Yoga Theses by PhD students
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Yoga Theses by Yoga PhD Students at SVYASA. These pages present some efforts at Scientific Validation of Yoga. You may receive full text of available yoga research papers
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Item Yoga for psycho-spiritual well-being of French professionals(S-VYASA, 2025-01-16) Pascal Papillon; Dr. Rajesh S. K.INTRODUCTION The mental and psychological health of French professionals is a concern, with high rates of conditions such as anxiety, depression, burnout, and stress. While yoga has been shown to have positive effects on physical, mental, and spiritual health, there is a lack of research on its effects specifically among French professionals. Due to cultural differences, it is important to investigate the potential benefits of yoga for this population and develop culturally-appropriate interventions. LITERARY REVIEW The aim of this literature review study was to evaluate the existing scientific literature on Karma Yoga, with a focus on understanding its potential benefits for promoting human excellence. The review of literature suggests that the application of Karma Yoga can be applied in a variety of settings to promote human excellence, including in the areas of business and work, transformational leadership, moral development, and spirituality. Further, literature review study found that spiritual well-being, mindfulness, emotion regulation, stress, and happiness are closely related and can be affected by various factors such as work-life balance, work demands and personal factors. The research suggests that interventions that focus on holistic well-being, including spiritual well-being, mindfulness, emotion regulation, stress, and happiness may be more effective in promoting overall well-being among professionals. AIMS The three studies aimed to provide a comprehensive examination of the relationship between spiritual health and psychological well-being, the presumption of cross-cultural similarity, and the effectiveness of a yoga-based intervention on these factors. The purpose of first study was to investigate the correlation between spiritual well-being, mindfulness, and emotion regulation among a group of young emerging French professionals. Additionally, the second study aimed to compare and contrast the mindfulness, job satisfaction, and happiness levels, as well as the significance of spirituality and religion, among Indian and French professionals. Furthermore, the third study aimed to assess the impact of yoga-based interventions on the psycho-spiritual well-being of French professionals for a period of 8 weeks, with a subsequent evaluation one month later. METHODS SUBJECTS AND DESIGN The first study used an online cross-sectional survey design to observe the relationship between spiritual health and psychological well-being among a sample of 421 participants recruited from universities in Strasbourg, France. The age range of participants in this study was 18 to 28 years with a mean age of 20.77 years (SD=2.22). The second study used a similar design to test the presumption of cross-cultural similarity among a sample of 214 IT professionals from France and India. The sample from France had a mean age of 42.36 years (SD=10.46 years) and the sample from India had a mean age of 38.25 years (SD=8.68 years).The third study used a two group pre/post-intervention design to examine the effectiveness of a yoga-based intervention on spiritual health and psychological well-being among a sample of 67 participants, with 33 in the yoga group and 34 in the control group. The mean age of the control group was 47.8 (9.5) and the mean age of the yoga group was 50.3 (7.2). ASSESSMENT TOOLS The study utilized measures to evaluate the emotional regulation, mindfulness, spiritual well being, stress, happiness, satisfaction at work and importance of spirituality/religion among professionals. The measures that were used in the study were: The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, The Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI), The Spiritual Well-being Questionnaire (SWBQ), The Perceived Stress Scale, The Subjective Fluctuating Happiness Scale, The Subjective Authentic-Durable Happiness Scale, in addition to assessments of satisfaction at work and the importance of spirituality/religion. DATA EXTRACION AND ANALYSIS All statistical analyses were performed using the statistical package JASP and R Software. Pearson correlations were used to examine the association between the variables of interest. Multiple regression was run to predict the outcome variables based on the predictor variables. The independent samples t-test was used to compare differences between groups and two-way mixed ANOVA was used to analyze the interaction effects between the independent variables. RESULTS The results of three different studies can be summarized as: The first study results indicate that there is a strong positive correlation between self-reported spiritual health and mindfulness. Additionally, the results show a significant association between spiritual health and emotional processes. Moreover, the study found that spiritual dissonance is negatively related to spiritual health and mindfulness. The findings of second study revealed that there were no significant differences in levels of mindfulness, satisfaction at work, fluctuating happiness and authentic-durable happiness between Indian and French IT professionals. Furthermore, the study found that there was a similar pattern of intercorrelations between these variables among the two groups, which could be seen as an indication of cross-cultural agreement. However, the study also found that Indian IT professionals had higher levels of importance placed on religion and spirituality when compared to French IT professionals. The results of the third study suggest that after an 8-week yoga-based training intervention, French professionals experienced a significant reduction in stress levels, an improvement in emotion regulation(reappraisal domain), an increase in mindfulness, an enhancement in spiritual well-being, and an improvement in authentic-durable happiness. