discussed his research project on “Yoga Therapy for Space Health.” As a retired vascular surgeon and Fellow of the American Association of Integrative Medicine, Dr. Sarkar is highly regarded globally for his work in yoga therapy, Ayurvedic wellness, and integrative medicine. With NASA’s approval, he and his team are creating therapeutic yoga guidelines for managing physical, physiological and psychological disruptions triggered by space travel.

Yoga is an ancient discipline that offers a broad range of methods to promote health, assist with healing and facilitate spiritual transformation. Unique and changing needs of students are addressed through continuous adaptation of many tools, when guided by qualified teachers. Yoga is for everyone, offering physical practices, special breathing techniques, powerful meditative moments, symbolic gestures, use of vocal sounds, guided self-inquiry and more. Yoga therapy is an integrative practice designed to empower the client to open to life

experiences by increasing perception, bringing powerful self-care to daily life. This healing modality focuses on linking movement to rhythmic breathing and emphasizes release through relaxation. A knowledgeable and gifted yoga therapist will design a personalized program, motivating the client to feel connected to the healing process and to practice at home.

At SYTAR, my mentors, Baxter Bell, MD, E-RYT-500, and JJ Gormley, E-RYT-500, facilitated hands-on seminars based on their work with one of the leading authorities in yoga therapy for lifelong health and wellbeing, TVK Desikachar. When we choose to practice purposefully, we embrace “…our relationships with others, our behavior, our health, our breathing, and our meditation path” (Desikachar, The Heart of Yoga, ©1995). Dr. Bell speaks of the power of yoga on his website: “Yoga is a practice of almost unlimited possibilities, benefiting our physical health, our sense of mental and emotional wellbeing, and feeding our soul on its search for purpose and meaning. And because of all these things, yoga can help us get healthy, stay healthy and also help us deal with sadness and suffering when they inevitably show up in our lives” (www.baxterbell.com).

JJ Gormley’s philosophy is to practice “… yoga poses from the perspective of the energetic body and staying connected to the earth energetically (being well-grounded) … to create more space at the joints so one can move with better freedom and release stuck energy.” (www.suryachandrahealingyoga.com).

Personalized therapeutic yoga sessions can lead toward healing and growth. As clarity of mind increases, the ‘wandering mind’ is reined in, creating deeper awareness and greater appreciation of the true function of physical poses, to encourage calming, responsive energy moment by moment. Ultimately, experiencing greater harmony of heart, mind and soul starts with applying specific breath techniques, gentle re-alignment and purposeful meditative moments. The timeless relevance of philosophies that shaped the ancient discipline of yoga remains valuable and appealing in today’s world … practical, yet so powerful! Beneficial yoga therapy focuses on addressing all aspects of the human life “… We begin where we are, how we are, and whatever happens, happens” (Desikachar, The Heart of Yoga, ©1995).

“YOGA THERAPY IS AN INTEGRATIVE PRACTICE DESIGNED TO EMPOWER THE CLIENT TO OPEN TO LIFE EXPERIENCES BY INCREASING PERCEPTION, BRINGING POWERFUL SELF-CARE TO DAILY LIFE.”