1 1268 125 FOR EXERCISE, RELAXATION, OR SPIRITUALITY: EXPLORING PARTICIPATION MOTIVES AND CONFORMITY TO MASCULINE NORMS AMONG MALE AND FEMALE YOGA PARTICIPANTS. YOGA IS A TRADITIONAL PRACTICE FROM INDIA WITH THE POTENTIAL TO PROMOTE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND HEALTH. PARTICIPATION WORLDWIDE REMAINS LOW, PARTICULARLY AMONG MEN. TO BETTER UNDERSTAND YOGA PARTICIPATION PARAMETERS, WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON WHAT INFLUENCES MALE PARTICIPATION, THIS STUDY EXAMINED GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PARTICIPATION MOTIVES AND CONFORMITY TO MASCULINE NORMS. IT ALSO EXPLORED THESE FACTORS ACROSS THREE PARTICIPANT SUBGROUPS WHO DIFFERED IN THEIR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PHYSICAL AND THE MORE PSYCHO-SPIRITUAL ASPECTS OF YOGA. A TOTAL OF 546 YOGA PARTICIPANTS (138 MALES, 399 FEMALES, 9 OTHERS), 18-73 YEARS OLD, COMPLETED AN ONLINE SURVEY THAT INCLUDED AN ADAPTED VERSION OF THE EXERCISE MOTIVATION INVENTORY-2 AND THREE SUBSCALES FROM THE CONFORMITY TO MASCULINE NORMS INVENTORY-46. RESULTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PARTICIPATION MOTIVES AND CONFORMITY TO MASCULINE NORMS. FEMALES WERE MORE MOTIVATED BY POSITIVE AFFECT, HEALTH/FITNESS, NIMBLENESS, MIND-BODY INTEGRATION, AND COPING/STRESS MANAGEMENT, WHEREAS MALES WERE MORE MOTIVATED BY SUPPLEMENTARY ACTIVITY AND COMPETITION/SOCIAL RECOGNITION. THESE DIFFERENCES SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IN TAILORING MESSAGES TO PROMOTE UPTAKE AND CONTINUED PARTICIPATION. FURTHERMORE, MALES WERE MORE LIKELY THAN FEMALES TO CONFORM TO EMOTIONAL CONTROL AND HETEROSEXUAL SELF-PRESENTATION MASCULINE NORMS. FUTURE RESEARCH MAY EXAMINE HOW DIFFERENCES IN MASCULINE NORM ADHERENCE INFLUENCES UPTAKE, PARTICULARLY AMONG MEN. 2022 2 647 30 DOWNWARD DOG BECOMES FIT BODY, INC.: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF 40 YEARS OF FEMALE COVER IMAGES OF YOGA JOURNAL. THE PRESENT ANALYSIS INVESTIGATED TEMPORAL TRENDS IN PHYSICAL APPEARANCE ATTRIBUTES AND ATTIRE WORN BY FEMALE COVER MODELS OF YOGA JOURNAL MAGAZINE BETWEEN THE YEARS 1975-2015. COVERS FEATURING A SINGLE FEMALE MODEL (N=168) WERE CODED FOR: POSE ACTIVITY, AMOUNT OF BODY VISIBILITY, PERCEIVED BODY SIZE, BODY SHAPE, BREAST SIZE, SKIN EXPOSURE, AND REVEALING OR FORM-FITTING ATTIRE. WHEN COLLAPSED ACROSS ALL DECADES, THE MAJORITY OF COVER MODELS WAS ACTIVELY POSED WITH HIGH BODY VISIBILITY, RATED AS AT MOST LOW NORMAL WEIGHT, POSSESSED EITHER A "THIN/LEAN" OR "SKINNY/BONEY" BODY SHAPE, AND WERE "FLAT-CHESTED" OR "SMALL-BREASTED". GREATER BODY VISIBILITY, POSE ACTIVITY, THINNESS/LEANNESS, SKIN EXPOSURE, AND FORM-FITTING ATTIRE WERE FEATURED ON MORE RECENT YEARS' COVERS. FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT THE FEMALE "YOGA BODY" CONFORMS TO THE CONTEMPORARY THIN- AND-TONED MEDIA FITNESS IDEAL, PARTICULARLY RECENTLY, WHICH MAY PROMOTE OBJECTIFIED BODY COMPETENCE, AN UNHEALTHY DRIVE FOR LEANNESS, AND DISSUADE HIGHER WEIGHT WOMEN FROM CONSIDERING YOGA PRACTICE. 2017 3 1510 26 IS THE "YOGA BOD" THE NEW SKINNY?: A COMPARATIVE CONTENT ANALYSIS OF MAINSTREAM YOGA LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE COVERS. AS YOGA HAS GAINED POPULARITY IN WESTERN CULTURE, CONCERNS HAVE BEEN RAISED ABOUT ITS INCREASED COMMERCIALIZATION AND ASSIMILATION INTO THE PREDOMINANTLY APPEARANCE-FOCUSED EXERCISE AND FITNESS CULTURE. IN THIS CONTEXT, THE PRESENT STUDY EXAMINED THE PHYSICAL APPEARANCE-RELATED CHARACTERISTICS (E.G., RACE/ETHNICITY, BODY SIZE, SHAPE, OBJECTIFYING APPAREL) OF 142 FEMALE MODELS AND THE MEDIA FRAMES OF 567 CAPTIONS (E.G., COMMERCIALISM, BODY COMPETENCE, HEALTH, WEIGHT/PHYSICAL APPEARANCE) FEATURED ON THE COVERS OF THREE WESTERNIZED YOGA LIFESTYLE MAGAZINES PUBLISHED