Vairagya as Releasing Imposed Identity

Vairagya, non-attachment or dispassion, is the complementary practice to abhyasa in Patanjali's system. Rather than being apathetic, vairagya means releasing identification with destructive patterns and false narratives. In African mental health, this addresses a critical wound: the internalized colonizer's narrative that devalues African identity, knowledge systems, and ways of being. Many African individuals carry psychological distress rooted in imposed shame about their heritage, spirituality, and ancestral ways. Vairagya provides a practice for releasing identification with narratives that African healing traditions are inferior, superstitious, or incompatible with modern wellness. By cultivating vairagya, individuals consciously disidentify from colonially-imposed self-concepts and psychological binaries. This creates psychological freedom to reconnect with African healing without guilt or internal conflict. Vairagya becomes a decolonial practice—releasing what was never truly theirs while reclaiming authentic cultural identity as foundation for mental wellness.