School children undergo stress, which could impact their psychological functions and cognitive abilities. Yoga practices have been found useful in enhancing psychological functions and performance. The current study was planned to evaluate a yoga-based relaxation technique's efficacy as an extracurricular activity on psychological state and cognitive function. This study was a parallel-group randomized controlled trial conducted at a government school in south India. Sixty students with age ranging between 14-16 years (mean age ± SD; 15.3 ± 0.71 years) satisfying the inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomized to experimental and control groups with an allocation ratio of 1:1. Experimental group received Mind Sound Resonance Technique (MSRT), whereas the control group performed supine rest (SR) for two-weeks. Participants were assessed with State trait anxiety inventory - short form, Mind Wandering Questionnaire, State Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, and Trail making task at baseline and post-intervention. Experimental group showed a reduction in state anxiety and mind wandering with improvement in state mindfulness and performance in the Trail-making task compared to the control group. Results of the current trial indicate the beneficial role of MSRT in enhancing psychological and cognitive functions in children. Further, large-scale trials are warranted to ascertain the usefulness of the technique.

A 50-year-old male participant with sedentary lifestyle, diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) [obesity, Type-2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension] and hypothyroidism since 2013, was administered integrated Yoga and Naturopathy (IYN) for 6 weeks as a tailor made individualized protocol at the residential integrative medical facility in Bangalore between October and November 2015. The results showed reduction in weight (97.9 kg to 74.6 kg), Body Mass Index (BMI) (35.1 kg/m2 to 27.86 kg/m2), total cholesterol (192 mg% to 145 mg%), triglycerides (153 mg% to 90 mg%), Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) (124 mg% to 81 mg%), High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) (40 mg% to 46 mg%), fasting blood glucose (110 mg/dl to 75 mg/dl), postprandial glucose (267 mg/dl to 100 mg/dl), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (7.8%-7.1%), Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) (6.90 μIU/ml to 3.052 μIU/ml). Following the intervention, the anti-hypertensive, oral hypoglycemic, thyroid raising and analgesic medicines were not required to be continued. His knee pain minimized on discharge as observed on a Visual Analog Scale. He had an improved feeling of wellness and overall functional health. All his parameters were within normal range at the 12-weeks follow-up, as he had incorporated the lifestyle program into his daily routine. This case report suggests that lifestyle change by integration of specific non-drug Yoga and Naturopathic intervention is useful in the management of MetS.

Background: Dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB) is one of the most common gynecological disorders encountered in women during the reproductive age. Yoga therapy has shown promising benefits in several gynecological disorders. Methods: Thirty women between the ages of 20 and 40 years with primary DUB were randomly assigned to a yoga (n = 15) and a waitlist control group (n = 15). Participants in the yoga group received a 3-month yoga module and were assessed for hemoglobin values, endometrial thickness (ET), pictorial blood loss assessment chart (PBAC), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, perceived stress scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) before and after a 3-month follow-up period. Results: At the end of 3 months of intervention, the yoga group, unlike the control group, reported a significant reduction in the anxiety scores (P < 0.05) and perceived stress (P < 0.05). The PSQI scores indicated a reduction in sleep disturbances (P < 0.001) and the need for sleep medications (P < 0.01) and higher global scores (P < 0.001). However, there were no changes in PBAC and ET in both the groups. Conclusion: The results indicate that yoga therapy positively impacts the outcome of DUB by reducing the perceived stress and state anxiety and improving the quality of sleep. This warrants larger clinical trials to validate the findings of this pilot study.

Nature and intensity of physical activity may influence cognition, coping mechanisms and overall personality of an individual. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to compare cognition, coping styles and vedic personality among individuals practicing different lifestyle. Thirty-nine healthy young adults of both gender (27.63±4.04 years) were recruited and categorized into three groups; i.e. yoga, physical activity or sedentary lifestyle groups. Participants were assessed on cognition, coping styles and Vedic personality inventory (VPI). Verbal-n-back and Stroop tasks were performed using 3 Tesla MRI scanner. Task Based Connectivity (TBC) analysis was done using CONN toolbox in SPM. There were no significant differences in the cognitive domains across the groups. The planning (p=0.03) and acceptance domain (p=0.03) of the Brief COPE scale showed difference across the groups. Post-hoc analysis revealed that planning and acceptance scores were distinctly higher in the physical activity group, however, there was no difference between physical activity group and yoga practitioners. Similarly, in the VPI, Sattva (p=0.003), Rajas (p=0.05) and Tamas (p=0.01) were different across the groups, and the post hoc analysis showed superiority in Sattva scores in Yoga group, meanwhile, both Rajas and Tamas were higher in the physical activity group. Yoga practitioners preferentially recruited left Superior Frontal Gyrus in relation to the physically active group and precuneus in relation to the sedentary lifestyle group. The study revealed that yoga practitioners had a distinct higher sattva guna and preferentially recruited brain areas associated with self-regulation and inhibitory control.

Background and objectives: Persons with epilepsy are afflicted with co-morbidities such as stigma, anxiety and depression which have a significant impact on their quality of life. These co-morbidities remain largely unaddressed in resource limited countries. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to investigate if yoga and psychoeducation were effective in reducing felt stigma (primary outcome), neuropsychiatric outcomes and seizure frequency, as compared to sham yoga and psychoeducation in persons with epilepsy. Methods: This was an assessor blinded, sham-yoga controlled RCT. Patients clinically diagnosed with epilepsy, aged 18-60 years and scoring higher than the cut-off score for felt stigma as measured by the Kilifi Stigma Scale in our population were randomly assigned to receive either yoga therapy plus psychoeducation (intervention) or sham yoga therapy plus psychoeducation (comparator) for a duration of three months. The primary outcome was a significant decrease in felt stigma as compared to the comparator arm as measured by the Kilifi Stigma Scale. Primary and secondary outcomes (seizure frequency, quality of life, anxiety, depression, mindfulness, trait rumination, cognitive impairment, emotion regulation) were assessed at baseline, 3 months and 6 months. Parametric/non-parametric ANCOVA and chi-square test were used to compare the two arms. Results: 160 patients were enrolled in the trial. At the end of the follow-up period (6 months) the intervention arm reported significant reduction in felt stigma as compared to the control arm (p-value = 0.006, Cohen’s d = 0.23 95% CI [-0.08, 0.55]. Significantly higher odds of >50% seizure reduction (OR 4.11 95% CI [1.34, 14.69], p =0.01) and complete seizure remission (OR 7.4 95% CI [1.75, 55.89], p=0.005) were also observed in the intervention group. The intervention group showed significant improvement in symptoms of anxiety, cognitive impairment, mindfulness and quality of life relative to the control group at the end of follow-up period (p<0.05). Discussion: Yoga can alleviate the burden of epilepsy and improve the overall quality of life in epilepsy by reducing perceived stigma.