Generic Yoga Modules for Clinical and Research Settings-Need of the Hour.

Abstract

Yoga-based interventions offer significant promise in healthcare. However, meta-analyses of various yoga trials suggest that comparisons of trials are either not possible or difficult due to heterogeneity in therapeutic yoga interventions. Also, in view of emerging evidence for the role of therapeutic yoga, it is important to identify the specificity and validity of various yoga components being used in different trials. Efforts in this direction will be fruitful only if a systematic approach is adopted to develop yoga programs for various ailments. In this article, we emphasize the need for a "generic yoga" concept for designing a therapeutic yoga program for particular health issues, with the objectives of promoting scientific growth of therapeutic applications of yoga and widespread application of standardized therapeutic yoga programs within a biomedical framework. This generic therapeutic yoga will essentially highlight the development-validation process of uncopyrighted yoga programs; their components, benefits, and possible side-effects; and requirement for need-based modifications.