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Yoav Dudkevich/TPS-IL on 12 May, 2026
‘Mental Iron Dome’: Yoga Linked to Higher Wartime Resilience Among Israeli Nurses
Jerusalem, 10 June, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Israeli nurses who practiced yoga during the 2025 war with Iran showed lower stress in crisis conditions, according to a report released on Wednesday.
Researchers at the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera, who examined the relationship between yoga and resilience in real time during the war, surveyed 105 nurses and doctors from intensive care, maternity, delivery rooms, and mental health units.
“Nursing teams don’t just care for others,” said Prof. Meirav Ben-Natan, who led the study. Ben-Natan is the director of Hillel Yaffe’s Academic School of Nursing and a lecturer at Tel Aviv University. “During work, they experience the same concerns and fears as all citizens, so it was important to understand what helps maintain mental resilience during the most difficult times,” she said.
Yoga is a practice that combines physical postures, breathing exercises, and mindfulness or meditation techniques to improve flexibility, strength, and mental well-being.
Participants completed standardized questionnaires measuring stress responses, resilience levels, and detailed yoga practice habits. They described the practice as a “mental Iron Dome,” helping them continue caring for patients under sustained pressure.
The findings showed that those who practiced yoga one to two times a week over several years consistently reported lower stress and higher resilience. The strongest effect was linked not to occasional classes, but to long-term independent practice combined with a sense of emotional benefit and stability.
“Yoga is not just a physical activity,” Ben-Natan said, “but a tool for emotional regulation and coping with stress.”
The study’s co-leader, Keren Horvitz, Hillel Yaffe’s head of Human Resources, said resilience develops gradually.
“Yoga is not a one-time event. It is a habit built over time, and the more it becomes part of daily life, the greater its impact,” she said.
Researchers noted that more experienced staff who integrated yoga over the years showed the lowest stress levels.
The study was published in the peer-reviewed Workplace Health & Safety.
