Effect of a single session of yoga and meditation on stress reactivity: A systematic review.
Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress June 1, 2024 Gandhar V Mandlik, George Siopis, Binh Nguyen et al. 18 citations
A single session of yoga or its components—meditation, breathing techniques, or yoga postures—can reduce acute stress reactivity in healthy adults. A systematic review of 28 randomized controlled or crossover trials involving 2,574 participants found that 21 studies reported benefits favoring the intervention. Specifically, 71% of studies measuring physiological outcomes and 65% of those measuring psychological outcomes showed reduced stress reactivity. The evidence suggests that brief yoga-based practices are effective for stress management, though more research with larger, more diverse populations is needed.