15 Application of Psychology · 15.1 Application of psychology
15.1.1 Psychology for health: yoga, meditation and relaxation
Health psychology uses the mind-body link to prevent illness and build positive health: yoga (Patanjali's eight limbs: postures, breath, withdrawal of the senses, concentration, dhyana = meditation), meditation (concentrative or mindfulness) and relaxation techniques (Jacobson, Schultz, biofeedback) all lower arousal and raise well-being.
- APPSC Paper I
- Standard level
- 14 min read
- Free
Core facts
- Health (WHO, 1948): a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Health is positive, not just "no illness".
- Health psychology: the branch that studies psychological and behavioural factors in health, illness and recovery; it works on the biopsychosocial model (George Engel, 1977).
- Yoga: from the root yuj = to join / yoke. Classical text: *Patanjali's Yoga Sutras* (about 196 sutras in 4 padas: Samadhi, Sadhana, Vibhuti, Kaivalya). Patanjali defines yoga as stilling the fluctuations (vrittis) of the mind** (sutra 1.2).
- Ashtanga yoga = eight limbs (in this order):
- Yama: social restraints (ahimsa, satya, asteya, brahmacharya, aparigraha)
- Niyama: personal observances (shaucha, santosha, tapas, svadhyaya, ishvara pranidhana)
- Asana: steady, comfortable posture
- Pranayama: regulation of breath
- Pratyahara: withdrawal of the senses from their objects
- Dharana: concentration, fixing the mind on one point
- Dhyana: meditation, an unbroken flow of attention on that point
- Samadhi: absorption, the mind one with the object
- First five = bahiranga (outer) limbs; last three = antaranga (inner). Dharana + dhyana + samadhi together = samyama. Patanjali's path is also called Raja yoga.
- Other paths: Jnana (knowledge), Bhakti (devotion), Karma (selfless action), Hatha (body and breath). Hatha text: *Hatha Yoga Pradipika* (Svatmarama, about 15th century); its six cleansing practices (shatkarmas): dhauti, basti, neti, trataka, nauli, kapalabhati.
- Asana groups: standing (Tadasana, Trikonasana), sitting (Padmasana, Vajrasana), prone / lying face down (Bhujangasana, Shalabhasana, Dhanurasana), supine / lying on the back (Shavasana, Setu Bandhasana), inverted (Sarvangasana, Shirshasana).
- Asanas and mood: back-bending postures (Bhujangasana, Ustrasana, Dhanurasana) are reported to raise positive mood and energy most (APPSC 2023); forward bends calm; Shavasana (corpse pose) is the classic relaxation posture.
- Pranayama phases: puraka (inhalation), kumbhaka (retention), rechaka (exhalation). Common types: nadi shodhana / anuloma-viloma (alternate nostril), bhramari (humming bee), bhastrika (bellows), ujjayi, sheetali / sheetkari (cooling). Slow breathing shifts the body to the parasympathetic (calming) side.
- Meditation: training attention to quieten the mind. Two main kinds:
- Concentrative (focused-attention): attention held on one object: a mantra, the breath, a flame (trataka). Example: Transcendental Meditation (TM), Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a personal mantra for about 20 minutes twice a day.
- Mindfulness / open-monitoring (insight): watching thoughts and sensations without judging. Example: Vipassana (Buddhist insight meditation; taught widely by S.N. Goenka, Igatpuri).
- Others: loving-kindness (metta), guided meditation, yoga nidra ("yogic sleep", guided body-scan relaxation).
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR): Jon Kabat-Zinn, 1979, University of Massachusetts, an 8-week programme. MBCT (mindfulness-based cognitive therapy) is used to prevent relapse of depression.
- Relaxation response: Herbert Benson (The Relaxation Response, 1975): the opposite of the fight-or-flight response; four needs: a quiet place, a mental device (word/sound), a passive attitude, a comfortable position.
- Relaxation techniques:
- Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR): Edmund Jacobson (Progressive Relaxation, 1929): tense, then release, muscle groups one by one.
- Autogenic training: J.H. Schultz (Germany, 1932): self-suggestions of heaviness and warmth in the limbs.
- Biofeedback: a machine shows the person a body signal (muscle tension by EMG, skin conductance by GSR, skin temperature, heart rate, brain waves by EEG) so that they learn to control it.
- Guided imagery / creative visualisation: imagining a calm scene.
- Deep (diaphragmatic) breathing.
