Embodied experiences of stress and self-regulation among university students following a brief yoga programme: ‘I could feel myself again’

Abstract

This qualitative study explored how a brief, five-day yoga programme was experienced by university students reporting academic stress. Four female undergraduates completed semi-structured video interviews before and after the intervention. Using reflexive thematic analysis integrating verbal accounts and embodied indicators (e.g. breathing patterns, posture, gestures, and vocal expression), participants described experiences organised around themes of stress as external pressure, curiosity, bodily awareness, and grounded presence. These themes were interpreted in relation to regulatory processes discussed in dance movement psychotherapy and body psychotherapy. The study indicates that even a brief embodied practice may foster awareness of bodily experience and provide resources for engaging with academic stress in non-clinical educational contexts.