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, the first study suggests that various aspects of spirituality can positively impact the well-being of emerging professionals. The second study emphasizes the need to take into account cross-cultural factors when studying well-being in the workplace, particularly in terms of the significance placed on religion and spirituality. The third study presents evidence for the efficacy of yoga in enhancing psycho-spiritual well-being among French professionals, but additional research is necessary to fully understand the underlying mechanisms and to evaluate other potential methods of measuring well-being.Item Psychophysiological changes associated with trataka (Yogic visual concentration)(SVYASA, 2022-11-20) Swathi P. S.; Raghavendra Bhat; Apar Avinash SaojiTräöaka (Yogic Visual Concentration) is one of the six cleansing techniques (Ñaöakarma) explained in Haöha yoga pradépikä. Träöaka means gazing continuously at a small point until tears are shed. This point of concentration activates the inner potential and can absorb the mind. Bahiranga träöaka (external concentrated gazing) is gazing at a candle flame or any other external objects, and antaranga träöaka (internal concentrated gazing) is focusing on the inner visualization of the object (Muktibodhananda, 1999). The practice of träöaka is considered an essential part of Ñaöakarma. Literature suggests that träöaka has many benefits, but there is a lack of clear understanding of the effects of träöaka scientifically. A study assessed the immediate effect of träöaka on critical flicker fusion (CFF) in thirty healthy volunteers. A significant increase in CFF immediately after träöaka sessions indicated better visual perception (Mallick & Kulkarni, 2010). In another study, the effect of träöaka on cognitive functions in the elderly population was assessed. Results showed significant improvements in cognitive functions such as Digit Span Test, Six Letter Cancellation Test, and Trail Making Test-B compared to the control group (Jagannathan et al., 2014). Another study demonstrated better performance on the Stroop colour-word test following träöaka compared to a control session. The research suggests träöaka technique increases selective attention, cognitive flexibility, and response inhibition (Raghavendra & Singh, 2016). Changes in heart rate variability and breath rate were assessed in 30 healthy vii volunteers (Raghavendra & Ramamurthy, 2014). There was a significant reduction in breath rate and an increase in the high-frequency component of HRV after the immediate practice of träöaka, indicating a trend of relaxation and parasympathetic activity. The above mentioned study looked at only frequency domain components of HRV, hence, in this study, we have investigated the time domain, nonlinear components, and association with the psychological task. Thus, the current study was proposed to understand the effects of träöaka on pre, during, and post-intervention. AIM AND OBJECTIVES: The present study was proposed to understand the psychophysiological changes associated with träöaka in healthy volunteers. The objectives of the study were to investigate the effects of träöaka and eye exercise on i) Autonomic functions viz. Heart rate variability, Heart rate, Respiratory rate, Skin Conductance, and Simple Visual Reaction Time task (SVRT), ii) Psychological well-being and visual strain, iii) Visuospatial short-term working memory through Corsi block tapping task (CBTT). METHODS Participants: For the Autonomic function and SVRT task, a total of thirty volunteers, for Visual strain and psychological well-being, a total of one hundred and six volunteers, and for CBTT, a total no of forty-one volunteers of both genders with ages ranging from 18 to 30 years participated in the study. They were students of a Yoga University in South India. They had the minimum experience of Yoga practice for six months. Design viii We adapted the self as control trial to assess the autonomic changes and visual reaction time, wherein each participant was assessed twice during experimental and control sessions. The assessments for Autonomic changes were done for the duration of 5 min before, 20 min for during the session, and immediately after the practice of träöaka or control session. For Simple Visual reaction time, the assessments were done for the duration of 5 min before and immediately after the practice of träöaka or control sessions. For the assessment of the performance of Corsi block tapping task, a repeated measures design was adapted. Each participant was assessed thrice, at baseline, following the practice of träöaka and control sessions. We adopted a randomized controlled trial to assess visual strain and psychological well-being, and questionnaires were administered at baseline and at the end of two weeks. Assessments: i. Electrocardiogram (ECG) and respiration were recorded using a 16-channel human physiology system (Power lab 16/35. A.D. Instruments, Australia) ii. Visual Fatigue Scale (VFS), Visual symptoms checklist (VSC), Mind-wandering questionnaire (MWQ), and State mindfulness attention awareness scale (SMAAS) were administered. iii. SVRT task and CBTT were presented