Utilization of Breathwork Meditation in Improving Wellness in Trainees of Speech-Language Pathology: A Prospective Cohort Study
Ting‐fen Lin, Leila Mori, Akansha Batra, Nilanjana Chakraborty, Suprateek Kundu
Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups June 30, 2025 DOI: 10.1044/2025_persp-24-00099 (opens in new tab) via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA brief breathwork meditation program (Sudarshan Kriya Yoga) improved well-being among speech-language pathology trainees. After a 9-hour online program, participants showed significant reductions in stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety, negative emotion, and loneliness, along with improvements in meaning and overall wellness. These benefits remained after statistical adjustments for multiple comparisons. The findings suggest that such a program can equip future health professionals with self-care tools to manage stress.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Prospective cohort study Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 22 |
| Population | Trainees in speech-language pathology |
| Duration | 9-hour program, pre- and post-intervention data collection |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Speech-language pathology Medicine Prospective cohort study Psychology |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key finding | A 9-hour Sudarshan Kriya Yoga breathwork meditation program significantly reduced stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety, negative emotion, and loneliness, and improved meaning and overall wellness in speech-language pathology trainees. |
Abstract
Purpose: Stress is common in speech-language pathology. While sources of stress cannot be eliminated overnight, lifestyle changes such as learning tools to be resilient can be implemented. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impact of an evidence-based breathwork meditation program (Sudarshan Kriya Yoga Breath Meditation [SKY]) on the well-being of trainees in speech-language pathology. Method: Twenty-two trainees in speech-language pathology participated in a 9-hr SKY program online. Data collection occurred pre- and post-SKY and included eight wellness-related measures. We used a linear mixed-effect model to analyze longitudinal changes in pre- and post-intervention for different outcome measures in the data set. Results: Results demonstrated significant population-level linear time trends on several outcomes that pointed to considerable improvements over the longitudinal follow-up period, even after multiplicity adjustments. Stress levels, depressive symptoms, anxiety, negative emotion, and loneliness showed a significant reduction, while scores on meaning and overall wellness resulted in significant improvement after SKY, even after multiplicity adjustments. Conclusions: SKY effectively enhanced different aspects of health and well-being among speech-language pathology trainees significantly. Optimizing health and wellness in trainees in health-related programs will likely reduce their current level of stress and equip them with self-care tools as future professionals.