Physical, mental and spiritual journey: Examining recreational yoga participants’ flow experience and perceived health outcomes

The aim of this study is to examine the flow experience and perceived health outcomes of recreational yoga participants. The study utilized the relational screening model, one of the quantitative research methods. The sample group consists of 269 female (92.4%) and 22 male (22.6%), a total of 291 participants (28.67± 8.49 AgeMean) who participate in yoga activities recreationally. As data collection tools, demographic information form, Perceived Health Outcomes of Recreation Scale (PHORS) and Recreational Flow Experience Scale (RFES) were applied to the participants. When the results were examined, it was determined that the scores of the participants regarding perceived health outcomes and flow experiences in recreational yoga were generally high. Significant differences were found in the participants’ yoga participation styles and participation frequencies. A moderate positive relationship was found between the Recreational Flow Experience Scale (RFES) and the sub-dimension of Perceived Health Outcomes of Recreation (PHORS) for prevention of a worse condition (r=0.567, p=0.001); and a high positive relationship was found between the realization of psychological experience (r=0.774, p=0.001), improved condition (r=0.768, p=0.001) and the PHORS total score (r=0.792, p=0.001). It has been determined that recreational flow experience in participation in yoga activities is a significant predictor of perceived health outcomes in recreation. Accordingly, 62.8% of perceived health outcomes in recreation are explained by recreational flow experience. The study results can be said that there is a relationship between perceived health outcomes and flow experience in recreational yoga participation. It has been concluded that the flow experience experienced by individuals in recreational yoga participation also affects perceived health outcomes.