using the Inquisit Millisecond software package 4.0 (Millisecond Software, LLC, Seattle, USA) Intervention: The träöaka module consists of 2 distinct stages, which were administered for 20 min. As a preparatory stage of träöaka, eye exercises were performed. The eye exercises were done with eyes open in a well-lit room. The second stage was the practice of träöaka itself. The ix participants were asked to fix their gaze on the candle's flame for about 2 to 3 minutes without blinking their eyes. This process was repeated for three rounds (simple focusing, intense & deep focusing for 5 min each), and practice was ended in silence with the prayer. The second stage consisted of about 15 minutes. During the control session, subjects practiced only eye exercises for 10 minutes, and for the next 10 minutes, they sat quietly with their eyes closed without doing any concentration or meditation exercise. RESULTS: i. Autonomic Functions & Simple visual reaction time task: Enhanced heart rate variability was observed during and following träöaka, indicative of possible parasympathetic activity in the autonomic activity. There was also a reduction noted in Respiratory rate, Skin Conductance, and SVRT task. ii. Visual Strain & Psychological well-being: There was a significant reduction in VFS and VSC scores, MWQ, along with an increase in SMAAS scores in the träöaka group after two weeks of intervention. iii. Performance in Corsi Block Tapping Task: The results demonstrate an enhanced working memory, spatial memory, and spatial attention following the practice of Träöaka in the Cosri Block Tapping Task. CONCLUSION: The practice of träöaka was found to reduce visual strain and mind wandering while improving state mindfulness. The träöaka (yogic visual concentration) leads to increased vagal tone and reduced sympathetic arousal along with reduction observed in SVRT Task. x Also, träöaka enhanced working and spatial memory in the CBTT. The results indicate the practice of träöaka to be safe in healthy volunteers. NEED OF THE STUDY: There is a paucity of scientific studies about the effects of träöakaon autonomic and cognitive functions and visual strain and psychological functions. All these domains could be potentially influenced positively through the practice of träöaka. Thus, we undertook studies to evaluate the effect of träöaka to understand autonomic changes during the träöaka and on Visual Reaction Time; performance in CBTT (for working and spatial memory) and to evaluate the effect of träöaka on the visual strain and promoting psychological well-being.Item YOGA BIOMECHANICS IN FACILITATING MUSCULAR FUNCTIONING AND MINDFULNESS AMONG ASYMPTOMATIC MALE CRICKET PLAYERS(SVYASA, 2021-09-23) MANASA R. RAO; RAVI KUMAR ITAGI; T. M. SRINIVASANBACKGROUND: Cricket is one of the prominent global team sports. It has undergone tremendous changes in the last two decades. With an emergence of Twenty20 tournaments, the physical preparation of elite cricket players has become complex with high match injury incidence. Premier league designs have also exposed the players to immense aggression, competitiveness and expectations. Yoga as a mind-body training is associated with having positive effects on a person's physical and psychological conditions, bringing better mind-body equilibrium. AIM AND OBJECTIVES: Evaluating the impact of yoga in facilitating muscular functioning and mindfulness among asymptomatic male cricket players. METHODS: Participants - First-class domestic male cricket players from Karnataka State Cricket Association in the age group of 18-35 years were randomized into yoga group n=42 and wait-list control group n=40. Design - Longitudinal randomized controlled trial. Assessments - Primary outcome measures of muscular functioning were core stability, flexibility, range of motion, static balance, dynamic balance and proprioception of the ankle. Five-facet mindfulness questionnaire was used to assess mindfulness. Intervention - Players received the yoga module for five days per week for a duration of six weeks. Assessments were held at baseline, immediate post-intervention, and a follow-up after six months of intervention. RESULTS: Group differences in the change in parameters over time was modelled using linear mixed-effects regression method. Comparison of model fit indicates a highly significant (p<0.001) difference between the model as compared to the baseline model among most of the variables under muscular functioning. Among the five facets of the mindfulness questionnaire, comparison of the model fit indicates a significant (p<0.001) difference between the model as compared to the baseline model. There was no significant effect (p>0.001) at either time or group, however, there was a significant interaction effect at T2 (immediate post-intervention) among all the five facets. No significant interaction effect (group*time interaction) was found in the follow-up study. CONCLUSION: Integrating this yoga module into the competitive world of cricket appears to be appropriate for enhancing muscular functioning and maintaining a state of mindfulness among male cricket players. Continuous practice can reinforce sustainable benefits for male cricket players.Item Effect of Anapanasati meditation on anxiety, verbal aggression and depression - A randomized controlled trial(SVYASA, 2021-01) B. Sivaramappa; Sudheer Deshpande; Hongasandra R. NagendraBACKGROUND Modern life, beset with tensions and anxiety, continues to crush people with an increasing number of deaths and deteriorating quality of life. Despite technological growth and enhanced material standards of living, the real quality of living in terms of love, happiness and peace are nowhere in sight. As