Impact of the Practice of Yoga/Meditation and Physical Activity on Severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Infection and Hospitalization: An Observational Study

Background and Objectives: The world has dealt with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Many pharmacological and nonpharmacological agents have been suggested to fight against the COVID-19 infection. Yoga/meditation and physical activity (PA) have shown profound effects in improving immunity in the available literature. Thus, this study attempted to find out the effect of yoga/meditation or PA on the severity of COVID-19 infection and hospitalization. Methodology: This was an observational study. The contact details of the individuals who were recovered from COVID-19 were obtained from the hospitals/yoga organizations in the community. A telephonic interview was conducted, and the data were collected using a self-drafted questionnaire, regarding their practice of yoga/meditation and/or PA. The data, hence obtained, was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: The total number of participants included in the present study was 81, with the mean age being 52.02 ± 13.77 years. There was a statistically significant association found between the practice of yoga/meditation alone, practice of both yoga/meditation and PA, with the severity of illness ( P = 0.011, 0.012), hospitalization ( P = 0.005, 0.006), and oxygen support ( P = 0.005, 0.001). Co-morbidity has also shown a statistically significant association with severity of illness ( P = 0.035), oxygen support ( P = 0.018), hospitalization ( P = 0.036), and ventilator support ( P = 0.002). Conclusions: The present study concluded that the participants who were involved in yoga or both yoga and PA had less severe COVID-19 infection, less requirement for hospitalization and oxygen support as compared to those who were not practicing any of the activities.