A Paradigm Shift in Public Health: Yoga and Meditation for Prevention

Abstract

In all its paradigms, the ideal modern public health systems should have eradicated by now the spreading of the most fatal diseases, like cancer or cardiovascular disorders. Not only it has not, but these diseases are actually growing, showing the limits of the modern public health and the need of a paradigm shift. Using a narrative review, this paper aims to emphasize the limits of curative modern medicine and the benefits of yoga and meditation practices as prevention for the most common diseases, recognizing them as an important tool in public health systems. The relationship between yoga practice and the health status of individuals shows that they are strongly interdependent, being able to correct destructive behaviors and improve the quality of life. The spiritual practice of yoga is a way of restoring the “factory settings” by returning to essence, tradition, ancient knowledge and thus creating the mental and emotional environment for healing and thriving in human beings.