List of Content

Chapter – I Introduction
 Objectives
Chapter –II Review of the literature
 Literature Survey
 The health benefits of yoga
 Needs of the Yoga & Meditation
 Problem Statement
 Approach
 Limitations
Chapter –III Methodology Stage
 Methodology Stage
 Sample collection
 Research Questions and Research Design
 Participants, Interventions, Comparators, Outcomes
 Reducing Stress
 Classifications
 Focused and open methods
 Technique
Chapter –IV Analysis of Data
 Analysis of Data
 Search Strategy and Data Sources
 New Age
 Guided meditation
Chapter –V
 Finding,
 Summary
 Conclusion,
 References

Chapter – I

Introduction
Introduction

Yoga is an ancient science derived from India. Practicing Yoga could

make our brain keeping activity and physical function reaching to
harmonious unity, thus promoting our physical health and improving the
feeling of happiness. Therefore, Yoga is being recognized more and more
important as an old science. The World Health Organization defined
health in its broader sense in 1946 as “a state of complete physical,
mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or
infirmity.” Seen from this definition, health depends on physical, mental
and social well-being. Today, Yoga has become ancient health culture.
As a relieving and relaxing exercise, Yoga has become one of the most
fashionable body building exercises and is very popular with youngsters.

As a static exercise, Yoga regulates bodies into good condition through

posture, breathing, meditation and so on, and plays an important role in
our physical, mental, spiritual and emotional health. In many countries,
Yoga is taken as a method for treating diseases, such as asthma, diabetes,
hypertension, arthritis, indigestion and so on. Yoga is very popular
because it may balance human beings’ mental system and endocrine
system, thus exerting direct influence on human beings’ other systems
and getting them balanced. For modern city women and men, Yoga may
regulate their emotions, relieve them of their stress resulting from fast life
pace, eliminate the toxin in bodies, increase their energy, and burn the fat
to keep fit, get into shape and preserve our health.

Yoga is applicable to human beings of all ages and helps to reduce the
load on heart. More and more human beings expect to have their health
improved, their bad emotions and ill temper eliminated, and their mental,
physical and social adaptability improved through Yoga. Men may be
mentally and physically regulated by practicing Yoga to be adapted to the
society better and have their work and quality of life improved.

Yoga is the oldest way for strengthening bodies and the most fashionable
way for body building, which focuses on “combining healthy spirit with
healthy bodies” so that we may be physically and mentally harmonious.
In addition, Yoga helps us to pick up the quality of keeping calm and
objective, the attitude of taking things as they are, sturdiness and
gracefulness so that you may get the joy and happiness of life. Yoga is to
reach proper positions in a comfortable way stably by moving slowly,
flexibly at ease to be stretched to the maximum extent by consuming the
least energy. Yoga consists of a lot of postures, about 20-30 in practice.
For Yoga, the harmony depends on your concentration on your practice
instead of your nice posture.

Everyone may practice Yoga and may get into a good condition through
different postures. Yoga is characterized in that those who practice Yoga
may enjoy the process both physically and mentally, and is good for
bodies, minds, spirit, emotions and so on. According to medical
explanation, Yoga is good because it may balance nervous system and
endocrine system of human bodies, thus exerting influence on other
systems and reaching a balance as a whole. auty in appearance instead of
the inner most being. By contrast, while Yoga shapes you, it may also
provide you with internal power. After a period of Yoga exercise, you
will be surprised to find that your innermost being has been changed. You
will not torture yourself for the purpose of losing weight and you will be
beautiful because you are happy, thus being physically and mentally
trained without any auxiliary body building instruments or tools.
Neither yoga is like other body building sports that are limited by the
field such as ball, swimming and so on. You shall not just spend some
time on practicing asana or meditation, instead, the 2concept of Yoga
shall be reflected throughout your life. For instance, you shall select
natural environment for living, bland diet, relaxing music, become
outgoing and calm. Yoga is never like general body building sports and
advocates the life philosophy of “harmony of body and mind” (Figure 1).
Besides bringing physical harmony and health in all aspects to human
beings, Yoga also helps human beings to be dedicated, calm, objective,
cultivate our morality, and to become both physically and mentally
healthy, which is the greatest advantage of Yoga that other sports do not
have.

Prisons are not places of retreat and enjoyment and it is highly likely of
any prisoner to go into depression, anger and frustration during
confinement and not much social life. Prison can have far reaching
implications for on one‟s psychological and overall physical working.
Further, heightened levels of distress, aggression and anti-social behavior
is significantly observed among prisoners (Haney, 2002; Hawkins, 2003).
Stress management has to be dealt with through intervention of different
stress management approaches. Within India, not much emphasis is given
on the stress management programs, and thus it becomes all the more
important to understand the importance of stress management tools with
specific reference to yoga and meditation.

