The ethics of yoga in (mental) healthcare: Beyond the traditional Eightfold path
Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: To the editor: Over the last two years, Complementary Therapies in Medicine has published more than twenty research articles on yoga interventions for a range of health conditions.Examples are physical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, 1 coronary heart disease, 2 chronic pain in sickle cell disease, 3 multiple sclerosis, 4 stroke and Parkinson's disease, 5 cancer in children, 6 potential risk factors such as abdominal obesity, 7 anger issues in adolescents, 8 physical inactivity 9 and cognitive functioning 10 in older adults, and mental health conditions such as generalized anxiety disorder, 11 stress and depression 12 and trauma. 13,146][17] This makes yoga an interesting candidate as a therapeutic intervention.Indeed, research on yoga as a therapeutic intervention has greatly increased over the last decade. 18Findings of this research are mixed, with positive findings from some outcome variables such as less fatigue and anxiety in rheumatoid arthritis, 1 improved quality of life and cardiovascular risk factors in coronary heart disease, 2 improved cognition in older adults, 10 improved quality of life, fatigue, activity and fitness levels, sleep quality, appetite and decreased anxiety in children with cancer, 6 wellbeing in inactive older adults, 9 and balance in Parkinson's disease; 5 no effects on other outcomes variables such as health impact and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis, 1 mortality in coronary heart disease, 2 PTSD symptoms, 14 or motor function and independence in stroke patients. 5It is important to note that much of the previous research has been evaluated as having a high risk of bias and having important methodological shortcomings. 2,5n our view, there are several ethical questions that arise when introducing yoga interventions in (mental) healthcare which we would like to address.First, yoga's Hindu background raises questions such as whether yoga can and should be taught as a purely secular practice.In this light, we also discuss whether yoga in (mental) healthcare amounts to permissible (or even desirable) "cultural borrowing" or problematic "cultural appropriation".Second, we discuss the extent to which ethical guidelines could and should be part of a yoga intervention.Third, we address the (lack of) diversity in yoga and the need to adapt yoga interventions to specific populations.
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,070
OpenAlex ID: W4386189771