Vol. 1 No. 01 (2025): Journal of Sports Nursing, Medical, And Health (JSNMH)
Review Articles

The Effect of Yoga Intervention on Reducing Anxiety Levels in Pregnant Women: A Literature Review

Yeni Septia Ningsi
Program studi Kebidanan, Univesitas Muhammadiyah Surabaya
Nur Hidayatul Ainiyah
Program studi Kebidanan, Univesitas Muhammadiyah Surabaya

Published 2025-07-29

Keywords

  • Yoga,
  • Anxiety,
  • Pregnant Women

How to Cite

Ningsi, Y. S., & Ainiyah, N. H. (2025). The Effect of Yoga Intervention on Reducing Anxiety Levels in Pregnant Women: A Literature Review. Journal of Sports Nursing, Medical, And Health, 1(01), 37–45. https://doi.org/10.69606/sportnursmedhealth.v1i01.292

Abstract

Background: Pregnancy is a period of significant physiological and psychological adaptation in a woman's life. In addition to hormonal and physical changes, many pregnant women experience emotional fluctuations, including increased levels of anxiety. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effect of yoga on anxiety levels in pregnant women based on findings from previous studies. Methods: This literature review was conducted in July 2025. The literature search was performed using four major electronic databases: Scopus (33 articles), PubMed (9 articles), and Google Scholar (10 articles). The keywords used were "yoga" AND "pregnant" AND "anxiety". Eligible articles were determined based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: Of the six articles analyzed, all demonstrated that yoga interventions in pregnant women significantly reduced anxiety levels compared to pre-intervention levels. Discussion: Yoga interventions in pregnant women have been proven effective in reducing anxiety. However, further research is needed to determine the optimal duration and structure of yoga practice for pregnant women to achieve the most effective reduction in anxiety. Conclusion: Yoga operates through complementary physiological and psychological pathways. When practiced regularly and in a structured manner, it can enhance maternal emotional well-being and reduce anxiety during pregnancy and childbirth.

References

  1. Aksoy, M., U. & Gursoy, E. (2025). The Effect of Childbirth Preparation Training with Yoga Support on Salivary Cortisol, Anxiety, Fear of Childbirth, and Readiness. Developmental Psychobiology, 67(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.70040
  2. Armaita, A., Nisa, S., Lucintarillova, B., Aprihatin, Y., Krishna, N. R., Alimuddin, A., Ockta, Y., & Festiawan, R. (2025). Reducing anxiety in pregnant women by prenatal gentle yo-ga. Retos, 65, 1056–1064. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v65.108934
  3. Babbar, S., Shyken, J. M., & Williams, K. (2022). Yoga during pregnancy: A review. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 66, 102809. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2022.102809
  4. Bayrampour, H., Tomfohr, L., & Tough, S. (2016). Trajectories of pregnancy-related anxiety and association with child development: Findings from the All Our Families Cohort. Journal of Affective Disorders, 200, 137–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.04.033
  5. Corrigan, L., Moran, P., McGrath, N. et al. (2022). The characteristics and effectiveness of pregnancy yoga interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 22, 250 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-022-04474-9
  6. Chen, P. J., Yang, L., Chou, C. C., Li, C. C., Chang, Y. C., & Liaw, J. J. (2017). Effects of prenatal yoga on women's stress and immune function across pregnancy: A randomized controlled trial. Complementary therapies in medicine, 31, 109–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2017.03.003
  7. Dennis, C. L., Falah-Hassani, K., & Shiri, R. (2017). Prevalence of antenatal and postnatal anxiety: Systematic review and meta-analysis. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 210(5), 315–323. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.116.187179
  8. Field, T. (2016). Yoga research review. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 24, 145–161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2016.06.005
  9. Handayani, H., Suryaningsih, E. K., & Fitriani, D. (2021). Pengaruh prenatal gentle yoga terhadap kecemasan pada ibu hamil trimester III. Jurnal Kebidanan, 10(1), 12–18.
  10. Kinser, P. A., Jallo, N., & Amstadter, A. B. (2020). Tailored yoga for pregnant women at risk of perinatal depression: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Archives of Women's Mental Health, 23(3), 327–337. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-019-00999-2
  11. Kusaka, M., Matsuzaki, M., Shiraishi, M., & Haruna, M. (2016). Immediate stress reduction effects of yoga during pregnancy: One group pre-post test. Women and birth : journal of the Australian College of Midwives, 29(5), e82–e88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2016.04.003
  12. Mamlukah, Isti, K., & Rizky, S. (2020). Antenatal Yoga and Murottal Al-Quran Therapy Decreasing Anxiety and Blood Pressure of Preeclampsia Risk Women. Media Kesehatan Masyarakat Indonesia, 16(4): 410-420. DOI: 10.30597/mkmi.v16i4.9094
  13. Maternal and Child Health, 4(2), 118–125. Retrieved from https://thejmch.com/index.php/thejmch/article/view/173
  14. Nadholta P, Kumar K, Saha PK, Suri V, Singh A and Anand A (2023) Mind-body practice as a primer to maintain psychological health among pregnant women–YOGESTA–a randomized controlled trial.Front. Public Health 11:1201371. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1201371
  15. Veronica, P., A., Enggar, Lastri, G., H, & Rafiah, S. (2020). The effect of prenatal yoga on the anxiety level of pregnant women. Enfermería Clínica, 30(s6): 331-334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enfcli.2020.06.074
  16. Tuqa, J., J., Shahla, F., S., Zahra, B., M., & Elham, E. (2024). The Effect of Yoga on Maternal Anxiety in Women with Excessive Gestational Weight Gain: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Complement Med Res, 30 (6): 517–524. https://doi.org/10.1159/000534776
  17. Wen, D. J., Poh, J. S., Ni, S. N., Chong, Y. S., Chen, H., Kwek, K., ... & Meaney, M. J. (2020). Influences of prenatal and postnatal maternal depression on amygdala volume and microstructure in young children. Translational Psychiatry, 10(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-020-0754-8