1 1160 98 ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF YOGA PHILOSOPHY IN WESTERN YOGA PRACTITIONERS: VALIDATION OF THE YAMA/NIYAMA QUESTIONNAIRE. YOGA IS MAINLY KNOWN FOR ITS POSTURES, WHILE IT HAS A RICH PHILOSOPHICAL/SPIRITUAL BACKGROUND WHICH IS OFTEN NOT WELL KNOWN. PARTICULARLY THE ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF YOGA, THE YAMAS AND NIYAMAS, ARE OF RELEVANCE FOR WESTERN PRACTITIONERS ALSO. WE THUS INTENDED TO DEVELOP AND VALIDATE AN INSTRUMENT THAT OPERATIONALIZES THE YAMAS AND NIYAMAS AND PERFORMED A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY AMONG 901 YOGA PRACTITIONERS IN GERMANY WITH STANDARDIZED INSTRUMENTS. PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS OF THE 23-ITEM YAMA/NIYAMA QUESTIONNAIRE (YANIQ) POINTED TO 4 FACTORS WITH GOOD INTERNAL CONSISTENCIES (CRONBACH'S ALPHA = 0.86, 0.82, 0.85, AND 0.63). BEST PREDICTORS OF THESE FACTORS WERE CONSCIOUS PRESENCE ("MINDFULNESS") AND INNER CORRESPONDENCE WITH YOGA PRACTICES. THE YANIQ SEEMS TO BE SUITED FOR WESTERN PRACTITIONERS AND COULD BE A USEFUL MEASURE IN FUTURE STUDIES WHICH INTEND TO ANALYZE THE SOCIAL AND HEALTH-RELATED ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS. IT CAN BE ASSUMED THAT THE ETHICAL PRINCIPLES ARE IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTORS FOR LIFESTYLE AND BEHAVIOR CHANGES. 2021 2 2556 16 YOGA FOR CHILDREN. THERE IS AN INCREASING INTEREST IN THE USE OF YOGA FOR CHILDREN TO CALM THE MIND AND INCREASE HEALTH AND WELL BEING. DESPITE SCANT BUT INCREASING EVIDENCE SUPPORTING THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN CHILDREN, SPECIAL YOGA PROGRAMS WITHIN SCHOOLS ARE BEING DEVELOPED FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS. THIS INCREASING POPULARITY OF THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA MAY ENCOURAGE PARENTS TO CONSIDER YOGA FOR THEIR CHILDREN AND REQUEST REFERRALS OR CLARIFICATION OF THE PURPORTED EFFECTS. A DESCRIPTION OF THE PHILOSOPHICAL BASIS OF YOGA, THE BASIC COMPONENTS OF A YOGA PRACTICE, SAFETY CONCERNS, AND HOW TO LOCATE AND EVALUATE A YOGA PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN WILL BE ADDRESSED. 2009 3 598 30 DEVELOPMENT AND PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE YOGA SELF-EFFICACY SCALE (YSES). BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A BEHAVIORAL PRACTICE THAT USES PHYSICAL MOVEMENT, BREATHING, AND MEDITATION TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND PROMOTE PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION. ANCIENT YOGA PHILOSOPHY PROPOSED THAT AN INDIVIDUAL'S CONFIDENCE ABOUT YOGA, A CONCEPT SIMILAR TO SELF-EFFICACY, WILL AFFECT THE LIKELIHOOD OF IMPROVED HEALTH FROM YOGA PRACTICE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DEVELOP AND EXAMINE THE PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF A SELF-EFFICACY MEASURE FOR YOGA PRACTICE (THE YOGA SELF-EFFICACY SCALE; YSES). METHODS: YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE RECRUITED TO EVALUATE THE PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF YSES VIA A SECURE ONLINE SURVEY. WE COLLECTED DATA ON ADDITIONAL MEASURES TO FURTHER EXAMINE CONSTRUCT VALIDITY. AFTER TWO WEEKS, PARTICIPANTS WERE INVITED TO COMPLETE YSES ITEMS AGAIN TO ASSESS TEST-RETEST RELIABILITY. RESULTS: A MAJORITY OF PARTICIPANTS (N = 309) WERE WHITE (85%), FEMALE (82%), AND YOGA INSTRUCTORS (56%). THE 12-ITEM YSES IS UNIDIMENSIONAL WITH A CRONBACH'S ALPHA OF 0.93. TEST-RETEST RELIABILITY IS R = 0.79 (N = 170). YSES SCORES ARE POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH HEALTH COMPETENCE, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, AND YEARS PRACTICING YOGA, SUPPORTING CONSTRUCT VALIDITY. ALSO, YOGA TEACHERS SCORED SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER ON THE YSES THAN NON-TEACHERS (P < 0.001). NON-SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS WITH EDUCATION, INCOME AND SEX SUPPORTED DISCRIMINANT VALIDITY. YSES MAINTAINED INTERNAL CONSISTENCY AND CONSTRUCT VALIDITY FOR ALL YOGA STYLES SURVEYED. CONCLUSION: YSES IS A RELIABLE AND VALID MEASURE OF SELF-EFFICACY FOR YOGA PRACTICE THAT MAY PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO BARRIERS TO ADOPTING AND MAINTAINING YOGA AS A HEALTH BEHAVIOR. 