Exploring young women's experiences of a mindful yoga intervention for depression in the Netherlands: Qualitative analysis of positive and negative effects
British Journal of Clinical Psychology September 17, 2025 Nina K. Vollbehr, Brian D. Ostafin, Agna A. Bartels‐Velthuis et al.
In a qualitative study alongside a randomized controlled trial in the Netherlands, most young women with major depressive disorder who completed a 9-week mindful yoga intervention reported both positive (81.0%) and negative (65.5%) experiences. Positive effects most often included positive affect, meta-cognition, and physical relaxation; negative effects most often included meta-cognition, agitation or irritability, and physical inflexibility. The findings suggest that mindful yoga can yield a range of outcomes, and the authors argue that future research should assess both positive and negative effects more broadly and systematically.