How does yoga relate to the Jungian tradition?

Both traditions derive from the same paradigm, which is that the individual is whole ie not ‘broken’, a paradigm that is both non-pathologising and life affirming. This is quite a shift from a more ‘modern’ medical model.

In this life affirming paradigm, human suffering comes from our misidentification, more specifically when we relate or identify with our story, our persona or ego, or our defence mechanisms. By doing so, we place our sense of worth and purpose on externals. But as per the Jungian tradition, and yoga philosophy, we are whole – fulfilment comes from within - you are whole – which translates into Sanskrit (the classical Indian language used in the eastern philosophy founding texts) into– ‘So Ham’.

Thus, in order to move into wholeness and to access the higher state of consciousness, we need to become aware of the forces at stake within us, both conscious and unconscious. This is where yoga comes into play in my coaching practice. Yoga teaches us to increase our ability to witness the fluctuations of the body and mind and thus provide us with the opportunity to bring us closer to wholeness. Yoga means ‘the union’ – it’s the union of the spirit (psyche) and matter (body).