The concept of meditation for stress management dates back to early

1900s. Behanun, (1961) observes that there was a marked medical
improvement in the functions of prisoners who practiced Transcendental
Meditation (T.M.) 495 | P a g e for two months. These cognitive functions
showed more marked improvement in case of women prisoners. Several
psychosocial studies conducted in the past have reflected on the
effectiveness of yoga and meditation on the overall reduction in stress
levels of the prisoners (Chandiramani et al, 1998; Samuelson et al, 2007).
It has also been reported by that the use of yoga and meditation further
reduced substance abuse levels in prisons (Bowen et al, 2006). Findings
of these studies reflect that although yoga and meditation were being
adopted as spiritual practice, however, they have been proven useful in
managing criminal behaviors as well. The fact that yoga has not received
any scientific attention it is probably the most less explored areas when it
comes to stress management among the prisoners. The research is
considerably thin in Indian context and more specifically female
prisoners.

Objectives

This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to study the effectiveness

of both yoga and mindfulness-based interventions on stress, depression,
anxiety, and academic achievement for students in tertiary education.
 Chapter –II

Review of the literature

Literature Survey

Bhole (1977), in his paper “Psycho Physiological Importance of Some

Yoga Practices,” presented at the International Seminar on Stress in
Health and Diseases, explained different aspects of Yoga. Yoga as a “way
of life” encompasses the philosophy of the following 4 forms of Yoga
which are: Karma Yoga (path of detached action), Jnana Yoga
(knowledge of self), Bhakti Yoga (trust in the supreme order) and Raja
Yoga (asana, pranayama, meditation, etc.). Bhole says that Continuous
and regular practice of this knowledge may even bring about a complete
transformation of one’s personality ,on mental, on physical, emotional,
and spiritual level which tends to strengthen one’s ability to cope with
stress at all levels. Yoga practices basically aim at the integral
development of the personality as a whole by a fine combination of the
above mentioned four forms of yoga- Karma Yoga, Bhakthi Yoga, Jnana
Yoga and Raja Yoga , which is called as Integrated Yoga. The paper on “
Managerial effectiveness and quality of work life: Indian insights” (1987)
and “Managerial Transformation by Values: A Corporate Piligrimate”
Saga by Chakraborty SK proves that practicing Yoga gives the managers
and workers the ability to take control of their distracted mind and also to
lose the sense of false ego , thereby helping in personality development.
According to Chakraborty SK, a Holistic and Integrated Yoga Module
comprising of the philosophy of Raja yoga (Asanas, dhyana ,pranayama,
etc), Jnana Yoga (knowledge of self), Karma Yoga (path of detached
actions) , Bhakthi Yoga (trust in the Supreme order).

Zhaoyuan opines that yoga is a healthful aerobic exercise exclusive to

women and men. Yoga relieves pressure to a considerable level in the
modern fast paced work and life. Author performs a research into Yoga’s
functions for men’s health and its influence on men’s bodies and minds,
and through the research, it is found that Yoga may effectively activate
body fat, regulate the heart rate, reduce the load on heart and vitalize men
in regard to their physical health so that they may work and live a life
confidentially; Yoga also may help to improve their interpersonal
relationship in regard to improving men’s social adaptability so that they
may work healthily, deal with others properly, and eliminate bad mental
factors, thus improving individuals’ charm.

Wu et. al [2] opines that Yoga exercise could promote our physical health
and improve the feeling of happiness, so it is becoming more and more
popular and the establishment of Yoga learning and self-instruction
expert system has great significance for the popularization and spread of
Yoga. In the research, the author analyses the Yoga training knowledge is
analysed using POAD expert system model, Yoga learning and self-
instruction expert system is established taking Yoga training technique
problem as framework, the definitions of MP4 objects in Yoga
knowledge are given, system operation mechanism is designed
accustomed to Yoga training, and Yoga learning and self-instruction
expert system Yoga Expert is developed. Baglio et. al [3] in their work
studied the spatial power distribution in Magnetoencepbnlography
(MEG) data collected in a subject performing two different yoga
breathing exercises specific for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive
disorder. They reconstructed, in relation with all the frequency
components, a characteristic spatial structure of power distribution using
the correlation function for both the recordings. through the power
spectral analysis, the characterization of the gammaband activity was
carried out on allowing to underline the differences due to the activities of
different phases of the same protocol and the effects of performing
different breathings exercises. Howorka et. al in their work suggested that
Experience with frequency domain analysis of the heart rate variability
represents an effective non-invasive tool for cardiac risk stratification and
assessment of autonomic function e.g. in diabetes and hypertension, in
both the experimental and clinical settings. The method proposed could
be used to assess the acute influence of yoga and short-time moderate
exercise on the autonomic cardiac regulation. They demonstrated the
immediate decrease of sympathetic and increase of parasympathetic
activity after yoga. Yunhai et. Al studied the complexity of heartbeat
dynamics during specific traditional forms of Chinese Chi and Kundalini
Yoga meditation in healthy young adults. The technique based on the
algorithm of permutation entropy to heartbeat interval time series was
analysed.

