Thesis (M.Ed.)--Murdoch University, 2008. / Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts and Education. Includes bibliographical references (p. 118-123).

This dissertation is grounded in my praxis as a Hatha yoga teacher in the community. I noticed that particular students were drawn to specific styles of Hatha yoga, whilst avoiding others. I took the styles of Hatha yoga into consideration, but further exploration also gave rise to whether methods of instruction were a fundamental component of the class demography. This in turn led to an examination of my own teaching pedagogy to explore how my philosophical approach to teaching, was in fact, carried over into to my praxis and if this was a factor in student retention in my classes. Studying my own pedagogy as a Hatha yoga teacher meant reviewing my philosophies, both from a theoretical perspective and later from a practical level, to see if my practice followed my philosophy. This could only be realised through a full investigation of my teaching methods, which was achieved by video taping one of my Hatha yoga classes. I believe that understanding originates from personal knowledge; therefore, the research must begin by examining my own pedagogy. In order to answer these questions I have investigated the historical foundations of yoga and the meaning of yoga in the modern Western world. During this process I became aware of the misrepresentations of Hatha yoga and the misconceptions that have derived from this. In order to answer my research question, whether my teaching pedagogy directly influenced the cohort of students who attended my yoga class, I have had to be cognisant of my own pedagogy. In order to achieve this I employed heuristic enquiry and more specifically the methods outline by Clark Moustakas (1990). Heuristic epistemology is achieved by creating phases in which the researcher uses her own experience to investigate and create meaning in which to discover a phenomenon. This method of enquiry offers the researcher non-linear steps with which to structure the process of a personal reflection. Explication of the pedagogy resulted from numerous viewings of the video recording. I reviewed my teaching methods to ascertain if what I said and thought I was doing was what I actually taught.

The rise in popularity of health practices such as yoga coincides with a period of growing publicity about the benefits of promoting positive health from an early age. Despite this, empirical research in the field is limited. Thus, the aim of the current study was to assess the psychological and physiological impact of a brief yoga program for children using a randomised placebo-control design. Twenty-two school-girls aged 8-10 were recruited to take part in a 6-session after-school program. Participants were randomly allocated to either yoga classes or recreation classes. Heart rate change and respiration rate were measured pre-post program as physiological indicators of relaxation. For mental wellbeing, pre- and post-session mood and pre- and post-program self-esteem and physical self-worth variables were assessed. Later, a replication study was conducted where yoga was offered to the former recreation group. Contrary to expectations, no significant changes were found on the physiological indicators of relaxation. Global self-esteem and physical self-worth variables also remained constant in both the yoga and recreation groups. As hypothesised, significant reductions in anxious mood were consistently reported from the second session onwards following yoga classes. Contrary to expectations however, depressed mood remained unchanged in either group. Results of the follow-up study confirmed most of the findings of the main study, except for a small improvement on the physical self-worth variable of self-perceived sports competency, and no significant post-session mood changes. Nonetheless qualitative data suggested that this group also experienced anxiety reduction following yoga practice. The results of the project remain speculative because of the small sample size and generous criteria used to determine statistical significance. Despite this, it was concluded that while brief yoga programs might have little impact on children�s overall self-esteem or physical self- perceptions, especially where children are physically active and already enjoy moderate to high levels of self-esteem, yoga classes may contribute to reductions in immediate anxiety levels. While the ability to relax voluntarily was not demonstrated by the end of program, it was suggested that a longer yoga program which incorporated more overt teaching of relaxation skills might produce such a result. This and other recommendations for future research are presented and the implications for the understanding of positive health are discussed.

Texte remanié de: Th.--Études indiennes--Paris 3, 1995. / Bibliogr. p. 337-345. Glossaire. Index.

Thesis (M.S. in exercise science)--Washington State University, December 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

On basic energy in the psycho-yogic nervous complex known as kundalini. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Memphis, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 38-42).

Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-80). / Electronic reproduction. / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / vii, 93 leaves, bound col. ill. 29 cm

El objetivo de la investigación es describir el bienestar psicológico en profesores que enseñan hatha yoga en la ciudad de Lima. Se contó con la participación de 10 instructores, 4 varones y 6 mujeres entre 21 y 58 años de edad, nacidos en Lima y con residencia en la ciudad. Se utilizó un enfoque cualitativo fenomenológico y la información se obtuvo mediante una entrevista estructurada. Los participantes fueron seleccionados mediante un muestreo intencional y se aplicó un análisis de contenido. Los resultados presentan concordancia entre todos los ejes analizados y por ende se obtuvo un alcance psicológico que describe la teoría de bienestar psicológico en la experiencia de la práctica del hatha yoga. Por último, los profesores concluyen que el hatha yoga brinda un sentido en sus vidas y a estar más involucrados en su trabajo por recompensas intrínsecas. / The objective of the research is to describe the psychological well-being in teachers who teach hatha yoga in the city of Lima. It was attended by 10 instructors, 4 males and 6 women between 21 and 58 years old, born in Lima and residing in the city. A phenomenological qualitative approach was used and the information was obtained through a structured interview. Participants were selected by intentional sampling and content analysis was applied. The results are consistent between all the axes analyzed and therefore a psychological scope was obtained that describes the theory of psychological well-being in the experience of the practice of hatha yoga. Finally, teachers conclude that hatha yoga provides meaning in their lives and to be more involved in their work for intrinsic rewards. / Tesis

Low back pain (LBP) is a common complaint and health problem in Hong Kong, particularly among middle-aged individuals. LBP is the main cause of chronic disability which significantly affects the daily life activities of patients. Pain might result in repeated hospital admissions and subsequently increase the burden on health care providers in Hong Kong. LBP has an enormous effect on quality of life and therefore deserves research attention. Growing evidence shows that yoga may help reduce the level of chronic LBP in adult patients. However, no systematic review has been conducted to support the translation of this theory into practice. Therefore, this thesis aims to evaluate the current evidence on the efficacy of yoga in reducing chronic LBP among adult patients to achieve the following objectives: formulate an evidence-based protocol on yoga practice, assess the implementation potential of the formulated protocol, and develop implementation strategies and evaluation plan for the use of this protocol in a local public hospital in Hong Kong. Five databases were used for the systemic review of relevant studies. These databases were those of Cochrane Library, CINAHL Plus, PudMed, British Nursing Index and Medline (Ovid). A total of eight papers (randomized controlled trials) fulfilled the inclusion criteria of this study. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) was used to extract the data and evaluate the paper quality. The findings of the selected papers indicated that yoga practice has a significant effect on reducing pain among adult patients with chronic LBP. The innovation is proposed to be conducted in an adult orthopedic and traumatoloy (O&T) ward. Evidence-based yoga guideline is developed to guide nurses in the effective implementation of the protocol. The SIGN grading system is chosen to grade the recommendations in the guideline. Adult patients with persistent LBP longer than three months are the target population. All study participants practice specific yoga postures under the supervision of yoga instructors and trained nurses in the outpatient clinic. These patients continue home practice for 30 minutes daily or at least twice a week. Based on the findings of the reviewed literatures and the adaptation of these findings into the proposed innovation, the feasibility of implementing evidence-based yoga guideline in the local clinical setting in Hong Kong is demonstrated. An effective communication plan is developed to gain support from stakeholders and efficiently implement the innovation. A two-month pilot study is designed to test the feasibility of the guideline. Pain level, which is the primary outcome of the study, is measured by using Pain Numerical Pain Scale (NRS). Evaluation will be completed after the pilot test and at the end of the whole programme and refinement of the protocol will be accomplished according if necessary. Protocol effectiveness will be determined by a decrease in back pain level after practicing yoga. Other outcomes include the knowledge and satisfactory level of the staff with regards to the protocol, as well as and the costs and benefits of program implementation. / published_or_final_version / Nursing Studies / Master / Master of Nursing