Saturday, January 7, 2012

BASIC SCIENCE OF YOGA 101: BENEFITS & ADVERSE EFFECTS

BASIC SCIENCE OF YOGA, 101

This is an outline of the
Power Point Slide Presentation
by

Shree S. Vinekar, M.D

(Pictorial and Graphic illustrations omitted)

LET YOUR INTUITION FLOW for ATTAINING
PEACE, NATURAL STATE OF WELLNESS, HEALTH, & LONGEVITY



BASIC CONCEPTS of yoga are MOSTLY PSYCHO-PHYSIOLOGIC WITH NEURO-BIOLOGICAL UNDERPINNINGS

THIS PRESENTATION
WILL AVOID MYSTIC AND SPIRITUAL LINGO

YOGA
AN ANCIENT SCIENCE PROBABLY BASED ON INTUITIVE
COMPREHENSION OF PSYCHO-PHYSIOLOGY &
NEURO-BIOLOGY

HISTORICAL EVIDENCE OF ANTIQUITY
ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF YOGIC POSTURES
SARASWATI-SINDHU (INDUS) CIVILIZATION (5000 BCE TO 3000 BCE)

There is also
LITERARY EVIDENCE
MENTION OF YOGA IN VEDAS AND UPANISHADS (5000 BCE TO 1500 BCE)
& BHAGVAD-GITA (CIRCA 3067 BCE) AND MANY OTHER TEXTS
MANY MILLENNIA BEFORE THE BIRTH OF GAUTAMA THE BUDDHA AND JESUS CHRIST.

(ALL ABOVE ARE CONSIDERED SPIRITUAL BY MANY BUT VEDA REALLY MEANS KNOWLEDGE)

THAT SHOULD NOT CONFUSE YOU


(Generic Term "Darshana")
DARSHANA: MEANING A PHILOSOPHICAL VIEW
YOGA-DARSHANA
SANKHYA-DARSHANA (Literally Sankhya means Enumerable)
CATEGORICAL CONCEPTUALIZATION OF THE DESIGN OF THE UNIVERSE

(ALL SIX DARSHANAS) BUT ESPECIALLY
BOTH SANKHYA AND YOGA INFORM AND GUIDE
BOTH "VIEW OF LIFE" & "WAY OF LIFE"
NOT "RELIGION" IN THE WESTERN SENSE OF THE WORD
BUT they guide and lay the foundation to help comprehend "DHARMA" and live in congruence with "DHARMA"

DHARMA literally means
HOLDING PRINCIPLES
ORDER AND HARMONY
QUALITY

FOLLOWING DHARMA ENHANCES PERSONAL, FAMILY, SOCIAL, AND GLOBAL QUALITY OF LIFE

HIGHEST GOAL OF LIFE is DHARMA

OTHER THREE GOALS

ARTHA: LEARNING, WORKING, ATTAINING RESOURCES FOR SURVIVAL AND PROGRESS IN THE MATERIAL WORLD
KAAMA : DESIRES FOR PLEASURES OF LIFE, LOVE, AND PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
MOKSHA : FREEDOM FROM ALL LEARNED PARADIGMS (SUSTAINED SUPERIOR COGNITION OR JNANA LEADS TO SUCH STATE)

YOGA IS A SUPRA-RELIGIOUS PSYCHO-TECHNOLOGY (MUST NOT BE CONFUSED WITH RELIGION)

PSYCHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL TECHNIQUES (ERRONEOUSLY CALLED EXERCISES)

BRAND NAME YOGAS

CONVENTIONAL CLASSIC FOUR: KARMA, BHAKTI, JNANA, AND RAJA YOGA (PATANJALA YOGA) (So named by Swami Vivekananda)

PATANJALA (by PATANJALI 400 BCE TO 400 CE)

HATHA YOGA formulated and compiled from older knowledge by
SWATMARAM SURI (1400-1500 CE)

HATHA IN AMERICAN TERMS "FAST-TRACK"
HATHA YOGA EXPOUNDED BY
GORAKH NATH (GORAKSHA SANHITA) GHERANDA (GHERANDA SANHITA) SWATMARAMA (HATHA YOGA PRADEEPIKA)
(after 1500 CE)
NAATH PANTHI MADHAVADAS MAHARAJ YOGI
GURU OF SWAMI KUVALAYAANANDA
(1882-1966) one of the pioneers of early 20th Century who undertook scientific investigation of Yoga.

HATHA YOGA INVESTS IN HEALTH
(IF YOU HAVE HEALTH & LONGEVITY YOU HAVE ALL OTHER GOALS TO ATTAIN, NAMELY DHARMA, KAAMA, ARTHA, also means WEALTH)
(MOKSHA IS BEYOND BASIC SCIENCE)
FROM PUBLIC HEALTH POINT OF VIEW IT IS LEAST EXPENSIVE AND MOST EFFECTIVE FOR PREVENTIVE HEALTH
EVEN IN THE MOST AFFLUENT COUNTRY "SAVINGS AT FRONT END" IS MORE DESIRABLE THAN SPENDING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS
FOR SECONDARY AND TERTIARY TREATMENTS; YOGA IS PRACTICED BY 20 MILLION AMERICANS DAILY AND IT HAS RECENTLY BECOME A
5 BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY IN THE US


AAROGYA VARDHANA
(ATTAINING HIGHER & HIGHER LEVELS OF HEALTH OR BETTER AND BETTER HEALTH)
AAROGYA meaning
literally
DISEASE-LESS-NESS {WHAT IS HEALTH (?): PREVENTION OF DISEASE, AND BUILDING IMMUNITY FOR DISEASE PRODUCING AGENTS
AS WELL REDUCING RISK FACTORS. }


