Yoga

What caught my attention was the Ministry of Health’s decision to ban and regulate certain practices offered under various names, including energy healing, stone and color therapy, sound vibrations, and mental guidance not based on evidence, as well as what has been termed “psychological yoga.” In my view, the decision is important, but more crucial is understanding what we are banning and why, so as not to confuse exercise and relaxation with superstition masquerading as treatment.

I was chatting with a friend about the issue, and I found that, like many others, he conflated yoga as a sport with the beliefs and spiritual rituals associated with some of its schools. I asked him: What is the difference between a beer that contains alcohol and a non-alcoholic beer? He replied: This one is forbidden (haram), and that one is permissible (halal). I said: Exactly, you’ve got it! The problem is not with the can or the name, but with what is inside it. Similarly, with yoga; stretching, flexibility, balance, breathing, and relaxation exercises are one thing, while adding “cosmic energy,” Hindu beliefs, and claims of spiritual healing to it is something entirely different.

I told him that I personally practice athletic yoga for years, and if I wanted to, and for the sake of humor, we could call it “yoga without alcohol.” Honestly, I find it beneficial, especially as we age, as it combines flexibility, balance, and breathing. Scientific studies indicate that some of its programs may help alleviate lower back pain and improve mobility in some individuals. The difference is clear between telling me: “These exercises may improve your flexibility and balance, and reduce some of your back pain”—a claim we can subject to study and measurement—and telling me: “Your pain is caused by an imbalance in your energy, and you can restore its balance with your hands, a stone, or a vibration.” In the latter case, you are making a different claim that lacks evidence.

Let us move on to the topic of stones and crystals: a stone for love, another for relaxation, a third to repel negative energy, and another to attract wealth! In the end, a stone is just a stone. It may be beautiful, rare, and valuable; we place it in a ring or on a desk and enjoy its beauty. But the problem begins when the stone becomes an object of worship and belief. If there were indeed a stone guaranteed to attract money, my advice to its owner would be not to sell it to people, but to keep it for himself and become the richest man in the world!

Another widespread superstition is what is called the “Law of Attraction.” Here, I do not mean positive thinking. An optimistic person who sets goals and strives toward them may have better chances of success than someone who gives up from the start, which is logical. But transforming the idea into the notion that merely thinking about money attracts money is something else entirely. If thinking alone were sufficient, we would close universities, banks, and hospitals, and each of us would sit at home “attracting” a PhD, a million dollars, and good health!

Someone might say: But I tried an energy session and felt genuine relaxation afterward. Perhaps, and I do not doubt his feeling. Medicine recognizes what is called the placebo effect, where a person’s expectation that a treatment will benefit them can influence their perception of pain and stress. Additionally, sitting in a quiet place, breathing slowly, and having someone who cares about you and listens to you can all provide relaxation. However, this does not prove that negative energy left your body or that a stone absorbed it.

This is where the importance of the Ministry of Health’s decision lies: it seeks to draw a clear line between physical activity and health practices on one hand, and superstitions that present themselves as treatments on the other. Treatment must be evidence-based, licensed, and regulated. The real danger is not the cost of a session or a stone, but the risk that a patient who needs a doctor or a mental health specialist becomes convinced he is receiving genuine treatment, thereby delaying or abandoning proper care.

Unfortunately, the market has become saturated with such superstitions, ideas, and unregulated practices. By the way, my advice to everyone approaching forty: Do not wait until your body demands movement. Add yoga, strength training, swimming, walking, or any sport you can stick to to your life schedule from now on. At this stage of life, strange paradoxes occur; a person is at the peak of his performance, and his mind still drives him to work more, aspire higher, and stay active, while his body, if neglected, begins to move in the opposite direction, as if saying to you: Take your time, my friend... I am the one who will have to carry all these ambitions!

We do not exercise to win a competition, but so that in our seventies we can climb stairs, bend down to tie our shoelaces, carry our belongings, and get up from the ground without needing to call a rescue committee! Muscles, strength, balance, and flexibility are things that, if you maintain them, will serve you; if you neglect them, they will send you the bill later.

In life, there are things that happen to a person beyond his control, which are part of destiny. But there are many things for which we can take the necessary means. We cannot stop aging, but how we face it is largely in our hands.

Best regards,

Adnan Abdullah Al-Othman