|
In
the recent past modernization of cultures, urbanisation and industrialization
have greatly influenced our way of living and we have tended to
drastically deviate from those well established ancient principles
practiced and professed by our sages. We are trying to seek apparently
comfortable living conditions where physical activities have been
replaced by labour saving machines and appliances and thus have
grossly confronted the nature. Food habits, on the other hand,
have changed. Eating of more and more artificially preserved and
processed food items lacking ingredients essential for maintaining
good health is on the increase. Our exaggerated expectations remaining
unfulfilled, have resulted into elevated stress levels in our
life. All these have given rise to so many disorders like high
blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. In the promotion of physical
and mental health and prevention of many of these disorders, yoga
is supposed to play a vital role*. Yoga - practitioner's integrated
personality changes for the better as yoga has got holistic approach.
In
the promotion of physical & mental health and prevention of
many of these disorders, yoga is supposed to play a vital rolel'I.
Yoga practitioner's integrated personality changes for the better
as yoga has got holistic approach.
Dr.
Gharote from Lonavala studied the therapeutic effect of yoga on
cases of obesity and the results were assessed - through measurements
of skin - fold at various points. Results showed significant decrease
in skin - fold measurement both in males and females **. However,
we have studied in the present work the effects of yogic practices
on fat accumulating parameters by measuring weight, waist - line,
hips etc. in a group of women.
AIM
A
large number of persons attend clinics or follow other practices
for reducing obesity and for improving physical look. These are
the cases in which influence of the state of mind of the persons
on their bodies are fairly predominant. In the case of women it
is seen that with increasing age there is increase in fat accumulation
mainly at the hip regions. Our aim was t study the long term effects
(at least for 6 month duration) of yogic practices on weight,
waist - line, hips and chest flexibility in case of a group of
women who performed yogasanas and pranayamas regularly.
METHOD
There
has been a regular class of yoga practices in Brindavan Yoga Hall
at Anushakti Nagar in Mumbai from 10:30 hours to 12:00 hours in
the morning for women for the last 17 years. In this study, in
the beginning of admission and thereafter every month, the measurements
of weight, waist, hips, maximum value for the chest after complete
inhalation and minimum value of the chest after exhalation were
recorded. The women covered in the present study were in the age
group of 22 to 69 years. These data were collected from 1995 to
1998. Participants were taught yoga practices and were supervised
by the trained and experienced yoga teacher. They practiced yogasanas
and pranayamas followed by 20 minutes of relaxation techniques
like Shavasana, Makarasana or Yoganidra. The asanas taught in
this study were vajrasana, suryanamaskara, pavanmuktasana, bhujangasana,
salabhasana, trikonasana, hastapadasana, cakrasana, dhanurasana,
viparitkarani, sarvangasana and pranayamas followed by relaxation
postures. In this group, there were women who were overweight
and some were having different ailments like asthma, spondylosis
(neck and back) and some were having no complaint. Due care was
taken for yoga - practices contraindicated in some individual
subjects depending upon their physical conditions. In the present
study, in the beginning of admission and thereafter every month,
the measurements of weight, waistline, hips, maximum value of
chest after complete inhalation and minimum value after exhalation
were recorded. They were told the importance of balanced diet
and were instructed to follow moderation in dietary habits.
RESULTS
AND DISCUSSIONS
In
this paper we have complied the data for 26 women who had been
coming continuously at least for 6 months daily except Saturdays
and Sundays. Though originally we have collected data for 32 women,
but six women for personal reasons could not maintain regularity
and they reported to the yoga teacher after a gap of two or three
months in between the fixed span of six months decided in the
present study. All these irregular yoga - practitioners showed
gain in body weights and increase in other parameters as compared
to the general trend shown in case of regular yoga practitioners.
It is worth mentioning here that the yoga practitioners were told
the importance of balanced diet and they were instructed to do
normal daily activity as before joining yoga class.
The
data obtained during the present study are shown in Table
- 1. Statistical analysis was carried out with respect to
weight-parameter in order to study its distribution in the subjects.
