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→Conative Effects: Adding content with reference - to be edited
=== Conative Effects ===
=== Conative Effects ===
In the Indian tradition, consciousness has two fundamental aspects, knowing (cit) and being (sat). Consciousness at the core is seen as undifferentiated unity of knowing and being. This is the rationale behind the Upaniṣadic statement, “to know Brahman is to be Brahman.” Yoga and meditation are believed to lead a person to the pure and primordial state of consciousness where there is no differentiation between knowing and being. A highly developed meditative state is one in which knowing has a reflexive relationship with being with the result that there would be no gap between one’s cognition and conduct, belief, and behavior. If this indeed is the case, meditation would have important therapeutic implications made possible by its expected behavioral effects. Consonance between cognition and conduct would have the consequence of a conflict-free mind, a state of positive mental health. In such states, knowing becomes a transformational experience for the person.
Several of health problems arise from our failure to put into practice what one knows. Most of the debilitating addictions such as alcoholism, smoking, and drug abuse are due to such a failure. Raina et al. (2001) reported results that showed significantly greater recovery rate of individuals with alcohol dependence syndrome following yoga treatment compared to physical exercise.<ref name=":1" />
=== Emotional Effects ===
The practice of yoga, is generally believed to lead to an equipoise and emotionally balanced state of the mind. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that meditation may lead to reduction in anxiety and stress, and help those suffering from stress-related ailments like hypertension.
There are a number of studies that seem to suggest that meditation has the effect of reducing stress. In one study the subjects were outpatients at the K.E.M. Hospital in Bombay aged between 15 and 50 years, who were diagnosed as suffering from stress and anxiety. They were randomly assigned to two groups. The clinical assessments, as well as psychological testing, were done by those who did not know to which group the subjects belonged. The results showed statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups. The experimental group improved significantly in comparison to the control group. There was a significant reduction in the anxiety scores of patients in the experimental group and not in the control group.
Working with young prisoners, Jain (2003) found significant decrease in anxiety after practicing meditation.
There are also a number of published reports suggesting that practice of meditation helps to reduce stress, anxiety, tension, and depression in different job settings.<ref name=":1" />
== References ==
== References ==