The Effects of Yoga Practice on Practitioners' Environmental Behaviours & Sustainability

Abstract

Yoga philosophy includes ethical codes of conduct, guidelines, meditation and other practices that respect the Earth, its natural resources, humans and other living beings. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of yoga practice on practitioners' environmental behaviours and sustainability. A total of 195 adults (66 men and 129 women) from two cities in Greece participated in this study. The participants completed the General Environmental Responsible Behaviour scale (Zafeiroudi & Hatzigeorgiadis, 2013) and provided additional information about their personal lifestyles, leisure activity preferences and frequency of participation in outdoor activities. Independent sample T-test analysis was used to investigate differences between practitioners' demographics and the General Environmental Responsible Behaviour scale as the dependent variable. The results indicated statistically significant differences in environmental behaviour scores among practitioners in different yoga demographics. On the basis of yoga philosophy, the study findings suggested that participation in yoga practices strengthens beliefs, behaviours and awareness regarding the environment. The individual values taught by the philosophy of yoga also foster friendlier attitudes and behaviours towards the environment. Moreover, the findings indicated that yoga practice might be an effective supplement and tool to promote green sustainable programs currently run by environmental and social organizations.