2016 4 2554 23 YOGA FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE'S MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING: RESEARCH REVIEW AND REFLECTIONS ON THE MENTAL HEALTH POTENTIALS OF YOGA. THIS ARTICLE DISCUSSES YOGA AS A POTENTIAL TOOL FOR CHILDREN TO DEAL WITH STRESS AND REGULATE THEMSELVES. YOGA PROVIDES TRAINING OF MIND AND BODY TO BRING EMOTIONAL BALANCE. WE ARGUE THAT CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE NEED SUCH TOOLS TO LISTEN INWARD TO THEIR BODIES, FEELINGS, AND IDEAS. YOGA MAY ASSIST THEM IN DEVELOPING IN SOUND WAYS, TO STRENGTHEN THEMSELVES, AND BE CONTRIBUTING SOCIAL BEINGS. FIRST, WE ADDRESS HOW CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN TODAY'S WORLD FACE NUMEROUS EXPECTATIONS AND CONSTANT STIMULATION THROUGH THE INTERNET AND OTHER MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES. ONE REASON WHY CHILDREN EXPERIENCE STRESS AND MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES IS THAT GLOBALIZATION EXPOSES THE YOUTH ALL OVER THE WORLD TO VARIOUS NEW DEMANDS, STANDARDS, AND OPTIONS. THERE IS ALSO INCREASED PRESSURE TO SUCCEED IN SCHOOL, PARTLY DUE TO INCREASED COMPETITION BUT ALSO A DIVERSE RANGE OF OPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN CONTEMPORARY TIMES THAN IN THE PAST. OUR ARGUMENT ALSO PARTIALLY RESTS ON THE FACT THAT MODERN SOCIETY OFFERS PLENTY OF DISTRACTIONS AND UNWELCOME ATTRACTIONS, ESPECIALLY LINKED TO NEW MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES. THE DOMINANT PRESENCE OF MULTIMEDIA DEVICES AND THE TIME SPENT ON THEM BY CHILDREN ARE CLEAR INDICATORS OF THE SHIFT IN LIFESTYLES AND PRIORITIES OF OUR NEW GENERATION. WHILE THESE MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES ARE VALUABLE RESOURCES IN CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE'S LIVES FOR COMMUNICATION, LEARNING, AND ENTERTAINMENT, THEY ALSO RESULT IN CONSTANT COMPETITION FOR YOUNGSTER'S ATTENTION. A MAIN CONCEPT IN OUR ARTICLE IS THAT YOGA MAY HELP CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE COPE WITH STRESS AND THUS, CONTRIBUTE POSITIVELY TO BALANCE IN LIFE, WELL-BEING, AND MENTAL HEALTH. WE PRESENT RESEARCH LITERATURE SUGGESTING THAT YOGA IMPROVES CHILDREN'S PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELL-BEING. SIMILARLY, YOGA IN SCHOOLS HELPS STUDENTS IMPROVE RESILIENCE, MOOD, AND SELF-REGULATION SKILLS PERTAINING TO EMOTIONS AND STRESS. 2014 5 2711 20 YOGA KERNELS: A PUBLIC HEALTH MODEL FOR DEVELOPING AND DISSEMINATING EVIDENCE-BASED YOGA PRACTICES. MANY PEOPLE ARE DRAWN TO YOGA FOR ITS POTENTIAL HEALTH BENEFITS. WITH ITS RISING POPULARITY, YOGA COULD BECOME A WIDELY USED PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTION, BUT ITS SUCCESS DEPENDS ON FINDING EVIDENCE-BASED YOGA PRACTICES THAT ARE ACCEPTABLE AND FEASIBLE FOR A LARGE SEGMENT OF THE POPULATION. COMPLEXITY AND VARIABILITY CREATE BARRIERS TO THE ADOPTION AND MAINTENANCE OF YOGA PRACTICES. IN AN EFFORT TO IMPROVE THE STUDY, ADOPTION, AND MAINTENANCE OF THERAPEUTIC PRACTICES USED IN THE CONTEXT OF PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTIONS, WE INTRODUCE THE CONCEPT OF "YOGA KERNELS," DEFINED AS DISCRETE, EVIDENCE-BASED YOGA PRACTICES THAT ARE AMENABLE TO SCIENTIFIC STUDY AND CAN BE EFFECTIVELY DISSEMINATED AS A PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTION. YOGA IS REVIEWED FROM THE STANDPOINT OF A PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTION USING THE REACH EFFECTIVENESS ADOPTION IMPLEMENTATION AND MAINTENANCE (RE-AIM) MODEL. THIS MODEL IS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE