That trend is beginning to reverse itself, however, as researchers all over North America test yoga-based self healing.
Plenty of studies have examined the effects of aerobic exercise on mental health, but fewer have looked into the soothing benefits of mindfulness activities, like yoga, meditation, tai chi and qigong. That trend is beginning to reverse itself, however, as researchers all over North America test yoga-based self healing.
Researcher Jane McLeod of the University of Alberta lately took a holistic approach to quantifying the effects that yoga can have on the mind. She asked 90 participants to regularly engage in yoga, exercise or no intervention at all.
After several weeks of these therapies, McLeod used standardized mental health scoring – namely, the Hope Index, Mental Health Inventory and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) – to measure their benefits.
She found that individuals who practiced yoga scored highest on the GHQ and reported the biggest improvements in anxiety levels and the severity of insomnia.
Likewise, individuals who engaged in either intervention tended to experience increases in their internal levels of hope and optimism.
By taking gentle mindfulness exercises of the sort offered by Dahn Yoga, people under personal strain may feel less tension and more positivity.
