Shirley Telles

Patanjali Research Foundation

An association between expectations of treatment and treatment outcome has been reported for conventional medical and surgical treatments. However, this association has not been described for yoga therapy. The present study recruited patients (154 males and 145 females, n = 299; age 48.8 ± 14.7 years) who had been admitted to a residential wellness...

Background Previously, yoga breathing improved mood states and attention but the effect of varying breath frequency on mood and attention was not clear. Objectives The objective of this study was to determine the effects of changes in breath frequency on attention, mood, vigor, and affect states. Materials and Methods Thirty participants (mean ag...

Reduced vagally mediated heart rate variability (VmHRV) has been reported in patients with chronic pain. In healthy persons, breathing with longer expiration relative to inspiration increases VmHRV at 12 breaths per minute. The present study aimed to determine the immediate effect of breathing with longer expiration relative to inspiration on VmHRV...

Introduction: Previously, an intervention involving volitional slow breathing reduced trait food craving with protective effects on cardiac vagal activity (CVA). Breathing with a low inspiration-to-expiration (i/e) ratio also increases CVA. High CVA was separately associated with low unregulated eating and lesser impulsivity. Hence, the present st...

Background: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is often associated with pain, disability and reduced quality of life. Conventional care may be integrated with other therapies, though none is clearly the most effective. A systematic review (SR) of systematic reviews (SRs) was performed to appraise the evidence for yoga compared with exercise or physical t...

Background Yoga breathing influences cortical activity and, hence, cortico-efferent sensory activity. Previously, slow yoga breathing influenced the components of mid-latency auditory evoked potentials. Objective The present study aimed to compare middle latency auditory evoked potentials (MLAEPs) recorded during (i) High-frequency yoga breathing...

Background Volitionally modifying respiration leads to changes in middle cerebral arterial (MCA) blood flow. The effect of changes in breath rate on MCA blood flow has not been reported. Aims and Objectives To determine the effect of slow (bumblebee yoga breathing) and fast (high frequency yoga breathing) yoga breathing techniques on MCA blood flo...

Background Traditional yoga texts describe “cross nostril breathing,” with inhalation and exhalation through different nostrils. Previous research reported no clear differences in oxygen consumption during uninostril breathing (i.e., inhalation and exhalation through the same nostril), hence not supporting right and left uninostril breathing as act...

Samkhya philosophy and Yoga both aim at ultimate liberation, along with implicit rather than explicit devotion to the Divine (Isvara), making both self-transcendence and gratitude relevant for these philosophies. The relative contribution of gratitude and self-transcendence to eudemonic wellbeing was evaluated in one hundred and forty seven scholar...

Background: The present study aimed to determine (i) the effect of a residential yoga therapy program on the perception of illness and life satisfaction in patients with non-communicable diseases and (ii) the relationship between perception of illness and life satisfaction in the study population. Methods: The patients were recruited from a yoga th...

Introduction University students’ motivators and preferences for yoga as their course of study can influence their future as yoga instructors and therapists. Materials and Methods Six hundred and thirty-six students of both genders (251:385, male: female) from four North Indian universities offering graduate and postgraduate courses in yoga were t...

In conventional healthcare, patients’ preferences for their treatment are determined, though this practice has not been reported for yoga therapy. The present convenience sampling exploratory survey attempted to determine whether those seeking yoga therapy would report preferences for the way yoga therapy is implemented, the therapist’s knowledge,...

Objectives Previously, yoga volitional breathing with low inspiration to expiration ratios (i/e) (as in bhramari pranayama) improved cognition and reduced state anxiety. This study compared the effects of low, high and equal i/e ratio breathing on affect and attention. Material and Methods Affect, vigor and attention were assessed in forty healthy...

Background: Previous surveys from countries other than India reported positive health behaviors in yoga practitioners. The present study aimed to determine with respect to yoga practitioners in India: (i) percentages of yoga practitioners who consumed specific foods, had additional physical activity and leisure activity, (ii) the association betwe...

