The yogi’s pictured above are Krishnamacharya, Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois, from left to right. They are considered by most as modern yoga’s late fathers, Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois were both Krishnamacharya’s students. They all have different approaches to yoga practice, but share the essence of true yoga and construct their yogic practices in such a way that the ultimate goal of yoga is incrementally worked towards. Patanjalayogasastra is the foundational text for all three. Patthabhi Jois’s ashtanga yoga is based upon the ashtanga eight-limbed yogic system is laid out in Patanjalayogasastra and is globally renowned and practiced. To note, this did not include any of the yoga positions associated with modern ashtanga yoga, asana, is just one component of the eight-limbed system and Patanjala only references in the text simple seated postures. Mass asserts that Patanjalayogasastra and the commentary were probably, ‘composed by one single author, (Mass, 2013:4) and with this view dates, ‘with some confidence… the [PYS]…between 325 and 425 CE,’ (Mass, 2013:11). Therefore modern ashtanga yogic, series 1, 2 and 3, are physical practices built from and based upon this ancient yogic path structure. Another text the, Yoga Kurunta, is considered by some to be the older root text for Ashtanga yoga. Krishnamacharya, apparently, ‘“discovered” the text in Calcutta library, transcribed it, and then taught it verbatim to his student Pattabhi Jois,’ (Singleton, 2010:184). Hearsay perhaps, as the nothing of of the text has been recorded, why? If you believe in it’s legitimacy and that only Jois was privy to the find who, ‘was in Calcutta with Krishnamacharya when he discovered the text,’ (Singleton:2010:184) it could perhaps explain the difference yogic approaches between Iyengar and Jois, given they were both his students. The recorded Patanjalayogasastra ‘is a [ashtanga] system of thought and practice combining an ancient philosophical system (Samkhya) with a systematic compilation of older traditions of disciplined meditation (Yoga) practices,’ (Larson, 2012:74). Samkhya metaphysics is dualistic as it distinguishes between Purusa, consciousness and Prakriti, all manifest matter, which includes the subtlest phenomena of the mind. This is why meditation is the key yogic practice as it is from that state of absorption that this understanding can be attained. Ie. You can separate your mind from its conditioned perspective of the world and therefore to an extent it’s suffering, as a full surrender to the truth of what it is required for absolute ease to be attained in body and mind. This is therapeutic at it’s core, but an embodied psychosomatic process in becoming. Patanjalayogasastra, along with The Bhagavad Gita, are the most known root texts in the new age yoga culture that endeavour to decode samkhya metaphysics for the yogic practitioner to inform their practice.

Whilst Pattabhi Jois and Iyengar went on to evolve yoga from Krishnamacharya’s teachings in, ‘a very particularised and specific approach within the broader scheme of Krishnamacharya’s teachings,’ (Singleton, 2012:195), unique to them individually, Krishnamacharya’s became tailored to be individualised for the practitioner, which primed this viniyoga lineage to become the root of our modern understanding and application of yoga therapy. The viniyoga tradition is, ‘founded on a recognition that our physical condition, emotional states, attitudes, dietary and behavioural patterns, lifestyle and personal associations, and the environment in which we live and work are all intimately linked to each other and to the state of our health,’ (Kraftsow, 1999:129). Therefore, yoga therapy utilises and individualises a yoga practice to incorporate all aspects of being to evoke the internal state for healing. The understanding is founded on the philosophical belief and now scientific truth that the deep emotional patterns hardwired in our brains from birth dictate so much of who we are and the physical and emotional conditions that manifest in our lives. By understanding health from this holistic perspective a practice can be tailored to help shift and transform some of this deep rooted patterns through meditation, whilst giving the physical body an individualised practice tailored to their bodies and whatever conditions there may be. There is a therapeutic fluidity and slowness to the viniyoga practices that help to soften deep seated tension and bring greater embodied awareness, which is a meditation practice in and of itself as it requires absorption from the practitioner. It is this absorption that over time softens the brain connections that make-up the subconscious mind, as the neutral unconscious becomes the practitioner’s place of abiding. The same principle of absorption, which is what makes yoga different from traditional exercise or physiotherapy, is an integral thread in Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois’s yoga. However, the physical approach they chose to take with their practices was more mechanical, which when practiced with a body that contains tension, would only compound that tension rather than release embodied tension. The practice would still bring the body strength and balance but it wouldn’t be as therapeutic in nature. Viniyoga softens the body, induing ease in flexibility, should actually be a prerequisite for a student before moving onto a stronger more forceful practice like the ashtanga series. Iyengar takes the student on a slow and methodical journey, with a strict adherence to alignment. This is good, but also too rigid when it comes to yoga therapy, as sometimes being out of alignment actually can soften an area of the body that a rigid pose would not be able to access. However, if you were too build the body up through the type of progression that Iyengar calls for, you would be safely moving into the stronger poses not forcefully meeting the poses need in the moment. Your body becomes the pose. Ideally, this process with the body would begin with a body that has fully released the emotions, which are deep rooted patterns that dictate the imbalances that manifest in our physical bodies. A yoga practice would hold these, so the body can be healthy, but only a therapeutic practice would release these. This would be the strongest place from which to start a stronger asana practice, especially with regards a practice such as the intermediate ashtanga series. This is often practiced with the force of momentum not built into with deep core strength. This can put far too much pressure on the joints and connective tissue, which is the causes of physical conditions or problems later on. Think about what a deep lunge could do to a knee that isn’t prepared for that level of flexibility? The main muscles in the legs ca make that stretch, but a weakness could be caused in the surrounding cartilage and connective tissue, which is connected to the patella, the kneecap causing knee problems ultimately, even though the pose is achievable in that moment, in a yoga class, often repetitively.

