Effects of long-term Ashtanga Yoga practice on psychological well-being
| Date | 13 June 2023 |
| Pages | 549-560 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-03-2023-0033 |
| Published date | 13 June 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Social inclusion |
| Author | Ben Morris,James Jackson,Anthony Roberts III |
Effects of long-term Ashtanga Yoga
practice on psychological well-being
Ben Morris, James Jackson and Anthony Roberts III
Abstract
Purpose –In recent years, Yoga practice has seen a rapid rise in popularity with many positive
consequences, both physical and mental attributed to its practice. Ashtanga Yoga has been less well
researched in this area and is thespecific focus on this work. The aim of this study is to investigate the
possiblepositive impact of long-term AshtangaYoga on psychological well-being.
Design/methodology/approach –In total, 213 long-term Ashtanga Yoga practitioners were asked to
complete thepositive emotion, engagement, relationships,meaning, accomplishment (PERMA) 23 scale
(Butler and Kern,2016) which measures psychologicalwell-being. The values given by these individuals
were then comparedagainst a larger sample of 31,966 representativeof the general population.
Findings –Scores were thencompared with a PERMA data set representative of the generalpopulation
(see Butler and Kern, 2016), primarily using a test of difference to compare samples. Secondly, the
causal relationshipbetween time spent in practiceupon well-being scores.
Research limitations/implications –Findings indicated that those individuals engaged in long-term
Ashtanga Yoga practicesignificantly outperformed the control group on all dimensionsof psychological
well-being.
Practical implications –This work has demonstratedspecific benefits to the practiceof Ashtanga Yoga
on psychologicalwell-being. Yoga is a form of exercisethat is now widely available acrossthe globe, and
as such, representsan accessible form of physicalpractice, which has important psychologicalbenefits.
Originality/value –To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first work investigating differences in
psychologicalwell-being profiles using PERMA, as a functionof Yogapractice.
Keywords Well-being, Health, PERMA, Ashtanga Yoga
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Yoga is an ancient practice that integrates mind–body disciplines of stretching, breathing,
alignment, balance and meditation (Fiori et al.,2014), and is believed to have originated on the
Indian sub-continent. One of the first recorded accounts of Yogis prac ticing Asana (postures
made using the body) was in 400 BC by the army of Alexander the Great (Mallinson and
Singleton, 2017). Today, Yoga is popular globally as a complementary therapy (Lin et al.,
2011). More than 21 million Americans practice some form of Yoga, with close to 70% of these
turning to Yoga “explicitly to improve their health” (Cramer et al., 2016a;Field, 2016).
Yoga and health
In recent years, investigations into Yoga have focused on medical conditions such as
pain, stress, anxiety and depression (Lin et al., 2011;McCall, 2014;Jeter et al., 2015b;
Field, 2016). Benefits of practice includes improving cardio-metabolic health (Chu
et al., 2016), improved chemotherapy recovery in cancer patients (Moadel et al., 2007;
Galantino et al., 2012) and depressive disorders (Cramer et al.,2013;Jeter et al.,
2015a). Over the past 20 years, a growing body of research is suggesting that Yoga
Ben Morris and
James Jackson both are
based at Department of
Psychology and
Therapeutic Studies, Leeds
Trinity University, Leeds,
UK. Anthony Roberts III is
based at Department of
Social Work and Social
Policy, The University of
Western Australia, Perth,
Australia.
DOI 10.1108/MHSI-03-2023-0033 VOL. 28 NO. 5 2024, pp. 549-560, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2042-8308 jMENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL INCLUSION jPAGE 549
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