Effect of anapanasati meditation on verbal aggression: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Aggression is increasing in society, leading to health hazards. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of anapanasati meditation on verbal aggression in healthy individuals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, 140 participants were screened and 90 participants were randomly allocated to experimental and control groups, with 45 participants in each group. The Verbal Aggressiveness Scale (VAS) was used to assess the verbal aggression score, and anapanasati meditation was given as an intervention. The experimental group practiced anapanasati meditation every day for 6 months, and the control group did not receive any intervention. RESULTS: The experimental group showed a significant reduction in VAS (p < 0.01) score after the intervention, whereas the reduction was not significant in the control group. CONCLUSION: This study showed that after a 6-month intervention, verbal aggression decreased significantly in the experimental group compared with the control group.

Effect of anapanasati meditation on anxiety: a randomized control trial.

BACKGROUND: Meditation has shown positive results in improving the psychological disorders such as anxiety. There is a need to study the therapeutic benefits of Anapanasati meditation, a mindfulness meditation technique. PURPOSE: The study aims at investigating the effect of Anapanasati meditation on individuals with moderate anxiety. METHODS: A total of 112 participants who were willing to participate in the study were recruited for the study. Anapanasati meditation was used as an intervention. The participants were divided into two groups experiment and control groups. Experiment group had 56 persons performing Anapanasati meditation and Control group had 56 persons not performing any type of meditation. The experiment group practiced one hour of Anapanasati meditation daily under the supervision of experts for six months and continued their daily routine and control group was not given any intervention, but they continued their daily routine. State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) is used to assess the anxiety level. RESULTS: The STAI score before and after Anapanasati meditation was analysed for both experiment and control groups using Paired Samples T test. The experiment group has shown significant reduction in the STAI (P < 0.05) score after the intervention whereas in the control group the reduction in STAI score was not significant. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that after six months of intervention, the subjects with moderate anxiety who practiced Anapanasati meditation had a significant decrease in their STAI score and the control group has not shown significant change in the STAI score.

Traditional practices and recent advances in Nadi Pariksha: A comprehensive review.

The significance of Nadi Pariksha is well understood and effectively used by Ayurveda practioners for assessing Tridoshas and various physiological and psychological states of the patient. The traditional texts Sarangadhara Samhita, YogaRatnakara, Basavarajeeyam and Bhavaprakasha have discussed the details of Nadi Pariksha in succinct set of slokas. Ayurveda has thousands of years of rich experience in Nadi Pariksha with strong literature support but is subjective in nature and the need for studying nadi with a scientific approach is well understood. Recently, pulse wave velocity has gained significant research interest as it is considered to be a strong indicator of cardiovascular disease; however, the relevance of pulse wave analysis to Nadi Pariksha has not been studied. In this review, traditional methods of Nadi Pariksha as defined in Ayurveda classics and the recent advances in pulse wave analysis are discussed. As per classical texts, qualities or properties of pulse such as pulse movement (gati), speed of the pulse (vega), stability of the pulse (sthiratva) and hardness of the artery (kathinya) play major role in Nadi Pariksha and in the current review these properties were analyzed and compared with the modern pulse parameters namely pulse wave velocity, pulse rate variability and arterial stiffness. The significance of pulse wave velocity in cardiovascular studies is discussed and the need for extending these studies to Ayurveda is highlighted.

Significance of arterial stiffness in Tridosha analysis: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The variations in Tridoshas are the basis for disease diagnosis and treatment in Ayurveda. The doshas are assessed by sensing the pulse manually with fingers which depends on skill of the physician. There is a need to measure doshas using instruments and study them objectively. OBJECTIVE: Arterial stiffness is well established pulse parameter in modern medicine and is closely associated to kathinya in the context of Ayurveda. The aim of our study was to measure arterial stiffness using Nadi Tarangini, a pulse acquisition system, and investigate the significant variations of stiffness across Tridosha locations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 42 samples of vata, pitta and kapha pulses with proper systolic and diastolic peaks were included in the study. The arterial stiffness parameters namely stiffness index (SI) and reflection index (RI) were considered for the study. The data was analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tamhane's T2 test. The changes in SI and RI between males and females were assessed using independent samples t test. RESULTS: SI at vata (5.669 ± 1.165) was significantly low compared to pitta (8.910 ± 3.509) and kapha (8.021 ± 2.814); RI at vata (0.846 ± 0.071) was significantly low compared to pitta (0.945 ± 0.043) and kapha (0.952 ± 0.033). SI at kapha was significantly low in females compared to males. CONCLUSION: The SI and RI acquired using Nadi Tarangini have shown significant variations across Tridosha locations. The framework developed to measure the arterial stiffness across Tridosha locations can be used for the interventional studies in Ayurveda which in turn can help in disease diagnosis and treatment.

