A Research on Various Consequences of Yoga Practices on Stress and Heart Rate Variabiligy | Original Article

ABSTRACT:

Mental health professionals experiencing work-related stress may experience burn out, leading to a negative impact on their organization and patients. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of yoga classes on work-related stress, stress adaptation, and autonomic nerve activity among mental health professionals. Physical activity (PA) and exercise are often used as tools to reduce cardiovascular stress and therefore the risk for developing cardiovascular diseases. Meanwhile, heart rate variability (HRV) has been utilised to assess both stress and PA or exercise influences. Mindfulness meditation has beneficial effects on brain and body, yet the impact of Vipassana, a type of mindfulness meditation, on heart rate variability (HRV) – a psychophysiological marker of mental and physical health – is unknown. We hypothesised increases in measures of well-being and HRV, and decreases in ill-being after training in Vipassana compared to before (time effects), during the meditation task compared to resting baseline (task effects), and a time by task interaction with more pronounced differences between tasks after Vipassana training.