The % cumulative probability less than the weight (as shown in
Table-2) plotted against the weight revealed
that the entire population of subjects is composed of two different
groups, one of subjects from S.No. 1 to 14 (normal group) and
another Serial No. 15 to 17. Incidentally only 3 subjects having
body weight 84 kg and 94 kg fell in the obese group.
|
|
Weight
Before
|
Weight
After
|
Waist
|
Hips
|
Chest
|
Chest
|
| |
|
|
Before
|
After
|
Before
|
After
|
Before
|
After
|
Before
|
After
|
|
1
|
65
|
67
|
90
|
88
|
102
|
103
|
99
|
100
|
94
|
93
|
|
2
|
65
|
59
|
95
|
92
|
109
|
104
|
97
|
95
|
95
|
93
|
|
3
|
73
|
73
|
98
|
99
|
121
|
122
|
103
|
103
|
101
|
100
|
|
4
|
63
|
63
|
92
|
93
|
114
|
114
|
91
|
90
|
89
|
87
|
|
5
|
57
|
55
|
93
|
92
|
101
|
95
|
96
|
98
|
95
|
95
|
|
6
|
54
|
55
|
94
|
90
|
105
|
101
|
88
|
89
|
85
|
85
|
|
7
|
68
|
68
|
90
|
88
|
107
|
108
|
100
|
99
|
98
|
97
|
|
8
|
60
|
57
|
87
|
83
|
100
|
96
|
89
|
88
|
87
|
86
|
|
9
|
94
|
87
|
108
|
100
|
123
|
117
|
110
|
105
|
108
|
103
|
|
10
|
87
|
82
|
95
|
96
|
127
|
124
|
107
|
106
|
105
|
104
|
|
11
|
60
|
57
|
88
|
82
|
101
|
97
|
98
|
99
|
96
|
96
|
|
12
|
84
|
78
|
106
|
104
|
123
|
118
|
115
|
111
|
114
|
109
|
|
13
|
54
|
53
|
84
|
85
|
100
|
97
|
93
|
94
|
91
|
90
|
|
14
|
51
|
48
|
90
|
85
|
100
|
94
|
90
|
85
|
89
|
89
|
|
15
|
50
|
49
|
73
|
72
|
100
|
100
|
83
|
83
|
81
|
81
|
|
16
|
59
|
57
|
77
|
77
|
110
|
105
|
90
|
92
|
88
|
86
|
|
17
|
63
|
60
|
80
|
81
|
107
|
106
|
95
|
94
|
93
|
90
|
|
18
|
68
|
62
|
84
|
79
|
107
|
102
|
100
|
98
|
97
|
92
|
|
19
|
74
|
72
|
102
|
100
|
126
|
122
|
104
|
103
|
103
|
101
|
|
20
|
58
|
56
|
87
|
88
|
106
|
105
|
92
|
94
|
90
|
90
|
|
21
|
55
|
55
|
88
|
88
|
104
|
14
|
94
|
93
|
90
|
88
|
|
22
|
67
|
65
|
87
|
84
|
105
|
102
|
95
|
95
|
94
|
92
|
|
23
|
67
|
66
|
97
|
95
|
108
|
108
|
102
|
102
|
101
|
100
|
|
24
|
63
|
62
|
95
|
92
|
106
|
107
|
100
|
99
|
98
|
97
|
|
25
|
73
|
73
|
94
|
94
|
109
|
109
|
100
|
103
|
98
|
100
|
|
26
|
65
|
64
|
97
|
97
|
108
|
106
|
103
|
103
|
102
|
100
|
| Table
1: Initial and final measurements for the various Parameters
in case of a group of women who practiced Yoga for 6 months
regularly. |
The
results show that in all three women body weight, hips and waistline
measurements had decreased. Some more data are needed to prove
the statistical significance of these observations. The percentage
changes in body weight, waistline, hips and chest flexibility
are shown in Table-3 in the same order of serial
number as shown in Table-1.
|
Serial
No.
|
Weight
(kg)
|
No.
