View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Clemson University: TigerPrints Clemson University TigerPrints All Theses Theses 8-2019 An Investigation into the Use of Yoga in Recreational Therapy Practice Abby Wiles Clemson University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses Recommended Citation Wiles, Abby, "An Investigation into the Use of Yoga in Recreational Therapy Practice" (2019). All Theses. 3158. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/3158 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Theses by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF YOGA IN RECREATIONAL THERAPY PRACTICE ______________________________________________________________________ A Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University ________________________________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management ________________________________________________________________________ by Abigail K. Wiles August 2019 ________________________________________________________________________ Accepted by: Dr. Marieke Van Puymbroeck, Committee Chair Dr. Brandi Crowe Dr. Arlene A. Schmid YOGA IN RT ABSTRACT Yoga is used in healthcare with a variety of populations, but limited knowledge exists regarding credentials of yoga instructors, duration and frequency of sessions, style of yoga used in treatment, and how, where, and with what populations yoga is being used in Recreational Therapy (RT) practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe how yoga is currently used in RT practice. As part of a nation-wide survey and individual interviews, this secondary analysis investigated how yoga is being used in RT practice across the United States. Sixteen recreational therapists completed both a nation-wide online survey and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative results describe the populations in which yoga is being used in RT practice, as well as the characteristics of recreational therapists who also are employing yoga in their RT practice. Then, conventional and summative content analysis identified four categories related to yoga in RT practice: recreational therapists’ practices, treatment planning, outcomes, and yoga intervention. Yoga is implemented with a variety of populations as part of RT practice. Yoga should be implemented by recreational therapists who are trained to teach yoga or provide population-specific yoga sessions to meet specific patient needs. Limitations of the study and implications are discussed. ii YOGA IN RT DEDICATION This research and my graduate school career is dedicated to both of my grandmothers, Joyce Wiles and Judy Cockrell, for believing in my undiscovered abilities, understanding my absence from many family functions, and unconditional love and celebration of my achievements. I admire the courage, stamina, faith, and strength these two women instilled into my upbringing, and that is why I am here today. I love them deeply. iii YOGA IN RT TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................ 5 History of Yoga and Yoga Philosophy ........................................................................................ 5 Movement to the United States ................................................................................................... 6 Transition to Healthcare .............................................................................................................. 7 Yoga as a Healthcare Treatment Modality .................................................................................. 9 Recreational Therapy and Yoga ................................................................................................ 11 Application of The Health Protection/ Health Promotion Model .............................................. 13 Investigating the Use of Yoga in RT Practice ........................................................................... 15 CHAPTER THREE: METHODS .............................................................................................. 17 Participants ................................................................................................................................ 17 Data Collection .......................................................................................................................... 18 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 19 CHAPTER FOUR: MANUSCRIPT .......................................................................................... 21 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 24 Methods ..................................................................................................................................... 28 Results ....................................................................................................................................... 32 Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 50 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION ............................................................................................ 58 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................. 64 Appendix A: Online Survey Questions ..................................................................................... 65 Appendix B: Semi-Structured Interview Questions .................................................................. 68 References .................................................................................................................................... 70 iv YOGA IN RT LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Participant Demographics .............................................................................................. 33 2 Yoga Specific Information Related to RT Pratice ......................................................... 35 3 Content Analysis Comments.......................................................................................... 36 v YOGA IN RT LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 Health Protection/ Health Promotion Model ..................................................................14 vi YOGA IN RT CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Originating in India and the Eastern world, the ancient practice of Yoga, a connection of the mind (meditation/dyhana), postures (asana), and breathing techniques (pranayama), has been around for centuries (Cramer, Lauche, Langhorst, & Dobos, 2016; Yang, 2007). Since its birth, yoga has evolved into several different styles, such as Hatha, Iyengar, Ashtanga, Kundalini, Vinyasa, and Yoga Therapy (Cramer et al. 2016). While yoga has different approaches via the different styles of yoga, collectively yoga traditions share many philosophical foundations and acknowledge that one’s body is comprised of energies. Yogic philosophy suggests that if an individual is ill, the cause of their illness is a disturbance in their energy (Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, 1999). According to yogic philosophy, energy flows through the body at a series of different locations called chakras (Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, 1999). Therefore, the specific place of illness on one’s body links to an instability in one of the seven chakras (Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, 1999). Initially, yoga was practiced for religious and philosophical purposes only, however this ancient practice has migrated from the East to the West where it can be practiced without religious application (Collins, 1998; Sengupta, 2012). Yoga was introduced to America during the 1800’s through an English translation of the Bhagavad Gita, a Sanskrit scripture, where it created controversy amongst Christians due to its non-Christian roots (Douglass, 2007). An Indian yoga practitioner, Swami Vivekananda, minimized these concerns by presenting yoga as a means to 1 YOGA IN RT achieving physical and mental wellness (Douglass, 2007). Yoga has become increasingly popular in the United States and is practiced by Americans mainly for physical & mental health reasons (Hart, 2008). Yoga is considered a complementary health approach (CHA) by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health [NCCIH], 2017a). This government agency researches complementary forms of