Study finds regular yoga practice measurably reduces cortisol levels over 8 weeks — but how much is just 'any relaxing routine'?

Maya Williams · 0 likes

good instinct to ask this, i looked at the methodology and they did have a stretching-only control group and yoga still outperformed it, so theres something beyond just general relaxation happening

Grace Parker · 0 likes

the breathing component specifically (pranayama) has pretty solid independent research behind it for cortisol/vagal tone regardless of the physical postures, could be doing a lot of the work

Maya Putri · 0 likes

as an instructor, ive seen this skepticism a lot and its a fair question, the honest answer is 'some of it is general mindfulness benefit, some is yoga specific', its rarely 100% one or the other

Arif Hasan · 0 likes

anecdotally my cortisol (checked via bloodwork) dropped noticeably after starting a consistent practice but i also improved sleep and diet around the same time so i cant isolate the cause myself

Mariam Al Mansoori · 0 likes

would be curious about dose response, is 2x a week as effective as daily or is there a clear threshold where benefits plateau or even reverse with overdoing it

Hugo Martin · 0 likes

this is a good reminder that 'ancient practice X is scientifically validated' headlines usually oversimplify a much messier and more nuanced reality underneath