Today more than ever the need for preventive systems of medicine is being widely realised the cost of medicine care is rising all over the world sophisticated diagnostic tools now thought to be so necessary to assess even simple illnesses are expensive to manufacture. Prescriptive drugs come in complicated combinations that add to the costs of production the days of the family doctor the general practitioner who looked after all the members of a family are fast giving place to times of specialisation a consultant for every part of the body newer and more hi-tech hospital and nursing homes are being set up all these cost money and lead to the impression that doctors are furthering their own interests at the expense of patient for finally it is the patient who foots the bill.

Preventive care is the only way by which this urgent problem can be effectively tackled there are many public health measures which have been introduced to prevent disease some of them like the eradication of plague and small pox have proved successful .health education for the masses has clearly demonstrated that clean surrounding boiled water childhood immunisations family planning all have their place in preventing infectious diseases .early and regular screening for disease like tuberculosis and cancer have been useful in diagnosis and treatment. Much propaganda has been done against the evils of alcohol, nicotine drugs and permissive sexual habits.

Yet all this has not been enough illnesses are on the rise newer dreaded ones like AIDS are cropping up we are in this unenviable situation because the individual has not shown enough discipline to take care of himself or herself this is where yoga comes in patanjali’s sutras lay the foundation for a healthy life that the mind is the root of most physical problems is brought out and guidelines for healthy living are given the yoga vasishta points out that the course of events or destiny is according to thought “ whatever thought has commenced ,in whichever manner alone “ (samvid the vision and the way of vasishta Indian heritage trust madras 1993 verse 684 )for example though it has been proved that smoking is injurious to health , the manufacturing and consumption of cigarettes have not stopped.

Yoga lays great emphasis on asanas and pranayama to prevent illness and more important to preserve health. A regular routine of physical excercises from a young age has been shown to be of preventive value in many medical disorders like coronary ,respiratory and orthopaedic problems any kind of exercise is good but yoga is the ideal form as it is totally non-invasive ,gentle and soothing ,also it is the most cost effective there is no equipment needed and even the props recommended for some patients are not expensive. the practice of yoga instils confidence in a person ,especially if recovering from an illness. yoga is particularly valuable as one grows older. As most ailments are degenerative in nature asanas anf therefore, healthy. Apart from the asanas and pranayama.

Gandhiji said :”health is wealth and the basic requisite for every kind of happiness” the world health organisation has defined health as “ a state of complete physical ,mental and social well-being and not merely and absence of disease or infirmity .it is obvious that yoga which so amply fulfils the criteria for a system of health care has come to stay.