The effect of a combined yoga and meditation session on self- reported physical and mental Quality of Life — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

The effect of a combined yoga and meditation session on self- reported physical and mental Quality of Life

Name: Taylor Sliwa
Major: Exercise and Sports Science
Hometown: Mount Prospect, IL
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Independent research

Abstract

Purpose: This research was designed to determine if a combined 30 minute yoga and a 30 minute meditation session would decrease physical discomfort, and stress and increase relaxation.

Methods: Twelve subjects voluntarily participated in this research during a group fitness class at Carthage College. All subjects were between age 19 to 22, with one subject over 60. The subjects were asked to take a three question survey before and after the session. Scores on each question ranged from 0 – 5.

Results: The physical discomfort score decreased from 3.4 (SD = 0.9) before the session to 1.9 (SD = 0.51) post session. This was a statistically significant difference t(11) 6.5, p < .01. Perceived stress level also significantly decreased from 3.25 (SD = 1.22 ) to 1.6 (SD = 0.79 ), t(11) 5.9, p<.05. The average score on the relaxation question was 2.3 (SD = 0.75 ) prior to the session compared to 4.7 after (SD =0.49 ). A higher score indicated greater relaxation; this difference was also statistically significant t(11) -8.4, p< .01.

Conclusion: An acute bout of yoga and meditation resulted in a statistically significant improvement in self- perceived stress, physical discomfort and relaxation. This suggests that even one session of yoga and meditation can have an important effect on the physical and emotional states of college- aged persons.