Development of a modified yoga program for pulmonary hypertension: a case series

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Pulmonary Medicine
• Integrative Medicine

Background:

• Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a severe condition with limited non-pharmacologic treatment options.
• Current medications improve outcomes but do not fully address patient quality of life.
• The impact of yoga and meditative breathing on PH remains largely unexplored.

Observation:

• A case series involving 3 patients with varying functional abilities in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
• Patients engaged with a modified yoga program delivered via DVD, YouTube, and a dedicated application.
• Participants self-reported observations and completed the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLPII) questionnaire over 8 weeks.

Findings:

• The modified yoga intervention was feasible, safe, and effective in the studied cases.
• Patients reported reduced anxiety and joint pain.
• Health-promoting behaviors, as measured by HPLPII, showed improvement across all participants.
• No adverse events were reported during the yoga practice.

Implications:

• Modified yoga offers a standardized and accessible therapeutic option for pulmonary hypertension patients.
• This approach warrants further investigation in larger-scale studies to confirm efficacy and safety.
• Yoga may serve as a valuable complementary therapy to conventional treatments for PH.