International Journal of Yoga Therapy
November 21, 2025
Nitu Sinha
Yoga and meditation are increasingly recognized for enhancing physical and mental well-being. However, there is limited research on university lecturers' perceptions and willingness to incorporate these practices into their day-to-day teaching and learning activities. The present study explored the benefits of yoga and meditation perceived by university lecturers and their willingness to engage...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
December 1, 2024
Kimberley Luu
1 citation
Trauma exposure is universal to the human condition, with many affected individuals experiencing either posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or subthreshold manifestations. Both scenarios can become functionally debilitating and collectively lay a heavy burden on individuals and society. Yoga nidra is one adjunctive treatment of growing interest, holding potential for its ability to alleviate...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
December 1, 2024
Shirley Telles, Sachin Kumar Sharma, Kumar Gandharva et al.
Abstract Changes in breathing during pranayama (yoga breathwork) are usually inferred from practice guidelines in traditional texts or contemporary writings. These changes point to understanding the effects of pranayama and indicate applications of pranayama in health. Previously, a pilot study on a single participant suggested that each pranayama changes breathing uniquely. To extend this...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
April 1, 2024
Arndt Büssing
2 citations
The present study aimed to analyze the extent to which yoga practitioners (n = 784) live by their faith/spirituality and how this influences their perceived prosocial behaviors. For that purpose, the model of transformational spirituality was applied. This model assumes that people who experience the sacred in their lives change their attitudes and behaviors and take responsibility in the...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
March 1, 2024
Danielle Rousseau, Jennifer Wyatt Bourgeois, Josephine Johnson et al.
4 citations
Individuals who are incarcerated likely experience trauma or exacerbate existing trauma, which has significant health risks. Trauma-informed care aims to address the experienced trauma. The current study explored the effect of a trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness curriculum in carceral settings. In this quasi-experimental study, participants (n = 326) were assigned to either six weekly...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
December 1, 2023
Jennifer Ishaq, Kyle Eyman, Elizabeth Goncy et al.
3 citations
In recent decades, there has been more significant implementation and research of yoga programs in prisons and correctional facilities. Existing literature suggests that adult and juvenile prison-based yoga programs may improve stress-management and self-regulation skills; reduce depression, anxiety, aggression, and addictive behaviors; and increase prosocial behaviors. However, yoga in...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
2023
Isabelle Ong Gaffney, Ashley W Gulden, Len Jennings et al.
6 citations
Although emerging research indicates that yoga facilitates healing from interpersonal trauma, consensus is lacking as to yoga's main facilitative factors. To address this limitation, we employed qualitative meta-analysis to analyze data from six qualitative studies (n = 105) that examined the healing agents of yoga that facilitated recovery from interpersonal trauma. The analysis process...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
2021
Andrea Zaccaro, André Riehl, Andrea Piarulli et al.
13 citations
Nidrâ yoga is an ancient yogic practice capable of inducing altered states of consciousness characterized by deep relaxation, strong concentration, acute self-awareness, and joy. In modern contemplative neuroscience language, it is known by the name yoga nidra, and few studies have investigated its phenomenological and psychophysiological effects. Six healthy volunteers (four females aged...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
2021
Rachel Weinstein
4 citations
The practice of yoga was born in India thousands of years ago and brought to North America gradually beginning in the 20th century. The traditional practice of yoga is spiritual in nature with an intention of purifying the mind and body, leading to an alleviation of suffering through connection with the Divine (i.e., liberation). Yoga has gained widespread popularity in North America, but...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
November 1, 2019
Helané Wahbeh, Melissa Nelson
Abstract Older adults, a rapidly growing population in the United States, have fewer physiological reserves and are more likely to be affected by stress, making them especially susceptible to depression symptoms. Meditation offers promising potential as an effective treatment; however, few studies have evaluated meditation interventions for this demographic. The objectives of this pilot study...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
November 1, 2019
Helané Wahbeh, Nina Fry
Abstract Preliminary positive evidence supports the use of iRest (Integrative Restoration) in older adults with depression symptoms. No long-term follow-up measures have been reported on whether the preliminary effects continue beyond initial iRest trainings. The growing population of older adults with depression symptoms is a serious public health issue, and effective interventions to support...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
May 30, 2019
Amisha Klawonn, Dana Kernan, James Lynskey
34 citations
Abstract Graduate healthcare students can experience stress that affects their ability to perform academically and clinically, decreases empathy, and affects their well-being and clinical competence. The purpose of the current study was to determine the effects of a seminar on a yoga-inspired biopsychosocial-spiritual model of self-care on perceived levels of anxiety, self-compassion,...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
November 1, 2018
Crystal L Park, A Rani Elwy, Meghan Maiya et al.
