Medical yoga: another way of being in the world-a phenomenological study from the perspective of persons suffering from stress-related symptoms.
Agneta Anderzén-Carlsson, Ulla Persson Lundholm, Monica Köhn, Elisabeth Westerdahl
International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being January 9, 2014 DOI: 10.3402/qhw.v9.23033 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study (descriptive phenomenological design) Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 6 |
| Population | Five women and one man aged 43-51 with stress-related symptoms and diagnosis, recruited from the intervention group (n=18) of a randomized controlled trial at a primary health care centre in Sweden |
| Intervention | Medical yoga |
| Duration | 12 weeks of medical yoga in addition to standard care (prior randomized controlled trial); qualitative interviews conducted afterward |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Humans Treatment outcome Stress, psychological Self concept Quality of life Adult Middle aged Sweden Female Interviews as topic Complementary therapy Qualitative research Medical yoga Stress-related illness |
| Key findings | The authors report that the essential meaning of medical yoga for these participants was not an endpoint of recovery but the start of a process toward an increased sense of wholeness. Participants described yoga as alleviating suffering and giving them a practical tool for dealing with stress, and as fostering greater self-awareness and self-esteem that carried over into their everyday lives, which the authors summarize as 'Another way of being in the world' with a deepened sense of identity. |
Abstract
The prevalence of stress-related illness has grown in recent years. Many of these patients seek help in primary health care. Yoga can reduce stress and thus complements pharmacological therapy in medical practice. To our knowledge, no studies have investigated patients' experiences of yoga treatment in a primary health care setting or, specifically, the experiences of yoga when suffering from stress-related illness. Thus, the aim of the present study was to explore the meaning of participating in medical yoga as a complementary treatment for stress-related symptoms and diagnosis in a primary health care setting. This study has a descriptive phenomenological design and took place at a primary health care centre in Sweden during 2011. Five women and one man (43-51 years) participated. They were recruited from the intervention group (n=18) in a randomized control trial, in which they had participated in a medical yoga group in addition to standard care for 12 weeks. Data were collected by means of qualitative interviews, and a phenomenological data analysis was conducted. The essential meaning of the medical yoga experience was that the medical yoga was not an endpoint of recovery but the start of a process towards an increased sense of wholeness. It was described as a way of alleviating suffering, and it provided the participants with a tool for dealing with their stress and current situation on a practical level. It led to greater self-awareness and self-esteem, which in turn had an implicit impact on their lifeworld. In phenomenological terms, this can be summarized as Another way of being in the world, encompassing a perception of deepened identity. From a philosophical perspective, due to using the body in a new way (yoga), the participants had learnt to see things differently, which enriched and recast their perception of themselves and their lives.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualitative thematic analysis of the phenomenology of near-death experiences Cardiac arrest survivors | 2018 | Qualitative study | n = 34 |
| Phenomenology and Sequelae of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Use Psychiatrists who had taken MDMA | 1992 | Qualitative study | n = 20 |
| A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional buddhist and neurobiological perspectives American Buddhist practitioners | 2014 | Qualitative study | |
| Evoking the ineffable: The phenomenology of extreme sports. Extreme sports participants across three continents, including BASE jumping, big wave... | 2017 | Qualitative study | n = 15 |
| Phenomenology and content of the inhaled N, N-dimethyltryptamine (N, N-DMT) experience. Naturalistic inhaled N,N-DMT experiences posted to the r/DMT Reddit community | 2022 | Qualitative analysis | n = 3,778 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Negotiating Spirituality and Institutional Religion: The Experiences of Yoga Practitioners in Türkiye Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi May 31, 2026
- Perceptions and experiences of MediYoga among patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation-An interview study. Complementary Therapies in Medicine December 2018