Browsing by Author "Nagendra H. R."

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Efficacy of cyclic meditation as yoga based mindfulness intervention for psychological wellbeing in working professionals
(SVYASA, 2021-01) Sreekumar T. S.; Nagendra H. R.; Judu V. Ilavarasu
BACKGROUND Psychological distress is highly prevalent among working professionals. Workplace yoga interventions to enhance psychological wellbeing and further follow-up studies are limited. Physical manifestations of stress include musculoskeletal pain, headaches, constant fatigue, sleep disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, cardiovascular illnesses, and substance use, while its psychological manifestations include lack of concentration, negative affect, low self-esteem, aggression among others. Stress is experienced in response to a range of physical, occupational and emotional stimuli. Within manageable parameters one’s sense of well-being is maintained, but if these stimuli go beyond normal limits they become stressors. Exploring new pathways, such as mindfulness, can lead to the development of novel tools for enhancing employee wellbeing at work (Schultz et al., 2015). Mindfulness based intervention studies have shown exponential growth over the past three decades. Potential benefits of mindfulness interventions range from mental and physical health outcomes to cognitive, affective and interpersonal outcomes. Descriptions of mindfulness and methods of cultivating it originate in eastern spiritual traditions. First generation mindfulness intervention studies focused mainly on treating adult patients in clinic settings. Over the last ten years, there has been a shift in moving mindfulness intervention studies out of the clinic into institutional settings. Mindfulness interventions are multidimensional in nature and involve multiple active components. Mindful yoga component is shown to produce a significant differential effect on the outcomes. As a means of providing a unified body-mind experience, Yoga has few equals (Salmon et al., 2009). The current study examined the efficacy of cyclic meditation, as a unique yoga based mindfulness intervention for workplace wellbeing. Two studies were conducted across two distinct employee cross-sections of a large Indian multinational corporate. First study was on leadership professionals and the second study was on offshore professionals who are engaged in a high-risk work environment. Effect of a five day residential yoga intervention and later follow-up after three months of home practice was examined in these two study groups. Participants were assessed for various psychological constructs like mindfulness, emotion regulation, positive and negative affect, and perceived stress. Results of linear mixed effects model showed that all the variables had significantly influenced the perceived stress, except for emotion regulation. Findings suggest that intervention is effective in addressing the stress of professionals by improving mindfulness, positive affect, and better emotion regulation strategy, but due to lack of supervised guidance after the program, there is a high chance of further relapse, which needs further attention to maintain an environment of sustained wellbeing. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES AIM 1. The aim of this study is to examine the efficacy of cyclic meditation as yoga based mindfulness intervention for enhancing wellbeing in working professionals. 2. The study aims to examine the effect of yoga intervention in two different work groups – Study1 on leadership professionals and Study2 on offshore professionals, who are engaged in a high-risk work environment.3. The study further aims to examine the follow-up effect of the residential intervention and also to examine the relationship between mindfulness, positive affect and perceived stress. OBJECTIVES 1. Examine the effect of yoga intervention on mindfulness in working professionals 2. Examine the effect of yoga intervention on emotion regulation, perceived stress, positive and negative affect in working professionals 3. Examine the effect of yoga intervention at multiple time points - after a 5 day residential yoga intervention and after 3 months of home practice 4. Examine the mediating role of mindfulness in the relationship between positive affect and perceived stress METHODS Participants Study1: Effect of yoga based intervention on leadership professionals Participants were recruited from a large Indian multinational public sector undertaking, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).102 senior level leadership professionals with a mean age of 53.85 years and ranging from 30 to 60 years participated in the study. Both males and females who volunteered for the program were included in the study. Out of the 102 participants who attended the full 5-day residential intervention, 83 participants provided follow-up data after 3 months. Study2: Effect of yoga based intervention on employees in high risk work environment Participants were recruited from a large Indian multinational public sector undertaking, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).77 offshore male employees of ONGC organization reported for the residential program located in a Yoga university setup at Bengaluru. The participants had a mean age of 42.67 years and ranging from 23 to 59 years. Out of the seventy-seven participants who attended the full 5-day residential intervention, 61 participants provided follow-up data after 3 months. Design Repeated measures design with a single group followed at three time points, baseline, after the intervention, and after the follow-up for 3 months. Assessments Mindfulness was measured using the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). Emotion regulation was measured using the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Positive affect and negative affect were measured using the positive affect and negative affect schedule (PANAS). Perceived stress was measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Intervention The residential program covered theory sessions that provided conceptual understanding of yoga, stress and its release, concept of executive growth and group dynamics. Theory sessions were followed up with practice sessions on cyclic meditation (CM) technique. Interaction sessions were conducted to address any participant queries. In addition, the program had components on yogäsanas (postures), kriyä (cleansing techniques), präëäyäma (breathing practices) and bhajan (devotional sessions). Simple, healthy nutrient rich vegetarian diet was served. Following the residential program, participants were expected to continue their daily practice of 35 minutes of cyclic meditation on their own for an additional period of 3 months. Standardized guided instructions in audio format were provided to facilitate the individual practice. Results Results of linear mixed effects model showed that all the variables had significantly influenced the perceived stress, except for emotion regulation. Findings suggest that intervention is effective in addressing the stress of senior managers by improving mindfulness, positive affect, and better emotion regulation strategy, but due to lack of supervised guidance after the program, there is a high chance of further relapse, which needs further attention to maintain an environment of sustained wellbeing. Conclusion In both the distinct studies on senior level managers and on offshore employees, findings suggest that yoga intervention is effective in addressing the stress by improving mindfulness, positive affect, and better emotion regulation strategy, but due to lack of supervised guidance after the program, there is a high chance of further relapse, which needs further attention to maintain an environment of sustained wellbeing.
