By Remco, the Netherlands
Table of Contents
Introduction: redefining health and well-being through Yoga
Have you considered the deep connection between mind and body in your health? While modern medicine often focuses on symptoms, Yoga understands well-being as a tapestry of both physical and non-physical dimensions. This blog explores psychosomatic health, showing how mental states influence physical well-being. We’ll discover how Yoga, especially Pranayama, cultivates inner strength and Self-awareness, leading to a truly resilient and harmonious existence.
Understanding psychosomatic health: beyond the physical
The term psychosomatic comes from the Greek words psyche (mind or the non-physical dimension) and soma (body). Its roots lie in ancient Greek philosophy and medicine, which recognised the deep connection between mind and body.
Today, the term commonly refers to physical illnesses that have psychological origins or are significantly influenced by mental states. Illness, broadly, signifies something not functioning properly in our body. Its causes can range from our lifestyle and environment to our state of mind, hereditary predisposition, or even incidents and trauma. The first three categories offer more freedom of choice, while the latter two seem more predetermined.
Global health data indicates that a growing number of diseases today stem from our life choices. They often arise from patterns rooted in behavior, lifestyle, and mind-body imbalance.
Global Disease Burden: Estimated by Cause
(WHO and Global Epidemiological Data)
- Lifestyle & Behavioral 35-40%
- Environmental 25-33%
- Psychosomatic 20-30%
- Hereditary / Genetic 5-10%
- Accident / Trauma 10-12%
Source: World Health Organization and global epidemiological studies, approximate estimates based on data trends from the 2010s to early 2020s.
A deeper dive into disease causes and our influence
Examining the global disease burden data reveals how much control we could have over our health. Lifestyle and behavioral diseases are a direct consequence of our own choices. Environmental diseases have external causes, our susceptibility to them depends on our inherent strength. Psychosomatic diseases originate in our mental state, with imbalances in the mind gradually manifesting as physical ailments over time.
Hereditary or genetic diseases are based on a predisposition present from birth. However, their manifestation is not always certain, and the practice of Yoga can influence this probability. Even accident or trauma-based diseases, which might seem unavoidable, are considered Karma-based, and through Yoga practice, there’s a possibility of altering one’s Karmic path.
Our way of living profoundly impacts our well-being. We can also reverse the traditional mind-body correlation for evolution, exploring how a positive state of mind can establish holistic well-being. This is important, because health extends beyond merely the absence of disease.
Understanding the deeper causes of illnesses can empower us to prevent them, not just from a psychological standpoint, but by delving deeper beyond psychology itself.
An expanded view of who we are: the Pancha Kosha model
Indian philosophy offers us a broader understanding of who we are. Yogic anatomy gives a complete existential map of the different sheaths that we are made up of. This goes beyond the common medical anatomy, which only maps the functions of the physical body. Yoga sees the human being not as a mere body or mind, but as a layered presence composed of five koshas or sheaths:
- Body: the physical layer of our existence
A healthy body moves easily and functions properly, an unhealthy body is limited due to holdings or tensions.
- Life energy (Prana): the energetical layer of whom we are
If our life energy is freely flowing, we are full of energy, if the energy flow is blocked somehow, we feel tired or less energetic. The way the energy flows also affects all kinds of physiological functions.
- Mind: the mental sheath
A good mental state is indicated by the ability to stay in presence; a more divided mind is ruled by all kinds of conditionings which may have happened in the life journey.
- Wisdom: the dimension of knowingness
If you are aligned to the wisdom of the creation, you see more healthy possibilities and have the clarity which choices to make. When wisdom is covered, we are blind to the available chances.
- Soul: the dimension of beingness
The soul is making a journey on this earth. When connected to the beingness the journey is blissfull, when disconnected we limit the journey. The more bliss, the more healthy we are.
Seen from the perspective of Indian philosophy, the different layers should not even be seen as separate; they are all reflecting each other.
From this background of five sheaths, we will look how psychosomatic well-being has very deep roots, and can be constructed based on Yoga practice.
Building a strong pranic sheath
Prana is the life energy that imbues all things with expressiveness and liveliness. As highlighted in the Pancha Kosha model, Yoga identifies a distinct layer situated between the body and mind.
This sheath resides specifically between the mental (psycho) and physical (somatic) sheaths. Consequently, a strong pranic sheath can act as a protective barrier, like a wall or shield, preventing the mind’s state from causing physical ailments. It could be compared to the Great Wall of China that stops any invaders from passing through.
Therefore, strengthening this vital layer through Pranayama is crucial for achieving psychosomatic well-being.
The mind in presence and beyond experience
To understand the functioning of the mind (Citta), it helps to distinguish a few aspects. According to traditional Indian philosophy, chitta is comprised of:
- Manas
The processing, reactive aspect of the mind, connected to the Manomaya Kosha (mental sheath).
- Buddhi
The faculty of discrimination and decision-making, linked to the Vijnanamaya Kosha (wisdom sheath).
- Ahamkara
The ego, or our sense of “I-ness,” associated with the Anandamaya Kosha (bliss/soul sheath).
Citta serves as the platform for all experience, the point where nature (Prakruti) and consciousness (Purusha) converge. While the mind typically operates based on conditionings, we possess the capacity to guide it into a state of presence.
Although experiences are generally considered fundamental for growth, beyond them there’s a more direct path: Self-knowledge. Yogis have extensively charted this journey, and a balanced Yoga practice allows anyone to follow in their footsteps.
Most people navigate life through surface-level experiences. Yoga, however, invites us to delve deeper: to witness, master, and ultimately transcend the mind itself.
