Yoga Stress Fingerprint Assessment

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The following assessment is designed to help you identify the main ways you typically respond to stress in your day-to-day life, known as your "stress fingerprint."

There are seven unique stress fingerprints identified in this assessment. They are rooted in both scientific research and ancient yogic wisdom and philosophy. To help narrow down which fingerprint best describes you, please choose only one answer box for each question, and choose what describes you most of the time.

Each stress fingerprint has unique benefits and challenges, light and shadow, and no one fingerprint is considered superior to another.

The results of this assessment will be used to guide you on a unique learning pathway to help you manage your stress through customized breath work, yoga, and mindfulness strategies.

Your responses will be kept anonymous, and any data collected from this assessment or others will be shared in aggregate form only to protect individual privacy. Your results will be emailed to you.

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When I feel stressed, I've been known to raise my voice with others.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

4

People have said that I am easily frustrated- I'm a bit of a "hot head."

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

5

I feel physically hot when I'm stressed. My face and body get flushed.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost Never

6

When I'm stressed, I find myself moving faster and faster, like my engine is heating up.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

7

I have trouble admitting when I'm wrong.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

8

I blame others for causing my stress.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

9

Others have described me as action-oriented.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

10

When I'm stressed out, I feel a strong pull to get away from the person or environment that I feel is contributing.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

11

After a long, stressful day, I love to zone out at home to my favorite TV show.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

12

I like to get myself a treat of some kind after a difficult day.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

13

I catch myself daydreaming, especially when I'm stressed.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

14

If someone confronts me about a problem, I excuse myself quickly. Confrontation is really uncomfortable for me.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

15

I like to deeply focus on something else when I'm stressed, whether that's a good book, new crafting or home improvement project, or pouring all my energy into work when things feel difficult at home.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

16

I've been known to walk out in the middle of an argument with someone.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

17

When I'm upset, I give people the silent treatment.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

18

When I'm stressed, I just like to be by myself.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

19

When things feel difficult, my favorite place to be is curled up in my bed in the dark, alone.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

20

When I'm stressed about a task, I feel so overwhelmed that I'm not able to do any of it at all. It's like I'm stuck.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

21

I'm a couch potato when life gets hard.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

22

I believe in keeping my problems to myself. "Venting" is a waste of time.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

23

People think of me as a procrastinator.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

24

I don't tell anyone when I'm stressed because I don't want anyone to worry about me.

Often true

Sometimes true

Rarely true

Almost never true

25

I worry that if I'm stressed, I might make others stressed too.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

26

I've been known to fib and tell people I'm fine even though I'm really stressed.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

27

I try to think of every negative experience as something positive.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

28

I ignore my own thoughts and feelings to make sure others are comfortable.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

29

I worry that if I stand up for my boundaries, someone might be upset with me.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

30

Everyone says I'm a really positive person, but I don't always feel that way inside.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

31

When I feel stressed, it makes me feel better to help someone else with their problems.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

32

I like to talk to people I trust when I'm going through something difficult.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

33

I take on a mentor role with many people, and I don't have time for my own problems.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

34

I may not be able to figure out how to manage my own problems, but I do have a lot of ideas on how other people can better manage theirs.

Often true

Sometimes true

Rarely true

Almost never true

35

I'm known as a "helper" by those who understand me and as a "meddler" by those who don't.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

36

After a bad day, I love to call someone to "vent" about what happened.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

37

I appreciate advice from people I trust, so I like to ask for their opinion.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

38

I believe there is no point in feeling upset. Feeling upset doesn't fix anything.

Often true

Sometimes true

Rarely true

Almost never true

39

When there's a problem, I get stuck in thinking too much or analysis paralysis.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

40

I believe that if I can just learn enough about the source of my stress, I can make it go away.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

41

I prefer to learn from difficult times right away. I don't have time to be upset or angry.

Often true

Sometimes true

Rarely true

Almost never true

42

I've been called an "over thinker."

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

43

I'm an emotional person.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

44

I like to focus my efforts on next steps when something goes wrong. Getting caught up in feelings of the past isn't worth my time.

Often agree

Sometimes agree

Rarely agree

Almost never agree

45

I believe that if someone's not happy with me, I must not be trying hard enough.

Often agree

Sometimes agree

Rarely agree

Almost never agree

46

I believe that it's important for me to do my best because if I do my best, people won't be upset with me.

Often agree

Sometimes agree

Rarely agree

Almost never agree

47

I take on extra tasks to make people satisfied.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

48

I have a difficult time saying "no."

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

49

I overbook my calendar trying to please everyone.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

50

I say "yes" to things I know I don't have time for because I don't want to let anyone down.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Almost never

51

What people think of me matters more than how I'm feeling.

