Effect of integrated yoga on stress and heart rate variability in pregnant women

This trial, described in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics (2009, March;104 (3): 218-22), conducted by Satyapriya M,  Nagendra HR, Nagarathna R, and Padmalatha, V, at the Division of Yoga and Life, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation, Bangalore, India, studied "the effect of integrated yoga practice and guided yogic relaxation on both perceived stress and measured autonomic response in healthy pregnant women. METHOD: The 122 healthy women recruited between the 18th and 20th week of pregnancy at prenatal clinics in Bangalore, India, were randomized to practicing yoga and deep relaxation or standard prenatal exercises 1-hour daily. The results for the 45 participants per group who completed the study were evaluated by repeated measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: Perceived stress decreased by 31.57% in the yoga group and increased by 6.60% in the control group (P=0.001)." Abstract: PubMed.