Читать книгу Yoga Therapy as a Whole-Person Approach to Health онлайн

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This last statement resonates to my core. I always struggled with expressions such as “Yoga for cancer,” “Yoga for back pain,” or “Yoga for hormonal balance.” In my understanding, yoga does not heal specific diseases. Yoga restores balance to the human multilevel existence. It heals by transforming the human being and thus may heal the human being, although it may not cure them from the disease. So often I would receive a plea from a distraught family member—“My mother has cancer and doctors say they cannot help any more. Can your retreat heal my mother’s cancer?” It pains me to disappoint them and explain at length that we do not treat the disease; we treat human beings suffering from a disease.

On the other hand, although there is an intrinsic value to have a small group of clients afflicted with the same disease such as cancer, diabetes, or cardiac problems, the group then becomes cohesive and creates a strong support and resource for each other. It also helps the therapist create more specific, targeted yoga therapy for such a group, with individual adaptations.