The 3entropy of these oscillations during meditation was significantly

less than those in the pre-meditation state. The results show ˈit is feasible
that permutation entropy (PE) index can be used to analyse the effect of
Chi and Yoga to restrain HRVJ ae Won Bang et al. proposed a new
method that combines an EEG acquisition device and a frontal viewing
camera to isolate and exclude the sections of EEG data containing these
noises. This method is novel in the following three ways. First, the
accuracy of detecting head movements based on the features of EEG
signals in the frequency and time domains and on the motion features of
images captured by the frontal viewing camera is compared. Second, the
features of EEG signals in the frequency domain and the motion features
captured by the frontal viewing camera are selected as optimal ones.

The dimension reduction of the features and feature selection are

performed using linear discriminant analysis. Third, the combined
features are used as inputs to support vector machine (SVM), which
improves the accuracy in detecting head movements. The experimental
results of authors show that the proposed method can detect head
movements with an average error rate of approximately 3.22%, which is
smaller than that of other methods. Vijaya ragavan et al. proposed the
idea to develop a passage that serves as an effective solution to overcome
this problem by providing people with a smart phone application based
integrated solution which makes use of Yoga and Music Therapy
techniques. The objective was to bring about relaxed state of mind by
monitoring the EEG readings of a person while subjecting him to Yoga &
Music therapy simultaneously through an efficient Android Application
which can restore the calm state of mind for the user during any stressed
conditions. Shaw et al. In their work did a comparative study to classify
the resting brain state associated with Kriya Yoga meditation practice
using SVM and Kernel-SVM (k-SVM). The EEG signals were captured
from ten non-meditators (control group) and 23 meditators group. The
results of both SVM and k-SVM were compared in both the groups.
Additionally, the average classification accuracy was found to be
85.543% for SVM and 90.8259% for k-SVM. The obtained results
showed that the kernel based SVM surpassed the conventional SVM in
classifying the meditation and non-meditation allied EEG. Godse et al.

The aim of the present research was to study the effects of surya
namaskar on R-dispositions among college students with high stress.
Participants eligible for the study, that is, high on stress symptoms were
randomly assigned to surya namaskar and control group. Differences on
various R-dispositions and stress dispositions were studied. The mean
differences for the subscales indicate that sleepiness and stress reduced as
a disposition and there was an increase in physical relaxation, mental
quietness, ease and peace, being refreshed, strength and awareness, and
joy. The observed effects on the above stated R-dispositions can be
attributed to components of surya namaskar. It is clear that a 2 weeks
program helps participants to reach the state of a quiet mind at a
dispositional level. Woodard in their work says that yoga is rapidly
emerging in the Western world as a discipline for integrating the mind
and body into union and harmony. when adopted as a way of life, yoga
improves physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual health. Yoga offers
an effective method of managing and reducing stress, anxiety and
depression and numerous studies demonstrate the efficacy of yoga on
mood related disorders. Jagannathan et al. describes the development of a
yoga program aimed to reduce burden and improve coping of family care
givers of inpatients with schizophrenia in India. This study was one of the
first studies to use a sound methodology of inductive enquiry model for
the development of a need-based yoga program for caregivers of in-
patients with schizophrenia in India. The findings were highly indicative
and future studies could test the efficacy of the program with a larger
quantitative sample to reconfirm its validity. Ramanathan et al. undertook
a study to evaluate the effectiveness of yoga on the mental health status
of elderly women inmates residing in a hospice in Pondicherry. The
influence of yoga in the reduction of depression and anxiety scores and
improvement in self-esteem scores in elderly women subjects was evident
from this study.

This may be attributed to changes in central neurotransmitters such as

gamma-amino butyric-acid coupled with increased parasympathetic tone
and decreased sympathy-adrenal activity. It was recommended that yoga
should be a part of health-care facilities for elderly as it could 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, reliability, and
generalizability. Moliver et al. examined the extent to which
psychological attitudes, transcendence, mental mastery, and subjective
vitality in a sample of female yoga practitioners over 45 years varied
according to the length and frequency of yoga practice. There were
significant positive relationships between yoga experience and all
outcome variables. These

The health benefits of yoga

Through yoga, practitioners experience improved states of well-being,

including physically, physiologically, emotionally, and mentally
(Harinath et al., 2004). In the West, yoga is popularly viewed as a form of
physical activity, as a way to exercise one’s physical body and to release
the stress of everyday life. The yoga of physical posture is referred to as
Hatha Yoga (Chaline, 2000). According to Chaline (2000), Hatha yoga
corrects posture; increases flexibility, muscle strength and endurance; and
also promotes relaxation. Attending a Hatha yoga class often means
following guided instruction in a dimly lit room, accompanied by the
aroma of incense, while quiet music plays in the background. However,
what visibly occurs during an instructorled yoga class makes up only one
part of the practice. People practice Hatha yoga to attain pure 10 and total
health and enlightenment, as is claimed by the definitive yoga text, The
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (Satchidananda, 1990). But what parts of the
body exactly do these practices affect and how do they do it? This
literature review attempts to identify what takes place during this period
of internal concentration. As mentioned in the introduction, meditation
(Dhyana) is the seventh limb of Ashtanga Yoga, and it exists in many
forms. Meditation is more than just sitting in a cross-legged position, eyes
closed and hands on either knee with a closed forefinger and thumb.
Much occurs internally while in a meditative state, beginning with
focusing the mind on the third eye (ajna chakra)--the space between the
eyes. Notably, a practitioner can strive to be engaged in meditation
throughout all daily activities; truly, this is much more the aim of yoga.

