When it comes to stress-relieving activities, you’ll often see yoga touted as one of the best. And there’s good reason for that. Not only is yoga known for its ability to relieve tension in the body (something that is often caused and exacerbated by mental stress), but it’s also a great form of exercise (any kind of which is proven to reduce levels of the stress hormone, cortisol). And, of course, yoga often contains meditative elements which help to relax the body and mind.

But these aren’t the only reasons why doing yoga is so good for your stress levels. 

Research published in the journal Stress & Health, found that yoga helps to increase ‘interoceptive awareness’ – AKA awareness of the internal states and sensations within your body. In doing so, yoga helps you to understand and recognise when you’re feeling stressed and feel more in control of what’s going on.

To find this out, the study’s authors enlisted the help of 42 participants, who took part in Kripalu yoga classes (a form of yoga which “places an emphasis on meditation, physical healing and spiritual transformation”) over a period of 12 weeks.

As the study progressed, the participants stress levels decreased. The study’s authors measured this by recording their levels of perceived stress (the extent to which you see life as unpredictable and overwhelming) and stress reactivity (the extent to which you feel agitated and struggle to relax).  

At the same time, the participant’s ‘psychosocial resources’ – the skills that influence how we deal with stress such as mindfulness and self-control – increased. However, it was their ‘interoceptive awareness’ in particular that saw the biggest rise, suggesting that this is the main way in which yoga helps to relieve stress. 

This makes a lot of sense. The creation of interoceptive awareness is one of the reasons why mindfulness meditation is such an effective way to manage stress, too. By turning your attention towards what’s going on in your body and helping you to recognise when you’re feeling stressed, interoceptive awareness makes you more likely to respond to challenging situations in a productive, positive way – something that you’re much less likely to do when you’re unaware of what’s fuelling your emotions.

And on the flip side, if you’re aware that you’re feeling stressed, you’re also able to develop coping mechanisms to help you ahead of time.

With all of this in mind, it’s interesting to consider how a midday yoga session could help you to stop your stress levels from building up throughout the day, by helping you to understand when you’re feeling overwhelmed and giving you the space to react. 

Yoga may not be for everyone, but if this study proves anything, it’s that it’s definitely worth a try if you’re yet to give it a go. Why not give our beginner’s guide to yoga a go?

Images: Getty