A Survey On Anxiety Disorders - 1415 Words

A survey carried out by YouGov (2014) found that 4.7% of the UK population suffer from an anxiety problem, with almost one in five people reporting either feeling anxious all of the time or a lot of the time. Due to these figures more and more researchers are attempting to find ways to treat and prevent anxiety. Anxiety can be described as having a feeling of unease ranging from mild to extreme (NHS, 2014), it is a normal response to a threat or stress and is usually controllable, however some individuals develop anxiety disorders, which seriously impact upon their lives, these include generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and many more (Baldwin et al, 2008). Symptoms of anxiety are both†¦show more content†¦running is associated with reductions in anxiety (Petruzzello et al, 1991; Petruzzello, 1995). Although this theory is generally accepted, some theorists have questioned whether reduced anxiety following exercise is really due the practice of exercise itself or the relief that a stressful event is over (Petruzzello et al, 1995). A recent study conducted by Bartley, Hay Bloch (2013) carried out a meta-analysis to investigate the effectiveness of aerobic exercise as a treatment for anxiety disorders. It was concluded that aerobic exercise had no significant effect for the treatment of anxiety disorders. This gives reason to investigate the impact of a non-aerobic exercise on a participants anxiety levels. Yoga can be defined as a non-aerobic exercise and is defined as an â€Å" ancient Indian combination of techniques, which include physical postures, voluntarily regulated breathing, meditation, as well as certain philosophical principles† (Taimini, 1986, cited in Telles, Gaur Balkrishna, 2009). One of the most popular forms of yoga, which is used frequently in the literature, is Hatha Yoga. Hatha yoga involves the use of breathing techniques, postures and meditation to better physical and mental wellbeing (Li Goldsmith, 2012). It is suggested that during low exertion exercise, such as yoga, individuals are required to think about what they are doing, develop awareness of their bodies and feel their movements (Lidor, 1999). A recent study