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From the Annals of Yoga Research - Yogavani from Indian Yoga Association

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Celebrating World Meditation Day with the Indian Yoga Association 

On World Meditation Day, the Associate Centres and Member Institutes of the Indian Yoga Association came together to honour the profound practice of meditation. Across various locations, our community gathered to reflect, connect, and deepen their meditation journeys, fostering a sense of unity and inner…

Celebrating 6 Years of Excellence:Indian Yoga Association Gujarat Chapter Foundation Day 

The Indian Yoga Association, Gujarat Chapter, virtually celebrated its 6th Foundation Day on 29th December with the theme Yoga for Lifestyle Management. The program began with a prayer, followed by Mauli Baviskar introducing all dignitaries. The event emphasized yoga’s role in promoting holistic well-being, inspiring…

Geetham Institute of Alternative Medicine hosts transformative sessions 

In December, Geetham Institute of Alternative Medicine, Associate Centre of Indian Yoga Association hosted a series of transformative sessions centered on Varma therapy, which plays a significant role in enhancing physical, mental, and emotional health. The month-long series was conducted by experienced practitioners, each focusing…

Indian ancient Siddhars and the science of longevity: A remarkable discovery byAttangaogam Peedam 

Recent research, supported by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), sheds light on the ancient practice of Attangaogam, Associate Centre of Indian Yoga Association, and its impact on longevity. The study, titled “Effect of Yoga-Pranayamam on Telomere Length in Medical Students,” revealed ground breaking…

Tamil Nadu SCC meets to discuss way forward 

The Tamil Nadu State Chapter Committee meeting was held in World Community Service Centre, Chennai on December 28, 2024, at 10:30am. The meeting commenced with a prayer and meditation session, creating a serene atmosphere for the discussions that followed. Shri Rajeshwari Prabhakaran, Senior Vice-Chairman of…

Enriching programs at Sri Aurobindo Society, Hyderabad 

Throughout December, the Sri Aurobindo Society, Hyderabad, hosted a series of insightful talks and satsangs, focusing on various elements of yoga and spiritual growth. The month began with Elements of Yoga 1 by Smt. Suneetha Sekhar on 1st December, followed by Smt. Harshitha’s session on…

Vedic Kaya Sadhana celebrates convocation ceremony 

The Vedic Kaya Sadhana, Associate Centre of the Indian Yoga Association, recently held its convocation ceremony, marking a significant milestone for its graduating students. The event celebrated the culmination of rigorous training and dedication, with graduates receiving certifications that recognize their comprehensive understanding and expertise…

SSIYRC Students Set World Record inArdha Matsyendrasana 

In a remarkable achievement, 105 students from the Sri Shankari Institute of Yoga and Research Center, Gummudipoondi (SSIYRC), Associate Centre of the Indian Yoga Association, sustained the Ardha Matsyendrasana pose for an impressive 10 minutes, earning them a place in the Worldwide Book of Records….

Sree Bala Yoga Studio reflects on a year of remarkable achievements in 2024 

Sree Bala Yoga Studio, Associate Centre of the Indian Yoga Association, celebrated a year of significant milestones in 2024, underscoring its commitment to yoga education and community wellness. The studio conducted two sessions of its 200-hour Certificate Course in Yoga and a 500-hour Advanced Certificate…

Ananda Chaitanya Meditation Center launches in Coimbatore 

The Ananda Chaitanya Meditation Center in Kurumbapalayam, Coimbatore, Associate Centre of the Indian Yoga Association was inaugurated with grandeur on December 20, 2024. The event began with the traditional lighting of the kuthuvilakku by renowned writer Jeyamohan, symbolizing the dispelling of ignorance and the illumination…



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07 Feb 2025

Yogavani

From the Annals of Yoga Research
Yoga Research

From the Annals of Yoga Research 

Research is extremely important to support different approaches to health care. In the recent past, Yoga has been gaining lot of attention as Yoga Institutes, reseachers, scholars have started offering substantive clinical research evidence. In this issue, Indian Yoga Association brings to you the Research Papers published by our Member Institutes and other Institutes or individuals on the benefits of yoga in depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses

Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA)

