Breathing exercises and pranayamas to decrease perceived exertion during breath-holding while locked-down due to COVID-19 online randomized study

to compare anulom vilom pranayama (AVP), kapal bhati pranayama (KBP), diaphragmatic breathing exercises (DBE), and pursed-lip breathing (PLB) for breath holding time (BHT) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Methods- Participants were assessed for BHT and RPE, before training on any one intervention using online platforms, for one week during lockdown from COVID-19.15 participants in each group total N = 60 at- (α – 0.05), (1- β – 0.90) & (effect size - 0.55); were analysed. Results - AVP & DBE decreased RPE (p < 0.000). KBP & PLB did not decrease RPE as compared to AVP & DBE (p. > 0.05). DBE increased BHT more than KBP & PLB interventions (p < 0.05), but not more than AVP (p > 0.05). One-way ANOVA of four interventions revealed significant variation for RPE change (p < 0.05), for AVP. Conclusions - AVP reduces RPE maximally during breath-holding, whereas DPE increases BHT more.