Additional Practice of Yoga Breathing With Intermittent Breath Holding Enhances Psychological Functions in Yoga Practitioners: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Apar Avinash Saoji, B R Raghavendra, Kshamashree Madle, N K Manjunath
Explore September 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.explore.2018.02.005 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 116 |
| Population | Young adult yoga practitioners |
| Interventions | Yoga breathing with intermittent breath holding yoga practice |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Measures | State Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (SMAAS), Mind-Wandering Questionnaire (MWQ), State Anxiety Inventory |
| Topics | Anxiety Breathwork Meditation |
| Keywords | Kumbhaka Mind-wandering Psychological well being |
| Key findings | At baseline, longer duration of yoga practice correlated positively with state mindfulness and negatively with mind-wandering and state anxiety. After 8 weeks, both groups improved, but the group adding 20 minutes of yoga breathing with intermittent breath holding performed better than yoga alone on these psychological measures. |
Abstract
The practice of yoga is associated with enhanced psychological wellbeing. The current study assessed the correlation between the duration of yoga practice with state mindfulness, mind-wandering and state anxiety. Also, we examined if an additional 20 min of yoga breathing with intermittent breath holding (experimental group) for 8 weeks would affect these psychological variables more than regular yoga practice (control group) alone. One hundred sixteen subjects were randomly assigned to experimental (n = 60) and control (n = 56) groups. State mindfulness attention awareness scale (SMAAS), Mind-Wandering Questionnaire (MWQ) and State anxiety inventory were administered at baseline and at the end of 8 weeks. Baseline assessment revealed a positive correlation between duration of yoga practice with SMAAS scores and negative correlation with MWQ and state anxiety scores. At the end of 8 weeks, both groups demonstrated enhanced psychological functions, but the experimental group receiving additional yoga breathing performed better than the group practicing yoga alone. An additional practice of yoga breathing with intermittent breath holding was found to enhance the psychological functions in young adult yoga practitioners.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on breathwork, most cited first.
Citations in the library
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- Promoting psychological well-being in preschool children: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of a mindfulness- and yoga-based socio-emotional learning intervention. Trials December 27, 2022
- Who Benefits Most? Interactions between Personality Traits and Outcomes of Four Incremental Meditation and Yoga Treatments. Journal of Clinical Medicine August 4, 2022
- Identifying alternative mental health interventions: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials of chanting and breathwork Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health January 22, 2022
- Immediate effect of a meditation technique on blood glucose, state anxiety and relaxation in patients with type 2 diabetes: a pilot randomized crossover study Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine October 27, 2021
and 1 more in the library
Cites 7
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- Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory Capacity and GRE Performance While Reducing Mind Wandering Psychological Science March 28, 2013
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- Effects of Shambhavi Mahamudra Kriya , a Multicomponent Breath-Based Yogic Practice ( Pranayama ), on Perceived Stress and General Well-Being Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine September 22, 2017
and 2 more in the library