Exploring Yoga’s Effect on Stress
Pre-class vibes: Eucalyptus essential oil spray!
Valentina’s Corepower C2 Class Playlists
A link to my Spotify for all my yogis to explore playlists to flow to. I usually update them and curate new ones for every month!
Hello readers. I hope you have all been well and were able to partake in some or all of NEDA’s awareness campaign. These last couple of weeks, I have been basking in the Arizona warmth on a brief school break and of course, enjoying the company of my three furry friends while I work. I am hoping that when I return to Boston in less than a week, spring season will be in full force (although winter has been quite an enjoyable adventure honestly).
My Yoga Journey Thus Far
Today I want to talk about a very sacred hobby of mine. The yogi side of me which has proliferated over the past 5 years or so. I received my official teacher certification during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and started practicing regularly after I recovered from my soccer injury in 2022. It was not until after I graduated college in 2023 and ended up moving to an apartment that was a 5 minute walk to a CorePower Yoga studio that I decided it was time to truly put my knowledge to work. At this point, I had only ever taught in leisurely settings – having fun with my friends, and mostly practicing out loud with my sister. The idea of teaching in a larger group setting with regular practitioners was a completely daunting scenario in my head but I decided to try it out anyways.
I often reflect on the last year and some months of teaching, and it is amazing to experience for myself what it means to lean into the true power of yoga. Beyond the immediate satisfaction of feeling more physically mobile, the benefits of yoga are mentally and spiritually palpable. The moment you shift your intention to prioritize the journey of your practice as opposed to achieving some forced outcome, is the starting point of a lifestyle that is rooted in the philosophy of yoga.
I could go on forever describing the wonderful changes that my own practice has brought to my mind and how much it has held me through the fluctuating phases of life. However, I am certain that this is the kind of wisdom that can only be fully understood by experiencing it individually. With this also comes the understanding that you never truly reach the end of your own journey, because as with life, you can never stop learning. My favorite quote that does the best job of summarizing the purpose of yoga – one which I remind my students of every now and then – is as follows:
“Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.”
Basically, the purpose is to just BE, and return home to realize your highest self through surrendering to the present. While it may sound abstract, at the core, it is all quite simple.
What The Lab’s Data Says About Stress and Yoga
I’m very excited to have found some great data from a study that examined the effectiveness of yoga in managing work-related stress. In a survey of 520 yoga practitioners, researchers found that most practitioners reported significantly lower stress levels as a result of practicing yoga.
First, let’s get a quick look at the general levels of yoga expertise across this group, recognizing that this is only a sample of a large population across the world that practices yoga.
By Valentina Bernal via Flourish
I do think there is a significant difference between hardcore practitioners who have been practicing for many years, and those of us who have been practicing for less than five years or so. There is no one right or perfect style of yoga as it is an individual experience, but I did immediately wonder what people reported on the effects felt from their practice. In this case, the effects reported specifically on stress levels.
By Valentina Bernal via Flourish
As it turns out, yoga might actually help with stress – at least based on this study. There are many other studies that also support this claim, given the unique experience yoga provides in slowing down to meet yourself in the moment with your breath, following each movement with intention. Even just a short 10-15 minute practice is enough to gift yourself precious time to calm your mind, let go of the racing thoughts, and engage in the simplest yet greatest act of becoming conscious of your inner self. This sense of awareness has been coined as ‘mindfulness’ – likely a term you have heard before!
Interestingly though, most of these respondents did not begin their practice with stress relief in mind. Take a look below:
By Valentina Bernal via Flourish
Unsurprisingly - along with stress management - increased flexibility was the highest reported motivating factor for beginning to practice yoga (46% of people included this in their responses). Personally, this was definitely a primary reason I had in mind when beginning my practice – along with the fact that I needed a little extra hobby during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Yoga’s Effects Beyond the Mat
My favorite part of this whole study and dataset – which has probably been one of the best I’ve found in my recent posts – is what we can glean from people’s personal experiences with their yoga practice. Again, these are very individualized experiences, but below is a summary of respondents’ reported effects from their yoga practice.
By Valentina Bernal via Flourish
It is amazing to see that two out of the top three highest reported effects relate to benefits beyond the physical self. Although physical outcomes are supremely important to maintain a sustainable, healthy, lifestyle, I find that the most valuable effects are those related to one’s mental and spiritual selves.
Let’s go a little bit deeper into these areas of our energetic trifecta.
By Valentina Bernal via Flourish
The responses to these questions have a very direct connection to the resulting feeling of lower stress levels. When we are more in tune with ourselves and our emotions, we become much more aware of the things that matter to us most, and we learn how to better manage the more challenging moments of life. Mindfulness is truly a superpower, one that takes a whole lifetime of practice to manifest, and is never perfectly achieved.
While it’s true that yoga can help us better manage stress, I believe the real work lies in consciously carrying that practice off the mat. Like most things in life, there’s no quick fix or secret shortcut to solving our biggest questions. Instead, it’s a continuous mental intention—an ongoing commitment to not take anything for granted. The more open you are to fully receiving experiences as they come, while also practicing the strength to release what no longer serves you, the more equipped you become to recognize stress not as an obstacle, but as an invitation to acknowledge how you feel, shift your perspective, and keep moving forward.
Each moment and every opportunity we receive is a gift, a chance to move closer to all that we are capable of becoming. Wherever you are, however you are, you hold the power to move with purpose each day. And with that, a sense of ease naturally follows, knowing you are exactly where you’re meant to be.
The philosophy of yoga is, in many ways, the philosophy of life. Unique, beautiful, and deeply personal. If it feels right to you, I encourage you to try it on.
Readers, thank you again for being here. As always, any of your thoughts, comments, or feedback are more than welcome!
“It’s not about how far you go but how you meet yourself in each shape.”
References
Zok, Agnieszka; Matecka, Monika; Bienkowski, Artur; Ciesla, Magdalena (2024). Table_1_Reduce stress and the risk of burnout by using yoga techniques. Pilot study.xlsx. Frontiers. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1370399.s001
Other notes:
These were multiple response questions, so respondents could report on more than one answer, which explains the percentages being unevenly distributed.