BETWEEN 2010-2015. RESULTS INDICATED THAT MOST MODELS WERE WHITE, EMBODYING THE CONTEMPORARY "THIN-AND-LEAN" MEDIA FITNESS AESTHETIC. MODELS WERE ACTIVELY POSED WITH HIGH BODY VISIBILITY; AN APPRECIABLE MINORITY WAS PARTIALLY-CLAD IN SKIN-REVEALING OR FORM-FITTING UPPER-BODY ATTIRE. MEDIA FRAMES CONVEYING COMMERCIALISM AND BODY COMPETENCE WERE EQUALLY PRESENT. THE PATTERN OF EFFECTS TENDED TO REFLECT THE STRENGTH OF THE MAGAZINE TITLE'S ENDORSEMENT OF EXERCISE AND FITNESS CULTURAL VALUES. CLINICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS ALONG WITH FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS ARE DISCUSSED. 2017 4 155 38 A QUALITATIVE STUDY EXPLORING YOGA IN VETERANS WITH PTSD SYMPTOMS. QUANTITATIVE STUDIES OF YOGA HAVE REPORTED REDUCED POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) SYMPTOMS IN VETERANS, BUT LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT HOW AND WHY VETERANS ARE ATTRACTED TO AND STICK WITH A YOGA PRACTICE. GUIDED BY THE HEALTH BELIEF MODEL, THIS STUDY EXAMINED VETERANS' PERCEPTIONS OF THE BENEFITS, BARRIERS, AND MOTIVATIONS TO CONTINUE PRACTICING TRAUMA-SENSITIVE YOGA. INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH NINE INDIVIDUALS, FIVE OF WHOM COMPLETED A 6-WEEK TRAUMA-SENSITIVE YOGA INTERVENTION DESIGNED FOR VETERANS AND FOUR WHO DID NOT COMPLETE THE INTERVENTION. TRANSCRIPTS WERE ANALYZED FOR THEMES. THE BENEFITS IDENTIFIED BY VETERANS WERE FINDING MENTAL STILLNESS, BODY AWARENESS, AND SOCIAL CONNECTION. THE BARRIERS WERE PERCEPTIONS THAT YOGA IS SOCIALLY UNACCEPTABLE, ESPECIALLY FOR MEN, AND PHYSICALLY UNCHALLENGING. UNDERSTANDING THESE BENEFITS AND BARRIERS CAN HELP TO MAKE YOGA MORE ATTRACTIVE TO SERVICE MEMBERS AND VETERANS. FOR EXAMPLE, MEDICAL PERSONNEL CAN REFER SERVICE MEMBERS AND VETERANS TO YOGA NOT ONLY FOR PTSD SYMPTOMS, BUT ALSO TO ADDRESS BACK PAIN AND TO REDUCE ISOLATION. ACCESS TO MALE YOGA INSTRUCTORS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO ARE THEMSELVES SERVICE MEMBERS OR VETERANS, COULD BE EXPANDED, AND CLASSES COULD BE INTEGRATED INTO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ROUTINES REQUIRED OF ACTIVE-DUTY PERSONNEL. PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS CAN FEATURE MALE SERVICE MEMBERS AND VETERANS WITH CAPTIONS RELATED TO YOGA AS A WAY TO INCREASE RESILIENCY, SELF-SUFFICIENCY, AND PHYSICAL AND MENTAL MISSION READINESS. FINDINGS FROM THIS STUDY CAN HELP THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND THE VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION IMPLEMENT YOGA AS AN ADJUNCT OR ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT FOR VETERANS WITH PTSD SYMPTOMS. 2018 5 1776 29 PRACTICE OR PERFORMANCE? A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF YOGA-RELATED VIDEOS ON INSTAGRAM. REPRESENTATIONS OF YOGA WITHIN MEDIA HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY IDEALISED, DEPICTING TYPICAL PRACTITIONERS AS YOUNG, THIN, AND PHYSICALLY COMPETENT. WHILE PREVIOUS CONTENT ANALYSES OF YOGA HAVE FOCUSED ON STILL IMAGES, SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS SUCH AS INSTAGRAM ENCOURAGE THE USE OF VIDEO TO ENHANCE VIEWER ENGAGEMENT. VIDEO MAY CONTAIN FEATURES WHICH REFLECT A MORE NUANCED VIEW OF THE BODY, AND THEREFORE THE CURRENT STUDY ANALYSED 400 WOMEN IN YOGA-RELATED VIDEOS ON INSTAGRAM FOR APPEARANCE CHARACTERISTICS, BODY CONCEPTUALISATION, YOGA POSE TYPE, RISK, AND PERCEIVED INTENTION. THE VAST MAJORITY OF WOMEN WERE PERCEIVED TO BE IN THEIR 20S AND THIN OR ATHLETIC. ONLY 13.2 % OF WOMEN SHOWED AVERAGE VISIBLE LEVELS OF BODY FAT, WHILE MORE THAN A THIRD DISPLAYED VISIBLE MUSCULARITY ACROSS MULTIPLE MUSCLE GROUPS. THERE WAS LITTLE PRESENCE OF OBJECTIFICATION WITH THE MAJORITY OF WOMEN IN ACTIVE POSES, THOUGH MORE THAN 60 % OF POSES/SEQUENCES WERE ADVANCED AND POTENTIALLY RISKY. THE VAST MAJORITY OF VIDEOS APPEARED TO BE FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEMONSTRATING SKILL RATHER THAN INSTRUCTING THE VIEWER. THE FINDINGS SHOW THAT VIDEOS ON INSTAGRAM PERPETUATE UNREALISTIC APPEARANCE IDEALS IN YOGA AND ALSO PROVIDE A PLATFORM FOR CONTENT CREATORS TO ENGAGE VIEWERS BY REPRESENTING YOGA AS A HIGHLY PERFORMATIVE, PREDOMINANTLY ADVANCED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. 