A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree: Masters of Arts Degree in Psychology (Counselling), in the Department of Psychology of the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2010. / Anxiety is a major concern within society, owing to its high prevalence. It is usually treated with psychopharmacological medications, which are costly for government health departments. Although there are reports of its effectiveness and minimal expense of yoga therapy as a treatment for anxiety, such reports lack any substantial evidence base. This relative gap in the scientific literature provided motivation for the present research. It was hypothesised that the influence of yoga therapy would decrease levels of anxiety among individuals. The study was conducted using a mixed approach, by means of a quasi-experimental design with both quantitative and qualitative methods and repeated measures ANOVA and thematic content analysis as research techniques. The experimental group consisted of a convenience sample of 18 practitioners of yoga, who practiced yoga at least twice a week for the duration of three months. The control group similarly comprised a convenience sample of 19 participants, selected from the clinical and counselling psychology masters class at the University of Zululand, who did not practice yoga over the time of the yoga therapeutic intervention. The Beck Anxiety Inventory was administered to the experimental group and the control group prior to and immediately after the three months of intervention. Prior to the intervention of yoga therapy, the experimental group completed a qualitative questionnaire. This assessed their perceptions and experiences of yoga, as well as their experience of the influence of yoga therapy on anxiety. The influence of yoga intervention was evaluated by the difference in anxiety levels prior to and immediately succeeding the intervention. The data from the Beck Anxiety Inventory was analysed quantitatively through the use of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The qualitative questionnaires were evaluated according to thematic analysis. The quantitative results indicated that, although regular yoga therapy was associated with significant decreases in anxiety over a period of three months, these changes were not significant when compared with a control group. Hence no causative inferences can be made. However, the analysis revealed significant between group differences for age and education, indicating that older and more educated participants’ anxiety scores decreased significantly more than those of younger and less educated participants. The qualitative results from the experimental group revealed positive outcomes. The participants reported that yoga practice provided relief from anxiety by means of encouraging them to remain focussed in the present moment, gain a sense of equilibrium in life, as well as feel calm and relaxed. Although further randomised controlled studies with larger samples are needed, this research provided some scientific evidence that yoga therapy may be an effective intervention for decreasing perceived anxiety as a potentially cost effective intervention for anxiety reduction.

Yoga has recently been a subject of some media attention, both positive and negative. Some people advocate it for its mental and physical benefits, but others are also concerned that it might cause or lead to injury, particularly in the Western world where it's commonly seen primarily as a form of exercise. Yoga therapy emerged in part because of such concerns. Though people have used yoga to aid in health and wellness for as long as the practice has existed, the idea of yoga therapy being its own specialized field is relatively new. Yoga therapists hope to personalize the experience of yoga by working with people with various mental and physical conditions and giving them customized programs. Using quotes from professionals and people with personal yoga experience, this article explores the roots of yoga therapy, yoga itself: its praises, criticisms, science and a small sample of its plentiful history. It also addresses the definition of yoga therapy, specialties in the field, its professional organization and possibilities for the future. The question of whether yoga therapy can gain credibility and become a reliable healthcare resource has not yet been answered, though there are those who say their own personal experiences are enough to convince them one way or the other. In any case, yoga and all its various forms of practice likely won't disappear anytime soon. / text

ABSTRACT The Benefits of Yoga Therapy for Heart Failure Patients by Paula R. Pullen STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The number of patients living with heart failure (HF) is on the rise. Yoga has been found to improve physical and psychological parameters amongst healthy individuals. The effects of yoga on HF patients are unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of yoga on cardio-vascular endurance [functional capacity (FC)], flexibility, inflammatory markers, and quality of life (QoL) on medically stable HF patients. METHOD Forty HF patients with compensated systolic or diastolic HF participated in the study. A randomized control design created two groups, yoga (N=21). and control (N=19).The treatment intervention consisted of 16-yoga sessions conducted bi-weekly (YG) vs. standard medical care (control- CG) for two months. All participants were asked to follow a home walk program. Pre- and post-study measurements included a treadmill stress test to peak exertion, flexibility (FLEX), girth, interleukin-6 (IL-6), c- reactive protein (CRP), and extra-cellular dismutase (EC-SOD). Quality of life was assessed by the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLwHFQ). RESULTS Forty patients were randomized to YG (N=21) or CG (N=19). The results were significant for favorable changes in the YG as compared to the CG for flexibility (P=0.012), treadmill time (P=0.002), ~VO2peak (P=0.003), and all biomarkers (IL-6, CRP, and EC-SOD) of inflammation. Within the YG, pre- to post- test scores for the total and physical sub- scale of the MLwHFQ were significant (P=0.02 and P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Yoga therapy offered additional benefits to the standard medical care of HF patients by improving QoL, exercise capacity, FLEX, and biomarkers of inflammation

