An Exploration into the Effectiveness of Yoga in Reducing Anxiety in Female Military Personnel

Research indicates that female service members remain more anxious than their male counterparts, as these women report facing additional familial and occupational stressors. However, despite this evident incongruence, women in the military also remain less likely to seek mental health treatment for chronic anxiety. Current research indicates that yoga could serve as an efficacious alternative treatment to reduce anxiety, as study conclusions hint at elevated benefit and minimal risk when compared to counseling session attendance. A review of existing research presents several positive features and positive effects of yoga that lead to decreases in anxious mood. However, there is a need for further research to address existing gaps in the literature and, therefore, empirically prove yoga’s ability to reduce anxiety among an anxiously vulnerable and prone population.