PROFILE OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS IN A UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

There is a consensus that physical activity provides benefits to its practitioners, as a result of which the promotion of health through these activities is increasing, together with the range of different practices available. Yoga is an option for individuals who seek strength, endurance, flexibility, balance, emotional control, and self-knowledge. The university extension project Clube de Yoga Mover Juntos offers regular free classes on the Darcy Ribeiro campus of the University of Brasilia (UnB), on two days a week. Despite the large influx of students, little is known about these individuals. The objective of the present research was to describe the profile of the yoga students, exploring their interests and motivations. Analyses were made of a total of 55 questionnaires that mainly contained closed questions. The variables investigated were sex, age, education, relationship with the university, participation in other physical activities, presence of injury, diet, frequency, reasons for practicing yoga, and criticisms of the project. It was found that 70.91% of respondents were females with average age of 26.61 ± 8.80 years. Amongst the participants, 40.0% indicated interest in the physical benefits obtained through regular practice, 80.0% showed no articular muscle injury, 23.64% followed a vegetarian diet, and 70.9% regularly practiced another physical activity. The results obtained enabled construction of the profile of yoga practitioners in the current UnB project. In addition to the pursuit of yoga as a beneficial physical practice, the majority of respondents also showed interest in the philosophical and theoretical aspects of this activity.