Penman Stephen, Cohen Marc, Stevens Philip, Jackson Sue
Department of Complementary Medicine, School of Health Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Int J Yoga. 2012 Jul;5(2):92-101. doi: 10.4103/0973-6131.98217.
The therapeutic benefits of yoga and meditation are well documented, yet little is known about the practice of yoga in Australia or elsewhere, whether as a physical activity, a form of therapy, a spiritual path or a lifestyle.
To investigate the practice of yoga in Australia, a national survey of yoga practitioners was conducted utilizing a comprehensive web-based questionnaire. Respondents were self-selecting to participate. A total of 3,892 respondents completed the survey. Sixty overseas respondents and 1265 yoga teachers (to be reported separately) were excluded, leaving 2,567 yoga practitioner respondents.
The typical yoga survey respondent was a 41-year-old, tertiary educated, employed, health-conscious female (85% women). Asana (postures) and vinyasa (sequences of postures) represented 61% of the time spent practicing, with the other 39% devoted to the gentler practices of relaxation, pranayama (breathing techniques), meditation and instruction. Respondents commonly started practicing yoga for health and fitness but often continued practicing for stress management. One in five respondents practiced yoga for a specific health or medical reason which was seen to be improved by yoga practice. Of these, more people used yoga for stress management and anxiety than back, neck or shoulder problems, suggesting that mental health may be the primary health-related motivation for practicing yoga. Healthy lifestyle choices were seen to be more prevalent in respondents with more years of practice. Yoga-related injuries occurring under supervision in the previous 12 months were low at 2.4% of respondents.
Yoga practice was seen to assist in the management of specific health issues and medical conditions. Regular yoga practice may also exert a healthy lifestyle effect including vegetarianism, non-smoking, reduced alcohol consumption, increased exercise and reduced stress with resulting cost benefits to the community.
瑜伽和冥想的治疗功效已有充分记载，但在澳大利亚或其他地方，无论是作为一种体育活动、一种治疗形式、一条精神之路还是一种生活方式，人们对瑜伽练习却知之甚少。
为了调查澳大利亚的瑜伽练习情况，利用一份全面的网络问卷对瑜伽练习者进行了全国性调查。受访者是自行选择参与的。共有3892名受访者完成了调查。60名海外受访者和1265名瑜伽教师（将另行报告）被排除在外，剩下2567名瑜伽练习者受访者。
典型的瑜伽调查受访者是一名41岁、受过高等教育、有工作、注重健康的女性（85%为女性）。体式（姿势）和流瑜伽（姿势序列）占练习时间的61%，另外39%用于更温和的放松练习、呼吸法（呼吸技巧）、冥想和指导。受访者通常开始练习瑜伽是为了健康和健身，但经常继续练习是为了管理压力。五分之一的受访者因特定的健康或医疗原因练习瑜伽，他们认为瑜伽练习改善了这些状况。其中，使用瑜伽管理压力和焦虑的人比因背部、颈部或肩部问题练习瑜伽的人更多，这表明心理健康可能是练习瑜伽的主要健康相关动机。在练习年限较长的受访者中，健康的生活方式选择更为普遍。在过去12个月中，在监督下发生的与瑜伽相关的受伤情况较低，占受访者的2.4%。
瑜伽练习被认为有助于管理特定的健康问题和病症。定期练习瑜伽还可能产生健康的生活方式影响，包括素食主义、不吸烟、减少饮酒量、增加运动量和减轻压力，从而为社区带来成本效益。
