Yoga Teachers as Mental Health Allies: Bridging Practices for Holistic Well-being
In an era where mental health challenges affect an increasing number of individuals worldwide, the quest for effective interventions has become paramount. The confluence of this urgency and the expanding realm of complementary therapies like yoga has sparked a fascinating inquiry: How prepared are yoga teachers to support individuals living with mental health issues?
Wisdom Yoga Institute’s cofounder Dr Jean Byrne, touched on this in her recent Psychology Honours thesis titled “Holding Space”: A Qualitative Analysis of Yoga Teachers’ Beliefs and Experiences Delivering a Mental Health Intervention. This original research project was conducted in collaboration with Murdoch University, and unearthed meaningful insights.
A staggering statistic forms the backdrop: nearly a billion individuals worldwide grapple with mental health disorders, making them a leading cause of disability. Australia mirrors this global trend, where anxiety and mood disorders afflict two out of every five individuals aged 16-85. Alarming as these numbers are, the accessibility and affordability of effective mental health care remain elusive for many. Consequently, an increasing number of health seekers turn to complementary practices, navigating towards the mind-body equilibrium offered by modalities such as yoga.
Jean’s study sought to explore the mental health beliefs and experiences of yoga teachers—pioneers in an evolving landscape where ancient practices intersect with contemporary healthcare needs. Ten impassioned yoga teachers, integral to a clinical trial comparing yoga and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) at Murdoch University, shared their narratives through in-depth interviews. These personal, introspective dialogues unveiled a tapestry of insights, subsequently analysed through reflexive thematic analysis to distil three foundational themes.
The first theme, “Mental health is socially determined”, echoed participants’ beliefs that external factors significantly influence mental well-being. This perspective accentuated the societal and contextual underpinnings of mental health challenges. “Empowered to self-manage”, the second theme, encapsulated how these yoga practitioners harnessed yoga as a personal tool for bolstering their mental well-being. Their experiences painted a vivid picture of yoga as a daily companion in navigating the complexities of mental health.
However, perhaps the most intriguing theme, “Teaching from lived experience”, illuminated how these yoga teachers integrated their personal encounters with yoga, mental healthcare, and the clinical trial context into their teaching philosophy. Their narratives underscored a profound belief in the complementary role of yoga in mental health care—a sentiment resonating with the concept of peer support workers emphasizing lived experiences and personal empowerment.
Notably, despite their comparatively limited formal training in contrast to mental health professionals, these yoga teachers embodied a profound sense of preparedness to aid individuals attending yoga with mental health concerns. Their approach wasn’t just about yoga poses and breathing exercises; it was about acknowledging the social determinants of mental health while equipping their students with practical tools for daily mental well-being.
This study points to a potential future pathway for yoga professionals’ training standards. The role of yoga teachers in mental healthcare, as revealed through this research, suggests a need for structured guidelines for the training of yoga teachers engaged with vulnerable mental health populations. Such guidelines could fortify yoga’s pivotal role in addressing the burgeoning mental health crisis, forging a collaborative path alongside conventional mental health care.
At Wisdom Yoga Institute, our presenters are scholar-practitioners with extensive publications and experience relevant to Yoga Therapy. Our Wisdom Yoga Therapy training is the only IAYT (International Association of Yoga Therapists) accredited course in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, and the practicum component gives our trainees the opportunity to teach on clinical trials for yoga.
This research shares yoga teachers’ experiences delivering yoga in a clinical trial, and shows why yoga is so important to people’s mental health while also addressing obstacles to mental health care including lack of accessibility and affordability.
The journey doesn’t end here; this is a call to action—a call to weave yoga into the fabric of mental health care, nurturing a world where well-being is not a privilege but a right for all.
Interested in expanding your knowledge, click here to download our WYT prospectus or email Chandrika Gibson for further information.
