International Journal of Yoga, Physiotherapy and Physical Education

Authors
Catarina Pissarra Silva

Abstract
The systematic review aims to get to know the scientific articles that approach the practice of Yoga from a perspective of Yoga Therapy, that is, to know, in the published literature, if there are therapeutic effects with the practice of Yoga, in the treatment of diverse pathologies. The literature search regarding the therapeutic effects of Yoga practice, took place in the months of January and February 2020 on the bases PUBmed, Psyc INFO, Lilacs, Angeline, Cochrane Library, using the terms Yogatherapy. Original studies were included that include yoga interventions, with some type of pathology, participants of all ages, written in English and Portuguese, published in peer-reviewed magazines and articles available for reading. Articles referred to in the bibliographic references were also included. Eighteen systematic reviews and Meta-Analyzes, and 37 empirical studies were identified. Regarding the location, most studies took place in the United States of America, followed by India. Studies that seek to find effects of Yoga practice in diverse pathologies showed the most had participants with cancer and their caregivers (n = 14), with more studies on breast cancer (n = 4). Next, the most frequent articles are chronic pain (n = 5), diabetes type 2 (n = 3), Parkinson's disease, blood pressure, and AIDS (n=2). With just one article, the themes: urinary incontinence, mobility limitations, ringing in the ears, schizophrenia, depression, irritable bowel, metabolic syndrome, polycystic ovary, arthritis, and hospitalized children. After analyzing the articles, it was found that the practice of Yoga has positive effects in several pathologies. However, there are some methodological limitations in some studies, which limited their interpretation and comparability. Recommendations for future investigations are presented, namely that investigations should be carried out differentiating the effects of each component of Yoga practice and follow up on the effects in a longer period.