Yoga Experience Research Articles

12주간 요가운동이 시각장애 노인의 신체조성 및 유연성·우울증에 미치는 영향

시각장애를 가진 노인들 대상으로 실시한 요가운동이 신체조성 및 유연성 그리고 우울증에 미치는 영향을 알아보고 시각장애 노인을 위한 운동방법 및 기초자료로 제공하는데 목적이 있다. 연구의 참여자는 G시에 소재하고 있는 시각장애인협회 노인의 집에 참여하는 70세 이상의 노인 남녀 중 요가운동 경험이 없는 18명을 대상으로 요가운동 집단 9명과 통제집단 9명으로 단순무선 표본추출(simple random sampling)로 할당하여 참여하였다. 자료처리는 사후검사 측정값을 서로 비교하는 공분산 분석(Analysis of Covariance)으로 분석하였으며, 모든 통계적 유의수준은 .05로 설정하였다. 요가운동 집단에게 12주간 주 2회, 60분씩 총 24회기 프로그램을 실시하였으며 신체조성, 유연성 우울증은 요가운동 집단에서 긍정적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. It was conducted that yoga practice for the visually impaired Elderly has an influence on boby composition, flexibility and depression disease. Also, It has a purpose to provide a method of movement and basic materials for them. The 18 seventy-year-old men or women without any experience of yoga from the visually impaired association of the elderly in G city were participated in a training yoga session. This experiment was performed by simple random sampling with the nine of treat group (yoga training) and the nine of control group. The data was analyzed by covariance analysis with 0.05 significant level. The treat group were conducted twice a week to exercise (60mins) for twelve weeks. In conclusion, it is proved that yoga exercise has a positive effect on body composition, flexibility and depression disease.

Experiences of Healing Yoga among Breast Cancer Women with Adjuvant Chemotherapy

Objective: To illustrate the experiences and perceived benefits of healing yoga as described by patients with breast cancer participating in a healing yoga program. Methods: The qualitative research with naturalistic design was conducted after the completion of an 8 weeks healing yoga program. A total of 11 breast cancer women with adjuvant chemotherapy were interviewed using the semi-structured interview guidelines. Findings: Participants expressed their experiences of healing yoga, including transforming concern to confidence, regaining a sense of belonging, gaining experience and satisfaction, and leading the way for life, were critical in developing these benefits. The perceived benefits of participating in this program was described as positive mental support, promoted a mind-body interaction and provided benefits ascribed to social activities, leading to a reported increase in active participation in life. Conclusion: This study gives support for the positive experiences of healing yoga among patients with a breast cancer. The objective effect of the healing yoga must be examined further to guide nurses in implementing suitable health promotional strategies for breast cancer patients.

Using Yoga to Reduce Stress and Bullying Behaviors among Urban Youth

Background/Purpose: Obesity and secondary conditions continue to disproportionally affect the health of children living in urban areas. Studies show that a lack of resources and physical activity-unfriendly communities discourage 60 minutes of daily activity, including strengthening exercises, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Using Social Ecological theory, the purpose of this study was to examine the multi-level influences of a yoga-based intervention on urban, inner city youth. Method: Using a mixed-methods design, ninety-three 3 - 5th grade students at five urban elementary schools participated in a ten-week yoga intervention. Analysis/Results: RM-ANOVA results revealed a significant reduction in stress and bullying behaviors among participants, and multiple regression analyses revealed that program attendance, change in stress, and change in yoga enjoyment significantly predicted change in yoga participation outside PE, when controlling for gender and age F(5, 87) = 5.36, p R2 = 0.19, but did not have a significant impact on physical activity participation outside of school. Student interviews and non-participant observations revealed strong enjoyment of yoga which led students to report substantial increases in yoga-related activities outside of school. Students also revealed that experience in yoga improved focus, attention, and reduced stress. Conclusions: Through convergence of qualitative and quantitative methods, this study showed a positive relationship between the number of yoga sessions attended (dose), enjoyment of yoga, and participation in yoga outside PE with friends and family. Findings suggest that urban PE should include more individual, non-competitive activities such as yoga, which students find to be stress-relieving, fun, inexpensive and easy to perform at home.

