Yoga and mental health among Brazilian practitioners during COVID-19: An internet-based cross-sectional survey

Abstract

This study aimed to describe yoga practice and verify its association with depression, anxiety, and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic among Brazilian practitioners. A cross-sectional anonymous online survey was conducted in all regions of Brazil using a snowball sampling strategy among yoga practitioners. A total of 860 participants (87% female, aged: 19-82 years) completed the survey. Sociodemographic data, lifestyle factors, yoga practice during the pandemic, and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) scores were collected between July 9 and July 15, 2021. Overall, 9.5%, 9.3%, and 5.6% of participants exhibited some traits (mild to severe) of depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. Hatha yoga (48%) was the most commonly practiced yoga style. In the adjusted analysis, a higher yoga experience (> 5 years) was associated with better anxiety (odds ratio; bootstrap 95% confidence interval: 2.42; 1.32, 4.49) and stress status (1.80; 1.06, 3.00) than beginners (< 1 year). Practitioners who reported higher time and days of yoga practice during the study period were more likely to show normal levels of depression (odds ratio: 2.56-6.49; p ​< ​0.05), anxiety (odds ratio: 3.68-8.84; p ​< ​0.05), and stress (odds ratio: 2.15-5.21; p ​< ​0.05). Moreover, the maintenance of practice frequency during the pandemic was associated with higher odds of normal levels of depression (2.27; 1.39-3.79), anxiety (1.97; 1.25-3.10), and stress (1.97; 1.32-2.96). In conclusion, our findings indicated that a higher level of yoga practice was associated with better mental health levels during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords

Physical activity / Mind-body practices / Depression / Anxiety / Stress / Coronavirus / COVID-19

Ethical approval statement

This research was approved by the local Research Ethics Committee (protocol number 4.035.382), and all participants gave their consent and agreed to participate in the study.

Authors’ contributions

GMS: recruitment, data curation, and the draft of the manuscript. RV: conceptualization and project administration. AGSVR: recruitment and data curation. CAC: recruitment and data curation. MC: recruitment and data curation. AHC: conceptualization, project administration, and formal analysis. All authors interpreted the data and participated in the critical revision and final approval.

Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflict of interest.

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The authors would like to thank all the volunteers and PIBIC/CNPq for the financial support through scholarship.