TY  - JOUR
AU  - Thimmapuram, Jayaram
AU  - Patel, Kamlesh
AU  - Madhusudhan, Divya K
AU  - Deshpande, Snehal
AU  - Bouderlique, Ekta
AU  - Nicolai, Veronique
AU  - Rao, Raghavendra
PY  - 2022
DA  - 2022/5/17
TI  - Health-Related Quality of Life Outcomes With Regular Yoga and Heartfulness Meditation Practice: Results From a Multinational, Cross-sectional Study
JO  - JMIR Form Res
SP  - e37876
VL  - 6
IS  - 5
KW  - yoga
KW  - meditation
KW  - health-related quality of life
KW  - Heartfulness
KW  - COVID-19
KW  - healthy living
KW  - wellness
KW  - quality of life
KW  - stress
KW  - mental health
KW  - psychological health
KW  - online survey
KW  - cross-sectional study
KW  - health outcome
AB  - Background: Although the benefits of yoga are well established across the world, there are limited studies exploring the long-term interrelation between yoga, meditation, and health. Specifically, there is limited research exploring the differences in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among regular meditators and nonmeditators. Objective: This study explored the differences in 7 domains of HRQOL (including quality of life, ability to adopt a healthy lifestyle, ability to relax, frequency of nervousness and stress, coping with day-to-day stress, workplace productivity, and staying healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic) among practitioners of yoga and meditation. Methods: A cross-sectional, online survey was distributed to all members who participated in a 100-day yoga and meditation program, culminating in the International Day of Yoga event, organized by the Heartfulness Institute in partnership with the Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy, Ministry of Ayush, SVYASA Yoga University, and Patanjali Yoga Institute, India. The program consisted of daily virtual yoga, meditation, and speaker sessions. The data were analyzed by nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis tests for continuous variables and chi-square test for categorical variables. Results: A total of 3164 participants from 39 countries completed the survey. Mean age was 33.8 (SD 13.6) years. The majority of the participants were female (n=1643, 52%) and students (n=1312, 41.5%). Regular yoga and meditation practice was associated with a positive impact on all 7 domains of HRQOL (Mann-Whitney P<.05 and χ2P<.05). Notably, experienced Heartfulness (≥2 years) meditators reported better outcomes in all the domains of HRQOL as compared to those not currently practicing this form of meditation and participants with ≤1 year of Heartfulness meditation experience (P<.05). Conclusions: This is one of the first cross-sectional studies to explore HRQOL outcomes among participants of a 100-day virtual yoga and meditation program. Overall, a yoga and meditation practice was found to be an effective tool for promoting HRQOL. Regular yoga and meditation practice was associated with factors promoting health and well-being, with long-term meditation practice associated with increased benefits. 
SN  - 2561-326X
UR  - https://formative.jmir.org/2022/5/e37876
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/37876
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35470800
DO  - 10.2196/37876
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/37876
ER  -