OUTLINE OF SYNOPSIS

• TITLE
• INTRODUCTION
• AIMS & OBJECTIVES
• HYPOTHESIS
• MATERIALS USED IN RESEARCH
(I) LITERARY MATERIAL
(II) PRACTICAL MATERIAL
• METHODOLOGY
1) METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION
A) SELECTION OF SUBJECTS
INCLUSION CRITERIA
EXCLUSION CRITERIA
(B) INVESTIGATION
(C) DATA COLLECTION -
2) METHOD OF DATA INTERPRETATION
3) STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
4) CONCLUSION

• SCOPE OF STUDY
• LIMITATION OF STUDY -
 SEQUENTIAL DEVELOPMENT IN YOGA RESEARCH

• ORIGIN OF RESEARCH IN YOGA DATES BACK TO THE PRE- HISTORIC ORIGIN OF YOGA ITSELF
• THE ANCIENT RISHIS WERE TRULY SEARCHING AND RE- SEARCHING FOR THE ANSWER TO THE ALL
IMPORTANT QUESTION, "WHO AM I"?
• SCIENTIFIC AND PHILOSOPHIC-LITERARY RESEARCH IS ESSENTIAL TO CONFIRM, VALIDATE & ENHANCE THE
UNDERSTANDING AND APPLICATION OF YOGIC CONCEPTS AND PRACTICES FOR THE BENEFIT OF
HUMANITY.
 INTRODUCTION
• THE TERM YOGA HAS ITS VERBAL ROOT AS (YUJ) IN SANSKRIT. YUJ MEANS JOINING (YUJYATE ANENA
• ITI YOGAḤ).
• YOGA IS THAT WHICH JOINS. WHAT ARE THE ENTITIES THAT ARE JOINED?
• IN THE TRADITIONAL TERMINOLOGY IT IS JOINING OF THE INDIVIDUAL SELF WITH THE UNIVERSAL SELF. IT IS
AN EXPANSION OF THE NARROW CONSTRICTED EGOISTIC PERSONALITY TO AN ALL PERVASIVE, ETERNAL AND
BLISSFUL STATE OF REALITY.
• PATANJALA YOGA IS ONE AMONG THE SIX SYSTEMS OF INDIAN PHILOSOPHY KNOWN AS ṢAḌDARŚANAS.
ONE OF THE GREAT RṢIS (SEERS), PATANJALI, COMPILED THE ESSENTIAL FEATURES AND PRINCIPLES OF YOGA
(WHICH WERE EARLIER INTERSPERSED IN YOGA UPANIṢADS) IN THE FORM OF ‘SUTRAS’ (APHORISMS) AND
MADE A VITAL CONTRIBUTION IN THE FIELD OF YOGA, NEARLY 4000 YEARS AGO (AS DATED BY SOME
FAMOUS WESTERN HISTORIANS).
• ACCORDING TO PATAÑJALI, YOGA IS A CONSCIOUS PROCESS OF GAING MASTERY OVER THE MIND.
 HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT OF YOGA
• YOGA MEANS THE CLASSICAL YOGA SYSTEM AS SET FORTH BY PATANJALI IN THE YOGA SUTRAS.
• PATAÑJALI TAUGHT AN EIGHTFOLD (AṢṬAṆGA) SYSTEM OF YOGA EMPHASIZING AN INTEGRAL SPIRITUAL
DEVELOPMENT INCLUDING ETHICAL DISCIPLINES (YAMA AND NIYAMA), POSTURES (ASANA), BREATHING
EXERCISES (PRAṆAYAMA), CONTROL OF THE SENSES (PRATYAHARA), CONCENTRATION (DHARAṆA),
MEDITATION (DHYANA) AND ABSORPTION (SAMADHI).
• THIS CONSTITUTES A COMPLETE AND INTEGRAL SYSTEM OF SPIRITUAL TRAINING.
• YOGA HAS BEEN PART OF MAN'S ACTIVITIES DIRECTED TOWARDS HIGHER SPIRITUAL ACHIEVEMENTS IN INDIA.
• THE HISTORY OF YOGA IS DIVIDED INTO FIVE CATEGORIES:
VEDIC PERIOD
PRE-CLASSICAL PERIOD
CLASSICAL PERIOD
YOGA IN MEDIEVAL TIMES
YOGA IN MODERN TIMES
 VEDIC PERIOD
• IN VEDIC PERIOD IT WAS CONSIDERED THAT THE MEANS TO HIGHER ATTAINMENT WAS THE KNOWLEDGE
OR REVEALED TO SAGES FROM THE UNIVERSE THROUGH MEDITATION. IT COMPRISES THREE YOGA'S
1. MANTRA YOGA, WHERE THE POWER OF MANTRA, THROUGH WHICH THE MANTRA BECOMES ACTIVE AS A
TOOL OF TRANSFORMATION IN THE MIND
2. PRAṆA YOGA – THROUGH PRAṆAYAMA WHICH ENERGIZES THE VITAL FORCE.
3. DHYANA YOGA – THE WORD DHĪ’, WHICH MEANS BUDDHI OR INTELLECT IS THE ROOT FOR THE TERM
‘DHYĀNA’ OR MEDITATION. DHĪ IS THE HIGHER AND INTERIOR PORTION OF THE MIND (MANAS), WHICH
ENABLES US TO PERCEIVE THE ETERNAL TRUTH
 PRE-CLASSICAL PERIOD
• ONE OF THE MOST OUTSTANDING YOGA SCRIPTURES IS THE BHAGAVAD-GITA WHICH WAS
