Scientific Inquiry on Various Styles of Yoga for Revitalizing Psychological Health

Abstract

Yoga is an ancient discipline designed to bring balance and health to the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual dimensions of the individual. Yoga is often depicted metaphorically as a tree comprising of eight branches or aspects: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi. Each branch is connected with the whole, in the same way that bodily limbs are all connected. All these work together and they are not stages to be achieved one after another. Even though Yoga includes all eight aspects, it is most often understood to be a program of physical exercises (asanas) and breathing exercises (pranayama) and in some instances includes meditation (dhyana). There are six major styles of yoga that are practiced and popular worldwide and they are Hatha, Anasara, Iyengar, Bikram, Kundalini and Ashtanga. Studies have shown that irrespective of the style of yoga that is practiced, regular yoga practice revitalizes psychological health by reducing stress, anxiety and depression. This study aims to elucidate the scientific inquiry behind the various styles of yoga in revitalizing psychological health.