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Modern postural yoga as a mental health promoting tool: A systematic review.

Complementary therapies in clinical practice
May 1, 2018
Rita B Domingues
Journal ArticleReviewSystematic ReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to investigate the effects of modern postural yoga on positive mental health indicators, including mindfulness, in clinical and nonclinical populations.

Results Summary

The study found mixed results, with some studies showing significant positive effects of yoga on mindfulness and other PMH indicators, while others found no significant effects. Most studies observed improvements in PMH indicators due to yoga practice.

Population

Clinical and nonclinical populations

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (3)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
modern postural yoga
increase
positive mental health (PMH) indicators
clinical and nonclinical populations
-
significant positive effects
#1
yoga practice
no change
outcome variables
-
-
no significant effects
#2
yoga practice
increase
PMH indicators
-
-
ameliorations
#3
Abstract

Yoga has been gaining popularity as a complementary therapy for mental health conditions, but research on the efficacy of yoga is still in its beginnings. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the effects of modern postural yoga (strong focus on physical postures) on positive mental health (PMH) indicators in clinical and nonclinical populations. The most common PMH indicators were mindfulness, affect, resilience and well-being, followed by satisfaction with life, self-compassion, empathy and others. Diverse results were found across the 14 studies analysed, including significant positive effects of yoga practice on outcome variables, to no significant effects, both in relation to baseline levels and in relation to control groups. Nonetheless, most studies observed ameliorations in PMH indicators due to yoga practice. Given that yoga interventions pose serious methodological concerns, more research and better experimental designs are needed to properly assess the effects of yoga on PMH indicators.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Health PromotionHumansMeditationMental HealthMindfulnessYoga
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy65/10
Quality70/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations35
Citations/Year5.0
Relative Citation Ratio3.03
NIH Percentile85.2%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.75
Weight Score2.04
Normalized Score0.60
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