Yoga exponents from India and the US focused on the role of yoga in healing illnesses of body and mind as well as the successful adoption of the traditional healing system as an adjuvant in the treatment of a range of disorders at a recent three-day conference in the city.
The “Indo-US Yoga Chikitsa Symposium and Workshop” was hosted by the School of Yoga Therapy, Institute of Salutogenesis and Complementary Medicine (ISCM) of Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (SBV), in collaboration with the Loyola Marymount University (LMU), US, S-VYASA Yoga University, ICYER at Ananda Ashram and the Indian Yoga Association chapter.
Addressing a session, Jayaraman Mahadevan, an invited resource person from S-VYASA Yoga University, stressed the importance of bridging the teachings from the traditional texts and their commentaries in understanding the various yogic techniques in their proper connotation. He also highlighted the concept of Adi-Vyadhi — the afflictions of the mind and body respectively, from the classical text ‘Yoga Vashishta’.
Over various sessions, Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani, ISCM Director dwelt on “Yogachikitsa and Salutogenesis: How does it work”, the traditional 12-point diagnostic tools devised by Swami Gitananda and its importance in the modern health care scenario.
Lori Rubenstein Fazzio, Clinical Director of Yoga Therapy, LMU spoke on the topic, “Yoga therapy in modern times”.
An experiential session on “Understanding Yoga Therapy: Practices and Findings” featured a review of findings from SBV’s yoga schools led by Meena Ramanathan, Vice Principal of SYT, ISCM.
She discussed various qualitative and quantitative research studies and evidences for the application of yoga as a preventive, promotive, rehabilitative, and curative therapy. The discussions also centred on how the role of yoga therapy was being investigated as an adjuvant to standard medical care in different medical conditions.
Balaji Rakasekaran, G. Dayanidy and Vasundhara from SBV highlighted the findings of research on yoga as an adjuvant therapy in Metabolic Syndrome, Psoriasis and sleep deprivation in pregnant women respectively.
K R Sethuraman, Professor Emeritus AIMST University and Endowed Chair- Health Professions Education, IHPE, SBV emphasised the importance of salutogenesis, the Japanese concept of ikigai and their role in holistic healing while Ashok Kumar Das, Dean (Academics) at SBV, highlighted the various dimensions of the mind-body medicine.
An open forum on “Yogachikitsa as Mind-Body Medicine” was led by Meena Ramanathan, Vice-Principal of SYT, Sobana R, Administrative in-charge of SMT, and Prof. Bhavanani.
During the event participants were also exposed to the traditional gurukula environment at the Ananda Ashram, that included hatha yoga practice sessions with Devasena Bhavanani, general secretary of ICYER and Dhivya Priya Bhavanani, Deputy Director of Yoganjali Natyalayam.