SUCCESSFUL ADOPTION AND MAINTENANCE OF GENERALIZABLE, EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS. IN RESPONSE TO THE CHALLENGES TO THE ADOPTION AND MAINTENANCE OF YOGA PRACTICES, WE PROPOSE THAT A POTENTIALLY FRUITFUL DIRECTION FOR YOGA RESEARCH IS MOVING AWAY FROM STUDYING YOGA CLASSES TO STUDYING SPECIFIC YOGA PRACTICES THAT ARE SIMPLER AND EASIER FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO USE. YOGA KERNELS COULD BE A UNIFYING CONCEPT TO IDENTIFY THERAPEUTIC USES OF YOGA AND HELP PEOPLE ADOPT AND MAINTAIN THESE PRACTICES AS PART OF A SYSTEMATIC PUBLIC HEALTH STRATEGY. 2019 6 2580 23 YOGA FOR HEALTHY AGING: SCIENCE OR HYPE? YOGA, ONE OF THE WORLD'S OLDEST HEALTH SYSTEMS IS RECEIVING NEW ATTENTION FOR CLAIMS THAT IT CAN CONTRIBUTE TO HEALTHY AGING. UNTIL RECENTLY, SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE FOR ITS EFFICACY HAS RELIED HEAVILY ON SMALL AND POORLY-DESIGNED RESEARCH, BUT THIS IS CHANGING. MULTIPLE, WELL-DESIGNED STUDIES PROVIDE DATA SHOWING THAT YOGA PRACTICE HAS POSITIVE EFFECTS ON CELLULAR AGING, MOBILITY, BALANCE, MENTAL HEALTH, AND PREVENTION OF COGNITIVE DECLINE-ALL AREAS OF CONCERN FOR OLDER ADULTS. SINCE THE COST OF IMPLEMENTING YOGA-BASED COMMUNITY AND HOME-BASED INTERVENTIONS IS LOW-POLICYMAKERS ARE ALSO EYEING YOGA PRACTICE AS A COST-EFFECTIVE WAY TO REDUCE MEDICAL COSTS AND IMPROVE OUTCOMES AMONG A GROWING AGING POPULATION. THIS COMMENTARY REVIEWS THE EVIDENCE FOR BOTH PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS FROM YOGA, AS WELL AS CONCERNS ABOUT INJURIES THAT HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH CERTAIN TYPES OF YOGA PRACTICE. IT REVEALS A SURPRISING RANGE OF YOGA PROGRAMS AND DIFFICULTY LEVELS THAT PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALMOST ANYONE TO PARTICIPATE AND GAIN HEALTH BENEFITS WITH PRACTICE. 2021 7 1673 22 NORTH AMERICAN YOGA PRACTITIONERS' LIVED EXPERIENCES OF MIND-BODY CONNECTION: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY. THE PRACTICE OF YOGA WAS BORN IN INDIA THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO AND BROUGHT TO NORTH AMERICA GRADUALLY BEGINNING IN THE 20TH CENTURY. THE TRADITIONAL PRACTICE OF YOGA IS SPIRITUAL IN NATURE WITH AN INTENTION OF PURIFYING THE MIND AND BODY, LEADING TO AN ALLEVIATION OF SUFFERING THROUGH CONNECTION WITH THE DIVINE (I.E., LIBERATION). YOGA HAS GAINED WIDESPREAD POPULARITY IN NORTH AMERICA, BUT WHETHER NORTH AMERICAN YOGA PRACTICE INCLUDES AN INTENTION ON THE PURIFICATION OF THE MIND-BODY, IN CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE OFTEN DESCRIBED AS A MIND-BODY CONNECTION, HAS YET TO BE EXPLORED. THIS RESEARCH STUDY INVESTIGATED NORTH AMERICAN YOGA PRACTITIONERS' EXPERIENCES OF MIND-BODY CONNECTION IN THEIR PRACTICES. SIX YOGA PRACTITIONERS RESIDING IN NORTH AMERICA WERE INTERVIEWED FOR THIS STUDY. INTERVIEWS WERE AUDIORECORDED AND TRANSCRIBED. PHENOMENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED TO PRODUCE THE ESSENCE DATA, AND THEMATIC ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED TO PRODUCE THE CONTEXTUAL DATA. PHENOMENOLOGICAL THEMES REGARDING THE CO-RESEARCHERS' EXPERIENCES OF MIND-BODY CONNECTION IN THEIR YOGA PRACTICES WERE IDENTIFIED AND GROUPED INTO FOUR TEXTURAL ESSENCES: (1) THE EXPERIENCE OF BREATH, (2) LOCAL OR INTERNAL EXPERIENCES, (3) AN INCREASED SENSE OF AWARENESS AND MINDFULNESS, AND (4) TRANSCENDENTAL AND SPIRITUAL QUALITIES. FOUR STRUCTURAL CONDITIONS THAT ALLOW PRACTITIONERS TO EXPERIENCE MIND-BODY CONNECTION DURING YOGA PRACTICE WERE IDENTIFIED: (1) BREATH, (2) PHYSICAL ASANA, (3) PRACTITIONER INTENTIONALITY, AND (4) ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. FINDINGS OF THE CURRENT STUDY SUGGEST A CAPACITY FOR NORTH AMERICAN YOGA PRACTITIONERS TO EXPERIENCE MIND-BODY CONNECTION THAT IS ESSENTIAL TO TRADITIONAL YOGA PRACTICE. 