Читать книгу Yoga Therapy as a Whole-Person Approach to Health - Lee Majewski - Страница 57

The often-quoted traditional basic framework for the application of yoga as therapy is usually based on a derivative of the teachings of Maharishi Patanjali as codified through his Yoga Sutras.1 Verses 16 to 26 of the second chapter (“Sadhana Pada”) elaborate the concept of addressing the problem, finding its cause, and then applying the therapeutic remedy (the goal of therapy) through use of appropriate tools (heya-hetu and hana-upaya).

• The first and foremost step in this comprehensive template of yoga therapy is to try and understand as completely as possible the nature of the problem/issue/challenge/manifest suffering (heya). It is important to focus on how long the problem has been in existence, how severe it is, and how it impacts the client’s daily life. We need to assess together with the client the physical, emotional, mental, social, financial, and spiritual aspects, to have a holistic picture of the current “state” of the individual who is seeking our help.

• The second step attempts to find the possible causes of the problem (hetu). This must not stop at a superficial level of symptoms but try to unravel the potential root causes that are causing the manifest signs and symptoms of disease. It is important to make a complete search for internal causes, which could include genetic predisposition, maladapted stress responses, energy imbalances, distorted perceptions, as well as negative emotions and self-image. On the other hand, external causes could be infective, accidental, environmental, or traumatic in nature. Finally, we need to address in detail the role of an unhealthy lifestyle, as this is often the main cause of the whole problem. An example would be two clients with the same symptoms—both obese and both depressed. However, one may be depressed because they are obese, and the other one may be obese because they are depressed.

• In the third step, a joint understanding is developed between the client and the therapist towards setting the target goals for the therapeutic process (hana). The client may have a certain goal in mind while the therapist has another. These goals may be different and hence a joint discussion and collaborative and realistic plan needs to be made to avoid disappointment later. An example would be a cancer patient seeking yoga therapy to enhance energy, improve sleep, reduce fatigue, and deal with pain while the therapist may be more focused on “preventing an occurrence of” the cancer.

• The final step in this process is the adoption of concrete concepts and practices that then contribute to the development of a comprehensive individualized protocol (upaya). This is the stage where the actual tools are determined in order to achieve the goal set in the third stage. This may include a combination of any or all of the techniques in our therapeutic armory including counseling, shifts in attitude (bhavana), lifestyle modifications, and practices of Ashtanga Yoga, Kriya Yoga, Hatha Yoga, mantras, yoga nidra, and most importantly, relaxation. It is only during the relaxation phase that healing truly manifests, and hence we should never forget the importance of this often-neglected aspect in yoga therapy.