A Feasibility and Efficacy Study of a Breathwork and Meditation Intervention (SKY Breath) on the Psychophysiological Well-Being of Individuals With Parkinson's Disease (iPD) and Their Care Partners
Nova Southeastern University
Summary
The goal of this feasibility study and clinical trial is to learn if an evidenced-based breathwork and meditation intervention (SKY Breath) will improve the mental and physical well-being of individuals with Parkinson's Disease (iPD) in stages 1, 2, and 3, under the age of 75 and their care partners. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Objective 1: Can the SKY Breath practice be designed and implemented to specifically cater to the unique needs of individuals with Parkinson's Disease and their care partners. * Objective 2: Will the SKY Breath practice decrease stress levels (a contributor to increasing PD symptoms) for individuals with Parkinson\'s Disease (iPD) and their care partners as measured through self-reported surveys to improve overall well-being and quality of life. * Objective 3: Will the SKY Breath practice in part alleviate the emotional stress and physical burden experienced by care partners of PD patients, promoting their resilience and well-being. Participants will be asked to learn the SKY Breath and Meditation practice over the course of 4 days (2.25 hours each morning), practice SKY every day for 4 weeks and keep a log of time spent doing SKY. The participants will complete a series of surveys before learning the practice and then after at weeks 1, 4 and 8. The series of surveys will take about 20 minutes.
Description
Protocol Summary Introduction: Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a neuro-degenerative disease and movement disorder with no known cure. Symptoms include tremor and neuro-psychiatric issues. Stress significantly exacerbates symptoms of PD. This study aims to determine the feasibility and efficacy of an evidence-based stress reduction and resilience building breathwork intervention named Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) Breath and Meditation (SKY Breath) to improve the psycho-physiological wellbeing in a cohort of community dwelling individuals diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease (iPD). Methodology: This m…