The connection between modern medicine and yoga

As humans, we have always been looking for how to become healthy and how to live happier lives. The WHO definition of health is “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being”.

This is called a fundamental human right.Because it is.

It is remarkable that despite our relative prosperity and peace in the Western world, many of us have not yet achieved this state. We've made progress in life expectancy and reducing child mortality, but is our overall well-being better?

In addition to well-known risk factors for disease such as smoking, alcohol, poor diet and lack of exercise, there is increasing evidence that stress and lack of connection to others are risks for chronic disease and cancer.

I am continually impressed by how yoga and many other traditional cultures have taught the importance of our connection to the earth and all that lives on it as fundamental to healthy living. Modern medicine has dissected and examined our bodies, organs, cells, enzymes and DNA to prove what is happening inside us and how everything works well, and yet this very examination can lead to a reductionist approach to health. Our health is not only the number of years we live, but also how we live them. However, policy is often driven by what reduces mortality. Even when we try to measure the quality of our lives, we deal with numbers. To simplify, measure and compare risks missing the totality of our experiences and therefore our well-being.

What is evidence-based medicine?

The medical community uses evidence-based medicine to decide what tests to perform, treatments to offer, and health strategies to follow. This is a rigorous process, and this is necessarily the case as billions are spent on healthcare that can cause both harm and benefit. However, there is controversy over what is researched, what is published, how statistics are used, and which results from clinical trials are applicable to individuals. Evidence-based medicine is an essential contribution, but may not meet individual health needs without taking personal experiences into account.

So what is “experience”?This is your understanding and awareness of what is happening in the body and in the world. It is the essence of yoga. It can also help you understand what is important to you as an individual and articulate how you approach health. Discussing this with your doctor can transform your ability to achieve better health.

What is the dilemma?Most doctors have a good understanding that experience can determine health, and although there is increasing research on this, the evidence to clarify experience is conflicting. In my opinion this takes time, continuity and risk sharing. I would argue that yoga has taught me as much about health as medical school. Medicine taught me the mechanics of how the body works, and yoga taught me how to pay attention.

Perhaps our experience can be seen through our connections:

Finding connection to ourselves

The connection between body, mind and breath is well established. Good health requires harmony between all three.

Our bodies need proper nutrition, sleep and exercise to function and give themselves a chance to repair. The contradictory Literature about what this specifically is can be confusing, but when we tune in to experiences, we are all better discriminators.

Our minds and how much of a determinant of health it is has been well researched. Accept who we are and the bodies we inhabit, be compassionate to its needs, to be present, to how our experience can be held within us and perhaps revealed in unexpected ways. Our minds can influence the nature of pain, immune responses and how we deal with trauma.

Physiologically speaking, the importance of our breath for health It is known and accepted that the way we breathe can change the state of our mind and vice versa. In a modern context, our muscles can wither if not used. Our minds have little time to rest, relax, recreate themselves with constant choice and stimulation. As yoga has always known, breath can help us distinguish where to pay attention.

Find connection with others

Our lives are closely connected to friends, family, colleagues and those around us. Research has shown how the nature of our relationships affects our health. The pandemic has shown that even those we don't feel connected to are important to our health. It is tangible in terms of Reducing the spread of a virus, but I would argue that our individual health is always determined by our relationship with others. As yoga teaches, we are all part of the whole. How we communicate, how we tell stories as people, how we see differences and care for others is how we live our lives. This is our experience and fundamental to the quality of our health.

Finding connection to the planet

It took about 40 years of climate research before the world began to understand what yoga, Rachel Carson and numerous great naturalists are I always told us that. How we treat nature and other species will have a huge impact on us and our health. It determines the quality of our food and the environment in which we live. Our connection to the earth and other species can be powerfully healing and we are beginning to understand that the organisms in our gut have a direct impact on our physical and mental well-being.

And then it's naturalJoyThis is connected to all of this and nourishes our health.

There may not be randomized control trials to prove much of this, but the evidence base is growing. Additionally, observing and adjusting is unlikely to cause harm.

I could use the example of asana practice as a model for health. Through years of refining and adjusting, we develop a pose that is well aligned and allows free reach for the breath. Even when our attention is drawn to one area to provide greater clarity, another aspect of the pose may suffer. The challenge is to maintain the whole thing with great care. It's not just the diet or the pill that improves health. It is our attention and awareness of everything we are and do.

Of course there is nothing new in what I say. This is yoga. But people are forgetful and our narratives can get in the way.

Health and wellness resources

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Hayo’u Body Comb – Jade

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