SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
The Effects of Yoga Exercise on Stress Relief Capacity and Emotional Changes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Provisionally accepted
- 1Ludu University School of Physical Education, Yantai 264000, China, Yantai, China
- 2College of Competitive Sports, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai 200438, China, shanghai, China
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Background: Emotional stability is a central pillar of mental health, and prolonged exposure to negative emotions (depression, anxiety) and stress can lead to impaired social functioning and disruptions in the emotion regulation system, which in turn affects psychological well-being. Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the combined benefits of yoga practice for emotional regulation and stress reduction through meta-analysis, while exploring the effects of various moderating factors. METHODS: This study was searched through Pubmed, Embase, Ovid MEDLINE and Cochrane library databases in January 2026. Randomized controlled studies using yoga as an intervention and anxiety, depression, and stress as indicators were included. Risk of bias was reported faithfully according to the Cochrane risk of bias rating requirements and labeled with the GRADE system evaluation level of evidence. Random-effects models were employed to perform effect size(ES) pooling, examine publication bias, and conduct subgroup analyses and regression analyses. RESULTS: Included 30 controlled experimental studies involving 2,288 participants (age: 13 to 82 years). Compared with control groups, yoga interventions improved stress (ES = -0.54, Low-level Evidence), anxiety (ES = -0.52, Low-level Evidence), and depression (ES = -0.50, Low-level Evidence). Subgroup analyses and regression analyses indicated that age was a significant moderator of stress levels. CONCLUSION: Yoga practice has been proven effective in reducing stress and alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety. As age increases, yoga interventions yield greater effectiveness in stress reduction. In the future, yoga should be considered as a complementary therapy for promoting mental health.
Keywords: Anxiety, Depression, Meta, stress, Yoga
Received: 17 Sep 2025; Accepted: 30 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Mu, Xu, Wang, Sun, Wen and Dong. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Xiaokun Mu
Delong Dong
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.