The Effect of Hatha Yoga on Doctor of Physical Therapy Students’ Anxiety: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Research provides evidence that students enrolled within higher education have reported a steady increase in anxiety for over the past decade. In particular, those students enrolled within graduate health science programs tend to have higher anxiety than students who are not. The purpose of this narrative review is to highlight the effectiveness of Hatha Yoga practice on decreasing anxiety in DPT Students. Hatha Yoga's holistic approach meets the demand for clinically useful, safe, patient acceptable and cost-effective forms of treatment for mental illness.Results: A literature review was conducted using ProQuest, CINAHL, PubMed, and Google Scholar. The literature provides evidence that the practice of Hatha Yoga is an effective strategy in decreasing anxiety in graduate-level health students along with negating unwarranted side effects that other traditional options may present. Discussion and Conclusion:The authors conclude that Hatha Yoga should be incorporated into DPT curriculums to assist with alleviating anxiety.