UCSF

The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of a "mindful-yoga" intervention for healthy pregnant women that blended elements of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Iyengar style prenatal yoga, on stress, anxiety, sleep, and pain; to estimate statistical power and sample size for a larger study; and to establish whether the treatment is effective for second or third trimester women. The effects of variables on mindful-yoga were studied over time, comparing baseline (Time1) and post-intervention (Time2) data in a single treatment group of 19 English-speaking nulliparous women with healthy pregnancies, 17 of whom adhered to the intervention that met for seven weekly sessions.

Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, correlations, parametric and nonparametric paired comparisons, and effect sizes. Participants were well-educated, middleclass, and planning vaginal birth. Although no one was currently being treated for psychiatric disorders, nearly 30% had a history of depression or anxiety.

The intervention resulted in higher scores for two facets of mindfulness (Observing and Nonreacting). From Time1 to Time2, third trimester participants demonstrated significant reductions in perceived stress and trait anxiety. Second trimester women demonstrated improvements in pain and sleep. In contrast, the third trimester group experienced worse pain and sleep as pregnancy progressed. To control for gestation, Time1 data for the 8 women who began mindful-yoga in the third trimester (26.5 weeks ±2.3) were compared with Time2 data for the 9 women who began mindful-yoga in the second trimester (27.1 weeks ±4.1). Second trimester women at Time2 experienced improved sleep (fewer night awakenings and less wake time during the night) as measured by wrist actigraphy compared to third trimester group baseline data.

This study demonstrated important clinical improvements in sleep and pain for women who began mindful-yoga in their second trimester. Mindful-yoga intervention merits further research for reducing perceived stress and anxiety and second trimester sleep enhancement and pain reduction. The mechanisms of mindful-yoga on stress appraisal, anxiety, sleep, and pain were not clearly linked to mindfulness, and further studies are required to develop theoretical linkages between mindful-yoga and symptom reduction during pregnancy.