Asian Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Attitude, knowledge and application of yogic sciences by physiotherapists

Chhaya Verma, Hiral Master, Vijaya Krishnan

Department of Physiotherapy Seth G. S. medical college, Mumbai

Abstract

Background: Yoga is a most valuable inheritance of the present. It offers a holistic approach to health. It is a form of mind – body fitness that involves a combination of poses, breathing techniques and meditation that have the potential to alter an individual’s quality of life. With growing dissatisfaction with the conventional therapies, there is a pressing need for complementary measures and yoga seems to hold promise through its multifaceted approach to healing. Physiotherapists are beginning to recognize yoga as a form of treatment for many conditions.

Methogology: A questionnaire based randomized cross-sectional survey of freshly passed physiotherapists was done. 76 students participated in the study. The questions assessed the knowledge, awareness, attitude and application of yoga in physiotherapy practice. The data was collected & recorded by percentage analysis method.

Results: 34.21% intend to study yoga in future, 73.68% advocated only yogic postures for exercising, and 61.84% applied yoga in combination to other physiotherapy treatment. While 78.94% felt yoga drastically improved quality of life, 39.47% used wrong terminologies & 18.42% were unaware of the indications & contraindications the different yogic forms.

Conclusion: The physiotherapists have a strong positive attitude towards yogic sciences. Yoga was used in different styles & with various impact & pace. Physiotherapists experienced that conducting yoga in combination to physiotherapy treatments (physio-yoga) greatly benefitted. But many of them used wrong jargons for naming asanas, also few were unaware regarding the conditions benefitting from yoga

Keywords:

Yogic sciences, Physiotherapy, Adjunct therapy, Awareness of yoga, Knowledge of yoga.