A Comparative Analysis of Yoga Practice and Psychophysiological Balance in Digital Lifestyles

Abstract

Prolonged engagement with digital devices has produced a distinct occupational profile characterised by sympathetic overactivation, fragmented sleep and elevated perceived stress. This study examines whether structured yoga practice restores psychophysiological balance more effectively than conventional physical exercise among adults with high daily screen exposure. A twelve-week, three-arm quasi-experimental study was conducted with 180 knowledge workers reporting more than eight hours of daily screen time. Participants were allocated to an integrated yoga group, a moderate aerobic exercise group, or a no-intervention control group. Outcomes included perceived stress, sleep quality, anxiety, problematic smartphone use, short-term heart rate variability indices, resting heart rate and morning salivary cortisol. Repeated-measures analysis of variance showed significant group-by-time interactions across all primary outcomes, with the yoga group recording the largest gains in vagally mediated heart rate variability and the largest reductions in perceived stress and cortisol. Change in parasympathetic tone was inversely associated with change in perceived stress, supporting an autonomic pathway of benefit. The findings indicate that yoga's combination of slow breathing, postural work and attentional training addresses digital-lifestyle strain more comprehensively than exercise alone.