The study evaluates the effectiveness of yoga practices on reducing stress, negative emotion, anxiety, and depression and on increasing positive emotion, wellbeing and resilience. The study uses randomized wait-list control. All U.S. undergraduate students in 4-year universities and colleges age 18 or older are eligible to participate.
The purpose of this project is to widely disseminate a system of yoga tools to university students, faculty, and staff internationally to buffer the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent study finds that stress, anxiety, and depression are the major psychological responses to COVID-19 during the early outbreaks in China (Wang et al., 2020). Globally, universities have closed campuses and moved learning, teaching, and working online with a very short notice. CDC suggests that keeping physically active and meditation are among the key activities to maintain a strong immune system and mental health during quarantine. Studies have documented physical and mental benefits of yoga practices (Balasubramaniam, Telles, \& Doraiswamy, 2013; Brems, 2015; Brunner, Abramovitch, \& Etherton, 2017; Büssing, Michalsen, Telles, Sherman, \& Khalsa, 2012) This project introduces a system of yoga tools to buffer the psychological impact of COVID-19. This system of yoga tools is designed by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, a yogi, mystic, author, and founder of the Isha Foundation. The Isha foundation is a volunteer-based international non-profit organization, offering yoga and meditation programs for human wellbeing and global harmony. In partnership with the Isha Foundation and Harvard University Medical School, the study will document the short-term and long-term effects of these yogic practices on stress, mood, wellbeing, resilience, and academic engagement for students and work engagement for faculty and staff during this challenging time.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
Yoga Namaskar and Nadi Shuddhi
Rutgers University
New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
RECRUITINGStress
10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), score 0-40, higher the score, higher stress
Time frame: Change from baseline stress at 1-Month
Stress
10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), score 0-40, higher the score, higher stress
Time frame: Change from baseline stress at 2-Month
Stress
10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), score 0-40, higher the score, higher stress
Time frame: Change from baseline stress in 3-Month
Wellbeing
14-item Warwick-Edinburgh Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS), score14-70, higher score higher wellbeing
Time frame: Change from baseline wellbeing in 2-week
Wellbeing
14-item Warwick-Edinburgh Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS), score14-70, higher score higher wellbeing
Time frame: Change from baseline wellbeing in 4-week
Wellbeing
14-item Warwick-Edinburgh Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS), score14-70, higher score higher wellbeing
Time frame: Change from baseline wellbeing in 6-week
Wellbeing
14-item Warwick-Edinburgh Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS), score14-70, higher score higher wellbeing
Time frame: Change from baseline wellbeing in 8-week
Wellbeing
14-item Warwick-Edinburgh Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS), score14-70, higher score higher wellbeing
Time frame: Change from baseline wellbeing in 10-week
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Wellbeing
14-item Warwick-Edinburgh Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS), score14-70, higher score higher wellbeing
Time frame: Change from baseline wellbeing in 12-week
Anxiety
2-item PHQ-4, score 2-8, higher score higher anxiety
Time frame: Change from baseline anxiety in 2-week
Anxiety
2-item PHQ-4, score 2-8, higher score higher anxiety
Time frame: Change from baseline anxiety in 4-week
Anxiety
2-item PHQ-4, score 2-8, higher score higher anxiety
Time frame: Change from baseline anxiety in 6-week
Anxiety
2-item PHQ-4, score 2-8, higher score higher anxiety
Time frame: Change from baseline anxiety in 8-week
Anxiety
2-item PHQ-4, score 2-8, higher score higher anxiety
Time frame: Change from baseline anxiety in 10-week
Anxiety
2-item PHQ-4, score 2-8, higher score higher anxiety
Time frame: Change from baseline anxiety in 12-week
Depression
2-item PHQ-4, score 2-8, higher score higher depression
Time frame: Change from baseline depression in 2-week
Depression
2-item PHQ-4, score 2-8, higher score higher depression
Time frame: Change from baseline depression in 4-week
Depression
2-item PHQ-4, score 2-8, higher score higher depression
Time frame: Change from baseline depression in 6-week
Depression
2-item PHQ-4, score 2-8, higher score higher depression
Time frame: Change from baseline depression in 8-week
Depression
2-item PHQ-4, score 2-8, higher score higher depression
Time frame: Change from baseline depression in 10-week
Depression
2-item PHQ-4, score 2-8, higher score higher depression
Time frame: Change from baseline depression in 12-week
Resilience
6-item Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), score 6-30, higher score higher resilience
Time frame: Change from baseline resilience in 1-month
Resilience
6-item Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), score 6-30, higher score higher resilience
Time frame: Change from baseline resilience in 2-month
Resilience
6-item Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), score 6-30, higher score higher resilience
Time frame: Change from baseline resilience in 3-month
Positive Affect
10-item Positive Affect Scale, score - 10 to 50, higher score more positive affect
Time frame: Change from baseline positive affect in 2-week
Positive Affect
10-item Positive Affect Scale, score - 10 to 50, higher score more positive affect
Time frame: Change from baseline positive affect in 4-week
Positive Affect
10-item Positive Affect Scale, score - 10 to 50, higher score more positive affect
Time frame: Change from baseline positive affect in 6-week
Positive Affect
10-item Positive Affect Scale, score - 10 to 50, higher score more positive affect
Time frame: Change from baseline positive affect in 8-week
Positive Affect
10-item Positive Affect Scale, score - 10 to 50, higher score more positive affect
Time frame: Change from baseline positive affect in 10-week
Positive Affect
10-item Positive Affect Scale, score - 10 to 50, higher score higher positive affect
Time frame: Change from baseline positive affect in 12-week
Negative Affect
10-item Negative Affect Scale, score - 10 to 50, higher score higher negative affect
Time frame: Change from baseline negative affect in 2-week
Negative Affect
10-item Negative Affect Scale, score - 10 to 50, higher score higher negative affect
Time frame: Change from baseline negative affect in 4-week
Negative Affect
10-item Negative Affect Scale, score - 10 to 50, higher score higher negative affect
Time frame: Change from baseline negative affect in 6-week
Negative Affect
10-item Negative Affect Scale, score - 10 to 50, higher score higher negative affect
Time frame: Change from baseline negative affect in 8-week
Negative Affect
10-item Negative Affect Scale, score - 10 to 50, higher score higher negative affect
Time frame: Change from baseline negative affect in 10-week
Negative Affect
10-item Negative Affect Scale, score - 10 to 50, higher score higher negative affect
Time frame: Change from baseline negative affect in 12-week