Experiences and perceptions of college students regarding the effects of Shivam Yoga on mental health and behavior: A qualitative study

IF 1.7 Q2 Medicine

Advances in integrative medicine Pub Date : 2025-02-23 DOI:10.1016/j.aimed.2025.02.003

Kíssyla Christine Duarte Lacerda , Aisllan Diego de Assis , Gabriela Guerra Leal Souza

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Abstract

Background and purpose

Students face several adversities when accessing higher education, which may contribute to the development of mental health problems. Yoga is an ancient Indian practice that has been described as an activity capable of generating physical and mental well-being and reducing anxiety, depression, and stress. This study examined the perception of university students regarding the effect of yoga on their body, emotions, and daily life and shed light on their experiences.

Methods

This study included 16 students who attended Shivam Yoga classes of 60 minutes each, twice per week, for 10 weeks. After this period, the participants were sent a questionnaire containing seven free-response questions regarding their experiences during practice. The testimonies were extracted and categorized using content analysis based on word frequency.

Results

Four main themes were extracted: perceptions about the body, feelings and behaviors, self-knowledge and changes in habits, life habits and everyday difficulties. For each theme, categories were obtained to identify if and how the participants perceived the changes promoted by yoga. Many changes concerned emotional health and behavior, and some concerned physical changes. Perceptions of changes in academic or professional life were scarce.

Conclusion

This study revealed the perceptions of university students regarding the effects of yoga and changes experienced after a period of practice. These results demonstrated the benefits of yoga, suggesting the merits of its implementation in university centers to increase students’ quality of life and well-being.

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大学生对希瓦姆瑜伽对心理健康和行为影响的体验和认知：一项定性研究

背景与目的学生在接受高等教育的过程中面临着一些逆境，这可能会导致心理健康问题的发展。瑜伽是一种古老的印度实践，被描述为一种能够产生身心健康，减少焦虑，抑郁和压力的活动。这项研究调查了大学生对瑜伽对他们的身体、情绪和日常生活的影响的看法，并揭示了他们的经历。方法本研究包括16名参加希瓦姆瑜伽课程的学生，每次60 分钟，每周两次，持续10周。在这段时间之后，参与者被发送了一份问卷，其中包含七个关于他们在练习中的经历的自由回答问题。使用基于词频的内容分析对证词进行提取和分类。结果抽取了四个主题：对身体的认知、感觉和行为、自我认识和习惯的改变、生活习惯和日常困难。对于每一个主题，研究人员都进行了分类，以确定参与者是否以及如何感知瑜伽所促进的变化。许多变化与情绪健康和行为有关，有些与身体变化有关。对学术或职业生活变化的看法很少。结论：本研究揭示了大学生对瑜伽效果的认知，以及经过一段时间的练习后所经历的变化。这些结果证明了瑜伽的好处，表明在大学中心实施瑜伽可以提高学生的生活质量和幸福感。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Advances in integrative medicine INTEGRATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE-

CiteScore

3.20

自引率

11.80%

发文量

审稿时长

15 weeks

期刊介绍： Advances in Integrative Medicine (AIMED) is an international peer-reviewed, evidence-based research and review journal that is multi-disciplinary within the fields of Integrative and Complementary Medicine. The journal focuses on rigorous quantitative and qualitative research including systematic reviews, clinical trials and surveys, whilst also welcoming medical hypotheses and clinically-relevant articles and case studies disclosing practical learning tools for the consulting practitioner. By promoting research and practice excellence in the field, and cross collaboration between relevant practitioner groups and associations, the journal aims to advance the practice of IM, identify areas for future research, and improve patient health outcomes. International networking is encouraged through clinical innovation, the establishment of best practice and by providing opportunities for cooperation between organisations and communities.