Psychologically speaking, the objectives of yoga mirror those of conventional methods designed to enhance self-control and self-regulation. For example, yoga-psychology proposes that negative-affect states, even transient ones, are pathological states of mind. Such states include gloominess, doubt, procrastination, sloth, attachment, hallucination, inability to concentrate and instability. Ideas like this delineate an understanding of health that, like the contemporary trend toward holism and wellbeing, extends beyond detection of diagnosable disease to include the day-to-day experience of the average person. This subtle perception of mental wellness has been mirrored in Western culture by schools of thought such as “mental hygiene” “emotional intelligence” and “positive psychology”.
Dr Ramesh Manocha