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The Effects of Yogic Practice and Philosophy on Beliefs About Complementary and Alternative Medicine

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The Effects of Yogic Practice and Philosophy on Beliefs About Complementary and Alternative Medicine YOGIC DIFFUSION: THE EFFECTS OF YOGIC PRACTICE AND PHILOSOPHY ON BELIEFS ABOUT COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE by JACQUELINE MARIE SIVÉN B.A. University of Central Florida, 2009 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Anthropology in the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Spring Term 2011 © 2011 Jacqueline M. Sivén ii ABSTRACT This research is a qualitative study that aimed to anthropologically explore the effects of consistent long-term yogic practice on the acceptance and practice of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among yoga practitioners at a South Florida yoga center. I wished to determine, through in-depth interviews, whether or not yogic practice affects acceptance of CAM. The main objective was to interview individuals from a single yoga center that have practiced yoga at least once per week for at least one year concerning their beliefs about CAM, yoga, and health. This project will begin to fill the gap in social science, in general, and specifically, the anthropological literature. Scholars of various backgrounds have discussed elements of yogic practice and philosophy that were integral to my understanding of the data. The health benefits of yoga as CAM, the associations between yoga and beliefs about health, and the association between yoga and Indian philosophy and medicine have each been explored. However, anthropological scholarship discussing the effects of consistent, long-term yogic practice on the acceptance of other CAM’s or Western biomedicine has not been examined. iii To my mother iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Within the Yoga Center, I would like to thank the director and all of the yoga practitioners for welcoming me into their community. I extend further thanks to those who agreed to be interviewed; I truly appreciate your kindness and willingness to help. I especially wish to thank my key informant, Anne, for all of her guidance and assistance. I couldn’t have done this without you. Outside of the yoga center, sincerest thanks to my wonderful thesis advisor, Dr. Joanna Mishtal, for her endless guidance, patience, and support. I would have been completely lost without you. Thank you Dr. Howard and Dr. McIntyre for your kindness, direction and for agreeing to be part of my committee. I would like to thank my husband, Sami, for taking care of me during this process, and allowing me to stay up late to work. To my mother, I love you; thank you for allowing me to ignore your phone calls when I was really busy. We’ll catch up soon. Finally, thank you to my wonderful friend Heba for offering to cook for me when I was busy and for lending me a kind ear when I needed to de-stress. v TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 Overview of Chapters ................................................................................................................. 3 CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND AND LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................... 4 Anthropological Basis ................................................................................................................. 8 Yoga History and Swami Sivananda ...................................................................................... 9 Transnational Diffusion .................................................................................................... 11 Medical Pluralism ................................................................................................................. 12 Other Anthropological Theoretical Perspectives .................................................................. 14 Other Disciplinary Perspectives ................................................................................................ 20 Medical Perspectives ............................................................................................................ 20 Demographics of Yoga Practitioners and Motivations for Yoga Practice ........................ 20 Benefits of Yoga on Health and Medical Conditions ....................................................... 23 Philosophy, Religion, History, and their Role in Yoga’s Relation to Health ....................... 26 History, Health, and Spirituality ....................................................................................... 26 The Inherent Spiritual and Healing Aspects of Yoga ....................................................... 30 Ayurveda and Yoga: The Possible Link between Yoga Practice and other CAM ........... 33 Atmosphere and Environment: Its Role in Yoga Practice and Effect on Yoga Related Spirituality and Health Beliefs .............................................................................................. 36 Research Rationale .................................................................................................................... 38 vi CHAPTER TWO: METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................... 40 Research Design and Methods .................................................................................................. 40 Interview Methods .................................................................................................................... 42 Research Setting........................................................................................................................ 43 Recruitment and Inclusion Criteria ........................................................................................... 44 Recruitment Methods ................................................................................................................ 45 Sampling ................................................................................................................................... 46 Data Management ..................................................................................................................... 47 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 48 Data Limitations and Biases ..................................................................................................... 49 CHAPTER THREE: YOGA PRACTICE AND PERCEPTIONS OF THE BODY AND HEALTH....................................................................................................................................... 52 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 52 Improvements to Body and Health ........................................................................................... 52 Physical Benefits ................................................................................................................... 53 Emotional Benefits, Psychological Benefits, and Overcoming Addiction ........................... 59 Views of the Body and Perceptions of Health .......................................................................... 64 Changes in Views of the Body and Health Over Time ............................................................. 68 Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 70 vii CHAPTER FOUR: MEDICAL PLURALISM AND PATIENT SELF-CARE ........................... 71 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 71 Disenchantment, Dissatisfaction, and Mistrust ......................................................................... 72 Disenchantment..................................................................................................................... 73 The Effect of Positive Patient Relations ................................................................................... 78 Integration and Holistic Care .................................................................................................... 81 Patient Self-care and Being Your Own Doctor ......................................................................... 89 Taking Control and Yoga .......................................................................................................... 94 Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 97 CHAPTER FIVE: THE EFFECTS OF COMMUNITY AND SPIRITUALITY ON CAM ACCEPTANCE .......................................................................................................................... 103 Community/Communitas ........................................................................................................ 103 Atmosphere: Gym versus Private Center ................................................................................ 117 Community, Spirituality and CAM Acceptance ..................................................................... 122 The Experience of Spirituality ............................................................................................ 123 Community, Spirituality and CAM Acceptance ................................................................. 126 Range of Acceptance .............................................................................................................. 130 The Effects of
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