Salutogenic Impact of Yoga on Emotional Intelligence and Perceived Stress of Medical College Students: An Interventional Study

Introduction: Emotional intelligence (EI) is defined as the ability of a person to understand and respond to one’s own and others’ emotions and use this ability to guide one’s thoughts and actions. Stress is defined as a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the level of EI and perceived stress before and after yoga training among medical students in Puducherry. Materials and Methods: A nonrandomized interventional trial was conducted at the School of Yoga Therapy, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth, Puducherry, involving 30 healthcare students (22 female and 8 male), with a mean age of 21.63 ± 1.95. Approved by the institutional ethics committee, the 6-week yoga program was held at Patanjali Yogashala on weekdays. EI and perceived stress were measured pre- and post-intervention using validated questionnaires. Results: The mean age of participants was 21.63 ± 1.95 years, with 73.3% females and 26.7% males. Initially, perceived stress and EI had a weak negative correlation (r = −0.24), which shifted to a weak positive correlation (r = 0.22) postyoga intervention. A significant reduction in perceived stress was noticed before and after yoga intervention. In addition, improvements in “trustworthiness” and “achievement” were significant with P = 0.049 and 0.032, respectively. Conclusion: This interventional trial with yoga therapy has shown a reduction in perceived stress levels and an increase in certain components of EI among medical college students in Puducherry. This study highlights the supremacy of Yoga therapy in achieving mental and psychosocial well-being.