Because of the increasing popularity of and devotion to yoga practice in

the West, researchers in health-related fields are designing new program
theories that utilize yoga in some way.

These researchers take constituents (limbs) of yoga (i.e. meditation,

postures) and reconfigure them into a new style of practice fitting to the
language of the west, so people here can understand the benefits.
Typically, these reconfigurations of yoga include holding classes over a
period of a number of weeks, where the participant engages in guided
yoga postures (asanas) and meditation (dhyana). Researchers monitor the
participants over the defined period of time.

These program theories focus on increasing well-being. In order to better

understand the whole of what exactly yoga affects and how, researchers
concentrate on certain parts of and systems within the body. Only in this
way can researchers gain some understanding of yoga’s power of
achieving total health. Yoga research is having a major impact on the
current view of health care. Some of these studies research the validity of
yoga intervention programs and theories, which focus on the 11 aspects
of yoga that ameliorate health conditions.

I reviewed twenty articles relating to what yoga affects. I divided up the

literature review by programs. Each section describes the intervention and
its conclusion. The sections are divided up as follows: overarching yoga
or meditation, Tibetan Yoga, Inner Resources, Progressive Muscle
Relaxation Program and the Attentional Behavioral Cognitive Relaxation
Theory, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program, Zen Meditation,
and Transcendental Meditation. Yoga/Meditation The following studies
do not focus on pre-identified constructs as part of the program or theory
being tested, but rather on the practice of yoga. One way to describe the
benefits of yoga (and thus of meditation) is through physical health, what
physically occurs with regular practice. Many researchers are interested
in the study of the physical benefits of yoga and meditation. For example,
studies often measure the effects that yoga has on the cardiovascular
system. Harinath et al. (2004) evaluated 30 army soldiers to demonstrate
the effects of Hatha yoga on the cardiorespiratory system, psychological
profile and melatonin regulation of the body.

What occurs during meditation?

Zen Meditation People practice Zen-meditation in search of their true self

(Yu, Tsai & Hwang, 2003). Zen-meditators sit in a cross-legged position,
with their eyes closed for some amount of time. In this position they can
access a deep state of meditation by transcending the physical realm to
the spiritual. In this deep state, they report seeing an inner light and that
the true self is found in that inner light. They describe having stopped all
thoughts in this deep state that leaves “only blissful quiet, full of life
energy and wisdom power” (Yu, Tsai & Hwang, 2003, p. 500). Lo et al.
(2003) describe Zen
Needs of the Yoga & Meditation

Yoga is a mental , spiritual and physical practice that helps one attain
inner peace. In today’s hectic world, more and more people are becoming
health conscious. In recent years Yoga has gained immense popularity
not only in India but also abroad. Today, people can choose to either
learn Yoga or pursue a career in Yoga. A Yoga instructor can be one of
the most rewarding careers. This job falls under the broader career
category of Aerobics Instructors and fitness Trainers Realising the
holistic benefits of Yoga , more and more private companies , schools ,
hospitals, fitness canters etc are hiring yoga instructors. Also , the
Government aims at creating numerous vacancies for Yoga trainers in the
coming years. Yoga not only relaxes an individual but also keeps the
human body fit. Apart from physical fitness, yoga is also beneficial for
reducing respiratory disorders , hypertensions , and helps in the
management of diseases like diabetes , depression , stress etc. Being a
yoga teacher gives one the benefit of taking his/her career wherever
he/she travels. However, having that , being a Yoga teacher is not easy.
One needs to be patient and dedicated , have perseverance, and needs a
lot of practice. There is rise in need of Yoga teacher / instructors, and
opting for Yoga as a career can be a great option as it is less stressful and
can promise a decent salary. A Yoga instructor has the option of working
in gyms, health clubs , and schools or can choose to run their own Yoga
center. Furthermore , apart from teaching , there is also the scope of yoga
in fields like management academics, consultation , research and
hospitals to name a few
Problem Statement

The effectiveness of yoga on an individual’s physical and mental health is

to be evaluated in the work. The work deals with analysis of the effect of
yoga on individual can increase the health of person. We also concentrate
on analysing what causes the changes in the health of a person
undergoing yoga therapy on a longer duration. The use of few data
mining algorithms to validate and evaluate the effect is to be considered.

