The role of yoga in shaping intrinsic motivation for a healthy lifestyle among higher education students

Yoga integrates physical, mental, and spiritual health through movement, breathing, and meditation. The article argues that yoga fosters intrinsic motivation for a healthy lifestyle among university students by shifting engagement from controlled to self-determined. Traditional physical education neglects psycho-emotional components, reducing adherence. Yoga addresses this through three pathways: developing interoceptive awareness, modulating stress via the HPA axis, and improving cognitive control through prefrontal neuroplasticity. It also satisfies needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness per Self-Determination Theory. Biological markers like increased GABA and BDNF reinforce habit formation. The authors contend that yoga transforms physical activity from an obligation into an internal need, supporting sustainable health behaviors.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Yoga is a form of integrative health that combines a person's physical, mental, and spiritual health through body movements, conscious breathing, and meditation. Purpose of the article is to analyze and substantiate the role of yoga in shaping intrinsic motivation for a healthy lifestyle among higher education students. The study focuses on the psychological and physiological mechanisms that facilitate the transition from controlled to self-determined engagement in physical activity. Methods include theoretical analysis, synthesis, comparison, and systematization of current scientific and methodological literature related to motivation, self-determination theory, and the impact of mind-body exercises on health-promoting behaviors. Results show that traditional approaches to physical education often neglect the psycho-emotional components of health, leading to low long-term adherence among students. Yoga, as a mind-body practice, addresses this by integrating physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation. The research highlights three main pathways of yoga's influence: the development of interoceptive awareness, which shifts control from external to internal regulation; stress modulation via the HPA axis, which reduces cortisol and enhances executive functions; and the improvement of cognitive control through neuroplastic changes in the prefrontal cortex. Furthermore, yoga satisfies the universal psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, which are fundamental for intrinsic motivation according to Self-Determination Theory. Biological markers, such as increased levels of GABA and BDNF, create a positive feedback loop that promotes habit formation. Conclusions indicate that yoga transforms physical activity from an external obligation into an internal need. By fostering a sense of well-being and self-efficacy, yoga environment supports sustainable health-promoting behaviors that extend beyond the classroom, making it a highly effective technology for health preservation in modern higher education.