Perceived Stress, Resilience, and Wellbeing in Seasoned Isha Yoga Practitioners Compared to Matched Controls During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Preeti Upadhyay, Shilpa Narayanan, Tanvi Khera, Lauren Kelly, Pooja A. Mathur, Akshay Shanker, Lena Novack, Ruth Pérez-Robles, Kim Hoffman, Senthil Kumar Sadhasivam, Balachundhar Subramaniam
Frontiers in Public Health July 29, 2022 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.813664 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort with randomized comparator groups Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Seasoned yoga practitioners from the Isha Foundation and non-yoga practitioners recruited via snowball sampling |
| Interventions | meditation asanas) |
| Duration | 12-week intervention with assessments at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Yoga Perceived stress Isha foundation Wellbeing |
| Key findings | Yoga practitioners had significantly lower perceived stress, anxiety, and depression, and higher wellbeing and joy at all time points compared to both active and placebo comparator groups. |
Abstract
BackgroundYoga practices, including breathing, meditation, and posture protocols (asanas), have been shown to facilitate physical and mental wellbeing.MethodsSeasoned 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.FindingsThe 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 (p < 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 (p < 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 (p < 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), p = 0.017]. Further, yoga practitioners had significantly lower anxiety at all three-time points (p < 0.0001), lower depression at baseline and 6 weeks (p < 0.0003), and significantly higher wellbeing (p < 0.0001) and joy (p < 0.0001) at all three-time points, compared to the active and placebo comparator groups.InterpretationThe 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.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT 04498442.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- The Balanced Mind and its Intrinsic Neural Timescales in Advanced Meditators bioRxiv Preprint Server August 29, 2024
- Time-to-onset and temporal dynamics of EEG during breath-watching meditation bioRxiv Preprint Server February 11, 2025
- From practice to lifestyle: conceptualizations of yoga in regular Ashtanga yoga practitioners using reflexive thematic analysis. Frontiers in Psychology 2025
- Effects of Isha Yoga Practices on Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review of Controlled Studies. Cureus 2026
- Development, Content Validation and Pilot Study Feasibility of Heartfulness Meditation and Yoga Protocol for Anxiety Research Square February 29, 2024
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and 6 more in the library