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The objective of this study is to determine whether the practice of yoga is associated with enhanced emotion regulation and empathy , and if the relationship between these variables is mediated by mindfulness . It was hypothesized that the participants with more yoga experience will show more skillful emotion regulation , more mindfulness , and higher empathetic ability . The relationship of exercise experience to the dependent variables was also examined to evaluate if it differed from the relationship of yoga experience to the dependent variables . It was also hypothesized that mindfulness mediates the effect of yoga experience on the other variables .
The study sampled both a college students (n =185 ) and individuals in the community (n =81 ) with a range of yoga experience , from no experience to experts . Yoga experience was measured with three independent variables in the community sample , including lifetime number of hours of yoga , frequency of yoga practice , and importance of yoga practice . In the college student sample , individuals who practiced yoga were compared to those who had never practiced yoga in a dichotomous independent variable . The Godin Leisure -Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ ; Godin & Shepard , 1985 ) , Five Factor Mindfulness Measure (FFMQ ; Baer , Smith , Hopkins , Krietemeyer , & Toney , 2006 ) , the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS ; Gratz & Roemer , 2004 ) , Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ ; Gross & John , 2003 ) , and Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI ; Davis , 1980 ) were used to assess the study constructs .
Preliminary analyses were conducted to examine the relationship of demographic variables (age , gender , ethnicity /race , religion , religious attendance , income , education , and relationship status ) with the dependent variables , and demographic variables that were found to be significantly related to dependent variables were controlled for in the primary analyses . The hypotheses were analyzed using hierarchical regression , simple regression , and mediation . The study hypotheses were partially supported by the study findings . In the community sample , those with more yoga experience exhibited increased mindfulness , improved emotion regulation , and higher perspective taking . Mindfulness was found to mediate the relationship between yoga experience and suppression and the relationship between yoga experience and reappraisal . The results of the college student sample yielded non -significant findings . The implications of the study findings are discussed . |
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