Yoga awakens humanness through psychosomatic balance
- Swati Kumari
- 16 hours ago
- 4 min read
Yoga, an ancient practice from India, harmonizes mind, body, and spirit through postures, breathing, and meditation. It enhances physical flexibility, mental clarity, and emotional balance. With various styles catering to all ages, yoga fosters mindfulness and deepens self-connection, promoting overall health and personal growth. Maharshi Patanjali is known for the Yoga Sutras, which define yoga as the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind “Yogaḥ citta-vṛtti nirodhaḥ”. His teachings emphasize mental stillness as the path to self-realization, outlining an eight limbed path that includes ethical principles, physical postures, and meditation.
‘Hatha’ in Sanskrit means ‘force’ but also symbolizes the balance of opposing forces, such as the Sun (Ha) and Moon (Tha). Hatha Yoga combines physical poses, breath control, and meditation to promote harmony within the practitioner, serving as a foundation for deeper spiritual practices and self-realization.
And serves as a preparatory practice to purify the body and mind, making it easier to achieve meditative states. Yoga is not only a philosophy but is a practical science also. It gives you knowledge of reality after experiencing the practical aspects.
In summary, Patanjali focuses on the mental aspects and spiritual goals of yoga, while Hatha Yoga emphasizes the physical techniques that support those goals. The psychosomatic mechanism refers to the interaction between the mind and body, wherein psychological factors influence physical health. Key aspects include:
Mind-Body Interaction: Emotional states like stress or anxiety can lead to physical symptoms (e.g., headaches, gastrointestinal issues).
Somatization: Psychological distress manifests as physical pain or other bodily symptoms.
Psychophysiological Responses: Mental states trigger bodily reactions through the nervous and endocrine systems.
Coping Mechanisms: How individuals manage stress can affect physical symptoms—positive coping can alleviate, while negative coping can worsen them.
Behavioural Impacts: Psychological well-being influences health-related behaviours, impacting overall health.
Examples include conditions like irritable bowel syndrome and Fibromyalgia, highlighting the importance of addressing both mental and physical aspects in healthcare for better treatment outcomes.
According to yoga Vasistha, an ancient Indian text on Indian philosophy, the psychosomatic mechanism refers to the interplay between the mind and body. The text describes how our thoughts, emotions and experiences can influence our physical body and vice versa.
Some Indian sacred text like Yog Sutra, Bhagavad-Gita, Yoga Vasistha elucidated about how the mechanism of mind connected to earthly desires and the practice of yoga works upon them properly. This mechanism is explained through the concept of “Vritti” (whirlpool or thought patterns) and their impact on the body. The text suggests that our thoughts and emotions create subtle impressions or patterns in the mind, which can manifest as physical symptoms or diseases in the body.
The psychosomatic mechanism is described as a cycle of:
Vrttis (thought patterns): our thoughts, emotions and experiences create vrttis in our mind. These vrttis are also created by the three guņas (qualities) - sattva,rajas and tamas.
Prāna: These vrttis affect the flow of prāna (life force) in the body, which can lead to imbalances.
Doșas (humours): - The imbalanced prāņa can disturb the balance of the three doșas (vāta, pitta, kapha) in the body, leading to physical symptoms.
Śarīra (physical body): the imbalanced doshas can manifest as diseases or disorders in the physical body.
The following steps are just a few psychosomatic mechanisms through which yoga works as an integrated mind body medicine. Yoga suggests that by becoming aware of and managing our thoughts and emotions we can influence the flow of prana (life force), balance our doshas and maintain physical and mental well-being.
Yogic concept and techniques enable the development of right attitudes and improvement in physical appearance towards life and taught us to correct the numerous external and internal imbalance which is created due to our wrong perception, genetic potential and wrong life style and enhances self confidence.
By the practice of ashtanga yoga with patience, it helps to create a sense of perfectionism in our chosen field. By adopting these qualities, we can become more perfectionist in our chosen field, which can lead to greater success and fulfillment.
Yoga has the veto power to balance the three qualities of Rajas, Tamas and Sattva. It calms excess Rajas (hyperactivity) , illuminates excess Tamas (lethargy) and harmonizes excess Sattva (purity) to bring balance to the emotions and thoughts so that our body and mind could recognise true nature of self.
By the practice of shatkarma/ various suddhi kriyas accumulated toxins in our body are cleansed and proliferate a sense of relaxed lightness through Sukshma Kriyas.
Adoption of a yogic lifestyle with proper nourishing diet, creates positive antioxidant enhancement.
Faith practice and study, these three pillars are the doorsteps to move towards the bhakti, karma and jnana yoga by which we realise the true meaning of life so that we radiate our mind and body with happiness and Vigor.
The concept of positive health is one of the yoga’s unique contribution to modern health care as it has both a preventive as well as promotive role in the healthcare of our masses. Seeing the present scenario it should be utilized as a therapy in collaboration with other systems of medicine such as Allopathy, Ayurveda, Siddha and Naturopathy.
This article is part of the Amrapali Magazine's FEBRUARY 2026 issue. To read the complete version in print, digital & audio formats, Subscribe Us!
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