Overview
- In a randomized study at NIMHANS, 59 men on buprenorphine recovered in a median 5 days with yoga versus 9 with medication alone.
- Heart rate variability indices improved more with yoga, with parasympathetic gains explaining about a quarter of the faster recovery.
- The intervention delivered 10 forty-five–minute sessions over 14 days using gentle postures, slow breathing, left-nostril and humming breaths, and guided relaxation at bedside or in small groups.
- Participants reported better sleep, lower anxiety, and less pain during withdrawal compared with standard care alone.
- Researchers note the small, regionally concentrated sample—largely young tapentadol users—limits generalizability, and ongoing work will assess relapse outcomes, broader delivery models, and enrollment of women.