The influence of hatha yoga on stress, anxiety, and suppression: A randomized controlled trial.
Bence Szaszkó, Rebecca Rosa Schmid, Ulrich Pomper, Mira Maiworm, Sophia Laiber, Hannah Tschenett, Urs Markus Nater, Ulrich Ansorge
Acta Psychologica November 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.104075 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 98 |
| Population | Healthy yoga novices aged 18 to 40 |
| Intervention | Hatha Yoga |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Mental health Proactive inhibition Stress Yoga |
| Citations | 20 |
| Registration | NCT05232422 |
| Key findings | Eight weeks of Hatha Yoga reduced self-reported stress and stress reactivity and increased mindfulness, but did not affect anxiety or the ability to suppress distractions. |
Abstract
Engaging in yoga may mitigate stress and anxiety in individuals while potentially enhancing one's capacity to manage distractions. Our research aimed to explore the relation between these two outcomes: Can an eight-week yoga program foster distraction suppression, thereby reducing stress and discomfort? To answer this question, we used Hatha Yoga, the most commonly practiced form of yoga. We tested if the intervention improved participants' ability to suppress distractions and selectively decrease self-reported stress and stress reactivity. In Addition, we investigated whether such an intervention would increase participants' mindfulness. Our study included 98 healthy yoga novices between 18 and 40 years who were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a waitlist condition, with each participant completing pre- and post-intervention assessments, including questionnaires, as well as electrophysiological and behavioral measures. After eight weeks of yoga practice, significant reductions in self-reported stress and stress reactivity levels, as well as increased mindfulness, were observed among those participating in the intervention relative to those in the waitlist control group. There were, however, no significant changes in state or trait anxiety due to the intervention. Changes in stress measures could not be explained by changes in participants' ability to suppress distractors, which was not affected by the intervention. Overall, our findings suggest that regular participation in Hatha Yoga can improve mental health outcomes without impacting cognitive functioning directly related to distractor suppression. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05232422.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects Psychological Inquiry October 19, 2007
- The Effects of Meditation, Yoga, and Mindfulness on Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Tertiary Education Students: A Meta-Analysis Frontiers in Psychiatry April 24, 2019
- Yoga, mindfulness-based stress reduction and stress-related physiological measures: A meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology December 2017
- Meditation and yoga for posttraumatic stress disorder: A meta-analytic review of randomized controlled trials. Clinical Psychology Review December 1, 2017
- Potential self-regulatory mechanisms of yoga for psychological health. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2014
and 3 more in the library