2021 6 1284 30 GOT YOGA?: A LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS OF THEMATIC CONTENT AND MODELS' APPEARANCE-RELATED ATTRIBUTES IN ADVERTISEMENTS SPANNING FOUR DECADES OF YOGA JOURNAL. YOGA HAS BECOME AN INCREASINGLY COMMON HEALTH PRACTICE AMONG U.S. ADULTS OVER THE PAST DECADE. WITH THIS GROWTH IN POPULARITY, YOGA-RELATED PRINT MEDIA HAVE BEEN CRITICIZED FOR SHIFTING AWAY FROM YOGA'S TRADITIONAL PHILOSOPHIES AND PROMOTING A THIN, LEAN IDEAL PHYSIQUE REPRESENTING THE "YOGA BODY." THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO (A) ANALYZE THE PRESENCE AND CONTENT OF ADVERTISEMENTS OVER THE 40-YEAR PUBLICATION HISTORY OF YOGA JOURNAL MAGAZINE AND (B) EXPLORE FEMALE ADVERTISEMENT MODELS' SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC AND APPEARANCE-RELATED ATTRIBUTES OVER TIME. RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT YOGA JOURNAL NOW CONTAINS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE ADVERTISEMENTS FOR FOOD, NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS, AND APPAREL AND FEWER ADVERTISEMENTS FOR MEDITATION AND NUTRITIONAL PRACTICES THAN IN ITS EARLY YEARS OF PUBLICATION. MODELS WERE MORE FREQUENTLY RATED AS WHITE AND IN THEIR 20S AND 30S IN RECENT YEARS OF PUBLICATION. TRENDS IN MODEL BODY SIZE MATCHED SHIFTS IN CULTURALLY DOMINANT BODY IDEALS OVER TIME. IMPLICATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS ARE CONSIDERED. 2017 7 2042 30 THE 'WORLD OF YOGA': THE PRODUCTION AND REPRODUCTION OF THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES. YOGA IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE FASHIONABLE ALL AROUND THE WORLD. THIS ACTIVITY, PARTLY CONSIDERED AS THERAPEUTIC, REVEALS CONTEMPORARY WAYS OF PRODUCING GLOBAL PRACTICES. VIA A QUESTIONNAIRE COMPLETED BY INDIVIDUALS AT YOGA CENTRES IN INDIA AND FRANCE, THE PAPER ANALYSES THIS PHENOMENON USING THE CONCEPT OF THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES. FURTHERMORE, IT EXAMINES HOW THESE THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES ARE INFLUENCED BY GLOBALISATION. BRINGING TOGETHER THE CONCEPTS OF THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES, GLOBALISATION AND THE PRACTICE OF YOGA, THE PAPER ANALYSES THE PRODUCTION AND REPRODUCTION OF YOGIC THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES IN THE WORLD'S SPACE. CONSTITUTED OF NATURAL PHYSICAL ELEMENTS AND BUILT STRUCTURES, THESE THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES ARE ALSO STRONGLY LINKED TO EMOTIONAL QUALITIES AND INTIMATE FEELINGS EVOKED BY THE PLACE AND RELATED TO HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. THE PAPER ALSO UNDERLINES THAT THE EMERGENCE OF INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES DEMANDS A CULTURAL AND SOCIAL GEOGRAPHICAL APPROACH THAT COULD HELP TO EXAMINE THE REPERCUSSIONS OF LOCAL AND GLOBAL PHENOMENA ON THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES. INDEED, VERY OFTEN, YOGIS, ALL AROUND THE WORLD, REFER TO IDEAL PLACES WHERE THEY RARELY GO. CONSEQUENTLY, THEY CREATE AN IMAGINED THERAPEUTIC ENVIRONMENT THAT THE PAPER DESCRIBES. 