2021 8 335 27 APPLYING THE S-ART FRAMEWORK TO YOGA: EXPLORING THE SELF-REGULATORY ACTION OF YOGA PRACTICE IN TWO CULTURALLY DIVERSE SAMPLES. MINDFULNESS PRACTICES FORM THE CORE OF NUMEROUS THERAPEUTIC PROGRAMS AND INTERVENTIONS FOR STRESS REDUCTION AND THE TREATMENT OF DIFFERENT HEALTH CONDITIONS RELATED TO STRESS AND LIFE HABITS. WAYS AND MEANS TO REGULATE ONESELF EFFECTIVELY ALSO FORM THE FOUNDATION OF THE PATH OF YOGA IN THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. THE SELF-AWARENESS, SELF-REGULATION, AND SELF-TRANSCENDENCE (S-ART) MODEL CAN BE CONSIDERED AS AN OVERARCHING NEUROBIOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK TO EXPLAIN THE SELF-REGULATORY MECHANISMS OF WELL-BEING PRESENT IN MINDFULNESS-BASED PRACTICES. THE CURRENT STUDY, BY CONNECTING AND APPLYING THE S-ART FRAMEWORK TO THE SELF-REGULATORY MECHANISMS IN YOGA AND GENERATING RELATED HYPOTHESES, PROVIDES A THEORY-LED EXPLANATION OF THE ACTION OF YOGA PRACTICES, WHICH IS SPARSE IN THE LITERATURE. TESTING THE S-ART MODEL IN YOGA IN TWO CULTURALLY DIVERSE SAMPLES, ASSESSING THE MODEL-MAPPED PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF ACTION, AND EXPLORING THE INFLUENCE OF PERSEVERANCE IN YOGA PRACTICE ARE THE ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF THIS STUDY. THE STUDY SAMPLE COMPRISED 362 YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND NON-PRACTITIONERS (197 INDIAN AND 165 SPANISH), WHO COMPLETED FOUR TESTS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES INDICATIVE OF THE AFOREMENTIONED THREE S-ART ABILITIES. THESE TESTS WERE MULTIDIMENSIONAL ASSESSMENT OF INTEROCEPTIVE AWARENESS (MAIA), EXPERIENCES QUESTIONNAIRE-DECENTERING (EQ-D) SUBSCALE, DIFFICULTIES IN EMOTION REGULATION SCALE (DERS), AND RELATIONAL COMPASSION SCALE (RCS). THE RESULTS INDICATED SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER SELF-AWARENESS AND SELF-REGULATORY ABILITIES IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS (INDIAN AND SPANISH IN A COMBINATION) THAN NON-PRACTITIONERS, REFLECTED IN HIGHER LEVELS OF INTEROCEPTIVE AWARENESS AND DECENTERING ABILITIES. MOREOVER, PERSEVERANCE IN YOGA PRACTICE ACTED AS A SIGNIFICANT PREDICTOR OF SELF-AWARENESS AND SELF-REGULATION IN PRACTITIONERS. AN ANALYSIS OF EACH CULTURAL SAMPLE REVEALED SOME DIFFERENCES. YOGA PRACTICE AND PERSEVERANCE IN IT ACTED AS A SIGNIFICANT PREDICTOR OF INTEROCEPTIVE AWARENESS AND DECENTERING IN INDIAN PRACTITIONERS HAVING MORE THAN 1 YEAR OF SUSTAINED YOGA PRACTICE, BUT FOR THE SPANISH PARTICIPANTS, PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND FREQUENCY OF YOGA PRACTICE ACTED AS BETTER PREDICTORS OF INTEROCEPTIVE AWARENESS AND DECENTERING IN COMPARISON TO YOGA PRACTICE AND PERSEVERANCE IN IT. THE OBTAINED RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT THE S-ART MODEL PROVIDED PRELIMINARY BUT PROMISING EVIDENCE FOR THE SELF-REGULATORY MECHANISMS OF ACTION IN YOGA PRACTICE WITHIN A CULTURALLY DIVERSE SAMPLE OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS. THIS STUDY ALSO WIDENS THE SCOPE OF GENERATING FURTHER HYPOTHESES USING THE S-ART THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR TESTING THE SELF-REGULATORY MECHANISMS OF ACTION IN YOGA PRACTICE. 2021 9 1802 24 PREVALENCE AND PREDICTORS OF YOGIC BREATHING AND MEDITATION USE - A NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE SURVEY OF US ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS. INTRODUCTION: YOGA PRACTICE IN COMMON USAGE IS OFTEN CONFINED TO THE PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PRACTICE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE USE OF TWO ADDITIONAL ASPECTS OF YOGA AS PART OF YOGA PRACTICE, I.E. YOGIC BREATHING AND MEDITATION (YOBAM). PREVALENCE AND PREDICTORS OF YOBAM USE AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS IN THE US GENERAL POPULATION WERE ANALYZED. METHOD: CROSS-SECTIONAL DATA FROM THE 2012 AND 2017 NATIONAL HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY (NHIS) (N = 61,267) WAS USED. 12-MONTH PREVALENCE OF YOGA