Yoga Therapy The Yoga Therapy or Yoga Chikitsa refers to the treatment of diseases by means of Yogic practices which

may be physical or mental or both. It is a specialized form of Yogic culture. This mode of treatment has been practiced in India from very ancient times. Many references of Yoga have been made in the Upanisads. In the 1st century BC Maharshi Patanajali gave a systematic account of the traditional Yogic techniques. The term Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root to join. It signifies the union between the individual soul or Jivatman and the universal soul or Parmataman. It aims at obtaining relief from pain & suffering. Loss of a balanced state of mind is really the origin of many diseases. We overeat, overdrink, overtire ourselves. We go beyond the law of nature & finally develop some health problems. In fact, the science of yoga is not the therapy. It is a system of education on how to live healthy, not only physically but also mentally & spiritually. It is not proved that standing on your head would stop graying your hair. In fact, if you wish to stop the disease process, you have to learn to live in a healthy way. Basically human evolution takes place on 3 different planes, namely physical, mental & spiritual. We can attain perfect health by maintaining harmony & achieving optimum functioning on all 3 levels. Here complete self control is necessary. To understand therapy, the cause, course & manifestation of disease is to be known. We would not understand the concept of disease unless we know the concept of health. The Sanskrit term for health is Swaasthya and for a healthy person is Swastha. The word Swastha means the one who is established in ones own self. Surprisingly, a similar expression is used in the Yoga Sutra I:3 (please insert Sanskrit sutra here) i.e. the seer is established on his own. So the highest limit of health & the ultimate goal of Yoga seems to be identical. The mind has 5 stages which are know as Citta Bhumis. They are Kshipta, Mudha, Vikshipta, Ekagra & Niruddha. Fluctuations or Vrittis are also classified into 5 kinds. Pramada, Viparyaya, Vikalpa, Nidra & Smurti. These 5 Citta Bhumis & Citta Vrittis may disturb the Sadhaka or help him to develop maturity of intelligence & attain Vairagya (emancipation). There are a number of Antaraayas (obstacles) that arise in the journey. 9 Antarayas are Vyadhi, Styana, Samsaya, Pramada, Alasya, Avirati, Alabdha Bhumikatva, Anavasthitativa, Bhrantidarsana. There are 4 other Kleshas Dukha, Daurmanasya, Angamejayathwa, Shwasaprashwasaha. These 4 come as a result of other Antarayas. The ultimate course of pain & misery is Avidya i.e. ignorance of reality. It is the main cause of all physical diseases. By developing discriminate knowledge between Purusha & Prakriti, Avidya can be destroyed. Thus, the future misery or pain can be avoided. Yoga is

really the therapy. Lack of true knowledge is the source of all sorrows & pain whether it is dormant, attenuated, interrupted or fully active. Patanjali said that Avidya is the breeding ground of all affliction. Here is an example of Avidya. Iron & coal are two different entities. But when iron is heated, it becomes red hot & looks like coal. Similarly, though the body & the eternal self are distinct entities, lack of knowledge makes one believe that they are one. Patanjali is saying that Yoga is a preventive healing art, science & philosophy. One can build up health of body & mind. One can also construct a defensive strength. Science of medicine has 4 divisions: (1) disease (2) cause of disease (3) relief or diagnosis (4) remedy of treatment So also, Yoga therapy has also 4 divisions (1) Heya cause Avidya (2) Heyahetu Reason, Bondage Samyoga of seer with seen (3) Hana Release, Relief (4) Hanupaya Remedies Vivek khyati, Astnaga Yoga (1) Heya In Yoga Sutra of Patanjali II.16 (Insert Sutra here) i.e. the pain which is yet to come is to be avoided The pain which is past has been exhausted through experience. It cannot be avoided. Suffering of present moment is also not avoidable. It is only the pain that is yet to come that is to be avoided. Consciousness is identified with its outer vehicle the intelligence, ego, mind & other objects. Through discriminative knowledge, the Yogi liberates himself from this association & avoids pain yet to come. (2) HeyaHetu II.17 (Insert Sutra here). The cause of pain I is the association of the seer with the seen. The remedy lies in their dissociation. A knowable object is revealed only by consciousness itself. Knowable objects exist to serve the Purusa. However, this eternal relationship between the Purusa & the objects, blinds the Purusa as it were & this causes pain & is the cause of avoidable misery. Vyasa explains the Sutra in the following way (3) Hana II 25 (Insert Sutra here) If ignorance ceases, there is absence of conjunction. This is the isolation of the seer. Wish absence of ignorance, there is the absence of Buddhi (intelligence) and Purusa (consciousness) coming together. There is complete stoppage of bondage. Thereafter Purusa is not mixed with gunas. With the elimination of ignorance, the Purusa is established in its own nature.

(4) Hanapaya Remedies II 26 (Insert Sutra here) The means to attaining isolation is undisturbed discriminative knowledge. Vivekakhyati is the highest discriminative knowledge. It is the capacity to see the difference between Buddhi (intelligence) and Purusa (consciousness). It helps to get a direct and immediate contact with the innermost spiritual consciousness. When the mind becomes pure, it becomes desireless, when it realizes the matter, discriminative enlightenments. When this is continuous, it leads to liberation (kaivalya). The afflictions have been burnt, Rajas & Tamas have been neutralized to gain Vivekakyati. Yoga may be of help even for worldly people to overcome unsteadiness. The kleshas, in the nature of impurities have to be destroyed through discriminative knowledge. Practice of the 8-fold path opens a new state of consciousness.