Yoga and health promotion, practitioners' perspectives at a Brazilian university: A pilot study

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the Program Yoga and Health Promotion offered to 18 participants, lecturers, workers and students of the State University of Campinas, Brazil. The program aimed at favoring well-being in relation to their physical, emotional and mental condition. Practitioners completed the Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile to identify the symptoms and the perception of self-reported well-being, and the T test was applied to the results of the participants' profiles before and after the program. Narratives were used based on trigger phrases. Seven categories (self-control; self-perception; well-being; body awareness; balance; mind-body; reflexivity), were identified through thematic analysis. The results were discussed according to the triangulation of methods. Results: 14 participants scored better profiles, with a p-value <0.05. As regards the narratives, there were no negative perceptions about the yoga practice. In conclusion: yoga was a positive intervention for the group of participants.