Yoga interventions are heterogeneous and vary along multiple dimensions. These dimensions may affect mental and physical health outcomes in different ways or through different mechanisms. However, most studies of the effects of yoga on health do not adequately describe or quantify the components of the interventions being implemented. This lack of detail prevents researchers from making...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
2016
Brandi M Crowe, Marieke Van Puymbroeck, Arlene A Schmid
Yoga facilitates relaxation and connection of mind, body, and spirit through the use of breathing, meditation, and physical postures. Participation in yoga has been extensively linked to decreased stress, and as a result, is considered a therapeutic intervention by many. However, few theories exist that explain the link between yoga participation and improved psychosocial wellbeing. The...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
September 1, 2011
L. Stankovic
83 citations
This eight-week study examined the feasibility of offering weekly classes in Integrative Restoration (iRest), a form of mindfulness meditation, to military combat veterans at a community mental health agency in the San Francisco Bay Area. Participants were 16 male combat veterans (15 Vietnam War and 1 Iraq War) of mixed ethnicity, aged 41 to 66 years, suffering from posttraumatic stress...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
September 1, 2011
Janet Hennard
21 citations
Fibromyalgia is a chronic syndrome characterized by widespread pain, sleep disturbance, stiffness, fatigue, headache, and mood disorders. Recent research has resulted in an improved understanding of fibromyalgia and its possible causes. This article highlights some of the current research, discusses a strategy for using yoga and meditation as a therapy for fibromyalgia sufferers, and presents...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
2010
R. Ramadoss, Bidyut Bose
39 citations
Two pilot studies demonstrate that a comprehensive multimodality intervention of Transformative Life Skills (TLS) consisting of Yoga poses (asana), breathing techniques (pranayama), and meditation (dhyana) can reduce perceived stress and increase self-control and self-awareness in at-risk and incarcerated youth. As part of a countywide violence prevention effort, Niroga Institute conducted...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
2010
Kelley Delaney, Kristine Anthis
This study examined the relationship between women's participation in different types of Yoga classes and different facets of body image. Ninety-two women at five different sites of Yoga instruction completed assessments of Yoga experience, internalization of Yoga principles, body satisfaction, body awareness, body consciousness, and eating attitudes. Yoga experience was coded according to...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
October 1, 2009
Kait Philbin
3 citations
Grief and bereavement are universal human experiences that can have profound effects on body, mind, and spirit. Yoga, as part of a therapeutic approach, can help relieve suffering during the grieving process. This article describes one approach to offering Yoga as a therapy for grief and bereavement. Transpersonal Integrative Yoga Therapy is a multidimensional group protocol that combines Yoga...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
2004
Scott Blossom
Research in the field of psychoneuroimmunology has helped to build confidence among members of the conventional medical community regarding the concrete positive effects that stress management, counseling, meditation,and Hatha-Yoga can play in treating disease and promoting health. The "discoveries" in this field are echoing a major theme in yogic scriptures—that the mind plays a central role...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
2002
Barbara Newborn
Life-threatening illness throws many survivors into chaos, dramatically altering and affecting their lives. They are physically and mentally forced out of their daily living routine to figure out other ways of doing things. Everything around them is falling apart. They feel cut off—physically and mentally isolated—without having any sense of belonging. The situation, however, does not have to...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
1999
Roy King, Ann Brownstone
Recent neuroimaging studies of brain function have led to an explosion of knowledge about psychological processes and states. In this paper functional brain imaging studies of Yoga meditation are reviewed. Tantra-based meditations activate frontal and occipital cortical regions involved in focused, sustained attention and visual imagery. The overall pattern of brain activation in Tantra-based...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
1999
Subhash Kak, Georg Feuerstein
For the past several years, I have come across occasional references to quantum neurophysiology, not least in your own academic papers on the subject. It seems to me that this emerging field of inquiry is relevant to Yoga and even Yoga therapy. Can you please state briefly the principal concerns (and raison d'être) of quantum neurophysiology? How do these concerns complement, complete, or even...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
1998
John M. Miller, Ken Fletcher, Jon Kabat‐zinn
81 citations
A previous study of 22 medical patients with DSM-III-R-defined anxiety disorders showed clinically and statistically significant improvements in subjective and objective symptoms of anxiety and panic following an 8-week outpatient physician-referred group stress reduction intervention based on mindfulness meditation. Twenty subjects demonstrated significant reductions in Hamilton and Beck...
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
1995
Estelle Jacobson, Jim Dreaver, Richard Miller et al.
*Jon Kabat-Zinn whose latest book, 'Wherever You Go There You Are", has become a best seller and which teaches stress reduction through meditation and Yoga. *When I came across Eleanor Criswell's book I had already been a yoga devotee for many years, and more recently a student of somatic education, Naturally, I was interested in Dr. Criswell's "somatic" perspective on yoga, and how it was...