Yoga Sudha
(Mahadevappa B. on behalf of S-VYASA, 2024-01-01) Nagendra H. R.; Aarti Jagannathan
Yoga Sudha
(Mahadevappa B. on behalf of S-VYASA, 2023-12-07) Nagendra H. R.; Aarti Jagannathan
Yoga Sudha
(Mahadevappa B. on behalf of S-VYASA, 2023-10-26) Nagendra H. R.; Aarti Jagannathan
Yoga Sudha
(Mahadevappa B. on behalf of S-VYASA, 2023-11-15) Nagendra H. R.; Aarti Jagannathan
Yoga Sudha
(Mahadevappa B. on behalf of S-VYASA, 2024-03-13) Nagendra H. R.; Aarti Jagannathan
Yoga Sudha
(S-VYASA, 2023-08-05) Nagendra H. R.; Aarti Jagannathan
Yoga Sudha
(Mahadevappa B. on behalf of S-VYASA, 2024-02-15) Nagendra H. R.; Aarti Jagannathan
Yoga Sudha
(Mahadevappa B. on behalf of SVYASA, 2023-09-07) Nagendra H. R.; Aarti Jagannathan
YOGA SUDHA - Dec. -2021
(Mahadevappa B. on behalf SVYASA, 2021-12-04) Nagendra H. R.; Aarti Jagannathan
My dear Brothers and Sisters, Education is not the mere acquisition of knowledge but is a process to manifest the perfection already in man. It should help a growing child to blossom into a beautiful flower. We want men with a capital ‘M’ said Swami Vivekananda. For making such human beings, emphasis on all-round personality development and social consciousness should be adopted. Then it is not enough if our students improve their IQ levels and gather more and more information in schools and colleges, but, the system of education should allow them to develop 1. Their physical, mental, emotional and intellectual dimensions (the four-fold personality development) for the build of a harmonious total personality; and 2. Civic sense, national awareness, service zeal and spiritual urge (the four-fold consciousness) in our students. It is towards this goal of man-making and nation building that we should orient our education. If this basic direction is set in our education system, the present decadence of our society will vanish in the future and our Bharat will regain her past glory. The syllabus should be so formulated that total personality and social Consciousness are promoted effectively. Yoga, the ancient science of India is a conscious process for gaining mastery over the mind and thereby grow faster from the animal level to become normal human beings and reach heights of greatness, super-human levels and ultimately attain divinity or perfection itself. This conscious process of gaining mastery helps us to manifest the innate potentialities dormant in all of us and blossom us with the four-fold personality development mentioned above. Yoga harmonizes our growth and through balance helps in total development. Such growth brings divine qualities like love, affection, sacrifice, service, etc. which are at the base of the four-fold consciousness. In this sense, Yoga is a science of holistic living and synonymous with basic or real education. Hence, Yoga is being introduced and promoted in the educational system. Yoga has also become the fashion of the day. Millions all over the world have taken to Yoga practices. Thanks to our Hon’ble Prime minister, the induction of International Day for Yoga on June 21st has brought billions of people to India and all over the world. Gradually the understanding of Yoga is getting deepened. Yoga as a science of holistic living featured by peace and poise, health and happiness, energy conservation, and efficiency is being recognized by larger and larger sections of the society rather than as physical acrobatics if not as a rope trick. Yoga with its usefulness to the modern man to relieve his stresses and tensions, to the patients in preventive, treatment, rehabilitation and promotion of positive health, to the professionals in increasing their skills and improve the quality of life, etc. in attracting people from all sections of the society. Further, its sound basis in Upanishads offers a fundamental understanding of human misery in general and hence a direction towards greater and greater bliss. Based on this wisdom, a holistic value system is offered by Yoga; this, used in society, can build ideal social orders. It appears that we are heading from the era of science and technology to an age of Yoga and Spirituality. YOGA should be started right from school education. Systematic introduction of Yoga Techniques, the right way, can certainly go a long way in reconstructing the lost value system in our society which has been the prime cause for the decadence. This needs systematic development of syllabi, their scientific assessments to establish their usefulness to students at different levels which also help in improving the right techniques and by eliminating the wrong ones. Vivekananda Kendra has been involved in this process from 1975 itself of man-making and nation building education. The Yoga wing has developed Yoga courses towards such a goal and the Yoga Research Foundation has started the assessment programs. Many primary schools in India have started using our syllabus which has been developed for the all-around personality development of students. The New Education Policy coming into force in India should include these missing dimensions in our education system which will be the greatest contribution of India to the entire world. Dr H R Nagendra