Swastha

What is Yoga Therapy?

"Yoga therapy is of modern coinage and represents a first effort to integrate traditional yogic concepts and techniques with Western medical and psychological knowledge. Whereas traditional Yoga is primarily concerned with personal transcendence on the part of a "normal" or healthy individual, Yoga therapy aims at the holistic treatment of various kinds of psychological or somatic dysfunctions ranging from back problems to emotional distress. Both approaches, however, share an understanding of the human being as an integrated body-mind system, which can function optimally only when there is a state of dynamic balance."

Georg Feurstein

When Yoga is used to heal it is known as "Yoga chikitsa," or Yogic therapy. The use of Yoga to heal is distinct from its practice for liberation or enlightenment, which is known as "Yoga sadhana." Yoga Psychology does not have insight into mental illness, nor was it designed to "treat" mental illness. Yoga is best thought of as a collection of lifestyle practices that helps to calm the mind and body. This state of calm is essential for any therapy done with licensed mental health practitioners and psychiatrists. Yoga can work in conjunction with traditional mental health care, to create the back-drop of self-care that assists the individual in returning to their natural state of equanimity.

The use of a yogic lifestyle can positively enhance the long-term benefits of mental health care, Western Psychiatry, Pycho-Analysis, DBT and CBT as it provides the essential back-drop of health and wellness that is often necessary for the cognitive work of Western psychology. For those with chronic mental illness,it is best to work in teams, where your yoga therapist can colloborate with your psychologist to ensure the best support for nourishing your mental health.  

A Yoga Terapist may draw on one or more of the tools of yoga (see section on yoga), and adapt these tools to meet your specific interests and needs. For example, there are many benefits to simple practice of asanas (see below), but a yoga theapist adapts this tool to directly work with symptoms of hyper arousal (stress, anxiety, fidgeting, feelings of being overwhelmed) or hypo arousal (feelings of numbing, dissociation, lack of sensation, difficulty articulating feeling states. Ideally, your private sessions leave you feeling refreshed, energized and able to think through problems in new and innovative ways.  

Benefits of Asanas

“One can talk endlessly, piling words upon words,
coming to various conclusions, but out of all the verbal confusion,if there is one clear action, that action is worth ten thousand words.”

J. Krishnamurti

A well balanced yoga therapy session has you, the client, at the center of the practice. The yoga therapist observes, listens, guides and responds to your inner intelligence - crafting a practice that suits your individual needs.

Developing a positive relationship with one’s physical body is imperative to the process of healing (Frawley, 1997). The somatic practices of Yoga are designed to cultivate increased awareness of the functioning of our physical body, and how it functions in relationship to our mental and emotional habits. As we engage in the exploratory practices of Yoga, we find out how our body reacts to stress, and uncover ways that we can work with the body to remove long-term patterns of embodying stress.

• Releases Tension: Releasing tension in the physical body allows for better circulation and flow of energy in the body. Tension causes us our blood to flow in a more restricted way leading to, decreased memory, mental fatigue and an overall feeling of stress that can lead to anxiety.   

• Physical Alignment: Asanas release habitual tension and brings attention to unnecessary movements. Improved alignment allows our bodies to conserve energy as the body does not have to work as hard to maintain stability. This gives us greater vitality and an improved state of well being.

• Balances the Nervous System: The correct practice of asanas balances the nervous output, helps us to be alert without being tense. They enables us to feel equally at home with activity and resting states. The practice of asanas teaches the individual how to engage in activities while retaining a relaxed and peaceful state of mind. Many of the asanas put pressure on the vagus nerve, leading to greater health and vitality.  

• Change from Chest to Abdominal Breathing: As we switch from chest to abdominal breathing our exhalations are more complete which allows us to take in up to 7 times more oxygen. The increase in oxygen gives us a greater sense of vitality. More oxygen in the system means more oxygen in the brain resulting in improved concentration and mental clarity in addition to a longer life span.

• Counters the Effects of Aging: Pooling of blood and lymph impairs proper nutrient supply to the skin and organs interfering with anti-aging maintenance and repair.

• Improves Endocrine System: Places pressure on the glands and helps to regulate he metabolism of the body.

• Increased circulation of Lymph: The lymphatic system does not have its own circulation method and relies on the movements of the body to keep it flowing. Postures and breathing help to prevent pooling of lymph and increased lymph circulation leading to improved immunity.

• Physical Massage: Placing the body in asanas massages the muscles and glands as well as organs. This benefit is increased with deep breathing during the asanas.

Mark Whitwell - Discourse & Asana Practice | TEACHER: LIVE FROM BHAKTI FEST 2011 | LEVEL: Mixed Levels - 108 minutes yogisanonymous.com/Online-Yoga-Videos.php

Raja Yoga and Yoga Therapy

Asthangha Yoga (ethical precepts, postures, breathing practices, sense withdrawl,concentration, meditation and spirituality) are the foundation of much of Yoga Psychology; they provide a structure upon which self-inquiry is guided.Creating stability is the foundation work of Yoga therapy. Without a basic level of stability the individual will not be capable of handling the continual disruptions caused by environmental, societal or genetic stresses – much less the disruptions caused by the deeper therapeutic work of psychotherapy or the cognitive work of meditation, and self-study.In yogic theory creating stability and self-care around the physical self is the foundation of the deeper work related to clarifying and calming the mind. This work is best guided in a balance between private sessions and group work.

