Yoga reduces a wide range of stress related symptoms

Posted on Sun, 9 Feb 14

Apart from depression, anxiety, worry and other mood changes, stress is associated with a lot of physical complaints, ranging from aches and pains to digestive upset. New research suggests yoga can help.

Yoga is well known to reduce stress related symptoms such as depression, anger and anxiety, but little research has examined whether yoga can reduce the more physical manifestations of stress.

A new study examined the effects of a 12-week yoga program not only on the mental and emotional symptoms of stress but the varied bodily symptoms as well.

The study participants went to hour-long yoga classes once a week with a certified yoga instructor. They attended at least 10 of the 12 weekly yoga sessions and were also asked to practice for over 30 minutes at least twice a week at home during the study.

Yoga training significantly reduced all classic stress symptoms; tension, anxiety, depression, anger, hostility, fatigue, and confusion. In addition they also found a significant reduction in stress related physical complaints as well including headache, dizziness, chest pain, lower back pain, and nausea.

Not simply a healthy lifestyle choice, yoga is powerful mind-body medicine that can help to reduce the mental and physical effects of stress and keep you well.

Reference:

Yoshihara K, Hiramoto T, Oka T, Kubo C, Sudo N. Effect of 12 weeks of yoga training on the somatization, psychological symptoms, and stress-related biomarkers of healthy women. Biopsychosoc Med. 2014 Jan 3;8(1):1. doi: 10.1186/1751-0759-8-1.