Type of yoga therapy that is effective in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder, and is a combination of Pranayama with chanting of mantra, is commonly known as :
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Kundalini yoga
Option (1) Kundalini yoga — Correct. Kundalini Yoga combines pranayama or breathing techniques with chanting of mantras, and research in the USA has found it effective in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Both parts of the question point to it.
Option (2) Vipasana — Incorrect. Vipasana is mindfulness-based meditation: there is no fixed object or thought to hold the attention, and the person passively observes the bodily sensations and thoughts passing through her or his awareness. It may help to prevent repeated episodes of depression; it uses no mantra.
Option (3) Sudarshan Kriya yoga — Incorrect. Sudarshana Kriya Yoga (SKY) uses rapid breathing techniques to induce hyperventilation. It helps in the treatment of stress, anxiety, PTSD and depression, but it is not the breathing-with-mantra yoga used for OCD.
Option (4) Ashtanga yoga — Incorrect. Ashtanga Yoga is the ancient eight-limbed system of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, in which yoga as a whole is described. It is the source of yoga in general, not the particular therapy the question names.
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 02-06-2023 (Slot 1).
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. The rapid breathing techniques to induce hyperventilation as in Sudarshana Kriya Yoga (SKY) is found to be a beneficial, low-risk, low-cost adjunct to the treatment of stress, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, stress-related medical illnesses, substance abuse, and rehabilitation of criminal offenders.…” “Alternative Therapies … Kundalini Yoga taught in the USA has been found to be effective in treatment of mental disorders. The Institute for Non-linear 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.” |