Yoga Pranayama Research Articles

Effect of Yoga on Aerobic Power, Anaerobic Power and Audio-Visual Reaction Time in Healthy Individuals

This study was done to assess the effects of selected yoga practices and pranayama on cardiorespiratory fitness in terms of aerobic and anaerobic power and reaction time as an indicator of rate of processing sensory signals by central nervous system, in young, healthy students. Study group consisted of 60 students of Ayurveda medical college, 17-22 years of age. The control group consisted of 60 agematched students of medical college. In both the groups, aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity and audio-visual reaction time was measured at the beginning. Study group participated in yoga training program including pranayama, 1hour/ day for six days a week for six months, in the Physiology department. Control group didn't undergo any training. All the tests were repeated after six months in both the groups. Results were analysed statistically by using student's t-test. After six months of yoga and pranayama, there is a significant increase in aerobic power and decrease in anaerobic power in the study group indicating improved cardiorespiratory fitness. Audio-visual reaction time was reduced in the study group indicating improved signal processing of central nervous system. No significant change in parameters were seen in control group subjects.

The combined effect of Suryanamaskar, Pranayama and meditation on hyper-reactors to cold pressure test in young healthy individuals

Background: To survive in this competitive world, one has to go through a lot of stresses & strains which, in due course of time, reflected in altered physiology of body. One such change is the cardiovascular response to cold stress. Yoga has been reported to be beneficial as a de-stressing technique. Aims & Objective: To investigate whether regular practice of Yoga which includes Suryanamaskar, Pranayama & Meditation for 3 months could reduce the cardio-vascular hyper-reactivity induced by cold stress. Materials and Methods: In the present study, 53 young healthy medical students underwent cold pressor test. 20 turned out to be hyper reactors to this test. These hyper reactors performed Yoga (Suryanamaskar, Pranayama & Meditation) for 3 months and Cold Pressor Test was again performed at the end of this period and cardiovascular hyper-reactivity (parameters are Blood pressure, Pulse rate, and Respiratory rate) before and after yoga compared. Results: Our results showed that 14 out of original 20 hyper reactors (70 %, P<0.001) were converted to hypo reactors. Conclusion: Regular practice of Yoga reduces cardiovascular hyper-reactivity to cold pressor test. If we can spread its benefits and importance to the society we can reduce the risks of many diseases especially those related to stress.

Exploring the Benefits of Unilateral Nostril Breathing Practice Post-Stroke: Attention, Language, Spatial Abilities, Depression, and Anxiety

Unilateral nostril breathing (UNB) is a yogic pranayama technique that has been shown to improve verbal and spatial cognition in neurologically intact individuals. Early study of UNB in healthy individuals has shown benefits for attention and memory. This preliminary study explored whether UNB influenced various measures of attention, language, spatial abilities, depression, and anxiety in post-stroke individuals, both with and without aphasia. A within-subjects repeated-measures design was used to determine whether UNB improved cognitive, linguistic, and affect variables in post-stroke individuals. Within-subjects comparisons determined UNB's effects over time, and between-subjects comparison was used to determine whether changes in these variables differed between post-stroke individuals with and without aphasia. Athens and Atlanta, Georgia. Eleven post-stroke individuals participated in a 10-week UNB program. Five individuals had stroke-induced left hemisphere damage with no diagnosis of aphasia (left hemisphere damage control group; LHD), and six individuals experienced left hemisphere damage with a diagnosis of aphasia (individuals with aphasia group; IWA). Individuals were assessed on measures of attention, language, spatial abilities, depression, and anxiety before, during, and after UNB treatment. UNB significantly decreased levels of anxiety for individuals in both groups. Performance on language measures increased for the individuals with aphasia. Significant findings for language and affect measures indicate that further investigation regarding duration of UNB treatment and use of UNB treatment alongside traditional speech-language therapy in post-stroke individuals is warranted.

A Comparative Study of Cardiovascular Autonomic Function Tests in Yoga Practitioners and Controls

Background: In the present age, a great emphasis is being laid on the practice of yogic postures as a form of highly effective physical exercise for keeping the body healthy and also for the control of disease process. Rhythmic breathing controls the mind, lungs and heart which are located in the thoracic cage and are under the control of autonomic nervous system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cardiovascular autonomic function tests among yoga practitioners. Method: 75 healthy volunteers (aged 18-31 years)were divided in to three groups; the first two yoga groups ( each group ,n=25 ) consisted of subjects who were practicing the yoga (pranayama and suryanamaskarams) for less than 2 years and more than 2 years, respectively and the third group was controls (n=25). Autonomic function tests were performed for both sympathetic and parasympathetic activity ,which include deep breathing test, valsalva maneuver, heart rate response to standing posture (30:15 ratio) , orthostatic hypotension test and sustained hand grip test. Results: The statistics showed a significant value for heart rate variability , 30:15 ratio ,hand grip test, othrostatic hypotension test and valsalva ratio in group 1 and 2 yoga practitioners (p<0.05) than in controls. But no significant difference observed in terms of resting heart rate in all groups. The overall ewing's autonomic dysfunction score was high in controls compared to yoga practicing subjects ((p<0.05). Conclusion: It is evident that yoga develops an ability to control cardiovascular autonomic functions and would prepare the body to overcome stress by modulating and optimizing sympathetic activities.

