Western medicine doesn't always help in chronic illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, arthritis, or cancer and tends to generalize and categorize people into the various illnesses they present with. Eastern medicine, on the other hand, takes a more holistic approach by working with the client individually, viewing the whole person, rather than just focusing on their symptoms. Eastern medicine in the forms of ayurveda and yoga therapy, holistic systems of medicine widely practiced in India, work with the belief that the body has an innate knowledge of how to heal itself. When we think of these teachings, it has a surprisingly modern perspective, and despite the fact that these teachings have been around for thousands of years, we refer to ayurveda and yoga as "new age". What we really mean is that we are trying to look beyond mere symptoms and disease, and see our illnesses from a different perspective. We know now that disharmony in the body, or in other words, a change or disruption of the natural flow of energy in our bodies, is the forerunner to the appearance of physical and mental ailments.
(1) Recent studies have confirmed that hostile people have a higher incidence of heart disease and heart attacks. Also women who develop breast cancer can inevitably trace the start of their symptoms to major stress or life disruption occurring sometimes within a matter of months before the appearance of their cancer.(Ayurvedic Healing- Frena Gray- Davidson, pg. 13 pictured at left) This reminds us that the mysterious appearance of these illnesses might indeed have their origin in the disruption of the energy system of our bodies. Having this knowledge empowers us by telling us that we can re-achieve "wholeness", despite what doctors might say. This is what Dr. Deepak Chopra refers to as "quantum healing", a healing made possible by bringing our bodies back into balance or a state of "wellness".
Donna combines her extensive nursing knowledge with yoga therapy and ayurveda training in working with clients individually to assist them in returning to and maintaining a state of wellness. In her practice as a yoga therapist, she incorporates the following tools:
