Yoga is a way of life comprising mental, physical and spiritual attributes to achieve holism, meaningfulness, excellence and completeness in all walks of human functioning. It entails energizing and fuelling processes which lead an individual to make a balance in his/her personality and incite him/her to achieve greatest social, psychological, spiritual and moral coordination juxtaposed with most creative and productive functioning at individual, family, community, societal, national, international and cosmic levels. The present paper attempts to explicate and assess the role of yoga and yogic practices in achieving, preserving and promoting mental health. The curative, preventive and promotive role of yoga and yogic practices in mental health and human functioning have been discussed and substantiated. The major psychotherapeutic practices and techniques based on yoga and yogic practices have been discussed in length. In addition, the mechanisms through which the yoga and yogic practices exert their influences on mental health and human functioning have also been given sufficient place based on scientific findings of psychological science.
Key words: Breath-regulation, meditation, mental health, posture, yoga.
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