Yoga Training Research Articles

Building Mental Health During Post-Delivery Phase Through Yoga Training Package

Building Mental Health During Post-Delivery Phase Through Yoga Training Package

The Effect of a Mindfulness-based Yoga Training Course on the Mental Toughness of Athletes With Different Skill Levels

Background and Aims One of the critical variables affecting sports success is mental toughness, which is the ability to return from failure and imposed pressure. It seems that it is necessary to conduct interventional research on different sports communities and observe the effect of this intervention on different personality dimensions of athletes. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of a mindfulness-based yoga intervention on mental toughness in athletes with varying skill levels. Methods In the present study, 72 student-athletes who were members of sports teams (Mean±SD age: 20.67±1.44 years, Mean±SD sports: history 5.88±3.26 years) were selected based on inclusion criteria, and They were divided into three intervention groups (skilled, semi-skilled and less experienced) and three control groups (skilled, semi-skilled and less experienced). Also, the Persian version of the sports mental toughness questionnaire (SMTQ), Golby and Shird), and the demographic questionnaire was used. First, all pretest participants completed a sports mental toughness questionnaire; then, the intervention group participated in 12 90-minute mindfulness-based yoga training sessions. At the end of the course, all subjects were retested. Athletes’ participation was voluntary, and all subjects signed a consent form to participate in the study. Results The two-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) (skill level×intervention) showed that the main effect of the intervention in the post-test was significant for the stubbornness variable and subscales of stability and control, but the effect of skill level and their interactive effect was not significant. Also, comparing the pretest and post-test pairs for each group, it was observed that the mental toughness of the inexperienced and semi-skilled in the post-test groups significantly improved over the pretest. Conclusion The effect of a mindfulness-based yoga intervention on athletes’ mental toughness and subscales of stability and control was positive. Considering the importance of the athlete’s mental toughness in achieving high levels of competition, it is suggested that coaches use mindfulness-based yoga intervention in athletes with different skill levels to promote this psychological factor.

PENGUATAN PENDIDIKAN KARAKTER HINDU DALAM YOGA UNTUK SISYA PASRAMAN AMERTA SANJIWANI

Abstract
 The purpose of writing the results of this study is to describe the results of yoga training activities in pasraman sisya and practising skills to strengthen the understanding of the essence of Hindu educational values. This research is qualitative with a case study approach to community service activities. The data collection techniques use participants' observation models, interviews and documentation studies, which are analyzed using data triangulate techniques. Based on the results of the data analysis, it was found that sisya was very enthusiastic about studying yoga movements given by the trainers. Besides that, in the process and concept, yoga teachings contain character values. One of them is the religious character and discipline reflected in the moral teachings of the rich tri parisudha, the concept of parhyangan, the teachings of panca Yama brata and panca nyama brata. Community service activities with yoga training and writing the results of this research are expected to provide benefits in the form of resource development of Hindus who have character and can be a reference library for relevant activities in the future.
 Keywords: Hinduism, Character, Pasraman, Yoga

COVID-19 상황에서 실내 여가스포츠 참여자의 여가제약, 여가제약협상, 여가만족 및 행동지속의도의 구조적 관계

The purpose of the present study is to examine the structural relationship between the leisure constraints, leisure constraint negotiations, leisure satisfaction, and behavioral adherence intention of indoor leisure sports participants and thus offer a plan for improving leisure satisfaction and behavioral adherence intention through leisure constraint negotiations on the part of indoor leisure sports participants who are under leisure constraints. To this end, the study selected a population out of participants of indoor leisure sports events specifically badminton, Pilates, yoga, Taekwondo, and weight training during the COVID-19 pandemic. For sampling, the study used convenience sampling out of non-probability sampling methods, and used 224 surveys for the final analysis after distributing 300 surveys and excluding insincere responses, responses with the same answer, and overlapping responses. The SPSS 25.0 version and the AMOS 24.0 version were used to carry out frequency analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, and structural equation model analysis. The research results are as follows. First, out of leisure constraints, intrapersonal constraints appeared to all have a negative(-) impact on leisure constraint negotiations; interpersonal constraints all appeared to have a positive(+) impact; and structural constraints appeared to have a negative(-) impact on money management and no impact on interpersonal relationships, time management, and skill acquisition. Second, out of leisure constraint negotiations, money management appeared to have a negative(-) impact on leisure satisfaction; time management appeared to have a positive(+) impact on leisure satisfaction; and interpersonal relationships and skill acquisition appeared to have no impact on leisure satisfaction. Third, leisure constraint negotiations appeared to have no significant impact on behavioral adherence intention. Fourth, leisure satisfaction appeared to have no impact on behavioral adherence intention.

