Key result
Different yogic breathing techniques yielded distinct psychological benefits, with ujjayi significantly reducing perceived stress, paced breathing increasing internal awareness, and kapalabhati enhancing vitality.
Why the study?
Breathing practices influence autonomic processes affecting the body and mind, but the differential effects of specific yogic breathing techniques required investigation.
Do different yogic breathing techniques improve mindfulness, stress, and well-being?
RCT (n=36)
Open-label
Randomly assigned to three groups for intervention sequence
No
Do different yogic breathing techniques improve mindfulness, stress, and well-being?
Different yogic breathing techniques have distinct beneficial effects on stress, mindfulness, and vitality, suggesting their potential utility as self-regulation tools.
Hypothesis-generating for yogic breathing as self-regulation tools; prospective trials needed before clinical adoption.
Yogic breathing techniques are fundamental to the physical and mental practice of yoga. They are closely connected to meditation, which involves the observation of breath. There are many yogic techniques based on the active regulation of the breath. Breathing practices influence many processes in the body, e.g. heart rate variability, and the mind, e.g. relaxation and stress, through their impact on the autonomic nervous system. This study intended to investigate differential effects of four yogic breathing techniques: (1) ujjayi—relaxation through slowing down the breath, (2) paced breathing—enhancement of concentration by following a precise protocol of slowdown breathing, (3) kapalabhati—raising wakefulness by mild hyperventilation, and (4) alternate nostril breathing—balancing the autonomic nervous system by alternating breath between the two nostrils. This study was conducted on 36 participants, who learned each technique within two weeks of an eight-week program and practiced them daily. After each technique, mindfulness, perceived stress, and physical well-being were assessed based on questionnaires. Ujjayi breathing, showed a relaxing effect, reduced stress, increased peacefulness, and the feeling of being at ease/leisure. Paced breathing resulted in a greater awareness of inner experiences. Kapalabhati showed a significant increase in vitality and joy of life, and alternate nostril breathing showed no hypothesis-compliant changes. The findings of this study suggest several beneficial and differential effects of these breathing techniques; therefore, they could be employed as tools for self-regulation in therapeutic contexts.
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Epe et al. (2021) conducted an RCT in Healthy adults (n=36). Four yogic breathing techniques (ujjayi, paced breathing, kapalabhati, alternate nostril breathing) vs. Baseline or preceding measurement was evaluated on Changes in mindfulness, perceived stress, and physical well-being. Different yogic breathing techniques yielded distinct psychological benefits, with ujjayi significantly reducing perceived stress, paced breathing increasing internal awareness, and kapalabhati enhancing vitality.
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