Abstract
BACKGROUND: Single bouts of exercise can reduce state anxiety, but little is known about the benefits of short-duration walking and the potential additional benefits of integrating yoga-based breathing techniques. This study aimed to investigate whether performing a yoga-based breathing pattern, breathwalk (BW), offers additional acute benefits compared to normal breathing, on state anxiety during a single bout of walking. METHODS: Two pilot randomised trials (parallel groups) were conducted in healthy adults (n = 37 and n = 47) in different naturalistic settings. In both trials, participants (students/staff in one University) were randomly assigned to the breathwalk (BW) or normal walking (NW) group. All the participants performed one short bout of walking at a self-selected moderate pace. The BW group also followed a breathwalk protocol of step-based inhalation and exhalation during the walking bout. The outcome measure in both trials was state anxiety (State Trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults™) assessed pre- and post-walking bout. Participants and outcome assessors were not blinded. Analyses were performed using two-way mixed factorial analysis of variance with follow-up paired sample t tests. Cohen's d effect sizes provided an indication of the magnitude of change within each group. RESULTS: In trial 1, there was no significant (group × time) interaction, but a significant main effect represented a reduction in state anxiety in both groups. In Trial 2, a significant interaction effect was found; only the BW group showed a significant reduction in anxiety over time. In both trials, effect sizes (reduction in state anxiety) were greater in the BW compared with the NW group. CONCLUSION: These trials provide further evidence of the beneficial effects of short, single bouts of walking on the mental well-being of young adults. There was preliminary evidence that the incorporation of a simple, breathing technique (breathwalk) provided greater anxiolytic effects than walking alone which warrants further investigation.