Psychotherapeutic importance of Hatha Yoga postures (asanas)

As we all know that psychotherapy is all about behavior change and inner transformation of the individual. The goal of treatment is in terms of eliminating symptoms, restoring its previous level of functioning, so that the person to achieve (with Roger the term "fully functioning person"), help people find personal meaning and values and the restructuring of defense and character. Earlier in the era of Freudian psychiatry, psychotherapy and psychology used a model of human personality, which is confined to biography and the individual unconscious, as described by Sigmund Freud. But in the field of psychotherapy approach for the treatment of the individual, slowly and gradually become more comprehensive. Today, therapists believe in eclecticism in therapy rather than merely a system of psychotherapy. At the beginning of self exploration psychotherapeutic technique used heavily dependent on verbal communication, such as free association or face to face. But now therapists have understood that only by relying on such technology will not be useful to understand the dynamics of emotional and psychological problems and their elimination of the personality. Now, we find that some treatments that work on the body by the spirit. therapies, such as Bioenergetics, Reich therapy, Rolfing, psychedelic therapy, shiatsu, yoga, etc. A new dimension added to the system of modern psychotherapy. In this article, emphasis will be placed on the value of psychotherapy asana (posture), in the light some therapies focus on the body.
Asanas and Pranayama is the art of Hatha Yoga, a branch of yoga, which aims at the habits of mind through the installation. In the spirit of yoga, body and energy are considered to exist in a continuum. In Hatha yoga the individual work on the body through different attitude to the changing structure of energy and flow of energy is a change in the structure of consciousness. The science of Hatha Yoga, says the gross physical body has its subtle counterpart in the form of mental energy and agencies and the terms of the energy of the body to determine the physical and mental bodies. Like other schools of psychotherapy, the goal of Hatha Yoga is also the consciousness and personality. Asana is intended to strengthen the feelings and conscience. The various postures of yoga brings a change in her attitude, feelings and behavior. The technique of asana yoga practitioner uses the body as a tool for patterns and spiritual energy in the body. Sw. Ajay wrote in his book "attitude is an expression of a mental state. Psychologists know that the modern attitude of someone can say a lot about his feelings and beliefs about themselves and others," writes it, "and this is also true that the graduates of a certain attitude can also lead to a certain mental and emotional state. We all know based on our own experience that our attitudes, feelings and emotions through our gestures and postures. This attitude reflects a certain state of mind and emotion. As we approach, we not only mental and emotional states, but also the dynamic energy specific mental and emotional matches the structure or the state of energy in the body. Today, all the different techniques of body work of a body by using desirable personality change.
Body as a newspaper
Body-centered psychologists body work techniques, the claim that we save a lot of information about our experiences, the center of desires, beliefs, etc. in our body. Alexander Lowen a reputable organization centered therapist who developed the system bioenergetics said in his book "A person's attitude towards life or his personal style is reflected in how he himself, his transportation and the how he moves, "he writes again," a person is the sum of his life experiences in their own personality and structured in his body. Just as a logger can read the story of the life of a tree from a cross section of the strain that the annual growth rings, it is possible for a bioenergy therapist to read a person's life in the history of his body. "Now we come to a point where we can say that listening to all the resources to attend to the messages of the spirit which are encoded in the language of the body. Because the spirit is in the body, through the language of emotions, feelings, breathing, gestures, posture and movements.
Concept of the armor
It is the perception of body-centered therapists we store emotional tension in the muscles of the body. And if the tension increases our natural expression in the form of gestures and movements would be impaired. It makes us and destabilize the balance and. Wilhelm Reich, Reich Therapy developed in 1940, a release of emotional shock therapy, which is in his therapeutic sessions of functional identity of a person that the character of his physical posture or muscular armor. Armor refers to all manner of chronic muscle tension in the body. They are defined as armor, because they serve to protect an individual against painful and threatening emotional experiences. Reich and Bioenergetics therapy, a therapy developed by Alexander Lowen, and the study of human personality in terms of dynamic processes in the body. Reich believed that neurosis exist only if excess energy is removed. The relationship of energy to the rights of personality is clearly reflected in a depressed person. Alexander Lowen wrote in his book Bioenergetics, "although the trend of depression resulting from the complex interaction of psychological and physical factors, one thing is perfectly clear. The depressed person is strongly depressed." They (Lowen and Reich) emphasize that the absence of free flow of energy caused much emotional and mental problems. The blocking of the bio-energy is due to the armor that the results of energy is linked to a muscle contraction / tension and are not allowed to circulate in the body. This armor is the reason of muscle tensions that arise when we are threatened or feel threatened. In response to the imminence of our emotional body get tense circumstances in the preparation for fight or flight. But it becomes a problem when it is chronic or permanent. In this condition, we repress our natural feelings and emotional expressions. To explain this, I did phrase that the suppression of feelings and emotions crystallize in the form of muscular dystrophy armor. It was also considered by these therapists as neurotic tendencies built into the harness, and that if the armor dissolves, repression and emotional energy is released when the person begins to feel the energy flow.
