Effectiveness of Remote Yoga for the Global Population and Implications for Healthcare Integration: A Mixed-Method Global Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Research on the effectiveness and implications of remote yoga for wellness and healthcare across global demographics remains insufficient, limiting its reliability for integration into healthcare interventions. This study explored the effectiveness and implications of remote yoga (teleyoga) delivery modalities compared to traditional in-person practices in the global population. Identifying gaps between traditional and contemporary practices is critical for gaining insights for optimising the integration of remote yoga delivery in healthcare. The study utilised a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative data from expert interviews with quantitative data from a cross-sectional survey. The qualitative segment focused on identifying gaps in the real-world implications of remote yoga delivery, and the quantitative segment used the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire to measure the participants’ experiences and impact. A survey of 1,767 participants, 801 from India and 966 from the United States revealed a positive overall experience with remote yoga. The reliability subscale exhibited a lower positive experience, whereas the other five subscales consistently indicated positive responses. However, significant demographic differences were observed between participants from India and the United States, with significantly higher scores in India. This indicates that the usability and effectiveness of remote yoga require further improvement. This study uniquely addresses several key gaps related to remote yoga delivery using a large sample, mixed-methods approach, and comparing Eastern and Western perspectives to comprehensively assess its usability, satisfaction, and adaptability across diverse demographics. The comparative analysis conducted in this study is essential for enhancing remote yoga's design, usability, and effectiveness and supporting its reliability and validity for integration into mainstream healthcare. Moreover, this study proposes an original framework, Knowledge, Acceptance, Practices, Experiences, and Results (KAPER) designed to introduce systematic delivery and assessment of remote yoga.