A Rapid Review Exploring the Role of Yoga in Healing Psychological Trauma

Arabella English (), Elizabeth McKibben, Divya Sivaramakrishnan, Niamh Hart, Justin Richards and Paul Kelly
Additional contact information
Arabella English: Edinburgh Medical School, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK
Elizabeth McKibben: Faculty of Health, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Divya Sivaramakrishnan: Physical Activity for Health Research Centre (PAHRC), The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 8AQ, UK
Niamh Hart: Physical Activity for Health Research Centre (PAHRC), The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 8AQ, UK
Justin Richards: Faculty of Health, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Paul Kelly: Physical Activity for Health Research Centre (PAHRC), The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 8AQ, UK

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 23, 1-10

Abstract: The evidence regarding the benefits of yoga for treating psychological trauma is well-established; however, there is a paucity of qualitative reviews exploring this topic. The purpose of this rapid review is to gain a deeper understanding of the impact that yoga can have on people with a history of psychological trauma and to reveal barriers and facilitators to the uptake of yoga in this cohort, from a qualitative perspective. The Ovid(EMBASE), Ovid(MEDLINE), PsycINFO, PubMed, and SPORTDiscus databases were searched using key terms. The systematic search generated 148 records, and 11 peer-reviewed articles met the inclusion criteria. The following main impacts of yoga on participants were identified: feeling an increased sense of self-compassion; feeling more centred; developing their coping skills; having a better mind–body relationship; and improving their relationships with others. The main barriers were also identified: concerns initiating yoga; time and motivational issues; and the costs and location of classes. The main facilitator was the feeling of safety generated in the trauma-informed yoga classes. This review suggests that yoga offers great potential in the field of trauma recovery. Despite this, more high-quality research with rigorous methodologies is called for to allow this field to advance.

Keywords: yoga; psychological trauma; impact; rapid review; qualitative literature (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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