Virtual yoga and meditation improve health-related quality of life, finds study

Although the benefits of yoga are well established worldwide, limited studies explore the long-term interrelation between yoga, meditation, and health. Specifically, there is limited research exploring the differences in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among regular meditators and nonmeditators.

This study explored the differences in 7 domains of HRQOL (including quality of life, ability to adopt a healthy lifestyle, ability to relax, frequency of nervousness and stress, coping with day-to-day stress, workplace productivity, and staying healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic) among practitioners of yoga and meditation.

A cross-sectional, online survey was distributed to all members who participated in a 100-day yoga and meditation program, culminating in the International Day of Yoga event, organized by the Heartfulness Institute in partnership with the Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy, Ministry of Ayush, SVYASA Yoga University, and Patanjali Yoga Institute, India. The program consisted of daily virtual yoga, meditation, and speaker sessions. The data were analyzed by nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test for continuous variables, and chi-square test for categorical variables.

Results:

A total of 3164 participants from 39 countries completed the survey. The mean age was 33.8 (SD 13.6) years. The majority of the participants were female (n=1643, 52%) and students (n=1312, 41.5%). Regular yoga and meditation practice was associated with a positive impact on all 7 domains of HRQOL (Mann-Whitney P<.05 and χ2P<.05). Notably, experienced Heartfulness (≥2 years) meditators reported better outcomes in all the domains of HRQOL as compared to those not currently practising this form of meditation and participants with ≤1 year of Heartfulness meditation experience (P<.05).

This is one of the first cross-sectional studies to explore HRQOL outcomes among 100-day virtual yoga and meditation program participants. Overall, a yoga and meditation practice was found to be an effective tool for promoting HRQOL. Regular yoga and meditation practice was associated with health and well-being factors, with long-term meditation practice associated with increased benefits.

Reference:

Health-Related Quality of Life Outcomes with Regular Yoga and Heartfulness Meditation Practice: Results from a Multinational, Cross-sectional Study by Jayaram Thimmapuram et al. published in the JMIR Formative Research.

DOI: 10.2196/37876

Keywords:

JMIR Formative Research, Virtual yoga, meditation, health, quality of life, Health-Related, Quality, Life, Outcomes, Regular, Yoga, Heartfulness, Meditation, Practice, Jayaram Thimmapuram, Kamlesh Patel, Divya K Madhusudhan, Snehal Deshpande, Ekta Bouderlique, Veronique Nicolai, Raghavendra Rao, COVID-19; Heartfulness; cross-sectional study; health outcome; health-related quality of life; healthy living; meditation; mental health; online survey; psychological health; quality of life; stress; wellness; yoga.