THE IMPACT OF YOGA AND MEDITATION ON PREGNANT WOMEN'S PERCEIVED STRESS AND ANXIETY
INDIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH January 1, 2024 Shweta Kumari, Janak Kumari Shrivastava
A one-month yoga intervention that included OM-based meditation significantly reduced perceived stress and anxiety in pregnant women. Forty women aged 25–35, between 20 and 28 weeks pregnant, were randomly assigned to a yoga or control group. The yoga group showed greater improvement on the Perceived Stress Scale and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory compared to controls. The study suggests that yoga can help manage stress and anxiety during pregnancy, particularly for women in urban areas facing emotional stress.