Effect of integrated yoga module on personality of home guards in Bengaluru: A randomized control trial.

BACKGROUND: Home Guards Organization is an independent disciplined and uniformed body of volunteers. All categories of home guards (HGs), who work in the field, experience varied emotions and are required to cope with varied situations. Yoga practices may be helpful to master such emotions and should lead to improvement in personality. OBJECTIVE: To study the efficacy of integrated yoga module (IYM) on personality (Gunas) (yogic personality measure) of HGs. METHODS: Of 500 HGs who attended introductory lectures, 148 HGs of either gender, who satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria and who consented to participate in the study were randomly allocated to two groups. The yoga group (YG) practiced an IYM for 1 h daily, 6 days a week for 8 weeks along with their routine work. The control group (CG) remained on routine work. Personality was assessed before and after 8 weeks using the self-administered Vedic Personality Inventory. RESULTS: Baseline scores for all domains for both groups did not differ significantly (P > 0.05, Shapiro Wilk's test). Sattva score in YG significantly increased from 39.87 ± 2.02 to 47.14 ± 7.22, where as it decreased significantly from 43.66 ± 4.39 to 37.74 ± 10.26 in CG. Rajas score in YG significantly decreased from 29.15 ± 0.98 to 27.46 ± 4.38, where as it increased significantly from 28.60 ± 3.55 to 32.74 ± 5.37 in CG. Tamas score in YG significantly decreased from 30.98 ± 1.04 to 25.40 ± 5.11, where as it significantly increased from 27.74 ± 4.43 to 30.51 ± 5.50 in CG. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that IYM can profitably be suggested for HGs as a cost-effective means to help them cope with stressful situations.

Effect of integrated Yoga module on positive and negative emotions in Home Guards in Bengaluru: A wait list randomized control trial.

BACKGROUND: The beneficial aspect of positive emotions on the process of learning and the harmful affect of negative emotions on coping with stress and health are well-documented through studies. The Home Guards (HGs) are working in a very stressful situation during election, managing traffic and other crowded places. It is quite essential in present day circumstances that they have to manage their emotions and cope up with different stressful situations. OBJECTIVE: To study the efficacy of integrated Yoga module (IYM) on emotions (positive and negative affect [PA and NA]) of HGs. METHODS: A total of 148 HGs both males and females who qualified the inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomly divided into Yoga group (YG) and control groups (CG). The YG had supervised practice sessions (by trained experts) for 1 h daily, 6 days a week for 8 weeks along with their regular routine work whereas CG performing their routine work. Positive affect negative affect scale (PANAS) was assessed before and after 8 weeks using a modified version of PANAS. RESULTS: PA in YG had significantly increased (P < 0.05) whereas it had decreased significantly (P < 0.05) in CG. Other positive effect in YG had significantly increased (P < 0.001), whereas it had decreased significantly (P < 0.001) in CG. NA in YG had significantly decreased (P < 0.001), whereas it had significantly increased (P < 0.001) in CG. Other NA in YG had significantly decreased (P < 0.001), whereas it had significantly increased (P < 0.01) in CG. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that IYM can be useful for HGs to improve the PA and to decrease NA score. Moreover, IYM is cost-effective and helps HGs for coping up with emotions in stressful situations.

