Poster Presentation 6th World Congress on Positive Psychology 2019

How And For Whom Is Yoga Beneficial? A Mixed-Methods Exploration Of Ashtanga Yoga Practioners' Experiences (#751)

Daniela Ramirez Duran 1 , Peggy Kern 1 , Helen Stokes 1
  1. The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VICTORIA, Australia

Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual discipline traditionally practiced to attain higher states of consciousness. In Western cultures, over the past decades, it has been increasingly used and studied as a therapeutic tool to address physical and mental illness and health, especially in clinical populations. More recently, it has also been used as a Positive Psychology Intervention (PPI) to improve well-being in general populations. Although studies have found that yoga practices are associated with positive mental and physical health outcomes, the processes by which these benefits occur and for whom and under what contexts it might be helpful for is less clear. This poster outlines a PhD research that examines mediators and moderators underlying the impact of yoga on practitioners’ physical, emotional, psychological, social and spiritual well-being. The study uses a mixed-methods approach, comprising an online survey and semi-structured interviews with beginner, intermediate and advanced Ashtanga yoga practitioners. This research will contribute to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of yoga as a PPI, and provides insights into mechanisms and moderators that underlie existing PPIs. Â