Problems of health preservation and physical development of students of IT specialties

This paper considers the issue of maintaining the health of students and ensuring the full physical development of IT specialties. Modern scientific research shows that the state of physical and mental health, as well as the level of physical fitness of the population of Ukraine - is an acute problem. It is also determined that today, the health and physical development of students of Ukrainian higher education institutions are unsatisfactory. This is especially true for IT students, whose studies and work are closely linked to being at the computer all the time. Such learning conditions and the corresponding future working conditions provoke the development of an extremely destructive phenomenon in human life - hypodynamics. Insufficient physical activity leads to a number of health disorders. Therefore, it is very important to develop methods for the prevention of those pathologies that occur as a result of insufficient physical activity. This paper examines the features of the impact of hypodynamics on human health, it is indicated which organic and psychological disorders can lead to low levels of physical activity. At the same time, the features of the positive effect of dosed physical activity on the state of mental and physical health of a person have been identified. It is claimed that regular exercise improves the functioning of the body's functional systems and thus strengthens human health. The main features of the systems of yoga, tai chi and judo as training and health disciplines are indicated. The effects of yoga, tai chi, and judo training on students' physical and mental health have been students. In conclusion, it is emphasized that the development of a physical education course based on yoga, taijiquan, or judo to maintain the health and proper physical development of IT students is an important task.

Effectiveness of Body Mechanics Training (BMT) on the Management of Low Back Pain, Functional Disability and Physical Fatigue among Women Working in Health Profession: A Study Protocol

Background: The most prevalent musculoskeletal problem among healthcare workers is low back pain (LBP). It's a type of pain between the costal margins and the inferior gluteal folds, and a painful restriction of movement frequently accompanies it. In high-risk health care professionals such as nurses, the prevalence of LBP is higher (64.07%). Clients with chronic LBP had a high level of functional impairment and weariness.
 Objectives: 1.To evaluate the effectiveness of Body Mechanics Training (BMT) on managing low back pain, functional disability, and physical fatigue among women working in the health profession on the 7th day and at the first, third, and sixth-month interval. 2.To identify the inter-relationship between LBP, functional disability, and physical fatigue.
 Study Design: It is a two-arm trial, interventional hospital-based Study.
 Place and Duration of The Study: This Study will be conducted in selected hospitals of Wardha district, Maharashtra, India. The duration of the Study will be six months.
 Methodology: The participants will be 330 women in the nursing profession with nonspecific chronic LBP aged 21 to 50. With purposive sampling technique, participants will be allocated to 1 of 2 treatment groups: 1) Experimental Group will receive BMT including McKenzie and Yoga exercises, through a licensed physiotherapist and certified yoga trainer. 2) Control Group will receive written instructions regarding body mechanics in a booklet form and follow exercises at home. The experimental group will receive 24 sessions of 60 minutes (6 sessions per week over the first four weeks or a month) and then a supervised session once a week for the next five months. The outcome will be obtained during intervention on the 7th day and after completion at 1, 3, and 6 months. After therapy, the primary outcome will be pain intensity as determined by the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). The secondary outcome, i.e. pain intensity, functional disability (measured with Modified Oswestry LBP Disability Questionnaire), and physical fatigue (measured with Chalder Fatigue Scale), will be measured after treatment.
 Expected Results: LBP, functional disability, and physical fatigue will be reduced.
 Limitations: Only Nursing personnel will be included in this Study.
 Conclusion: This Study's results will contribute to developing BM Training Program for Nursing personnel to manage work-related nonspecific LBP.

Everyday Ritual and Ethnographic Practice: Two Cases Showing the Importance of Embodiment and Reflexivity

Moments of ritual reveal symbolic meanings, reinforce boundaries of the social group, and tie actors to one another. Because rituals are so important to social life, ethnographers must be attuned to both institutionalized and everyday rituals of their sites. However, methodological literature rarely discusses how everyday rituals should be treated during data collection, analysis, or presentation. We use data from two ethnographic sites—a yoga studio and training for health care volunteers—to illustrate the challenges of observing others during rituals and making sense of our own experiences of rituals, especially given varying levels of participation and resistance to rituals. We argue that greater reflexivity, especially of embodied experiences, is needed when studying everyday rituals and provide methodological recommendations for improving ethnographic study.