USE AND YOBAM USE AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE ANALYZED DESCRIPTIVELY FOR THE TWO COHORTS RESPECTIVELY. LOGISTIC REGRESSION ANALYSES WERE USED TO ANALYZE SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH-RELATED PREDICTORS OF YOBAM USE AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS. RESULTS: 12-MONTH PREVALENCE OF YOGA USE AND YOBAM USE WERE 8.9 % AND 4.8 % RESPECTIVELY IN 2012. IN 2017, 13.3 % HAD PRACTICED YOGA IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS AND 7.0 % HAD USED YOBAM. YOGA PRACTITIONERS AGED BETWEEN 50 AND 64 COMPARED TO BEING 29 OR YOUNGER, FEMALES, HISPANICS AND THOSE EXPERIENCING MILD TO SEVERE FORMS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS WERE MORE LIKELY TO USE YOBAM AS PART OF THEIR YOGA PRACTICE. YOGA PRACTITIONERS LIVING IN THE MIDWEST OR IN A RELATIONSHIP WERE LESS LIKELY TO USE YOBAM. CONCLUSION: IN RECENT YEARS, THE NUMBER OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS IN THE US GENERAL POPULATION HAS CONSIDERABLY INCREASED AND YOBAM USE IS COMMON AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS. YOBAM USE SEEMS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH AGE, GENDER, ETHNICITY, REGION, MARITAL STATUS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS DIMENSIONS. 2021 10 2721 19 YOGA MEETS POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY: EXAMINING THE INTEGRATION OF HEDONIC (GRATITUDE) AND EUDAIMONIC (MEANING) WELLBEING IN RELATION TO THE EXTENT OF YOGA PRACTICE. THE PRESENT STUDY AIMS TO EXPLORE THE EXISTENCE OF A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE EXTENT OF YOGA PRACTICE AND TWO DIMENSIONS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING: MEANING IN LIFE AND GRATITUDE. BOTH OF THE VARIABLES ARE POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY CONSTRUCTS; THERE IS THEORETICAL AFFINITY AND EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE RELATED TO OVERALL PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING. ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FOUR PARTICIPANTS AGED 18 YEARS AND ABOVE, WITH YOGA EXPERIENCE RANGING FROM NONE TO OVER SIX YEARS, RESPONDED TO A NUMBER OF SCALES. THE EXTENT OF YOGA PRACTICE WAS MEASURED BY THE NUMBER OF YEARS DURING WHICH INDIVIDUALS PRACTICED YOGA AT LEAST TWO TIMES A WEEK. PARTICIPANTS RESPONDED TO THE FOLLOWING SCALES: MLQ (MEANING IN LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE) AND GQ-6 (GRATITUDE QUESTIONNAIRE). THIS STUDY HYPOTHESISED THAT THE NUMBER OF YEARS PRACTICING YOGA WOULD BE POSITIVELY CORRELATED TO THE SCORE OBTAINED ON THE AFOREMENTIONED SCALES. POSITIVE CORRELATIONS WERE IDENTIFIED BETWEEN THE EXTENT OF YOGA PRACTICE AND MEANING IN LIFE AND GRATITUDE. IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS REGARDING THE CONTRIBUTION OF YOGA TO BOTH HEDONIC AND EUDAIMONIC HAPPINESS ARE DISCUSSED. 2014 11 1937 23 ROLE OF YOGA IN THE TREATMENT OF NEUROTIC DISORDERS: CURRENT STATUS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS. A LARGE NUMBER OF STUDIES HAVE CONSISTENTLY DEMONSTRATED THE POTENTIAL OF YOGA, NOT ONLY IN THE TREATMENT OF PSYCHIATRIC AND PSYCHOSOMATIC DISORDER BUT ALSO IN PROMOTING POSITIVE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH. THIS PAPER REVIEWS VARIOUS STUDIES ON THE TREATMENT OF NEUROSIS WITH TECHNIQUES DERIVED FROM YOGA. A FEW LACUNAE HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AND POSSIBLE DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ARE OUTLINED. IT IS HOPED THAT RESEARCH ALONG THESE LINES WILL DEVELOP A STANDARDIZED METHOD OF YOGA THERAPY WHICH CAN BE UTILIZED AND INTEGRATED WITHIN THE EXISTING METHODS OF TREATMENT OF NEUROTIC DISORDERS. 