2007 8 1513 37 IS THIS WHAT A FEMALE YOGI LOOKS LIKE? A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF YOGA IMAGES ON INSTAGRAM. AS YOGA CONTINUES TO INCREASE IN GLOBAL POPULARITY, IDEALIZED REPRESENTATIONS OF A THIN, ATHLETIC 'YOGA BODY' HAVE ALSO BECOME MORE PROMINENT ACROSS COMMERCIAL MEDIA. TO EXAMINE HOW YOGA IS TYPICALLY REPRESENTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA, A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE POSTS OF FEMALE YOGA PRACTITIONERS ON INSTAGRAM WAS UNDERTAKEN. IMAGES WERE SOURCED USING HASHTAGS #YOGA, #YOGABODY, #YOGAPRACTICE, AND #YOGAWOMAN, AND 200 FEMALES PER HASHTAG WERE THEN CODED ON DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS, BODY SHAPE, ACTIVITY, OBJECTIFICATION, AND PRACTICE OF YOGA. RESULTS SHOWED THAT OVER 90 % OF WOMEN IN THE IMAGES WERE CODED AS BEING UNDER 40 YEARS OF AGE WITH THE VAST MAJORITY IN THEIR 20 S. ALMOST THREE-QUARTERS OF WOMEN WERE PERCEIVED TO BE WHITE, 100 % APPEARED ABLE BODIED. MORE THAN 80 % WERE CLASSED AS THIN AND/OR ATHLETIC, WHILE LESS THAN 15 % DISPLAYED AVERAGE LEVELS OF VISIBLE BODY FAT. MORE THAN 50 % OF YOGA POSES WERE ADVANCED WHILE A QUARTER DISPLAYED POTENTIALLY UNSAFE ALIGNMENT. THE FINDINGS DEMONSTRATE THAT THE TYPICAL 'YOGA BODY' ON INSTAGRAM WAS PERCEIVED TO CONFORM TO THE YOUNG, THIN/ATHLETIC IDEAL AND THAT OVERALL YOGA IS NOT BEING REPRESENTED AS AN INCLUSIVE PHYSICAL PRACTICE THAT CAN BE ADAPTED FOR WOMEN OF DIVERSE AGES, BODY TYPES, AND ABILITIES. 2021 9 1878 29 REALIZING YOGA'S ALL-ACCESS PASS: A SOCIAL JUSTICE CRITIQUE OF WESTERNIZED YOGA AND INCLUSIVE EMBODIMENT. IN THE 21(ST) CENTURY, THE ANCIENT MIND-BODY PRACTICE OF YOGA HAS SURGED IN POPULARITY AMONG WESTERN ENTHUSIASTS FOR ITS NUMEROUS HEALTH BENEFITS. PARTICULARLY, A GROWING EVIDENCE BASE SUPPORTS YOGA FOR CULTIVATING POSITIVE EMBODIMENT AND REDUCING RISK FOR DISORDERED EATING. NEVERTHELESS, AMIDST ITS RISE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT YOGA'S DEPARTURE FROM ITS SPIRITUAL FOUNDATIONS AND INCREASING ASSIMILATION INTO THE APPEARANCE- AND COMMERCIAL-DRIVEN EXERCISE AND FITNESS CULTURE. CONSEQUENTLY, AN EXCLUSIONARY IDENTITY HAS BEEN PERPETUATED IN SHAPING NORMS SURROUNDING WHO CAN AND DOES PRACTICE YOGA, WHICH CONTRADICTS EARLIER EGALITARIAN VISIONS OF A YOGA FOR ALL. THEREFORE, WE ADOPT A SOCIAL JUSTICE LENS IN OFFERING A FOCUSED ANALYSIS OF THE INTERSECTION OF YOGA, EMBODIMENT, AND INCLUSION FOR SELECT MARGINALIZED SOCIAL IDENTITIES TYPICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND IN YOGA SCHOLARSHIP. DATA ARE SYNTHESIZED FROM BOTH QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE SOURCES AND INTEGRATE AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW CONFINED MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS OF "THE YOGA BODY" AND OTHER PRACTICAL CONSTRAINTS MAY UNDERMINE THE PERCEIVED ACCESS TO THE PRACTICE FOR MEMBERS OF DIVERSE GROUPS. WE CONCLUDE WITH INVITING FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS TOWARDS FOSTERING MORE INTERDISCIPLINARY COMMUNITY-BASED RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS AMONG THE VARIETY OF STAKEHOLDERS INVESTED IN ADVANCING THE ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION OF YOGA AND POSITIVE EMBODIMENT FOR ALL BODIES. 2020 10 1309 18 HEALING AND THE MIND/BODY ARTS: MASSAGE, ACUPUNCTURE, YOGA, T'AI CHI, AND FELDENKRAIS. 1. THE HEALTH PRACTITIONER MAY ENCOUNTER CLIENTS WHO ARE FACED WITH PROBLEMS THAT DO NOT SEEM TO RESPOND TO TRADITIONAL HEALTH CARE. 2. ONE WAY THAT SOME CHOOSE TO CONFRONT THESE SYSTEMIC COMPLAINTS IS TO EMPLOY SOME OF THE HEALTH TRADITIONS OF OTHER CULTURES AND TO VIEW THE BODY AND MIND AS A BALANCED WHOLE. 3. MASSAGE, ACUPUNCTURE AND ACUPRESSURE, T'AI CHI, AND FELDENKRAIS FOCUS ON THE MIND/BODY CONNECTION TO FACILITATE HEALING THROUGH RELAXATION, PRESSURE POINTS, AND MOVEMENT. 