Foreword Foreword It has been more than twenty years since I first arrived in south India to begin my study of Āyurveda, the traditional system of Indian medicine. Naturally, I have an avid interest in the origins and influences of this healing system and have taken every opportunity to delve into the original ancient texts for evidence of its philosophical and intellectual underpinnings. We know, for example, from archeological remains that Āyurveda can be traced to the ancient cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa in the region known as the Indus Valley. At that time a system of healing prevailed, amongst a people known as the Aryans, in which sophisticated medicines of vegetable, animal, and mineral origin were used. The Rgveda, the oldest known document from the Aryan civilization, contains abundant references to plants and herbal medicines. The concepts of agni and soma, the seed concepts for later medical theories of digestion and reproduction, are likewise discussed in detail in this ancient metrical scripture. The Rgveda and the other two early Vedas (Yajurveda and Samaveda) are distinctly ritualistic and magical, full of references to sacrifice and deities. The deities were often personifications of natural forces, such as sun, wind, and earth. The later text of the Vedic period, the Arthavaveda, provides a much more specific and detailed view of medicine as it existed in ancient India. The detailed description of the human body is evidence of a highly developed knowledge of anatomy. In addition, we find a great many disease conditions delineated including hrdyota (heart disease), kustha (leprosy), rajayaksma (consumption), asmari (kidney stones), and unmada (insanity), to mention only a few. There is also mention in the Arthavaveda of a great many plants used in the treatment of specific diseases. Certainly, Āyurveda can be said to have its roots in this Arthavavedic era.
Gradually, with the dawning of scientific thought, these early Vedic concepts of anatomy, physiology, pathology, and pharmacology were greatly expanded and developed. Finally, during the first and second centuries A.D., these ideas were organized and recorded as the famous encyclopedic compendiums of Charaka and Sushruta. Even today these books are regarded as the main textbooks of Indian medicine.
It was during this period that the Āyurvedic vavidyās began to incorporate ideas from other schools of thought apart from the Sāmkhya doctrine that was its main affiliation. One of these schools was the Yoga School, the most celebrated and earliest text of which is ascribed to Patañjali, a sage who lived at the end of the second century A.D. This school set forth the concept of psychophysiological constitutions of human beings, a system of controlling the mind and body through physical and behavioral disciplines, and methods of attaining one-pointed concentration. This latter goal could lead the aspirant to knowledge of the spirit untainted by matter.
One of the features that sets Gary Kraftsow’s book apart from hundreds of others on the subject is its inclusion of an enlightening discussion of negative emotions and conditioning, which are obstacles to our evolution into conscious beings. Gary draws on modern neurophysiology to help us understand ancient concepts of ahamkāric self-limiting mis-conceptions of ourselves and our world. The prānāyāma-āsana-meditation triad of interventions which are beautifully elucidated with clinical cases is practical and inspiring. In this section generous references are also made to concentrative and visualization techniques as therapeutic tools. Although it is commonly assumed that Patañjali was the founder of the Yoga system, his own compendium, Yoga Sūtra, states he was only the compiler and editor. The origin of the Yoga system is more accurately ascribed to more ancient priest-physicians of the Vedic era. The system of Yoga, although popularized in the West as a system of physical āsanas, was originally considerably medical in its purpose. The Yoga system speaks of understanding disease, its etiology and course, and the methods by which to best eliminate it. This is in close agreement with the Āyurvedic approach to disease. It is clear that Charaka was greatly influenced by the Yoga School. Among the health-promoting measures common to Yoga and Āyurveda are the use of mantras, dietary measures, fasting, controlled breathing practices, fomentation, relaxation, adherence to natural urges, and abstinence from excess and immoral behavior. Perhaps the most important link, however, is their common grounding in the tenets of the Sāmkhya philosophy.
For example, there is a discussion in the Charaka Samhita of the relation between Yoga and moksha (CS, 2:137-156). Moksha, the summum bonum of human life, is defined by Charaka as the “complete annihilation of all material attachments,” moksho nivrttirnihśesha (CS, ibid., 137). Chakrapani, another noted Āyurvedic commentator, defines moksha as “absolute annihilation of the body” (atyantika sari-radyucchedeh). Both of these physicians identify Yoga as the means of attaining this ultimate state of human liberation. Patañjali takes this idea further and provides the practical means beginning with his second sūtra: yogaś citta vrtti nirodhah (“Yoga is the control of fluxes in the mind”).
Today, there is a great need to clearly elucidate the therapeutic applications of Yoga and its āsanas. Although much is known, not much is written on the uses of āsanas in the treatment of specific diseases. Among informed Āyurvedic physicians interested in well-founded Yoga research, the general consensus today is that three Indian institutions are conducting well-designed Yoga research. Of the three, the most respected is the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Madras, where ground-breaking research is currently addressing the role of Yoga in mentally retarded children. Other renowned institutions include the Kaivalyadhama Samiti Yogic Health Center in Lonavia and the Vivekananda Kendra in Bangalore. However, these two latter schools, in my opinion, share the limitation of their research having a notable lack of correlation with modern medical understanding of disease. Another limitation is that often the recommended asanas are beyond the ability of the individual in need. The message of Yoga according to Patañjali is prayatna śaithilyānanta samāpattibhyām (YS, 2:47), which means that the force and effort expended in doing āsanas should be the minimum. The postures are intended to be comfortable and steady (sthira sukham āsanam, YS, 2:46). A third limitation of many Yoga instructions is the emphasis on the achievement of a fixed, rigid form of each āsana; this negates the individual constitutional differences of each practitioner and can even be injurious. Finally, the importance of the breath as the key to one’s Yoga practice is often not emphasized enough.
The present volume adeptly addresses all of these issues and brilliantly fulfills the needs of the beginner and the initiate. Gary Kraftsow is one of the most highly respected contemporary teachers of Viniyoga, a tradition that invites, even demands, self-awareness and attunement to one’s physical, emotional, and mental reality.
Its ultimate goal is to bring about nothing less than a complete transformation of its sincere students. One of the distinguishing features of this Yoga system to which the reader is directed is the concept of release valves. These unconscious compensatory movements that dilute the value of an āsana are extremely relevant for all of us who practice any form of therapeutic movement. Throughout the book the author makes us aware of these patterns and offers methods of adaptation. Viniyoga, practiced regularly, can no doubt transform the physically and mentally limited individual into a harmonious and balanced being. We witness the fulfillment of this tradition to a large extent in the author, who has pursued the path of Yoga full-time for more than twenty years. He is a teacher and guide to many individuals, among whom are many knowledgeable and experienced healthcare providers.
What makes this volume unique and fresh is not only that it has arisen from years of personal discovery, but also that Gary has in addition years of experience in clearly expounding these techniques to students of all levels of practice. I am gratified and astonished how well the grace and wisdom of this man translates into words. This is certainly not a book to be read cursorily and then put down. Herein lies a gold mine of practical knowledge for enlivening all aspects of the physiology. It is a book worthy of study, which no doubt will enlighten the reader in unexpected ways each time it is opened. I therefore urge you to read this book and take the time to digest the words; practice the postures and breathing techniques as you proceed. This book will guide you with patience and refreshing insight, born out of years of teaching experience, through the often daunting challenge of self-discovery. With some perseverance and much letting-go, you will be amply rewarded. And may the next step on your journey bring surprise and delight.
SCOTT GERSON, M.D.
The National Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine
Brewster, New York