1 21 130 "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 2 2068 50 THE DAILY INFLUENCES OF YOGA ON RELATIONAL OUTCOMES OFF OF THE MAT. BACKGROUND: DESPITE THE WIDE ARRAY OF HEALTH BENEFITS THAT HAVE BEEN EVIDENCED WITH YOGA, A CLEAR GAP EXISTS EXAMINING HOW YOGA IMPACTS CONNECTIONS WITH ONESELF AND TO OTHERS. AIMS: THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PRESENT STUDY WERE TWOFOLD: (1) TO DESCRIBE THE DAY-TO-DAY (IN)VARIABILITY IN DAILY YOGA PRACTICE AND RELATIONAL OUTCOMES AND (2) TO EXAMINE THE DIRECT AND INDIRECT EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON RELATIONAL OUTCOMES. METHODS: COMMUNITY-DWELLING YOGA PRACTITIONERS (N = 104, AGE RANGE: 18-76 YEARS) WITH A YOGA PRACTICE OF AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK WERE RECRUITED FOR A 21-DAY DAILY DIARY STUDY. PRACTITIONERS WERE ASKED TO COMPLETE DAILY INTERNET SURVEYS AT THE END OF THE DAY WHICH INCLUDED QUESTIONS WITH RESPECT TO ONE'S YOGA PRACTICE AND RELATIONAL DOMAINS (I.E., MINDFULNESS, [SELF-]COMPASSION, AND SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS). RESULTS: MULTILEVEL ANALYSES REVEALED YOGA AND RELATIONAL OUTCOMES TO BE DYNAMIC PHENOMENA, INDICATED BY SUBSTANTIAL VARIATION (INTRACLASS CORRELATIONS = 0.34-0.48) AT THE WITHIN-PERSON LEVEL. ON DAYS WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL PRACTICED MORE YOGA THAN THEIR USUAL, GREATER MINDFULNESS (B = 2.93, STANDARD ERROR [SE] = 0.39, P < 0.05) AND SELF-COMPASSION (B = 1.45, SE = 0.46, P < 0.05) WERE ALSO REPORTED. 1-1-1 MULTILEVEL MEDIATION MODELS DEMONSTRATED THAT YOGA HAS AN INDIRECT EFFECT ON BOTH COMPASSION AND SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS THROUGH INCREASES IN MINDFULNESS AT THE WITHIN- AND BETWEEN-PERSON LEVELS. IN MODELS TESTING SELF-COMPASSION AS THE MEDIATOR, THE INDIRECT EFFECT OF DAILY YOGA PRACTICE ON COMPASSION WAS SIGNIFICANT, ALTHOUGH LIMITED TO THE WITHIN-PERSON LEVEL. CONCLUSIONS: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT A ROUTINE YOGA PRACTICE COULD POSITIVELY IMPACT HOW A PRACTITIONER RELATES TO THEIRSELVES AND TO OTHERS, BOTH ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS, AND WITH ACCUMULATED PRACTICE. 2019 3 335 37 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 4 1489 31 INTERACTIONS BETWEEN BODY AND SOCIAL AWARENESS IN YOGA. BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: BODILY PROCESSES HAVE BEEN INTIMATELY LINKED TO SOCIAL-COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE FUNCTIONS, SUCH AS COMPASSION AND EMPATHY. YET, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT HOW AWARENESS OF BODILY PROCESSES INFLUENCES SOCIAL AWARENESS AND VICE VERSA, ESPECIALLY IN NONOBSERVATIONAL BUT EXPERIENTIAL INVESTIGATIONS. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PSYCHOMETRICALLY REPORTED BODY AND SOCIAL AWARENESS (INCLUDING ALTRUISM, EMPATHY, PERSPECTIVE-TAKING, AND COMPASSION) IN 90 YOGA AND YOGA-/MEDIATION-NAIVE CONTROL PARTICIPANTS. IN MODERN POSTURAL YOGA, ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS CLAIM BOTH INCREASED COMPASSION AND INNER FOCUS. METHODS: MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED TO PREDICT (1) THE LEVEL OF YOGA PRACTICE FROM BODY AWARENESS AND SOCIAL AWARENESS SKILLS IN THE YOGA GROUP AND (2) BODY AWARENESS FROM SOCIAL SKILLS IN BOTH GROUPS. RESULTS: BODY AWARENESS AND COMPASSION WERE SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE AND INDEPENDENT PREDICTORS OF YOGA EXPERTISE. THIS FINDING SUPPORTS PRACTITIONERS' ANECDOTAL CLAIMS BUT ALSO IMPLIES THAT BOTH FUNCTIONS TAP INTO DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF YOGA EXPERTISE. WHEN BODY AWARENESS WAS PREDICTED, ALTRUISM EMERGED AS A SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE PREDICTOR IN THE YOGA GROUP (BUT NOT CONTROL GROUP) AS A FUNCTION OF YOGA PRACTICE. CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS MIGHT COMPELLINGLY SUGGEST THAT, DESPITE HIGH COMPASSION, HEIGHTENED BODILY SELF-AWARENESS MIGHT INCREASE A SELF-CENTRED PERSPECTIVE AND LIMIT ALTRUISTIC ACTS IN ADVANCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS. 2017 5 2202 34 