Motivational coaching augmentation of exercise intervention for early psychotic disorders: A randomised controlled trial

Exercise offers improvement to physical and mental health symptoms as well and cognitive function in patients with psychosis. However, patients with psychosis are often less ready to benefit from exercise intervention because of the difficulties in motivation. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of adjunctive motivational coaching on exercise intervention in women with psychosis in Hong Kong. From a community mental health programme for women, patients with a diagnosis of psychotic disorder (within 5 years of first onset) were randomly allocated to receive 12 30-minute sessions of motivational coaching or psychoeducation in a group format. Both groups additionally received exercise intervention sessions consisting of yoga, stretching and high-intensity interval training. Primary outcome was the total physical activity level measured by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Fifty-seven patients (mean [SD] age, 34.47 [12.44] years) were randomised into motivational coaching (n = 30) or psychoeducation (n = 27) treatment groups. The motivational coaching group had a significantly higher total physical activity level (4601.67 [686.59] vs 2524.82 [723.73] metabolic equivalent task-min/week, r2 = 0.473, p = 0.04) after the intervention and at 6 months post-intervention. Moderate and light physical activity levels were significantly higher in the motivational coaching group after intervention and at 6 months, respectively. Additionally, symptoms of bizarre behaviour were improved in the motivational coaching group at 6 months. Younger, unemployed, unmarried and those with longer durations of untreated psychosis generally showed larger improvements in the motivational coaching group. Motivational coaching may augment the effects of exercise interventions, as reflected by higher physical activity participation. Motivational coaching augmentation has the potential to further improve exercise intervention outcomes.

A SURVEY ON OPPORTUNITY, SCOPE AND POSSIBILITIES OF YOGA INTERVENTION IN MODERN CHINA

<p>The purpose of this study was to find out the scope, facilities and possibilities of Yoga intervention in China. For the purpose of this study, 201 samples i.e. yoga instructors (22); yoga studio owners (7); yoga instructors plus yoga studio owners (8) yoga practitioners (113) yoga lovers (50) and others (1) from various provinces and cities from China were randomly selected. The subjects’ age ranged between 60+ to 90+ years. To find out the scope, facilities and possibilities of Yoga intervention in China, a questionnaire made by “Vivekananda Cultural Communication (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.” based on “Daily Yoga Courses and Training Content in China” were introduced. For statistical analysis and interpretation of data, descriptive statistics of selected variables and descriptive statement analysis method were conducted. Interestingly this study found a very high level of scope, facilities and realistic possibilities of Yoga intervention in China which directly or indirectly might be help to develop yoga industries in China and also can better understand the need and interest of yoga for health and wellbeing among Chines population in new era. </p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0984/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Yoga and Pilates compared to pelvic floor muscle training for urinary incontinence in elderly women: A randomised controlled pilot trial

Backgroundand purpose: There is limited evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) regarding the use of yoga and Pilates for the management of urinary incontinence (UI) in women. This study aims to investigate the preliminary effects of using Pilates and yoga to manage UI. Materials and methodsAn assessor-blinded, prospective, three-arm parallel-group randomised controlled pilot trial was conducted in three elderly care centres in Hong Kong. Thirty women aged 60 years or above were included in the study. Study centres were randomly assigned to each of the three interventions (yoga, Pilates and pelvic floor muscle training [PFMT; standard care control]). Study interventions were provided once a week for four weeks, followed by unsupervised CD-guided home exercises for eight weeks. Outcomes included the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF), 1-h pad test, and feasibility measures such as adherence to the intervention programme, recruitment and retention rates and safety. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, 4 and 12 weeks. Statistical analysis was performed using two-way repeated measures analysis of covariance. ResultsAll three interventions demonstrated a statistically significant effect on ICIQ-SF scores from baseline to weeks 4 and 12. Significant effects in UI were reported for yoga compared with Pilates (mean: −2.93, 95% CI −5.35, −0.51; p = 0.02). ConclusionYoga poses intended to address the pelvic floor and core muscles were found to have superior benefits over Pilates exercises in terms of improved continence measured with the ICIQ-SF.

Is Weekly Frequency of Yoga Practice Sufficient? Physiological Effects of Hatha Yoga Among Healthy Novice Women.

