Yoga, mindful eating, and weight management

Background Yoga is associated with improvements in the health-related aspects of fitness, adherence to exercise and the management of stress. Preliminary evidence suggests that yoga may impact eating behaviors, exercise patterns, and ultimately weight management. Participants Regular yoga participatns;87 men and women Outcome Measures Participants self-selected to complete a survey packet at their yoga establishments. The outcome variables measured were (1) mindful eating using the Mindful Eating Questionnaire,(2) exercise adherence as measured by the 7-day Physical Activity Recall, (3) Body Mass Index calculated from height and weight, (4) yoga tenure as measured by the number of months/years of consistent yoga participation, (5) average daily fruit and vegetable intake and (6) two open ended questions were posed to assess perceptions of yoga and their health-related behaviors Results Mindful eating score was inversely correlated with Body Mass Index (BMI) r = -.185, p< .04. A significant difference was found in mindful eating score relative to yoga tenure, F= 3.633, p < .03 and vegetable and fruit intake relative to yoga tenure, F = 4.527, p < .01. Participants reported a mean of 239 minutes of weekly exercise other than yoga participation. 72% of the yoga participants had a BMI of 24.9 or less, placing them in the normal weight category. Participants felt yoga enhanced their exercise adherence and promoted the adoption of positive health habits. Conclusion Yoga participation over time is associated with mindful eating and the adoption and maintenance of other health-related behaviors such as regular physical activity and weight management.