Kundalini yoga in women with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa: A qualitative research

Treatment for eating disorders should be multidisciplinary and may be complemented by new techniques. Some studies have shown that yoga practice make patients feel better with their bodies, improve their sensations, have healthier attitudes towards food and feel more satisfied with themselves. This study seeks to know and describe the practical experience of Kundalini yoga in women diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The intervention consisted of eight sessions of Kundalini yoga with a sample of nine women. The design was descriptive with a qualitative approach, based on the Grounded Theory, using semi-structured interviews and written self-reports. The data was analyzed using open coding and the main results were grouped in six categories: 1. Change to a positive view, 2. Appreciation of themselves, 3. Opening up to the experience of new emotions and sensations, 4. Development of psychological capabilities, 5. Changes in the recovery process, and 6. Relevance of the workshop to the recovery process. In conclusion, the patients reported as relevant the benefits of the practice of Kundalini yoga, which grounds the importance of including this intervention in the multidisciplinary treatment of eating disorders.

Effect of Long-term Yoga Practice on Psychological outcomes in Breast Cancer Survivors.

Aim:Breast cancer has become a pandemic with an ever-increasing incidence. Although better diagnostics and treatment modalities have reduced mortality, a large number of survivors face cancer and treatment-related long-term symptoms. Many survivors are taking up yoga for improving the quality of life (QoL). The present study attempts to evaluate predictors of psychological states in breast cancer survivors with long-term yoga experience.Materials and Methods:A case–control study recruited early breast cancer survivors, 30–65 years, completing treatment > 6 months before recruitment, and grouped them based on prior yoga experience (BCY, n = 27) or naïve (BCN, n = 25). Demography, cancer history, diet, exercise habits, and yoga schedule were collected and tools to assess stress, anxiety, depression, general health, and QoL were administered. Multivariate linear regression was done to identify predictors of psychological variables.Results:BCY had significantly lower stress, anxiety, depression, better general health, and QoL (P < 0.001). Global QoL and trait anxiety were significantly predicted by Yoga practice; depression was predicted by yoga practice, annual income, and sleep quality; state anxiety was predicted by Yoga practice and income; and stress was predicted by Yoga practice and sleep quality.Conclusion:Results indicate that breast cancer survivors, doing yoga, have better psychological profiles and are able to deal with demanding situations better. The psycho-oncogenic model of cancer etiology suggests that a better psychological state in survival has the potential to improve prognosis and survival outcomes and Yoga may be a suitable practice for staying cancer-free for a longer time.

“Smoking Does Not Go With Yoga:” A Qualitative Study of Women's Phenomenological Perceptions During Yoga and Smoking Cessation

Smoking cessation is often accompanied by withdrawal symptoms, cigarette craving, increased negative affect, and increased experience of stress. Because yoga has been shown to reduce stress and negative affect, it may be an effective aid to smoking cessation. The objective of this study was to examine women's phenomenological experiences of vinyasa yoga as part of a smoking cessation program. Focus groups were conducted post-intervention with women (n = 20) who participated in a pilot randomized controlled trial of yoga as a complementary therapy for smoking cessation. The 8-week vinyasa yoga intervention included twice weekly 60-minute classes that involved breathing exercises, postures (asanas), and relaxation techniques. Focus groups were audio recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis focused on descriptions of yoga, breathing, and bodily sensations including cigarette craving. Focus group participants described vinyasa yoga as physically challenging. Most reported deliberate use of yogic breathing to cope with cigarette craving and stress. Other perceived effects included relaxation and an increased sense of body awareness and wellbeing. Participants viewed yoga as positive and potentially helpful for quitting smoking. Yoga may be an effective adjunct for smoking cessation.

Yoga and Loss

The author explores her experience of yoga as a therapeutic tool in recovering from the impact of losing a close friend to suicide. The benefits of yoga include improved emotional self-regulation, a more positive relationship with self, and the emergence of a new personal physical reality. An autoethnographical approach permits a necessarily ambiguous and messy in-depth exploration of yoga as a resource for well-being. Nevertheless, it is hoped that it will serve as a means of promoting further study into the role of cultural resources, particularly body-based practices, as means of coming to terms with traumatic loss.

