An Overview of Yoga
Yoga is a treasure trove of ancient wisdom, gifted to us by our ancestors over five millennia ago. Regrettably, in modern times, the practice of yoga is often reduced to merely doing asanas or physical poses. However, the essence of yoga extends far beyond this narrow view.
The term “yoga” originates from the Sanskrit word ‘yuj’, which signifies unification. It represents the harmony between the individual soul (jivatma) and the universal spirit (paramatma). Essentially, it fosters a consciousness in which practitioners find balance with their environment.
According to the venerable Pantanjali yoga sutras, yoga comprises eight limbs:
1. Ethical disciplines (yama and niyama)
2. Physical postures (asana)
3. Breath control (pranayama)
4. Sense withdrawal (pratyahara)
5. Focused attention (dharana)
6. Meditation (dhyana)
7. Union with the divine (samadhi)
Hatha yoga practitioners further developed techniques like cleansing methods (kriya), gestures (mudra), and locks (bandhas).
### Understanding Health
The term ‘Health’ is somewhat elusive and complex. A crucial question to consider is, “Can a person who is free from disease be deemed healthy?”
In 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) offered a comprehensive definition of health: it is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not just the absence of illness.
Health encompasses several dimensions, including physical, mental, social, vocational, moral, emotional, and spiritual aspects.
From this perspective, it’s clear that health is a fluid and multifaceted state. Therefore, achieving optimal health necessitates a holistic approach that addresses every dimension, where yoga stands out as an ideal pathway:
– Asanas (postures) and shat kriyas (cleansing techniques) bolster physical health.
– Dhyana (meditation) and dharana (concentration) enhance mental well-being.
– Yama (moral discipline) and niyama (personal observance) reflect timeless principles of ethical behavior laid down by sage Patanjali, akin to contemporary public health ideals.
– Practices such as pranayama (breath control) and pratyahara (sense withdrawal) support emotional health.
– Yoga emphasizes the significance of surrendering to the divine, fostering spiritual well-being.
Thus, the traditional notion of optimal health can be attained through yoga practice.
### The Yogic Perspective on Health
To grasp the yogic view of health, one must understand the human body’s composition. The Taittareeya Upanishad describes the human body as consisting of five sheaths known as the pancakoshas.
Achieving optimal health means attaining wellness across these five levels:
1. **Annamayakosha or Physical Body**: The physical form consists of the five great elements (pancamahabhootas) organized into seven fundamental tissues or saptadhatus, including rasa (lymph), rakta (blood), and more.
2. **Pranamayakosha or Energy Body**: Composed of energy channels, or Nadis, that facilitate the flow of prana, the life force. It also includes the seven chakras where these nadis converge.
3. **Manomayakosha or Emotional Body**: Comprising the three gunas (Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas), which shape personality traits.
4. **Vijnanamayakosha or Intellectual Body**: This kosha enables the discernment of right from wrong.
5. **Anandamayakosha or Bliss Body**: This state of bliss emerges during advanced yogic practices.
### Insights from the Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita articulates yoga as:
**Samatvam yoga ucyate (2.48)**
This excerpt conveys that equanimity equates to yoga, suggesting that it creates both physical stability and mental serenity. Yoga fosters a harmonious balance where physiological functions operate smoothly, and the mind remains unperturbed by extremes of desire or aversion.
Furthermore, the Gita provides an in-depth portrayal of mental health. A person of steady wisdom, or sthitaprajna, embodies key traits such as tranquility, emotional stability, self-restraint, and unity with brahman, or the ultimate truth.
### Insights from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika
Hatha yoga’s physical attributes of a healthy practitioner are outlined in this classic text authored by Swatmarama. These traits, termed ‘Hatha Yoga Lakshana,’ arise from regular practice:
**Characteristics include:**
– Slim build
– Radiance of the face
– Clarity of voice
– Bright, clear eyes
– Freedom from illness
– Vital digestive fire
– Purified nadis
### Insights from the Patanjali Yoga Sutras
The Vibhutipada of the Patanjali Yoga Sutras describes bodily perfection (kaya sampat):
**(4.46)**
In this context, a perfect body embodies beauty, elegance, strength, and resilience, pointing to robust physical health.
The sutras elaborate on the art of mind management, exploring characteristics and steps toward superior mental health in detail.
### Understanding Disease
Disease refers to the impairment of health, where the body’s optimal functions are disrupted.
### Insights from the Patanjali Yoga Sutras
In the Samadhi Pada of the Yoga Sutras, thirteen obstacles to attaining samadhi (antarayas) are highlighted, with vyadhi or disease noted among them, specifically relating to physical well-being.
The Sadhana Pada describes five kleshas or afflictions, identified as sources of mental disorders, including ignorance (avidya) and desire (raga), with ignorance being the primary root of all afflictions.
### Insights from the Yoga Vashishta
The Yoga Vashishta dissects disease through the lens of harmony and balance:
– In the **anandamayakosha (bliss body)**, individuals achieve optimal health through perfect equilibrium.
– In the **vijnanamayakosha (intellectual body)**, movements are aligned correctly.
– Imbalances take root in the **manomayakosha (emotional body)**, serving as the foundation for various diseases.
These disturbances originate from ajnana or ignorance, leading to imbalanced thinking (adhi), which subsequently manifests as physical ailments (vyadhi) characterized by three forms of digestive irregularities:
1. **Ajeernatva**: Indigestion
2. **Atijeernatva**: Overactivity of the digestive system
3. **Kujeernatva**: Abnormal digestive functioning
Naturopathic philosophy suggests that digestive dysfunction is the cornerstone of many diseases, even stating that “constipation is the root of ailments,” confirming that disease causation follows the outlined sequence.
In contemporary medicine, these are termed psychosomatic ailments, a relatively recent introduction compared to the comprehensive insights presented in ancient texts.
– **Adhi**: Psychological distractions arising from ignorance.
– **Vyadhi**: Physical health issues.
– **Adhijavyadhi**: Psychosomatic ailments.
– **Anadhijavyadhi**: Physical ailments without stress origins.
– **Sara adhijavyadhi**: Hereditary disorders; overcome through advanced mental states or attaining Samadhi.
– **Samanyaadhijavyadhi**: Non-inherited conditions.
– **Upadhi**: Self-imposed suffering.
The trajectory of symptoms in psychosomatic disorders evolves through four phases:
1. **Psychic Phase**: Mild psychological disturbances.
2. **Psychosomatic Phase**: Emergence of general physical symptoms.
3. **Somatic Phase**: Organ dysfunction, particularly in weakened areas.
4. **Organic Phase**: Complete disease manifestation with pathological changes.
