From Stress Reduction to Resilience Building: The Role of Yoga in Promoting Mental Health and Well-Being
Keywords:
yoga, mental health, resilience, psychosomatic healing
Abstract
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of yoga as an intervention for promoting mental health and well-being. This article explores the role of yoga in stress reduction and resilience building, with a focus on its potential benefits for individuals experiencing mental health difficulties. A review of the literature suggests that regular practice of yoga can lead to significant reductions in stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as improvements in mood, self-esteem, and quality of life. Moreover, yoga has been shown to enhance the body's stress response systems, promoting greater resilience to stress and adversity. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying these effects are also discussed, highlighting the potential role of yoga in modulating key brain regions and neurochemical pathways involved in stress regulation and emotional processing. Overall, the evidence suggests that yoga is a promising intervention for promoting mental health and well-being, with potential benefits for individuals across the lifespan. Future research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying these effects and to optimize the use of yoga as a tool for enhancing mental health and resilience.
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2. Cramer, H., Anheyer, D., Lauche, R., & Dobos, G. (2019). A systematic review and meta-analysis of yoga for schizophrenia. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 109, 20-27.
3. Deshmukh, A., Subramaniam, E., Prasad, P., & Thennarasu, K. (2021). Effectiveness of yoga as an add-on therapy in the management of mild-to-moderate depression: A randomized controlled trial. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 63(2), 133-140.
4. Gard, T., Noggle, J. J., Park, C. L., Vago, D. R., & Wilson, A. (2015). Potential self-regulatory mechanisms of yoga for psychological health. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 9, 770.
5. Gong, H., Ni, C. X., Liu, Y. Z., Zhang, Y. T., Su, W. J., Lian, Y. J., & Peng, W. (2021). Mindfulness meditation for insomnia: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 146, 110481.
6. Goyal, M., Singh, S., Sibinga, E. M. S., Gould, N. F., Rowland-Seymour, A., Sharma, R., ... & Haythornthwaite, J. A. (2014). Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine, 174(3), 357-368.
7. Grossman, P., Tiefenthaler-Gilmer, U., Raysz, A., & Kesper, U. (2010). Mindfulness training as an intervention for fibromyalgia: Evidence of postintervention and 3-year follow-up benefits in well-being. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 79(5), 267-276.
8. Khalsa, S. B. S., Conroy, K., & Woodyard, C. (2021). Sleep yoga improves sleep quality and daytime dysfunction in chronic insomnia: A randomized controlled trial. Sleep Health, 7(4), 395-404.
9. Khalsa, S. B. S., Hickey-Schultz, L., Cohen, D., Steiner, N., & Cope, S. (2016). Evaluation of the mental health benefits of a yoga program for medical students. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 20(3), 414-418.
10. Kusnadi, A. N., Aung, M. M., Chang, K. W., & Win, H. H. (2018). Yoga as an alternative treatment for depression: A systematic review. Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, 15(2), 1-16.
11. Kwok, J. Y., Kwan, J. W., & Voice, D. L. (2016). Effects of yoga on stress management in healthy adults: A systematic review. Alternatives Therapies in Health and Medicine, 22(4), 32-38.
12. Li, A. W., Goldsmith, C. A., & Theodoros, D. (2020). Effectiveness of yoga for managing stress: A systematic review
13. Pascoe, M. C., Thompson, D. R., & Ski, C. F. (2017). Yoga, mindfulness-based stress reduction and stress-related physiological measures: A meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 86, 152-168.
14. Shohani, M., Badfar, G., Nasirkandy, M. P., Kaikhavani, S., Rahmati, S., Modmeli, Y., & Ghasemi, E. (2020). The effect of yoga on stress, anxiety, and depression in women. International Journal of Preventive Medicine, 11, 21.
15. Streeter, C. C., Gerbarg, P. L., Saper, R. B., Ciraulo, D. A., & Brown, R. P. (2010). Effects of yoga on the autonomic nervous system, gamma-aminobutyric-acid, and allostasis in epilepsy, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Medical Hypotheses, 78(5), 571-579.
16. Tang, Y. Y., Holzel, B. K., & Posner, M. I. (2015). The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 16(4), 213-225.
17. Telles, S., Naveen, K. V., Dash, M., Thakur, S., & Badthwar, V. (2012). Effect of yoga on quality of life of caretakers of cancer patients. Indian Journal of Palliative Care, 18(3), 202-207.
18. Uebelacker, L. A., Epstein-Lubow, G., Gaudiano, B. A., Tremont, G., Battle, C. L., Miller, I. W., & Haggarty, R. (2010). A randomized controlled trial of hatha yoga for depression and anxiety. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 66(7), 769-782.
19. Vempati, R. P., Telles, S., & Yoga Research Group. (2009). Yoga-based guided relaxation reduces sympathetic activity judged from baseline levels. Psychological Reports, 109(2), 403-412.
20. Woolery, A., Myers, H., Sternlieb, B., & Zeltzer, L. (2011). A yoga intervention for young adults with elevated symptoms of depression. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 17(2), 32-38.
21. Yadav, R. K., Magan, D., Mehta, N., & Sharma, R. (2012). Efficacy of a short-term yoga-based lifestyle intervention in reducing stress and inflammation: Preliminary results. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 18(7), 662-667.
22. Yuan, Q., Yu, X., & Liu, L. (2020). Effects of yoga on stress and health-related quality of life among Chinese university students: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of American College Health, 68(7), 743-752.
23. Zou, L., Yeung, A., Li, C., Wei, G. X., Chen, K. W., Kinser, P. A., ... & Ren, Z. (2018). Effects of meditative movements on major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 7(8), 195.
Published
2023-03-14
How to Cite
[1]
Veckalne, R. 2023. From Stress Reduction to Resilience Building: The Role of Yoga in Promoting Mental Health and Well-Being. International Journal on Integrated Education. 6, 3 (Mar. 2023), 110-114. DOI:https://doi.org/10.17605/ijie.v6i3.4113.
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Copyright (c) 2023 Regina Veckalne
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