Healing With Yoga

Many people are discovering that the beneficial effects of practicing yoga are well recognized these days not only by the yoga community but also by medical doctors. By practicing yoga one can lessen the negative effects of a number of medical conditions, such as cancer, high blood pressure, infertility, insomnia, joint pain, lung disease, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease, to name a few.

Stress-related Illness

Responsible for a large number of illnesses, stress can be reduced through yoga techniques. When a person has an overactive stress response, there are a number of problems that can develop. Here are just some of the problems they can have: anxiety, several autoimmune disease, cardio-vascular disease, colitis, depression, some types of diabetes mellitus, aggravated suppression of the immune system, irritable bowel syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and even reproductive problems. Quite a list, isn’t it!

Fight Or Flight

Stress in our metabolism is triggered by our sympathetic nervous system response. Faced with an endangering or disturbing element, we have one of two options -- fight or flight. Physically, the heart rate increases, along with blood pressure, breathing becomes shallow and the muscles tense. This response reduces the blood flow to the internal organs and processes that are not essential at that moment (such as digestion and elimination) are shut down. Because this state of increased awareness and readiness prepares our body to react to the outside interventions and stimuli, it actually can be beneficial on a short term. In other words, in a fight or flight response, the body readies itself both mentally and physically to act. However, when there is long-term exposure to stress, the body has fewer reserves to enable it to function in a normal way.

Relaxation Response

The parasympathetic nervous system or the relaxation response, however, is the natural countermeasure for the fight or flight response. Automatically activated when the elements that caused the stress are gone, by breathing deeply and relaxing your muscles, it is possible to increase the effects of the relaxation response. Our body is then allowed to recover faster, and in an efficient and prompt manner, we can eliminate the harmful effects of stress.

Challenges

In addition to practicing the breathing and relaxation techniques of yoga to reduce the harmful effects of stress, a lessened fight or flight response can also be achieved by looking at adverse factors as challenges rather than threats. Rather than creating an abrupt response, this approach allows your mind to focus on finding a solution. Instead of reacting, the technique is one of acting; in other words, rather than respond to outside factors, take the initiative.

Healing Process

Although yoga’s positive effects are undeniable during a healing process, these techniques should only be used as a means of support and not relied upon solely. By addressing a problem both from a mental and physical point of view, and combining yoga with modern and traditional medicine, the healing process will be a beneficial one.