Impact of Regularly Supervised Training of Pranayama and Omkar Meditation on the Cardio-Respiratory Parameters and Short-Term Memory of Persons with Special Needs
K Kunal, K Subbalakshmi N., R Pai Sheila, Rashmi Kaup Shiva, Nayanatara Arunkumar, Vinodini Nithyananda Madom Anantharaya, Pratik Kumar Chatterjee
Pharmacognosy Journal March 15, 2018 DOI: 10.5530/pj.2018.2.61 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 80 |
| Population | Mentally challenged young adults attending a special school |
| Interventions | Kapalbhati pranayama Aum chanting |
| Duration | 30 min daily for 3 weeks, except Sundays; measured at baseline and follow-up |
| Topics | Breathwork Meditation |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key findings | Supervised pranayama and meditation for 30 minutes daily over three weeks was associated with improved short-term memory scores and lower respiratory rate and heart rate in mentally challenged young adults compared with a control group, while systolic and diastolic blood pressures showed no change between groups. |
Abstract
Background: Yogic practices are known to affect the cardiac, respiratory and mental status of people.
Objective: To investigate if the regularly supervised training of pranayama and meditation affects the basic cardio-respiratory parameters and short-term-memory (STM) of mentally challenged young adults. Material and
Methods: 80 mentally challenged young adults attending a special school were randomly divided into the control group and Yoga group. Yoga group performed Naadishodhan, Kapalbhati pranayama and Aum Chanting under total supervision for 30 min daily for 3 weeks, except on Sundays. Control group was involved with the regular school curriculum. The parameters were measured twice, before (baseline) and after (follow-up) the study period. STM was evaluated under two subcategories, first by the ability to repeat the numbers in reverse order and second, repeating the words in the same order. Respiratory rate, pulse, systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured as cardio-respiratory parameters.
Results: Both groups had similar baseline scores. At follow-up, highly significant improvements were observed in Yoga-group as compared to control. In the Yoga-group scores of both the sub-categories of STM were higher, respiratory-rate and heart-rate were lower but was within normal range. However, both systolic and diastolic blood pressures of Yoga group showed no changes as compared to control.
Conclusion: The pranayama and meditation has beneficial influences on heart rate, breathing rate and STM of mentally-challenged people.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on breathwork, most cited first.