The Relationship Between Levels of Participation in Yoga and Balance Measures of Older Adults

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between levels of yoga participation (i.e., overall lifetime engagement and the number of sessions attended in the past 30 days) and balance measures of older adults as measured by (a) the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale, and (b) the Multi-Directional Reach Test (MDRT). These two questionnaires along with a short demographic survey were administered to 52 participants, aged 55 years and above, who participated in yoga at one of the five identified agencies. Each participant was measured once at the completion of a yoga session. Linear regressions were utilized to determine whether the two yoga variables significantly predicted performance on the ABC Scale and MDRT. It was demonstrated that no significant relationships between the scores on the ABC scale and the two yoga participation variables. Regression results indicated that overall lifetime engagement in yoga and number of sessions attended in the past 30 days significantly predicted (R² = .11, p = .03) the forward reach measure on the MDRT. Participation in yoga was not significantly related to the backward reach, left lateral reach, or right lateral reach of the MDRT. Among yoga participants, relationships between balance and yoga participation were generally low; however, the significant relationship between the forward reach measure and yoga participation suggests that yoga has some merit for use as an alternative therapy intervention.