Characteristics of Yoga Providers and Their Sessions and Attendees in the UK: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Nalbant, Gamze; Lewis, Sarah; Chattopadhyay, Kaushik

Abstract

Yoga is an ancient Indian philosophy and way of life that is being used as a method of improving health and wellbeing. Evidence shows that yoga has several health benefits, such as managing many noncommunicable diseases, such as hypertension, and improving mental health. The popularity of yoga is growing in the UK, but it is mostly unregulated with little information available about yoga providers and their sessions and attendees. This study aimed to explore who is providing yoga; what sessions are available, where, and at what cost; and who attends these sessions in the UK and whether yoga providers were aware of health conditions in their sessions. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken among yoga providers in the UK. They were approached through four major UK yoga associations. In total, 407 yoga providers participated. Most providers were aged 45–64 years (69%), female (93%), and white (93%). The median number of group sessions and one-to-one sessions delivered per week was four and two, respectively. The most common styles were Hatha (28%), Iyengar (26%), and Vinyasa (15%). Sessions had a varying emphasis on different yogic practices, but 59% of providers allocated most time to yogic poses (asana), 18% to breathing practices (pranayama), and 12% to meditation (dhyana) and relaxation practices. Most (73%) reported that their attendees disclosed their health conditions to them, most commonly mental health issues (41%), hypertension (25%), and heart diseases (9%). This study showed that yoga sessions are widely available in the UK, often provided and practiced by women, and concentrate on yogic poses. Sessions concentrate on the asana and tend not to include many of the more holistic aspects of yoga that are practiced in South Asian countries. Yoga providers are often aware of health conditions but may benefit from training to deliver sessions suitable for specific health conditions.

Citation

Nalbant, G., Lewis, S., & Chattopadhyay, K. (2022). Characteristics of Yoga Providers and Their Sessions and Attendees in the UK: A Cross-Sectional Survey. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(4), Article 2212. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19042212

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 9, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Feb 15, 2022
• Publication Date: Feb 1, 2022
• Deposit Date: Feb 9, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 15, 2022
• Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Electronic ISSN: 1660-4601
• Publisher: MDPI
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 19
• Issue: 4
• Article Number: 2212
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19042212
• Keywords: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis; Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/7413277
• Publisher URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/4/2212