Strategies for evaluating self-efficacy and observed success in the practice of yoga postures for therapeutic indications: methods from a yoga intervention for urinary incontinence among middle-aged and older women.

Background: Most clinical investigations involving yoga lack adequate description of the specific yoga elements, including physical postures. Few studies have measured self-efficacy regarding the performance of yoga postures or assessed observed success in performing postures.

Methods: We developed and piloted several tools to evaluate self-efficacy and observed success in practicing yoga in the context of a randomized feasibility trial of an Iyengar-based yoga intervention for urinary incontinence in ambulatory women ≥50 years.