117 - Guided Yoga Practice as a Supplemental Teaching Strategy for Gross Musculoskeletal Anatomy: Students' Perspectives

Poster Board Number: 117
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Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Abstract Body : Purpose: Teaching gross anatomy with cadaver dissection is the gold-standard. Newer teaching methods such as 3D computer simulation are being implemented with generally successful educational outcomes. These methods are useful for ‘seeing’ anatomical structures but does not always lead to an appreciation of the structure's action. Understanding the function of muscles is especially important for health science students. These students may benefit from an active, intrinsic and multimodal learning experience. Introducing a third tier of learning beyond lecture and dissection can foster a student’s understanding of information. The physicality of yoga practice, including the sensations of muscle activation and stretching, promotes the opportunity for experiential learning.

Research Question: What are students’ experiences and perceptions of doing focused, body region specific yoga practice for learning human gross anatomy?

Methods: Occupational therapy students enrolled in Gross Anatomy were purposively sampled for participation in this IRB-approved study. Data were collected during the fall semesters of 2020 and 2021. For study participants (n=26, 53% of enrolled students), yoga poses and flows were used to supplement didactic lecture and dissection labs. Participants received weekly handouts identifying yoga poses targeting specific muscle groups. The handouts provided the proper technique of the poses including joint position and modifications. Participants independently completed a recorded yoga flow which focused on these poses. They then provided responses to didactic questions and reflective prompts, either in writing or via video demonstration on Flip, to foster higher level thinking and bridge the gap between the curriculum material and highlighted poses.

Outcomes: Reflective responses were coded and themes developed by two investigators and reviewed by a third. The themes are: “Relating personal sensation to concepts” and “Contextualizing anatomy to occupation”. Participant reflections show they were able to describe physical sensations felt while in a yoga pose and relate it to a particular muscle group being taught in lecture and lab. Participants were also able to relate anatomical positions and the position in yoga poses to movements used in occupations. For example, participants were able to relate movements and muscle groups to walking, hiking, stairclimbing, sitting at a desk, and lifting.

Discussion: This research aimed to understand student perception and experience of participating in body region specific yoga videos as a supplemental teaching modality in a Gross Anatomy course. Themes developed from participant reflections support the idea that focused yoga practice in conjunction with reflective questions stimulated higher levels of thinking and allowed for contextualization of anatomy to occupation. The focused yoga flows provided students with an experiential learning component that is not typically found at this point in the OT curriculum. Students were able to connect sensations and movements and associate this with both the anatomy content and their occupational experiences. In addition to these benefits, participants reported enjoying the activities. This research was limited however by low participant adherence rate as the semester progressed. Future iterations of this experiential activity will include in-person check-ins, group discussions for reflections and other methods for increased engagement.