Improvements in well-being and cardiac metrics of stress following a yogic breathing workshop: Randomized controlled trial with active comparison

Abstract

Objective

Compare two distinct psychosocial stress-management workshops.

Participants

Undergraduate and graduate students (n = 69 for analysis, completed April 2017).

Methods

Participants were randomized to one of two workshops (Sudarshan Kriya Yoga, SKY; Wisdom On Wellness, WOW), matched in terms of duration, group size, etc. Outcomes were questionnaires and psychophysiological response to laboratory stress induction at pre, post, and 3-month follow-up.

Results

SKY and WOW participants demonstrated similar workshop ratings and retention rates. SKY demonstrated greater improvements on a number of self-report measures relative to WOW, including perceived stress, sleep, social connectedness, distress, anxiety, depression, conscientiousness, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. Both groups improved in terms of heart rate measures of stress reactivity, however, these outcomes were partially related to changes in resting values at post-workshop and follow-up.

Conclusions

These findings offer insight into unique patterns of change between yogic breathing, acceptance-based approaches to stress management versus cognitively based approaches.

Keywords:

• Health education
• heart rate
• mental health
• mindfulness
• stress

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Emma Seppälä, Dr. Dara Ghahremani, and the Art of Living Foundation for support in the development of this study; Annelies Richmond, Jennifer Stevenson, and Emily Peck for study development and teaching the SKY workshops; University of Arizona Campus Health for sponsoring the facility space to run the workshops; Dr. Richard Bootzin for his valuable support in early phases of study design; Dr. Fiona Bailey’s research laboratory for support with data collection; Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor and Dr. John Ruiz for guidance during manuscript preparation; and the many research assistants for their assistance with data collection and data processing.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the University of Arizona IRB.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by a Mind and Life Institute Varela Award (MRG) and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (MRG).