A randomized control trial of the effect of yoga on Gunas (personality) and Self esteem in normal healthy volunteers.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To study the efficacy of yoga on Gunas (personality) and self esteem in normal adults through a randomized comparative study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of the 1228 persons who attended motivational lectures, 226 subjects aged 18-71 years, of both sexes, who satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and who consented to participate in the study were randomly allocated into two groups. The Yoga (Y) group practised an integrated yoga module that included asanas, pranayama, meditation, notional correction, and devotional sessions. The comparison group practised mild to moderate physical exercises (PE). Both groups had supervised practices for one hour daily, six days a week, for eight weeks. Guna (personality) was assessed before and after eight weeks using the self-administered "The 'Gita" Inventory of Personality" (GIN) to assess Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. Self esteem in terms of competency (COM), global self esteem (GSE), moral and self esteem (MSE), social esteem (SET), family self esteem (FSE), body and physical appearance (BPA), and the lie scale (LIS) were assessed using the self esteem questionnaire (SEQ). RESULTS: The baseline scores for all domains for both the groups did not differ significantly (P > 0.05 independent samples t-test). There were significant pre-post improvements in all domains in both groups (P < 0.001 paired t-test). The number of persons who showed improvement in Sattva and decrease in Tamas was significant in the Y but not in the PE group (McNemar test). The effect size for self esteem in the Y group is greater than for the PE group in three out of seven domains. CONCLUSIONS: This randomized controlled study has shown the influence of Yoga on Gunas and self esteem in comparison to physical exercise.

A randomized control trial of the effect of yoga on Gunas (personality) and Health in normal healthy volunteers.

OBJECTIVE: To study the efficacy of yoga on Guna (yogic personality measure) and general health in normal adults. METHODS: Of the 1228 persons who attended introductory lectures, 226 subjects aged 18-71 years, of both sexes, who satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria and who consented to participate in the study were randomly allocated into two groups. The Yoga(Y) group practised an integrated yoga module that included asanas, pranayama, meditation, notional correction and devotional sessions. The control group practised mild to moderate physical exercises (PE). Both groups had supervised practice sessions (by trained experts) for one hour daily, six days a week for eight weeks. Guna (yogic personality) was assessed before and after eight weeks using the self-administered Vedic Personality Inventory (VPI) which assesses Sattva (gentle and controlled), Rajas (violent and uncontrolled) and Tamas (dull and uncontrolled). The general health status (total health), which includes four domains namely somatic symptoms (SS), anxiety and insomnia (AI), social dysfunction (SF) and severe depression (SP), was assessed using a General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). RESULTS: Baseline scores for all the domains for both the groups did not differ significantly (P > 0.05, independent samples t test). Sattva showed a significant difference within the groups and the effect size was more in the Y than in the PE group. Rajas showed a significant decrease within and between the groups with a higher effect size in the PE group. Tamas showed significant reduction within the PE group only. The GHQ revealed that there was significant decrease in SS, AI, SF and SP in both Y and PE groups (Wilcoxcon Singed Rank t test). SS showed a significant difference between the groups (Mann Whitney U Test). CONCLUSIONS: There was an improvement in Sattva in both the Yoga and control groups with a trend of higher effect size in Yoga; Rajas reduced in both but significantly better in PE than in Yoga and Tamas reduced in PE. The general health status improved in both the Yoga and control groups.

A randomized control trial of the effect of yoga on verbal aggressiveness in normal healthy volunteers.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of yoga on verbal aggressiveness in normal healthy adults. METHODS: Of the 1228 persons who attended introductory lectures, 226 subjects of both sexes who satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria and who consented to participate in the study were randomly allocated into two groups. These 226 subjects were between the ages of 17 and 62 years and 173/226 completed the eight weeks of intervention. The Yoga (Y) group practised an integrated yoga module that included asanas, pranayama, meditation, notional correction, and devotional sessions. The control group practised mild to moderate physical exercises (PE). Both groups had supervised practices (by trained experts) for one hour daily, six days a week for eight weeks. Verbal Aggressiveness was assessed before and after eight weeks using the self-administered Verbal Aggressive Scale. RESULTS: The baseline score of the two groups did not differ significantly (P = 0.66). There was a significant decrease in verbal aggressiveness in the yoga group (P = 0.01 paired samples t-test) with a nonsignificant increase in the PE group. ANCOVA using pre- values as covariates showed a significant difference between the groups (P = 0.013). RMANOVA for interaction between the sexes or age groups in change scores were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated that an eight week intervention of an integrated yoga module decreased verbal aggressiveness in the yoga group (in males and those below 25 years of age), with a nonsignificant increase in the PE group.