Silent Healing! A Gateway to Health through Yoga: The Moderated Mediation Role of Flow Experience in the Relationship Between Serious Leisure, Perceived Health, and Quality of Life

Yoga has been increasingly embraced worldwide as a leisure activity that supports physical and psychological wellbeing. Although previous studies have shown that engaging in yoga as a serious leisure activity contributes to quality of life, the underlying psychological mechanisms remain insufficiently clarified. Specifically, the roles of perceived health and flow experience in this process have been examined to a limited extent. In this cross-sectional study, it was aimed to investigate, from the perspective of flow theory, the moderated mediation role of flow experience in the relationship between perceived health and quality of life through participation in yoga within the context of serious leisure. Data were collected via an online questionnaire from individuals in Ankara who participate in yoga as a serious leisure activity, with a total of 337 female-only yoga participants included. Results from structural equation modeling indicated that serious leisure positively influences quality of life (β = 0.12, 95% CI (0.01, 0.23), p < .01). Furthermore, mediation and moderated mediation analyses based on SPSS PROCESS Macro Models 4 and 7 revealed that perceived health mediates the relationship between serious leisure and quality of life (β = 0.22, 95% CI (0.13, 0.31), p < .01). Additionally, flow experience significantly moderates the relationship between serious leisure and perceived health (β = 0.86, 95% CI (0.55, 1.17), p < .01). The moderated mediation analysis demonstrated that the indirect effect of serious leisure on quality of life through perceived health is stronger when flow experience is high (β = 0.23, 95% CI (0.13, 0.34), p < .01). By revealing the moderated mediation process of flow experience in this relationship within a Turkish yoga sample, the study offers a unique contribution to the literature. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as recommendations for future research, are also discussed.

Cite this article as: Yalçın, C. (2026). Silent healing! A gateway to health through yoga: the moderated mediation role of flow experience in the relationship between serious leisure, perceived health, and quality of life. Research in Sports Science, 16, 0083, 2026. doi:10.5152/rss.2026.25089.