Approach

Physiological Impacts: Through Yoga , the body triggers a line of

beneficial chemical processes within the body, slows the heart rate,
reduces the level of blood lactate, lessens the muscular tension, leads to
more efficient gas exchange in the lungs, lower levels of cortisol and
adrenal levels. This not only boosts the immune system, but also results
in higher energy levels, and increased strength.

Limitations

In contrast to psychotherapeutic interventions, there remains a substantial

degree of uncertainty about the robustness of our effect. Our study found
that most studies were of lower quality and those improvements to
reporting and procedures of studies in this area are required. High risk of
bias is a concern as this impacts the validity of the findings and our
confidence in making any conclusions from our analysis.

Whilst risk of bias was not associated with effect size, this might be due
to low power to detect such a difference. Due to the high risk of bias in
most studies, it is difficult to determine the true value of these approaches
and more rigorous research is clearly needed to assess for improving
mental health in tertiary education. Whilst the quality of studies across
behavioral interventions is low, we note that there are specific elements to
meditation, yoga and mindfulness interventions that warrant
improvement. We found that intervention effects diminished when
compared to active control, which implies that non-specific intervention
elements such as peer-support, or activity scheduling, might have driven
our results.

To further study the differential effect of mindfulness, meditation, and

yoga, a comprehensive typology of intervention elements is necessary. A
shared understanding of differential intervention elements will allow
development of adequate placebo control conditions to identify whether
the contribution of mindfulness, meditation or yoga improves mental
health or whether they are equally effective as non-specific placebo
interventions.
 Chapter –III

Methodology Stage
Methodology Stage

Sample collection

At the initial stage, Participants/ Subjects are identified from in and

around the institution. Using the device EMOTIV EPOC + (a 14-channel
portable and handy brain activity map capturing instrument)/ Brain
sense/Neuro sky mind wave mobile, the EEG signals and brain activity
map is captured before the subject is performing the pranayama. Along
with this, a response for a selfadministered questionnaire is also collected
from subjects. The faculty are asked to wear the devices for a period of
six hours a day for the data or sample collection.

Phenomenology and yoga

As well as theoretical framework, phenomenology is the methodology of

this study. Phenomenology paved the way for fresh interpretations
regarding human existence and consciousness. It has offered new insight
into the fields of both psychology and psychiatry, such as human reality,
the self and pathologies of the self (Jones, 2001; Spiegelberg, 1972). The
self is a common topic in yoga philosophy and many studies employ
phenomenology as a method to examine yoga. Edmund Husserl’s
methodology of phenomenology dominates this research related to yoga.
Yoga and phenomenology are similar in their understanding. They both
involve uncovering the essence of an experience or mode of being. The
similarity between Husserlian phenomenology and eastern philosophy
lies within the connection between consciousness and the mind’s
intention towards an object (Sinari, 1965; Paranjpe & Hanson, 1988).
Husserl (1962, p. 195) believed that the world fell into “brackets,”
making it “absolute” and “pure” (as cited in Sinari, 1965, p. 218). Husserl
uses “radical reflection” to suspend the phenomenon in consciousness,
allowing it to be “reconstructed and perceived fundamentally from the
position of pure consciousness” (Sinari, 1965, p. 218). This reflecting
reveals how consciousness relates to the phenomenon. Similar to yoga,
phenomenology is concerned with study of the self. It examines the
structure of things, or the “’essences’ of things acquired by the mind” (p.
217). Husserl’s primary concern in phenomenology is to identify the
difference between the essence of a phenomenon and the perception of
the phenomenon.

