Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Graham, Steven

Keywords

Yoga, Self-Esteem, Self-Compassion, Stress

Area of Concentration

Psychology

Abstract

Evidence suggests that yoga not only has physical benefits, but is associated with decreases in stress, depression, anxiety, and increases in self-esteem. The purpose of this study was to explore the correlation between length of hatha yoga experience and the variables of perceived stress, self-esteem, and self-compassion. Participants were drawn from various yoga forums and completed an online survey, which included Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale, and Neff's Self Compassion Scale Short Form. These scales were supplemented with short-response questions in order to give a qualitative, personal voice to the data. No significant correlation was found between length of hatha yoga experience and any of the variables. However, data revealed a significant negative correlation between perceived stress and self-esteem, and between perceived stress and self-compassion, while indicating a significant positive correlation between self-esteem and self-compassion. Despite these results, it is still likely that hatha yoga has a correlation with these variables, demonstrated by both the research contained in relevant literature and within the answers to short-response questions given in the survey.

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