Beyond Scientific Mechanisms: Subjective Perceptions with Viniyoga Meditation

Carrie Heeter, Marcel Allbritton and Chase Bossart
Additional contact information
Carrie Heeter: Department of Media and Information, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Marcel Allbritton: Core Resonance Works, New Orleans, LA 70119, USA
Chase Bossart: Yoga Well Institute, Mill Valley, CA 94942, USA

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 12, 1-18

Abstract: Healthcare professionals and research scientists generally recognize the potential value of mind–body practices grounded in ancient wisdom, but often have limited direct experience with such practices. Meditation participant self-reports provide a window into subjective experiences of three Viniyoga meditations and how and why those meditations could contribute to health and well-being outcomes. Each of the meditations in this analysis had a unique structure and used a different aspect of the ocean as a meditation object. Yoga philosophy and yoga anatomy models of the human system are used to help explain participants’ experiences and associated personal benefits and insights. Four aspects of the individual that can influence what happens for them in meditation are illustrated with tangible examples: (1) What is happening in generally in someone’s life; (2) the state of their system (mind, body, breath) around the time of the meditation; (3) reactions to the meditation steps and instructions; and (4) their prior experiences with the object of meditation. Summaries of the practices, and why and for whom each meditation might be beneficial are discussed. The authors’ perspectives are grounded in Viniyoga and yoga therapy.

Keywords: meditation; yoga; ethnomedicine; Viniyoga (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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