Neurocognitve and Psychophysiological changes associated with Kumbhaka - Yogic breath holding

Abstract

Präëäyäma is the 4th limb, among the practices of añöängayoga. It has been described in the as cessation of breathing, in the aphorisms of the sage Patanjali (Saraswati, 2011). The practice of präëäyäma involves modulation of breath and includes three phases viz., püraka (inhalation), recaka (exhalation) and kumbhaka (holding of breath) (Nagendra, 2007). The practice of Breath Holding (Kumbhaka) is considered as an essential part of the practice of präëäyäma. Although the effects of the practice of different präëäyäma techniques have been studied, there is lack of clear understanding about the effects of kumbhaka. The traditional texts of yoga emphasize on the practice of intermittent breath holding, however, such practice has sought very limited scientific attention. The proposed multiple health benefits of intermittent yogic breath holding include an increase in hemoglobin by increasing erythropoietin, increase in vascular endothelial growth factor leading to the formation of collaterals, reduction in blood pressure and resistance to cellular damage and thereby delayed ageing (Malshe, 2011). A study demonstrated reduced pulse rate and increased galvanic skin resistance, following alternate nostril breathing (ANB) with intermittent breath holding (Turankar et al., 2013). Another study demonstrated an increase in oxygen consumption while performing Ujjayi Pranayama with breath holding for a short duration. In contrast, lowered oxygen consumption was observed with prolonged breath holding (Telles & Desiraju, 1991). Since the practice of ANB and Ujjayi Pranayama are found to influence the human physiology even without the practice of breath holding (Bhavanani, Ramanathan, Balaji, & Pushpa, 2014; Lee & Ghiya, 2012; Mason et al., 2013), the effects of intermittent breath holding remain unclear. AIM AND OBJECTIVES The present study is proposed to understand the immediate changes in the neurocognitive abilities and cardiac autonomic regulation following yogic breath holding (YBH) in healthy volunteers. The objectives of the study were to investigate the effects following the practice of YBH on i) cardiovascular responses, ii) baroreceptor sensitivity, iii) heart rate variability and iv) performance in Stop Signal Task. METHODS Participants A total of seventy-six volunteers of both genders with their ages ranging from 18 to 30 years participated in the study. They were students of a Yoga University from South India. They had a minimum experience of practice of yoga of 6 months. Design For assessing the cardiovascular and autonomic changes, we adapted self as control design, wherein, each participant was assessed twice, during the experimental and control session. The assessments were done for the duration of 5 min before and immediately after the practice of YBH or control sessions. For the assessment of performance in Stop Signal Task, repeated measures design was adapted. Each participant was assessed thrice; at baseline, following the practice of YBH and control sessions.