1 2685 158 YOGA IN THE REAL WORLD: PERCEPTIONS, MOTIVATORS, BARRIERS, AND PATTERNS OF USE. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A MIND-BODY EXERCISE PRACTICED BY NEARLY 16 MILLION US ADULTS. CLINICAL YOGA RESEARCH HAS YIELDED PROMISING FINDINGS IN PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES. HOWEVER, RESEARCH IN NON-PATIENT POPULATIONS IS LIMITED. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY IS TO SURVEY A NON-CLINICAL POPULATION TO BETTER UNDERSTAND YOGA USE IN A REAL-WORLD SETTING. METHODS: THIS STUDY USED A PRE-POST TEST DESIGN IN A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF ADULTS REGISTERED FOR A 4-WEEK BEGINNER YOGA PROGRAM WITHIN A NETWORK OF FIVE YOGA STUDIOS IN AUSTIN, TEXAS. STUDENTS WERE LINKED VIA E-MAIL TO BASELINE AND ENDPOINT SURVEYS. ANALYSES WERE DESCRIPTIVE. RESULTS: SIX HUNDRED FOUR STUDENTS COMPLETED THE BASELINE SURVEY, AND 290 (48%) COMPLETED THE 4-WEEK ENDPOINT SURVEY. BASELINE DEMOGRAPHICS WERE SIMILAR TO THOSE IN NATIONAL SURVEYS, WITH RESPONDENTS BEING PRIMARILY FEMALE (86%), WHITE (88%), AND COLLEGE EDUCATED (78%). THE PRIMARY BARRIER TO PRACTICE WAS TIME (55%). RESPONDENTS PERCEIVED YOGA PRIMARILY AS AN EXERCISE ACTIVITY (92%), SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY (73%), OR A WAY TO MANAGE OR TREAT A HEALTH CONDITION (50%). MAIN REASONS FOR TAKING YOGA WERE GENERAL WELLNESS (81%), PHYSICAL EXERCISE (80%), AND STRESS MANAGEMENT (73%). NINETY-EIGHT PERCENT BELIEVED YOGA WOULD IMPROVE THEIR HEALTH, WITH 28% TAKING YOGA TO ALLEVIATE A HEALTH CONDITION. ON AVERAGE, RESPONDENTS PRACTICED 3 TO 4 HOURS/ WEEK IN AND OUT OF CLASS. CONCLUSIONS: RESPONDENT DEMOGRAPHICS WERE CONSISTENT WITH NATIONAL SURVEY DATA. DATA SHOW THAT YOGA IS PERCEIVED SEVERAL WAYS. INFORMATION ON PRACTICE PATTERNS PROVIDES NEW INFORMATION, WHICH MAY IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW NON-CLINICAL POPULATIONS INCORPORATE YOGA INTO DAILY LIFE FOR HEALTH MANAGEMENT. 2013 2 2749 52 YOGA PRACTICE IN THE UK: A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY OF MOTIVATION, HEALTH BENEFITS AND BEHAVIOURS. 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. 2020 3 1646 36 MOTIVATIONS FOR ADOPTING AND MAINTAINING A YOGA PRACTICE: A NATIONAL CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY. BACKGROUND: YOGA PRACTICE IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY POPULAR AROUND THE WORLD, YET LITTLE IS KNOWN REGARDING WHY PEOPLE ADOPT THE PRACTICE OF YOGA OR HOW THEIR REASONS FOR PRACTICE CHANGE WITH CONTINUED PRACTICE. FURTHERMORE, WHETHER THOSE WHO PRACTICE DIFFERENT TYPES OF YOGA HAVE DIFFERENT MOTIVES REMAINS UNKNOWN. METHODS: TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES, THE AUTHORS CONDUCTED A NATIONAL CROSS-SECTIONAL ONLINE SURVEY OF 1,702 YOGA PRACTITIONERS IN GERMANY, ASKING ABOUT DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AND MOTIVES FOR INITIATING AND CONTINUING YOGA PRACTICE. RESULTS: THE MOST COMMON PRIMARY REASONS FOR STARTING YOGA WERE RELAXATION (26.6%) AND PREVENTION (25.5%), WHICH WERE ALSO THE MOST COMMON SECONDARY REASONS. NINE HUNDRED AND FORTY-ONE (55.3%) REPORTED A DIFFERENT PRIMARY REASON FOR MAINTAINING THAN FOR ADOPTING YOGA PRACTICE. PREVENTION (38.4%) AND SPIRITUALITY (26.4%) WERE THE MOST COMMONLY REPORTED PRIMARY REASONS FOR MAINTAINING YOGA PRACTICE. MORE HIGHLY EDUCATED PARTICIPANTS AND THOSE PRACTICING LONGER THAN 5 YEARS AT THE TIME OF THE SURVEY WERE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE REPORTED A DIFFERENT CURRENT PRIMARY REASON FOR YOGA PRACTICE THAN THAT FOR WHICH THEY STARTED PRACTICING. CONCLUSIONS: THESE RESULTS SHED LIGHT ON YOGA'S APPEAL TO NOVICES AND REGULAR PRACTITIONERS, WITH IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS FOR MAKING YOGA APPEALING TO BEGINNERS AS WELL AS PROMOTING THE PRACTICE AS A LONG-TERM LIFESTYLE BEHAVIOR. 2019 4 1466 34 INJURY IN YOGA ASANA PRACTICE: ASSESSMENT OF THE RISKS. BACKGROUND: THE RISK OF INJURY FROM MODERN YOGA ASANA PRACTICE IS POORLY CHARACTERIZED IN THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE, BUT ANECDOTAL REPORTS IN THE LAY LITERATURE AND PRESS HAVE POSED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF FREQUENT, SEVERE INJURIES. DESIGN: WE PERFORMED A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY OF YOGA ASANA PARTICIPANTS ASSESSING THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH YOGA-RELATED INJURY, USING A VOLUNTARY CONVENIENCE SAMPLE. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 2620 PARTICIPANTS RESPONDED TO OUR SURVEY. SEVENTY-NINE PERCENT WERE BETWEEN AGES 31 AND 60 AND 84% WERE FEMALE. THE MAJORITY OF RESPONDENTS LIVED IN NORTH AMERICA OR EUROPE. FORTY-FIVE PERCENT OF PARTICIPANTS REPORTED EXPERIENCING NO INJURIES DURING THE TIME THEY HAD BEEN PRACTICING YOGA. OF THOSE WHO DID EXPERIENCE AN INJURY FROM ASANA PRACTICE, 28% WERE MILD (E.G., SPRAINS OR NONSPECIFIC PAINS NOT REQUIRING A MEDICAL PROCEDURE, WITH SYMPTOMS LASTING LESS THAN 6 MONTHS) AND 63% WERE MODERATE (E.G., SPRAINS OR NONSPECIFIC PAINS NOT REQUIRING A MEDICAL PROCEDURE, WITH SYMPTOMS LASTING FROM 6 MONTHS TO 1 YEAR). ONLY 9% OF THOSE REPORTING INJURIES (4% OF THE TOTAL SAMPLE) HAD A SEVERE INJURY. THE STRONGEST PREDICTORS FOR INCREASED PROBABILITY OF REPORTING AN INJURY OVER A LIFETIME OF YOGA PRACTICE WERE GREATER NUMBER OF YEARS OF PRACTICE (P<.0001) AND TEACHING YOGA (P=.0177). OTHER ASPECTS OF PARTICIPANT DEMOGRAPHICS OR YOGA PRACTICE HABITS WERE NOT RELATED TO LIKELIHOOD OF REPORTING A YOGA-RELATED INJURY. CONCLUSIONS: WE FOUND THE NUMBER OF INJURIES REPORTED BY YOGA PARTICIPANTS PER YEARS OF PRACTICE EXPOSURE TO BE LOW AND THE OCCURRENCE OF SERIOUS INJURIES IN YOGA TO BE INFREQUENT COMPARED TO OTHER PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES, SUGGESTING THAT YOGA IS NOT A HIGH-RISK PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. MORE WORK IS NEEDED TO CLARIFY THE CAUSAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE YOGA PARTICIPANT CHARACTERISTICS, THE ASANA PRACTICE STYLE, AND THE RISK OF SIGNIFICANT INJURY. 2019 5 1946 23 SATISFACTION WITH ONLINE VERSUS IN-PERSON YOGA DURING COVID-19. INTRODUCTION: DURING COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS, YOGA CLASSES TRANSITIONED TO ONLINE DELIVERY. THIS REPORT COMPARES THE PERCEIVED BENEFITS AND BARRIERS TO ONLINE AND IN-PERSON YOGA AND DETERMINE THE PREFERRED FORMAT. A SECONDARY AIM WAS TO COMPARE HOW WELL EACH FORMAT WAS PERCEIVED TO PRODUCE COMMON BENEFITS OF YOGA PRACTICE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL ONLINE SURVEY OF AUSTRALIAN PARTICIPANTS. RESULTS: IN-PERSON YOGA SCORED HIGHEST FOR PROVIDING MENTAL HEALTH/MOOD BENEFITS, PHYSICAL SATISFACTION, AND FEELING ENERGIZED. ONLINE YOGA SCORED HIGHEST FOR CONVENIENCE, MENTAL HEALTH/MOOD BENEFITS, AND AFFORDABILITY (INITIAL N = 156; FOLLOW-UP N = 55). CONCLUSION: ONLINE YOGA WAS ACCEPTABLE AND PERCEIVED TO PROVIDE IMPROVED MENTAL HEALTH AND MOOD. 2021 6 2661 42 YOGA IN AUSTRALIA: RESULTS OF A NATIONAL SURVEY. INTRODUCTION: THE THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS OF YOGA AND MEDITATION ARE WELL DOCUMENTED, YET LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE PRACTICE OF YOGA IN AUSTRALIA OR ELSEWHERE, WHETHER AS A PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, A FORM OF THERAPY, A SPIRITUAL PATH OR A LIFESTYLE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: TO INVESTIGATE THE PRACTICE OF YOGA IN AUSTRALIA, A NATIONAL SURVEY OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS WAS CONDUCTED UTILIZING A COMPREHENSIVE WEB-BASED QUESTIONNAIRE. RESPONDENTS WERE SELF-SELECTING TO PARTICIPATE. A TOTAL OF 3,892 RESPONDENTS COMPLETED THE SURVEY. SIXTY OVERSEAS RESPONDENTS AND 1265 YOGA TEACHERS (TO BE REPORTED SEPARATELY) WERE EXCLUDED, LEAVING 2,567 YOGA PRACTITIONER RESPONDENTS. RESULTS: THE TYPICAL YOGA SURVEY RESPONDENT WAS A 41-YEAR-OLD, TERTIARY EDUCATED, EMPLOYED, HEALTH-CONSCIOUS FEMALE (85% WOMEN). ASANA (POSTURES) AND VINYASA (SEQUENCES OF POSTURES) REPRESENTED 61% OF THE TIME SPENT PRACTICING, WITH THE OTHER 39% DEVOTED TO THE GENTLER PRACTICES OF RELAXATION, PRANAYAMA (BREATHING TECHNIQUES), MEDITATION AND INSTRUCTION. RESPONDENTS COMMONLY STARTED PRACTICING YOGA FOR HEALTH AND FITNESS BUT OFTEN CONTINUED PRACTICING FOR STRESS MANAGEMENT. ONE IN FIVE RESPONDENTS PRACTICED YOGA FOR A SPECIFIC HEALTH OR MEDICAL REASON WHICH WAS SEEN TO BE IMPROVED BY YOGA PRACTICE. OF THESE, MORE PEOPLE USED YOGA FOR STRESS MANAGEMENT AND ANXIETY THAN BACK, NECK OR SHOULDER PROBLEMS, SUGGESTING THAT MENTAL HEALTH MAY BE THE PRIMARY HEALTH-RELATED MOTIVATION FOR PRACTICING YOGA. HEALTHY LIFESTYLE CHOICES WERE SEEN TO BE MORE PREVALENT IN RESPONDENTS WITH MORE YEARS OF PRACTICE. YOGA-RELATED INJURIES OCCURRING UNDER SUPERVISION IN THE PREVIOUS 12 MONTHS WERE LOW AT 2.4% OF RESPONDENTS. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PRACTICE WAS SEEN TO ASSIST IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SPECIFIC HEALTH ISSUES AND MEDICAL CONDITIONS. REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE MAY ALSO EXERT A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE EFFECT INCLUDING VEGETARIANISM, NON-SMOKING, REDUCED ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION, INCREASED EXERCISE AND REDUCED STRESS WITH RESULTING COST BENEFITS TO THE COMMUNITY. 2012 7 470 36 CHARACTERISTICS OF YOGA PRACTICE AND PREDICTORS OF PRACTICE FREQUENCY. YOGA IS A GLOBALLY POPULAR MIND-BODY PRACTICE USED FOR HEALTH. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO CHARACTERIZE YOGA PRACTICE AND FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH FREQUENCY OF PRACTICE. YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE SENT INVITATIONS VIA EMAIL TO PARTICIPATE IN AN ONLINE SURVEY. YOGA CHARACTERISTICS AND OTHER SOCIODEMOGRAPHICS WERE COLLECTED. DATA FROM 309 CONSENTING RESPONDENTS WERE ANALYZED FOR PATTERNS IN PRACTICE CHARACTERISTICS (YOGA TECHNIQUES, LOCATION OF PRACTICE, METHOD OF INSTRUCTION, TEACHER STATUS, AND YOGA TYPE). ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN CHARACTERISTICS OF PRACTICE AND YOGA PRACTICE FREQUENCY WERE COMPUTED. THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS WERE THEN ANALYZED AS PREDICTORS OF PRACTICE FREQUENCY IN A REGRESSION MODEL: LOCATION OF PRACTICE, METHOD OF INSTRUCTION, TEACHER STATUS, YOGA TYPE, AND TECHNIQUES. MOST RESPONDENTS REPORTED USE OF ALL THREE YOGA TECHNIQUES (MOVEMENTS, BREATHING, AND MEDITATION) AND PRACTICED AN AVERAGE OF 4.5 +/- 1.9 DAYS A WEEK. KEY CHARACTERISTICS SUCH AS LOCATION OF PRACTICE, METHOD OF INSTRUCTION, AND FREQUENCY SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERED BY TEACHER STATUS AND BY YOGA TYPE (VINIYOGA PRACTITIONERS VS. OTHER YOGA STYLES). IN OUR REGRESSION MODEL, BEING A YOGA TEACHER, BEING TAUGHT A ONE-ON-ONE YOGA PRACTICE BY SOMEONE ELSE, AND REGULAR USE OF MOVEMENT WERE POSITIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED PRACTICE FREQUENCY. OUR ANALYSES PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO HOW YOGA FACTORS SUCH AS TEACHER STATUS, METHOD OF INSTRUCTION, AND USE OF TOOLS RELATE TO PRACTICE FREQUENCY. UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PRACTICE CHARACTERISTICS AND PRACTICE FREQUENCY MAY ALLOW FOR THE IMPROVED IMPLEMENTATION OF YOGA FOR HEALTH. 2018 8 1025 36 EFFECTS OF YOGA ASANA PRACTICE APPROACH ON TYPES OF BENEFITS EXPERIENCED. CONTEXT: MODERN SCIENCE AND THE CLASSIC TEXT ON HATHA YOGA, HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA, REPORT PHYSICAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL, SPIRITUAL, AND RELATIONAL BENEFITS OF YOGA PRACTICE. WHILE ALL HAVE SPECIFIC SUGGESTIONS FOR HOW TO PRACTICE, LITTLE RESEARCH HAS BEEN DONE TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER SPECIFIC PRACTICE APPROACHES IMPACT THE BENEFITS EXPERIENCED BY PRACTITIONERS. AIMS: OUR AIM WAS TO RELATE THE EXPERIENCE LEVEL OF THE PRACTITIONER, THE CONTEXT OF PRACTICE APPROACHES (TIME OF DAY, DURATION OF PRACTICE, FREQUENCY OF PRACTICE, ETC.), AND EXPERIENCE LEVEL OF THE TEACHER, TO THE LIKELIHOOD OF REPORTING PARTICULAR BENEFITS OF YOGA. METHODS: WE CONDUCTED A CROSS-SECTIONAL DESCRIPTIVE SURVEY OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS ACROSS LEVELS AND STYLES OF PRACTICE. DATA WERE COMPILED FROM A LARGE VOLUNTARY CONVENIENCE SAMPLE (N = 2620) REGARDING RESPONDENTS' METHODS OF PRACTICE, YOGA EXPERIENCE LEVELS, AND BENEFITS EXPERIENCED. MULTIPLE LOGISTIC REGRESSION WAS USED TO IDENTIFY APPROACHES TO YOGA PRACTICE THAT POSITIVELY PREDICTED PARTICULAR BENEFITS. RESULTS: FREQUENCY OF PRACTICE, EITHER WITH OR WITHOUT A TEACHER, WAS A POSITIVE PREDICTOR OF REPORTING NEARLY ALL BENEFITS OF YOGA, WITH AN INCREASED LIKELIHOOD OF EXPERIENCING MOST BENEFITS WHEN THE PRACTITIONER DID YOGA FIVE OR MORE DAYS PER WEEK. OTHER ASPECTS OF PRACTICE APPROACH, EXPERIENCE LEVEL OF THE PRACTITIONER, AND THE EXPERIENCE LEVEL OF THE TEACHER, HAD LESS EFFECT ON THE BENEFITS REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: PRACTICE FREQUENCY OF AT LEAST 5 DAYS PER WEEK WILL PROVIDE PRACTITIONERS WITH THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF BENEFIT ACROSS ALL CATEGORIES OF BENEFITS. OTHER PRACTICE APPROACHES CAN VARY MORE WIDELY WITHOUT HAVING A MARKED IMPACT ON MOST BENEFITS EXPERIENCED. 2019 9 1271 28 FREQUENCY OF YOGA PRACTICE PREDICTS HEALTH: RESULTS OF A NATIONAL SURVEY OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS. BACKGROUND. YOGA SHOWS PROMISE AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION, BUT RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN YOGA PRACTICE AND HEALTH ARE UNDEREXPLORED. PURPOSE. TO EXAMINE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA PRACTICE AND HEALTH (SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING, DIET, BMI, SMOKING, ALCOHOL/CAFFEINE CONSUMPTION, SLEEP, FATIGUE, SOCIAL SUPPORT, MINDFULNESS, AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY). METHODS. CROSS-SECTIONAL, ANONYMOUS INTERNET SURVEYS DISTRIBUTED TO 4307 RANDOMLY SELECTED FROM 18,160 INDIVIDUALS AT 15 US IYENGAR YOGA STUDIOS; 1045 (24.3%) SURVEYS COMPLETED. RESULTS. MEAN AGE 51.7 (+/- 11.7) YEARS; 84.2% FEMALE. FREQUENCY OF HOME PRACTICE FAVORABLY PREDICTED (P < .001): MINDFULNESS, SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING, BMI, FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION, VEGETARIAN STATUS, SLEEP, AND FATIGUE. EACH COMPONENT OF YOGA PRACTICE (DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF PHYSICAL POSES, BREATH WORK, MEDITATION, PHILOSOPHY STUDY) PREDICTED AT LEAST 1 HEALTH OUTCOME (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS. HOME PRACTICE OF YOGA PREDICTED HEALTH BETTER THAN YEARS OF PRACTICE OR CLASS FREQUENCY. DIFFERENT PHYSICAL POSES AND YOGA TECHNIQUES MAY HAVE UNIQUE HEALTH BENEFITS. 