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 Table of Contents  
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Year : 2014  |  Volume : 2  |  Issue : 2  |  Page : 33-34

Contemplating yoga: A sound mind requires a healthy body


Division of Humanities, Kean University, NJ, USA

Date of Web Publication22-Jun-2015

Correspondence Address:
Renee Ann Pistone
Kean University, 1000 Morris Avenue Union NJ 08748
USA
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Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None


DOI: 10.4103/2347-5633.159120

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  Abstract 

Background: There is a widespread notion that yoga contributes to a person's mental state and the question becomes does yoga have the power to heal the body. Aim: The mind and body can influence each other leading to healing from chronic illness using yoga techniques. Materials and Methods: Using an analysis of prior studies the connection or link is established between physical and mental processes. Results: Chronically ill patients benefit from holistic approaches to care that include stimulating multiple systems causing the patient's disease. Conclusion: Early intervention using yoga therapeutic techniques can aid chronically ill patients in way that traditional medicine may not.

Keywords: Mental, social well-being, yoga


How to cite this article:
Pistone RA. Contemplating yoga: A sound mind requires a healthy body. Int J Yoga - Philosop Psychol Parapsychol 2014;2:33-4

How to cite this URL:
Pistone RA. Contemplating yoga: A sound mind requires a healthy body. Int J Yoga - Philosop Psychol Parapsychol [serial online] 2014 [cited 2024 Mar 29];2:33-4. Available from: https://www.ijoyppp.org/text.asp?2014/2/2/33/159120


  Yoga and wellness Top


Physical activity is a necessary component as part of an individual's wellness program. [1],[2],[3] Yoga is a form of physical activity that may lead to a reduction in muscle loss and increase mobility and functioning in chronically ill patients. Yoga is an ancient Indian physical activity that confers health benefits that are similar to traditional exercise programs. It emphasizes acceptance of limitations, awareness about one's body, and stress reduction. The deep breathing techniques associated with yoga can help patients promote a safe and healthy nonpharmacological approach to medical care.


  Yoga as a form of alternative medicine for chronically ill patients Top


Chronically ill patient attitudes, beliefs, expectations, and mood influence pain levels and a respective patient's response to treatment. [4] Yoga, as a form of alternative medicine, attempts to address all aspects of illness simultaneously. This integrative therapeutic approach, as used by Yoga Instructors, within their respective practice differs from a systems-oriented approach that considers a cascade by which a change in one dimension causes changes in another. [5] In yoga, as well as other alternative forms of therapy, it would be challenging to assess treatment efficacy by focusing solely on one aspect of the individual chronically ill patient including a given symptom or functional ability.


  Yoga as therapy Top


Therefore, in assessing interventions that include forms of yoga as therapy, it is logical to include an outcome that will consider broader possibilities for the chronically ill patient that has few treatment options. Yoga is a modality that encompasses: Biological, psychological, and social issues as forms of yoga will emphasize multidimensional aspects and individual's state of health. As Collins [6] asserted, there is an ongoing trend toward a more holistic, humanistic, patient-oriented, multidisciplinary form of medicine. Yoga has been selected as an intervention that has been used to treat a host of chronic conditions that were shown to negatively impact an individual's health-related quality of life. [7] Clearly, medical conditions that affect multiple systems causing disease in the body often significantly impair areas of life. Moreover, certain chronic medical conditions can be especially debilitating, and this is the criterion that doctors consider in determining whether a patient is chronically ill and will likely not recover.


  Conclusions and recommendations Top


Yoga is a mind-body activity with the potential to impact an assortment of health outcomes. The literature discussed here suggested that yoga is safe and should be considered as a form of treatment that could improve health outcomes in patients who are suffering. The potential mediators of this effect include changes in physical fitness, psychological function, and marked relief of symptoms stemming from disease. Yoga includes a variety of practices that started in ancient India and yoga spread out all over the world. Hatha yoga has become popular for physical activity and for stress management.

Certainly, the practical application of biopsychosocial theory for illness is better understood, it should inform the conduct of mind-body interventions including yoga as a logical and prolific use to improve health outcomes with persons with chronic illness. Patients should contact their respective physicians for permission to enter into an active program that will include certain forms of yoga. Yoga practitioners should discuss the benefits and contra-indications of certain yoga sequences so the patient has an understanding of what sequences and specific poses would be appropriate for him or her. For persons with chronic illness, in particular, they are often told not to exercise or may be fearful that exercise will increase their symptoms. These chronically ill patients may have difficulty engaging in traditional physical activities due to their own movement limitations or damaged joints. Once these patients have received adequate training for proper safety in carrying out poses and modifications, yoga is convenient since it may be practiced at home or in a nursing home. Therefore, early evaluation of yoga as an intervention for chronically ill patients is always recommended.

 
  References Top

1.
Kaplan R, Bush J. Health related quality of life measurement for evaluation research and policy analysis. Health Psychol 1982;1:61-80.  Back to cited text no. 1
    
2.
Guyatt G, Feeny D, Patrick D. Measuring health-related quality of life. Ann Intern Med 1993;118:622-9.  Back to cited text no. 2
    
3.
Kaplan R, Anderson J. The general health policy model: An integrated approach. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Press; 1996.  Back to cited text no. 3
    
4.
Epstein RS, Sherwood LM. From outcomes research to disease management: A guide for the perplexed. Ann Intern Med 1996;124:832-7.  Back to cited text no. 4
    
5.
Raub JA. Psychophysiologic effects of Hatha Yoga on musculoskeletal and cardiopulmonary function: A literature review. J Altern Complement Med 2002;8:797-812.  Back to cited text no. 5
    
6.
Collins C. Yoga: Intuition, preventive medicine, and treatment. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs 1998;27:563-8.  Back to cited text no. 6
    
7.
Culos-Reed SN, Carlson LE, Daroux LM, Hately-Aldous S. A pilot study of yoga for breast cancer survivors: Physical and psychological benefits. Psychooncology 2006;15:891-7.  Back to cited text no. 7
    




 

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  In this article
   Abstract
  Yoga and wellness
   Yoga as a form o...
  Yoga as therapy
   Conclusions and ...
   References

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