A multicomponent yoga-based, breath intervention program as an adjunctive treatment in patients suffering from generalized anxiety disorder with or without comorbidities

Abstract

Objectives:The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) course in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) outpatients, who after eight weeks of an appropriate dose of traditional therapy had not yet achieved remission.Subjects:The adult participants (18-65 years) were outpatients with a primary diagnosis of GAD with or without comorbidities on the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Participants had a minimum of eight weeks standard treatment with an appropriate dose of a standard prescription anxiolytic, a clinician global impression-severity (CGI-S) score of 5-7, a Hamilton anxiety scale (HAM-A) total score ≥20 including a score of >2 on the anxious mood and tension items.Materials and Methods:Forty-one patients were enrolled in an open-label trial of the SKY course as an adjunct to standard treatment of GAD at the START Clinic for Mood and Anxiety Disorders, a tertiary care mood and anxiety disorder clinic in Toronto. The SKY course was administered over five days (22 h total). Subjects were encouraged to practice the yoga breathing techniques at home for 20 min per day after the course and were offered group practice sessions for 2 h once a week led by certified yoga instructors. The primary outcome measure was the mean change from pre-treatment on the HAM-A scale. Psychological measures were obtained at baseline and four weeks after completing the intervention.Results:Thirty-one patients completed the program (mean age 42.6 ± 13.3 years). Among completers, significant reductions occurred in the pre- and post-intervention mean HAM-A total score (t=4.59; P<0.01) and psychic subscale (t=5.00; P≤0.01). The response rate was 73% and the remission rate 41% as measured on the HAM-A.Conclusion:The results of this small pilot trial suggest that the SKY course represents a potentially valuable adjunct to standard pharmacotherapy in patients with GAD or treatment-resistant GAD, and warrants further investigation. In particular, changes in worry and body symptoms showed significant improvements that may further our understanding of the mechanism of change in the tolerance of anxiety and worry.

Yoga as an Alternative and Complementary Therapy for Patients Suffering From Anxiety

“…10 SKY or Sudarshan Kriya Yoga, used in 2 of the studies, 1,12 incorporates rhythmic breathing techniques performed in the sitting posture with eyes and mouth kept closed. 12 Yoga Nidra, a deep relaxation technique, was performed in 2 of the studies, 4,25 integrating a form of ''sleep'' to attain a form of blissful awareness, unable to be achieved through other forms of yoga.…”

Yoga and Health

“…13,23 Studies have also shown to reduce anxiety and depression among both healthy as well as diseased conditions. 11,15,17,21,39 …”

Yoga as an Exercise in the Professional Life of a Swimmer Leads to Perfection

“…Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, one of the finest and greatest living pace bowlers in the game of cricket, a fact hardly unknown to the modern-day public [23][24][25]. But, at one point of the time during their illustrious careers, yoga stood the difference between darkness and light.…”

“…But much of the obscurity of Yogic literature is due, not to the intrinsic profundity of the subject, but to the lack of correlation between its teachings and the facts with which an ordinary educated man is expected to be familiar [16][17][18][19][20]. If the doctrines of Yoga are studied in the light of both ancient and modern thought, it is much easier for the student to understand and appreciate them [3,[21][22][23].…”