The study of pure consciousness is known as transcendental

phenomenology. Transcendental phenomenology describes anything in
reality other than consciousness. Husserl identified the “epistemological
reduction” as the center of transcendental phenomenology.
Epistemological reduction is the act of suspending the object out of
consciousness in order to get at the fundamental essence of the object, in
others words, separating the conscious mind, with all its constructed
knowledge, from the phenomenon. Husserl believed that just like objects
in the world, “being” only exists in consciousness and that “being derives
its very meaning from consciousness” (Spiegelberg, 1965, p. 144).
According to Husserl, it is through transcendental phenomenology that
we can get at the lived experience, or life-world. Bracketing is a method
to remove the researcher’s subjective experience out of the phenomenon
under study. While Husserl believed the world can be bracketed, “Husserl
emphasizes reflection itself is never bracketed, for its relation to all other
experiences is such that it goes on ceaselessly as the primary expression
of pure consciousness or ego” (Sinari, 1965, p. 218). In suspending the
phenomenon, a “certain reflective awareness would remain in function”
(p. 218). Sinari (1965) examines whether the inability to bracket or rather
the ‘unbracketability’ of the reflective self inhibits the ability to
‘transcend reflection,’ and whether transcending the reflection is similar
to that what is strived for in a yoga practice, Samadhi. Samadhi describes
what happens when yoga practitioners reach pure consciousness. When a
practitioner reaches Samadhi, that person is said to be “ego-less.” Letting
go of the ego is clearing the mind, or to be without thought. This state of
pure consciousness presents the difference between what the phenomenon
actually is and what a person subjectively perceives it to be. Going
inward to reach Samadhi is similar to going back to the phenomenon
before the existence of meaning, or “to grasp the object in its bare
existentiality” (Sinari, 1965). To reach 41 Samadhi is to be without
thought, where the object presents itself as it actually is, without the
interpretation of the mind. Sinari (1965) recognizes that this is not the
point of yoga and, in fact, when Samadhi is reached, practitioners will
desire to remain in their transformed state. In phenomenology, the
suspension of belief, or epoche, involves setting aside any preconceived
notions of the phenomenon. Morley (2001) clarifies epoche as a
suspension of “belief, doubt, or any kind of presupposition about the
existence of the world tilts objects” (p. 74). Transcendental epoche takes
an inward examination of the phenomenon to recognize any biases or
subjectivities. Sinari (1965) argues that the while seemingly the same,
epoche and transcendental epoche differ “not only of degree and intensity
but also of perspective” (p. 220). Epoche is similar to the concept of
nirodha, or the method to clear the mind. Nirodha is the goal of yoga and
in Sanskrit means suppression (Patanjali, 1990, p. 180).
Research Questions and Research Design

This study explores the lived experience of yoga practitioners and their
search for the true self. The following questions arose, as result of the
gaps in the literature:
Participants, Interventions, Comparators, Outcomes

Included studies were randomized controlled trials, published in English,

in which a meditation, yoga or mindfulness intervention was compared to
an active or non-active control group (waitlist, treatment-as-usual,
placebo or active treatment control). Participants had to be enrolled in
tertiary education when they were randomized into treatment group in the
study (i.e., a university, college or other postsecondary higher education).
Studies in which measured depression, anxiety, stress (i.e., Beck
Depression Inventory (BDI), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI),
academic achievement (i.e., productivity, GPA, absenteeism) or a
combination of these, as measured via a validated questionnaire were
included. Additionally, enough information needed to be provided to
calculate the effect size. We contacted authors when we were unable to
calculate effect sizes based on the information provided in the paper.

Reducing Stress

Beginning a mindfulness meditation practice in order to slow our thought

process will almost immediately produce a reduction in our stress level,
which also has a positive effect on our overactive nervous system.
Improving our ability to focus on the present moment also allows us to
experience the pleasant physical sensations of peace we begin to
experience through mindfulness meditation.

Preventive and Curative Effects of Yoga and Asanas

In a study conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital, researchers

found that those who took part in mind-body relaxation program,
participants used 43% fever medical services than did the previous year.
The National Health Service (NHS) in England employing more than 1.5
million staff and treating over 1 million every 36 Hours, the staff of the
NHS faces a huge challenge. As a result, every year health care
professionals suffer from a variety of mental health and musculoskeletal
problems, costing the NHS £ 2.4 million every year in absenteeism. Then,
Simon Stevens, head of the NHS, designed a well-being initiative that
included yoga as part of a major drive to improve the well-being of NHS
staff. Numerous studies have demonstrated yoga’s efficacy in addressing
some of the common issues faced by healthcare staff – including
depression, lower back-pain and metabolic disorders – but it can also
improve efficiency at work and encourage greater compassion towards
patients. Kaushik Halder and Rameswar Pal (2014) found that the
Ashtanga yogic practice improves the aerobic capacity, anaerobic
capacity, joint flexibility, and muscle strength. Evidence shows that the
regular execution of these practices provides the practitioner with more
physical flexibility, muscle strengthening, increased vitality, delineated
psychological stress, and reduced cardiovascular risks Yogic techniques
are known to improve one’s overall performance and work capacity.
During yoga session, the postural maneuvers are executed without
repetition and are connected to each other by passages that establish links
between the exercises in a sequence. Yoga is not only a discipline to be
practiced by saints or spiritual aspirants but also has relevance to the
spirit of military activities. Arndt Bussing et al (2012) summarizes that
yoga may well be effective as a supportive adjunct to mitigate some
medical conditions, but not yet a proven stand alone, curative treatment.
Larger-scale and more rigorous research with higher methodological
quality and adequate control interventions is highly encouraged because
yoga may have potential to be implemented as a beneficial supportive /
adjunct treatment that is relatively cost – effective, may be practiced at
least in part as self-care behavioural treatment, provides life-long
behavioural skill, enhances self-efficacy and self confidence and is often
associated with additional positive side effects.

Cardiovascular Endurance

Innes et. al. reported on 37 studies investigating the effects of yoga on

blood pressure and hypertension. Most reported a reduction of systolic
and diastolic pressure. Ospina et.al found a small significant
improvements of systolic and diastolic blood pressure in favour of yoga
when compared to no treatment. When compared to health education,
yoga interventions resulted only in small and insignificant improvements
of systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure.

