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Yoga at Healing Pathways Medical Clinic

Welcome to Healing Pathways Medical Clinic, a fully integrated mental health clinic which also offers the time honored healing tradition of yoga.

The practice of yoga has been around for over the last 5000 years. It originated in the Indus Valley of Ancient India, and pre-dates the actual development of the various religions. The Sanskrit term yoga means “to yoke, or join.” The first descriptions of the physical practices (asanas) were found in the Yoga Sutras, written by Patanjali, a Sanskrit scholar and physician. Traditionally the practice was to sing or chant the knowledge of yoga to students.

In the last 30 years there has been a tremendous growth of scientific research on the many practices called yoga. Yoga’s effects have been studied on anxiety, depression, pain syndromes, and cardiovascular, autoimmune, and immune conditions. In addition, the physiological effects of yoga have generated numerous papers in scientific journals (Field, 2011).

Today, yoga is being heralded as a credible therapeutic intervention for stress management (Khalsa, 2007). In addition, the practice is suggested as a tool for general well-being and improved quality of life (Ross et al., 2010; Woodyard, 2011).

The following are only a few of the many conditions affected by yoga in recent research and studies:

  • Cancer (Distasio, 2008)
  • Arthritis (Garfinkel and Schumacher, 2000; Haaz and Bartlett, 2011)
  • Type II Diabetes (Innes and Vincent, 2007)
  • Anxiety (Kirkwood and Rampos, 2005)
  • Stroke recovery (Lynton et al, 2007),
  • Low Back Pain (Posadzki and Ernst, 2007)
  • Pain (Posadzki et al., 2011; Wren et al., 2010)
  • Musculo-skeletal issues (Raub, 2002)
  • Cardiopulmonary and cardiac compromise (Raub, 2002; Jayasinghe, 2004)
  • Psychiatric conditions (Shannahoff-Khalsa, 2004)
  • Heart attack prevention (Shannahoff-Khalsa, et al., 2004)
  • Depression (Uebelacker et al, 2010)

In its essence, the value of yoga practice is discovered in personal experience. Cognitive and thought processes as well as studies on the scientific effects of yoga is a path to the doorstep of this most ancient and deep personal improvement practice, but the actual experience of the practice helps one toward psychological-social-emotional-spiritual integration. It is, however, important to have proper instruction from a qualified yoga teacher.

What Healing Pathways promises its clients is that all the yoga teachers here are fully trained certified yoga professionals and are Registered Yoga Teachers (RYT) with the international association, the Yoga Alliance. They are personable, have their own practice, engender trust in their clients, are interactive, gentle, have excellent professional boundaries, and above all, will also follow the Hippocratic oath just as doctors do, Primum no nocere or “Above all do no harm.” They work collaboratively with the other fully licensed mainstream mental health therapists and doctors at the clinic or in the community. Collaboration with others is extremely important as we work together to guide you on your path to health.

At Healing Pathways we care about your personal growth: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Here, you will experience yoga in a safe, professional environment to help you realize and unfold who you really are.

Welcome to Healing Pathways Medical Clinic.
Om Shanti.

References
Field, Tiffany. “Yoga Clinical Research Review.” Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice 17.1
(2011): 1-8. Print.

Distascio, Susan A. “Integrating Yoga into Cancer Care. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing 12.1 (2008): 125-127. Print.

Garfinkel, Marian and Schumacher, H. Ralph. “Yoga.” Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America 26.1 (2000): 125-131. Print.

Haaz, Steffany and Bartlett, Susan. “Yoga for Arthritis: A Scoping Review.” Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America 37 (2011): 33-46. Print.

Herrick, Colette and Ainsworth, Allan. “Yoga as a Self-Care Strategy.” Nursing Forum 35.2 (2000): 32-36. Print.

Innes, Kim and Vincent, Heather. “The Influence of Yoga-Based Programs on Risk Profiles in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review.” Advance Access Publication 11 December 2006. eCAM 2007; 4(4) 469-456.

Jayasinghe, Stayajit R. “Yoga in Cardiac Health (A Review).” European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation 11 (2004): 369-375. Print.

Khalsa, Sat Bir S. “Yoga as a Therapeutic Intervention.” Principles and Practices of Stress Management. Ed. Paul Lehrer, Robert Woolfolk, Wesley Sime, David Barlow. New York: The Guilford Press, 2007. 451-461. Print.

Kirkwood, G., Rampes, H., Tuffrey, V., Richardson, J., and Pilkington, K. “Yoga for anxiety: a systematic review of the research evidence.” British Journal of Sports Medicine 39 (2005): 884-891. Print.

Lynton, Holly, Kligler Benjamin, and Shiflett, Samuel. “Yoga in Stroke Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review and Results of a Pilot Study.” Top Stroke Rehabilitation 14.4 (2007): 1-8. Print.

Posadzki, Paul and Ernst, Edzard. “Yoga For Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials.” Clinical Rheumatology (2011).

Raub, James A. “Psychophysiologic Effects of Hatha Yoga on Musculoskeletal and Cardiopulmonary Function: A Literature Review.” The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 8.6 (2002) 797-812. Print.

Ross, Alyson and Thomas, Sue. “The Health Benefits of Yoga and Exercise: A Review of Comparison Studies.” The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 16.1 (2010) 3-12. Print.

Shannahoff-Khalsa, David. “An Introduction to Kundalini Yoga Meditation Techniques That Are Specific for the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders.” The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 10.1 (2004): 91-101. Print.

Shannahoff-Khalsa, David, Sramek, B. Bo, Kennel, Matthew B., and Jamieson, Stuart W. “Hemodynamic Observations on a Yoga Breathing Technique Claimed to Help Eliminate and Prevent Heart Attacks: A Pilot Study.” The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 10.5 (2004): 757-766. Print.

Uebelacker, Lisa, Epstein-Lubow, Gary, Gaudiano, Brandon, Tremont, Geoffrey, Battle, Cynthia, and Miller, Ivan. “Hatha Yoga for Depression: Critical Review of the Evidence for Efficacy, Plausible Mechanisms of Action, and Directions for Future Research.” Journal of Psychiatric Practice 16.1 (2010): 22-33. Print.

Woodyard, Catherine. “Exploring the Therapeutic Effects of Yoga and its Ability to Increase Quality of Life.” International Journal of Yoga 4.2 (2011): 49-54. Print.

Wren, Anava, Wright, Melissa, Carson, James, and Keefe, Francis. “Yoga for persistent Paint: New Findings and Directions for an Ancient Practice.” Pain 152 (2011): 477-480. www.elsevier.com/locate/pain.