Delivery Of Yoga Properties Across In-person And Remote Formats In A Weight Loss Maintenance Intervention

We previously reported that yoga can be feasibly implemented with high acceptability following behavioral weight loss treatment, however, it is unknown whether participant perceptions of yoga class properties differ when delivered in-person vs. remotely. PURPOSE: To compare participant perceived delivery of essential yoga properties across in-person and remote formats in a weight loss maintenance intervention. METHODS: 24 women with overweight or obesity (34.6 ± 4.1 kg/m2, 48.2 ± 9.9 years) received a 12-week Iyengar yoga intervention (2x/week) following a 3-month behavioral weight loss program. Of 23 participants who completed follow-up questionnaires, 12 received the planned in-person intervention and 11 received a remote intervention (delivered live) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Essential Properties of Yoga Questionnaire (EPYQ), a psychometric tool validated for use by trained raters, was administered online to participants (a non-validated use) to measure their perceptions of the relative emphasis placed on the essential components of the yoga intervention via 14 subscales. RESULTS: 13 of the 14 EPYQ subscales were not significantly different between in-person versus remote groups: acceptance/compassion (4.1 ± 0.6 vs. 3.6 ± 1.2), breathwork (4.7 ± 0.6 vs. 4.5 ± 0.4), physicality (3.5 ± 0.6 vs. 3.3 ± 0.9), active postures (4.1 ± 0.7 vs. 3.9 ± 0.9), restorative postures (4.1 ± 0.8 vs. 3.9 ± 0.9), body locks (3.6 ± 0.6 vs. 3.0 ± 1.0), body awareness (4.3 ± 0.8 vs. 4.3 ± 0.5), mental/emotional awareness (3.8 ± 0.8 vs. 3.9 ± 0.7), health benefits (4.2 ± 0.6 vs. 3.5 ± 1.2), social aspects (2.3 ± 0.7 vs. 2.5 ± 0.7), spirituality (2.3 ± 0.6 vs. 2.0 ± 0.8), meditation/mindfulness (3.7 ± 0.1 vs. 3.5 ± 0.9), and yoga philosophy (2.3 ± 0.1 vs. 2.2 ± 1.4) (p > 0.05 for all). Scores from the individual attention subscale were higher for in-person compared to remote delivery (3.3 ± 0.8 vs. 2.3 ± 0.6, p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide preliminary support for the use of live remote delivery of yoga, effectively communicating most essential yoga properties when compared to in-person classes. However, participants perceived more individual attention with in-person vs. remote delivery; thus, future remote-based yoga interventions may benefit from providing additional individualized feedback.