What is Yoga Psychology and Where Does It Stand in Contemporary Psychology?

Anand Paranjpe

doi:10.1177/09713336211038809

Abstract

While Yoga has spread across the world, its image as a system of calisthenics has played up the physical aspect of Patañjali’s eightfold strategy, while pushing its core as a system of psychology out of sight. The purpose of this article is to briefly explain what makes Patañjali’s Yoga a system of theory and application of psychological principles, and to suggest where this system stands in relation to the major trends of contemporary psychology. After presenting a brief overview of the concepts and techniques of Yoga psychology, comments are made to indicate where Yoga psychology stands in relation to Skinner’s radical behaviourism, the mainstream of contemporary psychology, cognitive psychology, Freudian psychoanalysis and transpersonal psychology.

Highlights

There are numerous popular books on Yoga on the shelves of bookstores today, which display pretty bodies in complex postures
In this article, I will, first, present a brief introduction to Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras, with a focus on the psychological concepts and techniques designed for controlling the processes of mind, which form the core of Yoga psychology
This is followed by a brief discussion on where Yoga psychology stands in relation to major trends in contemporary psychology

Summary

Introduction

There are numerous popular books on Yoga on the shelves of bookstores today, which display pretty bodies in complex postures. In this article, I will, first, present a brief introduction to Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras, with a focus on the psychological concepts and techniques designed for controlling the processes of mind, which form the core of Yoga psychology.

Objectives

Results

Conclusion