chicken or egg.

Is it the mind that affects the body?

Or is it the body that affects the mind?

What is the answer?

Bit of both?
Neither?

Well it appears to me that the effects of what we think about, have a direct effect on the body, via the processes of the hormonal system.

We think of scary things - the adrenal glands start to pump adrenaline into the system, our heart rate goes up, we sweat, we panic, we become anxious, and in extreme cases a panic attack may occur.

In the long term, the effects of the mind on the body may not be so noticeable. In other words we function fairly okay most of the time and rarely tip over the edge into outright panic - this is chronic tension. It's there, but not so acute.
We get used to it and eventually accept it as normal.

And perhaps in the greater scheme of things it is normal. For example, when in the history of human evolution has there ever been a time when stress in not evident or necessary?

Complete non-stress is a rare event. (I think).

But we can manage our functionality through Yogic techniques.

And there you go!

You either do or you don't.