Title:Effect of Teleyoga Before COVID-19 and During Pandemic: A
Narrative Review
Volume: 18
Issue: 3
Author(s): Dua Ruchi*, Malik Saloni*, Kumar Ramesh, Sharma Indrajeet, Kumar Sunil, Mirza Atif Anissa and Sindhwani Girish
Affiliation:
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, AIIMS, Rishikesh, India
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, AIIMS, Rishikesh, India
Keywords:
COVID-19, yoga, tele-yoga, effect, diseases, pandemic.
Abstract:
Background: Yoga plays a beneficial adjunctive role in various disorders due
to its physiological and psychological benefits. COVID-19 pandemic led to a paradigm
shift in delivery of health interventions from on-site to online/ tele-intervention mode.
Focus shifted to tele-yoga as a reasonable and feasible alternative to in-person yoga. Studies
have evaluated its effect among patients suffering from various disorders, their care
givers, healthcare workers, and the general public. We have assessed the effect of tele-
Yoga, including its appropriateness, acceptability, and benefits, via this narrative review.
Methods: We searched PubMed data base using predefined keywords. Inclusion criteria
included controlled trials and Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) which are completed
and published in English language up to February 2022 with tele-yoga/online yoga as
part of intervention. Exclusion criteria included articles in other language or articles
whose full text is unavailable.
Results: After removing duplications and reviewing articles based on title, abstracts,
and available full texts, seven studies with 391 participants were included. Majority of
the trials took place in United States, with United Kingdom, Canada, and India following
closely behind. Yoga can be safely administered via various online /tele
interventions in both diseased and healthy individuls. Tele yoga or modules
incorporating tele-yoga has been shown to improve symptoms like dyspnea,
psychiatric/psychological burden including stress, anxiety and depression levels and may
promote positive effects like spirituality.
Conclusion: Tele-yoga is feasible and beneficial in healthy and diseased individuals.
Larger well-designed RCTs comparing in-person yoga with tele-yoga are needed to ascertain
their full benefits.