TIRUPATI: When Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha (RSVP) vice-chancellor Prof V Muralidhara Sharma met Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank in New Delhi recently, the latter enquired about the medical reports of patients who were taking yoga therapy for chronic diseases. He also evinced keen interest in the future plans of the yoga therapy centre and research lab.
Though RSVP authorities could not publicise the programme due to financial constraints, limited infrastructure and manpower, the right blend of medical equipment for diagnosis and yoga has been generating interest among medical professionals and yoga scholars at the national level.
According to official sources, when the 45-day summer camp on yoga therapy for chronic diseases began in May 2017, it received overwhelming response with 102 persons registering for it. Medical reports of the participants were prepared at regular intervals during the programme by sharing the status of their health with professional doctors. It is an ambitious attempt to explore the scientific depth of yoga.
On public demand, it was converted into a continuous programme and 37 participants registered themselves for it in 2018 and 66 in 2019. The V-C has requested the Union minister to release funds for appointing professional doctors, procuring the latest medical equipment and constructing a separate building for the programme.
Speaking to TNIE, RSVP Yoga Department guest lecturer Dr. Lakshmi Narayana, who was among the 10 faculty members looking after the programme, explained that according to the ancient treatise ‘Yoga Vasishta’, most diseases originate in the mind. “When a person is tense and under stress, doctors generally prescribe medicine for the body instead of the mind. But yoga can treat each and every layer of the body and mind. We have achieved 80 per cent success in curing chronic diseases through the programme,” he claimed.
In the programme which is conducted daily from 6 am to 7.30 am at the open auditorium on the RSVP campus, one can find people from all walks of life, right from Class VIII student to a Cardiology professor.
Dr. Vanaja, Professor of Cardiology, SVIMS, believes yoga helps people control the five senses and the mind. M Jyothiswar (21), a B.Sc student, who was suffering from migraine, told TNIE that he got some relief after joining the programme a year ago.
Vidyanandam Kamalapuri (70), a retired bank employee, who has been suffering from Parkinson's and Bell's Palsy since 2012, said he had consulted many doctors, to no avail. “To avoid memory loss, I joined a Sanskrit course in RSVP and am taking yoga therapy. Now, I can move freely without any problem,” he added.
M Munikrishna Reddy (60), a farmer from Chiguruvada, who has diabetes, blood pressure and psychological issues, too says he recovered 75 per cent after attending the programme for two years, without any medication.