science and technology are progressing, on one hand, new types of diseases are erupting thus paving the way for deteriorating quality of life. The reason for all this is stress, which we observed in the recent past, triggers Anxiety, Depression, Verbal Aggression, etc. The best way to fight stress is Yoga. Yoga and spirituality contain secrets of the structure and laws of the entire universe. Through this wisdom, Yoga offers a unique new way of life to modern man. Yoga which comprises of yogāsanas, breathing techniques (prānāyāma) and meditation is known for its applications in physical fitness and a better quality of life. Yoga is also effective in decreasing anxiety, confusion, tension and depression (Deshpande, Nagendra & Raghuram 2008). Not only therapeutic values but also psychological, spiritual and philosophical values are accessible and achievable through Yogic practices. Many have immensely benefited from these practices. Many scientific studies were done in the recent past to investigate the effect of Yoga and mindful meditation techniques on emotional states such as anxiety and depression. But we found that very few studies in the case of Ānāpānasati Meditation, a mindful breathing technique has been done. Mindful meditation techniques such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) have shown significant improvements in psychological wellbeing. Hence, we took up scientific studies on the effect of Ānāpānasati Meditation also on improving the overall psychological well-being. We had designed the present study to test the effect of Ānāpānasati Meditation on emotions such as anxiety, anger and depression in adults. AIM The study is aimed to investigate the effect of Ānāpānasati Meditation on anxiety, verbal aggression and depression. OBJECTIVES: 1. To investigate the effect of Ānāpānasati Meditation on levels of anxiety as assessed using the scores of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) 2. To investigate the effect of Ānāpānasati Meditation on levels of verbal aggression as assessed using the scores of Verbal Aggressiveness Scale (VAS) 3. To investigate the effect of Ānāpānasati Meditation on levels of depression as assessed using the scores of Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI) METHODS Participants: The subjects were recruited from a stream of visitors to Pyramid Valley International, Bangalore, and Pyramid Spiritual Science Academy, Bengaluru. A total of 140 subjects were recruited for the study. Inclusion Criteria: Both males and females in the age group of 20 to 65 years were included in the study. Exclusion Criteria: People with diabetes, cancer and hypertension were excluded from the study on self-report by the participants. Since the study period was 6 months, only chronic diseases were excluded. Design: This is a Randomized Controlled Study (RCT) and participants were recruited from Pyramid Valley International, Bengaluru and Pyramid Spiritual Science Academy, Bengaluru. We limited the sample size to 140 participants based on previous studies that had a demonstrated effect size of 0.4; with the power set to 0.8 with a 5% level of significance. GPower was used for sample size computation. Initially, 140 participants consented to participate in the study, but at the end of the screening, 10 participants withdrew as they were not interested. Ultimately, 130 participants were considered. We divided the participants randomly into experimental and control groups consisting of 65 participants each. We assigned Identification numbers (ID) to participants and picked up the assigned IDs from the set of IDs and allocated them to both the groups in such a way that the experimental group got the first ID and the control group got the next ID. We repeated the procedure till all the IDs got over. We informed the participants about their group through a sealed envelope. We did not disclose the identities of the participants of both groups i.e., participants in the experimental group did not know the participants of the control group. Similarly, participants in the control group did not know the participants of the experimental group. We used the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), a self-report questionnaire as the scale to study the effect of the intervention on anxiety. STAI consists of two parts, state anxiety and trait anxiety, each consisting of 20 questions which take values from 1 to 4. The present endeavour considered the state anxiety part (STAI-S) of the questionnaire for a study, which indicates the current state of anxiety in a specific situation when compared to trait anxiety which is a general tendency of the individual. We used the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale developed by Infante and Wigley (A. Infante & Wigley, 1986) to study the effect of Ānāpānasati Meditation on verbal aggression. It contains 20 items scored on a 5-point linear rating format with reverse scoring in 10 out of 20 items. We used the Beck Depression Inventory-II (Beck, 1966, 1996) as the scale for measuring the effectiveness of intervention of depression. On this scale, we have 21 items for a scoring record. We ensured that the experimental group members were given instructions by experts in respect of Ānāpānasati Meditation’. They continued the practice of ‘Ānāpānasati’ for one hour a day for the duration of the experiment. The control group on the other hand continued their routine work with no Ānāpānasati Meditation. Assessments: We ensured the tests by examiners before and after six months of Ānāpānasati Meditation in a room devoid of any disturbance or distractions. The invigilators coded and segregated the completed questionnaire cum response sheets for scoring after the study. A person not involved in the group formation evaluated the coded response sheets. A person not involved in the present study decoded the response sheets after noting the scores prior and post-administration to the respondents and the data were later prepared. Intervention: We administered Ānāpānasati Meditation as an intervention for the experimental group for six months. In this practice, we used breathing as the object of concentration. Breathing is not a physical object that arouses a distraction in the minds. It is a quiet, natural, unfluctuating and effortless process. We administered meditation in easy steps. The practice was simply to sit comfortably in any posture convenient to them and to clasp their hands together. They are to be mindful of breathing in and breathing out for one hour in one go every day. We advised them to restart if they happened to be unmindful of breathing during the practice of this technique. Mindful breathing facilitates experiencing knowledge besides awareness and joy. Clear comprehension is the outcome. The demonstration of the meditation technique included the steps mentioned below. 1. To sit comfortably 2. To cross the legs (when we sit on a chair or a sofa) 3. To keep the hands together–one palm on another 4. To silence the mouth 5. To sit erect 6. To close both the eyes and 7. To observe breathing in and out while in this posture (This practice is a mere observation of breathing in and breathing out by the consciousness [mind] with closed eyes. This procedure is mindful breathing). Monthly Verification Program: We ensured monthly verification of the intervention practice through the well-experienced supervisors. These supervisors have been in close contact with the participants to assist in the practice. The participants attended meditation classes once a week regularly in our designated meditation center for the duration of the intervention. We appended the photographs of the meditation center in the Pyramid Valley. The details of the participants are in the appendix. Data Extraction: We employed the prescribed questionnaires for the collection of data. Experienced meditator supervisors have undertaken the assignment. We carried out the scoring of the questionnaires as per the instructions in the manual. Data Analysis: We analysed the Data using the repeated measures ANOVA test. SPSS version 10.0 was used for the data analysis. Results A total of 140 participants enrolled, 130 were considered for randomization, as 10 participants were not interested in the study. Hence, there were 130 participants for the randomization. At the end of the randomization, 65 participants each were allotted to both experimental and control groups. In the follow-up, we lost 6 participants from the experimental group and 5 participants from the control group and a total of 119 participants have completed the six-month intervention successfully consisting of 59 participants in the experimental group and 60 participants in the control group. At the end of the six-month intervention, we analyzed the final BDI, STAI and VAS scores of all 119 participants from both groups. The results of all three studies are as follows: 1. Anxiety: We have analyzed the STAI scores before and after Ānāpānasati Meditation for both the experimental and control groups, using repeated-measures ANOVA. The experimental group has shown a significant reduction in STAI (p< 0.05) score after the intervention, whereas in the control group the reduction in STAI score was not significant. A comparison of the results shows that there was a decline of anxiety in the experimental group from 47.61 ± 7.41 to 44.58 ± 5.08 whereas there is an increase in anxiety level 50.55 ± 4.25 to 52.02 ± 4.41 in the control group. 2. Verbal Aggression: We took up and analyzed the VAS scores before and after Ānāpānasati Meditation for both the experimental and control groups using repeated-measures ANOVA. The experimental group has shown a significant reduction (p< 0.05) in the VAS score (66.53 ± 6.93 to 46.97 ± 6.79) after the intervention, whereas that was not a significant decrease (p = 0.19) in the control group in VAS scores (66.73 ± 12.15 to 64.97 ± 13.16). 3. Depression: We analyzed the BDI scores collected before and after Ānāpānasati Meditation for both the experimental and control groups using repeated-measures ANOVA. The experimental group showed a significant reduction (p< 0.05) in the BDI score (25.78 ± 9.32 to 4.02 ± 5.33) whereas the BDI score (15.33 ± 11.43 to 16.60 ± 12.77) in the control group has increased. 4. Conclusion: The results of the study have shown that the practice of Ānāpānasati Meditation has brought significant improvement in reducing the levels of anxiety, depression and verbal aggressiveness. There was a decline in anxiety levels from pre-score 47.61 ± 7.41 to post-score 44.58 ± 5.08 in the experimental group. In verbal aggression, comparative figures of pre and post-intervention show a decline from 66.53 ± 6.93 & 46.97 ± 6.79. There was also a decline of depression in the experimental group from 25.78 ± 9.32 to 4.02 ± 5.33. This study has revealed that Ānāpānasati Meditation had been effective in decreasing levels of anxiety, depression and verbal aggression as per their VAS, STAI and BDI scores after six months of intervention. The subjects who practiced Ānāpānasati Meditation showed a dip when compared to the control group who did not practice Meditation. As this is simple and easy to practice, we recommend the same for regular exercise to reduce their stress, anxiety and consequent depression levels and feel more energetic and positive in one’s approach. Keywords – Ānāpānasati Meditation, Mindfulness, Verbal Aggressiveness Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Scale, Beck Depression Inventory ScaleItem Efficacy of canons of expression and yoga on the emotion regulation among the caregivers of children with neurodevelopment disorders A randomized study(SVYASA, 2021-01) Jayashree Ravi Hegde; M. K. Sridhar; T. M. Srinivasan; Karuna Vijayendra; Deepeshwar SinghBACKGROUND: Emotion dysregulation is associated with the subjective burden of caregivers (CGs) of children with neurodevelopment disorders (NDDs) that lead the caregivers to high subjective burden, stress, depression, anxiety, and reduced caregivers’ appraisal, and quality of life. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the efficacy of holistic approach of canons of expression (CE) embedded in Indian aesthetic dance (IAD) and yoga on the psychological outcomes and electrophonic imaging among CGs of children with NDDs compared to control group. METHODS: Participants: A total of 101 CGs of children with NDDs (males= 2; and female= 99) were recruited from three Centers, age ranging from 21-65 were randomly allocated to three groups, i.e., (i) IAD group (n=33, mean age 41.71 ± 9.11 years) (ii) yoga group (n=34, mean age 41.03 ± 9.09 years), and (iii) control group (n=34, mean age 41.56 ± 9.09 years). Design: Three groups (CE, yoga and control) ; pre-mid-post assessment with randomized control trial. Assessments: The outcome assessments consisted of primary outcomes: (i) Zarit Burden Inventory (ZBI), (ii) Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), and Secondary outcome measure (i) Revised Caregivers Appraisal Scale (RCAS), (ii) World Health Organization’s Quality of Life (WHOQOL BREF) scale were measured at baseline, 4th week and 8th week and (iii) Bio-Energy components through Electro photonic image (EPI) technique were measured for immediate effect at pre- and post sessions. Intervention: One experimental group received the intervention of canons of expression, and another group with yoga intervention scheduled for 75-min/day (3-days/week) spread across two months. In contrast, the control group was engaged in regular activities. Results: The IAD and yoga groups showed a significant reduction in scores of ZBS (P<0.001), DASS 21 (P<0.001), and improvement in the RCAS (P<0.001) and WHOQOL (BREF) (P<0.001). Even the EPI parameters showed a significant improvement concerning immediate effect (P<0.001) in intervention groups compared to control group and pre assessment. Conclusion: Two months of comprehensive IAD and yoga program is more effective than non-intervention on the psychological outcome and electrophonic imaging among the CGs of children with NDDsItem 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. IlavarasuBACKGROUND 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.Item YOGA AND DIABETES: A MULTI-CENTRIC RESEARCH STUDY(SVYASA, 2021-01) Venkatrao, Muralidhar; Nagendra, H. R.; Nagarathna, RaghuramType 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a highly prevalent public health problem and a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in India. With over 77 million individuals diagnosed with T2DM, the burden of this disease is already huge. But there are two additional dimensions which make the potential public health burden of T2DM even greater: (a) studies indicate that about a third of the cases of diabetes remain undiagnosed and (b) the risk of progression from prediabetes to diabetes, and the pace of this progression, are both much higher among Indians as compared to other populations. Thus, there is urgent need to quantify the scale of the problem – that is, to get a robust estimate of the prevalence of diabetes – so that proper public policy can be shaped. Equally important is to implement preventative protocols for individuals at high-risk of progressing to diabetes. Aiming for prevention at prediabetes stage (which is the stage of increased diabetes risk) may be too late for the Indian population, given the much quicker progression to diabetes from this stage. It is more efficacious to aim preventative protocols at an earlier stage, before prediabetes. This points to the need for a simple, widely implementable, multi-variate risk score for identifying high-risk individuals, potentially even before the stage of prediabetes. The Indian Diabetes Risk Score (IDRS), which is widely used in India, needs to be validated at a nationwide level, and potentially improved to consider better measures of obesity. Once an individual is deemed to be in the high-risk category, there exist several preventative interventions including (but not limited to) Metformin therapy, increased physical activity, and dietary control. Another intervention is the ancient technique of Yoga. In ancient Yoga texts, repeated mention is made of the efficacy of Yogic practices to benefit diabetes risk factors such as reducing obesity, mitigating effects of chronic stress, fostering an active lifestyle and encouraging better dietary choices. This is especially the case with the practices of Haöha Yoga, including techniques that have made Yoga famous the world over: äsana (physical postures), ñaö-karma (purification practices), präìäyäma (breathing exercises), etc. A thorough examination of Haöha Yoga Pradépika reveals that these techniques reduce β cell dysfunction and increase insulin sensitivity via multiple pathways, thereby bringing about diabetes risk reduction and glycemic control. Existing scientific studies provide a preponderance of evidence to back the claims of Yogic texts. Specifically, we find studies reporting that (a) Yoga is effective in mitigating diabetes risk factors such as obesity and stress (b) Yoga effects glycemic control in individuals with