The acute effects of yogic breathing exercises on craving and withdrawal symptoms in abstaining smokers

Breathing exercises have been proposed as a way of combating cigarette cravings, potentially presenting a low-cost, easily scalable smoking cessation aid. The aim of this study is to evaluate the acute impact of breathing exercises based on yogic pranayama on cravings in abstaining smokers. Participants visited the laboratory on two occasions 24 h apart and were asked to abstain from smoking 12 h prior to the first visit until the end of the second visit. Smokers (N = 96) were randomly allocated to a yogic breathing exercise (YBG) or video control (VCG) group. The former was instructed on breathing exercises, practised these for 10 min and asked to use these when experiencing cravings until the next visit. The latter was shown a breathing exercise video for 10 min and asked to concentrate on their breathing. Strength of urges to smoke, other craving measures and mood and physical symptoms associated with cigarette withdrawal were assessed at the beginning and end of the first visit, and again at the second visit. At immediate follow-up, in the laboratory, all craving measures were reduced in YBG compared with VCG (strength of urges: F(1, 96) = 16.1, p < 0.001; cigarette craving: F(1, 96) = 11.3, p = 0.001; desire to smoke: F(1, 96) = 6.6, p = 0.012). There was no effect on mood or physical symptoms. Adherence to the breathing exercise regimen in the following 24 h was low, and at 24 h follow-up, there was no evidence of reduced cravings in YBG compared with VCG. Simple yogic-style breathing exercises can reduce cigarette craving acutely in the laboratory. Further research is needed to determine how far this translates into field settings.

A study of combined effect of yoga (yogic exercises, pranayama and meditation) on hyper-reactivity to cold pressor test in healthy individuals

Background: Now a day, stress is dangerous & significant problems of World & affects physical, mental, behavioral, & emotional health. Yoga has been reported to control stress, to be beneficial in treating stress related disorders, improving autonomic functions, lower blood pressure, increase strength & flexibility of muscles, improve the sense of well being, slow ageing process, control breathing, reducing signs of oxidative stress & improving spiritual growth. Aims & Objective: The aim of present study was to investigate whether regular practice of Yoga for six months can reduce the cardiovascular hyper-reactivity induced by cold pressor test. Materials and methods: The study group comprised 75 healthy subjects of 25-45 years age group. Initially there were 27 hyperreactors to cold pressor test. The hyper-reactivity of 22 volunteers converted to hypo-reactivity after the yoga therapy of six months (81.48%). Other parameters like basal blood pressure, rise in blood pressure, pulse rate and rate of respiration were also statistically significantly reduced (by using student ‘t’ test) Results: Regular practice of yoga significantly reduces the cardiovascular hyper-reactivity in basal blood pressure, rise in blood pressure after one minute of cold stress, pulse rate, & rate of respiration, after six month of yoga practice. Conclusion: Regular practice of yoga for six months reduced the cardiovascular hyper-reactivity to cold pressor test in subjects, who were hyper reactive to cold stress, possibly by inducing parasympathetic predominance and cortico-hypothalamomedullary inhibition.

Immediate effect of chandra nadi pranayama (left unilateral forced nostril breathing) on cardiovascular parameters in hypertensive patients

