MENTAL HEALTH & YOGA

Yogic techniques which include asanas, pranayamas, meditation, kriyas (cleansing techniques), and mudras is of great help to tackle and control these imbalances when applied appropriately.
According to Patanjali’s Asthanga yoga, there are eight limbs in yoga. They are

• Yama - These are principles of social behavior. They are nonviolence (ahimsa), truthfulness (satya), mastery over sexual energy (brahmacharya), non-stealing (asteya) and non-clinging (anabhinivesha). These establish right interaction with our environment and other human beings.
• Niyama – These are principles of personal behavior. They are contentment (santosha), purity (shaucha), self-study (svadhyaya), self-discipline (tapas), and surrender to God.
  Asanas –Asanas are physical postures where in one experiences stability and comfort defined as “Sthiram sukham aasanam”.
• Pranayamas – The science of breathing. Literally means “Mastery of breath”. They help to regulate our breath – prana (life force).
• Pratyahara – Generally translated as “Withdrawal of senses”. It is gaining mastery of senses organs. Prathyahara techniques involve using our senses with attention rather than distraction.
• Dharana - It is nothing but “Mastery of the mind”, directing towards right attention. It involves concentration on particular objects.
• Dhyana - This is meditation. Prathyahara and dharana are the preparatory practices for dhyana. Dhyana is actually a state of awareness rather than a process. All the previous steps aim to reach this state of mind from gross to subtle.
• Samadhi – This is a state of absorption. It is the capacity to become one with the object of our perception.

The above practices when done regularly with proper guidance helps us to achieve a state of balance in all three gunas namely sattva, rajas and tamas. This in turn would bring in mental health. To be continued........