The second chapter of the Yoga Sūtras, the Sadhana Pada, outlines the practice of Yoga. It is here that we find reference to an eight-step process designed to assist the mind to be made gradually stronger, and less vulnerable to outside impressions. This process is called Asthanga Yoga. Asthanga Yoga was initially outlined as a process by which the normal mind can attain states of expanded consciousness. The eight limbs of Yoga offer practical suggestions for the development of discriminative awareness and wisdom (Satchidanada, 1997), that when combined with Āyurvedic insights serve to organize the practices of Yoga therapy.

Available on Kindle: "To Know Yourself" by Swami Satchidananda www.amazon.com/Know-Your-Self-Essential-Satchidananda/dp/0932040616

Asthangha Yoga and Mental Wellness

Limb of Yoga               Reason for limb      Contributes to

 All of the lilmbs of yoga are rich avenues of exploration. Let's take a look at the first limb, the yamas to see how a careful exploration can assist in mental wellness.  The yamas consist of non-violence, truthfulness, control of sexual energy, non-stealing, and non-possessiveness. They are essentially rules of social conduct (Frawley, 1997) that bestow on the practitioner stability in relationships. Understanding our relationship to others is considered to be the first and foremost step of healing. As long as one’s relationship with others is unstable he or she will expend the energy needed for healing in endless arguments, legal battles, and relationship difficulties. It should be noted that Americans have done considerable research on the relationship between the yamas (although not called such) and access to material resources (Kowner, 2001). Therefore, I believe that an individual’s adherence to the yamas should be investigated in relationship to the individual’s social and economic status.

It is easy to fall into the pattern of putting all the blame on individuals so that social status, economy and privilege do not have to be examined. I call this privatization of stress, which has potentially negative consequences for society. Nonetheless, a basic mastery of the yamas is essential to conserving energy that is otherwise dispersed in putting out fires we create in our relationships with others, and ourselves. At least partial mastery of these principals is a necessity before engaging in the difficult work of untangling our self-delusions about who we are, and what motivates our actions.

 Practice of Yamas, Creates Stability: Potential Ways to Practice

Because the mind and body are one in yoga, mental attitudes and beliefs have a physiological correlate.  That is, if you believe that you are not good enough, not worthy of love (a form of self-harm), the physical body may develop slumped shoulders that cover the heart and the head may be downcast. Yoga therapy often works on the physiological or embodied self as the starting point to understanding our cognitions.

FREE E-Book: Swami Sivananda, Mind: It's Mysteries and Control.http://www.epubbud.com/book.php  

 Finding a Yoga Therapist

 "Yoga therapy, at least as practiced in the West today, is a discipline in the making.” Georg Feurstein

Yoga therapy has moved West. With this move has come the coinage of the term “Yoga therapy.” Although there are no specific dates to be found for the term’s first usage, the term represents the West’s initial efforts to integrate Yogic knowledge with Western medical and psychological learning. Yogic principles of consciousness and therapy balance the Western diagnostic and technology oriented approach to healing with an inherent respect for the individual they are treating. The body’s own healing potential and wisdom is honored more than a faith in external manipulation and technology – making Yoga an excellent complement to Western therapies. Philosopher Michel Foucault explains the upsurge in popularity of alternative healing as "…a sort of muddled resistance to the obligatory medicalization of their bodies and their illness" (Foucault, 1994:155). The views of health, as found in Yoga, are one way in which the individual can reclaim a sense of self as something more than his or her body.

Part of the reason that misconceptions exist about how Yoga works, and what it is persist in large part, because of how Yoga is represented in popular publications. Generalized, but popular Yoga magazines frequently foster the idea that Yoga is a “quick fix” for anxiety, depression, and stress reduction. It accomplishes this through eye-catching summaries and “to-do” lists of āsanas. Yoga teacher and founder of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, Michael Lee, calls this, "the popularization of Yoga at its worst…that is really antithetical to what Yoga is all about. Yoga is more of a process rather than a prescription."

No doubt, misunderstandings promoted by these magazines have more to do with what is required from a typical magazine format than any specific intention. The difficulty is that many readers, including new Yoga teachers and psychologists may take these "prescriptions" as reflective of the work that is going on in Yoga therapy. Swami Suddhananda, who is also a licensed psychologist, confirms these concerns, "There is still…this myth that Yoga should be able to fix everything…that is what I find. It is kind of a misplaced view of the teachings." While this “quick fix” attitude persists it will be difficult to generate an interest in dialogue with Yoga professionals because yoga can be learned by anyone in a weekend, or a simple 200 hour training. 

Because yoga has no standardized trainings, it is difficult to say who is a yoga therapist and what their specific role should be. As a bare minimum a yoga therapist should recognize that they are not providing treatment of either psychological or physical ailments. While yoga may positively impact wellness, it is not designed as a treatment for illness. I strongly recommend speaking to your mental health care providers and physician about the addition of yoga to your regular routine. If you are seeking the guidance of a yoga therapist or educator, you may want to schedule a conversation with them to ask about their training, possible contraindications and approach and see if this approach might work for you.

Yoga is not always benign, and can be harmful for some individuals, as a slow growing body of literature is beginning to note: 

Douglass, L. (2009). Yoga as an intervention for eating disorders: Does it help? Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention. 17 (2): 126-139.

Lu, J. S. and J. M. Lierre (2007). Psychotic Episode Associated With Bikram Yoga. American Journal of Psychiatry. 164: 1760-1761.

Yorston, G. A. (2001). "Mania precipitated by meditation: a case report and literature review." Mental Health, Religion & Culture 4(2): 209-213.

 Listing of Yoga Therapists: www.IAYT.ORG 

To Contact Laura for a yoga therapy session: laura[at]yogapsychology.org