PSYCHOSOCIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

Catarina P. M. Silva e António F. B. Rosado

The purpose of the present systematic review is to identify the psychosocial effects of practicing Yoga, namely, the relation between yoga practice and essential constructs of positive psychology supposedly influenced by the practice, namely, resilience, mental toughness, core self-evaluations, mindfulness, optimism, life satisfaction, happiness, psychological and spiritual well-being. Meta-analyses, systematic reviews and empirical articles were examined on different databases, published in Portuguese and English, from 2000 to 2014. The synthesis of the studies suggests that Yoga has positive psychosocial effects on its practitioners. All summarized studies, carried out on samples of different features, with the practice of different styles and differentiated interventions, indicate that Yoga promotes positive effects at psychosocial level, contributing to an effective improvement of different life competencies and well-being, and consequently of the quality of life of those who practice it.