DATE: 02/10/2022

TOPIC: Yoga and Mental Health: An Underexplored

Relationship
- Gyanesh Kumar Tiwari

SUBMITTED BY:
Bhumika K T
B.Sc (Hons.) Psychology
20BSHH0011
Table of Contents
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................3
SECTION 2: CRITIQUE.............................................................................................................................3
SECTION 3: DISCUSSIONS......................................................................................................................4
SECTION 4: SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RELATIONSHIP.................................................................................4
SECTION 5: CONCLUSION AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR RESEARCH...................................................5
SECTION 6: REFERENCES........................................................................................................................6
Yoga and Mental Health, An Underexplored
Relationship – a critical review and an outlook.
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION
The Indian tradition, heritage, and way of life have a long historical background and diverse
schools of thought that are distinguished by logical coherence, a spiritual emphasis,
meaningfulness, and material, social, cultural, spiritual, and psychological wholeness
religious aspects of human existence and functioning in contrast to profound philosophical
foundations It covers almost every aspect of life with sufficient and acceptable shreds of
evidence supported by appropriate arguments culminating India and Indian civilization as
world leaders. Indian society's traditions, knowledge, concepts, and ways of life have
changed and been successfully transported to other world civilizations with great esteem and
admiration Yoga and its practices are one of the most well-known contributions that have
galvanized the entire globe.
Yoga involves the student in the healing process; by taking an active role in their journey to
health, healing occurs from within rather than from without, and a greater sense of autonomy
is achieved. The fourth principle is that an individual's mental state and quality are critical to
healing. Healing occurs more quickly when the individual has a positive mind-state, whereas
healing may take longer when the individual has a negative mind-state. stress is linked to a
variety of diseases; it is critical to prioritize stress management and the reduction of negative
emotional states to reduce the disease burden. Yoga is a type of complementary and
alternative medicine (CAM) that produces a physiological sequence of events in the body that
reduces the stress response. Yoga's scientific study has grown significantly in recent years,
and many clinical trials have been designed to evaluate its therapeutic effects and benefits.
The purpose of this paper is to explain and evaluate the role of yoga and yogic practices in
achieving, maintaining, and promoting mental health. Yoga and yogic practices' curative,
preventive, and promotive roles in mental health and human functioning have been discussed
and supported. The most important psychotherapeutic practices and techniques based on yoga
and yogic practices have been thoroughly discussed.

SECTION 2: CRITIQUE
The most common benefits of yoga practice were physical health benefits, with soreness and
pain being the most common adverse effect of yoga. The benefits of yoga are influenced by
factors related to yoga practice.
In a 2008 study of 110 Finnish Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga practitioners published in the
International Journal of Yoga Therapy, 62 percent reported a musculoskeletal injury that
lasted more than a month. However, according to a 2012 large survey of 2,500 Australian
yoga participants published in the International Journal of Yoga, nearly 79 percent of yogis
experienced no injury. These contradictory results are most likely due to the type of yoga
practiced. Ashtanga is a vigorous practice that frequently necessitates hyper flexibility from
participants, which is most likely what contributed to the high rate of injury in that study.
Yoga, like any other physical or mental practice, has risks. However, given many
practitioners worldwide, only a few serious adverse events in healthy people have been
reported. As a result, there is no reason to discourage healthy people from practicing yoga.
However, it has been emphasized that yoga should not be practiced as a sport and that yoga
teachers and practitioners should never push themselves (or their students) to their limits.
Beginners should avoid advanced postures like headstands and lotus positions, as well as
advanced breathing techniques like Kapalabathi. Voluntary vomiting, for example, should
probably be avoided entirely.

SECTION 3: DISCUSSIONS
The author of the paper talks widely about the major psychological benefits of Yoga to calm
the mind, attune people to their surroundings, improve concentration and mental clarity,
reduce stress and anxiety, encourage positive thoughts and self-acceptance, and promote
flexibility, followed by the spiritual benefits of awakening the spirit, building healthy
spiritual awareness, promoting interdependence between mind, body, and spirit, and
enhancing the concept of oneness of all things.
According to Yoga, the mechanism of action is as follows: Asana provides a controlled
stretch to the muscles and improves flexibility. Relaxing asanas such as Shavasana aid in the
relaxation of the body and mind. Pranayama assists in gaining control of one's breathing.
Controlling the prana, according to yoga, allows one to control the mind. Asana practice
normalizes the flow of prana, and pranayama practice allows one to control the flow of prana.
Even pranayama, such as Bhramari, has a calming effect on the mind. Later, one can easily
concentrate and relax by practicing meditation. Chanting 'OM' helps to control the mind and
distract it from various unwanted thoughts.
Yoga is beneficial for a wide range of medical conditions. It can also be recommended to
patients with physical or mental illnesses if it is appropriately adapted to their needs and
abilities and performed under the supervision of an experienced and medically trained yoga
teacher. Inversions should be avoided by patients with glaucoma, and patients with
compromised bone and other musculoskeletal disorders should avoid forceful or competitive
yoga forms. Yoga should not be practiced while high on psychoactive drugs.

