Dr. Khalsa of Harvard Medical School on the Science Behind Yoga

It is my distinct pleasure to bring to you one of the most prominent yoga researchers in the world - Dr. Khalsa from the Harvard Medical School.

Yoga is not like the other alternative medicine/therapies that have been debunked by many academics. Dr. Khalsa is a yoga practitioner and a researcher. That may lead some among us to think of possible biases in his work, but those familiar with the academic world can tell you that this is really not possible in this type of investigation.

Listening to him you will realize that yoga is not just a routine. It does have almost magical benefits as you will recognize by the end of the conversation. Indeed all of it is not yet validated but there is enough evidence for anybody to get started and literally transform one's life - physically, mentally, and emotionally - you do indeed become a better person with the yoga lifestyle.

If you need scientific validation before you can be convinced for getting onto the yoga mat, or to meditate, please take time to view this video. After listening to Dr.Khalsa, there will be little doubt that yoga practice is more powerful than any other regimen. How much it can change your life remains to be understood properly but it is clear that yoga needs to be a part of our daily rituals just like brushing and bathing.

[radhadeviom]

This is so good. very well explained too. Thank you . excellent questions and answers and so relevant to todays living. I really appreciated it and perfect timing for me too. Aum. x

[viji]

Yoga existed in India going back thousands of years so Dr. Khalsa is just bringing that knowledge to the Western world

[solanoaguirre]

Thank you for sharing this! It's good to know that there are people working to improve our way of heath by holistc means.

[youtubeperson]

Thanks for the interview, it was well done

[sunilrajan]

The interviewer is hogging the entire time! Dude, let the expert speak!

[seancole]

I really can't tell who is being interviewed

[JohnJohnson-hlfv]

He's not Indian, but he has an Indian accent.

[insighttimer]

Alas, how juvenile!

1. Can Yoga cure diseases, or in some cases, at least, even control them?

The question is irrlevant, because physical wellbeing is the NOT the goal of yoga. Let me repeat, curing or controlling a disease is NOT the goal of yoga. If someone is talking about yoga as a ‘therapy’ for disease control, then he or she is completely mis-informed and also spreading that ignorance to others.

2. What, then, is the goal of yoga?

The goal of yoga is to control (nirodha) the turmoil (vritthi) of the mind (chitta), thereby leading to the attainment of a thought-less state (samadhi). Period.

Just like when the waves of a lake completely die down, not even a single small ripple, then the bottom of the lake clearly visible, so also does the quenching of the thoughts leads to realisation of deeper states of consciousness, which should only be experienced and can’t be described in words.

Dwelling in these deeper states of consciousness will give the practioner an insight into the reality of life, death, pleasure, pain, relationships, attachment, aversion, suffering, etc. thereby refining his attitude and outlook towards life, and allow him to remain in a state of perpetual bliss (don’t equate bliss to pleasure or happiness; bliss is a state of serenity, irrespective of the physical and emotional state one is in).

3. What are the most essential and basic foundational yoga practices?

These are the Yama and Niyama. Without a strong foundation in Yama and Niyama, it is futile to hope to practice further steps of yoga and expect to achieve anything worthwhile. Without a steadfast Yama and Niyama, the mind is bound to fall back more quickly into repetitive, useless and uncontrolled thought cycles. Any amount of asanas and pranayama and dhyana will then be useless. Think of Yama and Niyama as the two long side poles of a ladder and the remining six (Asana, Pranayama, Prathyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi) as the rungs of a ladder.

If someone is talking about yoga without Yama and Niyama, immediately run away from him at top speed.

4. What is the purpose of asanas?

We normally look at body (somnus) and mind (psychos) as two separate entities. Actually they are not. They are inseperably linked as pshychosoma. If you steady the body, the mind also begins to steady. But even a small movement of the body will lead to an immediate movement (generation of thought) in the mind. So, emphasis was given to the ‘stilling’ of the body, but at the same time without creating any tension in the body. The body should remain comfortably, effortlessly still. ‘Sthiram (absolute steadiness of the body) Sukham (easily, comfortably) Asanam (is the asana)’ – so says Patanjali.

The eventual goal of a asana practitioner should be to comfortably sit with a still body for at least 3 hours without break. During this time, there should not be even a small twitch of any muscle, including fingers and toes. No itching or scratching, cough, etc are allowed. The only sign that the body is alive should be the breathing. Most importantly, this should be achieved effortlessly. If you are forcefully making an attempt to sit still, then the mind will be disturbed.

The goal of all asana practice (whether astanga-yoga or hata-yoga) is to achieve this effortless steadying of the body.

The more one practices the physical postures (asanas), the more steady the body will become when it is sitting for practice of further steps (starting from pranayama). Of course, initially it will be difficult – even to sit still for 20 minutes will be difficult. Leg joints will start aching; back will start paining; there will be feeling of numbness in the feet; there will be an urge to scratch some itching on the nose or head, some cough will try to force itself out of the mouth, and so on. THIS IS WHERE THE REGULAR PRACTICE OF ASANAS WILL HELP. Gradually one will acquire an ability to sit for more and more duration, effortlessly, and concentrate on further steps.

THIS, AND ONLY THIS, is the purpose of the practice of asanas. If somebody is trying to convey anything other than this, then he or she is either ignorant or is trying to cheat.

5. Does then the practice of asanas have no health benefits?

Yes and no.

Regular practice of asanas will, in many cases, help in improvement of the physical well-being. However, what I want to emphasise is that the physical well-being is not the aim of asanas. Physical well-being is only a supplementary effect of asanas.

To be complete, any physical exercise regimen should comprise of three elements: Flexibility training, Strength training and Cardio-Pulmanary Circulation training. Asanas lays emphasis on the flexibility part. True, when asanas are practiced, there will be some associated benefits of strength and cardio-pulmanary fitness as well, but these are minor, and will depend on the types of asana practiced.

6. Is it wrong to promote Yoga as a healthy life style practice?

The western world (and the westernised India) have taken one part of yoga (that is, asana) and reduced the whole yoga to calisthenics! How stupid! How unfortunate!
If physical well-being is the goal, then one can have a complete regimen of physical exercises which comprises of all the three aspects as mentioned above. Why drag the name of yoga into it? Also, for physical well-being, one does not need all those asanas: very simple flexibility exercises which will train all the muscles, joints and hamstrings in the body are more than adequate. Why do you want to complicate your life by trying to stand on one leg or trying to stand on your palms? It is outright silly.

If someone still wants to evaluate the ‘effects of yoga’ on the physical well-being and disease control, then one should make sure that the subjects are deeply rooted in Yama and Niyama, are able to follow a daily regimen of asanas, prayanama, dharana and dhyana (at least these 6 limbs out of the 8). Then only can someone reasonably evaluate the effects of yoga on the physical well-being on those subjects and do yoga some real justice.

Needless to mention, that a healthy outlook towards oneself and the society (yama-niyama), a flexible body (asanas), regulated breathing (pranayama) and a peaceful mind (prathyahara, dharana and dhyana) will have very positive effects on the lifestyle diseases of the 20th and 21st century like hypertension, diabetes and others, but only twisting the body into various asanas and trying to evalute its health benefits is outright idiotic.

[yoya]

They get it for free from India and you'll soon get a surge of Yoga Therapists making a tonne of cash in the West. It's already happened for its physical aspects. Some things never change. The interviewer did well putting across the hidden agendas and cultural context of Yoga. The expert a converted westerner ignores the subtext of the interviewer, given he is western. Dr K is also earning nicely doing 'consultancy'.

[allnaturalsingh]

what kind of questions are u asking him? lol