Pranayama: a first step towards Self-awareness
Breath, unlike physical objects, is largely non-perceivable; it has no taste, color, odor, or distinct touch. Yet, we can perceive it through:
- The subtle bodily movements it causes.
- The sensation of its flow at the nostrils.
By observing our breath, we become aware of these subtle movements and sensations. Since breath cannot be perceived like a physical object, it demands a more subtle approach to practice.
Pranayama involves aligning with the dimension of Prana (life force) through the medium of breath. Essentially, Pranayama means the extension of our availability for this life force. Its practice can serve as a profound vehicle for transformation.
The practice of Pranayama marks the first significant step towards Self-awareness, an initial opening for engaging with your own inner Self, rather than solely interacting with the external world. We begin turning inward, moving from external sensation to inner silence, from the outer world to the inner Self.
The outside world, filled with perceivable objects, can often distract us from truly seeing who we are. By moving a step beyond the physical body and the manifested world, Pranayama initiates the journey of looking inward.
The importance of Self-awareness
Self-awareness (Atma Jnana) is the key to unlocking every possibility in life, achieved through several transformative shifts:
- Awareness of nothingness (beyond sense perception)
The Self cannot be grasped by our senses. As long as something external draws our attention, we constantly seek new experiences and changes. When we are contentedly established within our own Self, there’s no longer a need to search for fulfillment elsewhere.
- Gradual delinking of Manas (the processing mind)
This process leads to gaining control over the mind. The mind is largely shaped by sense perception. The less our lives are driven by external sensory input, the freer our minds become. This detachment helps us avoid being trapped by past conditionings that often dictate our future.
- The ability to know yourself beyond the mind
Most individuals find it difficult to express themselves or perceive beyond the confines of their minds. Through the gradual delinking of the processing mind, this profound field of Jnana (wisdom) opens up. We break free from repetitive patterns and gain the capacity to experience life with freshness and new perspectives.
The benefits of regular Pranayama practice
Sincere and consistent Pranayama practice offers profound (health) benefits, impacting our being on multiple levels:
- Strengthening the Pranic sheath
Regular Pranayama optimises the physiological functioning of the body, building vitality and energetic resilience. It also protects the body from being adversely affected by emotional or mental disturbances, leading to greater expressiveness, aliveness, enthusiasm, and joyfulness in life.
- Gaining control over manas (mind)
Pranayama helps us step out of the vicious cycle of mind conditionings, making our life expression less automatic. A stronger Pranic sheath inherently supports a more stable mind, building a growing ability to be in presence. This gentle control over the mind reduces compulsive reactivity and helps break patterns of anxiety, fear, and stress.
- Opening to Jnana (wisdom)
Beyond the mind, Pranayama strengthens our connection to the dimension of wisdom. The less we are driven by constant change, the more we align with the unmoving dimension of wisdom, where clarity arises. This practice deepens our connection to the inherent intelligence of creation.
Understanding the broader reality
What we perceive as reality can be understood as Maya, an illusion, a kind of divine play unfolding before us. This insight reveals the temporary nature of life, a Lila (play) of creation, where impermanence underlies everything we observe, much like the cycle of birth and death.
Simultaneously, we become aware of a dimension beyond space and time: our true home, our divine core. When we learn to see beyond immediate appearances, we begin to discover who we truly are.
With deepening inner clarity, we start to see that much of what we call “reality” is transient. This understanding gives rise to Vairagya (non-attachment). When you recognise the temporary nature of things, you take them less seriously, and they lose their power to affect you. The more you know your true Self, the more trivial all external situations appear.
Vairagya according to Patanjali: not getting affected
Establishing yourself in the Self provides the clarity to discern between your true nature and external circumstances. You are, fundamentally, beyond any situation. This is why the real Self cannot be affected; this state is natural and effortless. Only the ego can be disturbed.
Yoga Sutra 1.15:
The essential meaning of this sutra is: the Self remains unaffected by any situation.
Yoga Sutra 1.15 defines Vairagya as the mastery over desire for what is seen and heard. This isn’t a withdrawal from life, but rather profound inner freedom. It signifies being so deeply rooted in your true Self that no external situation can shake you. When this detachment blossoms, you experience profound health, not merely the absence of disease, but the tangible presence of inner harmony.
Ultimately, a strong establishment in wisdom naturally leads to greater health and harmony across all dimensions of life.
Being strong and unaffected
When you are truly unswayed, people can say anything to you, but because you know who you are, it won’t impact you. You are inherently the strongest, most unaffected being. This is the strength Yoga can bring: being deeply aware of yourself. Even when people attack you, you remain unshakable, staying true to who you are
The establishment of psychosomatic well-being
Pranayama is the essential bridge connecting your mind and body. Practice of Pranayama cultivates inner strength, leading to a profound Self-awareness. This empowers healthier choices and boosts resilience, making you less susceptible to external influences.
To be truly unaffected is to achieve holistic health, a vibrant state rooted in the harmonious balance of all five Koshas. Through consistent Yoga and Pranayama, you can unlock this ultimate state of well-being.
About the author
Remco de Groot has explored Yoga and traditional Indian philosophy for over 30 years. This journey of discovery gradually revealed a deeper insight: Yoga practice and philosophy are one and the same. By living a yogic life, we will align with inner clarity, our vision expands, and the life expression begins to flow with its natural rhythm.
For the past few years Remco has been living in Mysore, India, with his wife Martine and daughter Anna, as part of Yoga Gita’s global community dedicated to conscious living. As a family of volunteers guided by Sage ViGo, they support others in discovering holistic well-being through the integrated wisdom of Yoga.
To learn more about Yoga Gita Ashram, see the website, or connect with them on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
