Graduation Semester and Year
2023
Language
English
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Social Work
Department
Social Work
First Advisor
Regina T Praetorius
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that animal-assisted interventions are helpful for mental wellbeing in reducing anxiety and depression. There is also a large body of research supporting the benefits of yoga for symptoms of trauma. However, there can be resistance to participating in yoga interventions because of insecurity or personal aversions to the practice. Also, yoga alone may not provide sufficient positive affect attributes to promote the needed change. The combined yoga and animal-assisted intervention of “Goat Yoga” has been popular for several years as a fun and uplifting activity but has not been studied for its influence on mental wellbeing. This study provides findings from an interpretative phenomenological analysis using interviews and surveys with nine participants to determine the personal experience of the phenomenon of “Goat Yoga” for its influence on participants’ joy and shift in perspective. The findings suggest a positive impact on affect regulation. Four core themes captured participants’ experience of the combined yoga and animal-assisted intervention: (1) Fun, (2) Inducing Calm, (3) Shifting Focus, and (4) Removing Barriers. The findings suggest that “Goat Yoga” is beneficial as a complementary therapy for depression and anxiety, especially for treatment-resistant conditions, but further research is needed to determine relevance across various populations.
Keywords
Goat yoga, Yoga for mental well-being, Yoga for stress relief, Animal-assisted therapies, Animal-assisted interventions
Disciplines
Social and Behavioral Sciences | Social Work
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Berbel, Teri Relyea, "Phenomenological Qualitative Program Evaluation of Goat Yoga for Cultivating Joy and Positively Shifting Perspective" (2023). Social Work Theses. 135.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/socialwork_theses/135
Comments
Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington