It has been argued that the purpose of Yoga is not based on treatment. This is ironic - at a time when Yoga is practiced widely for its stress management abilities. Add to this, Yoga therapy has steadily flourished, over centuries, as long-term practitioners became aware of the healthy side effects of Yoga practice.

At this point, it should be noted that not all forms of Yoga are the same in the therapeutic sense. Yoga has become specialized in many different areas. Some Yoga styles are designed to be physically competitive, while others may focus on specialized health issues, and there are many more specialized styles for a variety of purposes.

In the case of specialized health problems, such as the many differences in heart diseases, Yoga, walking, or swimming, are often considered as good adjuncts, to traditional medical treatment, by physicians and specialists. This would give one the feeling that Yoga is seen only as a physical exercise by the medical community.

While the purpose of Yoga is still a subject for debate among medical doctors, it should be noted that three main aspects of Yoga are part of the therapy and the practice. Those aspects are posture (asana), Yogic breathing (pranayama), and meditation.

While there is much more to Yoga therapy than the main aspects, it is worth noting that medical science, and all science, is a form of systematic knowledge, based on testing. If results cannot be measured with an instrument, they must be studied further because conclusions cannot be made. In the case of Yoga, and many other alternative therapies, positive results alone will not create a scientific conclusion.

Yoga Therapy for Ailments and Illnesses.

Yoga is a confusing topic, because it is so wide in its reach. Outside of India, Yoga is often seen as a form of mind and body exercise. Yet, Yoga has deep therapeutic value, which is being observed in medical and scientific research studies.

The current opinion of medical professionals is that Yoga is a useful adjunct to medical and psychological treatment. This is why foundational Yoga Therapy courses and programs have begun to grow. Students often remark how much better they feel after practicing on a regular basis. This has led to wide spread research about the reasons why Yoga practitioners feel positive results.

After years of teaching Yoga, many instructors learn as much reliable information as possible, about teaching Yoga as therapy. This usually happens as a response to student needs. Yoga teachers learn how to modify a typical practice despite a student's pre-existing ailments and illnesses.

The next step after learning from a foundational Yoga Therapy course; would be to build on that platform of knowledge. This second phase of learning about Yoga as therapy should cover the needs of students or clients who have common health problems.

At this time, it seems as if there are far more ailments than there are Yoga therapists. If you consider, the different neurological disorders, different forms of cancer, stress related problems, and various heart diseases; each of these areas are very in-depth.

For example: Neurological disorders come in many different forms, such as - Parkinson's Disease, Stroke, Ataxia, Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy, Alzheimer's disease, and Epilepsy. This short list has only scratched the surface as to the depth of how many varieties of neurological disorders there are.

Knowing this, any Yoga teacher who wants to expand his or her knowledge of Yoga therapy would be best to concentrate on the immediate needs of his or her students with pre-existing ailments and illnesses.

Copyright 2008 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications