Role of yoga therapies in psychosomatic disorders

Psychosomatic diseases are the pathological expression of biological, psychic and social parameters of health and illness, whereas yogic approaches are ways to bind closely the normal interrelationship of above. Thus, the yoga, a mystic way of life, originated 2800 years ago in India and compiled comprehensively by Patanjali in the fourth century is remarkably vibrant, unique and successful in the management of psychosomatic diseases. Yoga therapy emphasizes self-regulation by patients and stresses the importance of somatopsychic functioning of the individual. The spiritual itinerary of yoga is discussed and emphasis is given to its use in these psychosomatic diseases where therapeutic effectiveness can be demonstrated logically and scientifically. Besides reviewing the recent researches of yoga therapy, particular effort is made to discuss its relationship to other therapies of psychosomatic diseases. Yogic approaches have been successfully used in the management of bronchial asthma, essential hypertension, mucous colitis, peptic ulcer, cervical spondylosis, chronic sinusitis, intractable pain, personality disorder, anxiety reaction, anxiety depression, gastritis and rheumatism.