A Single Session of an Integrated Yoga Program as a Stress Management Tool for School Employees: Comparison of Daily Practice and Nondaily Practice of a Yoga Therapy Program

Examining the impact of a restorative breath-based intervention "Sudarshan Kriya Yoga" at work: a field experiment

Background

Human capital plays a crucial role in the success of an organization and further contributes to the broader goals of growth and development of society. In this regard, it is essential to ensure the well-being of employees at the workplace. Given the positive impact of yoga on psycho-physiological aspects of health, this study aims to examine the impact of a breath-based yogic intervention, Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY), on stress, anxiety, thriving, general health, emotional well-being, social well-being, and psychological well-being among employees of a leading manufacturing firm in India.

Methods

Undertaking a randomized-control experiment design (n = 64), we examined the impact of SKY on stress, anxiety, thriving, general health, and emotional, social, and psychological well-being. Two certified instructors conducted the SKY intervention in a retreat format over 3 days.

Results

The analysis demonstrated positive outcomes across various aspects of participants' well-being, i.e., it significantly reduced their stress and anxiety and increased the levels of thriving, general health, and emotional, social, and psychological well-being. These findings are valuable for understanding the potential benefits of the SKY intervention.

Discussion

The findings provide support for considering SKY as a potential well-being intervention for employers at the workplace and society at large. Further exploration, implementation, and research in diverse contexts will be crucial to fully understand the long-term impact and scalability of the SKY intervention in promoting holistic well-being.

The effect of web-based Hatha yoga on psychological distress and sleep quality in older adults: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

To date, there has been very limited experimental research on the impact of Yoga on older adults' mental health during the COVID-19 crisis. We aimed to explore the effect of a web-based Hatha yoga program on psychological and quality of sleep in older adults who self-isolated at home during the initial stage of the COVID-19 outbreak.

METHODS

Two hundred volunteers of both sexes were split into experimental (Yoga group, YG) and control (Control group, CG) groups, in a web-based randomized controlled study. All participants were administered the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21) and the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI); at baseline and following an eight-week online Hatha yoga intervention.

RESULTS

The YG showed significant reductions in depression (-56.1%; Z = 5.67, p < 0.01, r = 0.70) anxiety (-64.3%; Z = 5.27, p < 0.01, r = 0.65) and stress (-68.2%; Z = 5.86, r = 0.73) scores, while the CG showed a significant increase in depression. In addition, the total PSQI score of the YG was considerably lower during follow-up (3.38 ± 2.02, p < 0.05) than at baseline (4.8 ± 32, p < 0.05), which indicates an improvement of the quality of sleep. The proportion of individuals experiencing good sleep from the YG increased from 63% to 85% after the Hatha yoga intervention.

CONCLUSION

The use of a web-based Hatha Yoga intervention program was associated with a beneficial effect on the mental health and quality of sleep in older adults.

A 3-Day residential yoga-based program improves education professionals' psychological and occupational health in a single arm trial

OBJECTIVE

This study examined changes in psychological and occupational health in urban education professionals after attending a brief yoga-based program.

METHODS

Education professionals from the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) who were attending a residential 3-day yoga-based program at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health were recruited to participate in the study. Measures of psychological and occupational health and health-related behaviors were completed before (baseline), after (post), and two months after the program (follow-up). Paired samples t-tests were used to compare scores between time points.

RESULTS

At post, participants (N = 74) showed improvements in stress, resilience, affect, mindfulness, empowerment, self-compassion, satisfaction with life, work engagement, burnout, exercise, and vegetable intake (all p values < 0.05) compared to baseline. At the follow-up (N = 33), showed improvements in resilience, affect, mindfulness, empowerment, self-compassion, work engagement, and burnout (all p values < 0.05) compared to baseline. There were significant correlations between the degree of home practice of the skills and techniques learned in the program and improvements in multiple measures of psychological and occupational health at follow-up (all p values < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that the yoga-based program improves psychological and occupational health and healthy behaviors in education professionals immediately following the program and up to two-months following the program, however, more data with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm sustained benefits over the longer term.

Yoga and occupational health: integrative review of intervention studies

Background

Effects of yoga on physical and mental health have been investigated in several fields.

Objective

To investigate and analyze results of yoga interventions in the workplace reported along 10 years after the formulation of the National Policy of Integrative and Complementary Practices.

