The effects of Samatva yoga on perceived stress among university students in the midwest.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Samatva yoga on perceived stress among university students in the Midwest. Criteria for participants included that participants were students at a University located in a metropolitan area and enrolled in two sections of the 2011 fall yoga courses. The comparison group included participants from the two different universities enrolled in a fall 2011 weight training courses. Weight training was chosen as the comparison group because it was the most closely related form of exercise to yoga. Demographic data were collected on participants before the questionnaires were administered. The questionnaires, Perceived Stress Scales (PSS) and Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R) instruments which measure stress and optimism were administered as a pre-test to university students enrolled in yoga and weight training for the fall 2011 semester. After eight weeks, the Perceived Stress Scale and LOT-R questionnaires were administered again to the yoga and weight training classes. This study had a quasi-experimental design due to lack of randomization, since students selected which courses they wanted to take. Two 2 X 2 ANOVA with repeated measures were used to analyze the perceived stress and optimism data. The level of significance or alpha was set at 0.05. Statistical significance was not reached in PSS between groups over time, F(1, 36) =.08, p = .77, or over time, F(1, 36) = 2.26, p = .14. Despite non-significance, there was a moderate effect size over time within the group in yoga students and small effect size within weight training students. Statistical significance was not found in LOT-R between groups over time, F(1, 35) = .17, p = .67, but was found over time, F(1, 35) = 14.56, p = .001. Both groups had a small effect size over time. No research exits (sic) on Samatva yoga, the findings from this study will help enhance the body of knowledge on the effects of this growing practice.