Not All Yoga Styles Are The Same: A Survey Of 64 Countries
In today’s episode, we review the paper Not All Yoga Styles Are the Same: An International Survey on Characteristics of Yoga Classes, published in the Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine. The researchers conducted an English language survey of 968 yoga teachers across 64 countries to describe and quantify the various components of different styles of yoga being taught worldwide.
Study Overview
Ariana introduced the study, which examined yoga components like poses, breath techniques (pranayama), meditation, relaxation, chanting, cleansing, and lifestyle practices (yamas and niyamas). These components, though straightforward, become complex when categorized and emphasized differently across styles.
Challenges in Research
Researchers gathered broad data using surveys but faced limitations. Surveys depend on participants’ recall, which can be subjective. Participants may not remember or report practices accurately, and their answers might reflect what they believe is the “right” response, leading to social desirability bias.
Discrepancies in Teaching Values
We explored discrepancies between what teachers valued and what they actually taught. Many teachers valued components like meditation and chanting but included them sparingly in sessions. This discrepancy may reflect challenges in balancing personal values with student demands or studio pressures.
Categorization of Yoga Styles
The study categorized yoga into three styles: traditional (e.g., Hatha, Ashtanga), exercise-based (e.g., Vinyasa, Power Yoga), and therapy-based (e.g., Restorative, Gentle Yoga). I found this categorization intriguing but problematic. For example, the study classified Ashtanga as traditional, yet it shares similarities with Vinyasa, which it categorized as exercise-based yoga. This overlap raises questions about how we define and distinguish these styles.
Operational Definitions
Another challenge involved the study’s operational definitions. For instance, “cleansing” appeared as a component, but the paper didn’t define it clearly. Without precise definitions, it’s hard to know what respondents understood and how they applied the term in their teaching.
Efforts to Standardize Yoga Research
Ariana discussed efforts within the yoga research community to standardize how yoga practices are reported in studies. Although not yet widely adopted, these efforts represent a crucial step toward improving yoga research quality and comparability.
End Notes
In summary, we discussed:
- The benefits and limitations of collecting data via survey as a research method
- Subjective vs objective data and it relates to yoga research
- What it means to create an operational definition as a way to measure what can’t otherwise be measured
- The realities of recall error and social approval when study subjects are asked to complete a questionnaire
Additional research on yoga interventions
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