Impact of Yoga-based Interventions as an Integrative Approach during COVID-19: A Review

Pages: 292-297
Dimple Rawat1, Avishek Roy2, Arti Gulati3, Vivek Shankar4, and Anshu Sharma5 (Clinical Epidemiology Unit, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi1,3, Department of Anaesthesiology, Pain Medicine and Critical Care All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi2, Department of Orthopaedics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi4, and Department of Food and Nutrition, Institute of Home Economics, University of Delhi, New Delhi5)

The second wave of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has wreaked havoc across the globe resulting in 3,985,022 case fatality till 06.07.2021. Due to the overburdened nature of our health care system, a sudden increase in demand for medical attention, especially, with the fast-growing number of cases every day, the present review aims to highlight the importance of yoga-based interventions as an integrative approach during COVID-19 as an add-on therapy for the treatment. A review was carried out to summarize the impact of yoga-based interventions during the pandemic COVID-19. Literature searches were conducted in PubMed from the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic till April 2021 to identify all the relevant studies. A total of 8 studies were included in the present review, which analysed heterogeneous effects of yogic exercise and breathing therapies on multitude of health benefits like respiratory muscle training, reduction of stress and depression and improvement of quality of life. This review suggests the incorporation of complementary therapies (yoga, meditation, & pranayama) for overall health improvement and well-being of patients diagnosed with COVID-19, healthcare providers, and the general public.