Beneficial physical and physiological health outcomes of yoga practice are well-supported by empirical data. However, whether weekly frequency of training is sufficient to evoke positive changes, is still an open question. The present intervention study investigated the effects of 10 weekly sessions of beginner level hatha yoga with respect to indicators of physical fitness and physiological markers. 82 young women (mean age of 22.0 ± 3.83 years) participated in the study. The yoga group (N = 49) attended a yoga course consisting of 10 sessions (1.5 h each) on a weekly basis. The control group (N = 33) did not receive any intervention. BMI, body fat percentage, balance (one-leg-stand test with open and closed eyes, functional reach test), flexibility (side bend test, modified sit and reach test) core muscle strength (plank test) as well as resting heart rate (HR), and heart rate variability (HRV) were assessed 1 week before and after the course. Both frequentist and Bayesian analysis showed an improvement in flexibility and balance in the yoga group compared to the control group. The yoga group showed also increased core muscle strength. No changes with respect to BMI, body fat percentage, resting HR and HRV were found. Ninety minute beginner level hatha yoga classes were characterized by 93.39 HR and 195 kcal energy consumption on average. The present findings suggest that weekly setting of a 10-session long hatha yoga training leads to improvements in balance, flexibility and core muscle strength among healthy young women. However, for changes in BMI, body fat percentage, resting HR and HRV longer, and/or more intense interventions are needed.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of effect of yoga and meditation on endothelial system

Abstract Background/Introduction Endothelial dysfunction plays an important role in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Studies reported either an improvement in endothelial function by yoga and meditation or no significant effect. A systematic review and meta-analysis of effect of yoga on endothelial function is not available. Purpose The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to determine the effectiveness of yoga and meditation on endothelial function in healthy subjects or patients of any age or gender. Methods Authors performed a systematic search for relevant research studies as per the PRISMA guidelines. The Pubmed, Scopus, Google Scholar and Cochrane controlled register of trials (CENTRAL) were screened from inception to November 2020. The search strategy was constructed around yoga based techniques, meditation and endothelial function. All the yoga-based interventional studies on endothelial function: controlled, uncontrolled, randomized, non-randomized and cross-over were included for this review. A narrative synthesis and descriptive analysis was done due to diverse methodology of all selected studies. We carried out a formal meta-analysis of controlled trials that assessed flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) which is a gold-standard measure of endothelial function.The quality of the studies was assessed using Cochrane risk of bias (RoB) tool. Results A total of 18 studies were included for review involving 1024 participants. Of these, 10 were RCT, one randomized cross-over study, 4 non-randomized studies and three single-group (before-after) studies. The total duration of yoga intervention ranged from 10 days to 52 weeks. Among the 18 selected studies, yoga training showed a significant favorable change in the measures of endothelial function in 12 studies (involving either healthy individuals or patients with coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, migraine and dysmenorrhea) while 6 studies did not find any significant effect. Among the 15 controlled trials, 7 assessed FMD while the remaining evaluated different biomarkers of endothelial function such as circulating endothelial microparticles, asymmetric dimethyl arginine, nitric oxide or endothelin-1. Hence the results of 7 controlled trials assessing FMD were included for meta-analysis (n=384 participants) which showed a significant increase in brachial FMD by yoga practice (Mean difference = −2.02%, 95% CI: −3.72, −0.32, p=0.02). The heterogeneity between the studies was 76% (τ2=3.31, χ2=25.28) (Fig. 1). Conclusions Yoga and meditation can significantly improve endothelial function in healthy individuals and patients with cardiovascular disease or risk factors. Yoga and meditation can be applied clinically as a lifestyle modality for endothelial protection and cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

PENGUATAN MASYARAKAT DALAM UPAYA MENGATASI STRES DAN KECEMASAN PADA MASA PANDEMI COVID 19

The Community Partnership Program activity "Community Strengthening in Efforts to Overcome Stress and Anxiety During the Covid 19 Pandemic Period" carried out at Pandansari Village, Poncokusumo District, Malang Regency is an activity aimed at cadres and community in the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic. The purpose of this activity is to help people deal with stress and anxiety which arise during COVID-19 pandemic so that public health can be optimized. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out and develop the capacity of the community and health cadres in the context of promotive and preventive efforts. Nurse is one of healthcare provider, so the stress management which is given is as holistic as possible, regarding the physical and psychological aspects. The evaluation of knowledge obtained through the pre-test and post-test showed that the average knowledge of the community increased from an average of 55 to an average of 91 and the evaluation for yoga activities could do 6 out of 10 yoga movements. Simple yoga training can be done in the community so that the community's health status can be improved.

