Yoga for Anxiety Anxiety affects approximately 25% of people between the ages of 13 and 18 at some point (Merikangas et al., n.d.). Anxiety that no longer signals danger can become pathological when it is excessive and persistent (Upadhyay, 2016). According to Upadhyay (2016), this type of pathological worry known as anxiety is an important component of an unhealthy lifestyle. Excessive worry is an indicator of anxiety, and yoga is believed to be effective due to its emphasis on focusing on the present moment rather than the past or future (Khalsa et al., 2011). Yoga outside of psychotherapy can improve emotional regulation and mental health functioning in young people. Participants gained skills in breathing and using movement to calm themselves and learned to pay more attention to their thoughts, body, and feelings (Beltran, et al., 2016). Another study conducted by Upadhyay (2016) found that after a 12-week yoga program, adolescents noticed decreased anxiety scores on the Becks Anxiety Inventory and reported decreased tension, depression, and anger. Another unique form of therapy used for anxiety is Yoga-enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Y-BT) (Khalsa, et al., 2011). Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a theory used in clinical settings that targets maladaptive thought patterns to seek behavioral change. Y-CBT uses this therapeutic process and also incorporates yoga during the process. This is because CBT trains the individual to identify and replace maladaptive thoughts, and yoga and meditation often reduce the tendency for thoughts to occur in general. The study using Y-CBT found a significant improvement in anxiety levels and a significant decrease in comorbid depression and panic symptoms in participants diagnosed with… middle of paper… limitations to the studies reviewed. It would be helpful to create a yoga program specifically for anxiety so that there is clarity regarding the methods used in the studies. Furthermore, it would be useful to carry out studies with control groups. Finally, using randomized samples that are not convenience samples or individuals who volunteered to be part of the study would greatly reduce the possibility of bias and make it more generalizable to a population. Finally, I believe that further research on the benefits of physical activity and its effects on anxiety would be helpful in filling research gaps. It would be interesting to study whether yoga has an impact on anxiety or whether other forms of physical activity such as swimming, running or cycling have a similar impact on anxiety indicated by the practice of yoga..