Mindfulness and Spiritual Intelligence of Yoga Practitioners

This study explores the impact of yoga practice on mindfulness and spiritual intelligence among young adults. Conducted in the districts of Rishikesh and Dehradun in Uttarakhand, India, the research employed a comparative design involving 300 participants—150 regular yoga practitioners and 150 non-yoga participants—equally divided by gender. The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and the Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory (SISRI) were used as standardized tools to assess mindfulness and spiritual intelligence, respectively. The findings reveal that yoga practitioners scored significantly higher on both mindfulness and spiritual intelligence compared to non-practitioners. Additionally, gender-based comparisons within the yoga group showed no significant differences in either construct, suggesting that the psychological benefits of yoga are gender-neutral. However, among non-yoga participants, females exhibited slightly higher levels of both mindfulness and spiritual intelligence than males. Statistical analysis using t-tests confirmed the robustness of these findings. The study highlights the transformative role of yoga in enhancing present-moment awareness and fostering a deeper sense of purpose, meaning, and connectedness—core elements of spiritual intelligence. These results underscore the value of integrating yoga into psychological wellness programs, educational settings, and holistic therapeutic approaches. By linking ancient yogic practices with contemporary psychological constructs, this research contributes to the growing body of evidence supporting yoga as a powerful tool for mental and spiritual well-being. The study also calls for further longitudinal and qualitative investigations to deepen our understanding of the long-term psychological impacts of yoga.