Mindfulness Meditation Yoga Mantra and Spiritual Practices for Mental Well-Being
Improving Mental Well-Being at the Intersection of Mindfulness, Meditation, and Yoga May 9, 2026 Kritika Ohri, Hitakshi Dutta
An integrative review of randomized and non-randomized studies (2010–2025) finds consistent small-to-moderate improvements in stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, sleep, quality of life, and spiritual well-being from practices combining mindfulness, meditation, yoga, mantra recitation, and spiritually oriented reading. Converging mechanisms include attention and emotion regulation, interoception and autonomic balance, compassion, and meaning-making. The authors distill pragmatic guidance for brief, blended programs with opt-in spiritual elements and validated measurement. Key gaps identified include comparative effectiveness of integrated protocols, dose reporting, mediator testing, long-term maintenance, active controls, and equity. Priorities for rigorous, culturally sensitive trials and implementation studies are outlined.