The Impact of Yoga on Cortisol

The effectiveness of yoga for the improvement of well-being and resilience to stress in the work place

• Randomized control trial (48 university employees) divided into yoga or waitlist control group.

• Yoga group was offered 6 weeks of Dru Yoga.• Self-reported mood and well being were

assessed with the Profile of Mood States (POMS-Bi) and the Inventory of Psychological Attitudes.

• Results: significantly improved scores for the yoga group compared to the waitlist group.

How?

• Diaphragmatic breathing- maximizes oxygen levels released into bloodstream and increases blood flow to intestines and vital organs.

• Postures -also increase blood flow in targeted regions of the body.

• According to University of Texas Counseling and Mental Health Center, this can interrupt flight or fight responses and relax the body.

• According to International Journal of Yoga, focusing on the breath aids in bringing attention to the present moment. This shifts the balance from sympathetic to parasympathetic nervous system.

Yoga and Embodied Cognition

“Embodied cognitive science emphasizes feedback between an agent and the world” –Michael Dawson

Yoga emphasizes feedback between the breath (oxygen) and the body. When the body and mind alone cannot control the levels of cortisol being released by the SNS, the mind uses oxygen through deep breathing and by controlling the pace of the breath to relax the nervous system which decreases cortisol and ultimately relaxes the body.

More info…

• In some tests, decreased cortisol levels were measured in the saliva, but this does not provide enough information on the shift that is taking place between the PNS and SNS.

• With the use of technology if we can examine these changes taking place physically, more people would believe in the effects of yoga.

• We can incorporate it in schools, workplaces, mental health institutes and make yoga universal culture.

“If every 8 year old in the world is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation.” Dalai Lama