Yogic Breathing Practices a Non-Pharmacological Alternative Medicine for Managing Pulmonary Functions of Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Yoga is increasingly recognized worldwide as a potential alternative medicine and effective non-pharmacological approach to enhance pulmonary efficiency and prevent lifestyle-related diseases. The aim of the current systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the empirical studies conducted on the effect of yogic breathing practices on the pulmonary function of healthy adults. Searching was carried out through Scopus, PubMed, PubMed Central, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect, published in English, and a total of 11 studies consisting of 14 yogic breathing exercise groups were considered. The study quality was assessed through the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale for RCT and the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies checklists for non-RCT, and all studies were of moderate-to-good quality. The dependent variables were forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV 1 ), FEV 1 /FVC ratio, and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), the key parameters for assessing pulmonary function, measured using a digital spirometer. Out of 14 intervention groups, 79% showed significant improvement in FVC and FEV 1 , 92% in PEFR ( n = 13), and 50% in FEV 1 /FVC ( n = 6) following the yogic breathing interventions, including Nadi Shodhana, Savitri, Sheetali, Sheetkari Bhastrika pranayama, Shantipatha, Omkara, Bhramari, Kapalbhati, Anulom-vilom, Om Chanting, etc., for four weeks to four months with a session of at least 10 minutes. The meta-analysis results revealed that there was a medium effect of breathing exercises on FVC (ES: 0.53, CI: 0.10 to 0.96, I 2 : 99%), FEV 1 (ES: 0.60, CI: 0.19 to 1.01, I 2 : 99%), FEV 1 /FVC (ES: 0.51, CI: 0.12 to 0.90, I 2 : 0%), and PEFR (ES: 0.56, CI: 0.31 to 0.82, I 2 : 46%). Based on the findings, this review may conclude that yogic breathing practices are conducive to improving the pulmonary functions of healthy adults.