SHAREERAM ADYAM KHALU DHARMA SAADHANAM
meaning
BODY-MIND ARE TRULY (VERILY)
THE VERY FIRST MEANS FOR ATTAINING DHARMA

SAMAADHI CAN ALSO BE DEFINED AS BALANCING OF
DHARMA ARTHA KAAMA MOKSHA
ALL LIFE ACTIVITIES AND GOALS HAVE TO BE CONGRUENT, CONSISTENT & COMPATIBLE WITH
DHARMA

WORKING DEFINITION OF YOGA IN
HATHA YOGA
YOGAH SAMAADHIH
(sam + aa + dhaa = to put together as one whole)

BODY AND MIND BALANCED TO WORK AS INTERGRATED WHOLE

THROUGH FOLLOWING EIGHT STEPS

CLASSIFIED AS BAHIRANGA (EXTERNAL) & ANTARANGA (INTERNAL)

BAHIRANGA:

CULTIVATION OF PROPER PSYCHOLOGICAL ATTITUDE

YAMA: CULTIVATED INNER ATTITUDE TOWARDS SELF, SOCIETY & OTHER LIVING BEINGS

NIYAMA: HABITS FOR PHYSICAL & MENTAL HEALTH IN PERSONAL LIFE AND FOR PERSONAL GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT

YAMAS: AHINSA, SATYAM, ASTEYAM, BRAHMACHARYAM, (ASANGRAHAH) APARIGRAHA

NIYAMAS: SHOUCHA, SANTOSHA, TAPAS, SWADHYAYA, ISHWARAPRANIDHANAM

YAMA, NIYAMA, ASANA, PRANAYAMA, "PRATYAAHARA"

DISCUSSES PRATI-AAHAARA AS THE FIRST MOST WIDELY RESEARCHED
YOGIC RELAXATION TECHNIQUE, NAMELY, "SHAVAASANA"





RECONDITIONING OF PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS
(SUBSTRATE) THROUGH FOLLOWING TECHNIQUES
ASANAS MUDRAS & BANDHAS
PRANAYAMA

STHIRA-SUKHAM-AASANAM PRAYATNA-SHAITHILYAM ANANTA-SAMAAPATTIBHYAM
TATO-DVANDVAANABHIGHAATAH (FREEDOM FROM ANGAMEJAYATWAM)

STABILITY, EASE, EFFORTLESSNESS OR LEAST EFFORT AND ABSORPTION IN INFINITE
LEADS TO RESOLUTION OF INNER TENSIONS AND CONFLICTS ALLEVIATING
THE UNAPPRECIABLE TREMULOUSNESS IN THE BODY




PATTERN OF THE POSTURE
MORE IMPORTANT
THAN EXACTING THE POSTURE (NOT KNOWING THIS AND NOT FOLLOWING THE PRINCIPLE
OF PRAYATNASHAITHILYAM CAUSES INJURIES TO PRACTITIONERS AND SOME TEACHERS OF YOGA)
(SUCH INJURIES ARE PRIMARILY MUSCULOSKELETAL INJURIES)



MUDRAS & BANDHAS
DIRECT EFFECT ON AUTONOMIC REFLEXES (NOT AS INNOCENT AS THEY LOOK)
THESE ARE "EXERCISES FOR INTERNAL ORGANS"
CAN BE DANGEROUS IF PRACTICED BY NOVICES, UNHEALTHY INDIVIDUALS, ESPECIALLY
IF NOT UNDER MEDICAL GUIDANCE

A Very Rare Phenomenon (ILLUSTRATION)
FiG. 1. Electrocardiograph showing voluntary control of heart activity by the exercises.






PRANAYAMA NOT JUST DEEP BREATHING IT IS SPECIAL TYPE OF BREATHING
ANULOMA-VILOMA, UJJAYEE
KAPAALABHATI, BHASTRIKA & AGNISAARA, ETC. NEED TO BE PROPERLY TAUGHT


MOST IMPORTANT AND
MOST DANGEROUS PRANAYAMA BUT
MOST EFFECTIVE ARE THE FOLLOWING PRACTICED WITH DIFFERENT PERMUTATION AND COMBINATIONS
WITH DIFFERENT RATIOS OF TIME INTERVALS AND RHYTHMS :
KUMBHAKA
RECHAKA
POORAKA (NOT CONSIDERED HARMFUL IN THAT IT IS INHALATION SUPPLYING OXYGEN)

KRIYAAS : CONTROL OVER SMOOTH MUSCLES
JALA NETI, SOOTRA NETI, VAMANA DHOUTI, DANDA DHOUTI, VASTRA DHOUTI, KUNJARA KRIYA
(GAJA-KARANI KRIYA) (VATASAARA, VARISAARA, VAJROLI, ETC.)

(ANTARANGA OF YOGA and MINDFULNESS)

DHYAANA, DHAARANAA, SAMAADHI
DIRECT CONTROL OF
HIGHER CEREBRAL FUNCTIONS (CONSCIOUSNESS)

(details of SANYAMA TECHNIQUES NOT INCLUDED HERE)

NIRVIKALPA SAMADHI CAN BE OBJECTIVELY ILLUSTRATED AS CORRELATED
WITH A UNIQUE ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC RECORDING OF AN
ACCOMPLLISHED YOGI (Fig. 2 Illustration)




PRACTICE YOGA WITH UNDERSTANDING

THE BASIC SCIENCE OF YOGA 101

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