Role of Yoga in the Treatment of Mental Illness: A Philosophical Evaluation

Sanjay Kumar Tiwari; Shashwat Tiwari

doi:10.69968/ijisem.2025v4i4129-139

Authors

Sanjay Kumar Tiwari Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur
Shashwat Tiwari B. Pharm. - Second Year, Institute of Pharmacy, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.69968/ijisem.2025v4i4129-139

Keywords:

Yoga, Mental Illness, Philosophy Of Mind, Āsanas, Prāṇāyāma, Ethics, Mindfulness, Embodiment, Liberation

Abstract

The paper “Role of Yoga in the Treatment of Mental Illness: A Philosophical Evaluation” explores yoga as a multidimensional therapeutic system addressing the cognitive, affective, physiological, and existential dimensions of mental illness. Moving beyond its popular physical connotations, yoga is examined here as an integrated discipline grounded in Indian philosophical traditions - especially the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali - which conceive mental suffering (duḥkha) as rooted in cognitive distortion (avidyā) and emotional affliction (kleśa). Through philosophical and clinical lenses, the study evaluates how yogic practices such as āsana (posture), prāṇāyāma (breath regulation), dhyāna (meditation), and ethical self-discipline (yama-niyama) can contribute to the alleviation of disorders like depression, anxiety, trauma, and psychosomatic distress. Philosophically, yoga offers an ontological and epistemological framework in which the mind-body relationship is non-dualistic and dynamic, emphasizing the transformative potential of awareness and disciplined embodiment. This paper critically examines the mechanisms proposed for yoga’s therapeutic efficacy - attention regulation, autonomic balance, behavioural reconditioning, and meaning reconstruction - while situating them within broader discussions in philosophy of mind and psychiatry. The ethical implications of integrating yoga into clinical care are also analysed, including concerns of cultural appropriation, informed consent, and the normative aims of healing versus liberation (mokṣa). By synthesizing traditional insights and contemporary psychological models, the study argues that yoga represents not merely an alternative technique but a comprehensive philosophy of healing, harmonizing the empirical and the spiritual. Its ultimate value in mental health care lies in restoring balance, clarity, and self-awareness - foundations for both psychological well-being and moral self-realization.

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