Yoga for Stress?
What form of yoga will help most with Stress ….
A Comparison of the Acute Effects of Different Forms of Yoga on Physiological and Psychological Stress: A Pilot Study
by Mallory Marshall, McKenzie McClanahan, Sarah McArthur Warren, Rebecca Rogers and Christopher Ballmann
Department of Kinesiology, Samford University, 800 Lakeshore Dr. Birmingham, AL 35229, USA
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/17/6090/htm
Introduction: The purpose of this pilot study was to compare the acute effects of meditative and power yoga on indices of physiological and psychological stress. Meditative yoga (Hatha Yoga) and Power Yoga (Vinyasa Yoga) were given twice a week in 30 minute sessions to 13 females whose cortisol was taken and a STAI questionnaire given before and after the classes.
Different forms of yoga may have different goals, focus, mindfulness, and recruitment of muscle mass. Meditative (Hatha style) yoga focuses on mindful breathing techniques, flexibility, and meditation while power (Vinyasa style) yoga focuses on maintenance of powerful poses, muscular endurance, and has been shown to meet similar metabolic intensity criteria as moderate-intensity walking. Both meditative and power yoga have been reported to decrease stress levels over time. Smith et al. showed a 10-week hatha yoga intervention decreased anxiety and improved quality of life scores over time. This is supported by reports of decreased physiologic stress outcomes (i.e., cortisol) with meditative yoga practice . A 6-week program of power yoga has been shown to decrease perceived stress over time while also improving muscle strength and endurance . Tay et al. showed increased heart rate variability and decreased respiration following power yoga over time with a 10-week program, which is consistent with greater relaxation and lower physiological stress . While yoga programs are well supported as stress invention strategies, less is known about how various types of yoga influence acute stress responses differently.
Conclusions
In conclusion to this pilot study, a single meditative yoga session decreased state anxiety and cortisol levels. However, a single bout of power yoga failed to impart beneficial decreases in stress. Yoga is commonly used as a stress management strategy in a variety of populations. Current data suggest that individuals looking to maximize stress reliving benefits should consider that differing types of yoga may result in varied stress responses. Specifically, these findings suggest that meditative and mindful yoga practices meditate more favorable stress reduction while more intense and strength-focused yoga does not impart the same benefit. This is a small pilot study so future investigations focusing on different populations and varying baseline stress levels are warranted using much larger sample sizes.