Investigation of Yoga Pranayama and Vedic Mathematics on Mindfulness, Aggression and Emotion Regulation.
Vasant Venkatraman Shastri, Alex Hankey, Bhawna Sharma, Sanjib K. Patra
International Journal of Yoga 2017 DOI: 10.4103/0973-6131.213470 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental study with three classes assigned to interventions Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | 12th-grade preuniversity students in Chikkamagaluru, India, of both genders, excluding those with major psychological problems |
| Interventions | Yoga Pranayama Vedic Mathematics ordinary class work |
| Duration | 15 days of 30 minutes daily instruction |
| Measures | Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, Nonphysical Aggression Scale from Pittsburgh Youth Study, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire |
| Topics | Breathwork Meditation |
| Keywords | Aggression Yoga Emotion regulation |
| Key findings | The authors report that 15 days of Yoga Pranayama significantly changed mindfulness, aggression, and negative emotion regulation, while Vedic Mathematics significantly improved only mindfulness. Neither intervention changed positive emotion regulation, and controls apparently improved on aggression. The authors note the study failed to provide evidence that increasing mindfulness increases emotion regulation. |
Abstract
Competitive examinations, particularly in mathematics, have made emotional stress a major problem for preuniversity students, emotions like aggression toward fellow students and teachers increase. Mindfulness is a quality that reduces both emotional stress and aggression, so increasing mindfulness should be helpful. To study the effects of Yoga Pranayama (YP) and Vedic Mathematics (VM) on mindfulness, aggression, and emotion regulation. Participants were 12th graders attending a preuniversity college in Chikkamagaluru, India, of both genders. Exclusion criteria included major psychological problems. Three classes were arbitrarily assigned to one of three interventions, which consisted of 15 days each of 30 min daily instruction in YP, Group 1, VM, Group 2, or 30 min ordinary class work, Group 3, the control group. Assessments were made using the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, the Nonphysical Aggression Scale from Pittsburgh Youth Study, and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. SPSS 19.0. Mindfulness, aggression, and negative emotional regulation changed significantly for the YP group, while mindfulness alone improved significantly for the VM group. No group changed on positive emotion regulation. Controls apparently improved on aggression. An interesting post hoc correlation analysis is also reported, among other things directly linking increased mindfulness to decreased aggression. The study showed positive effects of traditional methods of decreasing emotional pressure on students facing preuniversity mathematics examinations. Increasing mindfulness is considered a way of increasing emotion regulation, so the failure of this study to provide evidence for that is of interest.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on breathwork, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evaluation of the breathworks mindfulness‐based pain management programme: effects on well‐being and multiple measures of mindfulness Chronic pain patients | 2009 | Pilot investigation; quasi-experimental with intervention and comparison groups | |
| Neural Correlates of Non-ordinary States of Consciousness in Pranayama Practitioners: The Role of Slow Nasal Breathing Experienced meditators | 2022 | Within-subjects comparison | n = 12 |
| Measure of Significance of Holotropic Breathwork in the Development of Self-Awareness. Participants referred from Danish Holotropic Breathwork facilitators, including 9... | 2015 | Quasi-experiment with multiple case studies and repeated measures | n = 20 |
| A Study To Assess The Effectiveness Of Video Assisted Pranayama On Stress Among Students Of Selected College In Chennai College students at Saveetha College of Engineering, Chennai | 2026 | True experimental research design | n = 100 |
| IMPACT OF YOGASANA AND BHRAMARI PRANAYAMA ON SLEEP QUALITY AMONG EPILEPSY PATIENTS Epilepsy patients aged 18-50 years | 2026 | Quantitative experimental single-group pre-test/post-test | n = 35 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Effects of Yoga Respiratory Practice (Bhastrika pranayama) on Anxiety, Affect, and Brain Functional Connectivity and Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial Frontiers in Psychiatry May 21, 2020
- A practitioner-informed framework for yoga-based emotional regulation among rural adolescents. Frontiers in Public Health 2026
- Effect of Pranayama and Meditation on Emotional Intelligence among Undergraduate Students: A Randomized Controlled Study International Journal of Ayurvedic Medicine July 10, 2024
- Comparing the Psychological Effects of Meditation- and Breathing-Focused Yoga Practice in Undergraduate Students Frontiers in Psychology November 12, 2020
Cites 5
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Clarifying the construct of mindfulness in the context of emotion regulation and the process of change in therapy. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Yoga Breathing, Meditation, and Longevity Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences August 1, 2009
- State Mindfulness During Meditation Predicts Enhanced Cognitive Reappraisal. Mindfulness April 1, 2015
- Validation of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale in a cancer population. Journal of Psychosomatic Research January 2005