Weekly practice frequency of individual yoga components and subjective wellbeing in Hungarian yoga practitioners: a nationwide cross-sectional online survey

Background Yoga is a multidimensional mind–body practice, yet little is known about whether the weekly practice frequency of its individual components is differentially associated with subjective wellbeing (SWB). This study examined the associations between the weekly practice frequency of asana, pranayama, relaxation, and meditation and SWB among Hungarian yoga practitioners. Methods A cross-sectional online survey based on convenience snowball sampling was conducted in April–May 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, among 379 adult yoga practitioners (44.31 ± 10.12 years). SWB was assessed using the World Health Organization-Five Wellbeing Index (WHO-5). Associations between participant characteristics and SWB were examined using one-way ANOVA and Pearson’s correlations. Separate ANCOVA models examined associations between the weekly practice frequency of each yoga component and SWB after adjustment for place of residence, other physical exercise, yoga practice duration, and yoga expertise (Holm–Bonferroni corrected). Independent associations were examined using multiple linear regression, with a dummy-coded sensitivity analysis. Results Place of residence, yoga expertise, other physical exercise, and, weakly, yoga practice duration were associated with SWB. After adjustment, all four yoga components remained significantly associated with higher SWB (corrected p ≤ 0.029), with medium effect sizes for asana (ηp 2 = 0.070) and meditation (ηp 2 = 0.061) and small effect sizes for pranayama (ηp 2 = 0.050) and relaxation (ηp 2 = 0.024). Daily practice was consistently associated with the highest SWB. The regression model explained only 12.9% of the variance in SWB (Cohen’s f 2 = 0.15), and only asana ( B = 0.69, 95% CI [0.22, 1.17]) and meditation frequency ( B = 0.61, 95% CI [0.21, 1.00]) remained independently associated with SWB, as supported by the sensitivity analysis. Conclusion In this predominantly female, highly educated convenience sample, more frequent weekly practice of all four yoga components was associated with higher SWB. However, after accounting for participant characteristics, yoga experience, and the overlap among components, only asana and meditation frequency remained independently associated with SWB. These associations were small, and most of the variance in SWB remained unexplained. Given the cross-sectional design, causal conclusions cannot be drawn and generalization should be cautious; longitudinal and intervention studies of individual yoga components are needed.