Inner Engineering Practices and Advanced 4-day Isha Yoga Retreat Are Associated with Cannabimimetic Effects with Increased Endocannabinoids and Short-Term and Sustained Improvement in Mental Health: A Prospective Observational Study of Meditators

Table 2

Results of psychological surveys before and after a 4-day Bhava Spandana Program meditation retreat.

Psychological parameter	Baseline before retreat		Immediately after retreat		1-month after retreat
	N	Mean (SE)	N	Mean (SE)	N	Mean (SE)
CES-D (depression)	348	10.26 (0.47)	323	7.55 (0.32)^a	308	7.67 (0.37)^a
Anxiety scale	342	1.93 (0.04)	312	1.48 (0.03)^a	300	1.54 (0.04)^a
MAAS (mindfulness)	346	4.14 (0.05)	320	4.77 (0.05)^a	301	4.80 (0.05)^a
Happiness score	342	6.20 (0.10)	312	8.23 (0.08)^a	291	7.62 (0.09)^a
PWB (well-being) total	342	187.3 (1.5)	312	203.0 (1.3)^a	293	203.4 (1.4)^a
PWB autonomy		30.08 (0.34)		33.14 (0.32)^a		33.93 (0.31)^a,b
PWB environmental mastery		28.49 (0.28)		30.88 (0.25)^a		30.99 (0.26)^a
PWB personal growth		35.23 (0.28)		37.18 (0.23)^a		37.27 (0.25)^a
PWB positive relations		31.99 (0.34)		34.91 (0.30)^a		34.73 (0.32)^a
PWB purpose in life		30.30 (0.30)		32.12 (0.27)^a		31.85 (0.28)^a
PWB self-acceptance		31.20 (0.38)		34.79 (0.31)^a		34.77 (0.33)^a

^aSignificantly different from baseline value (), ^bSignificantly different from immediately after-retreat value (). All changes were statistically significant even after adjusting for multiple testing. CES-D = Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression; MAAS = Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale; N = number of participants; PWB = psychological well-being; SE = standard error.