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The Usefulness of Yoga: Health Care Takes the Alternative Path

By Miranda Culp

For as far back as seven thousand years, practitioners of yogic science have understood the body’s capacity to self-heal. Modern science has recently confirmed what our ancient friends on the mountain top have known all along: healing the body has a direct correspondence to our state of mind. Our previous cultural conception is that yoga is for people who are flexible, healthy and young but that is starting to change. The immediate and consistent benefits of a regular yoga practice are becoming recognized in early education, the health care and rehabilitation fields.

Laurie A. Daley is Kripalu yoga instructor who works with seniors in Manchester, New Hampshire. Seniors’ yoga modifies the poses to make them safe for conditions like high blood pressure and hip replacement. Daley says that retirees find their balance starts to come back, their flexibility improves and some of them report that their arthritis pain abates after practicing. “Laughter and conversation are an important part of it,” Daley says, “there is a sense of comradery in class.” For some of them practicing together is a key part of the healing process.