Method

We located 10 studies published from 2006 to 2015 which met the inclusion criteria, included in databases Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medical Literature Analyses and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO). Analyzed variables were: publication year, authorship, title, aims, results, and conclusions. Interventions were characterized based on yoga style, practices implemented, frequency and duration of sessions, duration of intervention, measurement instruments, and additional interventions.

Results

Our findings suggest that yoga has physical and psychological effects on workers from different professional categories. However, we did not find benefits for some conditions, and yoga practice does not have the same positive effects on all practitioners. Workers' adherence to programs influences the results of research. Many studies did not clearly describe the implemented programs.

Conclusion

The characteristics of interventions show substantial differences among programs, which enable a synthesis, but not comparisons.

A Pragmatic Controlled Trial of a Brief Yoga and Mindfulness-Based Program for Psychological and Occupational Health in Education Professionals

OBJECTIVES

To examine changes in psychological and occupational wellbeing in education professionals that attended a brief yoga and mindfulness-based program.

DESIGN

Pragmatic controlled trial comparing education professionals that attended a yoga mindfulness-based program (n = 9) to a waitlist control group (n = 22).

SETTING

The 3-day program was delivered at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Massachusetts.

INTERVENTION

The 3-day yoga mindfulness program included 5 hours per day of yoga, mindfulness exercises, formal meditation, didactic, and experiential activities.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Measures of psychological and occupational wellbeing were completed before (baseline), immediately after (post-program), and two months after the program (follow-up).

RESULTS

Relative to controls (n = 21), the RISE group (n = 9) showed significant improvements in positive affect (p = .033), negative affect (p = .044), mindfulness (p = .001), empowerment (p = .022), self-compassion (p = .001), and work engagement from baseline to post-program. From baseline to follow-up, the RISE group showed significant improvements in stress (p = .008), negative affect (p = .013), mindfulness (p = .001), empowerment (p = .007), and self-compassion (p = .001) compared to the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

The yoga mindfulness program was associated with improvements in educators' psychological and occupational wellbeing immediately following and 2-months following the program. Future research with a larger sample size is needed to confirm these results.

Residential Counselors and Self Care: A Retrospective Qualitative Study of Archival Interview Data

Objectives:

The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to understand the barriers related to effective self-care for master’s level residential counselors.

Methods:

Archival interview transcripts of 77 residential counselors were analyzed utilizing a social constructivist lens to identify perceived barriers to effective self-care. Themes related to levels of self-care influences including individual, supervisory, and organizational barriers to effective self-care emerged.

Results:

Results reflected those themes specifically by indicating that counselors can take steps to actively engage in wellness pursuits to promote self-care. Similarly, supervisors and organizations can enhance or impede a counselor’s ability to engage in self-care.

Conclusions:

Counselors should select work settings that have both supervisory and organizational supports for self-care. This includes encouraging a culture of wellness through support, development, coverage for time off, and other related areas. Implications show that practices and policies are needed to promote effective self-care across individual, supervisory, and agency domains.

Improvements in Psychological and Occupational Well-being Following a Brief Yoga-Based Program for Education Professionals

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in psychological and occupational well-being in education professionals who attended a yoga-based program.

METHODS

Education professionals who attended a 3-day yoga-based RISE (resilience, integration, self-awareness, engagement) program were recruited to participate. RISE was administered at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. Measures of psychological and occupational well-being, and health-related behaviors were completed before (baseline), after (post), and 2 months after RISE (follow-up). Forty-four participants completed baseline and post and were included in the analysis. Of those, 33 participants also completed the follow-up. Paired samples t tests were used to compare scores between time points.

RESULTS

Compared to baseline, at post, participants showed improvements in perceived stress, mindfulness, empowerment, positive affect, negative affect, self-compassion, total work engagement, vigor, sleep quality (all P values < .001), resilience, satisfaction with life, as well as exhaustion and professional efficacy which are dimensions of burnout (all P values < .01). At the follow-up, significant improvements were maintained for mindfulness, empowerment, self-compassion, sleep quality (all P values < .001), resilience, vigor, and exhaustion (all P values < .01) and positive affect, satisfaction with life, and work engagement (all P values < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that the yoga-based RISE program improves psychological and occupational well-being in education professionals. In addition, participants reported that attending RISE was feasible, they could continue using RISE practices long-term, shared them with work colleagues, and reported that RISE positively impacted both their daily lives and workplace environment. With these promising results, additional controlled research is warranted.