As recognition of the mind, body, spirit connection grows, consumers and healthcare providers are turning to alternative and complementary medical strategies to reduce stress, maintain health, and address health issues (Ainsworth). Nurses and nursing schools have long recognized the relevance of self-care to health, and as the concept of self-care is embraced and the locus of control of health shifts more to the individual, interest in health-promoting technologies such as yoga is growing rapidly (Ainsworth). Yoga practice may have benefits on structural, physiological, psychoemotional, and spiritual levels, and may result in increased strength, stamina, flexibility, balance, and relaxation, as well as having more energy, vitality, and balanced emotions (Ainsworth). To date, thousands of research studies have shown that with the "practice of yoga a person can, indeed, learn to control such physiologic parameters as blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory function, metabolic rate, skin resistance, brain waves, body temperature, and many...
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