Corrective yoga intervention on postural alignment and functional fitness among women athletes: implications for corrective physical education practice, Корекційне втручання йоги щодо вирівнювання постави та функціональної підготовки серед спортсменок: значення для корекційної практики фізичного виховання

<jats:p>Background and purpose Women athletes often combine strenuous sport training with a highly sedentary lifestyle due to academic and screen-based activities, which increases risk for forward head posture and round shoulders. Yoga promotes a holistic approach toward balanced living through improved posture, alignment, stability, and breathing. Yoga has been associated with enhanced flexibility, balance, and functionality in young adults and athletes. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a twelve-week yoga program on postural alignment and functional fitness among college female athletes and discuss its role in corrective physical education. Material and methods Forty female collegiate athletes (YG, n=20 and CG, n=20), with a mean age of 20.1±1.0 years participated in this quasi-experimental study. YG underwent an intervention of thrice-weekly yoga sessions for 12 weeks, along with their regular sports training, while the participants in the control group (CG) continued to only receive routine sports training. The craniovertebral angle (CVA), flexibility, and core endurance were used as outcome measures and were assessed using a standardised procedure before and after the intervention. Independent-samples and paired-samples t-tests were used to compare pre-post differences between the groups. Results No significant differences were found between the groups in terms of age, CVA, flexibility, and core endurance at baseline (p&gt;0.05). After the completion of the 12-week intervention, significant within-group improvements were observed in the YG in terms of CVA (from 48.1±2.9 o to 54.3±2.7 o , p&lt;0.001), flexibility (from 20.3±3.0 cm to 26.7±3.4 cm, p&lt;0.001), and core endurance (from 40.6±7.5 s to 60.8±8.2 s, p&lt;0.001) with relatively minimal inter-group differences (p&gt;0.05 for all). Conclusions A thrice-weekly 12-week yoga intervention that focuses on alignment, breathing, and relaxation leads to significant improvements in posture, flexibility, and core endurance in female collegiate athletes. Thus, yoga can be recommended as an effective intervention as a part of corrective physical education among young adults to improve postural alignment, flexibility, and core stability.</jats:p>