Mental Health in a Capitalist World: The Role of Yoga and Meditation in Promoting Mental Health Well-Being
Samjhana Thapaliya, Basu Dev Mainali, Hari Lal Mainali, Surendra Giri
Janajyoti Academic Journal October 27, 2026 DOI: 10.3126/jaj.v1i1.101468 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Narrative review Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Yoga Meditation Karma Yoga |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The review concludes that yoga and meditation can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression through improved emotional stability, relaxation, postures, breathing, and mind-body awareness, and that Karma Yoga as a spiritual discipline can support positive thinking, problem coping, and inner peace. The authors argue these inexpensive, culturally familiar practices suit Nepal's changing society. |
Abstract
The current study aims to better understand how the Eastern practice of yoga and meditation, when integrated with Western psychology, might promote mental wellbeing. This study, which is a narrative review, focuses on yogic traditional scriptures and research from Nepal and other areas of the world, including journal articles, systematic reviews, quantitative and qualitative studies. The results of the research indicate that yoga and meditation can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression by improving emotional stability, relaxation, physical postures, breathing exercises, and elevating people's awareness of their mind and body. In addition, Karma Yoga, as a spiritual discipline, can assist a person in developing positive thinking, strengthening their ability to meet and overcome problems, and experiencing an ultimate state of inner peace. Numerous psychological studies, including meta-analyses, supported the concept of employing yoga and meditation to maintain mental well-being. Nepal, a country experiencing fast social and economic transformation, might benefit from yoga and meditation since they are inexpensive, culturally familiar, and long-term sustainable approaches to promote both physical and mental health.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |