An Investigation Into the Use of Yoga in Recreational Therapy Practice

Abstract

Yoga is used in health care with a variety of populations, but limited knowledge exists regarding the details of how yoga is implemented in recreational therapy (RT) practice. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore how yoga is implemented in RT practice. As part of a nation-wide survey and through the use of individual interviews, this secondary analysis investigated how yoga is being used in RT practice across the United States. Sixteen recreational therapists completed both a nation-wide online survey and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative results describe the populations in which yoga is being used in RT practice, as well as the characteristics of recreational therapists who also are employing yoga in their RT practice. Then, conventional and summative content analysis identified four categories related to yoga in RT practice: recreational therapists’ practices, treatment planning, outcomes, and yoga intervention. The findings revealed that yoga is implemented with a variety of populations as part of RT practice. Yoga should be implemented by recreational therapists who are trained to teach yoga or provide population-specific yoga sessions to meet specific patient needs. Limitations of the study and implications are discussed.