Practical Yoga Psychology

Practical Yoga Psychology is a guide to applying the principles of yoga to understanding the human mind and character. The book relates the practice of yoga to the principles and practice of psychology. Psychology is a science that tries to understand how the human mind functions. It tries to explain individual human traits, the behaviour of a person, the way they relate to other people, their surroundings and the world in general. The character and behaviour of a person is studied not just for an abstract understanding but also to find ways in which each person can improve relationships, improve the way they interact with the world and thus enhance their life experience.The science of yoga studies the human soul. In the view of yoga, it is not the body and mind that experience life. It is the soul that undergoes all these experiences through the body. Yoga classifies the character of a person based on the three Gunas, Tamas, Rajas and Sattva.Tamas is inertia, Rajas is passion and action and Sattwa is purity and balance. Yoga also studies the influences of the various chakras on the body and mind of a person. The chakras are centers of concentrated energy. The book explains the core qualities inherent in each chakra.

Many of us face the difficulty of trying to change something in our nature, only to find that it is either difficult or virtually impossible. The key to solving this problem actually lies in a deeper understanding of the true nature of our psychological being. We are actually composed of various different "parts" or "planes" of action that combine together, interact with one another and impinge upon one another. This understanding allows us to differentiate between a mental idea, a force of will, an emotional movement, a vital energy, or a physical structure, and thereby more clearly understand the results of our psychological efforts and growth activities.

"Psychoanalysis itself and the lines of thought to which it gives rise," said C. G. Jung, "are only a beginner’s attempt compared to what is an immemorial art in the East"—by which he was referring to the millennia-old study of the mind found in Yoga. That tradition was hardly known in the West when the discipline of psychology arose in the nineteenth century, but with the passing of time the common ground between Yoga and psychology has become ever more apparent. Georg Feuerstein here uses a modern psychological perspective to explore the ways Hindu, Buddhist, and Jaina yogas have traditionally regarded the mind and how it works—and shows how that understanding can enhance modern psychology in both theory and practice.

This book discusses the profound philosophy and practical psychology behind yoga, beyond its popular body-culture aspect. It pays particular attention to the psychological principles involved and their implications for the consummate understanding of human nature. It explores the psychological aspects of yoga theory and practice and discusses the aphorisms in Patanjali’s treatise on Yoga with necessary commentary in current psychological terminology to make them intelligible to students of psychology and other interested readers. Importantly, the author draws out the implications of these aphorisms for future psychological study and research. The book discusses the author’s concept of yoga of nonviolence which brings in Gandhian ideas into the framework of yoga. The author’s own vast experience in creating interfaces of yoga research with practice also informs the discussions in this book. This authoritative and topical book by an eminent academic like Professor Ramakrishna Rao is of interest to scholars and students of diverse disciplines, including but not limited to psychology, philosophy and wellbeing research.

The book takes an integrated approach to pain rehabilitation and combines pain science, rehabilitation and yoga with evidence-based approaches from respected contributors. They demonstrate how to integrate the concepts, philosophies and practices of yoga and pain science in working with people in pain. An essential and often overlooked part of pain rehabilitation is listening to, working with, learning from, and validating the person in pain's lived experience. The book expounds on the movement to a more patient-valued, partnership-based biopsychosocial-spiritual model of healthcare where the patient is an active and empowered participant, as opposed to a model where the healthcare provider is 'fixing' the passive patient. It also explains how practitioners can address the entire human being in pain, and how to include the person as an expert for more effective and self-empowered care.

Lectures delivered by the author in America in 1924.

Has yoga improved your health and expanded your awareness—but emotional and relationship issues continue to challenge you? Or have you found psychotherapy helpful . . . yet you yearn for further spiritual discovery? With Yoga & Psyche, Mariana Caplan invites you to explore these two profound domains of transformation and learn how they so effectively complement each other. In this compelling guide—rich with original research, clinical findings, Dr. Caplan's own personal experiences, and many direct, hands-on practices—she takes you on an in-depth exploration of this emerging terrain. Along the way, you are invited to become a participant in the evolution of this emergent field. Using the core principles and practices of trauma healing, yoga therapy, somatics and somatic therapies, depth psychology, and neuroscience—seamlessly combined with yoga postures, breathwork, meditation, and visualization—Yoga & Psyche will help you to: • Apply the insights of psychology in a practical way to your own yoga practice, teaching, professional work, and personal life • Discover how to use psychological inquiry to amplify yoga—turning it into a powerfully effective "free therapy on the mat" • Delve into the many emotional layers of asana and yoga practice for trauma healing and recovery • Experience step-by-step exercises to transform your yoga practice and experience greater calm, clarity, and emotional well-being Yoga & Psyche is emerging as a go-to reference guide to the joining of these two fields, now being adopted in yoga and somatic teacher training programs and university psychology classes nationwide. If you're seeking healing, transformation, and greater moments of daily joy and fulfillment—or want to help others do so—this comprehensive guide provides the compassionate, practical, and groundbreaking guidance you need.