Passing on a Tradition of Teaching (A Naturalistic Study of Yoga Therapy)

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In the last few years, the concept of yoga therapy is gaining popularity all over the world. From being a "last resort" option to be used only when all other modern systems of medicine have failed yoga is today well established as a highly effective and practical system of healing and therapy. The reason is its unique, holistic approach that addresses not the problem but the cause(s) of the problem. Sadly today, health is understood merely as a workout for physical fitness and the practice of yoga is limited to achieving the perfect posture. This limited understanding of yoga fails to consider the holistic effect of yoga on the human system.

Tkrishnamacharya made it his life's work to heal people be adapting yoga to suit their individual needs and thus maximizing the benefits they derived from it. Is little wonder then that therapy has been the primary focus at Krishnamacharya yoga Mandiram since its inception in 1976. At KYM, therapy does not stop with just helping people deal with physical illness, but extends to those seeking relief from emotional and spiritual problems as well.

This book will help the reader understand how KYM operates, through the eyes of a qualified scientific researcher. The purpose of this study is to identify and describe the processes of yoga therapy as conducted by teachers at the KYM. The data has been drawn from one-to-one interviews with the teachers. The analysis is interpretative, following the rigors of qualitative research.

Broad areas addressed in this book constitute topics such as – "Tailoring the Teaching to the Individual student", Aiming at the Mind While Dealing with the Body." "Commitment to the Lineage of T. Krishnamacharya" and "Healing through Relationship."

Teachers at the KYM, who provided the data for this study have received the teachings directly from the lineage of Krishnamacharya and Desikachar. This book provides a window into that extraordinary healing tradition as it unfolds today.

Jane Young began her private yoga study with TKV Desikachar in Madras, India in 1981. In 1983, at a time and in a place where yoga was feared by as many people as were attracted to it, she opened the Piedmont Yoga Center in Pendleton, South Carolina, through which she taught individuals and groups of all kinds for over ten years.

In the early 1990s, Jane began a graduate program at nearby Clemson University, and ultimately earned a Ph.D in Therapeutic Recreation, She has taught yoga in clinical environments including adult and adolescent psychiatric care, substance abuse programs, and outpatient cardiac rehabilitation. In 1995 Jane took a faculty position in the Recreational Therapy curriculum at Western Carolina University. Her research publishing, and professional presentations focused on adapting yoga to individuals in recreational therapy settings. Now retired, Jane and her husband, John, live on a mountain where they are serious gardeners and stewards of the land.