2012 10 1962 44 SELF-REPORTED BENEFITS AND RISKS OF YOGA IN INDIVIDUALS WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER. BACKGROUND: ALTHOUGH HATHA YOGA HAS FREQUENTLY BEEN RECOMMENDED FOR PATIENTS WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER (BD) AND THERE IS PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE THAT IT ALLEVIATES DEPRESSION, THERE ARE NO PUBLISHED DATA ON THE BENEFITS-AND POTENTIAL RISKS-OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH BD. THUS, THE GOAL OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE RISKS AND BENEFITS OF YOGA IN INDIVIDUALS WITH BD. METHODS: WE RECRUITED SELF-IDENTIFIED YOGA PRACTITIONERS WITH BD (N=109) TO COMPLETE AN INTERNET SURVEY THAT INCLUDED MEASURES OF DEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL INFORMATION AND OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS ABOUT YOGA PRACTICE AND THE IMPACT OF YOGA. RESULTS: 86 RESPONDENTS PROVIDED SUFFICIENT INFORMATION FOR ANALYSIS, 70 OF WHOM MET POSITIVE SCREENING CRITERIA FOR A LIFETIME HISTORY OF MANIA OR HYPOMANIA. THE MOST COMMON STYLES OF YOGA PREFERRED WERE HATHA AND VINYASA. WHEN ASKED WHAT IMPACT YOGA HAD ON THEIR LIFE, PARTICIPANTS RESPONDED MOST COMMONLY WITH POSITIVE EMOTIONAL EFFECTS, PARTICULARLY REDUCED ANXIETY, POSITIVE COGNITIVE EFFECTS (E.G., ACCEPTANCE, FOCUS, OR "A BREAK FROM MY THOUGHTS"), OR POSITIVE PHYSICAL EFFECTS (E.G., WEIGHT LOSS, INCREASED ENERGY). SOME RESPONDENTS CONSIDERED YOGA TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY LIFE CHANGING. THE MOST COMMON NEGATIVE EFFECT OF YOGA WAS PHYSICAL INJURY OR PAIN. FIVE RESPONDENTS GAVE EXAMPLES OF SPECIFIC INSTANCES OR A YOGA PRACTICE THAT THEY BELIEVED INCREASED AGITATION OR MANIC SYMPTOMS; FIVE RESPONDENTS GAVE EXAMPLES OF TIMES THAT YOGA INCREASED DEPRESSION OR LETHARGY. CONCLUSIONS: MANY INDIVIDUALS WHO SELF-IDENTIFY AS HAVING BD BELIEVE THAT YOGA HAS BENEFITS FOR MENTAL HEALTH. HOWEVER, YOGA IS NOT WITHOUT POTENTIAL RISKS. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT YOGA COULD SERVE AS A USEFUL ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR BD. 2014 11 1490 41 INTEREST IN YOGA AMONG FIBROMYALGIA PATIENTS: AN INTERNATIONAL INTERNET SURVEY. STUDIES IN CIRCUMSCRIBED CLINICAL SETTINGS HAVE REPORTED THE ADOPTION OF YOGA BY MANY FIBROMYALGIA (FM) PATIENTS. HOWEVER, IT IS UNCLEAR FROM EXISTING STUDIES WHICH TYPES OF YOGA PRACTICES FM PATIENTS ARE TYPICALLY ENGAGING IN AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH THEY EXPERIENCE YOGA AS HELPFUL OR NOT. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO SURVEY FM PATIENTS IN MANY DIFFERENT REGIONS TO INQUIRE ABOUT THEIR ENGAGEMENT IN VARIOUS YOGA PRACTICES, THE PERCEIVED BENEFITS, AND THE OBSTACLES TO FURTHER PRACTICE. A 13-QUESTION INTERNET SURVEY OF PERSONS SELF-IDENTIFIED AS FM PATIENTS WAS CONDUCTED AMONG SUBSCRIBERS TO 2 ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTERS ON THE TOPIC OF FM. RESPONDENTS (N = 2543) REPLIED FROM ALL 50 U.S. STATES AND ALSO FROM CANADA, AUSTRALIA, AND THE UNITED KINGDOM, AND FROM MORE THAN TWO DOZEN OTHER COUNTRIES. ON AVERAGE, RESPONDENTS WERE 57 YEARS OF AGE AND 96% WERE FEMALE, WITH AN AVERAGE TIME SINCE DIAGNOSIS OF 13 YEARS. OF THESE RESPONDENTS, 79.8% HAD CONSIDERED TRYING YOGA AND 57.8% HAD ATTENDED 1 YOGA CLASS. THE RESPONDENTS' CLASSES TYPICALLY FOCUSED ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON YOGA POSES, WITH MINIMAL TRAINING IN MEDITATION, BREATHING TECHNIQUES, OR OTHER PRACTICES. THE MOST COMMONLY CITED BENEFITS WERE REDUCED STIFFNESS, RELAXATION, AND BETTER BALANCE. THE MOST FREQUENTLY CITED OBSTACLES WERE CONCERNS ABOUT THE POSES BEING TOO PHYSICALLY DEMANDING AND FEAR THAT THE POSES WOULD CAUSE TOO MUCH PAIN. THESE FINDINGS CONFIRM STRONG INTEREST IN YOGA ACROSS A GEOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE RANGE OF FM PATIENTS. HOWEVER, CONCERNS ABOUT YOGA-INDUCED PAIN AND YOGA POSES BEING TOO DIFFICULT ARE COMMON REASONS THAT FM PATIENTS DO NOT ENGAGE IN YOGA EXERCISES. THIS STUDY SUPPORTS THE NEED FOR YOGA PROGRAMS TAILORED FOR FM PATIENTS TO INCLUDE MODIFICATION OF POSES TO MINIMIZE AGGRAVATING MOVEMENTS AND SUBSTANTIVE TRAINING IN MEDITATION AND OTHER YOGA-BASED COPING METHODS TO MINIMIZE PAIN-RELATED FEAR. 2014 12 1431 54 IMPROVING ACCESS TO YOGA: BARRIERS TO AND MOTIVATORS FOR PRACTICE AMONG HEALTH PROFESSIONS STUDENTS. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS GAINING MOMENTUM AS A POPULAR AND EVIDENCE-BASED, INTEGRATIVE HEALTH CARE AND SELF-CARE PRACTICE. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS ARE NOT PROPORTIONAL TO THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE GENERAL POPULATION, ESPECIALLY WITH RESPECT TO GENDER AND ETHNICITY. SEVERAL ACCESS BARRIERS HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED (EG, TIME, COST, AND ACCESS TO TEACHERS). NO STUDIES HAVE EXPLORED THE BARRIERS TO PRACTICE AMONG HEALTH PROFESSIONS STUDENTS. THEIR PARTICIPATION IN YOGA IS DEEMED IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY ARE FUTURE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS WHO WILL MAKE REFERRALS TO OTHER SERVICES. RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT PROVIDERS WHO PRACTICE YOGA REFER MORE PATIENTS TO YOGA. OBJECTIVE: TO INCREASE YOGA PRACTICE AMONG HEALTH PROFESSIONS STUDENTS, AN UNDERSTANDING MUST BE DEVELOPED OF FACTORS THAT INTERFERE WITH OR FACILITATE A REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE. THE CURRENT STUDY INTENDED TO IDENTIFY SUCH BARRIERS AND MOTIVATORS. DESIGN: THIS STUDY WAS A SMALL POPULATION SURVEY. SETTING: THE SETTING WAS A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY IN THE NORTHWESTERN UNITED STATES, INCLUDING STUDENTS IN 3 OF ITS COLLEGES AND 10 PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS. PARTICIPANTS: ALL STUDENTS (N = 1585) IN THE PROGRAMS OF THE 10 HEALTH PROFESSIONS RECEIVED E-MAIL REQUESTS FOR PARTICIPATION. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE ACCEPTABILITY OF YOGA SURVEY WAS DEVELOPED FOR PURPOSES OF A LARGER YOGA PERCEPTIONS STUDY AND IMPLEMENTED WITH HEALTH PROFESSIONS STUDENTS. PARTICIPANTS WERE SOLICITED VIA E-MAIL; THE SURVEY WAS ADMINISTERED ONLINE. THE CURRENT STUDY USED DATA FROM THAT SURVEY. RESULTS: OF THE 498 USABLE, COMPLETED SURVEYS (IE, A RESPONSE RATE OF APPROXIMATELY 30%), 478 WERE RELEVANT TO THE CURRENT STUDY. THE SAMPLE'S DEMOGRAPHICS--78% WOMEN AND 79% WHITE--DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY FROM THE POPULATION'S DEMOGRAPHICS. THE FINDINGS REVEALED THE EXISTENCE OF COMMON BARRIERS THAT WERE RELATED TO (1) TIME; (2) COST; (3) LACK OF PRAGMATIC INFORMATION ABOUT ACCESS TO YOGA CLASSES AND TEACHERS; AND (4) STEREOTYPES RELATED TO FLEXIBILITY, ATHLETICISM, AND TYPICAL YOGA PRACTITIONERS. MOTIVATORS INCLUDED ATHLETICISM, HEALTH PROMOTION, AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AS WELL AS THE SEEKING OF PAIN RELIEF AND A SENSE OF COMMUNITY. A REFERRAL BY HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS WAS THE LEAST-FREQUENTLY CITED MOTIVATOR. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS HAVE IMPLICATIONS FOR STRATEGIES THAT MAY HELP MOTIVATE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TOWARD A YOGA PRACTICE, BECAUSE HAVING DONE YOGA PERSONALLY MAY BE RELATED TO A WILLINGNESS TO PERCEIVE THE BENEFITS OF AND TO REFER PATIENTS TO YOGA AS A VIABLE INTEGRATIVE TREATMENT FOR PATIENTS. IMPROVED ACCESS CAN BE DEVELOPED IN 3 WAYS: (1) INTEGRATION OF YOGA RESEARCH INTO HEALTH CURRICULA TO ACQUAINT CARE PROVIDERS WITH YOGA'S BENEFITS TO PATIENTS AND CARE GIVERS; (2) HAVE YOGA AVAILABLE AS CLOSE TO THE WORKPLACE AS POSSIBLE TO OBVIATE SOME OF THE LARGER ACCESS BARRIERS; AND (3) SOCIETALLY, PROJECT YOGA AS A HEALING ART AND SCIENCE, NOT SIMPLY AS A WEIGHT LOSS STRATEGY OR ATHLETIC ENDEAVOR. 2015 13 372 44 AWARENESS OF YOGA FOR SUPPORTIVE CARE IN CANCER: IMPLICATIONS FOR DISSEMINATION. OBJECTIVES: EVIDENCE INDICATES THERE ARE BENEFICIAL PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL EFFECTS FROM PRACTICING YOGA IN CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS. DESPITE YOGA HAVING BEEN INCORPORATED INTO NATIONAL COMPREHENSIVE CANCER NETWORK GUIDELINES FOR SYMPTOMS RANGING FROM FATIGUE TO PAIN, PATIENTS' USE OF YOGA FOR SUPPORTIVE CARE IS LOW, RANGING FROM 6% TO 12%. THIS STUDY AIMS TO EVALUATE THE AWARENESS OF YOGA AS THERAPY IN AN ACADEMIC CANCER CENTER AND THE PREFERENCES FOR INFORMATION DELIVERY IN THIS POPULATION. DESIGN: WE CONDUCTED A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY STUDY AT AN URBAN ACADEMIC CANCER CENTER. RESPONSES REGARDING AWARENESS AND USE OF YOGA WERE EVALUATED; THOSE RESPONDING "NOT AWARE" WERE ANALYZED FOR PREFERENCES IN INFORMATION DELIVERY. UNIVARIATE ANALYSIS WAS USED TO FURTHER CHARACTERIZE AWARENESS OF YOGA FOR SUPPORTIVE CARE. RESULTS: OF 303 RESPONDENTS, 68% WERE FEMALE, 77% WERE WHITE, AND 75% WERE COLLEGE EDUCATED. DESPITE ACCESS TO YOGA AT THE CANCER CENTER, 171 (56%) PATIENTS EXPRESSED THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF THE AVAILABILITY OF YOGA. MALE PATIENTS WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE UNAWARE OF YOGA (72.4% VS. 48.8%, P = 0.045). AWARENESS DID NOT VARY BY AGE, RACE, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, MARITAL STATUS, CANCER TYPE, OR CANCER STAGE. OF THE 171 "NOT AWARE" PATIENTS, 87.6% EXPRESSED DESIRE FOR INFORMATION IN THE FORM OF PRINTED MATERIAL, FOLLOWED BY 80.4% FOR E-MAIL, 37.6% FOR SMARTPHONE APPLICATION, AND 27.6% FOR SOCIAL MEDIA. NON-WHITE RESPONDENTS WERE MORE LIKELY TO EXPRESS INTEREST IN RECEIVING INFORMATION BY SMARTPHONE. CONCLUSIONS: MORE THAN HALF OF CANCER PATIENTS WERE UNAWARE OF THE YOGA PROGRAM DESPITE ADVERTISING ACROSS THE INSTITUTION. PATIENTS PREFER VARYING METHODS FOR INFORMATION RECEIPT, WITH PREFERENCES DIFFERING BY SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS. TARGETED EDUCATION AND OUTREACH USING APPROPRIATE ENGAGEMENT IS NEEDED TO IMPROVE THE AWARENESS OF YOGA FOR SYMPTOM CONTROL IN CANCER PATIENTS. 