First offering insight into the disease of sexual addiction overall and what, in fact, does delineate it from sexual promiscuity, this paper will go on to seek ways to mitigate such behavior by exploring not only symptoms, but the existing underlying issues as well through a yogic whole-body perspective. Furthermore, diving deeper into such an application, specifically under the context of the yamas and niyamas and investigating how both might, not only serve as therapeutic tools for sex addicts, but perhaps allow for a healthier approach overall to sex in the modern world. First offering insight into the disease of sexual addiction overall and what, in fact, does delineate it from sexual promiscuity, this paper will go on to seek ways to mitigate such behavior by exploring not only symptoms, but the existing underlying issues as well through a yogic whole-body perspective. Furthermore, diving deeper into such an application, specifically under the context of the yamas and niyamas and investigating how both might, not only serve as therapeutic tools for sex addicts, but perhaps allow for a healthier approach overall to sex in the modern world.

The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the science' state of unconventional physical therapies, such as yoga therapy (YT) and equine-assisted therapy (EAT), in the treatment of the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children and young adolescents. The aim of this systematic review is to highlight the effects of unconventional physiotherapy in autism. Data from 12 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were retrieved and analyzed to help with the making of this review. Physical, cognitive and social functions were measured in approximately 530 children and adolescents with autism, always partaking in either case or control group. Results indicate that the above mentioned therapies have an overall positive impact in the treatment of autism by reducing the stereotypical behaviors and increasing the cognitive and social functions. Participants vary from 4 to 16 years of age. There is still a gap of knowledge when it comes to all the direct effects and action mechanisms of such therapies in the lives of these children. Therefore a lot of space for further studies is present and also recommended. Future RCTs are needed to better refine treatment choices, in order to come up with new and better ways of dealing with such disorder. Keywords: physiotherapy; yoga therapy; horse riding therapy;...

Recently the magnitude of the mental health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been emerging. Reports of anxiety or depression related to COVID-19 have been on the rise globally. Individuals have been living in a perpetual state of the unknown for over two years. Fear of the virus, sickness of oneself or family/friends and social isolation have taken a toll. According to the WHO, anxiety and depression have gone up 25% in the last year (2022). The effects of a rising mental health crisis will be drastic on top of the deaths and sickness related to COVID-19. While governments have recognized the importance of funding mental health services, the follow through is often lacking or the potential solutions are heavily geared towards pharmaceutical medications. This thesis is two pronged, including a review of the relevant literature with regard to COVID-19, mental health and yoga, as well as the findings of a six-week Eco-Yoga Therapy Program for Mental Health related to COVID-19. case report argues for an integrative solution focused on promoting health and wellness including both yoga therapy and nature or eco therapy. A six week program was designed for those experiencing anxiety or depression related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The thesis reports on the findings of the case series of three post-Covid females of different nationalities living in Spain, Belize and New Zealand, with co-morbidities including high blood pressure (HBP), hypothyroidism and post-partum. The clients successfully completed an integrative program based on yoga and eco-therapy. It involved a series of pranayama (breathing), asana (physical postures), dinacharya (lifestyle choices) and dhyana (meditation) techniques, along with practices tailored to each client based on their specific needs. Clients reported improvements in anxiety levels and stress management due to the practices, in particular the asana (physical postures) and pranayama (breathing practices). They felt an increased ability to calm the mind while being in nature. The approach to wellness focuses on our bodies own innate capacity to heal, as opposed to focusing on medical solutions to the virus and treatment once sickness has already manifested. Again, the emphasis is on strengthening the bodies natural immunity through yoga and nature, which reduces inflammation and stimulates the vagus nerve, both of which have been found to improve mental health and decrease the chances of disease.