Management
Medical Yoga
Editors: Francine Frater MD; Dan Randall MD, MPH, FACP All Editors & Disclosures
Background Information
Description
- yoga is a practice that seeks to harmonizes the body, mind, and spirit to obtain inner peace or liberation,,
- medical yoga therapy is a personalized holistic approach incorporating a person's mind, body, spirit, social support, work situation, and culture for prevention and treatment of medical conditions,
Also Called
- Yoga Chikitsa
- yoga therapy
Definitions
- medical yoga, also called Yoga Chikitsa, defined as use of yoga practices for prevention and treatment of medical conditions through breathing techniques, mindfulness, and meditation; Yoga Chikitsa also incorporates other lifestyle changes to diet, sleep hygiene, and activities outside of the lessons themselves
- pranayamas, defined as breathing techniques,
- asanas, defined as specific body postures,
- svastha, the yogic definition of health, defined as the functions of the body and mind are in harmony reaching to self-realization
- meditation focuses on concentrating thoughts on a particular figure, observing wandering thoughts, or reciting spiritual rhymes repetitively to obtain higher consciousness
- spirituality, different from religion, often refers to an autonomous, individual experience, which may or may not include a religious component; spirituality with yoga does not have a single widely accepted definition but often refers to experiences and realizations about one's innermost self (Front Psychol 2021;12:695939)
Types
- PubMed22852023Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAMEvid Based Complement Alternat Med201201012012981523981523various styles of yoga exist but no single type is superior to another; yoga practices do not require religious beliefs or dogma but some patients may experience contemplative states of consciousness and spirituality (, Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2012;2012:981523)
- PubMed34408712Frontiers in psychologyFront Psychol2021080212695939695939yoga styles may differ based on inclusions of philosophical or spiritual elements; in Western societies Hatha yoga styles, which are predominately body-focused (physical movements and breathing), are common (Front Psychol 2021;12:695939)
- Hatha yoga and Pranayama techniques reported most commonly used types for specific body and mind disorders
- Ashtanga an 8-fold practice including
- asanas (activity of muscle groups in specific postures with concentration on self)
- dharna (focusing attention on one thought or activity)
- dhyana (attaining higher consciousness with concentration of thought on particular figure or reciting spiritual rhymes)
- niyam (observing discipline)
- pranayama (breath regulation)
- pratyahara (withdrawing pleasures or life habits)
- samadhi (obtaining complete tranquility and feeling on oneness with cosmos)
- yam (restraint from activities that deviate from social norms and lead to an 'unhealthy' lifestyle as defined by yogic practices)
- Bhakti (being in devotion),
- Bikram (hot yoga) (26 poses and 2 breathing exercises in a hot and humid room; a type of Hatha yoga) (, Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2015;2015:428427)
- Gyana (attaining knowledge and wisdom to understand and live present life and life after)
- Hatha (beginner style of yoga incorporating postures with minimal focus on breathing or meditation)
- Iyengar (emphasis on maintaining proper body position)
- Jivamukti (challenging physical postures with meditation)
- Karma (being involved in action),
- Kundalini (focus on breathing and meditation to release latent energy, suitable for physically fit students),
- Kripalu (involves emotional and spiritual aspects, breathing, and postures and can be physically challenging; or defined as breathing exercises followed up gentle stretches and poses with final relaxation),
- Laya (dissolution or union with consciousness to achieve transcendence)
- Mantra (enhancing specific rhyme with sound vibrations typically taught by guru to obtain higher consciousness)
- Raja (focus on physical and mental purity-Shuddhi),
- Siddhi Samadhi yoga (less physically focused, combines short meditation and breathing)
- Sivananda (5-point approach including breathing, diet, relaxation, exercise, and positive thinking)
- Vinyasa (continuous flowing movement between postures with coordinated breathing, geared toward physically fit students)
- Yin (focus to release tension of different joints)
- integrated (physical postures, breathing, and meditation)
- prenatal (yoga for persons who are pregnant)
Epidemiology
- PubMed20188966TalantaTalanta20100415811-2586-90586improvement in health reported to be the reason 50% of people who practice yoga began practice based on a 2008 survey (Talanta 2010 Apr 15;81(1-2):586)
- 6.1% of Americans report a doctor or therapist recommended practicing yoga (Talanta 2010 Apr 15;81(1-2):586)
- reported prevalence of yoga practice in the United States
- estimated 13.2% lifetime prevalence and 8.9% twelve-month prevalence (Am J Prev Med 2016 Feb;50(2):230)
- 17.9% of adults aged 18-44 and 6.7% of adults ≥ 65 years old practiced yoga in 2017 (CDC 8 Nov 2018)
- White adults reported more likely to practice yoga (17.1%) compared to Hispanic (8%) and Black adults (9.3%) in 2017 (CDC 8 Nov 2018)
- among children and adolescents aged 4-17 years, yoga practice in the last 12 months increased from 3.1% in 2012 to 8.4% in 2017; girls reported more likely to practice yoga vs. boys 11.3% vs. 5.6% respectively (CDC 8 Nov 2018)
- STUDY SUMMARYregular yoga practice associated with lower body mass index (BMI), higher rate of mindful eating, unhealthy eating behaviors, steroid use, and use of protein powder/shakes among young adultsCROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY: Int J Eat Disord 2021 Mar;54(3):376
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