2019 14 1778 32 PRACTITIONERS' PERCEPTIONS OF YOGA'S POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EFFECTS: RESULTS OF A NATIONAL UNITED STATES SURVEY. OBJECTIVES: YOGA IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY POPULAR, YET LITTLE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE REGARDING PRACTITIONERS' PERCEPTIONS OF EFFECTS OF THEIR PRACTICE. THIS STUDY AIMED TO CHARACTERIZE PERCEPTIONS OF BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE CHANGES PRACTITIONERS REPORTED IN PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL DOMAINS. DESIGN: CROSS-SECTIONAL INTERNET-BASED SURVEY. PARTICIPANTS: YOGA PRACTITIONERS (N = 542, INCLUDING 162 TEACHERS) RECRUITED VIA EMAIL AND FLYERS SENT TO YOGA STUDIOS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES (US). PARTICIPANTS RANGED IN AGE FROM 18 TO 85 YEARS (M = 44). MEASURES: PARTICIPANTS RATED THE EXTENT TO WHICH THEY EXPERIENCED POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE CHANGE IN PHYSICAL HEALTH AND PSYCHOSOCIAL DIMENSIONS AND THEN LISTED UP TO THREE POSITIVE AND THREE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF THEIR PRACTICE. RESULTS: BOTH STUDENTS AND TEACHERS REPORTED MODERATELY HIGH LEVELS OF POSITIVE PHYSICAL CHANGES AND PSYCHOSOCIAL CHANGES, ALTHOUGH TEACHERS GENERALLY REPORTED MORE POSITIVE CHANGES. FEW NEGATIVE CHANGES WERE REPORTED. IN OPEN-ENDED RESPONSES, THE MOST COMMONLY REPORTED POSITIVE EFFECTS WERE GENERAL HEALTH AND FITNESS AND RELAXATION. MOST COMMONLY REPORTED NEGATIVE EFFECTS WERE INJURIES, SORENESS, EMOTIONAL TRIGGERS/IRRITABILITY, AND EXPENSE. CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTITIONERS GENERALLY PERCEIVE HIGH LEVELS OF POSITIVE CHANGES, BUT SOME ALSO EXPERIENCE ADVERSE EFFECTS. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD ASSESS SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCES OF CHANGE ALONGSIDE MORE OBJECTIVE MEASURES OF IMPROVEMENT. 2016 15 2034 36 TEENS' PERSPECTIVES ON YOGA AS A TREATMENT FOR STRESS AND DEPRESSION. OBJECTIVE: TO UNDERSTAND ADOLESCENTS' EXPERIENCES AND ATTITUDES TOWARD YOGA, WITH A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON ACCEPTABILITY AND FEASIBILITY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR DEPRESSED ADOLESCENTS. DESIGN: QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF DATA FROM THREE FOCUS GROUPS AND EIGHT INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEWS, FOR A TOTAL OF 22 TEEN PARTICIPANTS. SETTING: OUTPATIENT SETTING IN A PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL IN THE U.S. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: TEENS WERE ASKED ABOUT THEIR OWN AND THEIR PEERS' ATTITUDES TOWARD, AND EXPERIENCES WITH, HATHA YOGA; REACTIONS TO A STUDY-CREATED YOGA VIDEO; AND OPINIONS ON CLASS LOGISTICS. RESULTS: TEENS HAD BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ATTITUDES TOWARD, AND EXPERIENCES WITH, HATHA YOGA. THEY COMMENTED ON "WHO DOES YOGA;" MANY RESPONSES SUGGESTED A LIMITED GROUP (E.G., MOMS; PEOPLE WITH MONEY AND TIME). PARTICIPANTS AGREED THAT YOGA COULD BE POTENTIALLY BENEFICIAL FOR DEPRESSED OR STRESSED TEENS. SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS WHILE BEING IN A YOGA CLASS WAS A MAJOR CONCERN. OVERALL, TEENS REACTED FAVORABLY TO THE STUDY-CREATED YOGA VIDEO. TEENS HAD VARIED OPINIONS ABOUT CLASS LOGISTICS INCLUDING CLASS DURATION AND SIZE. TEENS CITED BARRIERS TO CLASS, SUCH AS TRANSPORTATION, AS WELL AS BARRIERS TO HOME YOGA PRACTICE. CONCLUSIONS: KEY POINTS FOR DEVELOPING A YOGA CLASS THAT MIGHT BE APPEALING TO DEPRESSED OR STRESSED TEENS INCLUDE: CREATING A CLASS WITH VARIETY THAT TEENS WILL FIND INTERESTING; TAKING CONCRETE STEPS TO DECREASE TEEN SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS; INCORPORATING MESSAGES RELEVANT FOR TEENS AND CONSISTENT WITH YOGA PHILOSOPHY; AND ACTIVELY COUNTERING STEREOTYPES ABOUT WHO PRACTICES YOGA. LIMITATIONS OF THIS STUDY INCLUDE THE LACK OF DATA FROM MALE TEENS. 2021 16 1200 28 EXERCISE AND YOGA DURING PREGNANCY: A SURVEY. