One of the most interesting aspects of yoga that is emerging in recent years is the so-called " yoga therapy ": discipline in the early days, it proposes to use the repertory of asanas, pranayama (breath control), mental techniques and meditation for therapeutic purposes .
If this new branch is still taking its first steps, it is more usual to follow the patient's healing path with yoga .
Whether it is a simple cold or a more serious disease, it is not uncommon that in addition to medications or all the precautions provided by the therapy, the doctor proposes to try a yoga course especially now that its benefits are widely documented.
Why yoga to deal with the disease
Depending on the disease, healing is a more or less long and difficult journey. Yoga can fit into it as a gentle support from at least two points of view:
- support in the management of chronic diseases and prevention of a degeneration of symptoms;
- emotional support for the more subtle aspects of the healing process (especially for the most severe cases) involving the patient's emotional depths.
Yoga as a support in managing chronic diseases
Many clinical studies show how yoga can make its contribution (more or less significant) when it comes to chronic disorders: without being able to resolve them, it helps the practitioner to live better with the symptoms in a framework of disease containment .
Unfortunately, many doctors are not up to date with the latest scientific evidence or are constitutionally skeptical of this discipline so they do not take into consideration the possibilities it offers in addition to traditional therapy.
Fortunately, however, the situation is slowly evolving and it is starting to be less rare to run into pupils "on medical prescription".
Karma and illness according to Swami Vishnudevananda
Yoga as an emotional support
Beyond the purely physical aspect, unfortunately, often the sick person is also found to fight monsters of a psychological nature: frustration, killing, depression, anger, anguish are just some of the emotions that can arise when health decides to turn its back to us .
Where the body does not work properly, interiority also begins to crumble. Yoga helps to manage emotions, gently picks up the pieces and invites them to put them back together with its more mental and subtle nature; there are studies that show its effectiveness in cases of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress syndromes.
Furthermore, the importance of the yoga course should not be underestimated not only as a "lesson time", but also as an opportunity for detachment, socializing and pleasant human interaction .
It is not uncommon for friendships to be made on the mat or open to genuine and full of warmth sharing : they can only be a ray of sunshine if you are going through a dark period.
Even yoga can help you heal
As we exposed at the beginning, yoga is gradually becoming a therapeutic possibility at least for some problems.
Likewise, one can add to the path of care outlined to the doctor without pretending to influence him, but simply as a companion to lean on along the way . A friend present, trustworthy and confident that he can only give us a hand.