Volitional yoga breathing techniques influence several physiological functions depending on the changes made in depth of breathing, relative duration of exhalation to inhalation, and breath frequency. The practice guidelines for three routinely practiced and researched yoga breathing practices (bhastrika pranayama [bellows breath], bhramari pranaya...

Yoga research is multidimensional since the early 20th century, with initial studies investigating the extraordinary abilities of exceptional yogis. These investigations led to research on the clinical applications of yoga for health and therapy with published research on the yoga for the therapeutic management of generalized anxiety disorder, depr...

Previously, the electroencephalogram (EEG) recorded while listening to repetition of a Sanskrit monosyllable (i.e., OM) was not significantly different from the EEG recorded during control periods. In the present study, fifteen adult volunteers from northern India (all male, average age 25.0 ± 4.9 years) were assessed using monopolar scalp EEG reco...

Background: Addictive behavior can be effectively managed with yoga. This study compared smartphone use, self-rated sleep, and beliefs about well-being in university students who practiced yoga regularly with those who did not. Materials and methods: One hundred and forty-two university students (average age ± standard deviation: 20.2 ± 2.2; mal...

Attention was influenced by yoga breathing in previously published research. Each yoga breathing practice uniquely modifies specific breath characteristics. Differences in the study designs, assessment methods and interventions resulted in difficulty in comparing effects between yoga breathing practices. This study aimed (i) to compare four yoga br...

Aims: Breath frequency can alter cerebral blood flow. The study aimed to determine bilateral middle cerebral arterial hemodynamics in high-frequency yoga breathing (HFYB) and slow frequency alternate nostril yoga breathing (ANYB) using transcranial Doppler sonography. Methods: Healthy male volunteers were assessed in two separate trials before,...

Background and objective: Understanding the way nonexercisers view the benefits and barriers to physical exercise helps promote physical exercise. This study reports perceived benefits and negative outcomes of yoga perceived by yoga-naïve persons. Methods: The 2550 yoga-naïve respondents of both sexes (m:f = 2162:388; group mean age ± SD 23.5 ±...

Background: Previous studies assessed yoga breathing practices individually. This exploratory, randomized crossover study assessed attention and anxiety following four yoga breathing practices, breath awareness, and quiet seated rest. Materials and methods: Thirty-eight male volunteers between 20 and 37 years (group mean age ± SD; 24.08 ± 4.01 y...

Yoga research citations from 1948 to 2020 in PubMed were filtered and sorted in 10-year intervals to explore the occurrence and time frame of change in (1) the focus of research; (2) the number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), systematic reviews (SRs), and meta-analyses (MAs); (3) health conditions researched for yoga as therapy; (4) journal...

Background Among numerous changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, most yoga classes have repositioned online. However benefits, difficulties and satisfaction of teaching yoga online remain to be studied. With this the present survey aimed to determine: (i) benefits, disadvantages and satisfaction of teaching yoga online and (ii) their associa...

Objectives The present study compared yoga practitioners with age- and gender-matched yoga naïve persons on performance in a mirror tracing task which involved tracing a star pattern on a sheet of paper while looking at its reflection in a mirror. Materials and Methods The present cross-sectional study included twenty yoga practitioners of both se...

Objective Benefits and adverse effects of yoga were reported in surveys from different countries. The present study aimed to (i) determine the benefits and adverse effects of yoga in yoga experienced persons in India and (ii) correlate these effects of yoga with factors related to the individual and their yoga practice. Design and setting This con...

Context: Suryabhedapranayama is traditionally described as "increasing the inner fire" and is believed to be heat generating. Aims: The present study aimed at determining whether the surface body temperature would increase after Suryabheda pranayama practice compared with sitting quietly for the same duration as a control. Materials and methods...

Background In traditional yoga texts, sheetali and sitkari pranayamas are described as cooling. The present study was aimed at recording the surface body temperature, oxygen consumed, and carbon dioxide eliminated before, during, and after performance of sheetali and sitkari pranayamas. Material/Methods Seventeen healthy male volunteers with ages...

