Mind and Mental Health: Expositions from Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras

Dr. Richa Chopra, in her former role as the Founding Head-In charge, Dept. of Contemplative and Behavioural Sciences (DCBS), Sri Sri University, synthesized an ecosystem, permeating multiple traditions to infiltrate and gradually weave psychological mindedness into theories of the esoteric combining ‘Orient – Occident’ wisdom. The undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in ‘Psychology and Contemplative Studies’, thus, offered under DCBS sought to bring in a new vision of behavioural sciences to the world with ‘Consciousness’ as the centre-piece of study - the teaching methodology balancing traditional ‘third-person’ with the ‘critical first- person’ perspectives.

Dr. Chopra has been a forerunner in ideating, executing and establishing a plethora of departments and global initiatives. She has steered over forty-six collaborative projects with various UN & Govt Agencies.

She has been a ‘Core Working Member’ for NAAC (an autonomous body under UGC) towards developing the ‘yoga Accreditation Framework’ for HEIs, launched at the UN Headquarters in April, 2019. Dr. Chopra has curated and organized the annual series of “Ātmanirbhara Bhar̄ata: Faculty Development Programme on Indian Knowledge Systems (November 2020, 2021 &; 2022)”, in collaboration with CPDHE, UGC-HRDC (University of Delhi), ICSSR, CoE-IKS, IIT Kharagpur and AICTE. She has also conceptualized and directed a thirteen-episode TV series on yoga ‘Sparkling Within’ for Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation, launched on June 21st 2015.

As a Sr. Art of Living International Faculty and QCI yoga Level 2 trainer, she has travelled across eleven countries, transforming lives through the Happiness Program and other Higher-Level courses on Yoga and Meditation.

She currently serves the Centre of Excellence for Indian Knowledge Systems, IIT Kharagpur as a Core Faculty with her expertise in areas of yoga, Indian Psychology and Spirituality.