Pulmonary function

Raub examined the yoga’s effects on lung function in healthy volunteers

and patients with chronic bronchitis and asthma. In healthy volunteers
practicing yoga, there are reported improvements of various parameters
of lung function with breathing control techniques, specific postures, and
relaxation techniques.

Asthma Studies

Conducted at yoga institutions in India, have reported success in

improving asthma. One study of 225 patients with asthma found that
yoga resulted in improvement or cure in 74% of asthma patients. A study
of 46 adolescents with asthma found that yoga practice resulted in a
significant increase in pulmonary function and exercise capacity and led
to fever symptoms and medications. Patients were given daily training in
yoga for 90 minutes in the morning and 60 minutes in the evening for 40
days.
The relaxation and exercise components of yoga have a major role to
play in the treatment and prevention of high blood pressure
(hypertension). A combination of biofeedback and yogic breathing and
relaxation techniques has been found to lower blood pressure and reduce
the need for high BP meditation in people suffering from high BP. In 20
patients with high BP who practiced biofeedback and yoga techniques, 5
were able to stop their BP medicate completely, 5 were able to reduce
significantly the amount of medication they were taking, the remaining
had lower BP than at the beginning of the 3 month study.
Classifications

Focused and open methods

In the West, meditation techniques have often been classified in two

broad categories, which in actual practice are often combined: focused (or
concentrative) meditation and open monitoring (or mindfulness)
meditation:

Direction of mental attention... A practitioner can focus intensively on

one particular object (so-called concentrative meditation), on all mental
events that enter the field of awareness (so-called mindfulness
meditation), or both specific focal points and the field of awareness.[35]

Focused methods include paying attention to the breath, to an idea or

feeling (such as mettā (loving-kindness)), to a kōan, or to a mantra (such
as in transcendental meditation), and single point meditation.[36][37]
Open monitoring methods include mindfulness, shikantaza and other
awareness states.

Other possible typologies

Another typology divides meditation approaches into concentrative,

generative, receptive and reflective practices:

 Concentrative: focused attention, including breath meditation, TM,

and visualizations;
 Generative: developing qualities like loving kindness and
compassion;
 Receptive: open monitoring;
 Reflective: systematic investigation, contemplation.
The Buddhist tradition often divides meditative practice into samatha, or
calm abiding, and vipassana, insight. Mindfulness of breathing, a form of
focused attention, calms down the mind; this calmed mind can then
investigate the nature of reality, by monitoring the fleeting and ever-
changing constituents of experience, by reflective investigation, or by
"turning back the radiance," focusing awareness on awareness itself and
discerning the true nature of mind as awareness itself.

Matko and Sedlmeier (2019) "call into question the common division into
“focused attention” and “open-monitoring” practices." They argue for
"two orthogonal dimensions along which meditation techniques could be
classified," namely "activation" and "amount of body orientation,"
proposing seven clusters of techniques: "mindful observation, body-
centered meditation, visual concentration, contemplation, affect-centered
meditation, mantra meditation, and meditation with movement."

Jonathan Shear argues that transcendental meditation is an "automatic

self-transcending" technique, different from focused attention and open
monitoring.[47] In this kind of practice, "there is no attempt to sustain
any particular condition at all. Practices of this kind, once started, are
reported to automatically “transcend” their own activity and disappear, to
be started up again later if appropriate."[47][note 7] Yet, Shear also states
that "automatic self-transcending" also applies to the way other
techniques such as from Zen and Qigong are practiced by experienced
meditators "once they had become effortless and automatic through years
of practice.
Technique

Asana

Asanas and positions such as the full-lotus, half-lotus, Burmese, Seiza,

and kneeling positions are popular in Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism,
[48] although other postures such as sitting, supine (lying), and standing
are also used. Meditation is also sometimes done while walking, known
as kinhin, while doing a simple task mindfully, known as samu, or while
lying down, known as savasana. Postures involve focus attention and
move body coordinately or hold still with rhythmic inhalation and
exhalation.

Frequency

The Transcendental Meditation technique recommends practice of 20

minutes twice per day. Some techniques suggest less time, especially
when starting meditation, and Richard Davidson has quoted research
saying benefits can be achieved with a practice of only 8 minutes per day.
Research shows improvement in meditation time with simple oral and
video training. Some meditators practice for much longer, particularly
when on a course or retreat.[58] Some meditators find practice best in the
hours before dawn.

Use of prayer beads

Some religions have traditions of using prayer beads as tools in

devotional meditation.[60][61][62] Most prayer beads and Christian
rosaries consist of pearls or beads linked together by a thread.[60][61]
The Roman Catholic rosary is a string of beads containing five sets with
ten small beads. The Hindu japa mala has 108 beads (the figure 108 in
itself having spiritual significance), as well as those used in Gaudiya
Vaishnavism, the Hare Krishna tradition, Jainism and Buddhist prayer
beads. Each bead is counted once as a person recites a mantra until the
person has gone all the way around the mala. The Muslim misbaha has 99
beads. There is also quite a variance when it comes to materials used for
beads. Beads made from seeds of rudraksha trees are considered sacred
by devotees of Shiva, while followers of Vishnu revere the wood that
comes from the tulsi plant.

