Examining possible differences in levels of mindfulness and perceived stress between groups who practice mind-body exercise and those who practice traditional cardiovascular exercise

Abstract

The main hypoFinal Year Project of this research study was that Mind- Body exercise programs such as Yoga and pilates would result in lower levels of perceived stress and higher levels of mindfulness than cardiovascular exercise. Three groups were selected,the total number of participants (N = 70). The breakdown for gender was men (n= 33) and women (n= 37).Previous research indicates that physical exercise is beneficial in reducing levels of stress. It was found that those who practise yoga and pilates do experience increased levels of mindfulness, but do not lower levels of perceived stress as previous research would indicate. A possible weakness of this study is that stress was measured using a self- report questionnaire. Further research may benefit from a more accurate form of stress testing by analysing cortisol levels in saliva.