POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH (PGIMER), CHANDIGARH CCRYN-COLLABORATIVE CENTRE FOR MIND BODY INTERVENTION THROUGH YOGA
Expert meeting 9th Jan 2024
The CCRYN-Collaborative Centre for Mind Body Intervention through Yoga, PGIMER organized a groundbreaking hybrid Expert Meeting on January 9th, 2024, providing invaluable exposure to experts and faculties of Yoga field and PGIMER. The theme of meeting was “Barriers and Benefits of Yoga Research” and its focus was to enlighten the participants on process and complexities of policy formulation especially in the realms of integrative health, accuracy of yoga Asanas, ethics, standardization, implementation science, communication, and policy research. This was achieved through discussions led by experts from prestigious institutes and organizations. The event featured a diverse array of experts, each contributing a 5-minute capsule presentation followed by a 10-minute Q&A session.
Sri. Balamurugan J.M, Principal Secretary, Defence Welfare Services, Punjab commenced the meeting by extending a warm welcome to the esteemed panel. Subsequently, Dr. H.R. Nagendra, Padma Shri, Chancellor, S-VYASA University, Bangalore, the honourable chief guest along with other dignitaries, inaugurated the event with the ceremonial lamp lighting. Dr. Akshay Anand, Professor-in-charge CCRYN-Collaborative Centre for Mind Body Intervention provided an overview of the agenda for the day.
In a captivating following session, Dr. H.R. Nagendra, Padma Shri, Chancellor, S-VYASA University, Bangalore delivered an enlightening talk on the Theory and Concept of Yoga. He added that the need of the hour is “bring Yoga into the education system”. He also said that “Yoga has become a boon to mankind as medicines have failed to treat non-communicable diseases”. Once an individual is hypertensive or diabetic or has got cancer will have to deal with these diseases whole life and Yoga can help to manage even prevent such non-communicable diseases if incorporated into lifestyle at an early age.
Dr. Raghavendra Rao’s introduces the experts to technological innovations in yoga happening in India and said that “We need to focus on increasing the availability and scalability of Yoga”. Dr. NK Manjunath, Pro-Vice Chancellor & Director of Research, S-VYASA, Bangalore presented a comprehensive overview on the regulation of heart and brain through yoga. Dr Manjunath emphasized that “Preventive healthcare is important and maintaining the adherence to preventive healthcare is most important”. Renowned industrialist Mr. Rakesh Mittal captivated the audience with his insightful talk on Meditator’s Perspective.
In a compelling and enlightening talk, Prof. Mitali Mukerji, Head of Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, IIT-Jodhpur, emphasized that “Strategies to encourage collaboration among Ayurveda, Yoga and modern medicine should be brought into place and there is a need to work on capacity building in transdiscipilinery research”. Dr. Rajvi Mehta, a distinguished Teacher at BKS Iyengar Yogashraya, Mumbai, underscored the importance of Asana accuracy to unlock Yoga’s full potential and minimize the risk of injuries. Continuing the expert discussion, Dr. Hemant Bhargav, Department of Integrative Medicine, NIMHANS, Bangalore, discussed the Protocolization of De-addiction Yoga and provided an in-depth exploration of how yoga can be systematically applied in the realm of addiction recovery, offering a comprehensive understanding of its application.
Three international eminents and members of IAYT Board of Directors, USA, Ms. Molly McManus, Dr. Susan Steiger Tebb and Ms. Alyssa Wostrel brought an international perspective on different topics. Ms. Molly McManus, President, IAYT Board of Directors, USA, shared that providing Certification of Yoga Therapy has its challenges such as resistance to change, regulatory challenges, resource-intensive process and public perception. Dr. Susan Steiger Tebb, Vice President of the IAYT Board of Directors, USA, addressed the evolving trends in Research in Yoga for Cancer Care exploring the promising developments in utilizing yoga as a supportive measure in cancer treatment. Ms. Alyssa Wostrel, Executive Director of IAYT, USA, brought attention to the broader implications of yoga therapy on Whole Person Health highlighing the transformative potential of yoga therapy in promoting holistic well-being. Dr Rich Fletcher also shared his thought on “building collaboration with pharmaceutical companies” as Yoga works on prevention while pharmaceuticals targets treatment. The meeting concluded with Prof. Akshay Anand, advocating for the Need for Good Yoga Practice (GYP) in Yoga Research to enhance the quality, realibility and reproducibility of yoga research including randomized control trials, promoting a robust foundation for further exploration. At the end, Sri. Balamurugan said that it is needed to bring this policy to top tiers of a institute or government to implement them into system. He added “Aagan Badi are frontline workers and they need to be trained in integrative health”.
Based on the discussions, a consensus draft was generated for recommendation to PMSS/NITI Aayog. Possibility of Launching multi-national clinical trial on alcohol deaddiction and sending policy recommendations to various central and state agencies was suggested besides bringing about handbook of Integrative medicine for doctors. Organising member, Dr Krishan Kumar thanked all the experts for sharing their knowledge to design a prompt consensus draft.
