While conventional treatments for cancer (e.g., surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy) have increased survival rates for women, they often cause persistent and distressing side effects that diminish quality of life. Commonly reported side effects include physical consequences (e.g., scarring, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, weight gain/fluctuations [[1], [2], [3], [4]]) and psychosocial challenges (e.g., anxiety, depression, cognitive deficits, negative body image [[5], [6], [7], [8]]). The enduring and adverse impact of side effects has spurred research into approaches that can help women thrive during and following treatment. Physical activity has emerged as a key strategy to help mitigate the negative physical and psychosocial side effects of cancer and its treatments, reduce the risk of comorbidities and secondary malignancies, and improve quality of life [9,10]; however, many women do not regain pre-cancer physical activity levels [11,12].

Providing women opportunities to engage in physical activity within the context of an intervention or program can help them increase their physical activity levels after treatment [13,14]. Researchers have evaluated a wide range of physical activity programs (e.g., dragon boating [21], aerobic exercise classes [16], mountain climbing [23]); although promising to increase physical activity, women have identified a need for mind-body physical activity programs that can potentially address physical and psychosocial side effects [15]. Yoga may fill this need. Notably, several systematic reviews and meta-analyses suggest that yoga, a mind-body physical activity, yields positive effects on health-related quality of life, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and sleep disturbances as compared to no intervention or other active interventions in women diagnosed with cancer (e.g., [16,17]). The promising results support its promotion; yet, questions remain as to how to optimize engagement, and in turn, outcomes. By better understanding women's motives, barriers, and preferences for engaging in yoga after a cancer diagnosis, more acceptable and beneficial yoga interventions and programs in this population can be developed.

Current research in the field of physical activity helps elucidate possible motives (i.e., factors that facilitate physical activity initiation and maintenance which can include the outcomes or states that an individual aims to attain or avoid [18]) and barriers (i.e., obstacles that can interfere with behaviour initiation and maintenance [19]) women may experience when participating in yoga after a cancer diagnosis [[20], [21], [22]]. Motives and barriers can be grouped based on whether they relate to the situation (i.e., situational motives/barriers) or the individual (i.e., internal motives/barriers) [19]. Situational motives and barriers are factors outside of an individual's control that may promote or prevent/limit participation in an activity; these can be interpersonal (e.g., companionship), institutional (e.g., responsibilities and roles), community (e.g., access to facilities, distance to the place of practice), public policy (e.g., rules and practices around safety), or physical environment characteristics (e.g., weather). Internal motives and barriers reflect the biological events and internal thoughts, cognitions, and emotions people identify as reasons to or not to participate in an activity. Examples of motives women have identified for engaging in physical activity after being diagnosed with cancer include disease management, improving physical fitness, promoting psychological wellbeing, ease and opportunity for physical activity, perceived support from others, and acquiring social support [13,20]. Conversely, examples of barriers include lack of time, bad weather, limited access to facilities, fatigue, fear of injury, poor physical condition, lack of motivation, insufficient knowledge, and/or no enjoyment [20,23].

In addition to women's motives and barriers to engaging in physical activity programs like yoga, program characteristics may have a direct impact on whether they maintain their engagement in yoga interventions or programs [24,25]. For instance, women diagnosed with cancer have reported practical considerations (e.g., dose, scheduling, setting), yoga-related elements (e.g., instruction style, yoga type), and member characteristics and interactions (e.g., diagnosis type, support offered) as impacting their participation during yoga interventions and programs [[25], [26], [27]]. Qualitative research has been used to gather in-depth insights into participants' experiences in real-world contexts in which yoga occurs and the meaning they make of it to understand aspects not easily captured by quantitative means. For example, qualitative research has involved asking women who have participated in a yoga intervention or program after a cancer diagnosis about their thoughts pertaining to the mode, format, and content to ensure they match women's needs and/or preferences [e.g., 24, 26]. It is important to synthesize the data generated in such studies to make recommendations for the development and implementation of future yoga interventions or programs and ultimately enhance the relevance, accessibility, and quality of their implementation. Therefore, the aim of this 2-part meta-study meta-synthesis was to use a standardized, rigorous method to synthesize the qualitative literature and address the following 3 research questions: (1) what are the experiences of women who have participated in yoga after a cancer diagnosis? (2) what elements of yoga contribute to participants' positive or negative experiences? and (3) what are participants' motives, barriers, and preferences for their participation in yoga interventions and programs? The current paper comprises Part II of the 2-part meta-study meta-synthesis and reports on findings focused on addressing the third question; Part I (submitted for publication) reports on women's wellbeing and quality of life experiences.