Here’s a perspective your average yoga teacher won’t get to see every day; a conservative writer (Terence Jeffrey) railing against the government spending NIH dollars to study the benefits of yoga.
Although I know I disagree with him on a lot of issues, he does have a point that is valid. Some of the studies he mentions sound incredibly ridiculous; e.g.:”Yoga as a treatment for insomnia,” or “Yoga for the treatment of persons with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).”
Why do I think this is silly? Just substitute the words “relaxation training” for “Yoga” in the studies. Do we really need government grants to find out if relaxation techniques can help with anxiety or sleeplessness? Duh.
The larger issue is that the federal government should simply not be in the business of healthcare research of any kind. The real motivation of the people behind Yoga studies like this is to provide enough evidence for the government and insurance bureaucrats to make modalities like Yoga part of “mainstream healthcare delivery.” Why do people want this? So it can be reimbursable by health insurance.
My bottom line: the more the government becomes involved in Yoga and Yoga Therapy, the less Yoga will be about an alternative practice that creates individual freedom.