Development and Evaluation of a customized yoga module to alleviate stress among the employees of a Deemed to be University of coastal Karnataka, India

Introduction: Yoga, an ancient Indian practice has gained global acclaim in recent times as a way of life aiming to promote a healthy mind in a healthy body. Stress is a set of harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the demand does not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the human being. Cardiopulmonary effects of stress are debilitating and hence preventive measures, namely yoga, can alleviate its adverse impact. Thus, there is a need to develop customized yoga modules based on local needs and objectively evaluate their effectiveness in alleviating the signs and symptoms of stress. Materials and methods: A certified yoga trainer developed a customized yoga module and it was validated by experts. Fifty healthy employees were recruited for the study and thirty-four participants completed the one-month practice of the developed yoga module. All the participants underwent testing of Heart Rate Variability (HRV), Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT), salivary cortisol levels, and Cohen's Perceived Stress Scoring (PSS) before and after the yoga intervention. Results: All the HRV and PFT parameters showed a trend towards improved cardiopulmonary functioning with significant improvement observed in SDNN of HRV and FVC of PFT following yoga intervention. Salivary cortisol levels and perceived stress scores reduced significantly following the practice of yoga. Conclusions: In our study, the developed customized yoga module for the employees of a Deemed to be University documented a demonstrable improvement in SDNN measure of HRV, Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) of PFT; along with a significant reduction in salivary cortisol levels and perceived stress scores thus alleviating stress.