Introduction:Recent studies have reported differential physiological and psychological effects produced by exclusive right and left nostril breathing and clinical research is required to prove immediate and sustained efficacy of these techniques in various psychosomatic conditions such as hypertension (HT). The present study was designed to determine immediate effects of 27 rounds of exclusive left nostril breathing, a yogic pranayama technique known as chandra nadi pranayama (CNP) on cardiovascular parameters in patients of essential HT.Materials and Methods:Twenty two patients of essential HT under regular standard medical management were individually taught to perform CNP by a qualified yoga instructor with a regularity of 6 breaths/min throughout a performance of 27 rounds of CNP. Pre and post intervention heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) measurements were recorded using non-invasive semi-automatic BP monitor and Students t test for paired data used to determine significant differences.Results:Twenty seven rounds of CNP produced an immediate decrease in all the measured cardiovascular parameters with the decrease in HR, systolic pressure (SP), pulse pressure, rate-pressure product and double product being statistically significant. Further, gender-based sub-analysis of our data revealed that our male participants evidenced significant reductions in HR and SP with an insignificant decrease in diastolic pressure, while in female participants only HR decreased significantly with an insignificant decrease in SP.Discussion and Conclusion:It is concluded that CNP is effective in reducing HR and SP in hypertensive patients on regular standard medical management. To the best of our knowledge, there are no previously published reports on immediate effects of left UFNB in patients of HT and ours is the first to report on this beneficial clinical effect. This may be due to a normalization of autonomic cardiovascular rhythms with increased vagal modulation and/or decreased sympathetic activity along with improvement in baroreflex sensitivity. Further studies are required to enable a deeper understanding of the mechanisms involved as well as determine how long such a BP lowering effect persists. We recommend that this simple and cost effective technique be added to the regular management protocol of HT and utilized when immediate reduction of BP is required in day-to-day as well as clinical situations.

Diaphragmatic Breathing Reduces Exercise‐Induced Oxidative Stress

Diaphragmatic breathing is relaxing and therapeutic, reduces stress, and is a fundamental procedure of Pranayama Yoga, Zen, transcendental meditation and other meditation practices. Analysis of oxidative stress levels in people who meditate indicated that meditation correlates with lower oxidative stress levels, lower cortisol levels and higher melatonin levels. It is known that cortisol inhibits enzymes responsible for the antioxidant activity of cells and that melatonin is a strong antioxidant; therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of diaphragmatic breathing on exercise-induced oxidative stress and the putative role of cortisol and melatonin hormones in this stress pathway. We monitored 16 athletes during an exhaustive training session. After the exercise, athletes were divided in two equivalent groups of eight subjects. Subjects of the studied group spent 1 h relaxing performing diaphragmatic breathing and concentrating on their breath in a quiet place. The other eight subjects, representing the control group, spent the same time sitting in an equivalent quite place. Results demonstrate that relaxation induced by diaphragmatic breathing increases the antioxidant defense status in athletes after exhaustive exercise. These effects correlate with the concomitant decrease in cortisol and the increase in melatonin. The consequence is a lower level of oxidative stress, which suggests that an appropriate diaphragmatic breathing could protect athletes from long-term adverse effects of free radicals.

Acupuncture for crack-cocaine detoxification: experimental evaluation of efficacy: Lipton DS, Brewington V, Smith M. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 1994; 11(3): 205–215

The effects of two pranayama yoga breathing exercises on airway reactivity, airway calibre, symptom scores, and medication use in patients with mild asthma were assessed in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. After baseline assessment over 1 week, 18 patients with mild asthma practised slow deep breathing for 15 min twice a day for two consecutive 2-week periods. During the active period, subjects were asked to breathe through a Pink City lung (PCL) exerciser—a device which imposes slowing of breathing and a 1:2 inspiration:expiration duration ratio equivalent to pranayama breathing methods; during the control period, subjects breathed through a matched placebo device. Mean forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), peak expiratory flow rate, symptom score, and inhaler use over the last 3 days of each treatment period were assessed in comparison with the baseline assessment period; all improved more with the PCL exerciser than with the placebo device, but the differences were not significant. There was a statistically significant increase in the dose of histamine needed to provoke a 20% reduction in FEV, (PD20) during pranayama breathing but not with the placebo device. The usefulness of controlled ventilation exercises in the control of asthma should be further investigated.

Effect of yoga breathing exercises (pranayama) on airway reactivity in subjects with asthma

The effects of two pranayama yoga breathing exercises on airway reactivity, airway calibre, symptom scores, and medication use in patients with mild asthma were assessed in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. After baseline assessment over 1 week, 18 patients with mild asthma practised slow deep breathing for 15 min twice a day for two consecutive 2-week periods. During the active period, subjects were asked to breathe through a Pink City lung (PCL) exerciser—a device which imposes slowing of breathing and a 1:2 inspiration:expiration duration ratio equivalent to pranayama breathing methods; during the control period, subjects breathed through a matched placebo device. Mean forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1), peak expiratory flow rate, symptom score, and inhaler use over the last 3 days of each treatment period were assessed in comparison with the baseline assessment period; all improved more with the PCL exerciser than with the placebo device, but the differences were not significant. There was a statistically significant increase in the dose of histamine needed to provoke a 20% reduction in FEV, (PD 20) during pranayama breathing but not with the placebo device. The usefulness of controlled ventilation exercises in the control of asthma should be further investigated.