THE ESSENTIAL PROPERTIES OF YOGA QUESTIONNAIRE (EPYQ): PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES. YOGA INTERVENTIONS ARE HETEROGENEOUS AND VARY ALONG MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS. THESE DIMENSIONS MAY AFFECT MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OUTCOMES IN DIFFERENT WAYS OR THROUGH DIFFERENT MECHANISMS. HOWEVER, MOST STUDIES OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEALTH DO NOT ADEQUATELY DESCRIBE OR QUANTIFY THE COMPONENTS OF THE INTERVENTIONS BEING IMPLEMENTED. THIS LACK OF DETAIL PREVENTS RESEARCHERS FROM MAKING COMPARISONS ACROSS STUDIES AND LIMITS OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE RELATIVE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS. TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM, WE DEVELOPED THE ESSENTIAL PROPERTIES OF YOGA QUESTIONNAIRE (EPYQ), WHICH ALLOWS RESEARCHERS TO OBJECTIVELY CHARACTERIZE THEIR INTERVENTIONS. WE PRESENT HERE THE RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY DATA FROM THE FINAL PHASES OF THIS MEASURE-DEVELOPMENT PROJECT. ANALYSES IDENTIFIED FOURTEEN KEY DIMENSIONS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS MEASURED BY THE EPYQ: ACCEPTANCE/COMPASSION, BANDHAS, BODY AWARENESS, BREATHWORK, INSTRUCTOR MENTION OF HEALTH BENEFITS, INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION, MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS, MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL AWARENESS, PHYSICALITY, ACTIVE POSTURES, RESTORATIVE POSTURES, SOCIAL ASPECTS, SPIRITUALITY, AND YOGA PHILOSOPHY. THE EPYQ DEMONSTRATED GOOD RELIABILITY, AS ASSESSED BY INTERNAL CONSISTENCY AND TEST-RETEST RELIABILITY ANALYSIS, AND EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THE EPYQ IS A VALID MEASURE OF MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS OF YOGA. THE MEASURE IS READY FOR USE BY CLINICIANS AND RESEARCHERS. RESULTS INDICATE THAT, CURRENTLY, TRAINED OBJECTIVE RATERS SHOULD SCORE INTERVENTIONS TO AVOID REFERENCE FRAME ERRORS AND POTENTIAL RATING BIAS, BUT ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES MAY BE DEVELOPED. THE EPYQ WILL ALLOW RESEARCHERS TO LINK SPECIFIC YOGA DIMENSIONS TO IDENTIFIABLE HEALTH OUTCOMES AND OPTIMIZE THE DESIGN OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR SPECIFIC CONDITIONS. 2018 6 1805 28 PREVALENCE OF TYPE 2 DIABETES AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS: A PILOT CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN TWO DISTRICTS IN INDIA. INTRODUCTION: DIABETES IS ONE OF THE MAJOR HEALTH DISEASES IN THE WORLD TODAY. THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF TYPE 2 DIABETES IS WELL-ESTABLISHED. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE PREVALENCE OF TYPE 2 DIABETES AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS IN TWO DISTRICTS OF INDIA (ONE EACH IN WEST AND SOUTH OF INDIA). METHODOLOGY: IN THIS CROSS-SECTIONAL FIELD STUDY, 155 YOGA PRACTITIONERS FROM PUNE AND 192 FROM ERNAKULAM DISTRICTS WERE ASSESSED USING THE DIABETES RISK TEST AND FASTING BLOOD SUGAR. THE DATA COLLECTED WERE ENTERED IN A STATISTICS SOFTWARE PACKAGE AND ANALYZED USING THE PEARSON'S CORRELATION ANALYSIS, T-TEST, UNIVARIATE ANOVA, AND LINEAR REGRESSION TO UNDERSTAND THE PREDICTORS OF RISK FOR DIABETES. RESULTS: THE OVERALL PREVALENCE OF DIABETES AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS IN CENTRAL PUNE WAS 3.6% (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI]: [0.01-0.04]). 18.9% OF PARTICIPANTS (95% CI: [0.16-0.19]) WERE DIAGNOSED TO BE "AT RISK" FOR DIABETES. IN ERNAKULAM, THE OVERALL PREVALENCE OF DIABETES AMONG PRACTITIONERS WAS 26% (95% CI: [0.05-0.06]) WITH 12% OF PRACTITIONERS (95% CI: [0.05-0.06]) DIAGNOSED TO BE "AT RISK" FOR DIABETES (PREDIABETIC). HIGHER AGE AND LESSER DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE WERE SIGNIFICANT PREDICTORS OF DIABETES. CONCLUSION: IT IS ESSENTIAL FOR EVERY PERSON ABOVE THE AGE OF 40 TO UNDERGO REGULAR HEALTH CHECK-UPS AND SCREENING FOR DIABETES AND INVOLVE ONESELF IN LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION PROGRAMS SUCH AS YOGA FOR SIGNIFICANTLY LONG DURATION OF TIME ON A DAILY BASIS, TO BETTER MANAGE DIABETES. 