Gesture Analysis For Yoga Alignment

INTRODUCTION: Yoga Therapy research has recently become the focus of rigorous scientific inquiry in the interest of understanding and quantifying its benefits for a wide variety of medical conditions. There remains a disparity between segments of the population who can readily access yoga classes and therapies. For difficult to reach individuals, Yoga in an exergame format could be utilized in clinical or home environments. The purpose of this study was to analyze Yoga posture alignment using a gesture analysis program in order to produce a yoga exergame using the Microsoft Kinect. We captured six yoga postures demonstrated by an advanced yoga teacher, as a gold standard for comparison purposes. METHODS: Six yoga postures were selected for the basis of the training set using Microsoft Visual Gesture Builder (VGB). Programs utilized were included in Kinect version 2 SDK and ran on a PC. RESULTS: Three 3D video clips of the six yoga postures were captured from the yoga teacher, two for VGB training and one for validation. We found that adding the second training clip increased performance accuracy for four out of the six postures. The forward bend and arms up postures might improve with additional training clips. Our prior research has shown that the Kinect skeleton algorithms become confused with yoga postures that change the usual orientation of the head. A convenience sample of undergraduate students with various levels of yoga experience, were recorded executing the same 6 postures before, at the mid-point and at the conclusion of a 10-week yoga class series. We assessed the longitudinal correlation points between yoga experience level and VGB posture accuracy. CONCLUSION: Gesture analysis for yoga alignment training may be a useful tool for the development of home and clinical yoga therapy for hard to reach populations. The Kinect sensor provides a tool that could score the performance of yoga therapy and provide quantitative measures of posture adherence and improvement.

Neuro-electric And Behavioral Differences Between Yoga Practitioners And Novices During A Cognitive Control Task

The practice of yoga has grown from a spiritual and meditation based discipline to a popular physical activity regimen. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to observe the chronic effects of yoga practice on cognitive function through the use of EEG and computerized executive function tasks. METHODS: A total of 21 healthy, right-handed adults (18-25 years old) were recruited for this study. Subjects were divided into novice practitioners (N=11) and advanced practitioners (N=10), with at least two years of experience. EEG and behavioral outcomes were recorded while subjects performed a modified flanker task, requiring them to respond to the direction of the central arrow in an array of five. The flanking arrows either pointed in the same direction (congruent, e.g. > > > > >), or in the opposite direction (incongruent, e.g < < > < <). Accuracy and reaction time were evaluated, alongside N1 and P3 event-related potentials (ERPs). RESULTS: Apart from yoga experience, there were no demographic differences between groups. On the cognitive behavioral task, there was a main effect of congruency on accuracy (F(1,19)=31.99, p<0.001, η2=0.63). All subjects, regardless of group, responded more accurately on congruent trials (98±0.5%) than on incongruent trials (87.5±0.2%). There were also main effects of congruency (F(1,19)=121.14, p<0.001, η2=0.86) and group (F(1,19)=6.28, p=0.021, η2=0.625) on reaction time. Subjects reacted more quickly to congruent trials (404±11.12ms) than to incongruent trials (469±12.37ms). Yoga experts were able to respond more quickly (408±16.48ms) to all stimuli than novices (465±15.71ms). The results of ERP analysis were unclear, and will continue to be studied. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that regular and prolonged yoga practice improves motor performance on cognitive tasks, implying that yoga practice may provide cognitive benefits. Our EEG data must be studied further to identify the mechanisms behind these benefits. It is possible that the expert group in this experiment was more aerobically fit than the novice group, and that the better motor performance may be due to neuromuscular factors. Future research should focus on identifying the mechanisms of improvement, as well as comparing benefits associated with yoga to those achieved with more conventional physical activity.

On and Off the Mat: Yoga Experiences of Middle-Aged and Older Adults.

This article explores potential differences in yoga practice between middle-and older-aged adults. A health belief - life course model frames this research, and a mixed-methods analytic strategy is employed to examine life course pathways into yoga and motivations to practice, as well as perceived barriers and health benefits. For the quantitative analyses, a convenience sample of 452 participants was collected using an online questionnaire. For the qualitative analyses, face-to-face interviews were conducted with a sub-set of 20 participants. Unique differences between the age groups (both current age and age when started yoga) as well as by gender were found for selected pathways, reasons/motivations, and barriers to engage in yoga as well as for perceived health benefits. In addition, results underscore the importance of informational cues and social linkages that affect how individuals adopt and experience yoga. Implications for health promotion programs that target older adults are discussed.