Integrated Yoga Therapy for Mental Illness

Author: Dr HR Nagendra
Published in: Indian J Psychiatry
Published on: July 2013

Mental disorders have been described as one of the most devastating disorders of mankind for two reasons. The first is its relatively wide­spread incidence, i.e., around 2% in India and a prevalence averag­ing to about 6% in a meta-analytical study (Math and Srinivasaraju, 2010). The other reason is the extent to which it renders a person incapable of taking care of him/herself. Majority of the papers submitted in this special issue, depict the effectiveness of yoga on varied parameters for mental disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, attention deficit hyper-activity disorder and patients with functional disorders. The few papers, which have looked at the effect of yoga on elderly or healthy caregivers also, have focused on mental health outcome variables. In this context, we need to understand the mechanisms that work in making yoga effective for mental disorders/mental health.

Centre for Yoga Therapy Education and Research (CYTER)

Effect of a 12 Week Yoga Therapy Program on Men­tal Health Status in Elderly Women Inmates of a Hospice

Author: Meena Ramanathan, Ananda Balayogi Bhava­nani, Madanmohan Trakroo
Published In: International Journal of Yoga
Published On: 2017

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of yoga on the mental health status of elderly women inmates residing in a hospice in Puducherry. Forty elderly women were randomly divided into yoga and wait-listed control group. A yoga therapy program of 60 min was given twice a week for 12 weeks. This protocol was specially designed for senior citizens, keeping in mind their health status and physical limitations that included simple warm-up and breath-body movement coordination practices (jathis and kriyas), static stretching postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayamas), and relaxation. Hamilton anxiety scale for measuring anxiety, Hamilton rating scale for depression, and Rosenberg self-esteem scale to measure self-esteem were administered to both groups before and after the 12-week study period. Data were assessed for normality, and appropriate parametric and nonparametric statistical methods were applied for intra- and inter-group comparisons. Overall, intra- and inter-group comparison of prepost data showed statistically significant (P < 0.001) differences for all three parameters. There was an overall improvement in the scores indicating decreased levels of depression and anxiety coupled with an increase in the level of self-esteem after the yoga therapy program. The influence of yoga in the reduction of depression and anxi­ety scores and improvement in self-esteem scores in elderly women subjects is evident from this study. As reported in earlier studies, this may be attributed to changes in central neurotransmitters such as gamma-aminobutyric-acid coupled with increased parasympathetic tone and decreased sympatho-adrenal activity. It is recommended that yoga should be a part of health-care facilities for elderly as it can enhance the quality of life by improving their overall mental health status. It could provide a healthy and positive alternative from depressing negative thoughts, and give them a sense of purpose and hope.

Managing Mental Health Disorders Resulting from Trauma through Yoga: A Review

Published In: Depression Research and Treatment, Vol­ume 2012
Published On: June 19, 2012
Author: Shirley Telles, Nilkamal Singh, and Acharya Balkrishna

There are many and varied types of trauma. The extent to which trauma influences the mental health of an individual depends on the nature of trauma, as well as on the individual’s coping capabilities. Often trauma is followed by depression, anxiety, and PTSD. As the pharmacological remedies for these conditions often have undesirable side-effects, nonpharmacological remedies are thought of as a possible add-on treatment. Yoga is one such mind-body intervention. This paper covers eleven studies indexed in PubMed, in which mental health disorders resulting from trauma were managed through yoga including meditation. The aim was to evaluate the use of yoga in managing trauma-related depression, anxiety, PTSD and physiological stress following exposure to natural calamities, war, interpersonal violence, and incarceration in a correc­tional facility. An attempt has also been made to explore possible mechanisms underlying benefits seen. As most of these studies were not done on persons exposed to trauma that had practiced yoga, this is a definite area for further research.

Kaivalyadhama S.M.Y.M. Samiti

Anxiety and Depression Related to Yog Nidra among Professional Students

Published In: Yoga Mimamsa
Published On: June 11, 2020
Author: Rupali Joshi

Anxiety is one’s response to stress. Its symptoms can be psychological, physical, or environmental challeng­es. Depression is a common mental disorder that presents with depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feeling of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration. Yog nidra is probably the best known technique to induce complete physical and emotional relaxation. The aim of this study was to explore the effectiveness of yog nidra for reducing anxiety and depression among first-year professional students.

Disclaimer: The Research Papers have been selected by the Yogavani Content Team from a Google search for ‘Benefits of yoga in depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses’

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