THE MIND-BREATH CONNECTION: DHEERGHA SWASAM AS A CATALYST FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Abstract

Few randomized studies have isolated the incremental contribution of Dheergha Swasam (deep diaphragmatic breathing), a fundamental yoga technique thought to promote the psychological benefits of asana-based practice in student groups. In this three-arm, parallel-group randomized controlled trial, female postgraduate students in Chennai, India, were asked if a 12-week yoga practice program that included Dheergha Swasam improved their mindfulness, self-esteem and psychological well-being more than an identical program without diaphragmatic breathing or no structured intervention. 150 eligible female college students the ages of 21 to 25 were divided in to three groups at random: Group I (Yogic Practices with Dheergha Swasam, n = 50), Group II (Yogic Practices without Dheergha Swasam, n = 50) and Group III (no-intervention control, n = 50). For 12 weeks, 60 minutes sessions took place five days a week. The WHO-5 Well-being Index, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale were used to measure psychological well-being, self-esteem and mindfulness, at baseline and after the intervention. All three outcomes showed statistically significant between group differences in change scores (all p < 0.001), with moderate to large effects for mindfulness (partial η2 = 0.425), large effect sizes for psychological well-being (partial η2 = 0.661) and self-esteem (partial η2 = 0.673). Group I considerably outperformed Group II and Group III on all measures, according to Bonferroni-corrected post-hoc comparisons, but Group II also did better than the control group. These results support the incorporation of deep diaphragmatic breathing in campus-based mental health promotion programs for young female college students by indicating that including it in to a structured yoga protocol offers additional psychological benefits beyond asana practice alone.