Objectives: To assess (i) if teachers' age or gender could predict their baseline levels of mental well-being and anxiety and any change after yoga. (ii) Whether mental well-being or anxiety changed following 15 days of yoga in primary school teachers. Primary school teachers took part in this single group longitudinal trial (n = 302, group mean a...

Background: Uninostril yoga breathing practices have improved spatial memory scores. There has been no assessment on the effect of high-frequency yoga breathing (HFYB) on working memory and spatial memory scores using the Corsi block-tapping task (CBTT). Objectives: The present study was planned to assess the immediate effects of HFYB and breath...

Pre-teen children face stressors related to their transition from childhood to adolescence, with a simultaneous increase in academic pressure. The present study compared the immediate effects of 18 min of (i) high frequency yoga breathing with (ii) yoga-based breath awareness and (iii) sitting quietly, on (a) attention and (b) anxiety, in 61 pre-te...

Background: Military occupations require heightened vigilance with resultant sleep disturbances, increased anxiety and reduced vigilance. Objective: To compare yoga with physical training to reduce insomnia, anxiety and increase vigilance in security personnel. Methods: One hundred and twelve Border Security Force personnel (BSF group, males;...

Background Perception of chronic illness and a positive outlook improve recovery, and yoga can improve wellbeing. This study aimed to compare perception, mental wellbeing, and quality of life in yoga-experienced compared with yoga-naïve patients with chronic illness and to determine whether the duration of yoga practice in the yoga-experienced grou...

Introduction: Physical activity is known to improve self-esteem of children. Low self-esteem causes distraction of attention which leads to decline in performance in attentional tasks. The performance of a child at school depends on multiple factors, a major factor being attention. Hence, the present study was designed to see (i) the effect 4½ mon...

Background: Obesity adversely affects quality of life which then acts as a barrier to weight loss and weight loss maintenance. Hence, those interventions which positively influence the quality of life along with weight reduction are considered useful for sustained weight loss in persons with obesity. An earlier study showed better quality of life...

Background Yoga breathing techniques like high-frequency yoga breathing (HFYB) and breath awareness (BAW) have been associated with improved performance in the shape and size discrimination task. A PubMed search of the literature revealed that alternate-nostril breathing has been shown to improve performance in attention tasks, but the effect on ta...

Background: Yoga breathing practices have always been found to have significant impact on selective attention. However, research studies related to the effect of High Frequency Yoga Breathing (HFYB) on selective attention are very limited. The present study was specifically planned to assess the effect of HFYB at 1 Hz on selective attention in dose...

Background: Chronic pain can alter the autonomic balance with increased sympathetic activity reflected in altered heart rate variability (HRV). It has been proposed that yoga can be useful to correct the autonomic imbalance in patients with chronic pain.

Background: The present study was intended to determine the relationship between use of e-devices in minutes per day and vigilance in school children. Methods: Thirty school students with ages between 10 to13 years (group mean age ± S.D., 10.6±0.8 years) were included in this correlational study with a one-time assessment. The participants were ass...

Background: Previously persons with illness showed a higher level of anxiety, depression and stress. The physical activity level reduces anxiety, depression and level of stress. Hence, the present study was aimed to compare the effects of physical activity on anxiety, depression and somatic features of stress among patient population who visited a...

Background: Use of e-devices has been linked with poor emotional intelligence among adults. Objective: The present study was intended to determine the relationship between use of e-devices in minutes and emotional intelligence (EI) in school children. Methods: Thirty four school children with ages between 10 to 12 years (group mean age ±S.D.,10.44...

Background: Previously high frequency yoga breathing (HFYB) and breath awareness (BAW) have improved attention using six letter cancellation test in medical students, middle aged and old population. Hence the present study was designed to assess the effects of HFYB and BAW on attention and state anxiety among school students. Methods: Thirty school...

Background: Suryabheda pranayama is a yoga breathing technique traditionally described as "increasing the inner fire" and is believed to be heat generating. The present study aimed at determining whether the surface body temperature would increase after suryabheda pranayama practice compared with sitting quietly for the same duration as a control i...

Autism is one of the most common developmental disabilities. As many as 95% of children with autism have been reported to have sensory processing difficulties. Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is the inability of an individual to process certain information received through the senses. Many parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) u...