diabetes and (c) the mind-body integrative aspect of Yoga fosters behavioral modifications that help one sustain better nutritional habits and a more active lifestyle. These findings hint strongly that a Yoga-based Lifestyle Protocol (YLP) can be a very effective adjunct to both prevention of diabetes and for glycemic control among individuals with diabetes. While YLP has been studied in smaller cohorts and/or in controlled circumstances where it is easier to ensure adherence to the protocol, it has not yet been studied in a large community setting to determine whether it has the necessary characteristics of simplicity, accessibility, and inexpensiveness so that it can be applied as a mitigation to a public health problem (diabetes risk reduction and glycemic control). AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The present study seeks to analyze data from Niyantrita Madhumeha Bharata Abhiyaan 2017 (Diabetes Free India Study 2017, hereinafter simply NMB-2017) to (a) improve the screening characteristics of the Indian Diabetes Risk Score (IDRS) by incorporating a better anthropometric measure of obesity, so that it can be used in the field to identify individuals who have a high risk of developing diabetes (b) test the potency of yoga-based lifestyle protocol (YLP) against diabetes risk reduction among high-risk individuals who are not yet in the prediabetes stage, in a large community setting and (c) test the efficacy of yoga as an adjunct to standard care for glycemic control among individuals with diabetes. METHODS PARTICIPANTS This study included three separate analyses: (a) Using a better measure of obesity to increase specificity of IDRS Using data from a nationwide randomized cluster sample survey (NMB-2017 Phase 2), 7496 adults at high risk for type 2 diabetes (as determined by IDRS ≥ 60) were analyzed. Waist Circumference (WC), Body Mass Index (BMI), and a composite obesity measure combining the two (BMIWC) were evaluated using Odds Ratio (OR), and Classification scores (Sensitivity, Specificity, and Accuracy). These were validated using Indian Diabetes Risk Score (IDRS) by replacing WC with BMI and BMIWC, and calculating Sensitivity, Specificity, and Accuracy. (b) YLP for diabetes risk reduction In a cluster randomized trial (NMB-2017 Phase 2) in 80 clusters from India, participants with normal HbA1c (< 5.7%) but screened for diabetes risk (IDRS ≥60) were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to intervention and control groups, n=2316:2134, respectively. The primary outcome was conversion from normoglycemia to diabetes. Absolute and Relative risk reductions were estimated based on marginal probabilities. (c) YLP for glycemic control In a cluster randomized trial (NMB-2017 Phase 2) in 80 clusters from India, participants with prior diagnosis of diabetes and/or HbA1c levels in diabetes range (≥ 6.5%) were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to intervention and control groups, n=1820:1572, respectively. Mean HbA1c reduction was calculated for each group, and independent samples t-test was used to test significance. Heterogeneity of treatment effects were calculated for subgroups with fair and poor glycemic control. DESIGN NMB-2017 was a pan-national, two-phased study. Phase 1 was a nationwide cross sectional survey using a multi-level stratified cluster sampling technique with random selection among urban and rural populations, with the objective of collecting data on diabetes status and diabetes risk. Phase 2 was a sub-sample of phase-1 participants who were deemed high-risk (as determined by IDRS ≥ 60) or had a previous diagnosis of diabetes. Phase 2 participants went through further assessments in the form of blood tests and more detailed questionnaire. ASSESSMENTS i. Anthropometric measures (ordinal): Height (in cm), Weight (in kg), and Waist Circumference (in cm) ii. Derived measures (ordinal): BMI [Weight(in kg)/Height(in m)2 ] iii. Blood HbA1c levels (in DCCT %) (Ordinal) iv. Via questionnaire (Categorical): Age, Family history of Diabetes, and levels of physical activity. Note: The questionnaire collected more information than detailed here (see Appendix 5), but they were not used in this analysis. INTERVENTION Intervention included practice of yoga-based lifestyle modification protocol (YLP) for 9 consecutive days, followed by daily home and weekly supervised practices for 3 months. In the diabetes risk reduction study, the control-cluster received standard of care advice for diabetes prevention. In the glycemic control study, the control-cluster received standard care for T2DM. RESULTS Study 1 BMIWC had higher OR (2·300) compared to WC (1·87) and BMI (2·26). WC, BMI, and BMIWC were all highly Sensitive (0·75, 0·81, 0·70 resp.). But BMIWC had significantly higher Specificity (0.36) when compared to WC and BMI (0.27 each). IDRSWC, IDRSBMI, and IDRSBMIWC were all highly Sensitive (0·87, 0·88, 0·82 resp.). But IDRSBMIWC had significantly higher Specificity (0·39) compared to IDRSWC and IDRSBMI (0·30, 0·31 resp.). Study 2 Among individuals at high risk for diabetes (as determined by IDRS ≥ 60) but with normal glycemic levels at baseline, the YLP was found to be significantly effective in halting progression to diabetes as compared to standard of care (RRR 68.64%, 95% CI 64.73 – 73.48). Study 3 Among individuals with diabetes, YLP showed a significantly greater reduction in HbA1c levels (µ=1.31, σ=1.40) compared to control arm (µ=0.45, σ=0.55); t(∞) = 22.68, p < 0.001. This effect was even more pronounced in individuals with poor glycemic control at baseline, with the difference in mean reduction of HbA1c levels between yoga and control being significantly higher (µ=1.61, σ=1.29) compared