Hatha Yoga & Healing

The International Yoga Day was recently celebrated worldwide on June 21.

We thought it is an opportune time  to share a few thoughts on the deeper understanding of the benefits of Yoga in general and specially for healers.

The word ‘yoga’ has come to mean many things in the modern world. In its origin language, Sanskrit, yoga comes from the root word ‘yuj’ or ‘to join’ or ‘to yoke together.’ In Vedic philosophy, yoga is a term used to denote many different and varied spiritual practices that lead the practitioner to a state of ‘inner union’ or ‘harmony’.

In this article, we are using the word Yoga to refer to what is traditionally known as ‘Hatha Yoga’ – or the physical postures (Asana) and breath-work (Pranayama) as devised by ancient healers of India…

The yogic view of human anatomy inseparably links the physical body (Annamaya Kosha) with the energy body (Pranamaya Kosha) and the mind (Manomaya Kosha). Therefore, the practice of yoga (asana, pranayama and meditation) is designed to replenish and re-balance the subtle energies within the body, bringing vitality to the body, clarity to the mind and joy to the spirit.

Perhaps the most important benefit of a regular yoga practice, and one that especially applies to healers, is its ability to align body and mind in the present moment. The modern world is very good at distracting us and preventing us from experiencing stillness and silence. We are also very good at keeping ourselves distracted to avoid this experience of stillness.

Often, healers can get emotionally overwhelmed by the suffering they witness, thus causing them to feel ungrounded. Sometimes, healers also use ‘the act of service’ as a distraction itself, to avoid approaching the place of silence within.

When physical yogic postures, linked to deep breath-work are performed with mindful awareness, they allow us to find a way back into the experience of stillness within. This place of silence, where there are no questions, there is no analysis, and no expectation, is the centre of grounding – the centre of stabilising and being present in the now.

For healers, it is especially helpful, that a yoga practice (or any other mind-body holistic practice such as tai-chi, qi-gong or others) becomes a part of the daily routine.

These are some of the benefits that can be experienced from a daily and balanced Yoga (Asana, Pranayama & Meditation) practice:

  1. Physical vitality and health of joints, muscles, tissues, organs, glands as well as all bodily functions
  2. Increased physical and mental stamina
  3. Clarity of thought
  4. Increased patience and decreased irritability
  5. Reduction in acute emotional sensitivity (especially in empathic people)
  6. Greater ability to release overwhelming emotions
  7. Feeling of inner and outer stability and grounding
  8. Easier access to inner joy and positivity

A common misconception of yoga in the modern world is that it is only for the very flexible and fit. This cannot be further from the truth.

Yoga meets you, wherever your body is – even individuals barely capable of sitting up in bed can have access to the gifts of yoga. This is because yoga is not exclusively a physical practice. It is a holistic body-mind-breath-soul experience available to people of all ages and body states.

Today, there are many different schools of Hatha yoga such as Hatha, Patanjali, Iyengar, Sivananda, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, to name a few. Choosing which school of yoga to follow is a personal decision that must suit the physical and spiritual needs of each individual.

Once you develop a steady yoga practice, you will never look back. It is the gift that keeps on giving by joining together your body, mind and spirit, and through that giving you the experience of peace and contentment.

Yoga will eventually become an indispensable part of your journey as a healer.

With love & gratitude,

Sai Sanjeevini Seva team

Divine Inspiration

“Practice silence. For the voice of God can be heard in the region of the heart only when the tongue is still. Silence is the speech of the spiritual seeker. Soft sweet speech is the expression of genuine love. Hate screeches, fear squeals, conceit trumpets – but love sings lullabies; it soothes, it applies balm.”

– Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

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