Energy Expenditure And Heart Rate In Modified Vs. Unmodified Vinyasa Yoga

It is common for individuals to need modifications (alternatives to poses to increase accessibility) when participating in a yoga practice. It is unknown which participants choose to take modifications and whether taking modifications reduces the intensity of the practice. PURPOSE: To compare participant characteristics, energy expenditure (EE), and heart rate (HR) of participants who modify yoga poses within a vinyasa yoga practice versus those who do not. METHODS: Forty adults (50% female, age = 30.6 ± 8.7, BMI = 24.5 ± 3.2, 95% White) who regularly practiced vinyasa yoga, participated in a single 60-minute vinyasa yoga session. Participants followed a video containing instructor cues along with a person demonstrating poses. Participants were instructed to follow the cues but to take modifications to the poses to match their ability level. A trained instructor of vinyasa yoga monitored whether each pose was performed in a manner consistent with the video or whether the individual modified the pose. HR was assessed with a chest-worn monitor and EE was assessed with a portable metabolic indirect calorimetry device and reported as metabolic equivalents (METs). Participants were categorized into those who did not take modifications (n = 5) and did (n = 35) across the practice. Participant characteristics, EE, and HR were compared across modification groups via t-tests or chi-squared tests as appropriate. RESULTS: Table 1 presents the tested comparisons. Age, sex, weight, BMI, % body fat, and lean body mass did not differ across the modification groups (each p > 0.19). EE and HR did not differ between modification groups (each p > 0.77). CONCLUSIONS: There is no difference in EE between a modified and an unmodified vinyasa yoga practice. Yoga participants and instructors should encourage modification usage when necessary to make vinyasa yoga more accessible, without the concern of decreased practice intensity .