The relationship between yoga involvement, mindfulness and psychological well-being.

Yoga practice might have its biggest impact on mental health when it is part of a practitioner's worldview

Go to the profile of Heather Mason
Heather Mason
Founder of the Minded Institute, The Minded Institute
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27261992

It makes sense that yoga practice might have its biggest impact on mental health when it is part of a practitioner's worldview, which is exactly the main finding of this fascinating study. A total sample of 455 participants were questioned via an internet survey. 362 yoga practitioners rated their degree of yoga involvement on the Yoga Immersion Scale. The study also pleasingly included a control group of 93 gymnastics practitioners.

Those participants who practiced yoga regularly exhibited a significantly increased amount of mindfulness and religious/spiritual well-being and lower psychiatric symptoms such as depression compared to those who were only marginally/moderately yoga-involved or who were in the gymnastics control group. Another research vote for a regular yoga practice it would seem! :)

Go to the profile of Heather Mason

Heather Mason

Founder of the Minded Institute, The Minded Institute

Heather Mason is a leader in the field of mind-body therapy and the founder of Yoga Therapy for the Mind. She develops innovative methods for mental health treatment drawing on her robust educational background including an MA in Psychotherapy, an MA in Buddhist Studies, studies in Neuroscience and a current MSc in Medical Physiology.. She is also a 500 RYT, a yoga therapist and an MBCT facilitator. Heather offers various professional trainings for yoga teachers, healthcare professionals and therapists, lectures around the world, and delivers training to medical students. She also develops protocols for different client populations by translating cutting edge research from the psycho-biology and neuro-biology of stress into yoga practices, breathwork, mindfulness interventions and therapeutic holding. Further she is involved in research on the efficacy of these practices, holds the annual UK yoga therapy conference and is blazing the trail for the integration of yoga therapy into the NHS