1993 11 2728 36 YOGA NOT A (PHYSICAL) CULTURE FOR MEN? UNDERSTANDING THE BARRIERS FOR YOGA PARTICIPATION AMONG MEN. YOGA OFFERS AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO HEALTH AND WELL-BEING THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BENEFIT MEN. THIS QUALITATIVE DESCRIPTIVE STUDY EXAMINED MEN'S PERCEPTIONS OF YOGA, AND IDENTIFIED BARRIERS AND POSSIBLE FACILITATORS FOR PARTICIPATION. TWENTY-ONE NON-YOGA PARTICIPANT MEN, 18-60 YEARS OLD, AND LIVING IN QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA, WERE INTERVIEWED. TWO MAJOR BARRIERS WERE IDENTIFIED USING THEMATIC ANALYSIS: (1) PREFERENCE FOR OTHER FORMS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND (2) GENDER-RELATED PERCEPTIONS AND PRESSURES (I.E., PERCEPTION OF YOGA AS FEMININE, AND PRESENCE OF "BLOKE" CULTURE AND MASCULINE IDEALS IN SOCIETY). POTENTIAL FACILITATORS INCLUDED: (1) ACCEPTABILITY OF YOGA AMONG MEN, (2) PROVIDING BRIEF INFORMATION SESSIONS, AND (3) MEN-ONLY CLASSES. THE NON-COMPETITIVE NATURE OF YOGA, IN ADDITION TO BEING PREDOMINANTLY UNDERTAKEN BY WOMEN, MAKES IT LESS APPEALING FOR MEN LIVING IN AUSTRALIA. THESE BARRIERS NEED TO BE CONSIDERED IF YOGA IS TO BE PROMOTED AS AN OPTION FOR MEN, PARTICULARLY THOSE NOT DRAWN TO TRADITIONAL SPORTS OR EXERCISE. 2021 12 1641 21 MONITORING THE NEURAL ACTIVITY OF THE STATE OF MENTAL SILENCE WHILE PRACTICING SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION. OBJECTIVE: TO IDENTIFY THE NEURAL CORRELATES OF THE STATE OF MENTAL SILENCE AS EXPERIENCED THROUGH SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION. DESIGN: NINETEEN EXPERIENCED MEDITATORS UNDERWENT FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING DURING THREE SHORT CONSECUTIVE MEDITATION PERIODS, CONTRASTED WITH A CONTROL RELAXATION CONDITION. RESULTS: RELATIVE TO BASELINE, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEDITATION SESSIONS THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF ACTIVATION IN BILATERAL INFERIOR FRONTAL AND TEMPORAL REGIONS. ACTIVATION BECAME PROGRESSIVELY MORE REDUCED WITH DEEPER MEDITATION STAGES AND IN THE LAST MEDITATION SESSION IT BECAME LOCALIZED TO THE RIGHT INFERIOR FRONTAL CORTEX/ RIGHT INSULA AND RIGHT MIDDLE/SUPERIOR TEMPORAL CORTEX. FURTHERMORE, RIGHT INFERIOR FRONTAL ACTIVATION WAS DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SUBJECTIVE DEPTH OF THE MENTAL SILENCE EXPERIENCE. CONCLUSIONS: MEDITATORS APPEAR TO PASS THROUGH AN INITIAL INTENSE NEURAL SELF-CONTROL PROCESS NECESSARY TO SILENCE THEIR MIND. AFTER THIS THEY EXPERIENCE RELATIVELY REDUCED BRAIN ACTIVATION CONCOMITANT WITH THE DEEPENING OF THE STATE OF MENTAL SILENCE OVER RIGHT INFERIOR FRONTAL CORTEX, PROBABLY REFLECTING AN EFFORTLESS PROCESS OF ATTENTIONAL CONTEMPLATION ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STATE. 2015 13 65 28 A CONCEPTUAL MODEL DESCRIBING MECHANISMS FOR HOW YOGA PRACTICE MAY SUPPORT POSITIVE EMBODIMENT. YOGA PRACTICE HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH VARIOUS INDICES OF POSITIVE EMBODIMENT IN CORRELATIONAL AND INTERVENTION STUDIES. YET, SYSTEMATIC, THEORETICALLY-GROUNDED MODELS DETAILING SPECIFIC MECHANISMS BY WHICH YOGA SUPPORTS POSITIVE EMBODIMENT ARE LACKING. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE PRESENT A CONCEPTUAL MODEL THAT DESCRIBES MECHANISMS (I.E., MEDIATORS AND MODERATORS) THAT CAN BE USED TO GUIDE RESEARCH TO HELP ANSWER HOW, FOR WHOM, AND UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS YOGA PRACTICE MAY PROMOTE POSITIVE EMBODIMENT. BASED ON EXISTING THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS AND EMPIRICAL FINDINGS, THIS MODEL SUGGESTS THAT (A) YOGA PRACTICE MAY CULTIVATE EMBODYING EXPERIENCES DURING YOGA (E.G., STATE MINDFULNESS), (B) THESE EMBODYING EXPERIENCES MAY BUILD STABLE EMBODYING EXPERIENCES THAT GENERALIZE BEYOND THE YOGA CONTEXT (E.G., TRAIT MINDFULNESS), AND (C) THESE STABLE EMBODYING EXPERIENCES