COMPOSED AROUND 5000 B.C. ACCORDING TO THE BHAGAVADGITA, THERE ARE FOUR PATHS
WHICH LEAD TO ESTABLISHING
• RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SUPREME. THESE HAVE BEEN DESIGNATED AS THE YOGA OF PERFECT ACTIONS
• (KARMA YOGA), THE YOGA OF PERFECT DEVOTION (BHAKTI YOGA), THE YOGA OF PERFECT
KNOWLEDGE
• (JÑĀNA YOGA), AND THE YOGA OF WILL POWER (RAJA YOGA). THE BHAGAVADGITA CONSISTS OF
18
• CHAPTERS. EACH CHAPTER IS CALLED A YOGA. EACH CHAPTER IS A HIGHLY SPECIALIZED YOGA
REVEALING THE
 CLASSICAL PERIOD
• DURING THE CLASSICAL PERIOD, AROUND 2ND CENTURY BCE, PATANJALI WROTE YOGA SUTRA,
COMPRISING 196 APHORISMS, ELUCIDATING THE EIGHT STEPS (AṢTAṆGA) TO REACH THE GOAL OF
HUMAN LIFE WHICH IS FREEDOM FROM MISERIES OF DEATH AND BIRTH. THIS IS KNOWN AS THE YOGA
OF WILL POWER OR RAJA YOGA OR AṢṬAṆGA YOGA.
• BUDDHA WHO EXISTED A FEW CENTURIES BEFORE THIS PERIOD TAUGHT US EIGHT FOLD PATH
EMPHASISING ON MEDITATION.
• VIPASANA IS ONE OF INDIA'S MOST ANCIENT MEDITATION TECHNIQUES. LONG LOST TO HUMANITY, IT
WAS REVIVED BY GAUTAMA, THE BUDDHA MORE THAN 2500 YEARS AGO.
• THE WORD VIPASANA MEANS SEEING THINGS AS THEY REALLY ARE. IT IS THE PROCESS OF SELF-
PURIFICATION BY SELF OBSERVATION. ONE BEGINS BY MONITORING THE NATURAL BREATH TO
CONCENTRATE THE MIND. WITH A SHARPENED ATTENTIVENESS ONE PROCEEDS TO OBSERVE THE
CHANGING NATURE OF BODY AND MIND AND EXPERIENCES THE UNIVERSAL TRUTHS OF THE MORTAL
AND MISERABLE LIFE.
• PRATYAHARA AND CINTANA (CONTEMPLATION) ARE TWO IMPORTANT WINGS OF YOGA IN JAINISM.
 YOGA IN MEDIEVAL TIMES
• BUDDHA (AROUND 6TH CENTURY B.C.) HAD POPULARIZED MEDITATION ON THE ENTIRE SUBCONTINENT.
• HOWEVER, THERE WAS A POINT OF DISAGREEMENT THAT ONE CANNOT START THE SPIRITUAL PRACTICES WITH
MEDITATION IMMEDIATELY. ONE HAS TO PREPARE ONESELF FOR MEDITATION.
• DURING 6TH CENTURY A.D. WHEN THE INFLUENCE OF BUDDHISM HAD DECLINED, SOME GREAT YOGIS LIKE
MATSEYENDRANATHA AND GORAKṢANATHA SET OUT TO PURIFY THE SYSTEM.
• THERE WERE MANY TREATISES ON HAṬHA YOGA WRITTEN DURING THIS TIME.
• THE MAIN TEXTS WRITTEN DURING THIS PERIOD ARE HAṬHA YOGA PRADIPIKA BY SVATMARAMA, GHERAṆḌA
SAṀHITĀ A CONVERSATIONAL TREATISE, HAṬHARATNAVAL BY ŚRINIVASA YOGĪ WHICH ALSO DISCUSSES
AYURVEDA ALONG WITH YOGA, ŚIVA SAṀHITA, SIDDHA SIDDHĀNTA PADDHATI BY NITYANĀTHA ETC.
• GURU GORAKṢANATHA IS BELIEVED TO BE THE FOUNDER OF THE NĀTHA SAMPRADĀYA AND IT IS STATED THAT
THE NINE NATHAS AND 84 SIDDHAS ARE ALL HUMAN FORMS CREATED AS YOGIC MANIFESTATIONS TO SPREAD
THE MESSAGE OF YOGA AND MEDITATION IN THE WORLD.
• THEY WERE YOGIS, WHO REVEALED SAMADHI TO MANKIND.
• GURU GORAKṢANATHA IS THOUGHT TO HAVE AUTHORED SEVERAL BOOKS INCLUDING: GORAKṢA SAṀHITA,
GORAKṢA GĪTĀ AND YOGA CINTAMAṆI
 MODERN YOGA RESEARCH
• 6205 RESULTS ARE AVAILABLE “ YOGA THERAPY “ ON PUBMED.
• SWAMI KUVALAYANANDA & KAIVALYADHAMA
• MEDICAL SCIENTISTS AT
- ML GHAROTE, MV BHOLE, PV KARAMBELKAR, SL VINEKAR
• AIIMS, BHU, NIMHANS, JIPMER (BK ANAND, GS CHINNA, KN UDUPA, KS GOPAL, RL BIJLANI,
MADANMOHAN, ETC)
• YOGA UNIVERSITIES: SVYASA, PYP
• MAINLY LIMITED TO THE PHYSICAL ASPECTS
• MOST RESEARCHERS TODAY HOWEVER SEEM MORE INTERESTED IN PROVING THEMSELVES RIGHT
THAN IN REALLY RESEARCHING YOGA AS A WHOLE
 MOST YOGIC PHENOMENA ARE BEYOND THE MERE
PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF THEIR EFFECTS

