_______ Yoga helps in processing emotional stimuli better and is effective in treating obsessive - compulsive disorder.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Kundalini
Note 1: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. However, there seems to be an ambiguity in the question. NCERT (2025-26) says that Vipasana meditation helps in processing emotional stimuli better, and that Kundalini Yoga is effective in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The question joins these two different lines of the book into one sentence. NTA has probably interpreted it as asking about the yoga that is effective in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is Kundalini Yoga. The word ‘Yoga’ in the question also points to Kundalini, because Vipasana is a form of meditation.
Option (1) Ashtanga — Incorrect. Yoga as a technique is detailed in the Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras; the name refers to that ancient system as a whole, and no particular disorder is linked to it.
Option (2) Kundalini — Correct. Kundalini Yoga, which combines pranayama (breathing techniques) with the chanting of mantras, has been found effective in the treatment of mental disorders, and in particular of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Option (3) Vipasana — Incorrect. Vipasana is a mindfulness-based meditation, in which the person passively observes the bodily sensations and thoughts passing through her or his awareness. It helps patients process emotional stimuli better and so may help prevent repeated episodes of depression, but it is not linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Option (4) Sudarshana Kriya — Incorrect. Sudarshana Kriya Yoga uses rapid breathing to induce hyperventilation. It is a helpful addition to the treatment of stress, anxiety, PTSD and depression; research at NIMHANS has shown that it reduces depression.
Note 2: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 15-06-2023 (Slot 3).
NCERT (2025-26): “Alternative Therapies … Yoga is an ancient Indian technique detailed in the Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Yoga as it is commonly called today either refers to only the asanas or body posture component or to breathing practices or pranayama, or to a combination of the two. Meditation refers to the practice of focusing attention on breath or on an object or thought or a mantra. Here attention is focused. In Vipasana meditation, also known as mindfulness-based meditation, there is no fixed object or thought to hold the attention. The person passively observes the various bodily sensations and thoughts that are passing through in her or his awareness.” “Alternative Therapies … Kundalini Yoga taught in the USA has been found to be effective in treatment of mental disorders. The Institute for Nonlinear Science, University of California, San Diego, USA has found that Kundalini Yoga is effective in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Kundalini Yoga combines pranayama or breathing techniques with chanting of mantras. Prevention of repeated episodes of depression may be helped by mindfulness-based meditation or Vipasana. This meditation would help the patients to process emotional stimuli better and hence prevent biases in the processing of these stimuli.” |