Relationship Between Regular Yoga Practice and Workplace Mental Resilience: A Controlled Cohort Study

Certificate: View Certificate

Published Paper PDF: View PDF

Confirmation Letter: View

Dr. Sweta Kumari

TGT Yoga Teacher

Kendriya Vidyalaya,  Sec 24, Noida

Orcid id: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7378-1613

Abstract— Workplace stress is a persistent driver of burnout, absenteeism and turnover, yet resilience — the capacity to adapt to occupational adversity — remains under-served by conventional wellness programmes. This study examined whether regular yoga practice is associated with greater workplace mental resilience among office-based employees. A twelve-week controlled study enrolled 214 employees allocated to a structured yoga programme or a wait-list control, with resilience, perceived stress, emotional exhaustion and heart rate variability (HRV) measured at baseline and endpoint. The yoga group gained 9.7 points on the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) against 2.1 for controls (mean difference 7.6, 95% CI 5.8–9.4, p < .001), while perceived stress fell by 6.4 points versus 1.2. Practice frequency predicted resilience gain independent of group, and endpoint resilience correlated with reduced emotional exhaustion (r = −0.54) and higher HRV. Regular yoga practice appears to strengthen a measurable, physiologically grounded resilience capacity rather than merely lowering momentary stress.

Keywords— yoga; workplace resilience; occupational stress; emotional exhaustion; heart rate variability; employee wellbeing

References

1. Della Valle E, Palermi S, Aloe I, Marcantonio R, Spera R, Montagnani S, Sirico F. Effectiveness of workplace yoga interventions to reduce perceived stress in employees: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology. 2020;5(2):33. doi:10.3390/jfmk5020033
2. Cocchiara RA, Peruzzo M, Mannocci A, Ottolenghi L, Villari P, Polimeni A, Guerra F, La Torre G. The use of yoga to manage stress and burnout in healthcare workers: a systematic review. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2019;8(3):284. doi:10.3390/jcm8030284
3. Wolever RQ, Bobinet KJ, McCabe K, Mackenzie ER, Fekete E, Kusnick CA, Baime M. Effective and viable mind-body stress reduction in the workplace: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. 2012;17(2):246–258. doi:10.1037/a0027278
4. Pascoe MC, Bauer IE. A systematic review of randomised control trials on the effects of yoga on stress measures and mood. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 2015;68:270–282. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2015.07.013
5. Pascoe MC, Thompson DR, Ski CF. Yoga, mindfulness-based stress reduction and stress-related physiological measures: a meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2017;86:152–168. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.08.008
6. La Torre G, Raffone A, Peruzzo M, Calabrese L, Cocchiara RA, D’Egidio V, et al. Yoga and mindfulness as a tool for influencing affectivity, anxiety, mental health, and stress among healthcare workers: results of a single-arm clinical trial. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2020;9(4):1037. doi:10.3390/jcm9041037
7. Zhang M, Murphy B, Cabanilla A, Yidi C. Physical relaxation for occupational stress in healthcare workers: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Occupational Health. 2021;63(1):e12243. doi:10.1002/1348-9585.12243
8. Tarro L, Llauradó E, Ulldemolins G, Hermoso P, Solà R. Effectiveness of workplace interventions for improving absenteeism, productivity, and work ability of employees: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020;17(6):1901. doi:10.3390/ijerph17061901
9. Connor KM, Davidson JRT. Development of a new resilience scale: the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Depression and Anxiety. 2003;18(2):76–82. doi:10.1002/da.10113
10. Cohen S, Kamarck T, Mermelstein R. A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior. 1983;24(4):385–396. doi:10.2307/2136404
11. Maslach C, Jackson SE. The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Organizational Behavior. 1981;2(2):99–113. doi:10.1002/job.4030020205
12. Riley KE, Park CL. How does yoga reduce stress? A systematic review of mechanisms of change and guide to future inquiry. Health Psychology Review. 2015;9(3):379–396. doi:10.1080/17437199.2014.981778
13. Sharma M. Yoga as an alternative and complementary approach for stress management: a systematic review. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine. 2014;19(1):59–67. doi:10.1177/2156587213503344
14. Hartfiel N, Havenhand J, Khalsa SB, Clarke G, Krayer A. The effectiveness of yoga for the improvement of well-being and resilience to stress in the workplace. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health. 2011;37(1):70–76. doi:10.5271/sjweh.2916
15. Tyagi A, Cohen M. Yoga and heart rate variability: a comprehensive review of the literature. International Journal of Yoga. 2016;9(2):97–113. doi:10.4103/0973-6131.183712