Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States.
Oregon Health and Science University-Portland State University School of Public Health, Portland, OR, United States.
Front Public Health. 2022 Jul 29;10:813664. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.813664. eCollection 2022.
Yoga practices, including breathing, meditation, and posture protocols (asanas), have been shown to facilitate physical and mental wellbeing.
Seasoned yoga practitioners were recruited from the Isha Foundation. Recruitment of the comparison group was achieved using snowball sampling and were not yoga practitioners. Participants in the non-yoga group were randomized to a 3-min Isha practice or a comparator group asked to perform 15-min of daily reading. Participants completed a series of web-based surveys (REDCap) at baseline, 6, and 12 weeks. These surveys include validated scales and objective questions on COVID-19 infection and medical history. The validated questionnaires assess for: perceived stress (PSS), mood states [anxiety and depression (PHQ-4), joy (DPES-Joy subscale)], mindfulness attention and awareness (MAAS), resilience (BRS), mental wellbeing (WEMWBS) and recovery from traumatic event (PTGI). Weekly activity diaries were employed as a tool for collecting compliance information from study participants. Perceived stress scale scores were identified as primary outcome for this study.
The median Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) score for the yoga practitioners compared to the active and placebo comparators was significantly lower at all time-points: baseline: 11 [IQR 7-15] vs. 16 [IQR 12-21] in both the active and placebo comparators ( < 0.0001); 6 weeks: 9 [IQR 6-13] vs. 12 [IQR 8-17] in the active comparator and 14 [IQR 9-18] in the placebo comparator ( < 0.0001); and 12 weeks: 9 [IQR 5-13] vs. 11.5 [IQR 8-16] in the active comparators and 13 [IQR 8-17] in the placebo comparator ( < 0.0001). Among the randomized participants that were compliant for the full 12 weeks, the active comparators had significantly lower median PSS scores than the placebo comparators 12 weeks [10 (IQR 5-14) vs. 13 (IQR 8-17), = 0.017]. Further, yoga practitioners had significantly lower anxiety at all three-time points ( < 0.0001), lower depression at baseline and 6 weeks ( < 0.0003), and significantly higher wellbeing ( < 0.0001) and joy ( < 0.0001) at all three-time points, compared to the active and placebo comparator groups.
The lower levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and higher level of wellbeing and joy seen in the yoga practitioners compared to the active and placebo comparators illustrate the impact of regular yoga practices on mental health even during the pandemic.
ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT04498442.
瑜伽练习，包括呼吸、冥想和体位法（体式），已被证明有助于身心健康。
从 Isha 基金会招募经验丰富的瑜伽练习者。通过滚雪球抽样招募对照组的参与者，他们不是瑜伽练习者。非瑜伽组的参与者被随机分配进行 3 分钟的 Isha 练习或要求对照组参与者每天进行 15 分钟的阅读。参与者在基线、6 周和 12 周完成了一系列基于网络的调查（REDCap）。这些调查包括经过验证的量表和关于 COVID-19 感染和病史的客观问题。经过验证的问卷评估：感知压力（PSS）、情绪状态[焦虑和抑郁（PHQ-4）、快乐（DPES-Joy 子量表）]、正念注意和意识（MAAS）、韧性（BRS）、心理健康（WEMWBS）和创伤后恢复（PTGI）。每周活动日记被用作从研究参与者那里收集依从性信息的工具。感知压力量表得分被确定为本研究的主要结果。
与活跃对照组和安慰剂对照组相比，瑜伽练习者的中值感知压力量表（PSS）评分在所有时间点都显著降低：基线：11 [IQR 7-15] 与活跃和安慰剂对照组的 16 [IQR 12-21]（<0.0001）；6 周：9 [IQR 6-13] 与活跃对照组的 12 [IQR 8-17] 和安慰剂对照组的 14 [IQR 9-18]（<0.0001）；12 周：9 [IQR 5-13] 与活跃对照组的 11.5 [IQR 8-16] 和安慰剂对照组的 13 [IQR 8-17]（<0.0001）。在完全遵守 12 周的随机参与者中，活跃对照组的参与者的中值 PSS 评分显著低于安慰剂对照组 12 周[10（IQR 5-14）比 13（IQR 8-17），= 0.017]。此外，瑜伽练习者在所有三个时间点的焦虑程度都显著降低（<0.0001），在基线和 6 周时的抑郁程度也显著降低（<0.0003），而在所有三个时间点的幸福感（<0.0001）和快乐度（<0.0001）都显著提高，与活跃对照组和安慰剂对照组相比。
与活跃对照组和安慰剂对照组相比，瑜伽练习者的压力、焦虑、抑郁水平较低，而幸福感和快乐水平较高，这表明即使在大流行期间，定期进行瑜伽练习对心理健康也有影响。
ClinicalTrials.gov，标识符：NCT04498442。
