Der Einfluss von Yoga auf Körper- und Handlungsrepräsentationen sowie Selbst- und Fremd-Wahrnehmung
Zusammenfassung der Projektergebnisse
We tested the hypothesis that non-visual physical practice may alter the representation and the awareness of one’s own body by exploring the impact of Ashtanga Yoga on a number of bodyrelated perceptual tasks. This yoga style, more than others, focuses on the non-visual experience of the body in space where practitioners gain a better sense of body proprioception and vestibular signals in order to correctly execute the yoga postures. To measure different indexes of body representations, we tested regular Ashtanga yoga practitioners and non-yoga control participants using behavioral tests tapping the ability to use one's own body representation to solve bodyrelated perceptual conflicts like those involved in the Rod and Frame Test—a test/ illusion measuring context-dependent visual processing compared to internal body signal processing— and the Rubber Hand Illusion, an illusion that created a sense of ownership over an artificial limb. We also investigated whether Ashtanga Yoga practice alters visual body/action representations by testing participants on a body identity discrimination or action discrimination task. Furthermore we used personality scales and neuropsychological instruments, particularly, to find any significant correlation between yoga practice and personality changes. To this end, we assessed mental well-being by the Becks Depression Inventory, self-transcendence and compassion by means of respective scales of the Temperament and Character Inventory –a personality test—, Interoceptive Awareness by means of the Body Perception Questionnaire, Empathy and Perspective-Taking by means of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index questionnaire, and altruistic behavior by means of the Self-report Altruism Scale. Furthermore, the participants’ ability to suppress or ignore distracting information was assessed by the Stroop Test. 21 Yoga practitioners (13 female, 8 male; age: 36.9 +/- 7.0 yrs.) were recruited from three Ashtanga Yoga schools in Rome, and compared to age- and gender matched 22 control participants (13 female, 9 male; age: 35.9 +/- 7.1 yrs.). Control participants have never performed yogic or other meditation exercises. The yoga group included beginners and advanced students, who regularly practiced for +10 years. Their level of expertise was determined by the years of regular yoga practice, the times per week practiced, and the complexity of their yoga praxis (i.e., ability to perform advanced postures). All participants performed all tasks and questionnaires in the same experimental session. We found that the perception of one’s own body or internal bodily processes was increased in Ashtanga Yoga participants compared to non-yogic control participants. For example, Yogis show increased interoceptive sensitivity on the Body Perception Questionnaire (but not on the Rubber Hand Illusion) and were less context-dependent (i.e., more vertical) compared to controls on the Rod-and-Frame Test, possibly relying more on proprioceptive/ vestibular body signals than controls or being more able to suppress distracting information as assessed by the Stroop Test. In contrast, yoga practice does not alter embodied representations that are activated when viewing other people’s bodies or actions. Moreover, regular yoga practice was associated with high levels of self-transcendence but irrespective of the level or frequency of yoga practice. Correlational analyses within the yoga group revealed that interoceptive awareness and compassion towards others significantly increased with the level of expertise. In contrast, the more advanced yoga students were (i.e., the more frequent and longer they practiced), the less depressive they were but also the less altruistic behavior they showed towards other people. The present findings yield new insights into the mental or cognitive effects of yoga, particularly on the awareness of one’s own body and the psychological well-being. There is evidence that the increased interoceptive awareness in Yoga might be influenced by the amount and frequency of yoga training, as it seems to rise with increasing levels of yoga practice while depressive symptoms decrease. Self-transcendence does not rise but instead represents a trait variable, which possibly influences the individual’s interest in yoga in the first place. We can, thus, provide at least partial empirical support for practitioners’ anecdotal claims of increased concentration, inner focus, self-awareness and self-transcendence.
Projektbezogene Publikationen (Auswahl)
- New frontiers in the neuroscience of the sense of agency. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
David, N.
(Siehe online unter https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2012.00161) - Yoga practice and body-related sensory conflict monitoring. 5th International Conference on Spatial Cognition, ICSC 2012, Rome, Italy
Fiori, F., Aglioti, S. M., & David, N