The popularisation of yoga and mindfulness, which is a modern day adaptation of simple asana and meditation, has prompted academic research into the efficacy of such practices. Evidenced-based research is the only way to prove the effectiveness of yoga and meditation as therapeutic practices. Research needs to be done, and statistically significant results obtained for yoga to be seen, and thus funded as a legitimate health intervention. The following are examples of some of the research carried out. It is important to note, that yoga research is limited because of study sizes, bigger study sizes, would provide more statistically significant results. However large-scale research projects require more energetic input from the teachers and participants, which in normal circumstances also equates to more money. However, despite these limitations many people have put in the effort to define and specify what it is about ‘yoga’ and meditation that makes it therapeutic and beneficial for the practitioners mental and physical well-being.

The effect of yoga and meditation on young adults inhibitory control was researched in an fNIRS study. Inhibitory control is the young person ability to control a behavioural impulse and fNIRS, is functional near-infrared spectroscopy, a brain imagining technique used to study brain physiology. Click on this link for the full article: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2021.725233/full#B21

Although the study size was small with only 50 participants, this study showed statistically significant results. The yoga participants showed greater accuracy in the flanker tasks, tasks that measure non-voluntary and voluntary attention, than the control groups and the yoga participants had higher levels of oxyhemoglobin in the prefrontal cortex. The study concluded to suggest that yoga was, ‘an effective and appropriate exercise to improve the inhibitory control of young adults.’

Another research project showed that the grey matter volume of the brain increased with meditation. The study compared 23 long-term practitioners of Sahaja Yoga Meditation, with 23 non meditator. The groups were matches on age, sex and education to ensure other variables would not limit the results obtained. MRI scans were used to determined grey matter volume. The study concluded showing that, ‘long-term practice of SYM is associated with larger GMV overall, and with significant differences mainly in temporal and frontal areas of the right hemisphere and the brainstem. These neuroplastic changes may reflect emotional and attentional control mechanisms developed with SYM.’

See here for the article:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33370272/

The impact of a six week yoga course on students stress and anxiety levels was the focal point of another research program. Again, the study is limited by size, only 17 participants between the ages of 19-23 completed the study. They were given an hours vinyasa flow class, followed by a guided meditation. Questionnaires were used to determine and monitor stress and anxiety levels, as well mindfulness skills over the course of the six weeks.

The studies conclusion:

‘Students experienced a reduction in stress and anxiety levels after completing a six-week yoga and meditation program preceding final examinations. Results suggest that adopting a mindfulness practice for as little as once per week may reduce stress and anxiety in college students. Administrators should consider including instruction in nonpharmacologic stress and anxiety reduction methods, within curricula in order to support student self-care.’

For more information see the article here:

https://www.ajpe.org/content/83/5/7001.abstract

Although research into yoga and meditation is in it’s infancy, yoga and meditation are clearly shown to be therapeutic and effective as an intervention. This will always be determined by other factors, including the participants receptivity to the practice, however, we feel there is enough evidence to warrant further research into the effects of yoga and meditation and to support them as an effective therapeutic intervention, that given it’s effect should be more widely accessible as a form of therapeutic and preventative medicine.

Singleton, M, (2010). Yoga Body, The Origins of Modern Posture Practice: Oxford University Press.