Yoga And Meditation

The main aim of yogic therapy is to contribute to the integration of personality through healthy body and mind, which is attained by promotive, preventive and curative methods.

Promotive methods bring in homeostatic functioning in the body. Preventive methods protect individuals from exposure to bad influences. Curative methods bring cure in the disturbed psychophysiological function. The mechanism through which yogic therapy seems to achieve results may be mentioned as :

1. Direct influence on the body organs like muscles, joints, ligaments, visceral organs to counteract repeated irritations causing stiffness. Influence on visceral organs posmbly will decrease the metabolic activity.
2. Influence through autonomic nervous system by reducing sympathetic tone and promoting parasympathetic tone, leading to balance.
3. Influence through higher nervous system by voluntary control over somatic system and by influencing psychic areas in the brain. In spite of its growing popularity, there are still many misconceptions about yoga leading to confusion about its various aspects and their practical applications. Rather than simply explaining yoga as a theoretical or philosophical system, it is necessary to show how practical it is in its application to each and every aspect of life, beginning the most fundamental personal to the social and educational implications of the society as a whole.
There are many people practising yoga today who are still not clear about the relevance of certain aspects of yoga, much of the confusion arises because of the purpose of yoga and its underlying concept.

The term yoga has to be understood both as an end -sad h ya and as a means sadhana. Yoga is generally used in the latter sense . All the means of yoga have the same purpose to be fulfilled in the end ie. harmony, balance, equilibrium of samatva, the integration of personality.

Various means of yogd may be classified into the groups of asanas, pranayamas, kriyas, bandhas and mudra and dhyana.
Asanas
These are certain special pattern of postures that stabilize the mind and body. They aim at establishing proper rhythm in the neuromuscular tonic impulse and improve general tone of the muscles.
Pranayama
These control the respiratory impulse which form one of the main channels of the flow of autonomic nerve currents divisions and therefore they are often call satkarmas or satkeriyas. Each of these are again subdivided.
Bandhas and mudras
These are special practices which bring conscious and gradual control over the semivoluntary and involuntary muscles in the body where there is an integration of central and autonomic nerve supply. Through these one could influence the activity of the autonomic nervous system which as a whole.
Yogic practices vary as the individuals vary. According to the individual needs the nature of yogic practices differ. But with due discrimination every individual stands to be benefited from yoga in a limited way. There are limits everywhere. On the basis of limitations of age, , environment, maturity and general physical capacities one has to select appropriate yogic practices to start with.
It is to be remembered that yoga has always remained a growing discipline. It went through several stages of development and has adjusted to the needs of the day. It never prescribed the same approach to all the persons. It always showed regard for individual difference.