Yoga and meditation improve quality of life in subjects with moderate-to-very severe COPD without any effect on lung function

Background: To improve quality of life (QoL) in COPD patients in resource limited settings like India, the ancient practice of yoga which is widely available and culturally accepted across the country can be considered as a cost effective alternative to Pulmonary rehabilitation. We aimed to study the impact of yoga breathing exercises and meditation on QoL as measured by SGRQ, and lung function (spirometry, body plethysmography, impulse oscillometry) and the six-minute walk distance. Method: 28 Male subjects with moderate- to-very severe COPD were randomly divided into 2 groups. (a) 14 subjects in the yoga intervention group received training in Holistic breathing exercises and six step meditation with sound frequency along with standard treatment. They practiced the intervention on site,2 days a week and 5 days at home for total of 8 weeks. (b) 14 controls received only standard treatment. QoL,6 MWD and lung function parameters were obtained at baseline,4 weeks and 8 weeks in both the groups. Results: QoL as measured by SGRQ showed statistically significant improvement in intervention group compared to control group. 6MWD decreased in control group while it remain stable in yoga group. Conclusion: Yoga breathing exercises and six step meditation shows significant improvement in QoL among COPD patients over 8 weeks without improvement in lung functions.