"The Effects of Yoga on Stress and Anxiety in College Students"

Abstract:

Stress and anxiety are prevalent issues among college students, affecting their academic performance,
physical health, and mental wellbeing. Yoga has been suggested as a potential intervention to reduce
stress and anxiety, but the evidence for its effectiveness in this population is limited. This study aimed to
examine the effects of yoga on stress and anxiety in college students.

Methods:

A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 60 college students (aged 18-25) who reported
moderate to high levels of stress and anxiety. Participants were randomly assigned to either a yoga
group or a control group. The yoga group attended a 60-minute yoga session twice a week for 8 weeks,
while the control group received no intervention. The Perceived Stress Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety
Inventory were used to measure stress and anxiety levels at baseline, mid-intervention, and post-
intervention.

Results:

The results showed that the yoga group had significantly lower levels of perceived stress and state
anxiety at post-intervention compared to the control group. There was no significant difference in trait
anxiety between the two groups. The yoga group also reported higher levels of mindfulness and self-
compassion at post-intervention compared to the control group.

Discussion:

The findings of this study suggest that yoga may be an effective intervention to reduce stress and
anxiety in college students. The benefits of yoga may be related to its ability to promote mindfulness
and self-compassion, which can enhance an individual's ability to cope with stress and anxiety.

Conclusion:
Yoga may be a useful tool for college students to manage stress and anxiety. The findings of this study
support the use of yoga as a complementary approach to conventional treatments for stress and
anxiety. Further research is needed to explore the long-term effects of yoga on stress and anxiety in
college students.