2015 7 1211 37 EXPLORING HOW DIFFERENT TYPES OF YOGA CHANGE PSYCHOLOGICAL RESOURCES AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING ACROSS A SINGLE SESSION. OBJECTIVES: YOGA DEMONSTRATES BENEFICIAL EFFECTS IN MANY POPULATIONS, YET OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW YOGA BRINGS ABOUT THESE EFFECTS IS QUITE LIMITED. AMONG THE PROPOSED MECHANISMS OF YOGA ARE INCREASING PSYCHOLOGICAL RESOURCES (MINDFULNESS, BODY CONSCIOUSNESS, SELF-TRANSCENDENCE, SPIRITUAL PEACE, AND SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS) THAT MAY BRING ABOUT SALUTARY EFFECTS ON EMOTIONAL WELLBEING. FURTHER, YOGA IS A COMPLEX PRACTICE COMPRISING MEDITATION, ACTIVE AND RESTORATIVE POSTURES, AND BREATHWORK; HOWEVER LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT HOW DIFFERENT COMPONENTS MAY AFFECT MECHANISMS. WE AIMED TO DETERMINE HOW AN ACUTE SESSION OF YOGA (AND ITS SPECIFIC COMPONENTS) RELATED TO PRE- TO POST- SESSION CHANGES IN PROPOSED MECHANISMS (PSYCHOLOGICAL RESOURCES) AND WHETHER THOSE CHANGES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH POSITIVE CHANGES IN EMOTIONS. DESIGN: 144 REGULAR YOGA PRACTITIONERS COMPLETED MEASURES OF MINDFULNESS, BODY CONSCIOUSNESS, SELF-TRANSCENDENCE, SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS, SPIRITUAL PEACE, AND EXERCISE-INDUCED EMOTIONS (POSITIVE ENGAGEMENT, REVITALIZATION, TRANQUILITY, EXHAUSTION) IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER A YOGA SESSION (N=11 SESSIONS, EACH A DIFFERENT TYPE OF YOGA). PERCEIVED PROPERTIES OF EACH YOGA SESSION, EXERCISE EXERTION AND ENGAGEMENT WITH THE YOGA TEACHER WERE ASSESSED IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE SESSION. RESULTS: PRE-TO POST- YOGA, LEVELS OF POSITIVE EMOTIONS (ENGAGEMENT, TRANQUILITY AND REVITALIZATION) INCREASED WHILE EXHAUSTION DECREASED. FURTHER, ALL PSYCHOLOGICAL RESOURCES INCREASED AND CLOSELY TRACKED IMPROVED EMOTIONS. ADDITIONALLY, ASPECTS OF THE YOGA SESSION CORRELATED WITH CHANGES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL RESOURCES (MECHANISMS) AND EMOTIONS. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA MAY INFLUENCE MULTIPLE PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS THAT INFLUENCE EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING. FURTHER, DIFFERENT TYPES OF YOGA MAY AFFECT DIFFERENT MECHANISMS. RESULTS CAN INFORM YOGA INTERVENTIONS AIMING TO OPTIMIZE EFFECTS THROUGH SPECIFIC MECHANISMS SUCH AS MINDFULNESS OR SPIRITUALITY. 2020 8 129 42 A POPULATION-PRACTICE-BASED MODEL TO UNDERSTAND HOW YOGA IMPACTS ON HUMAN GLOBAL FUNCTIONING: A QUALITATIVE STUDY. INTRODUCTION:RESEARCH IS INCREASINGLY DEMONSTRATING A RANGE OF BENEFITS OF PRACTICING YOGA, SUCH AS IMPROVED PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH, SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS, AND SELF-CARE. MECHANISMS OF ACTION ARE LESS WELL UNDERSTOOD, BUT MAY INCLUDE BOTH PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT BENEFITS AND MECHANISMS OF YOGA PRACTICE, USING QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTED FROM A LARGE-SCALE SURVEY OF YOGA USE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. METHODS: THE MIXED METHODS, CROSS-SECTIONAL ONLINE SURVEY COLLECTED DATA ON YOGA USE AND PERCEIVED BENEFITS FROM 2434 U.K. YOGA PRACTITIONERS. THE QUALITATIVE SURVEY ELEMENT USED OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS TO GAIN "REAL LIFE" DATA REGARDING PRACTICE AND PERCEIVED BENEFITS. DATA WERE ANALYZED THEMATICALLY AND DEDUCTIVELY. A PRACTICE-BASED MODEL DESCRIBING YOGA PRACTICE, MECHANISMS, AND BENEFITS, BASED ON THE KHALSA LOGIC MODEL OF YOGA, WAS DEVELOPED TO EXPLAIN THE DATA. FINDINGS: FINDINGS HIGHLIGHTED THAT A DIVERSE RANGE OF YOGA PRACTICES AND NONSPECIFIC CONTEXTUAL FACTORS RELATED TO PRACTICING YOGA, NEEDED TO BE CONSIDERED TO UNDERSTAND HOW YOGA WAS BENEFITTING PEOPLE. THESE PRACTICES ENCOMPASSED BOTH MODERN AND TRADITIONAL CONCEPTIONS OF YOGA AS A DEEPER LIFESTYLE PRACTICE. KEY MECHANISMS FOR CHANGE INCLUDED IMPROVEMENTS IN PHYSICAL STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY, STRESS REGULATION, RESILIENCE, EQUANIMITY, MIND-BODY AWARENESS, AND SPIRITUAL/PERSONAL GROWTH. THESE MECHANISMS RESULTED IN DIVERSE IMPROVEMENTS IN GLOBAL HEALTH FUNCTIONING, PARTICULARLY PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. CONCLUSIONS: THE KHALSA MODEL PROVIDED A USEFUL BASE UPON WHICH TO GUIDE THE NEW POPULATION-PRACTICE-BASED MODEL, TO UNDERSTAND PARTICIPANTS' "REAL LIFE" EXPERIENCES OF YOGA, HOW YOGA IS HELPING PEOPLE AND WHY. IT PROVIDES IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PRACTITIONERS, TEACHERS, AND THOSE DELIVERING YOGA INTERVENTIONS AS TO THE RANGE OF SKILLS AND POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA PRACTICE. IN ADDITION, FINDINGS INDICATE DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH, BY HIGHLIGHTING KEY YOGA MECHANISMS THAT RESEARCHERS MAY CHOOSE TO FOCUS ON IN FUTURE STUDIES. 2021 9 1145 31 ELEMENTARY STUDENT AND TEACHER PERCEPTIONS OF A MINDFULNESS AND YOGA-BASED PROGRAM IN SCHOOL: A QUALITATIVE EVALUATION. RESEARCH QUESTION: WHAT ARE THE QUALITATIVE INSIGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A MINDFULNESS AND YOGA-BASED PROGRAM FROM ELEMENTARY YOUTH AND TEACHERS? CONTEXT: A MINDFULNESS AND YOGA-BASED CURRICULUM WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 15 SCHOOLS. THE CURRICULUM WAS TAUGHT TO STUDENTS DURING A PHYSICAL EDUCATION OR DANCE CLASS BY INSTRUCTORS WHO WERE WITHIN EACH SCHOOL AND RECEIVED TRAINING ON THE CURRICULUM. SAMPLE SELECTION: VOLUNTEER FOCUS GROUP ELEMENTARY STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATED FOR ONE YEAR AND TEACHERS WHO DID NOT IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM WERE QUALITATIVELY INTERVIEWED, BY THREE TRAINED UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS. DATA COLLECTION: NINE FOCUS GROUPS WERE COMPLETED WITHIN THREE DIFFERENT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. SIX FOCUS GROUPS WERE COMPLETED WITH 3RD AND 5TH GRADE STUDENTS. THREE FOCUS GROUPS WERE CONDUCTED WITH TEACHERS WITHIN EACH SCHOOL WHICH RECEIVED THE PROGRAM, EXCLUDING INSTRUCTORS. ANALYSIS: FOCUS GROUP DATA WERE CODED AND A THEMATIC ANALYSIS WAS COMPLETED AMONG THE 40 STUDENTS AND 23 TEACHERS. INTERPRETATION AND MAIN RESULTS: TEACHERS HAD VARYING DEGREES OF INVOLVEMENT WITH THE PROGRAM AND COMMUNICATION EMERGED AS A CRITICAL THEME FOR BUY-IN AS COMMUNICATION REPRESENTS THE UNDERPINNINGS OF CREATING AND RETAINING STAKEHOLDERS. MOST STUDENTS TALKED ABOUT PERCEIVED IMPROVEMENTS IN FOCUS, EMOTIONAL REGULATION, FLEXIBILITY, BREATHING, AND SCHOOL WORK. A COMMON THEME TO DESCRIBE BENEFITS OF THE PROGRAM EMERGED WITH THE IDEA OF "INCREASED FOCUS". CONCEPTUALLY, IT MAY BE THAT INCREASING MINDFULNESS INCREASES "FOCUS" THUS INCREASING POSITIVE OUTCOMES. MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND IF "FOCUS" MAY SERVE AS A MEDIATING VARIABLE ON EMOTIONAL REGULATION, COGNITIVE IMPROVEMENTS, AND OTHER HEALTH OUTCOMES. 2020 10 2219 28 THE IMPACT OF AN AUTONOMY-SUPPORTIVE YOGA INTERVENTION ON SELF-DETERMINATION IN ADULTS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE IMPACT OF AN AUTONOMY-SUPPORTIVE YOGA INTERVENTION ON THE SELF-DETERMINATION OF ADULTS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES. RESEARCH SUPPORTS THE USE OF AUTONOMY-SUPPORTIVE INTERVENTIONS TO INCREASE POSITIVE HEALTH OUTCOMES WITH THIS POPULATION. THE PRESENT STUDY UTILIZED A QUALITATIVE APPROACH WITH EIGHT SUBJECTS PARTICIPATING IN SEMI-STRUCTURED QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS. CONTENT ANALYSIS IDENTIFIED SUPPORT FOR THREE THEMES RELATED TO THE IMPACT OF YOGA: AUTONOMY, RELATEDNESS, COMPETENCE. THE RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT THE YOGA INTERVENTION MAY SUPPORT SELF-DETERMINATION FOR ADULTS WITH IDD, AS THE PARTICIPANTS' RESPONSES DEMONSTRATED INCREASED FEELINGS OF AUTONOMY, COMPETENCE, AND RELATEDNESS. THE RESULTS ALSO INDICATED THAT AN AUTONOMY-SUPPORTIVE YOGA INTERVENTION CAN BE ACHIEVED WITH ADULTS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES BY TARGETING THE KEY CONSTRUCTS OF AUTONOMY, RELATEDNESS, AND COMPETENCE. 