- Systematic desensitisation (Joseph Wolpe, 1958) pairs relaxation with an anxiety hierarchy: relaxation cannot coexist with anxiety (reciprocal inhibition).
- Body changes in meditation and relaxation: heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, oxygen use and muscle tension fall; skin resistance rises; alpha waves (relaxed wakefulness) increase on the EEG; stress hormone (cortisol) falls.
- Positive psychology: Martin Seligman (APA president, 1998); PERMA model of well-being: Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Accomplishment. Flow: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.
- Subjective well-being (Ed Diener): high life satisfaction + frequent positive feelings + few negative feelings. Psychological well-being (Carol Ryff, 1989): six dimensions: self-acceptance, positive relations, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, personal growth.
- Hardiness (Suzanne Kobasa, 1979): the "three Cs": commitment, control, challenge; hardy people stay healthy under stress.
- International Day of Yoga: 21 June, declared by the UN General Assembly in December 2014, first observed in 2015.
Explained
1. Why psychology cares about health. Stress, habits and beliefs affect the body: long-term stress keeps the sympathetic nervous system and the HPA axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal) switched on, raising blood pressure and cortisol and weakening immunity (studied as psychoneuroimmunology). Yoga, meditation and relaxation work in the other direction: they switch on the parasympathetic system and lower arousal. NCERT lists them among stress management techniques, with biofeedback, creative visualisation, cognitive-behavioural techniques and exercise. (Coping styles, Selye's GAS and appraisal are covered elsewhere (see MAB-EI-02); this note covers the techniques.)
2. The eight limbs as a psychological ladder. The limbs move from outside to inside:
| Stage | Limbs | Works on | Psychological gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethics | yama, niyama | conduct, habits | less conflict and guilt, self-discipline |
| Body and breath | asana, pranayama | muscles, breathing | lower arousal, body awareness |
| Turning inward | pratyahara | the senses | less distraction |
| Mind | dharana, dhyana, samadhi | attention | concentration, calm, insight |
Easy confusions: pratyahara = withdrawing the senses (not concentration); dharana = concentration (holding attention, with effort); dhyana = meditation (attention flowing without break); samadhi = complete absorption.
3. Asanas and mood. Asanas are held steadily with slow breathing, unlike fast exercise. Studies of yoga classes (for example a 2004 study of Iyengar yoga by Shapiro and Cline) found back-bends gave the biggest rise in positive mood and energy, while forward bends and supine postures were calming and Shavasana relaxing. Regular asana practice is linked with less anxiety and better sleep.
4. Pranayama. Breath is the one body function that is both automatic and voluntary, so it is a "handle" on arousal. Lengthening the out-breath and slow alternate-nostril breathing slow the heart; fast breathing such as bhastrika energises. Retention (kumbhaka) is taught gradually and is avoided by people with heart disease or high blood pressure.
5. Meditation types compared
| Type | Attention | Example | Main effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concentrative | fixed on one object | TM (mantra), trataka (flame), breath counting | deep rest, calm |
| Mindfulness | open, non-judging awareness | vipassana, MBSR | less rumination, emotion regulation |
| Loving-kindness | warm wishes to self and others | metta | more positive emotion, compassion |
| Guided / body scan | following instructions | yoga nidra | relaxation, sleep |
Meditation is used for anxiety, stress, high blood pressure, chronic pain, sleep problems and preventing relapse of depression; in prisons, Vipassana courses (Tihar Jail, from the 1990s) were used to reduce anger and aggression among inmates.
6. Relaxation techniques compared
| Technique | Founder / year | What the person does | Key word |
|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive muscle relaxation | Jacobson, 1929 | tense and release each muscle group | contrast |
| Autogenic training | Schultz, 1932 | repeats "my arm is heavy and warm" | self-suggestion |
| Relaxation response | Benson, 1975 | repeats a word with a passive attitude | anti-fight-or-flight |
| Biofeedback | 1960s (Neal Miller's work) | watches a body signal and learns to change it | feedback |
7. Positive health and well-being. NCERT's factors that build positive health: a balanced diet, regular exercise, a positive attitude and positive thinking (optimism), and social support (emotional, informational, tangible). Also life skills (the WHO lists ten, including self-awareness, empathy, coping with stress and coping with emotions), time management, assertiveness and rational thinking. Hardy people see change as a challenge, feel in control and stay committed. Resilience is bouncing back from adversity. Well-being has two traditions: hedonic (feeling good: Diener's subjective well-being) and eudaimonic (functioning well, meaning and growth: Ryff).
