The roles of kinematics and posture in yoga expertise identification

Along with the emphasis on motor movements in traditional sports, yoga additionally focuses on the integration and awareness of posture and kinematics. The current study examined the contributions of posture and kinematics in yoga expertise identification relative to individual yoga experience. Participants in the study ranged from yoga novices to experts. In Experiment 1, participants viewed either static images (N = 101) or videos (N = 101) of beginner and advanced yoga practitioners each performing 20 yoga postures. Background and identity cues were removed using a semantic segmentation model. Participants used a six-point scale to rate the yoga expertise level of each actor. Experiment 2 was identical to Experiment 1 except using inverted displays of static images (N = 50) and videos (N = 49). For upright displays, participants were able to distinguish the actors’ expertise level by showing higher ratings for advanced yoga actors than beginners (p < 0.001). Kinematic cues in dynamic displays increased the discrimination of actor expertise by showing a significant interaction effect (p < 0.001). When the actors were displayed upside-down, we still found similar effects, suggesting the robustness of expertise identification from yoga posture and body movements. Additionally, participants with more years of yoga experience were better at distinguishing the actors’ expertise in the static condition with upright display. In conclusion, the current study highlights the roles of kinematics, posture, and experience in the perception of yoga movements. Posture and kinematics provide critical cues in determining expertise level of actors in performing yoga movements. When only posture information is available in static images, participants’ yoga experience also supports the identification of expertise level of yoga actors.