As I continue my journey as both a yogi and an instructor of yoga, I have experienced more and more ways in which yoga benefits people’s health, especially by helping overcome various ailments. Increasingly, I have been delving into the many therapeutic applications of yoga. I have been humbled by the many ways in which this ancient discipline of ours is able to help with modern health issues.
Yoga and obesity
Researchers have found that the mental, physical and emotional impacts of yoga help with weight reduction. This has been true in my own experience as well. The way that yoga has a positive impact on the mood, the internal organs of the body and the endocrine glands helps manage and reduce obesity. Yoga is seen to have a positive impact on BMI, waist circumference, lean mass, cholesterol and lipid levels.
Yoga and psychiatry
Yoga is seen to help people manage anxiety and depression more effectively and to help reduce the severity of the symptoms among people with mental ailments. Because of this, counselors and psychiatrists now add yoga to their treatment protocols to help people overcome their addictions and dependency issues, as well as other psychosocial problems. In particular, the meditation element in the yogic routine is seen to help to improve overall quality of life and emotional wellbeing. It is also seen to help improve quality of sleep. With the improvement of these key symptoms, people can combat the symptoms and the root causes of their problems more effectively. Recovery also becomes more effective and longer lasting.
Yoga and oncology
Another very effective therapeutic application for yoga is for people with cancer. I have found that yoga increases muscle strength and flexibility and also helps improve symptoms for various musculoskeletal issues. Hence it is very effective for pain management; one of the main reasons that yoga is often a vital ingredient in the therapy for cancer survivors. Yoga can help improve the mood, boost immunity and restore muscle strength. All of these can be vital for cancer patients struggling to recover from the impacts of chemotherapy, radiation therapy and so on.
Yoga for intellectually challenged children
For kids with mental disabilities, yoga can have a very positive impact. When behavioral therapists make children with mental retardation do yoga, this is seen to have several positive impacts. Researchers have found that yoga can actually help to improve IQ levels and also help to improve social adaptation parameters.
In my own experience I have also found that I have been able to help people with back pain and other types of chronic pain. When done regularly, yoga has helped reduce the severity of pain and also helped reduce the dosage of medications. Yoga is also highly beneficial because it helps improve the mood, which is very effective for people dealing with chronic stress, depression and anxiety. These positive impacts mean that people choose to continue with their yoga routines; and this further improves longer term outcomes. In my next post I will also share with you some success stories about people whom I have been able to help with targeted yoga therapy.