2021 11 664 28 EFFECT OF 90-MIN BIKRAM YOGA ON BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS AMONG PRACTITIONERS IN THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES. BACKGROUND: IN OUR MODERN SOCIETY, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS A LIFESTYLE CHOICE. BIKRAM YOGA IS A LOW IMPACT; MODERATE EXERCISE AND THE UNDERSTANDING OF MOTIVATION AND ADHERENCE TO THE PRACTICE IS UNKNOWN. THIS STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF 90 MIN BIKRAM YOGA PRACTICE ON BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS OF COMPETENCE (THE SENSE OF SKILL MASTERY), AUTONOMY (VOLITIONALLY PERFORMING A TASK), AND RELATEDNESS (A CONNECTION WITH OTHERS) AS POSTULATED IN SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY FOR MOTIVATION. METHODS: THE SAMPLE INCLUDED BIKRAM YOGA PRACTITIONERS IN THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES (N = 126) AVERAGED BETWEEN THE AGE GROUP OF 35 AND 64, PREDOMINATELY FEMALE, AND HIGHLY EDUCATED. RESPONSES TO THE PSYCHOLOGICAL NEED SATISFACTION IN EXERCISE SCALE WERE ANALYZED USING MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE. RESULTS: RESULTS SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECT OF FREQUENCY OF YOGA ATTENDANCE ON THE SATISFACTION OF BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS (I.E., COMPETENCE, AUTONOMY, AND RELATEDNESS); (P = 0.025); SPECIFICALLY, YOGA PRACTITIONERS WHO ATTENDED FOUR OR MORE CLASSES PER WEEK HAD HIGHER SATISFACTION LEVELS OF BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL NEED FOR COMPETENCE (P = 0.013) AND RELATEDNESS (P = 0.034). A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECT OF THE LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE ON THE SATISFACTION OF BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS (I.E., COMPETENCE, AUTONOMY, AND RELATEDNESS) (P = 0.014) FOUND IN EXPERIENCED BIKRAM YOGA PRACTITIONERS, SPECIFICALLY FOR COMPETENCE (P = 0.013) AND RELATEDNESS (P = 0.023) COMPARED TO NOVICE COUNTERPARTS. CONCLUSION: THE STUDY PROVIDES SOME EVIDENCE OF AN INDIVIDUAL'S MOTIVATION FOR A 90 MIN BIKRAM YOGA PRACTICE AND POSSIBLE ADHERENCE. FUTURE INVESTIGATION OF BIKRAM YOGA PRACTICE ADOPTING SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY APPEARS WORTHWHILE. 2020 12 3 36 "I AM A NICE PERSON WHEN I DO YOGA!!!" A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF HOW YOGA AFFECTS RELATIONSHIPS. PURPOSE: TO DEVELOP A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW YOGA PRACTICE AFFECTS ONE'S INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS. DESIGN: QUALITATIVE. METHOD: CONTENT ANALYSIS WAS USED TO QUALITATIVELY ANALYZE WRITTEN COMMENTS (N = 171) MADE REGARDING YOGA IMPROVING INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS IN A LARGE CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS (N = 1,067). FINDINGS: FOUR THEMES WERE IDENTIFIED: YOGA PRACTICE LEADS TO PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION, INCREASES SOCIAL INTERACTION, PROVIDES COPING MECHANISMS TO WEATHER RELATIONSHIP LOSSES AND DIFFICULTIES, AND LEADS TO SPIRITUAL TRANSCENDENCE. PRACTITIONERS BELIEVED THAT THEIR INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS IMPROVED BECAUSE THEIR ATTITUDE AND PERSPECTIVE HAD CHANGED, MAKING THEM MORE PATIENT, KIND, MINDFUL, AND SELF-AWARE. THEY EXPRESSED AN ASPECT OF COMMUNITY THAT WAS BOTH PRACTICAL (THEY MET NEW FRIENDS) AND SPIRITUAL (THEY FELT THEY BELONGED). THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD BETTER WEATHER DIFFICULTIES SUCH AS DIVORCE AND DEATH. A NUMBER DISCUSSED FEELING A SENSE OF PURPOSE AND THAT THEIR PRACTICE CONTRIBUTED TO A GREATER GOOD. CONCLUSIONS: THERE APPEARS TO BE AN ASPECT OF COMMUNITY ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA PRACTICE THAT MAY BE BENEFICIAL TO ONE'S SOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL HEALTH. YOGA COULD BE BENEFICIAL FOR POPULATIONS AT RISK FOR SOCIAL ISOLATION, SUCH AS THOSE WHO ARE ELDERLY, BEREAVED, AND DEPRESSED, AS WELL AS INDIVIDUALS UNDERGOING INTERPERSONAL CRISES. 