MAY THEN PROMOTE EMBODYING PRACTICES (E.G., MINDFUL SELF-CARE). THIS MEDIATIONAL CHAIN IS LIKELY MODERATED BY THE YOGA CONTEXT (E.G., INSTRUCTIONAL FOCUS, PRESENCE OF MIRRORS, DIVERSITY OF BODIES REPRESENTED) AND YOGA PRACTITIONERS' SOCIAL IDENTITIES (E.G., BODY SIZE, PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS), SOCIAL AND PERSONAL HISTORIES (E.G., EXPERIENCES WITH WEIGHT STIGMA AND TRAUMA), AND PERSONALITY TRAITS AND MOTIVES (E.G., BODY COMPARISON, APPEARANCE-FOCUSED MOTIVES TO PRACTICE YOGA). USING THE STRUCTURE OF THIS CONCEPTUAL MODEL, WE OFFER RESEARCHERS IDEAS FOR TESTABLE MODELS AND STUDY DESIGNS THAT CAN SUPPORT THEM. 2020 14 1289 30 GREATER WIDESPREAD FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY OF THE CAUDATE IN OLDER ADULTS WHO PRACTICE KRIPALU YOGA AND VIPASSANA MEDITATION THAN IN CONTROLS. THERE HAS BEEN A GROWING INTEREST IN UNDERSTANDING HOW CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES AFFECT BRAIN FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATION. HOWEVER, MOST STUDIES HAVE RESTRICTED THEIR EXPLORATION TO PREDEFINED NETWORKS. FURTHERMORE, SCIENTIFIC COMPARISONS OF DIFFERENT CONTEMPLATIVE TRADITIONS ARE LARGELY LACKING. HERE WE EXPLORED DIFFERENCES IN WHOLE BRAIN RESTING STATE FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN EXPERIENCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS, EXPERIENCED MEDITATORS, AND MATCHED CONTROLS. ANALYSES WERE REPEATED IN AN INDEPENDENT SAMPLE OF EXPERIENCED MEDITATORS AND MATCHED CONTROLS. ANALYSES UTILIZING NETWORK-BASED STATISTICS (ZALESKY ET AL., 2010) REVEALED DIFFERENCE COMPONENTS FOR YOGA PRACTITIONERS > CONTROLS AND MEDITATORS > CONTROLS IN WHICH THE RIGHT CAUDATE WAS A CENTRAL NODE. FOLLOW UP ANALYSES REVEALED THAT YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND MEDITATORS HAD SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER DEGREE CENTRALITY IN THE CAUDATE THAN CONTROLS. THIS GREATER DEGREE CENTRALITY WAS NOT DRIVEN BY SINGLE CONNECTIONS BUT BY GREATER CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THE CAUDATE AND NUMEROUS BRAIN REGIONS. FINDINGS OF GREATER CAUDATE CONNECTIVITY IN MEDITATORS THAN IN CONTROLS WAS REPLICATED IN AN INDEPENDENT DATASET. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTITIONERS HAVE STRONGER FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY WITHIN BASAL GANGLIA CORTICO-THALAMIC FEEDBACK LOOPS THAN NON-PRACTITIONERS. ALTHOUGH WE COULD NOT PROVIDE EVIDENCE FOR ITS MECHANISTIC ROLE, THIS GREATER CONNECTIVITY MIGHT BE RELATED TO THE OFTEN REPORTED EFFECTS OF MEDITATION AND YOGA ON BEHAVIORAL FLEXIBILITY, MENTAL HEALTH, AND WELL-BEING. 2015 15 2211 29 THE HEALTH IMAGINARY OF POSTURAL YOGA. THIS PAPER EXPLORES THE CAPACITY OF YOGA NARRATIVES AND PRACTICES TO CONTRIBUTE TO AND RELATE IDEAS ABOUT HEALTH. IT ADDS THEORETICALLY TO EXISTING LITERATURE ON YOGA BY INTRODUCING THE CONCEPT OF THE 'HEALTH IMAGINARY' AS AN ANALYTIC LENS FOR CONSIDERING YOGA DISCOURSES IN LATE MODERN TIMES, WHERE PERSONAL HEALTH CARE AND SPIRITUAL AMBITIONS ARE ONCE AGAIN BECOMING BLURRED. WITH THIS PERSPECTIVE, THE PAPER PROVIDES A THOROUGH ANALYSIS OF HOW YOGA POSTURES (ASANAS) ARE CONCEIVED TO WORK THERAPEUTICALLY, IN YOGA'S RECENT HISTORY AND IN PRESENT-DAY YOGA THERAPY. TAKING CASE STUDIES FROM INDIA AND GERMANY, IT IS SHOWN EMPIRICALLY HOW THE APPLICATION OF ASANAS IS RATIONALIZED DIFFERENTLY IN SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHICAL AND THERAPEUTIC ENVIRONMENTS - PARTICULARLY REGARDING THE PRESUMED THEORY OF THE BODY. THUS, THE CONCEPT OF THE HEALTH IMAGINARY NOT ONLY PROVIDES ANALYTIC SPACE TO EXPLORE THE IMPLICIT LOGICS AND GOALS OF HEALING IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS, BUT ALSO OFFERS CLUES ABOUT THE DISTINCT SOCIAL, CULTURAL/RELIGIOUS, AND LOCAL INFLUENCES THAT DRAW PEOPLE INTO YOGA AND CONTRIBUTE TO ITS SELECTIVE APPROPRIATION ACROSS THE GLOBE. 