Articles for Winter 2011, Vol. 10, Issue 2

Yoga in Daily Living

By Vasant Lad

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Enlightenment — The Goal of Yoga and Ayurveda

By Karin Pirc, Lothar Pirc and Jeremy Fields

The systems of Yoga and Ayurveda invite many fascinating, detailed comparisons, but their ultimate and shared goal — to unfold the full potential of individual life in enlightenment — is often overlooked. This may be because achieving such a state is not considered practical or attainable for the average person today, or is thought to be a philosophical idea. However, new research in the fields of neuroscience, psychology, sociology and medicine offers ways to understand enlightenment and makes realizing this laudable goal of Ayurveda and Yoga a practical possibility today.

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Yoga Therapy Traditional and Western

By Marc Halpern, D.C.

When the term 'Yoga therapy' is used, it can mean just about anything. It's a modern term that has grown in popularity over recent decades. It is not clearly defined or expounded upon in the ancient texts and it does not have a clear historical basis as a system of medicine. So, what is it? Yoga therapy is the application of Yoga to the healing process.

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Mind Unveiled

Causes of Diseases Worth Knowing

By Sridhar Maddela

Individual perceptions and beliefs generate and reflect streams of thought. These thought patterns may lead an individual to manifest particular disease/s or to those diseases following different illness trajectories. PÀtaðjala Yoga- SÂtras (PYS) state that diseases that originate as mental revisions cause a cascade of physical responses. These responses are to maintain a relatively stable physiology to accommodate mental ebb and flow due to changes in the milieu. This physiological wisdom is termed by Walter Cannon, an American physiologist, as homeostasis.

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The Role of Thoughts in Health and Yoga Therapy

By Kamini Desai

This article emphasizes the role of thoughts in health and how yoga therapy can be used to affect not only the physical body, but the subtler levels from which illness can arise..

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Integrated Approach of Yoga Therapy

By Jyothi Bhatt

Yoga therapy is a more recent development in the field of yoga. Its purpose is to apply ancient yoga techniques for specific therapeutic purposes, such as weight loss, anxiety and depression, gastrointestinal disorders, etc. Therapeutic yoga advice is based on a combination of ancient scriptures, such as the HaÇha- Yoga-PradÁpikÀ, and data gleaned from modern research studies. This article discusses a model of yoga therapy based on the paðcakooea (five sheaths) concept from the TaittirÁya UpaniÈad as developed by the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana 1 Samsthana (SVYASA) in Bangalore, India. This approach utilizes a variety of yoga techniques and Ayurveda treatments to promote holistic healing at all the kooeas simultaneously, thereby accelerating the healing process.

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Universality of Yoga

By Santiago Suárez-Rubio

The models of metaphysical physiology proposed by Eastern spiritual traditions, share many similarities. Using Yoga as the touchstone, this article shows how the underlying anatomy postulated by such traditions are potentially the same. Next, the yogic metaphysical anatomy is revised in light of modern anatomical principles to reveal several parallels between energy structures in Yoga and biological structures. In this process, scientific interpretations of energy channels (nÀçÁs), prÀõa, and kuõçalinÁ energy are reviewed.

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Sotha - Inflammation Causes and Cures

By Prashanti de Jager

Removing the terrain suitable for chronic inflammation prevents, stops and often reverses degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, obesity, heart disease, and cancer.

Inflammation is part of the body's ability to protect and heal us from pathogens, injuries, irritants, and damaged cells. Without acute inflammation's protection and support we would never heal from most of the traumas or infections. However, with chronic inflammation we tend to never heal from trauma or infection; in fact, chronic inflammation is its own form of trauma and infection. It is epidemic worldwide, and is the basis of numerous degenerative diseases and disempowered physical states.

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Ayurveda at the Crossroad of Evidence Base

By Vijayendra Murthy

As the new research editor, I hope to kindle your agni and appetite for research in its many forms. My journey has been from a practitioner to one of a forced researcher as a means to ensure the survival of Ayurveda within an increasingly regulated health care environment. This metamorphosis has been an interesting experience and not without pitfalls; it is my hope to help everyone understand that within us all lies a capacity to research. It is not as overwhelming as it may first appear, it can be interesting and is very vital for Ayurveda to take the next step as a credible health care option in its own right.

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Light on Science Discovery

By Diana I. Lurie, PhD

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among American men. Early diagnosis is the key for increasing the survival rate in patients, but often many patients present with advanced or metastatic disease. Therapeutic strategies are therefore needed that are effective in curing localized tumors and preventing metastasis. Cancer cells divide and propagate and also acquire the ability to resist cell death. Therefore, an ideal cancer treatment would prevent these cells from dividing and/or induce them to die. One approach to controlling prostate cancer is prevention through dietary chemopreventive compounds.

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Immune Boosting Herbal Bliss Balls

By Thomas Mueller B.A., D.A. Med.

Short days, long nights, snowflakes dancing in front of the window and the smell of cinnamon, clove and ginger, evoke for me at least, memories of winter in Europe. If we consider from an Ayurvedic viewpoint how winter affects our bodies, we know that in winter, to compensate for the cold outside, our body creates extra heat to keep warm. If we are balanced and in good health, our agni is naturally stronger and we tend towards the consumption of heavier foods, thus we have to keep feeding our agni so it does not start to digest the dhÀtus. However, the challenge is to increase immunity whilst avoiding the accumulation of Àma.

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Grow Your Ayurvedic Business Series Part III

By Alena Kesselaar

"Building Your Business System to Get Loads of Leads and Committed Clients". This is the third article in a four-part series to help you grow your Ayurvedic business. The ideas and strategies are based on my 'Grow Your Ayurvedic Business' system that I teach to our Ayurvedic practitioner clients at the Everyday Ayurveda.

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