Yoga has been practiced for more than 5,000 years. Although in the West it has been known mainly as a system of breathing exercises, physical postures and meditation, yoga has traditionally also included lifestyle guidelines and ethical standards in support of spiritual development.
Yoga as alternative medicine: Beginning nearly a century ago in the work of yoga pioneer T. Krishnamacharya, yoga has very much concerned itself with healing specific ailments: by means of 1) the prescription of certain yoga asanas or poses, and 2) a close partnership with Ayurveda medicine, the traditional health care system of India. Over 100 scientific studies have found yoga to be an effective treatment for a broad range of medical problems, from cardiovascular disease to carpal tunnel syndrome.
Yoga as exercise: In the Western world, one aspect of yoga known as Asana, has grown increasingly popular as a form of physical exercise. Although some Western forms of yoga seem to have little to do with spirituality, mainly emphasizing fitness and health, as the practice of yoga has spread, it has increasingly acknowledged and incorporated its traditional spiritual roots. In the past 10 years, most yoga schools have grown to take an approach that is more in tune with traditional yoga, incorporating mental and spiritual development as well as purely physical culture. "The concept of what constitutes yoga is broadening as more people take it up," says one of the leading figures in yoga theory and practice, Swami Satyananda Saraswati.
For example, the popular YogaFit system developed by Beth Shaw, while featuring a simpler approach to yoga that emphasizes physical fitness, also incorporates traditional yoga methods that promote calmness and aim at achieving a deeper connection between oneself and the world at large. Shaw, in the organization's main text, YogaFit, also acknowledges that for some, yoga facilitates a connection with the Divine. The text also features, in its beginning pages, a succinct but detailed explanation of the traditional codes of conduct and lifestyle observances found in the classic Yoga Sutras of Patanjali..
A classic sequence of 12 poses, known as Surya Namaskara or Salutation to the Sun, is widely used in yoga. A dynamic series of postures, it may be used either as a warm-up to a more traditional style of hatha yoga practice (e.g., Iyengar Yoga), or it may form a main component of one of the more athletic styles, such as Ashtanga or Power Yoga.
Yoga was introduced to American society in the late 19th century by Swami Vivekananda, the founder of the Vedanta Society. He traveled and lectured on Indian philosophy in the U.S. for three years, and taught yoga in group classes. In the 1960's two close disciples of T. Kriahnamacharya, B.K.S. Iyengar and T.K.V. Desikachar, brought a health-oriented approach to yoga to America, with great success. Both teachers developed therapeutic treatments for respiratory, cardiac, stroke, and injury victims, as well as therapies for mental illness and disabilities. In the 1980's Dean Ornish, MD, a follower of Swami Satchidananda, published research establishing yoga's positive impact on heart disease, legitimizing yoga for many Westerners. A yoga boom followed.
A survey released in December 2008 by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine focused on who usedcomplementary and alternative medicine (CAM), what was used, and why it was used in the United States by adults age 18 years and over during 2007.According to this survey, Yoga was the 6th most commonly used CAM therapy in the United States during 2007, with 6.1 percent participating. Yoga is considered a mind-body intervention that is used to reduce the health effects of generalized stress.
Overview as alternative medicine
Yoga is believed to calm the nervous system and balance the body, mind, and spirit. It is thought by its practitioners to prevent specific diseases and maladies by keeping the energy meridians open and life energy (Prana) flowing. Yoga is usually practiced in classes that range from 60 to 90 minutes in length. Yoga has been used to lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and improve coordination, flexibility, concentration, sleep, and digestion.
It has also been used as supplementary therapy for such diverse conditions as cancer, diabetes, asthma, AIDS and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Yoga as exercise for treating diseases
The popularization in the West of the medical aspect of Yoga is largely attributed to Dr.Swami Sivananda Saraswati's Bihar School of Yoga] and Dr. Nagarathna Raghuram MBBS MD FRCP, Chief Medical Director of Swami Vivekananda Yoga University. Most yoga classes consist of a combination of physical exercises, breathing exercises, and meditation. These characteristics make yoga a particularly beneficial kind of exercise for people with certain health conditions, including heart disease/hypertension, asthma, and back problems.
For people with heart problems, studies have shown yoga to help people young and old. Specifically, yoga seems to promote heart health in several ways, including regulating high blood pressure and improving resistance to psychological stress. Yoga also has the potential to buffer against the harmful effects of bodily self-objectification as well as to promote embodiment and well-being.
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