Yoga Lifestyle with Cristina

We are interested in how human aesthetic experiences are the same and different from experiences during and after practicing yoga. Aesthetics research focuses almost exclusively on experiences that are the result of some external stimulus like a painting. Alternatively, yoga-based research suggests that we may be able to embody experiences of beauty and awe by simply practicing yoga, and importantly without an external stimulus.

This research project is designed to explore the mindset and emotions of people in relation to practicing yoga. In 2018, we are seeking qualified participants to reflect and report on their mindset and emotions approximately every six hours for two weeks. These reflections are an opportunity for you to consider how your yoga practice influences your other daily activities. The reports you send will help us understand more about whether yoga practices have a sustained influence on people’s thoughts and emotions.

This first project is focused on physical (asana-based) yoga practices. To participate in the research, we ask that you are at least 18 years old, and that you practice physical yoga at least twice a week for the two weeks that you are reflecting and reporting. You do not need to be a yoga expert. At a later date, we plan to expand this research to collect data on non-asana practices such as seated meditation and pranayama.

Research participants for this project will be asked to complete Preliminary Questions that will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. These questions will ask about your experience with yoga, about how yoga affects your mind and emotions, and about your general mindset on a daily basis. Before you begin these questions, you will be asked to confirm that you are at least 18 years old and that you give consent to participate.

After completing the Preliminary Questions, we will use your email address to send you a link to complete a very short “Daily Reflection” questionnaire that will ask you about your mood, whether you have practiced yoga, and about your mindset and emotions. This questionnaire will take approximately 2-3 minutes to complete. You will continue to receive email links to this survey every six hours for two weeks. Importantly: 1) you do NOT need to have practiced yoga to complete a Daily Reflection (in fact, for many of these you will not have done a yoga practice); 2) ideally you will complete all of these Daily Reflections as soon as you receive the email, but if that is not possible or reasonable, then complete the Daily Reflection at the earliest possible time.

You may begin your two weeks of participation anytime between now and April 15. Once you complete the Preliminary Questions, you will receive emails to complete the short “Daily Reflection” questionnaires for 14 days. After you complete a ‘Daily Reflection’ questionnaire, the next one will be delivered to your email six hours later. It is important that you complete the Daily Reflections when you receive the email; however, we understand that some of these emails will be delivered when you are not availalbe. If you cannot complete the Daily Reflections immediately, do it as soon as possible.

We ask that you start your participation during a time when you will be able to complete the Daily Reflection questionnaires for 14 days in a row. It is not possible to start and stop your participation; we can only include your reflections if they occur for 14 days together.

There are three main prerequisites to participate in this research:

1. Have a plan to practice physical (asana-based) yoga at least twice a week during the two weeks when you are completing the “Daily Reflection” questionnaires.
   1. Your practice does NOT need to be in a public class.
   2. There is no minimum time for your practice.
   3. You can be new to yoga. You do NOT need to have some minimal level of expertise.
2. Be able to read and respond to the questionnaires in English.
3. Be at least 18 years old.

This study will help us understand how a person’s mindset shifts or stays the same after a yoga practice and other types of daily life experiences. We are not interested in identifying “good” or “bad” yoga practices, but in how yoga classes and other life experiences might lead to different effects on your mind, body, energy, and emotions.

Benefit Your Daily Life:
This experience may also benefit you by prompting you to reflect and reconnect with the mindset from your yoga practice throughtout your day. We get reminders to be mindful during a yoga practice, and these reflections will add prompts to do the same throughout your day.

Follow this link to complete the Preliminary Questions. After you have completed the Preliminary Questions, we will use your email address (entered in the Preliminary Questions) to send you short Daily Reflection questionnaires.

CLICK HERE TO START THE RESEARCH

We are happy to answer other questions you might have about research participation. Send your questions HERE and we will respond within 48 hours.