2021 16 1266 19 FLUID INTELLIGENCE AND BRAIN FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATION IN AGING YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTITIONERS. NUMEROUS STUDIES HAVE DOCUMENTED THE NORMAL AGE-RELATED DECLINE OF NEURAL STRUCTURE, FUNCTION, AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT MEDITATION MAY REDUCE DECLINE IN SPECIFIC COGNITIVE DOMAINS AND IN BRAIN STRUCTURE. HERE WE EXTENDED THIS RESEARCH BY INVESTIGATING THE RELATION BETWEEN AGE AND FLUID INTELLIGENCE AND RESTING STATE BRAIN FUNCTIONAL NETWORK ARCHITECTURE USING GRAPH THEORY, IN MIDDLE-AGED YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTITIONERS, AND MATCHED CONTROLS. FLUID INTELLIGENCE DECLINED SLOWER IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND MEDITATORS COMBINED THAN IN CONTROLS. RESTING STATE FUNCTIONAL NETWORKS OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND MEDITATORS COMBINED WERE MORE INTEGRATED AND MORE RESILIENT TO DAMAGE THAN THOSE OF CONTROLS. FURTHERMORE, MINDFULNESS WAS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH FLUID INTELLIGENCE, RESILIENCE, AND GLOBAL NETWORK EFFICIENCY. THESE FINDINGS REVEAL THE POSSIBILITY TO INCREASE RESILIENCE AND TO SLOW THE DECLINE OF FLUID INTELLIGENCE AND BRAIN FUNCTIONAL ARCHITECTURE AND SUGGEST THAT MINDFULNESS PLAYS A MECHANISTIC ROLE IN THIS PRESERVATION. 2014 17 21 27 "YOGA RESETS MY INNER PEACE BAROMETER": A QUALITATIVE STUDY ILLUMINATING THE PATHWAYS OF HOW YOGA IMPACTS ONE'S RELATIONSHIP TO ONESELF AND TO OTHERS. OBJECTIVES: THE PURPOSE OF THIS QUALITATIVE STUDY WAS TWOFOLD: (1) TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW YOGA PRACTITIONERS PERCEIVE INTRA- AND INTERPERSONAL OUTCOMES OF THEIR YOGA PRACTICE, AND (2) TO DEVELOP A CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF YOGA EFFECTS ON INTRA- AND INTERPERSONAL OUTCOMES THAT MAY UNDERLIE THE "RELATIONAL" INFLUENCES OF YOGA. DESIGN: AS PART OF A LARGER STUDY, 107 COMMUNITY-DWELLING YOGA PRACTITIONERS (AGE M=41.2+/-15.9YEARS) COMPLETED OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS WHICH ASKED QUESTIONS FOCUSING ON WHETHER YOGA INFLUENCES ONE'S RELATIONSHIP TO ONESELF AND TO OTHERS. A SUBSAMPLE (N=12) COMPLETED IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS. THE OPEN-ENDED RESPONSES WERE ANALYZED USING CONTENT ANALYSIS, AND VERBATIM INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS WERE ANALYZED FOR EMERGENT THEMES USING A CONSTANT COMPARISON APPROACH. RESULTS: FOUR EMERGING THEMES WERE IDENTIFIED SUCH THAT PRACTITIONERS TALKED ABOUT THE ABILITY OF YOGA TO GENERATE CALM STATES, MINDFULNESS, (SELF-)COMPASSION, AND A SENSE OF CONNECTEDNESS. THROUGHOUT THE THEMES, A COMMON PATTERN EMERGED SUCH THAT YOGA PRACTICE FIRST LED TO POSITIVE INTRAPERSONAL CHANGES, WHICH THEN INFLUENCED ONE'S INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS. BASED ON THESE RESULTS, A CONCEPTUAL MODEL WAS DEVELOPED DEPICTING POTENTIAL PATHWAYS OF HOW YOGA WORKS TO ENHANCE RELATIONAL OUTCOMES. CONCLUSION: FINDINGS DEMONSTRATE THE PROMISE YOGA HOLDS TO IMPROVE ONE'S RELATIONSHIP TO ONESELF (INTRAPERSONAL) THROUGH MINDFULNESS AND SELF-COMPASSION, AND TO OTHERS (INTERPERSONAL), THROUGH THE ENHANCEMENT OF COMPASSION AND SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS, WHICH MAY POTENTIALLY LEAD TO ENHANCED HEALTH AND WELLBEING OUTCOMES. FURTHER EMPIRICAL TESTING OF THE MODEL IS WARRANTED. 