BACKGROUND: Stress and sedentary lifestyles negatively impact the physicalfitness of overweight and obese female university students. Physical activity has been shown to promote psychological as well as physical wellness. However, the effects of Surya Namaskar (SN) yoga on stress and physicalfitness remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the physicalfitness, anthropometric measures, and perceived stress between the SN yoga training program group and the control group. METHODS: In a randomized controlled study, 44 overweight and obese female university students participated. For 8 weeks, the exercise group received training in SN yoga, whereas the control group was not permitted to participate in any form of exercise. At baseline and after 8 weeks of training, all participants completed the Thai Perceived Stress Scale-10 (T-PSS-10), and assessed the body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio, body fat percentage, maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max), and muscle strength and flexibility. We used the dependent t-test or Wilcoxon sign rank test to examine the differences between the T-PSS-10 and physicalfitness within each group. The statistical differences of all parameters between the two groups were compared using an independent t-test or a Mann-Whitney U test. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

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