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THIS SURVEY WAS TO ASCERTAIN THE OPINIONS, PRACTICES AND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT EXERCISE, INCLUDING YOGA, DURING PREGNANCY; THE SECONDARY OBJECTIVE TO COMPARE THE RESPONSES AMONG WOMEN WITH BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) <30 KG/M(2) VERSUS >/=30 KG/M(2). SURVEY CONSISTED OF 20 MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS ASSESSING DEMOGRAPHICS AND EXERCISE PRACTICES, AND FIVE QUESTIONS TESTING THEIR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT IT DURING PREGNANCY (ACOG COMMITTEE OPINION # 267). OF THE 500 SURVEYS DISTRIBUTED, 84% (422) RESPONSES WERE ANALYZED. WHILE 86% OF WOMEN RESPONDED THAT EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY IS BENEFICIAL, 83% FELT IT WAS BENEFICIAL TO START PRIOR TO PREGNANCY, AND WALKING WAS CONSIDERED THE MOST BENEFICIAL (62%). THE MAJORITY (64%) OF RESPONDENTS WERE CURRENTLY EXERCISING DURING PREGNANCY AND 51% EXERCISED 2-3 TIMES/WEEK. AMONG THE FIVE QUESTIONS TESTING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PRENATAL EXERCISE, MAJORITY (RANGE 60 TO 92%) WERE AWARE OF ACOG RECOMMENDATIONS. ABOUT HALF HAD A BMI >/=30. KNOWLEDGE ABOUT BENEFITS OF EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY BETWEEN OBESE AND NON-OBESE. YOGA WAS TRIED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE AMONG NON-OBESE, 65% BELIEVED IT IS BENEFICIAL, AND 40% HAD ATTEMPTED YOGA BEFORE PREGNANCY. IN OUR POPULATION, THE MAJORITY BELIEVES THAT EXERCISE, INCLUDING YOGA, IS BENEFICIAL AND THEY ARE ACTIVE. 2015 17 628 34 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN VEGETARIAN AND OMNIVOROUS YOGA PRACTITIONERS-RESULTS OF A NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE SURVEY OF US ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS. BACKGROUND: TO EXAMINE THE PREVALENCE OF VEGETARIANISM AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS, AND TO EXPLORE DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN YOGA PRACTITIONERS WHO ALSO USE VEGETARIAN DIET AND THOSE WHO DO NOT. DESIGN AND SETTING: USING CROSS-SECTIONAL DATA FROM THE 2012 NATIONAL HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY (NHIS) (N = 34,525), WEIGHTED FREQUENCIES FOR 12-MONTH PREVALENCE OF VEGETARIAN DIET USE AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE ANALYZED. LOGISTIC REGRESSION ANALYSES WERE USED TO ANALYZE SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL PREDICTORS OF VEGETARIAN DIET USE. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 1.7 MILLION US YOGA PRACTITIONERS HAVE USED A VEGETARIAN DIET IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS (8.3%), COMPARED TO 2.7 MILLION NON-YOGA PRACTITIONERS (1.3%). YOGA PRACTITIONERS WHO WERE AGED BETWEEN 30 AND 64 YEARS AS COMPARED TO BEING 29 YEARS OR YOUNGER WERE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE USED A VEGETARIAN DIET IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS; WHILE THOSE BEING IN A RELATIONSHIP (OR = 0.64), OVERWEIGHT (OR = 0.54), SMOKING (OR 0.64) OR HAVING PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE (OR = 0.59) WERE LESS LIKELY. VEGETARIAN DIET PRACTITIONERS MORE OFTEN INCLUDED MEDITATION AS PART OF THEIR YOGA PRACTICE AND MORE OFTEN CHOSE YOGA BECAUSE IT HAD A HOLISTIC FOCUS, AND WAS PERCEIVED TO TREAT THE CAUSE AND NOT THE SYMPTOMS OF THEIR HEALTH COMPLAINT. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PRACTITIONERS FOLLOWING A VEGETARIAN DIET SEEM TO EMBRACE YOGA MORE AS A LIFESTYLE THAN AS A THERAPY. 2018 18 1538 32 KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES TOWARD PRENATAL YOGA AMONG WOMEN WITH HIGH-RISK PREGNANCIES. THIS STUDY SOUGHT TO EVALUATE ATTITUDES AND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PRENATAL YOGA AND TO INVESTIGATE BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS TO YOGA PARTICIPATION IN HIGH-RISK PREGNANT WOMEN RECEIVING PRENATAL CARE IN AN ACADEMIC TERTIARY CARE CENTER. WE SURVEYED A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF WOMEN RECEIVING PRENATAL CARE THROUGH THE MATERNAL-FETAL MEDICINE PRACTICE AT BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL. WE CLASSIFIED PARTICIPANTS AS YOGA-EXPERIENCED OR YOGA-NAIVE DEPENDING ON SELF-REPORT. WE COMPARED DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS USING THE APPROPRIATE NONPARAMETRIC TESTS AND COMPARED BIVARIATE ODDS RATIOS FOR SURVEY RESULTS USING LOGISTIC REGRESSION. OF THE 100 RESPONDENTS, 53% HAD PRACTICED YOGA PREVIOUSLY. WOMEN WITH YOGA EXPERIENCE WERE OLDER (AGE 34.9 +/- 5.6 VS. 31.0 +/- 6.0 YEARS, P = 0.004), MORE LIKELY TO BE COLLEGE GRADUATES (94% VS. 68%, P = 0.002), AND MORE LIKELY TO BE WHITE (77% VS. 47%, P = 0.002) THAN WOMEN WITHOUT PREVIOUS YOGA EXPERIENCE. PREVIOUS YOGA EXPERIENCE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT THAT YOGA WAS SAFE DURING THEIR CURRENT PREGNANCY (ODDS RATIO 5.9, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL 1.9-17.7). OF THE WOMEN SURVEYED, 56% AGREED THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND A PRENATAL YOGA CLASS. IN A MULTIVARIATE MODEL INCLUDING AGE, RACE, AND EDUCATION, PREVIOUS YOGA EXPERIENCE WAS THE ONLY SIGNIFICANT PREDICTOR ASSOCIATED WITH WILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE IN PRENATAL YOGA CLASSES DURING CURRENT PREGNANCY (ODDS RATIO 3.1, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL 1.1-8.6). PRIOR YOGA EXPERIENCE WAS THE STRONGEST PREDICTOR OF WILLINGNESS TO ATTEND A PRENATAL YOGA CLASS IN OUR POPULATION. OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT WOMEN WITH HIGH-RISK PREGNANCIES WHO MAY BENEFIT FROM PRENATAL YOGA INTERVENTIONS BUT LACK PRIOR YOGA EXPERIENCE MAY NEED ADDITIONAL EDUCATION TO FACILITATE PARTICIPATION. 