Therapeutic Yoga - Different Asanas and Their Benefits

Introduction

Yoga helps reduce stress and pain and helps relieve certain medical conditions by relaxing the mind, body, and soul. Therapeutic yoga uses simple techniques to treat specific medical problems and reduce health conditions in people. It will help in improving physical and mental health problems. It is a holistic approach (treatment including all parts of the body).

What Is Therapeutic Therapy?

Yoga uses basic tools of yoga, like asanas or different poses, pranayama or breathing techniques, and meditation or dhyana along with mudras or certain hand gestures and mantras with different vocal tones. All of this combined to form therapeutic yoga, and it will help in satisfying a specific goal. Therapeutic yoga helps in the physical, emotional, and psychological condition of an individual to improve overall health.

What Are the Goals of Therapeutic Yoga?

Therapeutic yoga helps in reducing symptoms of certain diseases and illnesses like digestive symptoms, insomnia or sleeplessness, anxiety, depression, pain, etc. Therapeutic yoga helps to improve the ability of a person to work at an improved level both physiologically and psychologically. It will also bring a person to a healthy lifestyle. Therapeutic yoga treats mental conditions like stress, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia (mental disorder associated with hallucination, delusion, etc.), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD (neurodevelopmental disorder), various eating disorders, addiction, postnatal depression and physical conditions like back pain, musculoskeletal problems, diabetes, increased blood pressure, Parkinson’s disease (disorder affecting the nervous system), asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancers, Alzheimer's disease, injury to the brain, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, obesity, heart disease, insomnia or sleeplessness, arthritis, and osteoporosis.

What Are the Benefits of Therapeutic Yoga?

Therapeutic yoga helps in reducing digestive issues, allergies, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid conditions, anxiety, depression, multiple sclerosis, headache, migraine, insomnia, and other medical conditions. The benefits of therapeutic yoga include the following -

• Relaxation or Stress Management and Rejuvenation- Therapeutic yoga includes various yoga asanas and breathing techniques with meditation that help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps in relaxing, rejuvenating, and decreasing stress. It helps in calming the mind and the body.

• Minimize Fatigue and Improve Sleep - Insomnia or sleeplessness is caused due to stress in the mind which causes tension in muscles and joints that interrupt sleep. Therapeutic yoga will help in improving sleep by giving relaxation to the mind and body.

• Improves Blood Circulation - Therapeutic yoga helps to increase blood circulation and lymphatic fluid throughout the body. In addition, it helps in increasing the production of blood cells in the bone marrow.

• Manage Chronic Pains - Pain usually results from injuries, accidents, surgery, multiple sclerosis, unhealthy lifestyle, etc. Therapeutic yoga helps in increasing the mobility of the joint through various yoga stretches. It will help in releasing the tension from the muscles. The pain in the shoulders, back, neck, and leg are reduced with the help of therapeutic yoga.

• Respiratory Strength - Therapeutic yoga includes pranayama or various breathing techniques that will increase the strength of the respiratory system by enhancing the alveolar sac. When the number of alveolar sacs increases, oxygen intake will also increase. Thus the strength of the respiratory system is increased by therapeutic yoga.

• Digestive System - Therapeutic yoga helps in relaxing and stretching the muscles present in the stomach and gastrointestinal tract. When the muscles in the gastrointestinal tract are tight, it will result in reduced absorption and digestion, resulting in constipation. Therapeutic yoga helps stretch and relax the muscles in the gastrointestinal tract, thus increasing the digestion of food and excretion of wastes.

• Emotional and Mental Strength - Therapeutic yoga helps in reducing anxiety, stress, and depression by releasing tension present in the mind. It helps strengthen an individual's emotional and mental status and removes the negativity around them.

Which Are the Therapeutic Yoga Poses?

Various therapeutic yoga poses are used to reduce back pain, help in digestion, reduce arthritis in the joint, reduce diabetes and urinary tract infections, reduce pain in traumatic patients, etc. Some therapeutic yoga poses are mentioned below -

• Standing Forward Fold Pose for Uttanasana - Stand straight on the floor by keeping the feet apart at the hip width. Slowly bend forward and downwards by touching the head to the knee and the hands to the ankle of the feet or at the sole. Stay in this position for eight breaths and stretch the muscles and relax back to the normal position. This pose helps in improving digestion.

• Thunderbolt Pose or Vajrasana - Start from the tabletop position by keeping both the knees and hands on the floor. Slowly bend backward and sit on the knees by keeping the hip touching the sole of the feet. Keep the arms on the knees on both sides. Stretch the spine upwards, take deep breaths, and relax back to the normal position. This pose will stimulate the abdominal muscles and internal organs and help in digestion.

• Reclining Eagle Spinal Twist Pose or Supta Parivrtta Garudasana - Lie down straight on the floor in a supine position. Bend the right knee towards the chest and slowly test it to the left side about the left knee. Support the left hand on the right knee and the right hand to be stretched perpendicular to the body. Stretch the body and relax, return to the normal position, and do these steps on the opposite side. This pose helps in reducing back pain.

• Bridge Pose Variation Hands Support or Setu Bandha Sarvangasana Variation Hands Support - Lie down straight on the floor in a prone position, bend the knees halfway, keeping the feet parallel to the floor. Slowly raise the hip and chest from the floor upwards, creating an arch. Support the hip with the help of hands on both sides. Take deep breaths and relax to the original position and repeat ten times. This pose helps with stiffness and pain in the lower back region.

• Side Reclining Leg Lift Pose or Anantasana - Lie down on the floor in a prone position and slowly tilt to the right side of the body. Slowly raise the left leg perpendicular to the floor by holding with the left hand on the tip of the feet. Support the head with the palms of the right hand. Stretch the body and take deep breaths. Relax, return to the normal position, and continue these steps on the opposite side. This pose helps strengthen the knee muscles and joints.

• Snake Pose or Sarpasana - Lie straight with the belly facing the floor. Keep the legs and hands stretched straight. Slowly raise the upper body from the floor, creating an arch with the lower part of the body. Try to raise both hands from the floor straight and behind the back of the body. Relax and return to the normal position. This pose is helpful in patients having knee arthritis.

Conclusion

Therapeutic yoga uses the principles of yoga and technique to heal different illnesses, including mental, physical, and psychological illnesses. Therapeutic yoga combines gentle yoga with restorative functions, including breathing techniques and meditations. It can be used as both restorative and to prevent various illnesses. It increases the flexibility and strength of the body and mind.