1994 12 2375 21 WHITE PAPER: YOGA THERAPY AND PAIN-HOW YOGA THERAPY SERVES IN COMPREHENSIVE INTEGRATIVE PAIN MANAGEMENT, AND HOW IT CAN DO MORE. THIS PAPER EXAMINES THE ROLE OF YOGA THERAPY IN COMPREHENSIVE INTEGRATIVE PAIN MANAGEMENT (CIPM). THE PAIN CRISIS IS DESCRIBED, AND HOW YOGA THERAPISTS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO ITS SOLUTION IS EXPLAINED. YOGA THERAPY CAN BE AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY UNDERTAKING THAT WILL BE REQUIRED TO IMPROVE PATIENT OUTCOMES AND ALTER THE TRAJECTORY OF THE GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS CONSTITUTED BY AN EPIDEMIC OF POORLY UNDERSTOOD AND INADEQUATELY ADDRESSED PAIN. ADDITIONAL CONTEXT AND EVIDENCE ARE PRESENTED TO DOCUMENT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA THERAPY INTERVENTIONS TO SUPPORT PEOPLE LIVING WITH PAIN. THE WHITE PAPER CONCLUDES BY LISTING RECOMMENDATIONS TO PROVIDERS, CONSUMERS, PAYERS, AND LEGISLATORS, WHO TOGETHER CAN ADDRESS SYSTEMIC AND STRUCTURAL BARRIERS TO CIPM, AS WELL AS SUGGESTIONS FOR ENABLING THE YOGA THERAPY PROFESSION TO MORE FULLY PARTICIPATE IN THESE SOLUTIONS. 2020 13 2050 19 THE ASHTANGA YOGA HINDI SCALE: AN ASSESSMENT TOOL BASED ON EASTERN PHILOSOPHY OF YOGA. THE STUDY IMPORTS THE CONCEPT OF ASHTANGA YOGA FROM THE EASTERN PHILOSOPHY OF YOGA. THERE IS A MAJOR DISCONNECT BETWEEN THEORY AND DATA IN INDIAN PSYCHOLOGY. INDIAN PSYCHOLOGY PROVIDES A RICH THEORETICAL BASE FOR UNDERSTANDING OPTIMAL HUMAN FUNCTIONING. HOWEVER, THE THEORIES HAVE NOT BEEN TESTED DUE TO PAUCITY OF TOOLS. A TEST DEVELOPED ON ASHTANGA YOGA IS REPORTED. DATA WERE COLLECTED IN TWO PHASES FROM 550 PARTICIPANTS. THE DATA WERE ANALYZED USING EXPLORATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS. SEVEN FACTORS WERE EXTRACTED AS THE THEORY INDICATES. OVERALL RELIABILITY OF THE SCALE WAS FOUND TO BE EXCELLENT (ALPHA = 0.88), AND THE CRITERION-RELATED VALIDITY WAS SATISFACTORY AS CORRELATIONS WERE FOUND TO BE 0.46 AND 0.48 (P < 0.01) FOR FLOURISHING AND SPANE-P, RESPECTIVELY, AND -0.22 (P < 0.01) FOR SPANE-N. 2018 14 2910 15 [PREVENTIVE AND CURATIVE VALUE OF YOGA IN CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES]. YOGA AND OTHER BODY-MIND TECHNIQUES ENJOY AN INCREASING POPULARITY IN MANY FIELDS OF HEALTH MAINTAINING PRACTICES, IN PREVENTION OF SOME ILLNESSES AND IN CURATIVE MEDICINE IN SPITE OF OUR INCOMPLETE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ITS APPLICABILITY AND EFFECTS. THERE ARE LARGE DIFFERENCES AMONG THE VARIOUS YOGA-SCHOOLS AND THE HETEROGENEITY OF INDICATIONS ETC. IN THIS ARTICLE A BUCKET OF RECENT INFORMATION IS OFFERED FOR THE INQUIRERS ON THE POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES OF YOGA (DIET, MIND-EXERCISES, ASANAS, PRANAYAMAS) FOR DECREASING CARDIO-METABOLIC RISK FACTORS, STABILIZING MENTAL HEALTH, AND ITS ADDICTIVE USE IN CURATIVE MEDICINE. FEW ADVERSE SIDE-EFFECTS MAY OCCUR ONLY IN THE CASE OF MISAPPLICATION. ITS ADVANTAGES ARE LOW COSTS, AVAILABILITY FOR BROAD POPULATION, AND VERY FEW CONTRAINDICATIONS. DISADVANTAGES INCLUDE DIFFERENCES IN THE ABILITY OF YOGA INSTRUCTORS AND IN YOGA PRACTICES. 2016 15 2489 16 YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION IN THE TREATMENT OF EATING DISORDERS: DOES IT HELP? THIS ARTICLE EXPLORES THE USES OF YOGA AS AN EXPERIENTIAL ADJUNCT TO OTHER FORMS OF THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF EATING DISORDERS IN RESIDENTIAL AND OUTPATIENT SETTINGS. SUPPORTED BY OTHER TREATMENT MODALITIES, YOGA CAN BE AN EFFECTIVE METHOD FOR INCREASING SELF-AWARENESS, REFLECTION AND THE ABILITY TO SELF-SOOTHE. LIKE OTHER INTERVENTIONS, YOGA HAS POTENTIAL MISUSES. THESE MISUSES ARE UNCOVERED WITH SUGGESTIONS MADE AS TO HOW THERAPISTS CAN SUPPORT THE PRACTICE OF YOGA IN RESIDENTIAL AND OUTPATIENT SETTINGS. 