Yoga, the ancient discipline originated in India about 5000 years back, has an influence in Indian lifestyle, culture and healthcare system. The word, `yoga’, had been derived from the Sanskrit word, yugil, which means `to integrate’. As the name indicates yoga helps to integrate all the elements of life and it is a physical as well as mental exercise which provides a relaxing and rejuvenating feel to both the body and the mind.
Yoga enhances concentration and assists in healing many lifestyle-related diseases such as spondylitis, joint pain, back pain etc. Yoga involves many physical exercises called asanas and they help the patient gain control over one’s own body and movements. It also assists in relaxing the muscles which in turn contribute to their better coordination in movements. No wonder Ayurveda, the ancient medical system of India includes yoga too in its treatment methods. And both these systems together provide a holistic treatment which can cure many a mental or physical illness.
``I had been suffering from joint pain for one year and finally when I went for a joint pain ayurvedic treatment, they asked me to practise some yoga asanas apart from taking medicines. Now after four months into the treatment, I don’t feel pain anymore in the joints, but I still practise the asanas just to maintain this `painless state’,’’ testifies Rajagopal, a government employee based in Chennai