Pancha kosha 5 - Basics of Yoga Therapy

COMING OUT OF SICKNESS

When we examine our disturbances and disharmony in the above said way meaning the progression, from episode to habit to Vasana to samskara there is a great benefit in terms of reversing the process. We all know that we can easily overcome our habits by working on consciously reversing the habit for a certain period of time. This is what we do in case of de -addiction programs. Even every child would have picked up some habit or the other in growing period for few days. But being tutored by the parents or teachers that that habit is bad the child consciously comes out of it by working for a short period of time. One of such common habit is biting the nails and soon the child gives up consciously. If habits can be reversed by consciously working to reverse it, we can similarly reverse the Vasanas and samskaras. Only the difference is that it will take a longer and more arduous process. Thus, we can reverse all problems of disharmony by working to reverse them consciously. The altered conditions like tension at physical level speed at the level of Prana and restlessness at mind level can also percolate and do percolate in us to become Vasanas and samskaras. If tension at a physical level is our Vasana or samskara, we can consciously practice relaxation techniques for a longer period of time. In the same way, we can practice calmness of mind at the mental level and we can consciously overcome our fixations at intellectual level so that we can easily come out of our disharmony at various levels and develop harmony. Harmony is the health; harmony is strength and stamina; and, ultimately, harmony is freedom from suffering, not only in human being but in the whole creation.
Therefore we need to consciously relax at the physical level to be free from the disturbance but some times our physical condition may limit us from doing certain practices of asanas. For example a person with problem of back pain will not be able to do front bending or back bending with ease and comfort. Therefore, depending on one’s current physical conditions, one must design a practice of physical and relaxation techniques to develop awareness and relaxation. To relax means to be able to leave the body aside and transcend to a subtler level called Prana. With the practice of proper Pranayama techniques one can make the flow of Prana smooth and free from all disturbances and one can make it slow. In turn one can transcend the Prana levels. Here also there are certain techniques some persons need to avoid because of their health conditions. Transcending the pranamaya level takes us to subtler level called mind and by calming the mind one can become harmonious at that level and will be able to reach subtler levels so that finally one can be one with the Ananda level. This is the scheme of yoga therapy. A state of attachment shows the sign of sickness where as a facility for transcending is the sign of freedom or health. In fact this can easily be observed in the case of children. When they are healthy, children are not at Annamaya level or attached to body. Only when they are sick, they are at body level. For example, Mother often says about her child, who is sticking to or clinging to the mother, ‘She normally plays on her own and does not bother me at all, but now since she is sick, she is sticking to me.’ This indicates the reason for attachment is sickness and the manifestation of attachment is sickness. When health and harmony are there then the attachment will not be there.

-to be continued...