The University of Westminster and the Westminster Centre for Psychological Sciences hosted the Inaugural Yoga Research Symposium on 1 November, which explored the evolving landscape of yoga research in the UK. The conference marked the launch of the Yoga Research Network, which brings together applied yoga researchers nationwide to advance the field.
The event provided the opportunity for researchers to present their latest findings, foster collaborations, hear about the latest UK yoga projects and engage in discussions about the future direction of yoga research.
The symposium was organised by Dr Tina Cartwright, Dr Anna Cheshire, Professor Damien Ridge and Lucy Doyle from the Westminster Centre for Psychological Sciences, and marked the launch of the Yoga Research Network, a newly formed collaborative group. The network aims to bring together researchers passionate about advancing the field of yoga research in the UK.
The day opened with Dr Lesley Ward from Northumbria University talking about one of the largest UK randomised controlled trials on Gentle Years Yoga, which explored the impact of chair-based yoga for older adults who have two or more long-term health conditions. This was followed by a presentation session on how to make yoga more accessible to all. This featured several presentations on yoga access, including a talk on barriers and facilitators to yoga practice among men from Dr Cartwright, Director of the Westminster Centre for Psychological Sciences and Course Leader for the University’s Health Psychology MSc course.
Dr Cartwright is currently developing a Yoga for Men programme for Westminster students, supported by Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Bonfield, in line with the University’s strategic priorities of wellbeing and inclusion outlined in the Being Westminster 2022-2029 strategy. The Yoga for Men programme is being designed in conjunction with male students at the University to best meet their needs and support their physical and mental health.
After a short breathing practice led by Paul Fox from the Yoga in Healthcare Alliance, the second presentation session commenced with discussions on how yoga supports health and wellbeing. This session concluded with a presentation from Westminster doctoral researcher Lucy Doyle on the perceptions of yoga as a wellbeing intervention for UK healthcare professionals. Lucy is completing a PhD on yoga for workplace wellbeing at the Westminster Centre for Psychological Sciences.
The symposium’s keynote speaker was Dr Sat Bir Khalsa, Director of Research for the Kundalini Research Institution and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. During his talk, he spoke about the application of yoga for prevention and treatment of mental health conditions such as chronic stress, PTSD, anxiety and insomnia.
After the keynote speech, the conference turned its focus onto the impact and future of yoga research. Heather Mason from The Minded Institute spoke about how yoga research can inspire yoga’s inclusion in the NHS, before a panel discussion was held on the challenges and future directions in yoga research. Finally, the conference ended with a discussion on how the newly established Yoga Research Network can be developed.
About the event, Dr Tina Cartwright said: “We were delighted to launch the Yoga Research Network at this inaugural event. The network aims to create a community of yoga researchers in the UK, providing a supportive forum for critical discussion, knowledge-sharing and collaboration to advance the field of yoga research. This oversubscribed event with leading experts underscores the momentum and enthusiasm in this field. We look forward to building on this success with our next conference in 2025 and hosting future workshops as part of this growing network.”
Professor Damien Ridge, Professor of Health Studies at Westminster, added: “The enthusiasm in the room to understand what yoga can be best used for, how to adapt it for different audiences, the ways in which it can support talking therapies and other treatments, and what its limitations are, is sure to stimulate yoga research now and into the future.”
The Inaugural Yoga Research Symposium contributed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3: Good Health and Well-Being and 17: Partnerships for the Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about studying Psychology at the University of Westminster.
Group photo of the symposium's attendees
Dr Sat Bir Khalsa
Breathing practice
