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Untitled Document
Part I: Philosophical Principles of Yogic Healing.
Part II: Energy Expenditure during Bhujanagasana – a Yogic Prone Backward Bending Posture
By
Urvashi B. Desai
Abstract
Part I: Philosophical Principles of Yogic Healing.
The general principles of yogic healing consist of the philosophical and psychological theories required to explain the aim and success of yoga practices. These theories are assumed with some modifications from the Sankhya metaphysics. The result is the system of Patanjali’s yoga Sutras.
Yoga describes two types of diseases: The essential disease of Sara or cycle of rebirths due to Karma, can be cured by the withdrawal of mind or citta into its potential states. Samanya diseases which are psychosomatic are due to imbalance of the three gunas in the citta and can, therefore, be cured by restoring the balance. The seminal insight of Sankhya – Yoga is regarding the nature of citta or mind. According to modern western views mind is the principle of consciousness. This principle of consciousness is regarded by some western philosophers as an entity totally distinct from matter (Cartesian Dualism). Others regard the mind as identical with matter (Materialists or identity theorists). In stark contrast, Sankhya yoga considers the citta to be an evolute of Prakrti which is unconscious. The conscious principles is the Purusa or soul alone.
Citta is an evolute of Prakrti just as gross matter. Prakrti is composed of the three gunas (sattva, rajas, tamas). Samanya or psychosomatic diseases result from an imbalance in the three gunas in the citta and can be healed by restoring the balance. The ethical yoga practices of yama and niyama and the physical practices of asna and pranayama succeed in this, precisely, because the citta has physical cum ethical cum emotive aspects. The sara disease of rebirth caused by karmas cured by severing the link between the Sakshin purusa/Self and the states or vrttis of the citta, which are the objects of the Purusa’s consciousness. This is done by reducing the citta to its potential state i.e. the nirodhah state, through dharana, dhyana, samadhi. This nirodhah state is the goal of yoga because the essential nature of citta or Prakrti is that of suffering, hence sundering of the Purusa’s link with Prakrti brings eternal peace and happiness.
Summary and Conclusions
The Yogic definitions of health and disease are mind or citta centered. Thus according to Patanjali, the cure of the essential Sara disease of birth and rebirth is cittavttinirodhah (PYS: 1.2) i.e, the withdrawal of the citta to its potential states. The cure of the Samanya diseases is the restoration of the balance of the three gunas in the citta.
According to western Psychology, mind or citta is the principles of consciousness. The identity theorists or reductionisms try to identify the citta with the body. So according to them consciousness is one of the properties of the material body. Dualists contrast the citta or consciousness with the body. But both of them agree that mind or citta is conscious. In contrast Sankhya yoga adopted by Patanjali emphasizes that citta is not the principle of consciousness. It is Purusa, alone which is conscious.
Citta is part of Prakrti just like gross matter. Sankhya yoga is a dualistic system, which believes that reality consists of two elements, that is Prakrti and Purusa. Purusas are many and they alone are conscious. Prakrti is unconscious. Prakrti is composed of three gunas; Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. The gunas have not only the physical aspect but also emotive and ethical aspects.
The essential Sara disease is a metaphysical one, because its cure is a state of Being or reality which is transcendent to ordinary realities. But unlike other metaphysical doctrines, yoga is unique in offering a systematic set of practices where by the transcendent reality may be achieved. Hence Yoga is scientific because it is empirically testable.
The yogic view of Samanya diseases psychosomatic i.e min-centered, is illuminating. But more seminal is the insight that mind or citta is material, an evolute of Prakrti, hence composed of the three gunas each of which has the triple aspects of the physical, the emotivce and the ethical. This insight opens up an array of therapies for treating Samanya diseases – Asanas are tailor-made for the purpose and more systematic that ordinary physical exercises; Pranayama unlike ordinary breathing exercises of yama and niyama are conducive to achieving Samanya health. Such an integrated approach to health is quite different from the western scientific one. Indeed the unique ethical aspect should be stressed whilst teaching yoga.
Part II: Energy Expenditure during Bhujanagasana – a Yogic Prone Backward Bending Posture
Background: As yoga gets popular, precise measurement of metabolic changes in different yoga postures is being taken up by researchers. Energy expenditure during different types of äsanas is available in literature. Studies on energy expenditure during the practice of prone postures are sparse.
Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the metabolic changes during Bhujaìgäsana (BH-Cobra Posture ) as compared to Supine Rest (SR).
Methods: The Subjects were 53 healthy (27 males and 26 females) volunteers between 20-35 years of age with more than three months experience in the practice of Äsanas. Breath by breath recording of Oxygen consumption (VO2), Carbon dioxide elimination (VCO2), Energy Expenditure (EE), Ventilatory Equivalent (VE), Respiratory Exchange Ratio (RER), Respiratory Rate (RR) and Heart Rate (HR) were carried out using Oxycon Pro (Jaeger, Germany, model no. SN 808323, 2001) equipment for the entire period of 18 minutes. The sessions were divided into 4 phases (1) pre (5 min), (2) during (3min), (3) recovery (5min) and (4) post recovery (5 min). The two sessions (BH, SR) were one day apart. BH is a backward bending prone posture in which the back is arched backward till the navel region while the region below the navel is in contact with the floor. During the control session (SR) the subject lies down in a supine position throughout the practice.
Results: During phase 2 of BH, VO2 and EE significantly increased (males- 68.72%, 68.52%; females- 33.60%, 33.06%) and reduced in phase 4 (males- 7.14%, 7.45%; females- 9.49%, 9.50%) compared to pre values. RR and HR significantly increased in both groups in phase 2 (males- 4.70 cy/min., 21.02 b/min; females-2.78 cy/min., 23.57 b/min.).HR reduced in male group in phase 4 (HR=3.42 b/min.). In the female group RR significantly increased and HR significantly decreased in phase 4 (0.83 cy/min; 1.63 b/min).
In the SR session VO2 and EE significantly reduced continuously in all four phases (males -VO2 : ph2- 6.26 %; ph3 – 6.89%, ph4 – 8.91% ; EE: ph2 - 113.32% , ph3-117.69%, ph4-145.15% ;females-VO2 : ph2 – 6.53%, ph3–7.61%, ph4– 7.90%; EE: ph2 – 6.60%, ph3 -7.93%, ph4 -8.19%).
Conclusion
During the practice of BH the VO2 increased by 68.72% in males, and 33.60% in females followed by a fall of 7.14% in males, 9.49% in females respectively in post recovery phase. The control session of supine rest showed continuous reduction. RR & HR increased significantly during BH & not in SR.
The present study has broad implications for the physiologists, psychologists, educationalists, therapists as well as doctors. It has shown that Bhujaìgäsana is a mild form of exercise, because of quick restoration of O2 consumption by 10% below the basal levels indicate better muscular efficiency, the aim of Yogäsanas which is to reach a state of relaxation.
It can be concluded that Yogäsanas though practised with relaxation, may increase muscular effort.
Key Words: Backward Bending Posture, Oxygen consumption, Heart rate, Energy expenditure.
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