Yoga and Healing by Michael Lee, M.A. Founder of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy
As
yoga becomes more mainstream and more popular there are many people
jumping on the bandwagon and hailing the miraculous benefits of
the practice. Yoga therapists have known for many years how yoga
can help anything from sciatica to a failed marriage. One of the
problems associated with the popularization of yoga, however, is
the tendency to apply it as a panacea and from an almost exclusive
left brained paradigm. At last years Yoga Journal Pre-Conference
on Yoga Therapy I was on a panel to answer questions from many of
the students attending. Many questions related to applications of
yoga therapy in the form of "What posture do I recommend for
such and such a condition?" One student even asked for postures
for altitude sickness to which I suggested a car ride down the mountain
or if that wasn't available try a headstand. That would at least
get him a few feet closer to sea level. Fundamentally there is nothing
wrong with such questions. The problem is the mind-set from which
they arise. A mindset that is based on a paradigm of healing that
says "do this procedure or apply this technique to get this
result". To me this approach sells yoga therapy short. It is
so much more than that. Yoga therapy is an holistic science. One
that honors the complexity of being human and the unique makeup
of each one of us in every aspect - body, mind, and spirit. To clarify
this take a look at the following comparison between two different
paradigms of healing that I have attempted to identify.
Two
Models of Healing
PRESCRIPTIVE
MODEL
Based
on diagnosis and treatment
Based
on cause and affect
Outcome
is known from study of previous cases and application of scientific
method
Alleviation
of pain or disappearance of symptoms = successful intervention
Power
is primarily with the therapist
Client
follows directions to affect cure
Dependence
on therapist is possible and even likely
What
is important is decided by therapist
Therapist
is invested in successful outcome
Answers
are more valued than questions
Ambiguity
and chaos are limited in the healing process
HOLISTIC
TRANSFORMATIONAL MODEL
Based on co-created exploration
Based
on unique manifestation of energy of the individual
Outcome
is unknown
Awareness
of underlying dissonance in body, mind, and spirit can lead to
life transforming change on same dimensions
Power
is primarily with the client
Client
makes choices from options presenting from new self generated
awareness
Empowerment
of client is likely
What
is important is decided by client
Therapist
leaves client to determine relative success without attachment.
Questions
can be more valuable than answers
Ambiguity
and chaos are valued and inherent in the healing process.
Copyright
Michael Lee, 2002
Whilst
I may sometimes choose to operate out of the first model. I believe
the real power of yoga therapy is found in the second model and
my 16 years of working with this process through Phoenix Rising
Yoga Therapy bears this out. It's when the second model is applied
that deep healing and transformation occur. It is in this arena
that the client will often uncover some aspect of their life that
is out of balance with their spirit. Out of this awareness they
will often make changes that will make a genuine difference in their
lives from that moment on.
There
is also a huge difference in the skill set required by the yoga
therapy practitioner to operate in the holistic paradigm. In the
prescriptive model the practitioner essentially needs to be a skilled
technician. In the holistic model the practitioner needs to be trained
in the acute application of awareness and presence - and "not
doing' becomes as important as 'doing.' Creating an appropriate
relationship with the client is essential to the healing process.
The practitioner is as much an educator as she is a clinician. Each
and every session assumes the feeling of a unique voyage of discovery
in an unknown world. I recall the tears of joy on the face of one
70 year old client who realized that his sciatica was no more than
his unwillingness to let go of control and laugh at his inability
to hold on to his grown children any longer. He would never have
discovered this had I been simply "treating" his condition.
He got there because we took a journey together into the depth of
his spiritual essence while he took the lead while I held his hand
and followed.
