Background: Stress among university students, particularly female students is highly prevalent. Cognitive consequences of stress include impairment in memory and planning. This study investigates the efficacy of an 8-week yoga intervention in improving these cognitive domains and reducing perceived stress in female students with elevated stress levels. Materials and Methods: Forty female students aged 18–25 years with elevated stress levels were randomly allocated to the yoga ( n = 20) and control group ( n = 20). Yoga group students were engaged in weekly four sessions of 60-min yoga for 8 weeks and the control group followed daily activities. Visuospatial memory and planning and perceived stress were assessed at baseline and 8 weeks. Planning and visuospatial memory – were evaluated using the Tower of London and Corsi Block-Tapping Task, respectively, administered through the open-source PEBL software. Results: Compared to baseline, significant decreased in perceived stress was noted in the yoga group. No significant change was observed in the control group. Visuospatial memory and planning were also improved significantly in the yoga group at 8 weeks compared to baseline. At 8 weeks, Yoga group had significantly lower perceived stress scale scores compared to the control group ( t = −2.242, P = 0.031, 95% confidence interval: −6.280 to − 0.320, Cohen’s d = −0.709). Conclusion: This pilot randomized controlled trial found that an 8-week structured yoga program significantly enhanced planning ability and visuospatial memory, while also reducing perceived stress among female university students experiencing elevated stress. Results suggest that yoga can be an effective cognitive and stress-management intervention in the academic settings, potentially supporting students’ mental well-being and academic performance.
Kumawat et al. (Tue,) studied this question.