• Amy E Beddoe, Chin-Po Paul Yang, Holly Powell Kennedy, Sandra J Weiss, and Kathryn A Lee.
• School of Nursing, Walden University, 155 Fifth Avenue South, Suite 100, Minneapolis, MN 55401, USA. abeddoe@baymoon.com
• J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2009 May 1;38(3):310-9.

ObjectiveTo examine the feasibility and level of acceptability of a mindful yoga intervention provided during pregnancy and to gather preliminary data on the efficacy of the intervention in reducing distress.DesignBaseline and post-treatment measures examined state and trait anxiety, perceived stress, pain, and morning salivary cortisol in a single treatment group. Postintervention data also included participant evaluation of the intervention.SettingThe 7 weeks mindfulness-based yoga group intervention combined elements of Iyengar yoga and mindfulness-based stress reduction.ParticipantsSixteen healthy pregnant nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies between 12 and 32 weeks gestation at the time of enrollment.MethodsOutcomes were evaluated from pre- to postintervention and between second and third trimesters with repeated measures analysis of variance and post hoc nonparametric tests.ResultsWomen practicing mindful yoga in their second trimester reported significant reductions in physical pain from baseline to postintervention compared with women in the third trimester whose pain increased. Women in their third trimester showed greater reductions in perceived stress and trait anxiety.ConclusionsPreliminary evidence supports yoga's potential efficacy in these areas, particularly if started early in the pregnancy.

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