Yoga for soulful healing is the need of the hour

Recognizing the universal appeal on December 11, 2014 the United Nations proclaimed June 21, as International Yoga Day. The day aims to raise awareness to worldwide of the many benefits of practicing yoga.

Yoga seeks to make tension free world and spread the message of harmony, and this thought was shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his recent visit to USA. Yoga has been instrumental in the direction to promote India’s image as global through leader Vishwa Guru or guru of the world.

Today, more and more Indians are now turning for alternative options for wellness such as yoga and meditation that can help to maintain one’s well-being, physically, mentally and spiritually.

Yoga can improve fitness level, fight cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease and variety of other disorders.
With increasing scientific research in yoga, its therapeutic aspects are also being explored. Such global recognition of yoga also testifies to India’s growing cultural influence.

According to American Cancer Society, with yoga and mindfulness one can improve quality of life and reduce chemotherapy side effects and as per scientific evidence the following disorders yoga does treat.

Back Pain
About 80 percent of adults will experience back pain at some point of time in their life and it is something that can cause a lot distress and distraction. But research has shown that yoga or simply stretching can alleviate chronic back pain. A recent study found that both yoga and stretching helped people with chronic pain, they were considered safe options for a condition that is normally treated with a regimen of painkillers.

Heart disease
A recent study of Erasmus University Medical Centre found that yoga was benefited for cardiovascular health. While yoga mainly works on flexibility and muscular strength it is not considered an aerobic exercise like running. The results indicate that yoga is potentially very useful and it focuses more on slower poses, meditative breathing that assist in reducing stress and lowering blood pressure, thereby reduce heart diseases.

Chemo-therapy side effects
In one recent study scientists gathered breast cancer patients, who were suffering from debilitating chemotherapy effects and placed them in 90-minute yoga classes twice a week. They found that cancer patients had more energy, less fatigue and slept much better than the patients who didn’t do yoga.

Arthritis
It is generally agreed that yoga can and does assist in reducing the stress and frustration caused by arthritis. American Johns Hopkins University states that early studies have shown promising results with some improvement in joint health, physical functioning and mental or emotional well-being. People with arthritis may also enjoy yoga more than traditional forms of exercise.

Diabetes
Surya namaskara, which is a twelve step yogic routine of stretching and breathing, is extremely effective in controlling diabetes, as it promotes the production of insulin form the pancreas.

Anxiety disorders, depression
One study found that several studies of exercise and yoga have demonstrated therapeutic effectiveness superior to no-activity controls and comparable with established depression and anxiety treatments such as cognitive therapy, sertaline and imipramine. For anxiety disorders, yoga has shown positive effects than aerobics and other exercises.

Sleep disorders
A 2004 study found that yoga treated chronic insomnia in patients, like most exercise. Yoga can improve sleeping patterns and fight insomnia stress and the buzz of external anxieties and sedentary lifestyle can keep us lying awake in the night. Learning to breathe more slowly and deeply can improve sleep and the results found yoga to be the best cure for sleep disorders.

Today, in India it is also gaining popularity as the government also granted tax exemptions for yoga institutions in India, an initiative that will encourage practitioners and consumers and also attract more foreign nationals.
The government initiatives are in line with the government’s ambition of strengthening India’s role as the global yoga centre and boost tourism.

By: Gudipati Rajendera Kumar