Document Type

Article

Version Deposited

Published Version

Publication Date

11-5-2024

Publication Title

Explore (NY)

DOI

10.1016/j.explore.2024.103079

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the impact of COVID-19 on the perspectives of yoga instructors (YIs) regarding teaching methodology, class components, and yoga-related injuries among their clients DESIGN: A cross-sectional design in this study.

SETTING: A total of 407 YIs from Northeastern United States completed a customized, web-based survey.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Chi-square tests were carried out to determine changes in yoga teaching format before and during the pandemic, as well as the counts of yoga related injuries between face-to-face (FtoF) and online teaching format. Independent t tests were used to compare the characteristics of yoga teaching elements.

RESULTS: During the pandemic, 47 % of YIs adopted online teaching, followed by a mixed (45.9 %) format and FtoF (7.1 %) instruction. Both online and FtoF classes showed similar trends, with most reporting class sizes of 4-6, followed by 7-9 and then 1-3 students. Regardless of the teaching format, most YIs performed sun salutations and practiced mixed yoga styles. Among the YIs teaching yoga online, 84.6 % expressed their willingness to continue offering online classes post-pandemic and perceived the quality of online yoga teaching as high. Importantly, the number of injuries was low, and there were no significant differences in injury counts between FtoF (3.6 %) and online (4.2 %) teaching formats (p > 0.05). The most common injury in all forms of teaching yoga was a sprain/strain (42.9 %).

CONCLUSIONS: These findings could inform the development of research studies to examine the long-term feasibility and effectiveness of delivering online yoga since short-term benefits, safety, and YI acceptance appear favorable.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Published Citation

Kim S, Solow J, Lein DH, Singh H. Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on yoga instruction: Examining teaching methodology, class components, and injury patterns in the Northeastern US. Explore (NY). 2024 Nov-Dec;20(6):103079. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2024.103079. Epub 2024 Nov 5. PMID: 39514957.

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