2014 13 65 30 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 14 561 26 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 15 2259 30 THE PRACTICABILITY AND RELEVANCE OF DEVELOPING A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR MENTAL HEALTH CONSUMERS: A QUALITATIVE STUDY. THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO UNDERSTAND THE PERSPECTIVES OF MENTAL HEALTH CONSUMERS, STAFF, AND YOGA TEACHERS ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION TO BE DEVELOPED FOR CONSUMERS WITH A LONG-TERM MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION, IN ADDITION TO ANXIETY AND/OR DEPRESSION. TWO FOCUS GROUPS WERE HELD WITH MENTAL HEALTH CONSUMERS (N = 8), TWO FOCUS GROUPS WITH MENTAL HEALTH STAFF (N = 13) FROM A METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH SETTING, AND FIVE ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEWS WITH YOGA TEACHERS. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED ABOUT THE FEASIBILITY AND APPROPRIATENESS OF A RANGE OF YOGA PRACTICE FEATURES TO BE TESTED AS A NEWLY DEVELOPED YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION. THEMATIC ANALYSIS WAS USED TO IDENTIFY THEMES. FINDINGS INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING CONSUMER THEMES: MENTAL HEALTH UNDERSTANDING AND EXPERIENCE OF TEACHERS AND PARTICIPANTS IS IMPORTANT, CREATING A SAFE SPACE AND YOGA PRACTICE ELEMENTS. STAFF THEMES INCLUDED MENTAL HEALTH UNDERSTANDING AND EXPERIENCE OF TEACHERS IS IMPORTANT, ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN, AND YOGA PRACTICE ELEMENTS. YOGA TEACHER THEMES INCLUDED ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN AND YOGA PRACTICE ELEMENTS. MENTAL HEALTH UNDERSTANDING AND EXPERIENCE OF THE YOGA TEACHER, AND TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE WERE CONSISTENTLY EMPHASIZED BY CONSUMERS AND STAFF. TEACHERS FOCUSED LESS ON SPECIFIC MENTAL HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS, WHICH MAY BE REFLECTIVE OF A BROADER KNOWLEDGE GAP. RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING YOGA PRACTICE ELEMENTS, INCLUDING PRE-INFORMATION, REGULAR AND CONSISTENT PRACTICE, MODIFICATIONS, BREATHWORK, MINDFULNESS AND GUIDED PRACTICE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN FEATURES, WERE CONSISTENT WITH CURRENT TRAUMA-INFORMED YOGA RESEARCH. FINDINGS WILL BE USED TO GUIDE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION FOR CONSUMERS WITH A LONG-TERM MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION, IN ADDITION TO ANXIETY AND/OR DEPRESSION. 2020 16 148 20 A QUALITATIVE EXPLORATION OF IMPLEMENTATION FACTORS IN A SCHOOL-BASED MINDFULNESS AND YOGA PROGRAM: LESSONS LEARNED FROM STUDENTS AND TEACHERS. IDENTIFYING FACTORS RELEVANT FOR SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF SCHOOL-BASED INTERVENTIONS IS ESSENTIAL TO ENSURE THAT PROGRAMS ARE PROVIDED IN AN EFFECTIVE AND ENGAGING MANNER. THE PERSPECTIVES OF TWO KEY STAKEHOLDERS CRITICAL FOR IDENTIFYING IMPLEMENTATION BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS - STUDENTS AND THEIR CLASSROOM TEACHERS - MERIT ATTENTION IN THIS CONTEXT AND HAVE RARELY BEEN EXPLORED USING QUALITATIVE METHODS. THIS STUDY REPORTS QUALITATIVE PERSPECTIVES OF FIFTH AND SIXTH GRADE PARTICIPANTS AND THEIR TEACHERS OF A 16-WEEK SCHOOL-BASED MINDFULNESS AND YOGA PROGRAM IN THREE PUBLIC SCHOOLS SERVING LOW-INCOME URBAN COMMUNITIES. FOUR THEMES RELATED TO PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS EMERGED: PROGRAM DELIVERY FACTORS, PROGRAM BUY-IN, IMPLEMENTER COMMUNICATION WITH TEACHERS, AND INSTRUCTOR QUALITIES. FEEDBACK FROM STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IS DISCUSSED IN THE CONTEXT OF INFORMING IMPLEMENTATION, ADAPTATION, AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF SCHOOL-BASED MINDFULNESS AND YOGA PROGRAMMING IN URBAN SETTINGS. 