2009 16 1213 22 EXPLORING PERCEIVED BENEFITS, MOTIVES, BARRIERS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRESCRIBING YOGA EXERCISES AS A NONPHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WITH EPILEPSY: A QUALITATIVE STUDY FROM PALESTINE. OBJECTIVES: YOGA IS BELIEVED TO PLAY A ROLE IN STABILIZING THE ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM AND THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM, THUS MIGHT HELP CONTROL SEIZURES IN PEOPLE WITH EPILEPSY (PWE). THIS QUALITATIVE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO EXPLORE EXPERIENCES OF PALESTINIAN PWE WITH REGARD TO BENEFITS, MOTIVES, BARRIERS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF PRESCRIBING YOGA EXERCISES AS A NONPHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTION. METHODS: PURPOSIVE AND SNOWBALL SAMPLING TECHNIQUES WERE USED TO RECRUIT PWE WHO PRACTICED YOGA. SEMI-STRUCTURED IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS (N=18) WERE CONDUCTED WITH THE STUDY PARTICIPANTS. THE INTERPRETIVE DESCRIPTION METHOD WAS USED TO QUALITATIVELY ANALYZE THE DATA COLLECTED DURING THE INTERVIEWS. RESULTS: FOLLOWING THE THEMATIC ANALYSIS ADOPTED FOR THIS STUDY, FOUR MAJOR THEMES EMERGED. THESE THEMES WERE AS FOLLOWS: PERCEIVED BENEFITS OF YOGA, MOTIVES TO PRACTICE YOGA, BARRIERS TO PRACTICE YOGA, AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON EFFECTIVE YOGA PRACTICE FOR PWE. THE PERCEIVED BENEFITS INCLUDED IMPROVEMENTS IN MANAGEMENT OF SEIZURES, PSYCHOLOGICAL, PHYSICAL, AND SOCIAL WELL-BEING. PEOPLE WITH EPILEPSY WERE MOTIVATED BY THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF YOGA. BARRIERS OF ADHERENCE TO PRACTICE INCLUDED PERSONAL AND LOGISTIC FACTORS. THE INTERVIEWEES RECOMMENDED TAILORING YOGA SESSIONS TO THE NEEDS OF PWE. CONCLUSION: THIS EXPLORATIVE QUALITATIVE STUDY REPORTED PERCEIVED BENEFITS, MOTIVES, BARRIERS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF YOGA AS A NONPHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTION FOR PWE. PEOPLE WITH EPILEPSY USED YOGA AS A BENEFICIAL NONPHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE THEIR HEALTH AND REDUCE THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF EPILEPSY ON THEIR PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING. FUTURE STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO INVESTIGATE THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF YOGA WHEN SESSIONS ARE TAILORED TO THE NEEDS OF PWE. 2020 17 242 24 A WELLBEING SKILL: MOVING ATTENTIVELY IN HOSPITAL YOGA PRACTICE. YOGA IS SOMETIMES INTERPRETED AS MEDICAL THERAPY AND THE EVIDENCE FROM BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH INDICATES THAT IT CAN BE USEFUL IN A BROAD RANGE OF HEALTH CONDITIONS. YOGA, HOWEVER, CAN ALSO BE PURSUED AS A PROCESS-ORIENTED CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICE. THIS ARTICLE DRAWS ON PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION-BASED RESEARCH WITH YOGA PRACTITIONERS AT TWO HOSPITALS, ONE IN PONDICHERRY, INDIA, AND ONE IN FUKUI, JAPAN. IT EXPLORES HOW PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES AT THESE HEALTHCARE INSTITUTIONS ARE INVITED TO MOVE WITHOUT ANTICIPATING AN OUTCOME AND TO CULTIVATE ATTITUDES SUCH AS CONTENTMENT AND NON-VIOLENCE. TAKING CUES FROM RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS' APPROACHES TO YOGA AS A SKILL AND FROM ANTHROPOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDINGS OF SKILL, YOGA IS CONSIDERED HERE AS A CAPACITY OF MOVING WITH AWARENESS. A SKILL-BASED APPROACH ALLOWS PRACTITIONERS TO TRY OUT YOGIC TECHNIQUES ACCORDING TO THEIR PERSONAL ABILITIES AND NEEDS. THE ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THAT, IN THE CONTEXTS DISCUSSED, YOGA PRACTITIONERS PURSUE WELLBEING NOT AS AN INDIVIDUAL THERAPEUTIC GOAL BUT AS MUTUAL EXPLORATIVE LEARNING. 