Common traps
- ✗ "Dharana means meditation." ✓ Dhyana = meditation; dharana = concentration; pratyahara = withdrawal of the senses; pranayama = breath control.
- ✗ "Pranayama is the fifth limb." ✓ Order: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama (4th), pratyahara (5th), dharana, dhyana, samadhi.
- ✗ "Standing stretches raise positive mood most." ✓ Back-bending asanas are linked with the biggest rise in positive mood (APPSC 2023).
- ✗ "Shalabhasana and Bhujangasana are supine postures." ✓ They are prone (face down); Shavasana is supine (on the back).
- ✗ "Puraka is exhalation." ✓ Puraka = inhalation; rechaka = exhalation; kumbhaka = retention.
- ✗ "Progressive muscle relaxation: Schultz." ✓ PMR = Jacobson (1929); autogenic training = Schultz (1932); relaxation response = Benson (1975).
- ✗ "Biofeedback needs no instrument." ✓ Biofeedback needs a device that shows the body signal (EMG, GSR, EEG, temperature).
- ✗ "Mindfulness means emptying the mind." ✓ Mindfulness is non-judging awareness of whatever arises; emptying or fixing the mind fits concentrative meditation.
- ✗ "WHO defines health as absence of disease." ✓ Complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease (1948).
- ✗ "MBSR was founded by Benson." ✓ Jon Kabat-Zinn (1979); Benson = relaxation response.
Quick revision
- WHO 1948: health = physical + mental + social well-being; Engel 1977 biopsychosocial model.
- Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: 4 padas, ~196 sutras; yoga = stilling the mind's fluctuations.
- Eight limbs: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi.
- Pratyahara = sense withdrawal; dharana = concentration; dhyana = meditation; samadhi = absorption.
- Back-bends raise positive mood; Shavasana relaxes; prone = face down, supine = on the back.
- Pranayama: puraka (in), kumbhaka (hold), rechaka (out); slow breath → parasympathetic.
- Concentrative (TM, mantra) vs mindfulness (vipassana, MBSR: Kabat-Zinn 1979).
- Jacobson PMR 1929; Schultz autogenic 1932; Benson relaxation response 1975; biofeedback (EMG, GSR, EEG).
- Seligman PERMA; Diener subjective well-being; Ryff six dimensions; Kobasa hardiness (commitment, control, challenge).
- International Day of Yoga 21 June (UN 2014, first 2015).
Go deeper: Deeper (beyond what APPSC Paper I usually asks)
Deeper Advanced
1. Indian views of the person. The Taittiriya Upanishad describes five sheaths (panchakosha): annamaya (food, body), pranamaya (breath, energy), manomaya (mind), vijnanamaya (intellect, wisdom) and anandamaya (bliss). Yoga therapy works from the outer sheaths inward. The triguna (sattva, rajas, tamas) are used in Indian personality research as a typology of temperament.
2. Research on meditation. Early physiological work on TM (Robert Keith Wallace, 1970) reported lower oxygen use and more alpha waves; Benson showed that the same "relaxation response" comes from any simple repetitive focus, without a special mantra. Brain imaging links long-term mindfulness practice with changes in attention and emotion-regulation areas (prefrontal cortex, insula, amygdala). Weak points of the research: small samples, self-selected volunteers, and expectancy effects (people who choose meditation expect to benefit).
3. Where these methods sit in therapy. Relaxation is a building block of behaviour therapy (systematic desensitisation), of stress inoculation training (Donald Meichenbaum: conceptualise, acquire skills, apply), and of "third-wave" therapies that use mindfulness (MBCT; Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Marsha Linehan; Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Steven Hayes).
4. Public policy. India's Ministry of AYUSH (formed 2014) promotes yoga; yoga is part of school health and the Fit India movement (2019); the UN's International Day of Yoga (21 June) began in 2015.
Practise this topic. Questions on Health and well-being: yoga, meditation and relaxation, with answers explained.
All Application of psychology notes · APPSC Paper I syllabus · APPSC Paper I Mock 1 with answers · Start free
Medha AI writes its own notes and checks them against the sources listed. Medha AI is an independent preparation service. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to APPSC, TSPSC, MPSC, UPSC or any other commission or government body.