Asana and the armor
If the system of depth psychology, we cut ourselves the most vulnerable of our mental content (through the oppression and repression), the main source of anxiety, tension and conflict in our psycho-physiological level of integration or ourselves centered. On the physical plane, we suppress our emotions / feelings in different parts of the body. In everyday life, and stressed a person used characterological tense posture, gesture and arrhythmic, breathing hard to stay in the self-made defensive mode of expression, action and behavior. People with neurotic behavior patterns of control was seen on the physical plane, using their posture and breathing is cut off from reality and their own feelings.
The term itself is an expression of their feelings. Depression, for example remove their exaggerated expressions, ie suppress their feelings too. It is known that the depressed person has finished and the conclusion is also reflected in its attitude. And in this mode by pressing on the muscles and keep the tension in the body, it quarters a feeling or sensation that the flow through the body. In this natural state of the feelings and the energy flow is blocked. Thus, their condition is the movement of the body and its energies.
The various postures of yoga called behavior, mood and feeling in general. Once the attitude is adopted and immediate ways of thinking, attitudes, feelings, breath and begin to build attitude. And there is a net change in the quality of awareness that energy starts moving within. Each yoga posture is working on specific areas of the body and the pattern of breathing that is specific to the situation concerned, energy affect parts of the body. As is known to both the body-centered therapists and practitioners of Hatha Yoga, breathing is the largest mobilization of energy in the system.
Through asana, we are working on the mind by taking care of repetitive gestures, postures and body movements and respiration. Other positions are also used to the tensions that we store in the muscles. Because of this sensitivity and awareness to develop, and a reaction to the events of his life more balanced and effective.
Asana as a tool for re-centering
Like all other practices of the goal of yoga asana is also on awareness to deepen understanding of self. Through asanas, we work on muscles, joints and organs of the body and put them into the state of health. And from time to time we release the tension in the body, breath return to its natural rhythm and harmony and energy flow freely through the psycho-physical. Once the natural and spontaneous free flow of energy is launched, there is a possibility that the individual is granted the status of spontaneity, freedom and harmony, that did not have before. A key feature of asanas is to establish the degree of flexibility in the body. Asanas done slowly with awareness and the candidate tries to keep the final position without any discomfort in the body. They are handy to the level of awareness and relaxation, which arise when the stress points are diluted or removed from the body. Otherwise, ground asanas help the awareness of the practice in the here and now the situation in this way allows the individual to spend his conscience and the energy of the spiral structure of the obsessive thoughts that revolve around a problem all the time.
Sw. Satya Nanda Saraswati says in his book 'Asana, Pranayama, Mudra Bandha "in hatha yoga asanas for positions of the body, which open the energy channels and psychic centers (also known as chakras or energy vortices) . They are tools for greater awareness and secure base for our exploration of the body, breath and spirit and beyond. Hatha Yogis also notes that the development of body control through asana, the mind is controlled. "In a psychology of yoga asana is a state of consciousness and a quality of consciousness. In the tradition of yoga, it is said that 8,400,000 asanas which represents 8.4 million incarnations. And if we go to the symbolic significance of the symbolic statement, we found that the broad band of consciousness. The psychology of Hatha Yoga somatic said that assuming a gesture refers to a state of consciousness, which is free of the problems created by pairs of opposites (dvandv? Nabhighat? H). The foregoing clearly shows that the asanas help to overcome the usual trends effort reduction (p? Ayatna? Aithalyam) and to release tension and stress signals from the body. As mentioned earlier, the body is the instrument by which our desires and our desire to exercise. Gestures and postures, the light of the thoughts and feelings. When we practice asana and settle in the repeated practice, helps us to create and adopt postures and repetitive movements that get us out of the usual models and instinctive awareness finest. It is therefore proved to be a very reliable remold of personality.
Another therapeutic benefit, as mentioned previously, its role in improving and deepening the sensitivity and awareness of the body. People who are chronically stressed, they lose contact with their body and therefore the reality of the situation of total breakdown. The increased tension and stress to reduce the level of physical sensitivity and awareness. Christine Caldwell explains in his book "To our bodies back"; "... Tension of a muscle in the short term, more feeling in this area. Nerves in the muscles are very active ... , The brain sensory feedback about the downsizing. However, if the tension remains, and become chronic, the nerve usually exhaust themselves and will not send messages when large sensory costs of tension. In other words, when stress is chronic nervous start to ignore them and focus on other things. "Here, in this case asanas can help to refocus the attention of the general practitioner at the moment. And for him as one with the body and the body begins again. Asanas make the body in the listening position. Once the movement began and rigid armor is broken, there is the free movement of feeing and breathing. And the two begin to travel together, while the body is alive, the feelings are again enabled. As Caldwell says, "the movement, sensation and breathing are the living descendants of tion and awareness. They May at the base of curiosity, responsiveness, openness and participation in life."