Exploring the Relationships between Yoga Practice, Affect and Attention Regulation, Health Outcomes and Program Adherence in Cancer Survivors
Date
2012-11-16
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Abstract
Yoga practice has been reported to lead to improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQL), psychological functioning, and symptom indices in cancer survivors. Yoga is defined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as a path towards, “stilling the fluctuations of the mind (YS I.2).” Importantly, meditative states experienced within yoga practice are correlated to neurophysiological systems that moderate both positive affect and internalised attention. Despite preliminary findings, little attention has been paid to the psychophysiological mechanisms by which benefits are accrued via yoga practice.
The impetus for the present studies was to explore the mechanisms by which yoga practice stills the fluctuations of the mind in cancer survivors. Three studies examined: 1) the clinical significance of patient–reported outcomes in yoga interventions for cancer survivors; 2) longitudinal associations between yoga participation, affect, and mindfulness as predictors of mood, stress and HRQL outcomes in an ongoing community-based yoga program; 3) associations between valence, activation, attention, perceived exertion, cardiac activity, and participant descriptions of a single yoga session for cancer survivors.
The clinical significance review confirmed yoga practice was related to clinically significant improvements in HRQL, psychological health, and symptom experience. Longitudinal findings suggest improvements in mood, stress and HRQL were related to affect and attention (mindfulness) regulation, but not previous yoga experience. Previous yoga experience, affect and mindfulness were related to yoga practice maintenance. Lab study findings suggest both affect and attention improved in a single yoga session and were related to cardiac activity. Participant descriptions confirmed these findings and further suggested regulation of attention via breath awareness elicited positive affective responses to yoga.
This research develops current theory in yoga practice, affect and attention regulation by modelling processes and outcomes, resulting in a detailed exploration of yoga in cancer settings. Examining these proposed theoretically-based mechanisms for yoga’s salutary effects enables greater understanding not only of “if” yoga works, but also “how.” This knowledge can be used to develop innovative yoga interventions with the express aim of improving mental health and HRQL in cancer survivors.
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Physical, Psychology--Behavioral
Citation
Mackenzie, M. (2012). Exploring the Relationships between Yoga Practice, Affect and Attention Regulation, Health Outcomes and Program Adherence in Cancer Survivors (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26121