of persons
|
Cumulative
Frequency (n)
|
%
Cumulative Probability less than the weight (2n-1)/N,
N=26
|
|
1
|
50
|
1
|
1
|
1.92
|
|
2
|
51
|
1
|
2
|
5.77
|
|
3
|
54
|
2
|
4
|
13.46
|
|
4
|
55
|
1
|
5
|
17.31
|
|
5
|
57
|
1
|
6
|
21.15
|
|
6
|
58
|
1
|
7
|
25.00
|
|
7
|
59
|
1
|
8
|
28.85
|
|
8
|
60
|
2
|
10
|
36.54
|
|
9
|
63
|
3
|
13
|
48.08
|
|
10
|
65
|
3
|
16
|
59.61
|
|
11
|
67
|
2
|
20
|
67.31
|
|
12
|
68
|
2
|
20
|
75.00
|
|
13
|
73
|
2
|
22
|
82.69
|
|
14
|
74
|
1
|
23
|
86.54
|
|
15
|
84
|
1
|
24
|
90.38
|
|
16
|
87
|
1
|
25
|
94.23
|
|
17
|
94
|
1
|
26
|
98.08
|
|
Table
2: Data for the distribution of population for statistical
analysis
|
|
I.
REDUCTION IN WEIGHT
The
bar chart on data of Table-3 is shown in Fig.-1
and depicts the percentage reduction in weight after doing
yogic practices for 6 months. Out of 26 ladies in this group,
19 practitioners lost the body-weights while 2 women gained
the weight (of the order of 4%) due to dietary indiscretion
during festivals. There were 5 women, in whose case there
were no change in body - weight. Arithmetic average of %
reduction in body-weight works out to be 3.03 while taking
all the 26 women into consideration. In 93% of yoga practitioners
covered in this study, either the body-weight has remained
stable or there were reduction in body-weights.
II
REDUCTION IN WAIST -LINE
The
bar chart depicting the percentage change in waist line
is shown in Fig-2.
|
From
the data collected for the waist line measurements. it is seen
that there is reduction in waistline for 18 women while in case
of 6 women there is slight increase in waist (of the order of
a centimeter in each case). For two women there was found to be
no change in this parameter. The average percentage reduction
in waistline was found to be 2.11. In 81 % of the cases, the waistline
parameter either decreased or remained stable.
|
III
REDUCTION IN HIPS
The
percentage reduction in circumference at hipline for all
26 women is shown in Fig.-3. There was
decrease for 17 women and increase for 4 women circumference
at hip points while in case of 5 women there was no change
observed in this parameter as found in the study. In 85%
of the participants who have come regularly for yoga class,
either the same parameter was stable or it got decreased.
IV.
INCREASE IN LUNG FLEXIBILITY
The
bar chart depicting % changes in lung- flexibility is shown
in Fig-4.
For
16 women there was increase in percentage lung flexibility
and for 10 women there was no change in this parameter.
None of them, however, showed decrease in their lung-flexibility.
No
restriction on diet, behavior or other activities were advised
in particular to be observed by yoga practitioners during
the course of this study. Yoga is believed to have holistic
approach and it imparts an all
|
|
%
Reduction in Weight
|
%
Reduction in Waistline
|
%Increase
in Chest Flexibility
|
%Reduction
in Hips
|
|
-3.07
|
1.12
|
0
|
-0.98
|
|
9.23
|
3.16
|
0
|
4.59
|
|
0
|
-2.04
|
0
|
-0.83
|
|
0
|
-1.09
|
50
|
0
|
|
3.51
|
1.08
|
200
|
5.94
|
|
-1.85
|
4.26
|
33
|
3.85
|
|
0
|
2.22
|
0
|
-0.93
|
|
5
|
4.6
|
0
|
4
|
|
7.44
|
2.91
|
0
|
4.09
|
|
5.74
|
-1.05
|
0
|
2.36
|
|
5
|
6.82
|
50
|
3.96
|
|
7.14
|
1.89
|
100
|
4.06
|
|
1.85
|
-1.19
|
100
|
3
|
|
5.88
|
5.55
|
0
|
6
|
|
2
|
1.36
|
0
|
0
|
|
3.39
|
0
|
200
|
3.66
|
|
5
|
-1.25
|
100
|
0.93
|
|
8.82
|
5.95
|
100
|
4.67
|
|
2.7
|
1.96
|
100
|
3.17
|
|
3.45
|
-1.14
|
100
|
0.94
|
|
0
|
0
|
25
|
0
|
| | | |
