Believe it or not, there are some negative side effects associated with practicing yoga, which at least one study was published in the journal Complementary therapies in medicine, said includes pain and tenderness, along with various muscle injuries and even fatigue. But according to a new study published in the latest edition of Stress and health, the authors highlight the many benefits of performing yoga regularly, including what they suggest is the single biggest – and most immediate – positive side effect of performing the mindful exercise that millions of millions of people swear by. Read on to learn more about the survey results and what it means to you. And for more breakthroughs from scientific research, see The Single Worst Way to Sit for Your Body, says new research.
It is well known that yoga is a particularly effective exercise for relieving stress. The purpose of the new study, conducted by researchers at the University of Connecticut and published in Stress and health, tried to figure out how. The researchers focused on five potential “psychosocial” mechanisms commonly associated with stress relief in yoga – “increased mindfulness, interoceptive awareness, spiritual well-being, self-compassion and self-control” – to see if any of them can actually “explain yoga’s impact on stress.”
To reach their conclusion, the 42 volunteers who participated in a 12-week Kripalu yoga program for stress management monitored the above mechanisms and measured how they responded to different types of stress: “perceived stress” and “stress reactivity”. the latter is defined as upset or having difficulty relaxing.
According to the study, participants reported improved feelings for virtually all of the above mechanisms that are thought to be associated with stress relief. However, the one that had the greatest effect on stress reduction was “interoceptive awareness” – or the ability to identify, understand and respond to the patterns of internal signals and emotions in your body.
“Interoceptive awareness,” the study explains, “[is] awareness of inner body experiences, including receiving, accessing and evaluating signals about the inner state of the body, [and] has been proposed as a related potential mechanism of action for body-based mindfulness interventions, especially those with a strong physical foundation such as yoga. Improving awareness of one’s inner state can provide opportunities to engage in body skills that enable yoga practitioners to consciously intervene in their own stress reduction.“
In an article that breaks down the study, Psychology Today observed: “So, yoga’s most immediate and greatest benefit seems to be increased awareness and attention to bodily sensations and inner states.. “
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The study showed that yoga was overall effective in reducing both perceived and reactive stress, and that yoga’s biggest benefit in connection with this decrease in stress is an improved state of interoceptive awareness. However, it is important to note the type of yoga being tested here.
Kripalu yoga in particular puts a huge focus on self-compassion and targets reactive stress – or feelings of agitation. “Future research is needed to investigate other yoga practices (eg, Bikram yoga, restorative yoga), to determine if they are more effective in reducing perceived stress or stress reactivity,” Psychology Today notes.
A number of studies has shown that yoga helps reduce stress and anxiety, and not only improve your mood but also your sense of well-being. Studies have also shown that yoga is effective in fighting depression. This new study focused more on how the technique of Kripalu yoga addresses both your perceived stress and your reactive stress.
“Our findings suggest that Kripalu yoga may have positive effects on positive psychological resources such as interoceptive awareness, mindfulness, spiritual well-being and self-compassion,” the study concludes. “Experiences of stress reactivity seem to decrease significantly during a conscious yoga effort, suggesting that Kripalu yoga may be particularly beneficial for individuals who experience marked arousal and overreactions to stress exposure.”
So if stress relief is your main goal in yoga, you would do worse than signing up for Kripalu. (Bonus: It’s great yoga method for beginners!) And for more news from the front lines of science, make sure you are aware of the only major side effect of going on a 1-hour walk, according to New Research.
