Yoga for Mental Health: Part 3 Theories of Yoga

Welcome to part 3 of the series, “Yoga for Mental Health”. In this last section of the series we will briefly explore the origins of Yoga as well as the various theories found in Yoga. As always, please try to remain open minded and curious throughout this blog as it incorporates terminology and ideas from both Hinduism and Buddhism, believed to be where Yoga originated from.

However, as previously mentioned in this series, you do not have to believe in or practice these religions in order to benefit from the practices of yoga. Yoga can have many benefits to both the body and brain and can be a powerful tool and resource in improving mental health.

Yoga is an ancient practice and has been around for centuries. Yoga is believed to have originated in India where it is a large part of the spiritual and religious practices of Hinduism and Buddhism. Yoga incorporates movement, meditation, and breathing exercises to promote both mental and physical well-being.

There are believed to be 8 Limbs of Yoga: Yamas, Niyamas, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Sammadhi. These “limbs” or branches are referred to interchangeably with the “Eight-fold path” which has been believed to be the path towards “liberation”. I will briefly go through the meaning and focus of each of the 8 limbs. Keep in mind that I am in no way an expert in the practice or study of Yoga and there is absolutely much more information about these topics than I can possibly cover.

My intention in writing this information is to share with you a small amount of this incredibly rich topic and hopefully shine some light on the amazing benefits that can come out of the understanding and practice of yoga. There can be such an incredibly positive link between practicing yoga and achieving better mental health, so let’s jump into it.

The first of the 8 limbs is known as Yamas. This encompasses ethical standards and a sense of integrity with focuses on our behavior and how we conduct ourselves in life. This is similar to the idea of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. There are five yamas: Ahimsa or nonviolence, Satya or truthfulness, Asteya or non-stealing, Brahmacharya which is managing and regulating energy or continence, and Aparigraha which represents non-covetousness, non-hoarding, and greedlessness.

The next limb is known as Niyamas which represents self-discipline and includes: Saucha or cleanliness, Santosha or contentment, Tapas meaning discipline that is involved in habit-making and spiritual austerities, Svadhyaya representing self-study, and Ishvara Pranidhana meaning acceptance and connection to a Greater Whole. Note if you have trouble pronouncing any of these terms, you are not alone.

The third limb of Yoga is known as Asana, this is often what we are referring to when we say “yoga” in Western culture. Asana includes the actual physical practice of yoga and is the majority of the content in public yoga classes. The fourth limb is called Pranayama or breathwork, you may hear this mentioned in some yoga classes. Pranayama is one of my favorite aspects of practicing yoga and as a clinician, it is something that I believe everyone can use more of in their daily lives.

The fifth limb is Pratyahara which means drawing the senses inward and can also be translated to “keeping the senses at home” which I find really interesting and perhaps now has new meaning since the pandemic of COVID-19.

The sixth limb of Yoga is Dharana which is practicing and eventually sustaining one-pointed focus or gently keeping attention on one stimulus or object of meditation. I believe this to be an extremely difficult aspect of Yoga for most people, including myself and yet, I also believe this practice can have extremely positive benefits in helping us to live more in the present moment. This is often what people practice when they say they are “meditating”.

The seventh limb is Dhyana known as the meditative state that arises from sustaining Dharana or one-pointed focus. Finally the eighth limb of Yoga is known as Sammadhi or the feeling of bliss. This is believed to come from successfully achieving harmony and balance of the 8 limbs within your life.

Hopefully this information has been helpful to you as your begin your own practice of yoga, whatever that may look like for you. I appreciate you staying as open-minded and curious as you can throughout this series and hope that you can begin to see parallels between these concepts and your own life and mental health. This is meant to be a resource for you to use as you embark on your own journey towards optimal health and wellness.