Impact of Yoga Intervention on Physical and Mental Health of Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

Objective: The aim of this study was to discuss the components of yoga intervention and experimental design used to assess its effectiveness in diabetes care centers in Chennai. Materials and Methods: An interventional, randomized prospective study design was adopted. The study was conducted over a 6-month period. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, participants were selected from Dr Mohan's Diabetes Specialities Centre. Informed consent was obtained, and participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention or the control group in a 1:1 ratio. Participants in the intervention group underwent yoga training every 2 weeks for up to 3 months. Each yoga session lasted 35 min and included a variety of asanas and pranayama techniques. Participants were also given an audio recording (CD) of the yoga instructions, and they were encouraged to practice yoga at home and advised to keep track of their progress in a dairy provided. Diabetes care was provided to the control group on a routine basis. In addition to biochemical parameters, mental health parameters were also assessed. Independent t-test was performed using SPSS 24.0. Results: A total of 152 participants were screened and randomized with 76 in the intervention arm and 76 in the control arm. There were no challenges in participants recruitment and retention. Data were collected during enrollment, 13 and 26 weeks. At baseline, the intervention arm's mean HbA1c (%) was 8.4 ± 1.1%, whereas in the control arm, it was 8.3 ± 1.1% (P = 0.290), and fasting blood glucose levels were 142± 27 mg/dL in the intervention arm and 141 ± 29 mg/dL in the control arm (P = 0.811). There was no significant difference between groups in terms of lipid profile or mental health parameters at baseline. Conclusion: There is a major lacuna for controlled trials with methodological rigor in yoga intervention; this study may contribute to fill this requirement by systematically elucidating the role of yoga in the management of diabetes and to prevent complications. This study will provide a cost-effective care for people with diabetes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CTRI/2018/04/013169

Teks-Teks Klasik Yoga dan Refleksinya bagi Pengajaran Yoga di Bali

<p><em>The long history of yoga has given birth to a number of important texts that became the source of learning Yoga, at a certain time. Yoga, whose origins are derived from the Rigveda, is a mindful practice of living in which physical and mental training has evolved to become the dominant physical training method in the modern age. A number of classical yoga texts such as Yoga Vasista, Yoga Sutras Patañjali, Goraksasatakam, Gheranda Samhita, Siva Samhita and Hatha Yoga Pradipika have influenced the knowledge and practice of yoga in Bali from the fourth to sixth centuries, before yoga's popularity continued to decline during the colonial period. Yoga is not a new product that has entered the modern era, after the formation of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, but Bali has become a conservationist for the world's yoga baboons. The ancient yoga training center is located on Mount Watukaru, so the yoga tradition is called Ancient Balinese Yoga, the Watukaru Tradition. Although there is no specific mention of the name of the text, a number of the same terminology at the relatively the same era is evidence that the influence of classical yoga texts has reached Bali at that time.</em></p>

Development, validation, and feasibility of a generic yoga-based intervention for Generalized Anxiety Disorder

ContextEvidence suggests that yoga effectively manages anxiety, but techniques are derived from different yoga schools. This paper describes the development, validation, and feasibility of a generic yoga-based intervention in patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). MethodsThe first part of the study consisted of designing a generic yoga module from the traditional and contemporary yogic literature and inputs from ten experienced yoga practitioners. The content was validated using a case-vignette method from 28 yoga experts. These yoga experts rated the usefulness of the practices on a scale of 1–5 (5-extremely useful). The second part consisted of testing the feasibility of this validated generic yoga intervention in an open-label clinical trial in patients with GAD. Two weeks of ten supervised yoga sessions (SYS) were offered by a trained yoga therapist to the recruited participants and subsequently advised for home practice. A weekly booster SYS was also provided for three months after 10SYS. ResultsYoga experts (n = 28) opined that the yoga intervention would be helpful in patients with GAD with minimal modifications. All experts opined that the module was easy to teach, learn and practice. The final yoga module retained 97.7% (42 out of 43) items of the initial module. In the feasibility study, (n = 20) patients were recruited, and fifteen followed-up after one month. All patients were able to learn and practice the final yoga module within ten sessions without any significant adverse effects. The severity of anxiety reduced substantially after the ten days of SYS and this improvement was sustained for the next 4 weeks. ConclusionThe designed generic yoga intervention was validated by yoga experts and found safe and feasible in patients with GAD. Patients obtained significant symptom reductions which need to be confirmed in randomized controlled trials.

