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

9 страница из 110

In ssss1 we proceed to discuss the modalities of yoga therapy and its applications as a preventive measure, and outline its principles. We look at what yoga therapy is and what it is not, introducing the concept of “yogopathy” versus “yoga therapy.” We also discuss a big concern of many contemporary therapists—how to keep yoga in yoga therapy, which includes the promise of spiritual transformation as a necessary part of the healing process.

ssss1 is dedicated to discussing the spiritual component of yoga therapy. In India this chapter would be unnecessary, as its cultural background is, in its essence, spiritual, with spirituality permeating the everyday life of the population. So quite naturally, the science of yoga is understood as the spiritual science. Unfortunately, the West still tends to treat spirituality exclusively as part of religion and not as part of everyday life, and there is much resistance, even fear, as we will see, in openly talking about it. (Perhaps this is the reason why yoga is often misunderstood as a form of religion.) There is also much misconception within the ranks of yoga therapists about spirituality, which many perceive as being outside of their scope. However, the body of research on spirituality as separate from religion is growing, with some researchers noting enhanced healing when the spiritual component is included. Even traditional healthcare systems are beginning to recognize the importance of the spiritual component in treating patients. ssss1 therefore looks at the existing research, and includes case records outlining the deep personal transformation of some of our patients on a healing journey. We propose that yoga therapy is the only secular complementary modality offering the promise of spiritual transformation as part of deep healing.