Prenatal yoga practice in late pregnancy and patterning of change in optimism, power, and well-being

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore changes in human-environmental field patterning of optimism, power, and well-being over time, in women during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy upon completion of a 6-week prenatal yoga program. A descriptive design was used to answer research questions developed according to the Science of Unitary Human Beings theoretical framework: (1) what are the changes in patterning, as observed through the manifestation of optimism, power, and well-being over time, in women before beginning and upon completing a 6-week prenatal yoga program during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, and (2) does change in patterning, as observed through the manifestations of optimism, power, and well-being over time, differ for women beginning yoga classes in the third trimester from women who begin classes in the second trimester of pregnancy? A convenience sample of 21 pregnant women was recruited from a public health prenatal clinic and a private nurse-midwifery practice in Wake County, North Carolina. The sample was delimited to women who volunteered to participate in the study and were (a) in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy between 20 to 32 weeks gestation; (b) 18 years old and above; (c) able to speak, read, and write in English; and (d) experiencing an uncomplicated, low-risk pregnancy. To address the first research question, an analysis of patterning change, interpreted as change in scores over time from baseline to completion of a 6-week prenatal program, was tested using a paired samples, two-tailed t-test of significance for the variables of optimism, as measured by the Life Orientation Test-Revised; power, as measured by the Power to Knowingly Participate in Change Tool Version II; and well-being, as measured by the Well-Being Picture Scale and the Short Form-12 Version 2 Physical Component Summary and Mental Component Summary. The mean change in scores for optimism, power, and well-being in this study reflected a statistically significant increase from baseline to completion of the 6-week prenatal yoga program. Regardless of the trimester in which women entered into the study, there was no statistically significant difference in gain scores for optimism, power, and well-being upon completion of the 6-week yoga program. The findings of this study support field pattern diversity among women who practiced yoga during late pregnancy and manifested over time as greater optimism, power, and well- being. Applications of this study's findings in the care of pregnant women are discussed.