A naturalistic study of yoga, meditation, self-perceived stress, self-compassion, and mindfulness in college students

Abstract

Objective: This study compared the effects of yoga and mindfulness meditation on self-compassion, mindfulness, and perceived stress in college students; and explored mind–body mechanisms and predictors of stress reduction. Participants: Student participants ( N = 92) were enrolled in either yoga or mindfulness meditation classes at a college in the southern United States from August through May of 2015–2016. Methods: Students participated in 50-minute classes twice a week for 10 weeks, completing self-report questionnaires during the 1st and 10th week. Results: Multiple-linear regression analysis found change in self-compassion was the strongest predictor of stress reduction. Conclusions: Increasing self-compassion may increase the efficacy of mind–body interventions. Research into mind–body mechanisms is needed to identify intervention components that most improve student well-being.

Differential Effects of Ethical Education, Physical Hatha Yoga, and Mantra Meditation on Well-Being and Stress in Healthy Participants—An Experimental Single-Case Study

“…Granath et al ( 2006 ) contrasted a physical yoga intervention with a cognitive behavioral therapy program; however, both interventions included psychoeducation and relaxation. Gorvine et al ( 2019 ) compared physical yoga to a meditation program composed of different meditation techniques. Yet, as we know, different meditation techniques produce different effects (Fox et al, 2016 ; Kropp and Sedlmeier, 2019 ).…”

What makes yoga effective? Differential effects of ethical education, physical yoga, and mantra meditation on well-being and stress

“…Altogether, in both yoga conditions, physical yoga was experienced as pleasant and relaxing, and ease of yoga as well as coherence with the breath improved over the course of the study. Findings from other studies support the positive effect of (physical) yoga on psychological well-being and stress (Bhat et al, 2012;Bowden et al, 2011;Gard et al, 2012;Gorvine et al, 2019;Hunt et al, 2018;Melville et al, 2012). Conversely, some studies found no effect on stress (Park et al, 2017(Park et al, , 2020Quach et al, 2016).…”

“…Possibly, physical yoga might have enhanced nonjudgmental metacognitive monitoring, as the yoga instructor repeatedly encouraged participants to observe their bodily sensations and thoughts carefully in an accepting and nonjudgmental manner. This process has been proposed as a central mechanism in yoga-based practices (Schmalzl et al, 2015) and mindfulness meditation (Gorvine et al, 2019;Lindsay et al, 2018). This accepting stance might have broadened to include the meditation practice, making it easier for participants to meditate.…”

“…Employing such study designs definitely yields interesting insights but makes it hard to disentangle the contributions of specific components of these complex programs. Some studies compared yoga interventions to meditation classes (Gorvine et al, 2019;Shannahoff-Khalsa et al, 1999). Yet, these classes taught participants a multitude of meditation techniques, making it difficult to draw reliable conclusions.…”

Effects of Different Components of Yoga: A Meta-Synthesis

“…However, findings were not always consistent, indicating a mixed state of affairs. Certain studies reported no difference between yoga interventions and progressive muscle relaxation [25], stress management [26,41], or different forms of (mindfulness) meditation [42,43] on similar outcome variables. In these cases, the effect was the same in both simple and combined interventions.…”