Often agree

Sometimes agree

Rarely agree

Almost never agree

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Observe the numbers listed under each of the seven stress fingerprint profiles as your results are revealed. Your results will show one of seven types:

The Reactor

The Escapist

The Internalizer

The Harmonizer

The Connector

The Intellectualizer

The People Pleaser

The profile where you got the highest score is considered your primary stress fingerprint, or the primary way you respond to stress. The profile that has your second highest score is considered your secondary stress fingerprint, or the second most common way you respond to stress. Having a tie is possible. This simply means that you may exhibit either response equally, depending on the situation.

Once you've completed the assessment, choose the card that shows your primary stress fingerprint from the table, and get ready to work with Gina of Invitation Yoga on your personalized mini-practice.

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The ReactorWhen stress hits, you feel it like fire: quick, hot, and hard to contain. You might snap, raise your voice, or say things you don’t mean, then regret it later. Deep down, this reaction often comes from trying to push away what feels bad or out of control. In yoga philosophy, that’s the impulse to resist discomfort, to fight rather than to feel. Energetically, it’s your solar plexus center flaring up, and your fiery Pitta energy tipping out of balance. Your strength is passion and drive; your challenge is learning to cool the flame so it fuels clarity instead of conflict.

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The EscapistWhen stress hits, you don’t explode, you disappear. Your energy lifts, your mind races for escape, and you drift into distractions like food, screens, or fantasies. This is the flight response, driven by excess air and space elements in the body. The root chakra, responsible for safety, loses its ground, while the mind center overactivates, pulling you away from the present. Beneath it all is Dvesha, or aversion, the urge to avoid discomfort. Your medicine is grounding: slow breath, warm food, steady movement, and contact with the earth. When you root your body, your mind stops running.

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The InternalizerWhen things get hard, you don’t lash out, you shut down. You pull back, go quiet, and build walls around yourself. It’s not that you don’t care; it’s that everything feels too heavy to handle. In yogic terms, your energy is ruled by earth and water, what’s called Kapha. When balanced, it makes you steady, loyal, and calm. But under stress, it can turn into heaviness, numbness, or isolation. You might notice that your throat feels tight, your chest closed, or your stomach heavy. That’s your body’s way of holding everything in. It’s also tied to something called Dvesha, the instinct to pull away from what hurts. The way through isn’t to force yourself to open up but to soften little by little.

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The HarmonizerYou’re the one who keeps everyone calm, even when you’re not. When stress hits, you smile, say, ‘I’m fine,’ and focus on making others feel okay. But your body knows better. Maybe your chest tightens, your stomach knots, or your throat feels heavy. You’ve learned to ignore those signals because upsetting others feels worse than ignoring yourself. This is a fawn response. It’s your nervous system’s way of staying safe by keeping the peace. In yoga & ayurveda, it shows a Kapha energy imbalance: your natural kindness turns into over-caring. The heart and throat chakras get blocked too, as you give love freely but struggle to express your own truth. At a deeper level, this comes from clinging to a need for approval and harmony, known as Raga.

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The ConnectorWhen stress hits, you reach out to other people quickly, talk it through, or help someone else instead of sitting with your own feelings. This reflects the “tend and befriend” stress response, driven by oxytocin and the need for safety through closeness. In Ayurveda, it shows a Vata-Kapha imbalance: Vata makes you seek connection quickly, while Kapha makes you absorb others’ emotions. The heart and throat chakras work overtime, giving too much, speaking too soon. At the root is losing yourself in others. To rebalance, slown down before reaching out, breathe evenly, and ground yourself in stillness. Connection feels truer when it begins with connecting with yourself.

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The IntellectualThe moment you get stressed, your mind switches on. You analyze, explain, and do anything you can to try to make sense of what is happening. Understanding feels like control, and thinking becomes your way of coping. But by staying in your head, you often bypass the body and heart, leaving emotions unprocessed. This reflects a cognitive stress response, where the prefrontal cortex overrides emotional processing to restore a sense of order. In Ayurveda, it shows a Pitta-Vata imbalance, as Pitta energy drives the need to control and know, and Vata fuels overthinking. Energetically, the third eye and throat energy centers dominate while the heart can become underactive. You end up identifying with your intellect over how you really feel.

59

The People PleaserWhen stress appears, your instinct is to smooth it over by aligning with whomever or whatever seems to be causing it. You read the room, adjust yourself, and work hard to keep harmony, often at the expense of your own truth. This is a fawn response, rooted in a deep drive for safety through approval. In Ayurveda, it reflects a Kapha-Vata imbalance. Kapha’s empathy and loyalty combine with Vata’s anxiety and need for external validation. Energetically, the heart and solar plexus chakras are out of sync. The heart overextends while the solar plexus, the seat of personal power, weakens. You get stuck in identifying your self-worth based on the acceptance of others.