Breath Regulation and Yogic Exercise An Online Therapy for Calm and Happiness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to escalate as a global health threat, leading to devastating impacts on the healthcare system. Frontline healthcare workers are dealing with increased demands and fears for their own, as well as their family's safety. Adding to the stress is the limited ability to maintain social connectedness as physical distancing measures are in place. The investigators plan to conduct an open-label feasibility randomized controlled trial (RCT), comparing an online breath based yogic intervention called Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) (n=30) versus an online control mind-body intervention called the Health Enhancement Program (HEP) (n=30) in 60 hospital and long term care frontline staff that are managing COVID-19 patients. Participants will be blinded to the treatment hypothesis while data analyst will be blinded to treatment allocation. Both SKY and HEP will be taught online in two phases in the first week followed by weekly reinforcement sessions for the following 4 weeks. Feasibility measures will be assessed as well as self-rated measures of insomnia, anxiety, depression, and resilience. The investigators expect that it will be feasible to conduct an online RCT of two mind-body interventions, SKY and HEP, in staff managing the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the investigators will be able to remotely monitor safety and efficacy of these interventions.