Abstract
BACKGROUND: To investigate the effects of a one-month yoga protocol on perceived stress, lipid profile, and body mass index (BMI) in wives of Border Security Force personnel in India. METHODOLOGY: Pre-post-interventional study with 200 female participants. Participants followed a 60-min daily yoga routine for one month, including asanas, pranayama, and meditation. Measurements were taken before and after the intervention, including the perceived stress scale, lipid profile, fasting blood sugar (FBS), BMI, and cardiovascular parameters. Statistical analysis used the Shapiro-Wilk test for normality. As data was non-normally distributed, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test assessed changes after one month. P < 0.05 was significant. Effect sizes were calculated using rank-biserial correlation. RESULTS: The study found significant improvements. Perceived Stress Scale scores dropped by 60.73%, showing major stress relief. Lipid levels improved, with high-density lipoprotein rising by 2.53%, low-density lipoprotein dropping by 9.01%, and total cholesterol decreasing by 2.46%. Cardiovascular health benefited as systolic blood pressure fell by 5.09% and pulse rate by 1.91%. FBS dropped by 2.29%, while BMI showed a slight 0.54% reduction. Effect sizes varied from small to very large, with most parameters showing medium to large effects. Statistical significance (P < 0.05) was noted for most measures. CONCLUSION: The yoga intervention effectively improved stress levels, lipid profiles, and cardiovascular parameters, with varying impacts on other physiological markers. The study suggests yoga can enhance physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness by reducing stress and improving health parameters. Limitations in generalizing results were noted due to the short study duration.