ArticleJournal of evidence-based medicine2016
Effect of Hatha Yoga on Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis.
Article in Journal of evidence-based medicine, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The impact of yoga on posttraumatic stress disorder symptom clusters: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Journal of traumatic stress · 2026Pooled it
- Yoga for Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Depression and anxiety · 2024Pooled it
- Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines in the Treatment of Ejaculatory Disorders: A Systematic Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Pooled it
- Improving vasomotor symptoms; psychological symptoms; and health-related quality of life in peri- or post-menopausal women through yoga: An umbrella systematic review and meta-analysis.Complementary therapies in medicine · 2017Pooled it
- Impact of preference for yoga or cognitive behavioral therapy in patients with generalized anxiety disorder on treatment outcomes and engagement.Journal of psychiatric research · 2022Trial
- Can Yoga or Physical Therapy for Chronic Low Back Pain Improve Depression and Anxiety Among Adults From a Racially Diverse, Low-Income Community? A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation · 2021Trial
- Efficacy of Yoga vs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy vs Stress Education for the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA psychiatry · 2021Trial
- Consistency Over Intensity: The Mental Health Benefits of an 8-Week Hatha Yoga Intervention for Women.International journal of exercise science · 2026Article
- Impact of homework engagement on treatment response to group cognitive-behavioral therapy, yoga, and stress education for generalized anxiety disorder.Cognitive behaviour therapy · 2025Article
- Yoga as a therapeutic intervention for body image in the pediatric population: a systematic review.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Review
- Article
- Long-term effects of yoga-based practices on neural, cognitive, psychological, and physiological outcomes in adults: a scoping review and evidence map.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2025Article
- Prevalence and factors of meditation and yoga practice in the USA: How cancer and anxiety correlate.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Article
- Article
- Mandela Yoga: a community case study for a post-incarceration reentry service for men of color in recovery.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Practice and proficiency of Isha Yoga for better mental health outcomes: insights from a COVID-19 survey.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Promoting workplace psychological wellbeing through Yoga and Tai Chi classes in female university employees.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- The effect of yin yoga intervention on state and trait anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- Role of Yoga as Adjunctive Therapy for Migraines: A Narrative Review of the Literature.Cureus · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveSome evidence suggests that Hatha yoga might be an effective practice to reduce anxiety. To examine the effect of Hatha yoga on anxiety, we conducted a meta-analysis of relevant studies extracted from PubMed, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, and manual searches.
methodsThe search identified 17 studies (11 waitlist controlled trials) totaling 501 participants who received Hatha yoga and who reported their levels of anxiety before and after the practice. We estimated the controlled and within-group random effects of the practice on anxiety.
resultsThe pre-post within-group and controlled effect sizes were, Hedges' g = 0.44 and Hedges' g = 0.61, respectively. Treatment efficacy was positively associated with the total number of hours practiced. People with elevated levels of anxiety benefitted the most. Effect sizes were not moderated by study year, gender, presence of a medical disorder, or age. Although the quality of the studies was relatively low, the risk of study bias did not moderate the effect.
conclusionsHatha yoga is a promising method for treating anxiety. However, more well-controlled studies are needed to compare the efficacy of Hatha yoga with other more established treatments and to understand its mechanism. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.