Mindful Breathing With or Without Controlled Yogic Breathing Promotes Smoking Abstinence: A Preliminary Laboratory Investigation

Mindful attention to breath is often a component of mindfulness-based interventions for smoking, but there has been little research investigating its unique effects on smoking outcomes. The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of mindful attention to breath with and without a controlled yogic breathing component on smoking behavior. Twelve-hour abstinent daily smokers (N = 36; 39% female; M = 9.89 cigarettes per day; 69% African American) were randomly assigned to a 20 minute intervention consisting of 1. mindful attention to breath (MB); 2. mindful attention to breath with controlled yogic breathing (MYB); or 3. no-treatment (NT) control. During a 50-minute smoking versus money choice task, both MB and MYB significantly reduced the risk of smoking compared to NT with no significant differences between the two. The MB group reported greater increases in feelings of serenity compared to MYB and NT. There were no effects for negative or positive affect, craving, tobacco withdrawal, or state mindfulness. In this preliminary investigation, controlled yogic breathing did not enhance the effectiveness of MB. MB is an easily disseminable and cost-effective strategy that may promote smoking abstinence and should be further explored.