Yoga includes several techniques including conscious control of the breath with awareness and precision, these are called pranayamas or voluntary regulated breathing in which the practitioners alter various aspects of breathing such as the rate and depth among other factors. One such technique involves forceful exhalation and breathing at a high fr...

Objectives: To study the effects of 9 days of yoga on self-rated sleep, state anxiety and performance in a vigilance test among border security force (BSF) personnel. Seven hundred and twenty-two BSF personnel took part in the trial. They were all males, with an average age of 30.9 ± 7.4 years. All of them were involved in guarding the country's b...

Objective: Central obesity has been shown to negatively influence the quality of life in centrally obese persons of both sexes. In a population of 740 centrally obese Asian-Indian adults, the present study was conducted to determine whether body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, hip circumference (HC), waist-hip ratio (WHR) and sagittal abdom...

Objective: The present study aimed at assessing the relationship between the perception of illness and mental well-being. Methods: One hundred participants (group mean age ± S.D., 41.8 ± 14.1 years; 53 males) were recruited in this cross sectional study. These participants came to the outpatient department at a yoga and ayurveda center in North Ind...

Background Previously, yoga bellows-type breathing (bhastrika pranayama) reduced reaction time (RT) or reduced anticipatory responses in male participants or a mixed group of male and female participants. Aims The present study as a control trial aimed to assess the effects of yoga bellows-type breathing on RT in females exclusively. Methods The...

Background: Central obesity is associated with a higher risk of disease. Previously yoga reduced the BMI and waist circumference (WC) in persons with obesity. Additional anthropometric measures and indices predict the risk of developing diseases associated with central obesity. Hence the present study aimed to assess the effects of 12 weeks of yoga...

Background Reducing stress in the workplace improves mental health. Teaching is of social importance, but it may receive inadequate recognition and rewards. The present study compared mental well-being and state anxiety in primary school teachers who practiced 15 days of yoga in a residential setting with those who continued their usual routine. M...

Yoga is increasingly being used for its benefits in promoting positive health as well as in preventing and treating certain disorders. Yoga has improved health in children with physical and mental needs. This mini review covers three physical disorders viz. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy and three primarily menta...

Sympathetic activation is required for attention. Separate studies have shown that meditation (a) improves attention and (b) reduces sympathetic activity. The present study assessed attention with the P300 and sympathetic activity with heart rate variability (HRV). Forty-seven male subjects (group mean age ± SD, 21.6 ± 3.4 years) were assessed in 4...

Objectives: The present study was conducted on healthy obese persons to determine: (i) the association between total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, total cholesterol/HDL ratio and fasting blood glucose (FBG) with (a) BMI, (b) waist circumference (WC) and (c) body fat and (ii) the presence of undiagnosed type 2 diabetes (based on fast...

The aim of yoga is to attain a mental state free from disturbance. Various yoga techniques have been prescribed for this in traditional yoga texts. The ancient yoga masters realized there was a close association between the functioning of the breath and the mind. Voluntarily regulated yoga breathing (pranayama) involves regulating various aspects o...

A number of experimental studies have been carried out to assess the effectiveness of yoga to manage obesity. This review (1) examined studies assessing the effects of yoga practices on obesity and (2) graded them according to standard grading methods. Fifteen studies were reviewed of which 6 were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The six RCTs h...

Background Reports suggest that vigilance or sustained attention increases sympathetic activity. A persistent increase in sympathetic activity can lead to an increase in blood pressure. Alternate-nostril yoga breathing has been shown to be useful to (i) improve attention and (ii) decrease the systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Earlier studies d...

Ayurveda used unique methods to understand human anatomy, which included examination of cadavers. Conventional anatomy is based on cadaver dissection with complex tools to understand histology. Computational modelling of the anatomy of the skin based on light attenuation at different wavelengths converted into corresponding chromophores gave a mode...

Background: Previous studies showed that the practice of Kapalabhati can increase attention and sympathetic activity with reduced vagal activity. Increased sympathetic activity was seen in earlier studies during an attention task. Objectives: We aimed to assess immediate effects of Kapalabhati pranayama on attention and arousal assessed using the P...

