Examining the efficacy of yoga as a therapeutic approach to alleviate anxiety in sports players

Abstract

Background: Elevated levels of physiological and psychological stress harm the sports player’s performance during competition. Practicing yoga has been shown to reduce anxiety and keep the physiological parameters within normal ranges. The present study investigates the impact of yogic practice (4 weeks) on the selected physiological parameters and pre-competition anxiety level of a sports player before a competition. Methods: 120 Male Inter-University players (19–26 years) from basketball, volleyball, and handball games at HNB Garhwal University, Uttarakhand, was recruited as the experimental group (n = 60), and the Control group (n = 60). Pre- and post-intervention anxiety levels and physiological parameters like VC (VC), resting heart rate (RHR), and blood pressure (SBP and DBP) were recorded. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and dependent t-tests (paired ‘t’ test) were applied for the statistical analysis and the significance level was set at 0.05. Results: Significant lower post-intervention values of VC, RHR, SBP, DBP, and anxiety scores were observed in the experimental groups of all three types of sportspersons in comparison to their pre-intervention values. However, there was no pre- and post-intervention difference in the control groups of all the recruited sportspersons. Discussion: Based on the findings of the study, it is concluded that a four-week yogic intervention is beneficial for controlling anxiety, and it has a positive significant effect on selected cardio-respiratory parameters of the sports persons.