Effects of Yoga Interventions on Psychological Health and Performance of Competitive Athletes: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Quality of life and psychological health in the field of competitive sport are emergent research topics, specifically for issues such as sport anxiety and depression. With the rise of contemplative practices, yoga has started to be used and included as part of athletes’ mental training. This study aimed to systematically review the literature on the impact of yoga interventions on quality of life, performance anxiety and sport performance among healthy elite adult athletes. Based on PRISMA guidelines, this systematic review includes articles published up to December 2019. The search strategy was conducted in six databases (PUBMED, EMBASE, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, SportDiscuss and Erudit). Screened by two independent researchers, only six of the 37 articles drawn from the search met the preselected inclusion criteria and moved forward to the data extraction process. Data from six trials of poor quality (M = 46.91%, SD = 13.39, IRR of 92%) were included in this comprehensive literature search, indicating that elite athletes benefit from yoga interventions (with or without mindfulness), in terms of changes in performance anxiety M = 65% (SD = 122.49), sport performance M = 7.9% (SD = 5.46) and life satisfaction. These interventions lasted on average 5.7 weeks (SD = 2.07). Based on the collected evidence, methodological and measurement limitations of the sport psychology literature should be addressed to improve the replicability of reported results. Overall, this review provides encouraging but limited evidence for the value of yoga interventions in healthy adult athletes. However, the important reporting inconsistencies and theoretical limitations that have been raised highlight the need for trials with greater methodological rigor.