Читать книгу Yoga Therapy as a Whole-Person Approach to Health - Lee Majewski - Страница 15

This model is based on Yoga Vashista,22 which describes the cause and manifestation of disease in detail—both psychosomatic as well as non-psychosomatic ailments. It attributes all psychic disturbances and physical ailments to the five elements (the pancha mahabhuta) in a similar manner to other systems of Indian medicine. Commonly seen diseases or disorders of a psychosomatic nature (samanya adhija vyadhi) are described as those arising from day-to-day causes, while the essential “disease” of being bound to the birth–rebirth cycle (sara adhija vyadhi) may be understood in modern terms as congenital diseases. The former can be corrected by day-to-day remedial measures such as medicines and surgery, whereas the essential disease of lifetime-to-lifetime bondage to human birth (sara adhija vyadhi) does not cease until knowledge of the Self (atma jnana) is attained.

It is interesting to note that traditional Indian thought views the very occurrence of birth on this planet as a disease and as a source of suffering! Tiruvalluvar reiterates this when he says, “It is knowledge of the ultimate truth that removes the folly of birth” (pirappu ennum pedaimai neenga chirappu ennum chem porul kaanbadhu arivu; Thirukkural 358).

Yoga understands that physical ailments that are not of a psychosomatic nature can be easily managed with surgery, medication, prayers, and lifestyle modifications, as required. Various yoga techniques may also be used to help prevent or correct physical ailments and restore health, with regeneration, recuperation, and rehabilitation as necessary.

Yoga Vashista gives an elaborate description of the mechanism by which psychosomatic disorders occur. It starts with mental confusion, which leads to agitation of the life force (prana) and a haphazard flow along life force channels (nadis), resulting in depletion of energy and/or clogging up of these channels of vital energy. This leads to disturbance in the physical body, with disorder in metabolism, excessive appetite, and improper functioning of the entire digestive system. Natural movement of food through the digestive tract is arrested, giving rise to numerous physical ailments. Yoga Vashista is many thousands of years old, and the concept of psychosomatic disorders in modern medicine has only recently been realized and accepted.