Yoga Helps Put the Pieces Back Together: A Qualitative Exploration of a Community-Based Yoga Program for Cancer Survivors.

Objective. A qualitative research methods approach was used to explore the experiences of participants in an ongoing community-based yoga program developed for cancer survivors and their support persons. Methods. 25 participants took part in a series of semistructured focus groups following a seven-week yoga program and at three- and six-month follow-ups. Focus groups were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a process of inductive thematic analysis. Results. The group was comprised of 20 cancer survivors, who were diagnosed on average 25.40 (20.85) months earlier, and five support persons. Participants had completed the yoga program an average of 3.35 (3.66) times previously and attended approximately 1.64 (0.70) of three possible focus groups. Four key themes were identified: (1) safety and shared understanding; (2) cancer-specific yoga instruction; (3) benefits of yoga participation; (4) mechanisms of yoga practice. Conclusions. Qualitative research provides unique and in-depth insight into the yoga experience. Specifically, cancer survivors and support persons participating in a community-based yoga program discussed their experiences of change over time and were acutely aware of the beneficial effects of yoga on their physical, psychological, and social well-being. Further, participants were able to articulate the mechanisms they perceived as underpinning the relationship between yoga and improved well-being as they developed their yoga practice.

“Smoking Does Not Go With Yoga:” A Qualitative Study of Women's Phenomenological Perceptions During Yoga and Smoking Cessation

Smoking cessation is often accompanied by withdrawal symptoms, cigarette craving, increased negative affect, and increased experience of stress. Because yoga has been shown to reduce stress and negative affect, it may be an effective aid to smoking cessation. The objective of this study was to examine women's phenomenological experiences of vinyasa yoga as part of a smoking cessation program. Focus groups were conducted post-intervention with women (n = 20) who participated in a pilot randomized controlled trial of yoga as a complementary therapy for smoking cessation. The 8-week vinyasa yoga intervention included twice weekly 60-minute classes that involved breathing exercises, postures (asanas), and relaxation techniques. Focus groups were audio recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis focused on descriptions of yoga, breathing, and bodily sensations including cigarette craving. Focus group participants described vinyasa yoga as physically challenging. Most reported deliberate use of yogic breathing to cope with cigarette craving and stress. Other perceived effects included relaxation and an increased sense of body awareness and wellbeing. Participants viewed yoga as positive and potentially helpful for quitting smoking. Yoga may be an effective adjunct for smoking cessation.

Older Women, Exercise to Music, and Yoga: Senses of Pleasure?

This paper examines the lived experience of older women participants in (a) a low-impact exercise to music (ETM) class and (b) a yoga class to uncover what is important for them in taking part in these classes. Researcher S is the instructor of the ETM group and draws upon individual and focus group interviews and participant observation. Researcher B is a member of the yoga class where she interviewed the women and undertook participant observations. Both authors are a similar age to the older women interviewees. Through a phenomenological interpretative approach, the paper examines the women's perceptions of their exercise class and yoga experiences, highlighting pleasurable experiences and features that contribute to this enjoyment. The paper considers relationships between pleasure, wellbeing, the senses, physical activity, and aging, drawing upon a variety of analyses. It pays attention to the contextual features of the ETM and yoga classes in making available and accessible pleasurable physical activity experiences for the women and draws, in part, on 'typologies' of pleasure to frame the debate around older women, physical activity, and senses of pleasure. Our research highlights the considerable wellbeing affects for women when physical activity provision takes account of context (the spatial, cultural, social, and sentient).

