Beyond Correct Postures and Flexible Bodies: Exploring the Relevance of Yoga in End-of-Life care

Mind-Stuff and Withdrawal of the Senses: Toward an Interpretation of Pratyahara in Contemporary Postural Yoga

Yoga has become a popular health and wellbeing practice that draws on ancient philosophy. Pratyahara is a core tenet of yoga practice and is often translated to mean withdrawal of the senses. Withdrawing from the senses plays a key role in aiding yoga practitioners to find spiritual enlightenment by transcending the worldly. Withdrawing from the material world, however, does not neatly fit within the parameters of the contemporary postural yoga industry. This paper looks at the conceptual origins of pratyahara through stances relevant to health research. The author weaves biomedical, esthetic, and neoliberal onto-epistemological stances through health discourse to discuss how postural yoga both resists and replicates power imbalances. In so doing the author emphasizes the paradoxical nature of pratyahara as it is reflected in socio-political tensions of the yoga industry. To conclude, the author suggests that pratyahara itself can be useful in resolving this tension as yoga fulfills a philosophical prerogative for social change.

Enhancing End-of-Life Care Through Yoga

This editorial explores the integration of yoga into end-of-life care, emphasizing its potential to enhance the quality of life, comfort, and dignity of patients. Rooted in over 5,000 years of history, yoga's holistic approach, encompassing physical, mental, and spiritual practices, aligns seamlessly with the goals of end-of-life care. We discuss the benefits of incorporating yoga's diverse practices, such as physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation, particularly in palliative care settings. These practices offer significant improvements in physical health, psychological well-being, and spiritual fulfillment, especially pertinent for older adults and patients with serious illnesses like HIV and cancer. The philosophical underpinnings of yoga, emphasizing acceptance, harmony, and peace, provide a framework for a dignified and peaceful transition, resonating deeply with the concept of a 'good death'. However, challenges exist in integrating yoga into end-of-life care, including limited research, cultural and religious considerations, physical and emotional limitations of patients, and logistical constraints within healthcare settings. Ethical considerations are also paramount, focusing on patient-centered approaches, respect for individual beliefs, informed consent, and patient autonomy. The editorial concludes by underscoring the need for further research to evaluate the long-term effects of yoga in end-of-life care and to establish comprehensive ethical guidelines. The integration of yoga offers a multifaceted approach to address not only physical discomfort but also provide emotional and spiritual solace for terminally ill patients, thereby enhancing the overall quality of end-of-life care.