Eclectic: Regina - Is Yoga a Kind of Medicine?

By Regina Price

Taking yoga classes and yoga teachings has made a huge difference in my life. During watching the Olympics on TV, I heard some statements from a doctor that made me realize that whenever we learn new things, our bodies can remember them by doing them constantly over and over again — a kind of “body memory”. This is good news for people who had strokes.

Dr. Timothy McCall writes:

“To really grasp what yoga can do, you need to experience it yourself. That’s why I’m urging you to consider taking a leap of faith… My experience tells me yoga works — in addition, of course, to the scientific evidence and what I’ve directly observed and heard from others… Yoga is not a panacea, but it is a powerful medicine indeed for body, mind and spirit” (T. McCall, M.D., Yoga as Medicine, New York, New York: Bantam Dell, 2007; p. xix).

He continued by saying that yoga is for anyone — including people who are bound to bed or wheelchairs because it can be modified to help anybody. Sometimes it helps -- whether you need to visual by doing postures in your mind instead of doing it physically or by doing the breathing to calm you to take away your stress. “With sustained practice, particularly of the stretching and strengthening exercises known as asana, and the breathing techniques known as pranayama, the body and breath become stronger. Posture and lung capacity improve, as does bowel function, lymphatic drainage, and the functioning of the immune system. Gradually one feels more balanced, better able to endure the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.”

He cautions people who had serious conditions to be very careful before going to yoga classes because many yoga teachers don’t understand what might help you or hinder you. “Yoga therapy is generally taught one-on-one or in small groups. While general yoga classes may be great preventive medicine for people who are fit, many are too demanding for someone with a serious medical condition,” explained Dr. McCall. Taking therapeutic yoga is very different from regular yoga classes as it places a heavy focus on bodily awareness, proper alignment and breathing.

That is why I took yoga teacher training after my aneurysm rupture — being a psychologist, I knew that I needed more information and understanding to do yoga poses that would help me. Today, I am stronger and more flexible than I was before my aneurysm; as well I am sleeping better and more relaxed than I was before. Most of all, I breathe more deeply and feel better and have more understanding about and in my body.

Mr. McCall sends this tip: 

“Even if you are too sick to do your yoga practice,  yogis believe that there is value in simply imagining it in a step-by-step fashion. The more details you bring into the visualization the more effective it’s likely to be. The benefit of practising in your mind’s eye is that any groove you’ve created through regular practice isn’t weakened by your absence from the mat; instead, it is deepened."