AnxietyNCT07816861
Y Yoga Works: Effects of Acute Yoga on Anxiety, Affect, & Cognition
A study testing Integrated Yoga, Yoga Postures and Breathwork/Meditation in people with Anxiety and Cognition, run by University of Illinois Chicago at 2 sites in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this research is to determine what components of an integrated yoga practice that influence anxiety, cognition, and affect among highly anxious college females. Participants will go through four sessions and will experience all parts of a yoga practice. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 17 years and older, women only
- What is being tested?
- Integrated Yoga, Yoga Postures and Breathwork/Meditation
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 60 participants
- Where
- 2 sitesUnited States
- Study dates
- 15 May 2025to 25 Mar 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 17 years and older
- Women only
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- college student
- study over 14 hours
- highly anxious
- must identify as a female
Who cannot join
- is not a college student
- does not study 14 hours or more
- is not highly anxious
- identifies as a male
- is under the age of 17
Trial locations and contacts
2 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States2 sites
UIC Disability, Health, and Social Policy Building
Chicago, Illinois, 60608
UIC Physical Education Building
Chicago, Illinois, 60612
About this study
Official title: "Y Yoga Works" An Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Acute Yoga on Anxiety, Affect, & Cognition
The goal of this research is to determine what components of an integrated yoga practice that influence anxiety, cognition, and affect among highly anxious college females. Participants will go through four sessions and will experience all parts of a yoga practice.
Read the detailed description
The goal of this research is to determine what components of an integrated yoga practice that influence anxiety, cognition, and affect. Anxiety disorders are the most common class of mental disorders, affecting about 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. (Kessler et al., 2005). Additionally, females are significantly more likely than males to develop an anxiety disorder throughout the lifespan (Bruce et al., 2005). Yoga in general has been shown to have a substantial number of benefits on mental health and cognition. However, there is little to no research on what parts of yoga are working to achieve positive effects. A total of 60 highly anxious female college students will experience all the following conditions: integrated yoga (a combination of postures, breathwork, and meditation), yoga postures only, breathwork/meditation only, watching a yoga documentary. Before and after each session, we will assess the effects of all conditions on anxiety, cognition, and affect.
- Being tested
- Integrated Yoga, Yoga Postures, Breathwork/Meditation, Documentary
- Medical subject headings
- Anxiety Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Integrated YogaBehavioural
Participants will complete breathwork, meditation, and yoga postures.
Yoga PosturesBehavioural
Participants will complete yoga postures.
Breathwork/MeditationBehavioural
Participants will complete breathwork and meditation.
DocumentaryBehavioural
Participants will watch a yoga documentary.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated Yoga | Experimental | Participants will do a session of integrated yoga. Receives: Behavioral: Integrated Yoga |
| Yoga Postures | Experimental | Participants will do a session of only yoga postures. Receives: Behavioral: Yoga Postures |
| Breathwork/Meditation | Experimental | Participants will do a session of guided breathwork and meditation Receives: Behavioral: Breathwork/Meditation |
| Documentary | Experimental | Participants will watch a documentary. Receives: Behavioral: Documentary |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Anxiety
State Anxiety will be measured by the state portion of the State-Trait Anxiety Index.
Measured: Immediately before and immediately after each of four study sessions, completed over either 2 or 4 weeks.
Secondary outcomes (3)
Cognition - Inhibition
Inhibition will be measured by the Flanker Task.
Measured: Immediately before and immediately after each of four study sessions, completed over either 2 or 4 weeks.
Affect
Affect will be measured by the Activation Deactivation Adjective Checklist.
Measured: Immediately before and immediately after each of four study sessions, completed over either 2 or 4 weeks.
Cognition - Working Memory
Working memory will be measured by the Digit Symbol Substitution Test.
Measured: Immediately before and immediately after each of four study sessions, completed over either 2 or 4 weeks.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted14 Sep 2026
- Study start15 May 2025
- Primary completion15 Nov 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion25 Mar 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for AnxietyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of Illinois ChicagoThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Factorial
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Illinois Chicago
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Eduardo E Bustmante, PhD, Study chair, University of Illinois Chicago
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07816861
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STUDY2024-1427
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 11 Sep 2025
- Last updated
- 14 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 14 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- "Y Yoga Works" An Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Acute Yoga on Anxiety, Affect, & Cognition
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07816861
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- STUDY2024-1427
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Enrolling by invitation
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of Illinois ChicagoUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 15 May 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 15 Nov 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 25 Mar 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 14 Sep 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this research is to determine what components of an integrated yoga practice that influence anxiety, cognition, and affect among highly anxious college females. Participants will go through four sessions and will experience all parts of a yoga practice.
Detailed description
The goal of this research is to determine what components of an integrated yoga practice that influence anxiety, cognition, and affect. Anxiety disorders are the most common class of mental disorders, affecting about 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. (Kessler et al., 2005). Additionally, females are significantly more likely than males to develop an anxiety disorder throughout the lifespan (Bruce et al., 2005). Yoga in general has been shown to have a substantial number of benefits on mental health and cognition. However, there is little to no research on what parts of yoga are working to achieve positive effects. A total of 60 highly anxious female college students will experience all the following conditions: integrated yoga (a combination of postures, breathwork, and meditation), yoga postures only, breathwork/meditation only, watching a yoga documentary. Before and after each session, we will assess the effects of all conditions on anxiety, cognition, and affect.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Factorial
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 4
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated Yoga | Experimental | Behavioral: Integrated YogaParticipants will do a session of integrated yoga. |
| Yoga Postures | Experimental | Behavioral: Yoga PosturesParticipants will do a session of only yoga postures. |
| Breathwork/Meditation | Experimental | Behavioral: Breathwork/MeditationParticipants will do a session of guided breathwork and meditation |
| Documentary | Experimental | Behavioral: DocumentaryParticipants will watch a documentary. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 17 years and older
- Sex
- Female only
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- college student
- study over 14 hours
- highly anxious
- must identify as a female
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- is not a college student
- does not study 14 hours or more
- is not highly anxious
- identifies as a male
- is under the age of 17
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated YogaParticipants will complete breathwork, meditation, and yoga postures. | Behavioural | Integrated Yoga |
| Yoga PosturesParticipants will complete yoga postures. | Behavioural | Yoga Postures |
| Breathwork/MeditationParticipants will complete breathwork and meditation. | Behavioural | Breathwork/Meditation |
| DocumentaryParticipants will watch a yoga documentary. | Behavioural | Documentary |
Primary outcome
Anxiety
Time frame: Immediately before and immediately after each of four study sessions, completed over either 2 or 4 weeks.
State Anxiety will be measured by the state portion of the State-Trait Anxiety Index.
3 secondary outcomes
Cognition - Inhibition
Time frame: Immediately before and immediately after each of four study sessions, completed over either 2 or 4 weeks.
Affect
Time frame: Immediately before and immediately after each of four study sessions, completed over either 2 or 4 weeks.
Cognition - Working Memory
Time frame: Immediately before and immediately after each of four study sessions, completed over either 2 or 4 weeks.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 14 Sep 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Eduardo E Bustmante, PhD study chair
University of Illinois Chicago
2 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Integrated Yoga, Yoga Postures and Breathwork/Meditation in people with Anxiety and Cognition, run by University of Illinois Chicago at 2 sites in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: enrolling by invitation, as of the sponsor's last update on 14 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 2 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Anxiety (time frame: Immediately before and immediately after each of four study sessions, completed over either 2 or 4 weeks.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 14 Sep 2026.