Abstract
Background: Medical students often experience significant distress early-on in undergraduate training.
Aims: We aimed to demonstrate the impact of a brief structured yoga intervention on medical students.
Method: Fourteen first-year medical students participated in a 16-week yoga intervention pilot study. Students completed questionnaires at baseline, mid-intervention and end of the study.
Results: The students reported improvements in overall health, perceived stress and depressive symptoms following the intervention.
Conclusions: A yoga intervention may be effective in decreasing stress and improving general well-being in medical students.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Andrée-Anne Simard
ANDRÉE-ANNE SIMARD, MD, C.C.F.P.(EM), is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine and Department of Oncology, Palliative Care Division, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Melissa Henry
MELISSA HENRY, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.