Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between
levels of yoga participation (i.e., overall lifetime engagement and the number of sessions
attended in the past 30 days) and balance measures of older adults as measured by (a) the
Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale, and (b) the Multi-Directional Reach
Test (MDRT). These two questionnaires along with a short demographic survey were
administered to 52 participants, aged 55 years and above, who participated in yoga at one
of the five identified agencies. Each participant was measured once at the completion of a
yoga session. Linear regressions were utilized to determine whether the two yoga
variables significantly predicted performance on the ABC Scale and MDRT. It was
demonstrated that no significant relationships between the scores on the ABC scale and
the two yoga participation variables. Regression results indicated that overall lifetime
engagement in yoga and number of sessions attended in the past 30 days significantly
predicted (R2 = .11, p = .03) the forward reach measure on the MDRT. Participation in
yoga was not significantly related to the backward reach, left lateral reach, or right lateral
reach of the MDRT. Among yoga participants, relationships between balance and yoga
PREVIEW
participation were generally low; however, the significant relationship between the
forward reach measure and yoga participation suggests that yoga has some merit for
useas an alternative therapy intervention.