The high dose of vitamin D supplementation combined with yoga training improve the leukocytes cell survival-related gene expression in breast cancer survivors

BackgroundThis study aimed to examine the effect of yoga training combined with vitamin D supplementation on the expression of survival-related genes in leukocytes and psycho-physical status in breast cancer survivors.MethodsThirty breast cancer survivor women (age, 48 ± 8 yrs) were randomly assigned into three groups: high dose (4000 IU) of vitamin D supplementation (HD) (n = 10); yoga training with a high dose of vitamin D (Y + HD); (n = 10); yoga training with a low dose (2000 IU) of vitamin D (Y + LD) (n = 10). Participants performed the Hatha yoga style twice a week. Blood samples and a battery of psychological and physical tests were taken before and after the completion of interventions. Expression of p53, NF-κB, Bcl2, and Bax genes was measured in leukocytes.ResultsBody fat percentage (ηp2 = 0.36), shoulder flexibility (ηp2 = 0.38), Rockport walk tests (ηp2 = 0.49), and anxiety (ηp2 = 0.52) were significantly improved in both the Y + HD and Y + LD groups compared to the HD group (p < 0.05). P53 was significantly over-expressed in the Y + HD group while Bcl2 upregulated in both the Y + HD and Y + LD groups. NF-κB and Bax expression downregulated in all groups but were not statistically significant.Conclusionyoga training combined with low and high doses of VD improved physical fitness and psychological measures while only in combination with a high dose of VD positively modified the leukocytes cell survival-related gene expression.

Effect of six months pranayama training on stress-induced salivary cortisol response among adolescents-Randomized controlled study

BackgroundA combination of yoga practices has been documented to reduce stress and stress-induced cortisol levels. The objective of the current study is to examine the effects of six months of a single pranayama practice (Bhramari [Bhr. P]) on reducing salivary cortisol response to the cold pressor test (CPT) among adolescents. MethodsTwenty-six healthy adolescents between the ages of 11 and 19 were randomly assigned to either yoga group (n-13) or control group (n-13). Yoga group participants were trained to do Bhr. P for 45 min, thrice a week for six months. All participants underwent CPT at baseline and at end of six months. Saliva samples were collected at baseline (t0), at 20 min (t1), 40 min (t2), and 60 min after the CPT (t3). ResultsContradictory to our hypothesis, participants in the yoga group exhibited a higher salivary cortisol response to the CPT at t1 (p = 0.04) when compared to the control group. However, the t3 salivary cortisol levels showed a statistically significant reduction (p = 0.03) in yoga group when compared to the control group. A significant interaction with time (F (1, 88) = 316.5, p = .001, ηp2:0.91) and between the group × time (F (3, 88) = 2.83, p = 0.04, ηp2:0.8) was found after the intervention. ConclusionsAn increase in the cortisol responsiveness observed in the study is an indication of the adaptive capability achieved through regular yoga training, evidenced by an initial rise in cortisol followed by a rapid fall below baseline after 60 min. Further research is required to conclusively determine the changes in cortisol levels over time in response to stress in long-term yoga practitioners.

YogaHelp: Leveraging Motion Sensors for Learning Correct Execution of Yoga With Feedback

By leveraging motion sensors, the study of physical activities has become effortless and convenient. Yoga is an excellent form of physical activity or exercise that involves all parts of the body. Regular practice of yoga improves both the physical and mental health of the people, if the practitioner performs it correctly. Though the existing exercise recognition methods have shown quite a good performance using deep neural networks, they fail to assess the correctness of execution. Feedback describing correctness level is very useful to an amateur practitioner. In this article, we aim to develop a YogaHelp system to help amateurs for learning the correct execution of yoga without any supervision of a trainer. The importance of such a system is much higher during a pandemic situation, where the trainers can not be availed due to the risk of catching an infection. YogaHelp leverages the motion sensors including accelerometer and gyroscope, to recognize 12 linked-steps of sun salutation (Surya Namaskar) yoga along with their correctness level. YogaHelp employs a deep learning model built using convolutional layers for yoga step recognition without explicit feature extraction. The novelty of the system lies in the feedback that describes the speed of execution and angular deviation of the posture from the standard ones. We develop a prototype for collecting a training dataset from eight professional yoga trainers and for validating the effectiveness of the system.

The effectiveness of laughter yoga training on the general health of women with diabetes

The effectiveness of laughter yoga training on the general health of women with diabetes