A Study on Flexibility Improvement Causing Posture Change Through Well-Being Yoga

This study is to reveal the body alignment effects of yoga exercise focusing on the pelvis and spine which is the major joints of human body in the alignment. The 14 twenty-year-old women without any experience of yoga were participated in a training yoga session composed of 50 minute duration, 3 times a week for 24 weeks. 3D motion analysis was performed on the five selected yoga motions in order to verify the body alignment effects on the test subjects. The analysis of the results has been done with the average values taken from the two times selective motions. For the statistic validation, the paired sample t-test was utilized. After the training, the subjects first aligned their pelvis through the change in pelvic limb and then extend the spines and finally completing the posture by throwing their shoulders back. On the basis of biomechanical point of view, the consequence showed that the 24 weeks of yoga training has a positive effect in the pelvis and spine alignment. The yoga motions utilized in this study has proven to be effective in enhancing cognitive ability of the pelvis and spine.

Yoga in adult cancer: an exploratory, qualitative analysis of the patient experience.

BackgroundSome patients receiving treatment in conventional health care systems access therapeutic yoga outside their mainstream care to improve cancer symptoms. Given the current knowledge gap around patient preferences and documented experiences of yoga in adult cancer, this study aimed to describe patient-reported benefits, barriers and characteristics of programming for yoga practice during conventional treatment.MethodsIn depth semi-structured interviews (n = 10) were conducted in men and women recruited from cancer care clinics in Vancouver, Canada using a purposive sampling technique. The exploratory interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analyzed using Interpretive Description methodology and constant comparative analysis methods.ResultsFour themes emerged from the data to address our research objectives: patient-perceived benefits of yoga, reasons and motivations for practising yoga, hurdles and barriers to practising yoga, and advice for effective yoga program delivery in adult cancer. Several patients reported yoga reduced stress and other symptoms associated with cancer treatment. Thematic analysis found the social dimension of group yoga was important, as well as yoga’s ability to encourage personal empowerment and awareness of physical body and self. Barriers to yoga adherence from the patient perspective included lack of time, scheduling conflicts and worries about financial burden.ConclusionThis small, diverse sample of patients reported positive experiences and no adverse effects following yoga practice for management of cancer and its symptoms. Results of this qualitative study identified patient-reported preferences, barriers and characteristics of yoga intervention optimal during adult cancer treatment.

Yoga to Reduce Trauma-Related Distress and Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties Among Children Living in Orphanages in Haiti: A Pilot Study.

To measure trauma-related distress and evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an 8-week yoga intervention (YI) in reducing trauma-related symptoms and emotional and behavioral difficulties (EBD) among children living in orphanages in Haiti. Case comparison with random assignment to YI or aerobic dance control (DC) plus a nonrandomized wait-list control (WLC) group. Two orphanages for children in Haiti. 76 children age 7 to 17 years. The YI included yoga postures, breathing exercises, and meditation. The DC group learned a series of dance routines. The WLC group received services as usual in the institutional setting. After completion of data collection, the WLC group received both yoga and dance classes for 8 weeks. The UCLA PTSD Reaction Index and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire were used to indicate trauma-related symptoms and EBD, respectively. A within-subject analysis was conducted to compare pre- and post-treatment scores. A post-treatment yoga experience questionnaire evaluated acceptability of the YI. Analyses of variance revealed a significant effect (F[2,28]=3.30; p=0.05) of the YI on the trauma-related symptom scores. Regression analyses showed that participation in either 8 weeks of yoga or dance classes suggested a reduction in trauma-related symptoms and EBD, although this finding was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Respondents reported satisfaction with the yoga program and improved well-being. Children with trauma-related distress showed improvements in symptoms after participation in an 8-week yoga program compared to controls. Yoga is a feasible and acceptable activity with self-reported benefits to child mental and physical health. Additional research is needed to further evaluate the effect of yoga to relieve trauma-related distress and promote well-being among children.

Neuroprotective effects of yoga practice: age-, experience-, and frequency-dependent plasticity.