2021 18 2902 22 [FROM YOGA TO PSYCHOSOCIAL CARE IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE: A HERMENEUTIC STUDY ON THE ETHICAL VALUES AND PRINCIPLES OF THE YOGA SUTRAS OF PATANJALI]. THE SCOPE OF THIS ARTICLE IS TO INTERPRET ETHICAL VALUES AND PRINCIPLES OF THE YOGA TRADITION AND DISCUSS THEM WITH A VIEW TO POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO PSYCHOSOCIAL CARE IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE (PHC). A THEORETICAL-HERMENEUTIC STUDY WAS CONDUCTED, IN WHICH CONCEPTS CONTAINED IN THE YOGA SUTRAS OF PATANJALI WERE INTERPRETED FROM THE STANDPOINT OF MENTAL HEALTH. IT WAS REVEALED THAT THE VALUES FOUND IN THE TEXTS CAN ENRICH THE EXISTING PRACTICES OF YOGA FOR PHC USERS (WHO SUFFER FROM AFFLICTIONS INHERENT TO LIFE) BY PROVIDING IDEAS AND GUIDELINES THAT PROMOTE A SENSE OF LIBERATION FROM SUFFERING. SUCH VALUES AND ETHICAL PRINCIPLES CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO THE DISCUSSIONS IN PHC AND PSYCHOSOCIAL CARE, SUCH AS THE REDUCTION OF IATROGENIC DISORDERS AND UNNECESSARY MEDICATION (QUATERNARY PREVENTION). IT CAN ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO THE RELATIVIZATION OF BIOMEDICAL POWER, STIMULATION OF EMPATHY AND PARTICIPATION OF USERS IN CARE, WITH THEIR SUBJECTIVE REPOSITIONING, MULTIPLYING AUTONOMOUS WAYS OF MANAGING SUFFERING AND BUILDING NETWORKS OF PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT. THE CONCLUSION DRAWN WAS THAT THE VALUES OF THE YOGA SUTRAS MAY BE PRESENT IN VARIOUS DOMAINS OF PHC, WHICH MIGHT PROVIDE A BROADER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT 'THE PRACTICE OF YOGA' MEANS. 2021 19 1256 15 FELDENKRAIS METHOD, ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE, AND YOGA--BODY AWARENESS THERAPY IN THE PERFORMING ARTS. THE THREE DISCIPLINES DESCRIBED ARE PRACTICED BY MANY INDIVIDUALS FOR A MYRIAD OF REASONS. DEPENDING UPON ABILITY AND DEPTH OF STUDY, TEACHERS OF ALL THREE DISCIPLINES MAY HAVE SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES WITH WHICH TO ANALYSE, INSTRUCT, AND INTERACT WITH STUDENTS/CLIENTS. IN THE AUTHOR'S EXPERIENCE, PERSONS WHO SEEK OUT THESE PRACTICES AND INCORPORATE THEM INTO THEIR DAILY LIVES AND EXPRESSIONS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OFTEN ARE MOTIVATED TO MAINTAIN OR ESTABLISH AN OPTIMAL STATE OF WELL-BEING AND FUNCTION. PHYSICIANS AND THERAPISTS WHO WORK WITH PERFORMING ARTISTS ARE IN A POSITION TO ENCOURAGE SUCH POSITIVE DIRECTION IN PATIENTS, PROVIDE INFORMATION ON LOCAL RESOURCES, AND CONSIDER THE PRACTICES AS COLLABORATIVE AND ADJUNCTIVE TO MEDICAL CARE. 2006 20 1735 25 PHENOMENOLOGICAL INQUIRY INTO PHOENIX RISING YOGA THERAPY. THERE IS GROWING RECOGNITION WITHIN PSYCHOLOGY AND OTHER DISCIPLINES THAT BODY EXPERIENCE MAY BE AS IMPORTANT AS COGNITIVE AND EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE. HOWEVER, PSYCHOLOGY HAS FEW PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS TO SUPPORT THE INTEGRATION OF MIND AND BODY WITHIN THERAPY. PHOENIX RISING YOGA THERAPY (PRYT) IS A FORM OF MIND-BODY THERAPY THAT USES YOGA POSTURE, TOUCH, AND PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC DIALOGUE TO FACILITATE GROWTH AND HEALING. THE CURRENT STUDY EXPLORED THE PHENOMENOLOGICAL EXPERIENCE OF FOUR WOMEN WHO EACH RECEIVED FIVE PRYT SESSIONS. RESEARCH QUESTIONS POSED WERE: (1) WHAT ARE THE CLIENTS' EXPERIENCES OF THE PHENOMENA OF PRYT? AND (2) HOW DOES RECEIVING PRYT SESSIONS IMPACT THE CLIENTS' LIVES? THE FOLLOWING THEMES EMERGED FROM THE DATA AS THE ESSENCE OF PRYT SESSIONS: MINDFULNESS, SELF-AWARENESS, MIND-BODY CONNECTION, IN VIVO EXPERIENCE OF NEW BEHAVIORS, CLIENT-DIRECTED, EMPOWERMENT, AND LIFE CHANGES. THESE THEMES SHOW SIGNIFICANCE IN THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION AND THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER ALTERNATIVE MODALITIES SUCH AS PRYT FOR CLIENTS. EACH PARTICIPANT NOTED GREATER INSIGHT INTO MIND-BODY CONNECTION. THEY NOTICED THE EFFECT OF COGNITION AND EMOTION ON THE BODY, OBSERVED HOW THE BODY CAN BE USED TO IMPROVE COPING THROUGH MOVEMENT AND BREATHING, AND EXPERIENCED DIFFERENT THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH DIFFERENT AREAS OF THEIR BODIES. ALTHOUGH THESE RESULTS ARE NOT NECESSARILY GENERALIZABLE, THEY OFFER INTERESTING THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR EMBODIED INTERVENTIONS. 2018