2020 19 1662 38 NATIONAL SURVEY OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS: MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH BENEFITS. OBJECTIVES: TO DESCRIBE YOGA PRACTICE AND HEALTH CHARACTERISTICS OF INDIVIDUALS WHO PRACTICE YOGA, AND TO EXPLORE THEIR BELIEFS REGARDING THE EFFECTS OF THEIR YOGA PRACTICE ON THEIR HEALTH. DESIGN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL DESIGN WITH ANONYMOUS ONLINE SURVEYS. SETTING: 4307 RANDOMLY SELECTED INDIVIDUALS FROM 15 US IYENGAR YOGA STUDIOS (N=18,160), REPRESENTING 41 STATES; 1087 INDIVIDUALS RESPONDED, WITH 1045 (24.3%) SURVEYS COMPLETED. OUTCOME MEASURES: FREIBERG MINDFULNESS INVENTORY, MENTAL HEALTH CONTINUUM (SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING), MULTI-FACTOR SCREENER (DIET), PROMIS SLEEP DISTURBANCE, FATIGUE, AND SOCIAL SUPPORT, INTERNATIONAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY QUESTIONNAIRE. RESULTS: AGE: 19-87 YEARS (M=51.7 +/- 11.7), 84.2% FEMALE, 89.2% WHITE, 87.4% WELL EDUCATED (>/= BACHELOR'S DEGREE). MEAN YEARS OF YOGA PRACTICE=11.4 (+/- 7.5). BMI=12.1-49.4 (M=23.1 +/- 3.9). LEVELS OF OBESITY (4.9%), SMOKING (2%), AND FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION (M=6.1 +/- 1.1) WERE FAVORABLE COMPARED TO NATIONAL NORMS. 60% REPORTED AT LEAST ONE CHRONIC/SERIOUS HEALTH CONDITION, YET MOST REPORTED VERY GOOD (46.3%) OR EXCELLENT (38.8%) GENERAL HEALTH. DESPITE HIGH LEVELS OF DEPRESSION (24.8%), NEARLY ALL WERE MODERATELY MENTALLY HEALTHY (55.2%) OR FLOURISHING (43.8%). PARTICIPANTS AGREED YOGA IMPROVED: ENERGY (84.5%), HAPPINESS (86.5%), SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS (67%), SLEEP (68.5%), AND WEIGHT (57.3%), AND BELIEFS DID NOT DIFFER SUBSTANTIALLY ACCORDING TO RACE OR GENDER. THE MORE THEY PRACTICED YOGA, WHETHER IN YEARS OR IN AMOUNT OF CLASS OR HOME PRACTICE, THE HIGHER THEIR ODDS OF BELIEVING YOGA IMPROVED THEIR HEALTH. CONCLUSIONS: INDIVIDUALS WHO PRACTICE YOGA ARE NOT FREE OF HEALTH CONCERNS, BUT MOST BELIEVE THEIR HEALTH IMPROVED BECAUSE OF YOGA. YOGA MIGHT BE BENEFICIAL FOR A NUMBER OF POPULATIONS INCLUDING ELDERLY WOMEN AND THOSE WITH CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS. 2013 20 563 39 CROSS-SECTIONAL ANALYSIS OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE AND ELEMENTS OF YOGA PRACTICE. BACKGROUND: MIND-BODY PRACTICES SUCH AS YOGA HAVE BEEN STUDIED FOR THEIR GENERALLY POSITIVE EFFECTS ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL). THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN HOW A PERSON PRACTICES YOGA AND THE PERSON'S HRQOL IS NOT KNOWN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE SENT INVITATIONS TO PARTICIPATE IN AN ONLINE SURVEY VIA EMAIL. YOGA CHARACTERISTICS, HRQOL, AND OTHER SOCIODEMOGRAPHICS WERE COLLECTED. ANALYSES OF DATA FROM 309 CONSENTING RESPONDERS EVALUATED ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN YOGA PRACTICE CHARACTERISTICS (USE OF YOGA TOOLS, LENGTH OF PRACTICE, LOCATION, METHOD, ETC.) AND THE 10-ITEM PROMIS GLOBAL HEALTH SCALE FOR BOTH PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH COMPONENTS. RESULTS: MULTIVARIABLE REGRESSION MODELS DEMONSTRATED HIGHER MENTAL HEALTH SCORES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH REGULAR MEDITATION PRACTICE, HIGHER INCOME, AND THE METHOD OF PRACTICING IN A COMMUNITY GROUP CLASS (VERSUS ONE-ON-ONE). HIGHER PHYSICAL HEALTH SCORES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH LENGTH OF LIFETIME PRACTICE, TEACHER STATUS, KRISHNAMACHARYA YOGA STYLE, AND PRACTICING IN A YOGA SCHOOL/STUDIO (VERSUS AT HOME). CONCLUSIONS: MEDITATION PRACTICE IN YOGA IS POSITIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH MENTAL HEALTH. LENGTH OF LIFETIME YOGA PRACTICE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY ASSOCIATED WITH BETTER PHYSICAL HEALTH, SUGGESTING YOGA HAS A POTENTIAL CUMULATIVE BENEFIT OVER TIME. DIFFERENT LOCATIONS AND METHODS OF PRACTICE MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH VARYING EFFECTS ON HEALTH OUTCOMES. COMPARATIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL AND LONGITUDINAL STUDIES ON THE VARIATIONS IN YOGA PRACTICE ARE NEEDED TO FURTHER CHARACTERIZE HEALTH BENEFITS OF YOGA. 2017