SECTION 4: SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RELATIONSHIP

Yoga and yogic practices are holistic in nature, involving psychological, biological, and
spiritual mechanisms, and are distinguished by a new and promising approach with no
negative side effects and proven scientific and practical implications that apply to all people.
According to the researchers, Yogic practices cause brain changes that result in more
activation in the left than the right prefrontal cortex (Davidson et al., 2003)
These practices also reduce stress vulnerability in physically active adults (Baldwin, 1999).
Lavey et al. (2005) discovered that yogic practices help regulate mood in their study of 113
psychiatric patients. These practices were found to benefit emotionally distressed women in
another study (Michaelson et al., 2005). Yoga and yogic practices have also been shown to
improve the functioning of the hypothalamus and the stress response, which are in charge of
regulating blood pressure, blood sugar, heart rate, respiration, and other bodily functions.
Yoga practices influence the anterior cingulate cortex and hippocampus, which aid in
decision-making, empathy, emotion, and memory by influencing the relaxation response.
Another theory contends that yogic practices have a regulatory effect on the release of
various neurotransmitters. Melatonin is thought to control mood and sleep patterns
(Douglass, 2009). Harinath et al. (2004) discovered that participants' melatonin levels
increased after practicing yoga in a study. Serotonin is also thought to improve mood
(Douglass, 2009). Another study by Davies et al. (2006) found that serotonin regulates both
psychological and cardiovascular responses to stress in anxious people. Yoga-based therapies
promote self-awareness, a positive self-image, self-confidence, concentration, potential,
productivity, social skills and relationships, emotional competency, resilience, sleep
regularity, and spirituality. It aids in human behaviour de-conditioning and re-patterning.
Yoga and yogic practices improve the ability to overcome habitual tendencies, resulting in
greater freedom in any situation. The effectiveness of Yoga and yogic practices is determined
by how individuals incorporate and practice them. These are practices that improve
mindfulness and peace of mind on both the physical and mental levels. Yoga is a good source
of Positive Psychology, which advocates for positive interventions to broaden perspectives
and develop the capabilities that all humans possess. It will create an atmosphere that will
serve as a context for decontextualized practice.

SECTION 5: CONCLUSION AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR

RESEARCH
Yoga is a practice of recognizing and re-educating habitual thought patterns through the
cultivation of wholesome thoughts. It may aid in the regaining of balance, flexibility,
strength, focus, relaxation, awareness of patterns, beginning to become unstuck, and
conviction with experience. These discussions demonstrate that yoga and yogic practices
have the potential to help individuals, societies, and communities maintain, improve,
cultivate, and nurture health and happiness. It is also clear that Yoga has only been used as a
psychotherapeutic technique for a small number of mental disorders such as schizophrenia,
anxiety, and depression.
Yoga increases blood flow and hemoglobin and red blood cell levels, allowing more oxygen
to reach body cells and improving their function. Yoga also thins the blood, which reduces
the risk of heart attack and stroke, both of which are frequently caused by blood clots.
Twisting poses draw venous blood from internal organs while allowing oxygenated blood to
flow in when the twist is released. Inverted poses encourage venous blood flow from the legs
and pelvis back to the heart, where it is pumped through the lungs and oxygenated. Many
studies show that yoga reduces resting heart rate, increases endurance, and can improve
maximum oxygen uptake and utilization during exercise.
It is reasonable to conclude that the relationship between mental health and yoga has been
understudied, and future research must address these issues more rigorously and
scientifically. These findings would be extremely useful to academics, policymakers,
administrators, students, and the general public. It is extremely important for all aspects of
human development, functioning, and performance.
SECTION 6: REFERENCES
 Telles S, Sharma SK, Chetry D, Balkrishna A. Benefits and adverse effects associated
with yoga practice: A cross-sectional survey from India. Complement Ther Med. 2021
Mar;57:102644. DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102644. Epub 2020 Dec 15. PMID: 33338582.
 Cramer, H., Krucoff, C., & Dobos, G. (2013). Adverse Events Associated with Yoga: A
Systematic Review of Published Case Reports and Case Series. PLOS ONE, 8(10), e75515.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0075515
 Barnes, P. M., Bloom, B., & Nahin, R. L. (2008). Complementary and alternative medicine
use among adults and children: the United States, 2007. Retrieved from
http://nccam.nih.gov/news/2008/nhsr12.pdf
 Brambilla, P., Perez, J., Barale, F., Schettini, G., & Soares, J. C. (2003). GABAergic
dysfunction in mood disorders. Molecular Psychiatry, 8, 721–737.
doi:10.1038/sj.mp.4001362
 Brown, R. P., & Gerbarg, P. L.(2005a). Sudarshan Kriya yogic breathing in the treatment
of stress, anxiety, and depression: Part I—Neurophysiologic model. Journal of
Alternative and Comple¬mentary Medicine, 11(1), 189–210.
 Khattab, K., Khattab, A. A., Ortak, J., Richardt, G., & Bonnemeier, H. (2007). Iyengar yoga
increases cardiac parasympathetic nervous modulation among healthy yoga
practitioners. Evidence-based alternative and complementary medicine. Advance online
publication. doi:10.1093/ecam/nem087
 Kreiman, G., Koch, C., & Fried, I. (2000). Category-specific visual responses of single
neurons in the human medial temporal lobe. Nature Neuroscience, 3, 946-953.
 Laird, J. D. (1974). Self-attribution of emotion: The effects of expressive behavior on the
quality of emotional experience. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 29, 475-
486
 Raghuraj, P., & Telles, S. (2008). The immediate effect of specific nostrils manipulating
yoga breathing practices on autonomic and respiratory variables. Applied
Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 33, 65–75. doi:10.1007/s10484-008-9055-0