Cortisol is the body’s primary stress hormone. Chronically elevated cortisol is linked to weight gain, immune suppression, and anxiety. A 2007 study measured cortisol levels in people who had never practiced yoga before, testing them before and after a single class. The result: significant decreases in cortisol after just one session.
This finding is meaningful because it suggests the stress-reducing effects of yoga are not cumulative only. They begin immediately. Even without any established practice or skill, the combination of guided movement, breathing, and relaxation produced a measurable physiological shift in beginners.
The practical implication is that telling someone to “try yoga” for stress is not merely anecdotal advice. There is a hormonal response that occurs from the first exposure. Of course, long-term practice likely deepens and sustains these effects, but the barrier to entry for experiencing a real physiological change is remarkably low.
Source: Yoga Research: Immunity & General Health on ashtanga.tech. Original research.