Breathe Out The Stress MaryJane Fuhrer

Stress and College As a college student, I understand there are a lot of things that cause stress in a college environment. A lot of students may not know how to deal with their stress. I have learned that the through meditation, yoga, and mindfulness, you can decrease your stress levels.

Introduction If student’s are educated on stress relievers, they are more likely to practice them and therefore reduce their stress levels Students have been found to feel more relaxed and focused when practicing yoga semi-weekly (Villate, 2015). Yoga was effective in producing a state of relaxation and calmness among college students (Wei, 2006).

Goals and Objectives Goal: Reduce stress levels of college students Objective: Having them practice yoga, meditation, and mindfulness Increase knowledge on yoga, meditation, mindfulness Objective: Present information on these techniques Increase use of stress relievers among college students Objective: Show them how to incorporate these practices in their daily lives

Methods Descriptive Design Cross Sectional Study Used pre and post survey Participants were college students

Timeline Presented proposal to Allie Pearce (supervisor) Contacted Rec Center for use of group fitness room Got in touch with a yoga instructor to present, paid $18 by HCI Practiced for event once a week for two weeks prior to event Presented on March 24th

Marketing Marketed through social media Rowan Announcer on March 10th, 17th, and 24th Posted on HCI’s social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Blog)

Program Description 15 minute presentation on yoga, meditation, and mindfulness Teach 30 minute relaxation class including: Vinyasa yoga 5 minute meditation Body scan Pre and post survey

Survey Questions On a daily basis, how often do you feel stressed? Never, 1-2 times, 3-4 times, 5-6 times, more than 6 times Have you practiced yoga, meditation, or mindfulness before this class? Yes, No If so, how often? _____________ On a scale of 1 to 5, how stressed did you feel before this class? On a scale of 1 to 5, how stressed did you feel after this class? Do you think this presentation helped you to understand techniques like yoga, meditation, and mindfulness? Yes, No How likely are you to continue practicing yoga, meditation, and mindfulness? Not likely, Somewhat likely, Likely, Very Likely

Daily Stress Levels

Those Who Already Practice 13 of the 17 participants already practiced yoga, meditation, and/or mindfulness. Of the 3 participants who had only felt stressed 1-2 times per week, 2 practiced yoga, mindfulness, or meditation at least once a week. 50% of participants who said they had never practiced yoga, mindfulness, and meditation also said they felt stressed 6 or more times per week.

Stress Levels Before and After Class *On average, participants stress levels decreased by 1.6 or 32% after the class.

Continuing these Practices 58% of participants said they were very likely to continue these practices and 100% of participants said they felt as though they had a better understanding of these practices after the presentation.

P Value My P value was .000 Relationship between how stressed students were before and after class Small sample size and small difference in results The P value came to zero, but it was most likely rounded to zero, so there were numbers further down the decimal The P value is low is low because there was was a very small difference in the before and after results. So even though there was an overall decrease in stress levels, it was only reduced by a little bit

Discussion Most participants already practiced yoga Only 17 participants No follow up Population was too broad -Since most participants already practiced yoga, it was already likely that they would continue practicing. That could have affected the results on the last question. -17 people is an extremely small percentage of the school -There was no follow up, so we don’t know if they actually followed through with practicing yoga -Most studies showed patients with certain mental disorders or chronic diseases, this program was available to any students so the only difference we saw were there stress levels based on how they felt

References Villate, V. (2015). Yoga for College Students: An Empowering Form of Movement and Connection. Physical Educator, 72(1), 44-66. Wei, B. (2006). PSYCHOLOGICAL PERCEPTIONS TO WALKING, WATER AEROBICS AND YOGA IN COLLEGE STUDENTS. American Journal of Health Studies, 21(3/4), 142-147. Retrieved April 5, 2015, from EbscoHOST.