to individuals with fair glycemic control at baseline (µ=0.35, σ=0.83); t(∞) = 15.73, p < 0.001. COLCULSIONS Both WC and BMI are good predictors of risk for T2DM, but BMIWC is a better predictor, with higher Specificity; this may indicate that Indians with high values of both central (high WC)and general (BMI> 23) obesity carry higher risk for type 2 diabetes than either one in isolation. Using BMIWC in IDRS improves its performance on Accuracy and Specificity. Substantive influence of yoga-based lifestyle intervention was observed against diabetes risk reduction on the high-risk Indian cohort. Among individuals with diabetes, YLP reduced glycemic levels, with the effect being more significant in people who had poor glycemic control to begin with. This might indicate that YLP can be very valuable clinically as an adjunct to standard treatment for individuals whose serum glucose levels are not responsive to standard care. Overall, our findings point to the efficacy of YLP as an effective strategy to combat the epidemic of diabetes from both preventative and treatment perspectives.Item Efficacy of yoga on molecular and systemic homeostasis in type 2 diabetes mellitus: studies on short and long-term yoga practitioners(S-VYASA, 2020-01) Singh, Amit; Tekuru, Padmini; H. R., NagendraBackground: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a highly prevalent public health problem newlinefor significant cause of morbidity and mortality across the globe, characterized by disruption newlinein glucose homeostasis, systemic homeostasis, inflammation and genetic expressions. Yoga is newlinea mind body medicine shown to have several health benefiting effects. There is lack evidence newlinefor efficacy of Yoga in improving systemic homeostasis and molecular level in patients with newlineT2DM. newlineObjectives: Present study is intended to assess efficacy of Yoga on glucose homeostasis newlinethrough short-term Yoga intervention and multi-centric randomized controlled study and newlineassessed the role of Yoga in improving systemic homeostasis and epigenetic modification newlinethrough a cross-sectional study. newlineMethods: This study included three different studies 1) Multi-centric study on 251 T2DM newlinepatients who were randomized into a Yoga group (n=137) and a control group (n=114). newlineParticipants in the Yoga group received 3-month Yoga intervention and control group newlinefollowed daily routine. Fasting blood glucose and postprandial blood glucose were assessed newlineat the baseline and after 3-month, 2) A retrospective study assessed the impact of 2-weeks newlineresidential Yoga program on FBS and PPBS on 568 patients with T2DM, FBS and PPBS newlinewere assessed at the baseline and after 15 day, 3) Long term impact of Yoga on a molecular newlinelevel, inflammation, systemic homeostasis was measured on 22 patients with T2DM who newlinewere long term Yoga practitioners and they were compared and matched with group of 22 newlinenon- Yoga patients. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 16. newlineResults: There was a significant decrease in FBS and PPBS in both multi-centric trial and newlineretrospective study. In the long term-cross sectional study Yoga practitioners had a better newlinehomeostasis status compared to non-practitioners. The number of patients in the Yoga group newlinehad better organ functions, positive changes in gene expression and lesser complications newlinewhen compared to T2DM patients of non- Yoga group.Item Effect of add-on yoga therapy to physiotherapy in the management of spinal cord injury patients.(S-VYASA, 2020-01) Madhusmita, Monali; Ebnezar, John; Srinivasan, T. M.; Singh, Deepeshwar; Mohanty, PatitapabanBACKGROUND Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is a leading cause of disability. Varying injury level and severity generate a spectrum of neurological dysfunction and a reduction in long-term Quality of Life (QOL) with a decrease in mobility. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES This study was aimed to evaluate the add-on effect of a Yoga program along with physiotherapy on individuals with paraplegia. METHODS Participants: A total of 124 spinal cord injury (SCI)patients of both genders with age range 18–60 years, having incomplete SCI (AIS)-C and (AIS)-D,and admitted to the rehabilitation center, India, were randomly allocated into two groups, i.e., (i) experimental group -Integrated Yoga and Physiotherapy (IYP) (n=62; age means and SD: 33.97±10.0 years), and (ii) control group - Physiotherapy (PT) (n=62; age mean and SD:32.84 ± 9.5 years). Design: Two groups pre-post randomized controlled clinical trial. Assessments: The outcome assessments consisted of primary outcomes: (i) American Spinal Injury Association Impairment (ASIA) scale, (ii) c-Reactive Protein (CRP), (iii)Spinal Cord Injury Independence Measure (SCIM), and(iv) Medically Based Emotional Distress Scale (MEDS). The secondary outcome measures were: (i) Body Mass Index (BMI), and (ii) Quality of Life Index Spinal Cord Injury - Version III were measured in both groups at the beginning and end of one month. Intervention: The experimental group underwent one-month combined practice of physiotherapy and yoga therapy, in a schedule of 75-min/day (6-days/week), whereas the control group underwent physiotherapy treatment aRESULTS: The IYP group showed a significant reduction in scores of CRP (p˂0.001), SCIM (p˂0.001), MEDS (p˂0.001), and improvement in the quality of life (SCI-QoL Index) (p˂0.001) compared to control group. CONCLUSION: One-month comprehensive Integrated Yoga and Physiotherapy program is more effective than physiotherapy intervention alone, in the management of paraplegia patients.