Yoga Therapy as a Whole-Person Approach to Health

In this book, Lee Majewski and Ananda Bhavanani define yoga and yoga therapy as a whole person practice, demonstrating how it can help the individual to heal through their own mechanisms. The authors bring yogic concepts from theory into everyday life, exploring how yoga therapy can work with all levels of a human being at the same time (physical, energetic, emotional, intellectual and spiritual) and demonstrating that, when applied correctly, it can assist healing and facilitate an improved quality of life. The book covers deep yogic work and how it applies to cancer patients, as well as a range of other chronic conditions including respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. For each of these conditions the authors explore how yoga therapy can go beyond alleviating symptoms and work to heal the whole person. The book takes an integrated approach to pain rehabilitation and combines pain science, rehabilitation and yoga with evidence-based approaches from respected contributors. They demonstrate how to integrate the concepts, philosophies and practices of yoga and pain science in working with people in pain. An essential and often overlooked part of pain rehabilitation is listening to, working with, learning from, and validating the person in pain's lived experience. The book expounds on the movement to a more patient-valued, partnership-based biopsychosocial-spiritual model of healthcare where the patient is an active and empowered participant, as opposed to a model where the healthcare provider is 'fixing' the passive patient. It also explains how practitioners can address the entire human being in pain, and how to include the person as an expert for more effective and self-empowered care. A guide to yoga therapy for post-stroke rehabilitation, this book is for yoga teachers and yoga therapists, but also for occupational, recreational, physical and speech therapists who work with people with stroke and may integrate yoga into their practice. Rooted in evidence-based research and written by two yoga teachers who are also academics and researchers in rehabilitation, the book provides basic information about stroke and neuroplasticity, discusses the mind body disconnect that often occurs after stroke, and provides instruction on how to improve balance, strength and range of motion. It also covers effective meditation techniques to help overcome the stress and emotional impact of stroke. Clear photographs demonstrate yoga postures and activities specifically adapted for stroke patients, alongside case studies.-- Source other the Library of Congress "The book defines yoga therapy as a multifaceted approach to wellness, including the energetic, emotional and spiritual. Yoga therapy is not only asanas/postures and breathing (though these are important); and it is not about simply alleviating symptoms - it is a whole person practice. The book covers deep yogic work and applies this to cancer patients, as well as a range of other chronic conditions. There is a danger of the Western medical world's acceptance of yoga therapy being limited to postures and breathing and this book makes the case for a wider definition of yoga therapy and its applications. The book clarifies yogic concepts and brings them from theory into practical application"-- Provided by publisher Supporting yoga therapists to create a programme of care for those living with chronic pain, this guide brings pain science, creativity and yoga together for the first time. It includes the emotional, cognitive, social and spiritual in its definition of pain and acknowledges there that is no simple physical 'fix'. The book offers advice on creating an environment that restores hope and meaning to clients, and on building a successful business by creating a community of support. Matt Taylor's blend of creativity and yoga came from his own chronic spine pain as a physical therapist and his discovery of yoga therapy which led to his yoga-based rehabilitation clinic. An introduction for healthcare practitioners on using yoga to help manage stress and reach one's full potential. The importance of self-care to prevent burnout and stress is increasingly recognised within healthcare professions, and is being incorporated into education and training programs. This book gives students and practitioners across healthcare disciplines the tools they need to face various challenges on a multitude of interrelated fronts and help process the stress that these bring. It covers the foundations of yoga practice, and how the different building blocks can be combined to develop resilience, compassion and empathy. This is an integrated approach to pain rehabilitation that combines pain science, rehabilitation and yoga with evidence-based approaches from respected contributors. The book shows how to integrate the practices of yoga and pain science, and promotes the movement to a patient-valued, partnership-based biopsychosocial-spiritual model of healthcare. A guide that supports yoga therapists in creating a programme of care for those living with chronic pain, through bringing pain science, creativity and yoga together for the first time. It provides the skills and knowledge to create an environment that restores hope and meaning as well as practical guidance. Lee Majewski and Ananda Bhavanani present yoga and yoga therapy as a multifaceted approach to wellness, which includes the energetic, the emotional and the spiritual. The authors carefully clarify yogic concepts and explore how deep yogic work can be practically applied to a range of chronic conditions.