Why practice yoga? Practitioners’ motivations for adopting and maintaining yoga practice

作者：Crystal L. Park, Kristen E. Riley, Elena Bedesin, Valerie Stewart · 发表于：Journal of Health Psychology · 年份：2014 · DOI：10.1177/1359105314541314 · 被引用次数：115 · 研究领域：Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions、Behavioral Health and Interventions、Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports

We examined motives for adopting and maintaining yoga practice in a national survey of yoga practitioners (360 yoga students, 156 yoga teachers). Both students and teachers adopted yoga practice primarily for exercise and stress relief, but reported many other reasons, including flexibility, getting into shape, and depression/anxiety relief. Over 62 percent of students and 85 percent of teachers reported having changed their primary reason for practicing or discovering other reasons; for both, the top changed primary reason was spirituality. Findings suggest that most initiate yoga practice for exercise and stress relief, but for many, spirituality becomes their primary reason for maintaining practice.