INDIGENOUS PRACTICES IN HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY: YOGA AND MEDITATION

Author Name: 1. Ms. Reena Salvi

Volume/Issue: 06/03

Country: India

DOI NO.: 08.2020-25662434 DOI Link: https://doi-ds.org/doilink/08.2025-12595679/UIJIR

Affiliation:

1. Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Govt Meera Girls College, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.

ABSTRACT

The term indigenous means something that originated from a native land or a country, thus Indigenous Health Practices are those that emerged from local communities/societies/culture etc., to promote or cure people’s health. There are many indigenous practices which are used globally like Yoga, meditation, raiki, unani medicine, ayurveda and many more. This research paper is focused on the Yoga and Meditation practices that contribute to the field of health psychology. For achieving this aim various articles, research papers and books have been reviewed. Yoga and Meditation are techniques accepted worldwide due to their enormous benefits. Yoga is a technique that combines breath and body movements to bring strength and stability to our mind-body. Most ‘asanas’ or poses of yoga trigger the release of “feel good” or mood-boosting chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine and also help to balance hormones. There are various forms of Yoga. Meditation helps in achieving a higher level of awareness which helps in achieving the higher form of consciousness. Technique to do meditation is concentrating on specific sound, breath or object. Mantra Meditation, Trataka, Chakra Meditation, Third Eye Meditation, Kundalini Meditation, Breathing and Vipassana, are the most popular meditation practices. Yoga and meditation both are found to be significantly helpful in curtailing mental health problems such as stress, anxiety, and overthinking and enable individuals to maintain a balanced life.

Key words: Indigenous Practice, Yoga, Meditation