ABSTRACT Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted the lives of adolescents, leading to significant impacts on their physical and mental health. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to psychological stress and anxiety, which can have long-term consequences on their well-being. By combining physical postures (Asanas), breathing practices (Pranayama), and meditation, yoga has been shown to improve both physical and mental health. This study investigates the effects of integrated yoga on mindfulness and mental well-being in adolescents during the postpandemic era. Methods: A randomized control trial was conducted with 80 adolescent participants, who were randomly allocated into yoga and control groups (1:1 ratio). The yoga group was given 60 min of integrated yoga, 6 days weekly for a month. Mindfulness, mental well-being, depression, anxiety, and stress along with anthropometric and vital parameters were assessed before and after the intervention. Results: The demographic characteristics of both groups were well-matched across gender, age, religion, and school type. We had one dropout in each group, we analyzed 39 in each group with 19 males and 20 females in both groups. The month long integrated yoga demonstrates significant improvement in mental well-being and mindfulness while it also reduced depression, anxiety, stress, and waist–hip ratio compared to the control group. However, it did not show any significant improvement in other anthropometry and vital parameters. Conclusion: The present study has examined the role of yoga in promoting the mental well-being and mindfulness of adolescents who experienced death or hospitalization of a family member during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

ABSTRACT Objective: To develop a generic yoga therapy protocol for nonspecific chronic low back pain (NCLBP) on the basis of previous research studies. Methods: A comprehensive PubMed search was done using keywords of “yoga” and “back pain” for English-language articles published till November 2022. PubMed showed 332 results for the keywords from 1977 to 2022. Twenty-nine studies were found eligible and the consolidation of yogic techniques were used in the studies. The study compiled 72 yogic techniques, including Asana and Pranayama, from 332 articles on yoga and back pain. Out of these, 151 were not relevant to yoga or back pain. After analyzing 181 articles, 33 were selected for review for a yoga therapy protocol, with four excluded due to inability to access full-text articles. The protocol was later validated by 14 eminent yoga therapy experts across the globe from countries including Australia, France, USA, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, and India, who had a minimum of 10 years’ experience in the field. The validation of the techniques was done based on a questionnaire that required classification under three categories: (1) not necessary, (2) useful but not essential, and (3) essential. All the three categories were then segregated in decreasing order of “Essential percentage” and “Weightage percentage” and the final list developed. The cutoff was that the yogic techniques must have ≥50% of acceptance by all experts. The practices were then sequenced in order of performance and cross referenced with traditional teachings. Results: The Generic Yoga Therapy Protocol for NCLBP that has been developed through this rational and logical mechanism has 18 yogic techniques selected on the basis of weightage and essential percentage. It includes 13 standing, sitting, prone, and supine postures (Asanas), four energy modulating breathing practices (Pranayamas), and one relaxation. The Shavasan relaxation received 100% approval by all experts. Conclusion: This generic yoga therapy protocol for NCLBP was developed through a comprehensive methodology that took into account the techniques used in previous research studies and was consolidated after a method of scientific validation by 14 eminent yoga therapy experts.

ABSTRACT An anal fissure is a superficial anal skin tear below the dentate line correlated with Parikartikā in Ayurveda. Approximately 40% of patients with acute anal fissures progress to chronic anal fissures. A 37-year-old male presented with complaints of pain in the perianal region, a burning sensation that persisted up to 60­90 min of defecation, irregular bowel habits, hard stool, and intermittent bleeding from rectum for 4 weeks. Visual examination revealed an acute anal fissure at the posterior midline. The patient was treated with Ayurvedic medicines and the practice of Ashwini Mudrā. After 6 weeks of treatment, anal fissures healed completely. Nonsurgical conservative medical management is the initial treatment for acute anal fissures. Sadya Vrana Chikitsā and the practice of Ashwini Mudrā are effective and safe treatments for acute anal fissures. No recurrence has been reported till now. Ayurvedic medicines, Ashwini Mudrā, and dietary restrictions reduce pain, regularize bowel movement, soften stool, enhance blood circulation, and accelerate wound healing in anal fissures. No adverse events were reported during treatment.

ABSTRACT Stress has become a prevalent concern in modern society, necessitating effective strategies for management and alleviation. This article explores stress management techniques derived from the Yog Sutra of Patanjali, an ancient text offering insight into the human experience and practical guidance for attaining balance and inner peace. The study employs a literature review from PubMed, Science Direct databases, and Google Scholar search engine and analysis of yog sutra to identify specific sutras and teachings related to stress management. The findings reveal that the distraction of the mind causes stress and can manifest as various symptoms. Patanjali’s teaching provides practical approaches for stress management, including understanding the nature of pleasure and pain, cultivating even-mindedness, nurturing positive attitudes, and values, surrendering to higher consciousness, and practicing Ashtanga Yoga. These methods are consistent with modern treatments including cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based interventions, and positive psychology. Patanjali’s yoga methods, including asanas, pranayama, and meditation, have been shown to reduce stress and enhance well-being. Integrating these practices into therapeutic interventions can enhance stress management and self-awareness. While more research is needed, preliminary evidence supports the potential benefits of Patanjali’s stress management techniques. Integrating these techniques with contemporary approaches offers a promising avenue for effective stress management and well-being promotion. Integrating ancient wisdom with modern therapeutic modalities can cultivate resilience, inner calm, and effective stress management.

