Tools for Wellbeing COVID-19 National Study of Undergraduate Students

The purpose of this project is to widely disseminate a system of yoga tools to university
students, faculty, and staff internationally to buffer the psychological impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic. A recent study finds that stress, anxiety, and depression are the major
psychological responses to COVID-19 during the early outbreaks in China (Wang et al., 2020).
Globally, universities have closed campuses and moved learning, teaching, and working online
with a very short notice. CDC suggests that keeping physically active and meditation are
among the key activities to maintain a strong immune system and mental health during
quarantine. Studies have documented physical and mental benefits of yoga practices
(Balasubramaniam, Telles, & Doraiswamy, 2013; Brems, 2015; Brunner, Abramovitch, & Etherton,
2017; Büssing, Michalsen, Telles, Sherman, & Khalsa, 2012) This project introduces a system
of yoga tools to buffer the psychological impact of COVID-19. This system of yoga tools is
designed by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, a yogi, mystic, author, and founder of the Isha
Foundation. The Isha foundation is a volunteer-based international non-profit organization,
offering yoga and meditation programs for human wellbeing and global harmony. In partnership
with the Isha Foundation and Harvard University Medical School, the study will document the
short-term and long-term effects of these yogic practices on stress, mood, wellbeing,
resilience, and academic engagement for students and work engagement for faculty and staff
during this challenging time.