Why do we need to follow guidelines for yoga therapy ?
Yoga Therapy and health are interwoven. Yoga therapy is a simple way of harnessing nature’s healing powers to increase physical and psychological health. Even though yoga is not as strenous as lifting weights at the gym, it is still necessary and important to follow certain basic guidelines for yoga therapy, to ensure safe yoga practice, and to maximise the health benefits. Before we learn about the guidelines for yoga practice, let us read about a few features of yoga therapy.
Features of yoga therapy:
- Yoga therapy is a simple way to stay healthy. It requires no investment and can be practiced by people of all ages.
- The rules of staying healthy are simple and time-tested. It only requires application of common sense.
- Yoga therapy consists of 5 components – asana (posture), pranayama (breathing), dhyana (meditation), mitahara (diet control), and nidra (adequate sleep).
- A healthy person may practice all the recommended exercises. This will prevent illness.
- A person recovering from illness or in post-operative care will need to start in small steps and increase the practice as advised by the doctor.
What are the important guidelines for yoga therapy?
One needs to understand and sincerely follow the below guidelines for yoga therapy:
Regularity of practice
- The biggest impediment to the practice of yoga therapy is laziness.
- Nature has made everyone equal; it has given us 24 hours. But the ability to use this time effectively determines how our health is maximised.
- Assuming we sleep for 7 hours, spend 2 hours getting ready and 2 hours for meals, an investment of 30 minutes for asana and 30 minutes for pranayama and meditation (dhyana) would allow us to keep up a healthy life and leave 12 hours for other activity. Regularity is thus one of the important guidelines for yoga therapy.
Best time to practice asana
When we speak of the guidelines for yoga therapy, choosing the time slot to practice yoga deserves a lot of attention, for all the right reasons.
There are two options, morning and evening. Asanas performed in the evening are less gruelling, as the body has undergone the rigors of the day and is already pliable. However, in the evening, the emotional and intellectual energies are run down which results in lower awareness during exercises. Also, very often, not enough time has elapsed since the last meal. Yoga asanas (exercises) induce peristalsis, forcing undigested food though the intestines, reducing absorption of nutrients. In certain cases, where the meal has been heavy, or the gap is less than four hours, resistance from a full stomach could induce stomach cramps.
Asanas activate specific areas of the body by directing blood flow to the area when the asanas are performed, resulting in rejuvenation of the focus area. When asanas are performed in the morning, there is actually an increase in energy levels due to the optimisation of various body systems. However, in the morning, the mind and body are rested, but stiff after sleep. Asanas can be painful in the beginning, but with exercising, the organs fire up, loosen, and begin flexing. The stomach and intestines are empty and offer no resistance to bending or stretching actions. A vigorous peristalsis action actually assists in evacuation of waste matter from the outer colon and rectum.
It is recommended that exercises be done in the morning, though schedules may force people to exercise in the evening. However, it is most important that the same time be maintained every day. This ensures that the system gets acclimatized to a routine, and overcomes lethargy.
It is also important to recognise the difference between asana and kriya. Asana is a static pose, while kriya is a dynamic or activity pose, like nauli and suryanamaskara. Both yield different benefits, and both need to be practiced.
The exercise environment
Environment is one of the basic guidelines for yoga therapy. All forms of exercises give us an opportunity to increase the oxygen content in the body, remove toxins and stress, and harmonise with the environment, thereby increasing one’s awareness of the environment (prajna). Therefore, a tranquil and peaceful environment is very important when exercising. Hence, it is recommended that the exercise be performed in a place that has plenty of fresh air and quiet.
Clothes
Wear clothes that allow stretching, and do not run or fall when lifting or bending. Clothes should breathe and absorb sweat.
Men are advised to wear athletic supporters. Both men and women should wear well-fitting innerwear to prevent injury during exercise.
If one prefers going to classes for the sake of regularity and discipline, it is advisable that one wears appropriate clothing.
Diet (mitahara)
There is truth in the saying that we are what we eat. Diet is absolutely vital to realise the full potential of exercises. Eating the right food ensures absorption of essential ingredients, health and correct awareness in any situation.
It is important to start exercises after a lapse of at least 4 hours after consumption of solid food, 1 hour after consumption of liquid food such as milk or juice, and 20 minutes after drinking water.
The reason for this recommendation is that food takes roughly 4-6 hours to move completely out of the digestive system. The process of digestion begins with chewing of food, and finishes with the absorption of nutrients in the small intestine. Vigorous exercise induces peristalsis or pulsing of the intestine, which results in the food hurrying through the intestine without nutrients getting completely absorbed. Also, the presence of food in the digestive system increases resistance to bending and stretching of the torso. This acts in various planes, from stopping the full movement of the diaphragm, thereby impeding full ingestion of air, and inducing sprains or cramps when the torso is stretched/bent.
Homeostasis
Homeostasis may be defined as the tendency of the body to stay in equilibrium, when all the interdependent elements are functioning normally – which means all the organs are functioning in the correct manner and the body is healthy. The indication that the body is in homeostasis can be seen when body parameters like body temperature, blood pressure etc., are operating in their set limits. Disturbance in these parameters is indicative of an imbalance within the body. The body then takes compensatory action to return to equilibrium and this manifests as fever etc.
Yoga Therapy is great for building this reservoir so that homeostasis is recovered quickly when there is any illness.
When performing yogasana, it is important to try and stay close to the condition of homeostasis. The reason is that the muscles and internal organs should not experience stress during exercise to maximise blood flow and movement of the tissue resulting in rejuvenation of the area.
Sleep and health
This is one of the most important guidelines for yoga therapy, yet the most ignored aspect of our lifetyle. Lack of sleep has adverse effects on health. No one really knows how much sleep is adequate for an individual. The amount of sleep required varies for each individual. It could also vary depending on the gender, age, profession, expectation to achievement, stage in life and health.
- For a normal person, this could vary between 6 and 9 hours. For children, this could be more.
- Not only is the number of hours important, the time of day is also important as it affects the circadian rhythm.
- Quality of sleep is also affected by body temperature, clothes worn, diet, water intake and mental state when going to bed.
Share your opinion and experiences
- Do you exercise? What is your exercise routine?
- When do you prefer to exercise? morning or evening? why?
- Do you exercise alone or in a group? What are the advantages and disadvantages?
- Do you wear any special clothing for exercise? why?
- What is your diet? How do you manage your diet?
- How do you manage time?
