Development and Testing the Effectiveness of an Online Yoga Psychology–Based Mental Health Promotion Intervention for Adults
Riya Ganer, Jyotsna Agrawal, C. Naveen Kumar
Psychology and Developing Societies May 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1177/09713336261441828 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention design Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 12 |
| Population | Community-based adults |
| Intervention | Yoga psychology-based intervention |
| Duration | 7-week intervention |
| Keywords | Psychological intervention Intervention counseling Mental health Negative affectivity Affect linguistics Promotion chess Clinical psychology Psychological well-being Psychotherapist Martial arts |
| Key points | The 7-week yoga psychology-based intervention significantly reduced tamas and negative affectivity, and improved psychological well-being, emotional well-being, positive affect, sattva, non-attachment, and hope in a small community sample, suggesting that incorporating psychological dimensions of yoga can enhance mental well-being. |
Abstract
Patañjali’s Ashtanga Yoga encompasses more than physical postures (āsana), incorporating a robust psychological framework designed to enhance mental well-being. However, current research on yoga interventions predominantly focuses on āsana (physical postures), prāṇāyāma (breathwork) and meditation, neglecting the psychological dimensions. This study develops, validates and tests a structured yoga psychology-based intervention that emphasises key components of yama and niyama (ethical disciplines), pratyāhāra (sensory withdrawal), dhāraṇā (concentration) and dhyāna (meditation). The preliminary effects of this 7-week multi-component online intervention were evaluated in 12 participants (mean age 40.08, standard deviation [SD] 8.01) using a pre–post intervention design. Data were analysed using non-parametric tests. The intervention reduced tamas ( p = .031, r = 0.6) and negative affectivity ( p = .033, r = 0.6), improved psychological well-being ( p = .015, r = 0.7), emotional well-being ( p = .016, r = 0.6), positive affect ( p = .33, r = 0.6), sattva ( p = .022, r = 0.6) and other aspects of psychological functioning such as non-attachment ( p = .020, r = 0.6) and hope ( p = .46, r = 0.5). The intervention significantly improved emotional and psychological well-being in the community-based adult sample.