By Aliya Agha
Last week, a friend’s wedding was scheduled to take place with a big bang but just a three days before the event, her father, a 55 year old successful corporate executive, was rushed to the hospital with a severe heart condition. Spending his days wrapped in tubes and electrodes, the executive struggles to live more and the family laments his stressful struggles for worldly success.
Lets admit, life may be getting easier for many Asians, as economy moves from agrarian to present-day industry, accessing western education and adopting elegant contemporary lifestyles. For all this, we pay a dreadful cost- our health. Undeniably, it is the last thing on anyone’s mundane agenda and left to heavens to decide.
The word “health” is commonly understood as absence of disease. A matter, we think concerns only medicine practitioners. No doubt medical science has made huge leaps in reducing suffering from infectious diseases and further advances are much needed. It is clear that medical intervention works well for immediate treatment; however it does not address long term health and wellness.
Disease is considered as part of body’s decaying process and so people become passive about their health and wellness. However, yoga considers disease as only a symptom. The underlying causes can be numerous for any disease. Medical intervention can be supported with yoga as the discipline promotes self-healing through mind, body and spirit. An old Urdu adage states, even a medicine doesn’t work, unless you mentally desire wellbeing. Modern day lofty mindset brings disconnect to matters of psychological and emotional harmony as they are no longer considered as pursuits of the soul but outsourced to psychiatrist as well.
Humans are born with emotions that can flare their behavior based on anger, vengeance, greed, fear or envy. Consider these inner sensations as part of a ‘subtle body”. These emotions or sensations penetrate deep into our physical body and are reflected as physiological imbalances of hormones, enzymes and antibodies. Dr. Chantal Hofstee describes in his book Mindfulness on the Run, “Working from a state of stress is like driving your car with the handbrake on; you might get from A to B, but it takes a lot of effort and in the long run it does damage”.
Most ancient medicine theory upheld the belief that if life is capable of creating itself, just the way it does in a womb, it can also heal itself. One of the most well established disciplines that tackle the inner healing is the science of Yoga. It promotes bringing balance into the physiological and psychological systems. Though yoga is not a method of treating infectious diseases but there are many excerpts that point toward healing and preventive value of different yogic postures. Yoga reduces catabolic effect of cells in the body or what we call the wear and tear. A study conducted “Physiological and Biochemical Effects of Yogic and Certain Other Exercises”, 1975, in which Dr. Udupa and his colleagues reported improved functioning of thyroid and adrenal glands including other enzymes in the body through yoga practices.
Yoga addresses the root cause of the disease and through correct guidance on the right postures for that particular disease or condition, the result can be very encouraging, especially in addressing autoimmune diseases, like diabetes, arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, IBS and others. These diseases have become an endemic in South Asia. Yoga has the potential to improve body’s vitality. In a study “Yoga, Science & Man” (Dr. Kapoor & Dr. Seth, 1975, Jhansi), it was established that yogic practice for continued periods, brings blood pressure and rate of respiration in the lower limit of normal, as well as healthier pulse rate ranging from 56 to 59 per minute. With the endocrine system in balance, the body is in homeostasis and the mind is at ease.
Another study (Drs. Karambelkar, Bhole and Gharote form Kaivalyadhama, Lonavala in 1967), measuring the electrical activity generated from each muscle fiber during hatha yoga practice, marked improvement was observed in neuromuscular responses. Meaning that other exercises bring fatigue and stress to the muscle, where as yoga reduces that fatigue level and relaxes the muscles. This in turn will have positive physiological effects on the body.
Yoga is about healing rather than curing. Consistent practice is known to help overall balance in your body and mind. After all, health is derived from life choices in attitudes, thoughts and emotions. These choices range from nourishment to occasions of laughter, frequency of indulging in nature, pursuing knowledge for personal development and above all, understanding the true state of bliss. Thus, to be happy is to be healthy.
Author is a Wellness & Yoga Expert
aliya@aliyaagha.com
*****
