Tele-Yoga Therapy for Common Mental Health Disorders: Need for Assessment Tool and Guidelines

INTRODUCTION: Tele-yoga is a cost-effective method of teaching yoga using cloud technology to relay from one source (trainer's venue) to multi-point video conferencing centers (participants' homes). However, there is a need to assess the tele-yoga trainer and the training itself to ensure safety and effectiveness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Tele-Yoga Trainers Assessment (TYTA) tool was developed through (a) review of existing tools, (b) key informant interviews, and (c) validation by experts. It was tested for its feasibility in six persons with common mental disorders. A trained yoga therapist conducted tele-yoga therapy sessions which was webcast from NIMHANS Integrated Center for Yoga to NIMHANS Center for Well-Being for the first 15 days and to the respective homes of the participants using “Skype” in the remaining 15 days. Participants were assessed on (a) mental well-being, (b) satisfaction with overall health and were administered the (c) TYTA tool on the 1(st), 15(th), and 30(th) day. RESULTS: The TYTA was easy to administer for assessing the performance of the yoga trainer. The qualitative case reports of individual participants depicted that over 30 days, mental well-being and satisfaction with overall health improved trainer's performance. CONCLUSION: Tele-yoga therapy is feasible with minimum technology and availability of good internet access at the relay and reception site. The trainer must be assessed for his/her suitability and be provided guidelines for achieving desired outcomes.