The relationship between yoga involvement, mindfulness and psychological well-being.
L Gaiswinkler, H F Unterrainer
Complementary Therapies in Medicine June 2016 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2016.03.011 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 455 |
| Population | 362 yoga practitioners (327 females) and 93 gymnastics practitioners (83 females), recruited via internet survey |
| Interventions | Yoga Gymnastics |
| Measures | Yoga Immersion Scale, Multidimensional Inventory for Religious/Spiritual Well-Being, Freiburger Mindfulness Inventory, Brief Symptom Inventory |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Psychological well-being Spirituality Yoga involvement |
| Key findings | Highly involved yoga practitioners reported significantly greater mindfulness and religious/spiritual well-being and lower psychiatric symptoms, including depression, than marginally or moderately involved practitioners and gymnastics controls. The authors suggest yoga practice may have its largest mental health impact when it is integrated into a practitioner's worldview. |
Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine how different levels of yoga involvement are related to different parameters of mental health and illness. A total sample of 455 participants (410 females) were investigated by means of an internet survey. 362 yoga practitioners (327 females) rated their degree of yoga involvement on the Yoga Immersion Scale. A control group was comprised of 93 gymnastics practitioners (83 females). All participants completed the Multidimensional Inventory for Religious/Spiritual Well-Being, the Freiburger Mindfulness Inventory and the Brief Symptom Inventory for psychiatric symptoms. Highly involved yoga practitioners exhibited a significantly increased amount of mindfulness and religious/spiritual well-being (both p<0.01) and lower psychiatric symptoms such as depression (p<0.01) compared to those who were only marginally/moderately yoga-involved or who were in the gymnastics control group. In accordance with the literature, yoga practice might have its biggest impact on mental health when it is part of a practitioner's worldview. Further research focusing on the impact of yoga involvement in clinical groups is encouraged.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cited by 18
- Mindfulness-Based and Mindfulness-Informed Interventions at the Workplace: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression Analysis of RCTs. Mindfulness May 11, 2023
- Exploring how different types of yoga change psychological resources and emotional well-being across a single session. Complementary Therapies in Medicine March 1, 2020
- Web-Based Physical Activity Interventions to Promote Resilience and Mindfulness Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Study International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health April 11, 2023
- From practice to lifestyle: conceptualizations of yoga in regular Ashtanga yoga practitioners using reflexive thematic analysis. Frontiers in Psychology 2025
- Psychophysiological stress response after a 6-week Mindful Self-Compassion training in psychiatric rehabilitation inpatients: a randomized post-test only study Frontiers in Psychiatry July 18, 2023
and 13 more in the library