• TO CONCLUDE THAT SHAVASANA HAS ONLY THE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECT OF LOWERING BP &
HR IS TO SIGHT MERELY THE ICEBERG'S TIP, MISSING > 90%
• THE REAL EFFECTS OF SHAVASANA AS THE ULTIMATE RELAXATION & TRUE RENUNCIATION MAY
HAVE MORE FAR- REACHING EFFECTS THAN WE WOULD HAVE BEEN LED TO BELIEVE
 RECENT TRENDS

• YOGA RESEARCH-NOW A GLOBAL PHENOMENON

• INCREASED NUMBER OF BLINDED, RANDOMIZED AND CONTROLLED TRIALS
• IMPROVED PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION
• BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH VARIOUS PRACTICES CAUSE THEIR
EFFECTS
• INCREASED NUMBER OF RESEARCH STUDIES ARE BEING PUBLISHED IN INDEXED JOURNALS
WITH PEER REVIEW - A BETTER STANDARD OF RESEARCH AT LEAST AT THE PHYSICAL LEVEL
• GREATER FUNDING AVAILABLE NOWADAYS
 SOME QUESTIONS

• DO WE HAVE EQUIPMENT TO QUANTITATIVELY AND QUALITATIVELY MEASURE EFFECTS OF

YOGA?
• WHAT TO DO IN MOST ASPECTS OF YOGA THAT ARE BEYOND OUR PRESENT DAY CAPACITY?
• HOW TO KEEP THE "YOGA" IN YOGA RESEARCH?
• HOW TO ENABLE THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED OF MODERN RESEARCH TO PERCOLATE DOWN
INTO CLINICAL PRACTICE AND YOGA EDUCATION?
 YOGA RESEARCH

• IS NOT JUST GATHERING INFORMATION ON YOGA

• IS NOT JUST THE RE-ARRANGING OF KNOWN FACTS ON YOGA
• MUST BE CONTINUAL AND EXPANDING
• MOST MODERN RESEARCH SEEMS TO BE JUST REPEATING AD-NAUSEAM EARLIER WORKS
• MUST NOT BE A SALES PITCH
• A LOT OF RESEARCH TODAY SEEMS GEARED AT ATTRACTING PEOPLE TO SPECIFIC TECHNIQUES
AND INSTITUTIONS THAN TO BENEFITING YOGA AS A WHOLE
• TRUE RESEARCH IS A QUEST DRIVEN BY A SPECIFIC QUESTION WHICH NEEDS AN ANSWER LEADING
TO A NEW QUESTION
• MOST RESEARCH IN YOGA TODAY HOWEVER SEEMS EITHER TO BE FOR CURING DISEASES AND
DISORDERS THAT ARE RAMPANT IN MODERN WORLD OR TO PUBLICIZE THEIR OWN TECHNIQUES.
• BASIC RESEARCH IS LACKING- NOT AS ATTRACTIVE AS CLINICAL TRAILS AND THE PUBLICITY THEREOF
• MOST RESEARCHERS LACK AN 'EXPERIENCE' OF YOGA - ARE NOT LIVING IT, HENCE HAVE NO CLUE
ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE STUDYING.
 NEED OF THE HOUR

