Recreational Yoga and Emotional-Autonomic Health in Older Adults

Mersin University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Heart Rate Variability (HRV); Depression in Older Adults

Treatments: Behavioral: Recreational Therapy-Based Yoga

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07340840

MU Ethics Committee 2023/020

Details and patient eligibility

About

Older adults living in nursing homes often experience depression, reduced satisfaction with daily activities, and changes in heart rhythm related to the autonomic nervous system. Non-drug approaches that are safe and easy to apply may help improve both emotional well-being and physical health in this population.

This randomized controlled study investigates the effects of a recreational therapy-based yoga program on emotional health and autonomic nervous system function in nursing home residents aged 65 years and older. Participants are randomly assigned to either a yoga intervention group or a control group. The yoga group participates in supervised yoga sessions twice a week for 10 weeks, including gentle yoga postures, breathing exercises, relaxation, and meditation. The control group does not receive any structured intervention during the study period.

Depression levels, leisure time satisfaction, and heart rate variability are measured before and after the intervention. Heart rate variability is used as an indicator of autonomic nervous system regulation. The study aims to determine whether recreational yoga can be a safe, low-cost, and effective non-pharmacological approach to improve emotional well-being and autonomic health among older adults living in nursing homes.

Enrollment: 36 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Aged 65 years or older.
• Living in a nursing home.
• Able to communicate and follow instructions.
• Voluntary participation with signed informed consent.
• Available to participate in the 10-week study protocol

Exclusion criteria

• Participation in therapy-based practices (e.g., yoga, reiki, massage) within the last month.
• Being bedridden.
• Use of psychiatric medications.
• Irregular participation in the 10-week yoga program.
• Failure to complete pre-test or post-test assessments

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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36 participants in 2 patient groups

Recreational Yoga Intervention Group

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in this group take part in a recreational therapy-based yoga program conducted twice weekly for 10 weeks. Each session lasts approximately 40-60 minutes and includes gentle yoga postures, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques, and meditation. The yoga program is designed to be safe and appropriate for older adults living in a nursing home and is supervised throughout the intervention period.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Recreational Therapy-Based Yoga

Control Group

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants in the control group do not receive any structured exercise or recreational intervention during the study period and continue their usual daily activities within the nursing home.