Inner Correspondence and Peacefulness with Practices among Participants in Eurythmy Therapy and Yoga : A Validation Study

Abstract EN

Several mind body medicine interventions require an active participation of the practitioners.

We intended to develop a questionnaire to operationalize and measure the “inner correspondence” of individuals practicing Yoga or Eurythmy Therapy.

In an anonymous cross-sectional study we enrolled 501 individuals (61% yoga).

Exploratory factor analysis (study 1) of the 12-item instrument (Cronbach's alpha=.84) pointed to a 3-factor solution, with one major scale and good internal consistency (alpha=.83) and two minor scales with weak internal consistency.

To improve the quality of the main scale, we added 8 new items which were tested in a sample of 135 individuals (study 2: 71% Yoga).

Factor analysis confirmed a 12-item single factor (alpha=.95), that is, Inner Correspondence/Peaceful Harmony with Practices (ICPH).

The scale correlated strongly with mindfulness (FMI; r>.50), moderately with life and patient satisfaction (BMLSS; r between .32 and .43), and weakly negative with symptom score (VAS; r=−.23).

In conclusion, the scale ICPH was confirmed as a relevant tool to measure the inner correspondence and feelings of peacefulness with practices.

It can be used in clinical studies to assess the efficacy of mind-body practices involving physical movements.