Hatha Yoga for Smoking Cessation

While many smoking cessation interventions have been studied, even the most successful interventions result in less than 40% abstinence from smoking at 6 months. Most people attempt to quit multiple times before maintaining long-term abstinence from tobacco. Research into interventions to improve quit rates and decrease smoking prevalence is a high priority for multiple organizations. Yoga is an attractive non-pharmacological option because it can be used safely during pregnancy and lactation, can be combined with other pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments, and can be continued well past the smoking cessation date to combat withdrawal symptoms and cravings. There is a critical need for innovative and effective methods for tobacco control that focus on both prevention and cessation.

This project will be broken into two stages. The first stage will aim to pilot test yoga techniques for feasibility and acceptability. Recruitment and retention strategies will be tested and participant satisfaction will be evaluated. Preliminary measures of smoking abstinence and withdrawal symptoms will be conducted.

The second stage of this study will be a randomized trial to compare smoking abstinence with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), CBT + yoga, or yoga alone.

Inclusion criteria

• Age 19 years or older
• Smoker of 5 or more cigarettes per day
• Willing and physically able to participate in yoga
• Not currently practicing Hatha yoga.

Exclusion criteria

• Use of smokeless tobacco