2017 17 1334 34 HOW DOES EXERCISE IMPROVE IMPLICIT EMOTION REGULATION ABILITY: PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE OF MIND-BODY EXERCISE INTERVENTION COMBINED WITH AEROBIC JOGGING AND MINDFULNESS-BASED YOGA. PURPOSE: THE PRIMARY AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY IS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF 8-WEEK MIND-BODY EXERCISE INTERVENTION COMBINING AEROBIC JOGGING AND MINDFULNESS-BASED YOGA ON IMPLICIT EMOTION REGULATION ABILITY. THE SECONDARY AIM IS TO EXPLORE THE SPECIFIC POTENTIAL PATHWAYS BY WHICH THE MIND-BODY EXERCISE INTERVENTION FOSTERS IMPLICIT EMOTION REGULATION. THIS MAY HELP US TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE KEY COMPONENTS OF EXERCISE INTERVENTION CONTRIBUTE TO EMOTIONAL BENEFITS. METHODS: SIXTY PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO ONE OF TWO PARALLEL GROUPS: (1) THE INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 29) AND (2) THE WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 31). PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO FILL OUT SCALES MEASURING MINDFULNESS AND INSTRUCTED TO COMPLETE AN EMOTION REGULATION TASK TO ASSESS IMPLICIT EMOTION REGULATION ABILITY AS WELL AS THE PWC 170 TEST TO EVALUATE AEROBIC FITNESS BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: THE RESULTS OF THE TWO-WAY REPEATED ANOVA REVEALED THAT 8 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION IMPROVED IMPLICIT EMOTION REGULATION, MINDFULNESS, AND AEROBIC FITNESS LEVELS. PATH ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT ONLY IMPROVED AEROBIC FITNESS MEDIATED THE INTERVENTION EFFECT ON IMPLICIT EMOTION REGULATION ABILITY, CONTROLLING FOR CHANGE IN NEGATIVE AFFECT. NOTABLY, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE EFFECTS ON IMPLICIT EMOTION REGULATION ABILITY AND AEROBIC FITNESS WAS MODERATED BY IMPROVED MINDFULNESS. CONCLUSION: EIGHT WEEKS OF MIND-BODY EXERCISE INTERVENTION IMPROVES IMPLICIT EMOTION REGULATION ABILITY. THE AEROBIC FITNESS MAY BE AN ESSENTIAL PATHWAY WHICH MEDIATES THE EFFICACY ON IMPLICIT EMOTION REGULATION ABILITY. FURTHERMORE, DIFFERENT COMPONENTS, SUCH AS AEROBIC FITNESS AND MINDFULNESS, MAY INTERACTIVELY CONTRIBUTE TO SUCH EMOTIONAL BENEFITS. 2019 18 586 31 DETERMINANTS OF MAINTAINING A DAILY YOGA PRACTICE: HEALTH LOCUS OF CONTROL AND SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY PERSPECTIVE. BACKGROUND: DESPITE THE GROWING EVIDENCE OF THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF A YOGA PRACTICE, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO ITS SUSTAINED PRACTICE. AIMS: THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PRESENT STUDY WERE TWOFOLD: (1) TO DESCRIBE THE PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS (AGE, EDUCATION LEVEL, AND MARITAL STATUS) AND YOGA ASANA-RELATED BEHAVIOR OF PARTICIPANTS WHO PRACTICE ASHTANGA AND (2) TO EXAMINE THE HEALTH LOCUS OF CONTROL (HLOC) (AN INDIVIDUAL'S BELIEFS ABOUT THE EXTENT OF CONTROL THAT THEY HAVE OVER THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO THEM) AND SELF-DETERMINATION THEORIES. (PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO BECOME SELF-DETERMINED WHEN THEIR NEEDS FOR COMPETENCE, CONNECTION, AND AUTONOMY ARE FULFILLED IN RELATION TO THE MOTIVATED BEHAVIOR.). METHODS: ASHTANGA YOGA PRACTITIONERS (N = 100, AGE RANGE: 20-62 YEARS) REPORTED PRACTICING YOGA AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK COMPLETED SELF-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES: DEMOGRAPHICS, ASANA PRACTICE, THE PERCEIVED CHOICE AND AWARENESS OF SELF SCALE, HLOC, THE GENERAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE-12, THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE, AND THE STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY. RESULTS: IT WAS OBSERVED THAT PARTICIPANTS PRACTICED YOGA FOR AN AVERAGE 6.43 YEARS, 5 DAYS A WEEK FOR 93 MIN REPRESENTING A SUSTAINED, MOTIVATED HEALTH-RELATED BEHAVIOR. YEARS OF PRACTICE AND PERCENTAGE OF TIME SPENT IN HOME PRACTICE EXPLAIN 9% OF THE VARIANCE IN THE AWARENESS OF SELF, AND 7% IS EXPLAINED BY THE NUMBER OF PRACTICE DAYS A WEEK AND STATE ANXIETY. ASHTANGA YOGA PRACTITIONERS HAVE A HIGH INTERNAL HLOC; THIS IS RELATED TO REDUCED TRAIT ANXIETY AND INCREASED PERCEIVED CHOICE. CONCLUSIONS: THE MYSORE SYSTEM OF YOGA APPEARS TO FACILITATE SUSTAINED HEALTH-RELATED BEHAVIOR; IT IS SUGGESTED THAT HEALTH PROMOTION SHOULD ACKNOWLEDGE THE THREE ASPECTS OF SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY: COMPETENCE, AUTONOMY, AND RELATEDNESS, WHILE FOCUSING ON THE INCREASING INTRINSIC MOTIVATION AND INTERNALIZING HLOC. 2020 19 2203 32 THE ESSENTIAL PROPERTIES OF YOGA QUESTIONNAIRE: DEVELOPMENT AND METHODS. YOGA INTERVENTIONS HAVE CONSIDERABLE HETEROGENEITY, ARE MULTI-DIMENSIONAL, AND MAY IMPACT HEALTH IN DIFFERENT WAYS. HOWEVER, MOST RESEARCH REPORTS REGARDING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEALTH AND WELLBEING DO NOT ADEQUATELY DESCRIBE THE COMPONENTS OF THE YOGA INTERVENTIONS BEING USED. THUS, DRAWING COMPARISONS ACROSS STUDIES OR UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIVE EFFECTS OF SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF A YOGA INTERVENTION ARE RARELY POSSIBLE. TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM, WE CREATED THE ESSENTIAL PROPERTIES OF YOGA QUESTIONNAIRE (EPYQ) PROJECT, AN NCCAM-FUNDED SET OF STUDIES TO DEVELOP A TRANSLATIONAL TOOL FOR YOGA RESEARCHERS. HERE WE DESCRIBE THE METHODS AND DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESSES USED IN THE EPYQ PROJECT IN DETAIL. THE PROJECT CONSISTS OF FOUR MAIN PHASES. PHASE I WAS DESIGNED TO GAIN A COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE RELEVANT ASPECTS OF YOGA BY CONDUCTING A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW AND CONDUCTING FOCUS GROUPS WITH STAKEHOLDERS INCLUDING A WIDE VARIETY OF YOGA TEACHERS AND STUDENTS. IN PHASE II, A POOL OF POTENTIAL QUESTIONNAIRE ITEMS WAS DEVELOPED FOR THE PROTOTYPIC QUESTIONNAIRE USING INFORMATION FROM PHASE I. COGNITIVE INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH THE PRELIMINARY EPYQ ITEMS TO ASSESS THE PERCEIVED CLARITY, MEANING, AND IMPORTANCE OF EACH ITEM. IN PHASE III, THE PROTOTYPIC QUESTIONNAIRE WAS ADMINISTERED TO TWO LARGE SAMPLES OF YOGA STUDENTS AND INSTRUCTORS. MILITARY PERSONNEL AND VETERANS WHO PRACTICED OR TAUGHT YOGA (N = 329) WERE RECRUITED TO PARTICIPATE. FACTOR ANALYSIS AND ITEM RESPONSE THEORY WERE USED TO IDENTIFY FACTORS AND SELECT THE FINAL QUESTIONNAIRE ITEMS. PHASE IV IS ONGOING AND WILL COLLECT RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY DATA ON THE FINAL INSTRUMENT. RESULTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE AVAILABLE IN 2016. THE EPYQ WILL PROVIDE AN OBJECTIVE TOOL FOR DESCRIBING THE AMOUNT OF VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS, EVENTUALLY ALLOWING RESEARCHERS TO LINK SPECIFIC YOGA COMPONENTS TO HEALTH BENEFITS, AND FACILITATING THE DESIGN OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR SPECIFIC HEALTH CONDITIONS. 2015 20 2574 26 YOGA FOR EVERYONE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF A COMMUNITY YOGA CLASS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: PEOPLE WITH MOBILITY IMPAIRMENTS FACE INCREASED BARRIERS TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. THE STUDY AIMED TO UNDERSTAND THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITY WHO ARE REGULAR PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA FOR EVERYONE CLASS TO INFORM FUTURE RESEARCH, INTERVENTION AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS.METHODS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL QUALITATIVE APPROACH UTILIZED SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS AND CLASS OBSERVATIONS. DATA WAS ANALYZED THROUGH ITERATIVE INDUCTIVE THEMATIC ANALYSIS.RESULTS: SIX PEOPLE OF VARIED MOBILITY LIMITATIONS PARTICIPATED. THEMATIC ANALYSIS REVEALED THEMES ON INFLUENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND PERSONAL FACTORS, A HOLISTIC-FOCUSED CLASS ENVIRONMENT, PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS, MENTAL/EMOTIONAL IMPACT, AND A SENSE OF BELONGING TO COMMUNITY.CONCLUSION: THE YOGA FOR EVERYONE CLASS FOSTERED MULTI-FACETED OUTCOMES FOR PEOPLE WITH DIVERSE MOVEMENT IMPAIRMENTS. FOCUSING ON COMMUNITY-CLINICAL PARTNERSHIPS, UTILIZING A CLASS STRUCTURE WITH VOLUNTEERS, AND FOSTERING AN ONGOING INCLUSIVE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT ARE POTENTIAL STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS IN OTHER COMMUNITY PROGRAMS FOR THOSE WITH DISABILITY. 2022