Method: A sample of college students participated in a 9-week, three times per week yoga class (n=38; mean age =20.93±.97) which included breathing, vigorous linked poses in a Vinyasa (power flow) style, and relaxation. A separate comparison group (n=14; mean age =20±1.24) participated three times per week in a variety of exercise modes, which included aerobic, strength, and flexibility exercises. Classes were part of the students’ physical education requirement, and were all 50 minutes in length. Functional fitness was assessed at baseline and after 9 weeks of training using all seven items of the Functional Movement Screen (Deep Squat, Hurdle Step, Inline Lunge, Shoulder Mobility, Straight Leg Raise, Trunk Stability Pushup, and Rotary Stability). The FMS is a widely recognized battery of tests administered by a certified technician to assess movement pattern quality.
Analysis/Results: Two-sample t-tests confirmed that the groups were statistically equal at baseline in all seven components of the FMS. Post-intervention paired sample t-tests revealed improvement in the yoga group in six out of seven of the FMS components (Deep Squat, Inline Lunge, Active Straight Leg Raise, and Rotary Stability, p<.01; Hurdle Step and Shoulder Mobility, p<.05). The yoga group did not improve in the Trunk Stability Pushup. For the comparison group, although the posttest means were slightly higher than pretest in five of the FMS components, none changed significantly (p>.05).
Conclusions: These results indicate that several weeks of regularly practicing Vinyasa yoga is beneficial for improving functional fitness in young adults. The findings of this research are significant to practitioners, since improvement in movement efficiency can be beneficial to overall quality of life throughout the lifespan.