REVIEW OF ASTANGA YOGA AS AN INTEGRATED INTERVENTION FOR ADULT COGNITIVE, EMOTIONAL, AND BEHAVIOURAL SELF-REGULATION

Abstract

Yoga interventions are being studied more as a means to promote psychological well-being and self-regulation in adult populations, but the wide variety of types of interventions and focus on outcomes have hampered efforts at conceptual clarity. The objective of this review is to consolidate the modern evidence (2017–2025) on Astanga Yoga as an analogue-intervention for adult cognitive, emotional, and behavioural self-regulation. The evidence was synthesized based on systematic reviews (SRs), meta-analyses, scoping reviews and controlled trials and viewed through the lens of the eight-limb Astanga model to consolidate information across yoga multi-component programmes, mindfulness yoga, pranayama, Yoga Nidra and related breath work practices. The synthesis highlights that strong and consistent support is found for emotional self-regulation improvements (more specifically reductions of stress, anxiety and depressive symptomatology in adults). Evidence for cognitive self-regulation (executive function, attentional control) is still emerging and less consistent, although behavioural self-regulation outcomes (adherence, sleep and lifestyle regulation) are understudied with limited inference from proxy measures. Methodological diversity, risk of bias and insufficient long-term follow-up prevent robust conclusions to be drawn, particularly on the complete eight-limb Astanga model. In general the results are consistent with Astanga Yoga as a theoretically plausible model of yoga’s multi-domain self-regulatory effects; further future research is warranted to test targeted integrated Astanga-based interventions based on objective criteria, common reporting and multi-domain outcomes.