Rapid stress reduction and anxiolysis among distressed women as a consequence of a three-month intensive yoga program

METHODS: A controlled prospective non-randomized study was conducted in 24 self-referred female subjects who perceived themselves as emotionally distressed. During the yoga course, subjects attended two-weekly 90-min Iyengar yoga classes. RESULTS: Compared to the waiting-list women, those who participated in the yoga-training demonstrated significant improvements in perceived stress, State and Trait Anxiety, well-being, vigor, fatigue and depression. Physical well-being also increased, and those subjects suffering from headache or back pain reported marked pain relief. Salivary cortisol decreased significantly after participation in a yoga class.