A Comparison of the Acute Effects of Different Forms of Yoga on Physiological and Psychological Stress: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Yoga is a frequently recommended stress management strategy; however, the acute stress response to varying types of yoga are not fully clear. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare the acute effects of meditative and power yoga on indices of physiological and psychological stress. In a crossover counterbalanced design, physically active females (n = 13; age = 20.8 yrs ± 0.8, height = 164.5 cm ± 6.1, body mass = 65.0 kg ± 13.8) who did not regularly participate in yoga or mindful training enrolled in this study. Participants completed two visits each, with a standardized instructional-video 30-min yoga session with either A) meditative (Hatha style) yoga or B) power (Vinyasa style) yoga. Prior to and immediately after each yoga bout, psychological stress was assessed using the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaire, and salivary cortisol samples were obtained to measure indices of physiological stress. State anxiety scores were significantly lower following meditative yoga (p = 0.047) but were not different following power yoga (p = 0.625). Salivary cortisol levels were significantly lower following meditative yoga (p = 0.020) but not following power yoga (p = 0.242). Results indicate that acute engagement in meditative yoga decreases markers of psychological and physiological stress, while power yoga does not impart a significant stress-relieving benefit. Findings indicate that differing types of yoga may have various stress-relieving capabilities and should be considered by individuals seeking anxiolytic benefits.

Perceived benefits of a remote yoga and mindfulness program for student musicians during COVID-19.

“…For instance, a 10-minute bout of mindfulness meditation has been found to significantly improve overall mood state and fatigue, whereas a 10-minute fast walk only incurred reduced fatigue (Edwards & Loprinzi, 2018). Similarly, a 30-minute meditative hatha yoga bout involving breathing, focused attention, and relaxation components significantly reduced anxiety and cortisol levels, but these effects were not observed following a 30-minute exercise-based power yoga session (Marshall et al, 2020). Other acute significant changes reported among university students following single bouts of integrative hatha yoga styles include improvements in feelings of tranquility, positive and negative affect, and vitality (Gaskins et al, 2014; Smith et al, 2011).…”

Cognitive and psychosocial effects of an acute sun salutation intervention among adults with stress

“…The positive effect on psychosocial measures is similar to previous literature that has shown reductions in stress and anxiety following a long-term sun salutation intervention (Sakuma et al, 2012), an acute flow-based yoga intervention (Field, Diego, & Hernandez-Reif, 2010), other acute yoga interventions (Benvenutti et al, 2017;Huang et al, 2013;Melville et al, 2012;Szabo et al, 2017), and a higher effect in comparison to aerobic exercise (Winroth et al, 2019). In a recent acute yoga study, participants (physically active) in the meditative yoga group, but not the Vinyasa group, had lower anxiety and stress (Marshall et al, 2020). The study did not assess heart rate, and the null effects may be due to the activity being high intensity for the participants.…”

“…In a four-week intervention consisting of sun salutations, anxiety symptoms diminished after daily engagement for six minutes, as compared to the control group (Sakuma et al, 2012). Acute studies (sessions ranging from 15 to 90 minutes) have shown similar reductions in self-reported stress and anxiety, as compared to an attentional or true control group (Benvenutti et al, 2017;Huang, Chien, & Chung, 2013;Melville, Chang, Colagiuri, Marshall, & Cheema, 2012;Szabo, Nikházy, Tihanyi, & Boros, 2017) or an active control group (Fishman et al, 2019;Marshall, Mcclanahan, Warren, Rogers, & Ballmann, 2020;Winroth, Hassmen, & Stevens, 2019). There are far fewer acute studies testing cognitive benefits of yoga, yet they have generally shown a positive effect on memory and EF (Gothe & McAuley, 2015), although the populations varied.…”

Hatha Yoga Improves Psychophysiological Responses of College Students in Both Indoor and Outdoor Environments

“…Additionally, one counterbalanced, randomized-crossover trial found that 30minutes of Hatha yoga significantly ameliorated salivary cortisol levels in young adults after an acute stress task compared to the control condition (watching TV) [49]. Another study also found that 30minutes of Hatha yoga significantly reduced salivary cortisol levels for young adults whereas a timematched trial of power yoga did not affect [19]. The type of yoga practice may be an important consideration for designing studies as the variability in yoga styles might induce opposing effects for participants.…”

“…Thus far, the research cited describes findings where participants were involved in more than one yoga session over an extended period of time. Other studies that have investigated the acute psychological responses of college students to short-term yoga interventions revealed a significant amelioration of anxiety levels after a 30-minute yoga session [18,19]. Moreover, 90-minutes of Hatha yoga significantly decreased negative affect [20] and 100-minutes of Vinyasa yoga significantly improved both positive and negative affect scores [21] in college student samples.…”