Abstract # 3097 The interaction between trait mindfulness and the effect of a single yoga session on the response to an acute psychological stress

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Introduction Mindfulness practices have been shown to reduce stress reactivity, however, little is known about the effects of trait mindfulness on stress responses. We investigated whether dispositional mindfulness predicts the response to an acute psychological stressor and whether the completion of a yoga session prior to the stressor moderates these effects. Methods Twenty-four healthy individuals (11 females, mean age 22.9 years SD 3.5) participated in a counterbalanced, randomized order-crossover trial, with a yoga and a control condition (watching TV). Trait mindfulness was measured by the Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire. Participants attended the laboratory in two afternoons separated by at least 48 h. Sessions comprised a baseline (15 min), control/yoga (30 min), stress task (21 min) and recovery (15 min). Blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and salivary cortisol responses were measured throughout. Results Facets of trait mindfulness predicted HR and HR-variability (HRV) changes throughout the control condition (repeated-measures ANOVAs, all p’s less than or equal to.005), but not during the yoga condition. Simple linear-regression analysis indicated that mindfulness predicted cortisol area-under-curve response during the yoga condition [F(1,17) = 4.78, p = .04; R2 = 0.218]. Conclusion Yoga moderated both cardiovascular and cortisol responses to stress. The fact that trait mindfulness no longer predicted HR and HRV changes during the yoga session suggests that yoga mimicked a natural mindful state, supporting the use of yoga for reducing stress reactivity.