Influence of Short Term Yoga Retreat on Stress and Anxiety Levels in Patients Suffering from Psychosomatic Disorders

Psycho-somatic illnesses lead to stress and anxiety. Yoga and meditation have been known to combat them. This study was designed to investigate the influence of short term yoga therapy on stress and anxiety levels in people suffering from psycho-somatic illnesses. 100 diagnosed patients suffering from various ailments coming to SVYASA for yoga therapy were enrolled in the study. All subjects underwent short term Integrated Approach to Yoga Therapy (IAYT) according to their ailments in different departments of SVYASA. They were supposed to fill Spielberger's state trait anxiety inventory (STAI) and Perceived stress scale (PSS) on the first day of admission and then after one week of therapy. There was a significant improvement in the stress and anxiety levels in all the subjects as analyzed by paired t test. Yoga is effective in keeping the stress and anxiety in check. So, it should be prescribed as a supplement to conventional therapy of a psychosomatic disease.