• -FOCUS ATTENTION ON CORE CONCEPTS OF YOGA

• - FIND NEWER METHODS TO UNRAVEL ITS SECRETS
• EXTENSIVE BASIC RESEARCH IS REQUIRED
• - NOT MUCH MONEY IN IT!
• A LOT OF YOGA RESEARCH TODAY RESEMBLES PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES TRYING TO
FIND WONDER DRUGS FOR NEWER DISEASES.
• MOST MODERN YOGA RESEARCHERS SEEM TO BE TRYING TO FIND OUT "A SINGLE YOGA PILL
FOR EACH ILL".
• COMPREHENSIVE BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF YOGA THERAPY RESEARCH BETWEEN 1967 & 2013 BY JETER PE,
SLUTSKY J, SINGH N & KHALSA SB. (J ALTERN COMPLEMENT MED 2015)
• • THREE-FOLD INCREASE IN NUMBER OF PUBLICATIONS SEEN IN THE LAST DECADE, INCLUSIVE OF ALL STUDY
DESIGNS.
• • 45% RCTS, 18% CONTROLLED, AND 37% UNCONTROLLED.
• • MOST PUBLICATIONS ORIGINATED FROM INDIA (N=258), FOLLOWED BY USA (N=122) AND CANADA (N=13).
• TOP THREE DISORDERS ADDRESSED BY YOGA INTERVENTIONS WERE MENTAL HEALTH, CARDIOVASCULAR
DISEASE, AND RESPIRATORY DISEASE.
• OTHER REVIEWS BY KIM INNES (2005, 2007 & 2012), YANG (2007) AND SENGUPTA (2012) HAVE ALSO
HIGHLIGHTED ROLE OF YOGA THERAPY.
 SWOT ANALYSIS OF YOGA RESEARCH

• SWOT (STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND THREATS) ANALYSIS IS A

FRAMEWORK USED TO EVALUATE COMPETITIVE POSITION AND TO DEVELOP STRATEGIC
PLANNING. SWOT ANALYSIS ASSESSES INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL FACTORS, AS WELL AS
CURRENT AND FUTURE POTENTIAL.
 Internal factors: strengths and weakness
Strengths of yoga: Weaknesses of yoga research:
Cultural heritage Low scientific vigor
Time tested and effective in various Not well validated, one cap fitting
disorders all heads approach
Life style entity with many facets to Difficulties in conducting blinded
training raising one's consciousness to RCT, getting ethics approval,
higher levels so funding and publishing in high
as to unite with supreme impact journals
consciousness.
External Opportunities: Strength & Opportunities (SO) Weakness & Opportunities (WO)
factors: Conducting higher levels and deeper Strategies Strategies
opportunit studies with proper design and Conducting yoga Research with good Planning with proper control
ies and involving multiple specialties design and in-depth studies not just group, double blind, unbiased
threats superficial benefits interpretation & convincing
(risks/ reviewers of funding agencies and
challenges journals with high quality of
) scientific work
Threats: Strength & Threats (ST) Weaknesses & Threats (WT)
Compliance issues to carry out yoga Strategies Strategies
training by participants Designing study countering all the Designing study countering all the
Questionable data collection, analysis threats/risks weakness, threats/risks
& interpretation.
 SOME OF RESEARCH WORK IN RECENT TIMES
• 1. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF 12-WEEK YOGA THERAPY AS LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN PATIENTS OF ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION AND
CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION TESTS. NATL J PHYSIOL PHARM PHARMACOL 2016; 6: 19-26.

• 2. FINDING PEACE ON A PSYCHIATRIC WARD WITH YOGA: REPORT ON A PILOT ANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDY IN PONDICHERRY, INDIA. ANNALS OF SBV
2016; 5(2): 14- 9.

• 3. EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON FASTING LIPID PROFILE IN CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY. INT J ADV MED 2018;5: 294-98.

• 4. EFFECTS OF OVERNIGHT SLEEP DEPRIVATION ON AUTONOMIC FUNCTION AND PERCEIVED STRESS IN YOUNG HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND THEIR
REVERSAL THROUGH YOGIC RELAXATION (SHAVASANA). NATL J PHYSIOL PHARM PHARMACOL 2018;8

• 5. EFFECT OF ADJUVANT YOGA THERAPY ON PULMONARY FUNCTION AND QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE
PULMONARY DISEASE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. J BASIC CLIN APPL HEALTH SCI. 2018; 2(3):117-22.

• 6. IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF SUKHA PRANAYAMA: A SLOW AND DEEP BREATHING TECHNIQUE ON MATERNAL AND FETAL CARDIOVASCULAR PARAMETERS.
YOGA

• TATA AIG GENER

• T&C APPLY TRAVEL

• IRDAI REGN. NOI

• RECOM

• RESEARCHED EFFI

• BRONCHIAL AST