Yoga as Medicine

I think yoga as medicine is a prevalent idea in our country. I think yoga is discussed very often as a stress reliever or relaxation technique. Yoga is almost prescribed by people who think it that its purpose is to relieve anxiety. I definitely see how yoga can achieve those things. But if you do pretty much anything regularly, it will relieve stress and anxiety. Exercising, hobbies, reading, exploring. If you commit a practice to any healthy regiment, positive side effects will emerge. And I think that is what is wrong about describing yoga as a stress reliever, it is a side effect. Practicing yoga accomplishes a long list of things for the body, mind and spirit. They do not have to be goals, but simply things that happen along with practicing yoga. The ideas about yoga as medicine as we see them in the mainstream media here are skewed.