Evaluating a Group-based Therapeutic Yoga Program for Burnout

Evaluating a Group-based Therapeutic Yoga Program for Burnout

This study is evaluating a group-based therapeutic yoga program for burnout. This study aims to understand the feasibility of running the program (i.e. of recruiting participants, the resources required to run the program, etc) and the effectiveness of the program (i.e. in decreasing participants' mental health symptoms).

A primary care group-based therapeutic yoga program, the Yoga MD program, was developed by a primary care / emergency physician practicing in Toronto, Ontario. The program was started in 2014 and is run through a medical centre in Toronto, Ontario. The purposes of the program are to understand:

• key concepts of yoga, mindfulness, compassion, acceptance and how these can help with personal transformation
• how stress is carried in the body (embodiment of stress) and how stress manifests as anxiety, pain, or other symptoms
• what happens when stress accumulates in the body
• the role of self-compassion in the response to stress
• how to cope with difficult emotions that may contribute to stress
• how to deal with difficult people and trying relationships
• the importance of connecting with, and caring for ourselves to reduce accumulated stress
• how to solidify healthier patterns to build resilience to stress faced in daily life.

This study evaluates the 9 weekly sessions using a before-after interventional design. Participants have data collected at baseline, and at 9 weeks and 8 months after the yoga program ends, and changes in mental health outcomes are observed.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age of 18
• Must be enrolled in therapeutic yoga program

Exclusion Criteria:

• no formal exclusion criteria