Praseeda Menon
Research Officer & Assistant Professor, Kaivalayadhama Yoga Institute & Research Centre
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Praseeda Menon has 9 plus years of work experience as a Research Officer at the Scientific Research Department of Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute, Lonavala, India. She conducts research on the psychological and mental health aspects of yoga. She has well-published researches and several conference presentations to her credit. She also serves as Assistant Professor at Kaivalyadhama, teaches yoga and mental health and research methodology, and is a recognised Ph.D. supervisor. She is one of the Editors of the soon to launch Journal of Applied Yoga Studies of Loyola Marymount University, USA.
Yoga as a long-term mental health promotion tool in non-communicable diseases
Yoga has shown short-term beneficial effects in mental health but evidence regarding long-term psycho-emotional changes is rare.
The current study examined whether a 3-week intensive yoga therapy program would serve as a long-term mental health promotion tool in people with non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Psychological data was collected through online forms at 5 timepoints over a year from 31 participants enrolled in 4 batches of yoga retreats. Fifteen participants were cancer survivors while the remaining 16 suffered from other NCDs such as diabetes.
Results indicated highly significant differences in various mental health variables over the long-term. In particular, anxiety, depression, and perceived stress reduced, whereas mood states, multidimensional quality of life, coping, and flourishing improved at 3 weeks, and after 3, 6 and 12 months each, compared to baseline values. Moreover, non-significant differences between measurements at 3-week and any of the follow-up timepoints indicated that improvements in mental health at 3 weeks sustained at all follow-up timepoints, including at 1-year.
This study demonstrated that intensive yoga therapy programs show tremendous potential as a long-term mental health promotion tool for people suffering from chronic NCDs by building psycho-emotional regulation skills, which contribute to psychological empowerment in the long run.
ISCR Inaugural Annual Conference Sessionize Event
Praseeda Menon
Research Officer & Assistant Professor, Kaivalayadhama Yoga Institute & Research Centre
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