ABSTRACT Background: Many of the prevalent diseases have their roots in inappropriate lifestyle besides heredity. Modifiable lifestyle factors may be effective in the prevention and management of such diseases, as indicated by several research studies. This cross-sectional survey explores the correlation between various lifestyle factors and some common diseases primarily in the Indian context. Materials and Methods: A lifestyle questionnaire having 40 questions and comprising 7 dimensions was administered as a Google Form. The subjects of the study, recruited using convenience sampling, were all above 17 years of age. Results: The subjects were divided into four age groups. The lifestyle score (LS) increased with age, with the maximum rise happening in the age group 31–40. For the age groups 31–40 and 41–60, significant differences were found in the LSs of those having a lifestyle disease and those having none; two out of seven dimensions could predict the presence of a lifestyle disease for these groups. A dimension-wise comparison between Indian and outside India subjects within age groups revealed that Indians scored better in most cases where there was a significant difference. A similar comparison between males and females showed that females scored better in all cases of significant difference. However, females had a significantly more incidence of lifestyle diseases. Conclusions: The impact of a low LS starts becoming visible in the age group 31–40. Furthermore, this group makes maximum efforts to improve lifestyle. Hence, it is likely to be benefited the most by health education. Since females appear to be more prone, they need special focus.

ABSTRACT Pranayama is one of the most essential components of yoga which has been found to be effective to physiology of the mankind in many ways. Among the Pranayamas, Bhastrika Pranayama is one of the popular breathing techniques widely practiced in yoga, which is believed to improve pulmonary, cardiac, and psychological functions. This present systematic review was planned to explore the available scientific studies on Bhastrika Pranayama individually on pulmonary, cardiovascular, and psychological variables. PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar were the basis for our review of the literature. The final review included 19 trials on Bhastrika Pranayama between 2005 and 2021 based on eligibility criteria, including four randomized controlled trials and another 15 clinically controlled trials. The quality assessment of each individual trial was performed using the Jadad Scale and the assessment showed ten trails as high quality studies (score 4–8) and nine trials as low quality studies (score 0–3). The results were discussed based on ten high-quality trials and the findings showed that Bhastrika Pranayama significantly improves pulmonary, cardiovascular, and psychological variables, although there were some limitations related to sample size, study quality, follow-up duration, and practice guidelines. Future studies should address those limitations to reach better conclusions.

Context:Adolescent children are provided with lesser exercise duration and intensity due to academic priorities.Suryanamaskar(SN) may be a time-saving solution for their fitness enhancement.Aim:To determine the duration and number of SN required by adolescent children to match the exercise intensity of their regular physical education (PE) session.Materials and Methods:A cross-over study was conducted on 50 children, both genders, with a mean age of 13.9 ± 0.7 years, by a simple random sampling process. Their pulse rate (PR), respiratory rate (RR), and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured pre- and immediately post participation in their routine PE session. After 24-h washout period, participants performed slow 12-step SN to match the PE session RPE post which their PR, RR, and number of SN performed were measured. Furthermore, their weekly duration of involvement in PE was documented. The PR, RR, and duration of PE/SN were compared using unmatchedt-test with α set at ≤0.05 at 95% confidence interval.Results:Adolescent children achieved RPE of 1.9 ± 1.4 post a 33.0 ± 9.0 min PE session which was matched in 9.4 ± 2.3 min of SN session (p< 0.05) at a similar PR (p= 0.25) and RR (p= 0.08). These children were found to be engaged in 75.6 ± 20.3 min of PE activity/week.Conclusion:A 9-min session consisting of nine SN matches the exercise intensity of a routine 33-min PE session in adolescent children.

The scientific community has long been interested in mantras and meditation. However, very little study has been done on specific mantras such as AUM. The major goal of this bibliometric study is to aid AUM meditation research by finding all connected publications and subject coverage, as well as uncovering historical trends, active research domains, prominent journals, authors, organizations, and nations, as well as linkages between them. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria were used to search the Dimensions.ai database for AUM-related articles. VOS-viewer was utilized to reveal emergent trends and transitory patterns in the literature, as well as to demonstrate international collaboration, organizational coupling, and co-cited author networks. After a thorough screening and extensive article reading, fifty studies were chosen for the study. According to the findings, India produced the majority of data. More than half (62%) of the publications were in the field of “Medical and Health”, and about one-sixth (16%) were in “Psychology and Cognitive Sciences”. Based on Publications “The International Journal of Yoga” has the most publications (26.66%) and citations (40.87%). The strongest linkages are found in “Venkatasubramanian, Ganesan (952)”, “India (101)”, and “National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (192)”. This bibliometric analysis synthesized and illustrated 48 years of AUM meditation research, indicating key highlights, and rising trends. The findings of the study contribute to the creation of a platform for future research in the field of AUM meditation.