Yoga combines postures, breathing, and meditation. Despite reported health benefits, yoga’s effects on the brain have received little study. We used magnetic resonance imaging to compare age-related gray matter (GM) decline in yogis and controls. We also examined the effect of increasing yoga experience and weekly practice on GM volume and assessed which aspects of weekly practice contributed most to brain size. Controls displayed the well documented age-related global brain GM decline while yogis did not, suggesting that yoga contributes to protect the brain against age-related decline. Years of yoga experience correlated mostly with GM volume differences in the left hemisphere (insula, frontal operculum, and orbitofrontal cortex) suggesting that yoga tunes the brain toward a parasympatically driven mode and positive states. The number of hours of weekly practice correlated with GM volume in the primary somatosensory cortex/superior parietal lobule (S1/SPL), precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), hippocampus, and primary visual cortex (V1). Commonality analyses indicated that the combination of postures and meditation contributed the most to the size of the hippocampus, precuneus/PCC, and S1/SPL while the combination of meditation and breathing exercises contributed the most to V1 volume. Yoga’s potential neuroprotective effects may provide a neural basis for some of its beneficial effects.

Safety of Yoga in Pregnancy [37

BACKGROUND: Yoga is recognized for its potential to balance an individual's mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual state. Pregnant patients often ask physicians for permission to participate in yoga. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has no specific recommendations for yoga. The purpose of this study was to examine the safety of yoga in pregnancy. METHODS: Institutional review board approval was obtained. Pregnant women 18–42 years old with uncomplicated pregnancies were recruited. Patients were between 35 and 37 weeks of gestation. No yoga experience was required. A nonstress test (NST) was measured at the beginning and end of the yoga session. The participants assumed 26 yoga poses. In each posture, continuous fetal monitoring, tocometry, pulse oximetry, and vital signs were obtained. All sessions were attended by a certified yoga instructor and experienced obstetrician–gynecologist. RESULTS: A total of 30 women were enrolled; five were excluded for contractions at the initial NST. Twenty-five women completed the study. All participants completed the 26 poses. There were no significant changes in vital signs during the poses. All participants had reactive NSTs before and after the session. All fetal heart tracings demonstrated accelerations and variability, and no decelerations of the fetal heart tracing were seen. No patients had regular contractions during the session. There were no falls or injuries. CONCLUSION: No safety issues were identified. Vital signs, pulse oximetry, uterine tocometry, and fetal heart tracing remained reassuring in all patients in all postures. Yoga is a safe form of physical activity that physicians can recommend to their patients with uncomplicated pregnancies.

First-person experience and yoga research: studying neural correlates of an intentional practice.

Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in the scientific study of contemplative practices. While seated meditation practices have historically been at the center of inquiry in contemplative sciences, movement-based practices, such as yoga, t'ai chi, qigong, and others, are currently coming to the forefront of this discourse. In her introduction to the present Research Topic, Schmalzl et al. (2014) introduce movement-based contemplative practices (MBCP) and present their essential qualities: MBCPs are embodied and attentive to kinesthetic and proprioceptive sensations; are structured by intentional movement; and are contemplative, that is, characterized by deliberate observation and non-judgmental awareness. In this opinion paper, I focus on the necessity of studying intentional and experiential aspects of yoga as a MBCP, and on the role of first-person experiential reports in the neurophenomenological investigation of yoga and other MBCPs. I propose that the difference between yoga as a contemplative practice and yoga as a form of physical exercise needs to be assessed through nuanced investigation of subjective experience aimed at illuminating short- and long-term intentions and goals underlying yoga practice as well as dynamic variations within the lived experience of yoga.

An Individualized Yoga Programme for Multiple Sclerosis: A Case Study.

Despite the evidence that yoga is beneficial for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), substantial in-depth qualitative studies of yoga and MS-and individualized yoga programmes (IYP), in particular-are lacking. The aims of this paper are (a) to conduct a case study on an IYP for one participant with MS in terms of her experience of yoga and how yoga affected her particular symptoms of MS, and (b) to better understand the unique and changing needs of someone with MS in the context of an IYP. Data collected for this study were sourced from a qualitative case study design with data collected via a participant diary completed over the 24-week duration of an IYP; an exit interview after the final IYP session; and weekly records completed by the yoga teacher. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Over the course of the IYP, the female participant experienced an increased awareness of negative thoughts and feelings about MS and how it affected her and her body. As the programme progressed, she began to work through these feelings and, by the end of the programme, reported experiencing improvements in muscle tone, strength, balance, psychological wellbeing, and confidence. Our findings highlight the importance of a programme individualized to meet the complex health and psychological needs of individuals with MS.