2018 18 561 22 CREATING SPACE THROUGH AFRICA YOGA PROJECT: A QUALITATIVE STUDY. THIS QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS EXAMINED TEACHERS' EXPERIENCES OF THE AFRICA YOGA PROJECT (AYP), A MENTORING-ORIENTED YOGA PROGRAM FOR FOSTERING RESILIENCE AMONG INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS IMPACTED BY POVERTY AND TRAUMA. INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED WITH AYP TEACHERS WERE CODED USING QUALITATIVE CONTENT ANALYSIS. THEMES DEMONSTRATED THAT AYP BENEFITED PARTICIPANTS BY CREATING S.P.A.C.E. (SAFETY AND STABILITY, PERSONAL GROWTH, ACTION, CULTURAL DIVERSITY, AND EMPOWERMENT). THE FINDINGS ILLUSTRATED WAYS IN WHICH THIS PROGRAM FOSTERED INDIVIDUAL AND COMMUNITY WELLNESS AND POSITIVE ENGAGEMENT. IMPLICATIONS ARE DISCUSSED INCLUDING THE POTENTIAL FOR PROVIDING YOGA AS A LOW-COST, SUSTAINABLE, AND EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION TO PROMOTE HEALTH, ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN DIVERSE SETTINGS WITH LIMITED RESOURCES. 2016 19 2493 21 YOGA AS COPING: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION IN YOGA. YOGA FACILITATES RELAXATION AND CONNECTION OF MIND, BODY, AND SPIRIT THROUGH THE USE OF BREATHING, MEDITATION, AND PHYSICAL POSTURES. PARTICIPATION IN YOGA HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY LINKED TO DECREASED STRESS, AND AS A RESULT, IS CONSIDERED A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION BY MANY. HOWEVER, FEW THEORIES EXIST THAT EXPLAIN THE LINK BETWEEN YOGA PARTICIPATION AND IMPROVED PSYCHOSOCIAL WELLBEING. THE LEISURE-STRESS COPING CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK SUGGESTS THAT THROUGH PARTICIPATION IN LEISURE, AN INDIVIDUAL CAN DECREASE STRESS WHILE CONCURRENTLY RESTORING AND BUILDING UP SUSTAINABLE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL CAPACITIES. THREE TYPES OF LEISURE COPING STRATEGIES EXIST: PALLIATIVE COPING, MOOD ENHANCEMENT, AND COMPANIONSHIP. THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE IS TO PROPOSE THE LEISURE-STRESS COPING CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AS A MODEL FOR EXPLAINING BENEFITS RECEIVED FROM YOGA PARTICIPATION VIA LEISURE COPING STRATEGIES, WHICH MAY EXPLAIN OR SUPPORT IMPROVED ABILITY TO MANAGE STRESS. 2016 20 2709 32 YOGA IS FOR EVERY (ABLE) BODY: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF DISABILITY THEMES WITHIN MAINSTREAM YOGA MEDIA. YOGA IS INCREASINGLY BEING RECOMMENDED AS A HEALTH SELF-MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR PEOPLE WITH A RANGE OF DISABILITIES. MAINSTREAM YOGA MEDIA HAVE BEEN CRITICIZED FOR LIMITED REPRESENTATION OF RACIAL/ETHNIC, GENDER, AGE, AND BODY SIZE DIVERSITY WITHIN THEIR PUBLICATIONS; HOWEVER, IT IS NOT KNOWN HOW THESE MEDIA OUTLETS INCLUDE VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS OF OR TEXTUAL INFORMATION RELEVANT FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES (PWDS). THE PURPOSE OF THIS RESEARCH WAS TO UNDERSTAND IF AND HOW MAINSTREAM YOGA MEDIA VISUALLY REPRESENT AND INCLUDE INFORMATION FOR PWDS. WE CONDUCTED A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE "YOGAPEDIA" SECTION OF EACH YOGA JOURNAL MAGAZINE PUBLISHED IN 2015 AND 2016 (N = 17). TWO INDEPENDENT CODERS RATED ALL OF THE IMAGES AND TEXT IN THESE SECTIONS. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING A THEMATIC APPROACH INFORMED BY A PROMINENT THEORETICAL MODEL OF DISABLEMENT. RESULTS SUGGEST THAT IMAGES CONTAINED NO REPRESENTATION OF DISABILITY. IN CONTRAST, MAGAZINE TEXT INCLUDED AN ABUNDANCE OF REFERENCES TO DISABILITY; HOWEVER, THESE MENTIONS PREDOMINATELY ALIGNED WITH CONSTRUCTS FOUND EARLY IN THE DISABLEMENT PROCESS AND STRONGLY FOCUSED ON PHYSICAL AND MOBILITY LIMITATIONS. THESE FINDINGS EXPAND UPON PREVIOUS RESEARCH EXAMINING THE UNDERREPRESENTATION OF MARGINALIZED GROUPS WITHIN YOGA MEDIA AND ILLUMINATE A PAUCITY OF RELEVANT INFORMATION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES WHO ARE INTERESTED IN AND MAY BENEFIT FROM YOGA PRACTICE. 2019