AI Article Synopsis
- The study explored the demographics and motivations of UK yoga practitioners, revealing that 87% were women and the average age was 48.7 years.
- Participants reported various reasons for starting and continuing yoga, such as wellness, fitness, stress management, and spirituality, with 16% initially practicing to address specific health issues.
- Overall, the survey found that yoga practitioners enjoy greater well-being and positive health behaviors compared to national averages, though a notable percentage reported experiencing yoga-related injuries.
Article Abstract
Objectives: Despite the popularity of yoga and evidence of its positive effects on physical and mental health, little is known about yoga practice in the UK. This study investigated the characteristics of people who practise yoga, reasons for initiating and maintaining practice, and perceived impact of yoga on health and well-being.
Design, Setting And Participants: A cross-sectional online anonymous survey distributed through UK-based yoga organisations, studios and events, through email invites and flyers. 2434 yoga practitioners completed the survey, including 903 yoga teachers: 87% were women, 91% white and 71% degree educated; mean age was 48.7 years.
Main Outcome Measures: Perceived impact of yoga on health conditions, health outcomes and injuries. Relationships between yoga practice and measures of health, lifestyle, stress and well-being.
Results: In comparison with national population norms, participants reported significantly higher well-being but also higher anxiety; lower perceived stress, body mass index and incidence of obesity, and higher rates of positive health behaviours. 47% reported changing their motivations to practise yoga, with general wellness and fitness key to initial uptake, and stress management and spirituality important to current practice. 16% of participants reported starting yoga to manage a physical or mental health condition. Respondents reported the value of yoga for a wide range of health conditions, most notably for musculoskeletal and mental health conditions. 20.7% reported at least one yoga-related injury over their lifetime. Controlling for demographic factors, frequency of yoga practice accounted for small but significant variance in health-related regression models (p<0.001).
Conclusion: The findings of this first detailed UK survey were consistent with surveys in other Western countries. Yoga was perceived to have a positive impact on physical and mental health conditions and was linked to positive health behaviours. Further investigation of yoga's role in self-care could inform health-related challenges faced by many countries.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7044896 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031848 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Budget Impact Analysis of Integrative Medicine Practices for Pediatric Patients with Chronic Pain.
Clin J Pain
January 2025
Department of Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine, The Saban Research Institute at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, The Biobehavioral Pain Lab.
Objectives: Chronic pain is a leading cause of morbidity in children and adolescents globally but can be managed with a combination of traditional Western medicine and integrative medicine (IM) practices. This combination has improved various critical health outcomes, such as quality-of-life, sleep, pain, anxiety, and healthcare utilization. These IM practices include acupuncture, yoga, biofeedback, massage, mindfulness, or any combination of these modalities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTranscending Time and Space in the Search for Synthesis: A Commentary on Paranjpe's Understanding Yoga Psychology: Indigenous Knowledge with Global Relevance.
Integr Psychol Behav Sci
January 2025
Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador da Bahia, Brazil.
This volume makes a notable contribution with a deep and extensive analysis to achieve the movement from Yoga Philosophy to Yoga Psychology for the promotion of integration with Modern Psychology, a task hitherto unrealized despite the burgeoning attention to Yoga. This commentary is constrained by my own limited knowledge of traditional Indian philosophy in making a thorough examination of Paranjpe's contribution beyond attention to selected concepts and sporadic illustrations from the original volume. Yoga practice is, Paranjpe informs us, just the tip of an immense consolidation of knowledge, deep intellectual thought and theoretical consideration about the embodied sense of self, health and well-being.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Impact of Mindfulness-Based Meditation and Yoga on Stress, Body Image, Self-esteem, and Sexual Adjustment in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Modified Radical Mastectomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Cancer Nurs
November 2024
Author Affiliations: Gediz Vocational School of Health Services, Department of Medical Services and Techniques, Kutahya Health Sciences University, Kutahya (Dr Pehlivan); and School of Nursing, Department of Surgical Diseases Nursing, Osmangazi University, Eskisehir (Dr Eyi), Turkey.
Background: Surgical interventions are commonly utilized in the treatment of breast cancer; however, they can elicit adverse effects on women's perceptions of femininity, leading to stress, negative body image, diminished self-esteem, and challenges in sexual adjustment.
Objective: This study investigates the efficacy of mindfulness-based meditation and yoga in alleviating stress, enhancing self-esteem, improving body image, and facilitating sexual adjustment among women undergoing modified radical mastectomy.
Methods: Using a prospective (pretest, posttest, and second-month follow-up), 2-arm (1:1), randomized controlled experimental design, the study involved 39 women (intervention group = 19, control group = 20) undergoing modified radical mastectomy.
Inner engineering is associated with perceived improvements in relationship quality, interpersonal connections, and interpersonal compassion.
Front Psychol
December 2024
Sadhguru Center for a Conscious Planet, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
Objectives: Interpersonal relationships are a cornerstone of wellbeing. Mindfulness-based practices have been shown to improve relationship quality and reduce perceived stress. Inner Engineering (IE) is a transformative program that includes meditative and yogic practices associated with improvements in mindfulness and wellbeing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDesigning, Validation, and Feasibility of Integrated Approach of Heartfulness Meditation and Yoga Protocol (IAHFNM & YP) for Hypertensive Participants.
Cardiovasc Ther
January 2025
Department of Medical Biotechnology Central Research Laboratory MGM School of Biomedical Sciences MGM Institute of Health Sciences, Navi Mumbai, India.
The module was designed and developed at Heartfulness Institute, Kanha Shanti Vanam, Hyderabad. The Department of Medicine, MGM Medical College & Hospital, MGMIHS, Navi Mumbai, carried out the validation and subsequently pilot-tested on volunteers. Forty experts were selected to validate the contents of IAHFNM & YP which was designed after a thorough review of meditation and yoga literature.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!