Background The characteristics of yoga practitioners and factors motivating people to practice yoga have been studied in the US and in Australia. This study aimed to determine the characteristics of yoga users in India, the factors that motivate them to practice yoga, and the yoga techniques of choice. Materials and methods The study was a one-tim...

The present cross sectional comparative trial aimed to compare the quality of life (QoL) in Indian obese persons who had experience in yoga compared to those naïve to yoga. Forty obese participants (BMI ≥ 25Kg/m 2) of both sexes (M:F, 18:22), age range between 30 to 50 years (Mean ± SD, 43.1 ± 4.6 years) took part in the study. There were two group...

Aim of the study: To compare the effect of yoga and physical activity on dimensions of relaxation such as relaxation itself, mindfulness, positive energy, transcendence and stress. Materials and Methods: In this study, hundred participants in the yoga group with ages ranging between 16 and 30 years (group mean age ± S.D., 21.5 ± 5.6 years, 57 male...

Attention is an important part of the process of meditation. Traditional Yoga texts describe two stages of meditation which follow each other in sequence. These are meditative focusing (dharana in Sanskrit) and effortless meditation (dhyana in Sanskrit). This review evaluated eight experimental studies conducted on participants in normal health, wh...

Background: Anxiety causes a significant reduction in perceptual-motor performance but no direct correlation has been reported so far between state anxiety and fine motor skills in computer users. Hence, the present study was aimed to assess the correlation between state anxiety and fine motor skills in computer users. Methods: Forty five healthy c...

Background: HRV has shown a significant relationship with trauma symptoms and psychological distress, but no direct relation has been found between HRV and somatization of stress. Hence the present study was aimed to assess the correlation between HRV and somatization of stress. Material and Methods: Twenty healthy participants with ages ranging be...

Background: An increase in body mass index i.e. BMI have been associated with a reduction in a quality of life, i.e. QOL and there have been studies assessing the effects of yoga on anthropometric variables. The present study was planned to assess the correlation between percentage changes in BMI and QOL before and after a one week yoga program in...

Background: Anxiety disorders were found to be associated with reduced HRV. Hence the present study was aimed to assess the correlation between HRV and (i) state anxiety and (ii) subjectively rated hyperventilation in outpatients at a yoga and ayurveda hospital. Material and Methods: Thirty four participants who came as outpatients in a yoga and ay...

Background The present study aimed at determining whether 12 weeks of yoga practice in patients with chronic LBP and MRI-based degenerative changes would result in differences in: (i) self-reported pain, anxiety, and spinal flexibility; and (ii) the structure of the discs or vertebrae. Material/Methods Sixty-two persons with MRI-proven degenerativ...

Background: The relationship between anthropometric measures such as waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), and body mass index (BMI) were correlated with the quality of life (QOL) in obese persons. Materials and Methods: Seventy-four participants with ages ranging between 21 and 59 years (group mean age ± S.D., 42.8 ± 11.0 years) partic...

Background Chronic pain can alter the autonomic balance with increased sympathetic activity reflected in altered heart rate variability (HRV). It has been proposed that yoga can be useful to correct the autonomic imbalance in patients with chronic pain who have reduced HRV. Methods and designsIn the present randomized controlled trial 62 patients w...

As the aging population of India continues to progress, it will bring about an increase in chronic disease. In addition to the aging of the population, rapid economic growth and urbanization will also contribute to the increase in non-communicable diseases. This chapter explores the practice of yoga as an integrative intervention in healthy aging a...

This chapter explores Ayurveda approaches to healthy aging and health-related conditions as a way to promote positive health throughout life, and to promote healthy aging. The basic principles of Ayurveda align with more contemporary approaches and practices regarding lifestyle modification and aging.

These findings showed that different meditations are associated with distinct neural activity during sustained attention and processing emotions. Hence, meditation causes changes in parts of the brain and modifies brain activity, in distinct ways based on the meditation technique. To our knowledge no study has checked whether detachment and empath...