Moderate-intensity Flow-based Yoga Effects on Cognition and Stress

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Status: Completed

Conditions: Psychological; Stress

Treatments: Behavioral: Yoga

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04740229

21584

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to test the efficacy of an 8-week, remotely-delivered, flow-based and moderate-intensity yoga intervention (vs. waitlist control), on stress and cognitive functioning. Participants will include individuals who are full-time working adults between the ages of 18 and 64, and currently experiencing symptoms of psychosocial stress or anxiety.

Full description

Participants who pass a telephone screening, electronically sign our informed consent agreement, and complete baseline testing, will be randomized to one of two groups: yoga intervention or a waitlist control group. Before and after the 8-week intervention, participants will complete psychosocial questionnaires and computerized cognitive testing. The remote intervention will be delivered via Google Meet and will be led by a certified yoga instructor. During the course of the intervention, participants will be wearing a consumer grade accelerometer to track heart rate during yoga sessions and physical activity during the 8 weeks.

Enrollment: 86 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 64 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age between 18 and 64 years.
• Full-time working adults, defined as working >35 hrs/week in any industry, and not currently enrolled as a full-time student.
• Presence of at least three symptoms of stress or anxiety as measured by the symptom checklist from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual VI.
• Low active, i.e. participating in physical activity and/or mind-body activities such as yoga and tai-chi less than 3 times/week for 30 minutes, in the last three months.
• Ability to exercise at a moderate intensity, and perform movements including sitting, standing, kicking, pulling, pushing, bending one's elbows, bending the body forward, bending one's knees, lying down and getting up without difficulty.
• No engagement in mindful activities, such as meditation, or brain training games, for greater than 3 times/week for 30 minutes, in the last three months.
• Currently not involved in any other research study or structured program related to physical activity, mind-body activities, or brain training games.
• Access to a yoga mat, and a smartphone with a data plan or access to WiFi, on which an application could be downloaded.
• Access to a laptop or desktop with an attached keyboard
• Willingness to be randomized to one of two conditions

Exclusion criteria

• Age below 18 years or above 64 years
• Students or non full-time working adults, such as part-time working adults
• Presence of two or less symptoms of stress or anxiety as measured by the symptom checklist from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual VI.
• Engaging in high levels of physical activity (≥ 30 minutes, two or more times/week, for the last three months) and/or a regular practitioner of Yoga or mind-body activities such as tai-chi and mindfulness meditation (≥ 30 minutes, two or more times/week, for the last three months) and/or a certified yoga teacher.
• Mobility impairment restricting ability to engage in moderate intensity activity.
• Engagement in mindful activities, such as meditation, or brain training games, for greater than 3 times/week for 30 minutes, in the last three months
• Currently involved in research study or structured program related to physical activity, mind-body activities, or brain training games
• No access to yoga mat or a smartphone with data or WiFi, as well as refusal to download a health application on their smartphone.
• Refusal or unwillingness to be randomized into either of the conditions.
• Having any of the following medical conditions, including risk of seizure, psychiatric and/or neurological disorders, or diagnosed hypertension or blood pressure of 200/105 or more.
• Score of >1 on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire.
• Unavailable for >one week in the 10-week study
• Prior yoga experience in the last 10 years. i.e. those who have engaged in 50 consecutive weeks of yoga sessions each lasting 60 minutes, without missing 12 weeks or more

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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86 participants in 2 patient groups

Moderate-intensity flow-based Yoga

Experimental group

Description:

The intervention will consist of participants engaging in a progressive series of moderate-intensity, flow-based yoga poses, along with breathing and relaxation, for eight weeks. The intervention will be titrated in terms of supervision, with first two weeks being completely supervised, followed by partial supervision for three weeks, and three weeks of unsupervised sessions. The sessions will be \~50 minutes long, 3 times/week. All supervised sessions will be conducted online through Google Meet (GM), which is a live video interaction platform. Videos will be provided to guide unsupervised sessions. Sessions will be led by a certified yoga instructor. An orientation will be provided in the first week, given that the participants will have no or minimal experience with yoga. The intervention will consist of basic sun salutations of hatha yoga sun salutation A, sun salutation B and flow sequences, and breathing exercises, and relaxation.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Yoga

Waitlist control

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants in this group will not receive the 8-week intervention during the course of the study, and will be asked to engage in their regular activities. They will be asked to not start any new activities during the study period. After they complete the study, they will be provided with the same intervention (live instruction, feedback and supportive videos).