Impact of a Yogic Breathing Technique on the Well-Being of Healthcare Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for healthcare globally, the brunt of which has been borne by the health care providers (HCPs). These challenges are felt more keenly in India, as they stretch an insufficiently resourced healthcare system. The long hours, cross over of responsibilities, lack of resources to adequately care for patients, and concerns around safety of self and loves ones, have led to a spike in anxiety, depression, insomnia and other stress – related disorders in healthcare providers. Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) is a mind-body intervention that has been studied in multiple clinical populations. Prior to this study, there has been no exploration of the impact of SKY on healthcare providers, specifically the impact of a mind-body intervention like SKY on HCPs during a pandemic. Objective This study aims to investigate the impact of SKY on the well-being of HCPs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We conducted a pilot feasibility study with a single arm pre-post design. SKY was taught to participants in a 4-day online breath and meditation workshop. We measured outcomes related to depression, anxiety, resilience, life satisfaction, and quality of sleep. Results Ninety-two subjects completed the study survey before and after the intervention. A significant reduction was observed in the levels of stress, anxiety and depression immediately after the program. In addition, the participants reported sig1nificant improvement in life satisfaction, resilience, and the quality of their sleep. Conclusion The results indicate that SKY breathing technique had a positive impact on the well-being of healthcare professionals during the pandemic. Participants experienced improved quality of sleep, enhanced satisfaction with life, and increased resilience after SKY. This pilot study provides important data for future multi-site randomized controlled trials to study the impact of yogic techniques on well-being of the HCPs.

COVID-19 news valence effects on emotion and its modulation by a relaxation: A randomized online experiment during COVID-19 pandemic

“…Some of the common practices in this field are meditation and yoga and our study has also revealed a better emotional state related to these practices. These results are in line with the benefits suggested by online yoga or mindfulness meditation programs ( Divya et al, 2021 ; Jasti et al, 2020 ; Luberto et al, 2020 ; Matiz et al, 2020 ).…”

“…A recent review discussed the association between physical activity and mental health during the pandemic ( Violant-Holz et al, 2020 ). A few studies suggested positive effects of online yoga and mindfulness meditation programs on well-being and reduction of stress during the COVID-19 outbreak ( Divya et al, 2021 ; Jasti et al, 2020 ; Luberto et al, 2020 ; Matiz et al, 2020 ). However, the relation between practicing yoga, mindfulness or meditation and mental health during the pandemic has been in inconsistent in surveys ( Conversano et al, 2020 ; Jiménez et al, 2020 ; Vogel et al, 2021 ).…”

Yoga Practice Is Beneficial for Maintaining Healthy Lifestyle and Endurance Under Restrictions and Stress Imposed by Lockdown During COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Hence, introducing Yoga in the healthcare system would be beneficial for the patients, HCWs, and other service providers: they may successfully cope with psychological stress (34)(35)(36)(37). Stress, anxiety, and depression among HCWs in COVID-19 pandemic was reduced by practicing Sudarshan kriya (38). Perceived stress in COVID-19 patients was also reduced by multimedia psychoeducational intervention, which included relaxation and mindfulness techniques (39).…”

Hot Yoga Leads to Greater Well-being: A Six-week Experience-sampling RCT in Healthy Adults

“…Thirdly, as proposed by Huppert et al (2009), well-being is a multifaceted concept. Comprehensive well-being indicators have been used to better understand the beneficial effects of regular yoga (e.g., Divya et al, 2021;Moszeik et al, 2020). However, few studies have looked into the effects of hot yoga, a particular style of yoga that is now gaining a lot of attention (Clarke et al, 2015).…”

“…and inertia (Khalsa et al, 2012), decrease mood disturbance and anxiety (Noggle et al, 2012), reduce depression in older adults (Patel et al, 2012), enhance resilience to workplace stress (Hartfiel et al, 2011), and even improve school performance in adolescents (Frank et al, 2017). A number of RCT and cross-sectional studies have demonstrated the effects of regular yoga on indicators of comprehensive well-being (e.g., Divya et al, 2021;Moszeik et al, 2020;Sahni et al, 2021). However, to the best of our knowledge, no RCT studies with a sufficiently large sample size have evaluated the effects of hot yoga on a comprehensive range of indicators of well-being, including mindfulness, peace of mind, mental health, flourishing, satisfaction with life, general health, and hedonic and eudaimonic well-being.…”