A new era of Yoga

Yoga treats and maintains not only our physical health but our mental health too. In today’s rat race for amassing physical possessions, man has not only harmed his body but also his mental health as well. Consequently, while earlier, emphasis in medical profession was upon communicable and non-communicable diseases today, the emphasis is upon mental health problems. That’s where Yoga assumes the major role.

Yoga brings us close to nature via natural ways to keep us fit bodily and mentally. Fortunately, Yoga has recently become a fashion, it’s got popular. To say that there is a flood these days of yoga centres throughout the world, wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Yoga brings us close to nature via natural ways to keep us fit bodily and mentally.

However, being a regular practitioner of Yoga myself for the past twenty years, I am of the opinion that in view of the modern physical therapy (physiotherapy) that has evolved out of tremendous researches into our musculoskeletel, and physiological systems, a new type of Yoga, a more refined, a more scientific, a more valuable, a more beneficial, and a more practicable form of Yoga or the Yogasans that I call as Yoga-Physio needs to be evolved and followed. In fact, there is an urgent need to do that as people do not know what, when and how yogasans or Yoga exercises need to be practiced or need not be practiced. Moreover, that would amply clarify the true medical foundation of the Yoga-Physio therapy.

Moreover, there must be specific, Yogasans or Yoga exercises for different categories of age groups, tailored to their body requirements. All age groups of people can not be equated and must not be equated from that point of view. Yogasans or Yoga exercises suitable for children need to be segregated from those suitable for youngsters and similarly, Yogasans or Yoga exercises for youngsters need to be segregated from those to be followed by senior citizens. Then even among various categories of people, it is also necessary to see who must and who among those suffering from some ailments must not practice certain Yogasans. Although Yogasan can improve our cardiovascular system, there are Yogasans like Sheershas an (Headstand)and Kapal bhati etc that could prove harmful to people suffering from unstable angina, heart palpitations, high BP, retinal degeneration, glaucoma and cervical problems among others.

I suggest that an international team comprising of well educated senior physical therapists (physiotherapists) and orthopedicians (only those who know physical therapy very well) should frame a new course called Yoga-Physio or Physio-Yoga combining Yogasans with the modern physical therapy as per the requirements of all categories of people I have talked about- children, youngsters, senior citizens and super senior citizens. That course can be spanned over a couple of years for candidates with an adequate medical background say after 10+2 level (Indian education system) or two years after A-level (the western education system). That should be the basic criterion for such a course that would generate the fully trained Yoga-Physio therapists in huge numbers to take care of the world health.

Yoga-Physio (or Physio-Yoga) is a wonderful natural technique of great physical and physiological significance. There is no point in not following a technique that could keep our body that we put to our use round-the-clock fit all the time. We would only be called naive if we ignore such a miraculous natural therapy. Yogasans inculcate in us a sense of well being, a feeling of tranquility. Yogasans are stress busters as well. An exhausting and repetitive lifestyle leaves no time for relaxation or enjoyment. Too much work causes mental stress, besides hurting our physical health, too. Prevention of a disease is always considered better than a cure. So, why not follow Yoga? Why not make it a part of our daily activities?