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Effects of long-term Ashtanga Yoga practice on psychological well-being

Ben Morris (Department of Psychology and Therapeutic Studies, Leeds Trinity University, Leeds, UK)
James Jackson (Department of Psychology and Therapeutic Studies, Leeds Trinity University, Leeds, UK) (Department of Psychology and Therapeutic Studies, Leeds Trinity University, Leeds, UK)
Anthony Roberts III (Department of Psychology and Therapeutic Studies, Leeds Trinity University, Leeds, UK) (Department of Social Work and Social Policy, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia)

Mental Health and Social Inclusion

ISSN: 2042-8308

Article publication date: 13 June 2023

Issue publication date: 2 December 2024

138

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 the specific focus on this work. The aim of this study is to investigate the possible positive impact of long-term Ashtanga Yoga on psychological well-being.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 213 long-term Ashtanga Yoga practitioners were asked to complete the positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishment (PERMA) 23 scale (Butler and Kern, 2016) which measures psychological well-being. The values given by these individuals were then compared against a larger sample of 31,966 representative of the general population.

Findings

Scores were then compared with a PERMA data set representative of the general population (see Butler and Kern, 2016), primarily using a test of difference to compare samples. Secondly, the causal relationship between time spent in practice upon well-being scores.

Research limitations/implications

Findings indicated that those individuals engaged in long-term Ashtanga Yoga practice significantly outperformed the control group on all dimensions of psychological well-being.

Practical implications

This work has demonstrated specific benefits to the practice of Ashtanga Yoga on psychological well-being. Yoga is a form of exercise that is now widely available across the globe, and as such, represents an accessible form of physical practice, which has important psychological benefits.

Originality/value

To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first work investigating differences in psychological well-being profiles using PERMA, as a function of Yoga practice.

Keywords

Citation

Morris, B., Jackson, J. and Roberts III, A. (2024), "Effects of long-term Ashtanga Yoga practice on psychological well-being", Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Vol. 28 No. 5, pp. 549-560. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-03-2023-0033

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited

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