Improvements in Psychological and Occupational Well-Being in a Pragmatic Controlled Trial of a Yoga-Based Program for Professionals

Objective: The purpose of this pragmatic controlled trial was to examine changes in psychological and occupational well-being in professionals who attended a yoga-based program. Setting: The 5-day RISE (resilience, integration, self-awareness, engagement) program was delivered at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. RISE included 5 h per day of yoga, meditation, lectures, and experiential activities. Subjects: Adult professionals from education, corrections, and social service institutions were pragmatically assigned to the RISE group (n = 61) or a waitlist control group (n = 60). Outcome measures: Measures of psychological and occupational well-being were completed before RISE (baseline), immediately after RISE (postprogram), and 2 months after RISE (follow-up). Analyses of covariance were conducted to compare change scores between groups. Results: Eighty-two participants (RISE n = 41, control n = 41) completed baseline and postmeasures and were included in the analysis, and 57 (RISE n = 27, control n = 30) also completed the follow-up. Relative to controls, the RISE group reported improvements in stress (p = 0.001, r(2) = 0.51), resilience (p = 0.028, r(2) = 0.34), positive affect (p = 0.001, r(2) = 0.52), negative affect (p = 0.001, r(2) = 0.52), mindfulness (p = 0.021, r(2) = 0.13), and job satisfaction (p = 0.034, r(2) = 0.08) from baseline to postprogram. From baseline to follow-up, compared with controls the RISE group showed improvements in stress (p = 0.001, r(2) = 0.33), resilience (p = 0.001, r(2) = 0.24), positive affect (p = 0.006, r(2) = 0.49), negative affect (p = 0.043, r(2) = 0.32), mindfulness (p = 0.001, r(2) = 0.28), empowerment (p = 0.005, r(2) = 0.20), and self-compassion (p = 0.011, r(2) = 0.19). Conclusions: The RISE program was associated with improvements in psychological and occupational well-being immediately after and 2 months after the program. Future research is needed to confirm these results.