BREATHE Study

In This Section

Primary Investigator: Dr Aswin Raatheesh

This study will explore the effects of the SKY Campus Happiness Program on young people with anxiety and/or depression. The SKY program involves yogic practice, mindfulness meditation, breathwork, and yogic exercise.

In this study we aim to:

examine the safety, acceptability, and feasibility of an adapted model of the SKY Campus Happiness Program for young people aged 18 to 25;
examine the impact of the SKY program on symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, quality of life, mindfulness, social connectedness, well-being, and functioning; and,
examine the impact of the SKY program on participants’ brain activity.

What does the study involve?

Participants will follow the Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) program for one month. The program includes group discussion of the philosophy of yoga alongside a series of light yoga poses, followed by rhythmic breathing techniques, and concludes with mindfulness meditation.

The 30 day program is made up of three days of group programs via Zoom (or other online platform), that include mindfulness meditation, breathwork and yoga practice and 27 days of at-home practice. Participants will need to set aside 20 minutes daily to complete the techniques outlined in the SKY program.

The study team will complete an initial assessment and conduct a baseline electroencephalogram (EEG). An EEG is a test that measures the electrical activity of the brain.

Throughout the study, researchers will meet with participants to ask about symptoms, mood, and how things have been for them and participants will be asked to complete four questionnaires across the duration of their participation. These questionnaires will occur at each of the visits.

The first visit will take 1.3 hours, the second visit 2 hours, the third visit 1 hour and the final visit will take 3.5 hours. There will also be a follow-up EEG at day 30.

Reimbursement

Participants will receive $30 per hour for their participation in the research project to cover reasonable costs of participation (e.g., travel, parking).

Eligibility

Young people aged 18-25 years with mild/moderate symptoms of anxiety and/or depression.

Recruitment

Participation in the study is completely voluntary and Orygen researchers will ensure participants have all information about the study before they provide consent.

For further details email breathe@orygen.org.au or call 0448 658 235.