Striking the meditator

The Buddhist literature has many stories of Enlightenment being attained

through disciples being struck by their masters. According to T. Griffith
Foulk, the encouragement stick was an integral part of the Zen practice:

In the Rinzai monastery where I trained in the mid-1970s, according to an

unspoken etiquette, monks who were sitting earnestly and well were
shown respect by being hit vigorously and often; those known as laggards
were ignored by the hall monitor or given little taps if they requested to
be hit. Nobody asked about the 'meaning' of the stick, nobody explained,
and nobody ever complained about its use.

Using a narrative

Neuroscientist and long-time meditator Richard Davidson has expressed

the view that having a narrative can help the maintenance of daily
practice.[54] For instance he himself prostrates to the teachings, and
meditates "not primarily for my benefit, but for the benefit of others"
 Chapter –IV

Analysis of Data
Analysis of Data

The collected brain activity map and EEG signals are analysed by
converting the analog data into digital format. The data obtained here will
be a single valued data with the time stamp. The EEG data is analysed
with the help of a neurologist and cognitive behaviour of a person is
studied with the help of a psychologist. The digitalized EEG data is
assessed and analysed using a method called one-way ANOVA (Analysis
of Variance). Along with this, the responses an individua gives for the
selfadministered questionnaire is also analysed by Spielberger’s State-
Trait Anger Expression. The data analysed is kept as training set and the
subject is made to undergo yoga therapy or meditation therapy for a
continuous period. During this again the procedure is repeated so as to
analyse the changes happening in the individual.

Search Strategy and Data Sources

Publications were identified by searching Cochrane Central Register of

Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, and PsycINFO by combining
terms (text words, MeSH terms and subject headings) on (1) student
population, (2) psychological interventions, (3) mental health or academic
outcomes, and (4) randomized controlled trials. We conducted the
searches on 27.04.17. We included studies with any date of publication
which were either published, under review or “in press.” We contacted
authors of study protocols that were suitable for inclusion to assess
whether any unpublished results were available for inclusion. The search
string can be found in Appendix.
New Age

New Age meditations are often influenced by Eastern philosophy,

mysticism, yoga, Hinduism and Buddhism, yet may contain some degree
of Western influence. In the West, meditation found its mainstream roots
through the social revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, when many of the
youth of the day rebelled against traditional religion as a reaction against
what some perceived as the failure of Christianity to provide spiritual and
ethical guidance. New Age meditation as practised by the early hippies is
regarded for its techniques of blanking out the mind and releasing oneself
from conscious thinking. This is often aided by repetitive chanting of a
mantra, or focusing on an object. New Age meditation evolved into a
range of purposes and practices, from serenity and balance to access to
other realms of consciousness to the concentration of energy in group
meditation to the supreme goal of samadhi, as in the ancient yogic
practice of meditation.

Guided meditation

Guided meditation is a form of meditation which uses a number of

different techniques to achieve or enhance the meditative state. It may
simply be meditation done under the guidance of a trained practitioner or
teacher, or it may be through the use of imagery, music, and other
techniques. The session can be either in person, via media comprising
music or verbal instruction, or a combination of both. The most common
form is a combination of meditation music and receptive music therapy,
guided imagery, relaxation, mindfulness, and journaling.

Because of the different combinations used under the one term, it can be
difficult to attribute positive or negative outcomes to any of the various
techniques. Furthermore, the term is frequently used interchangeably with
"guided imagery" and sometimes with "creative visualization" in popular
psychology and self-help literature. It is less commonly used in scholarly
and scientific publications. Consequently, guided meditation cannot be
understood as a single technique but rather multiple techniques that are
integral to its practice.

Guided meditation as an aggregate or synthesis of techniques includes

meditation music, receptive music therapy, guided imagery, relaxation,
meditative praxis, and self-reflective diary-keeping or journaling. All of
which have been shown to have therapeutic benefits when employed as
an adjunct to primary strategies. Benefits include lower levels of stress,
reducing asthmatic episodes, physical pain, insomnia, episodic anger,
negative or irrational thinking, and anxiety, as well as improving coping
skills, focus, and a general feeling of well-being.

Psychotherapy

Carl Jung (1875–1961) was an early western explorer of eastern religious

practices.[187][188] He clearly advocated ways to increase the conscious
awareness of an individual. Yet he expressed some caution concerning a
westerner's direct immersion in eastern practices without some prior
appreciation of the differing spiritual and cultural contexts.[189][190]
Also Erich Fromm (1900–1980) later explored spiritual practices of the
east.
Meditation in the workplace

A 2010 review of the literature on spirituality and performance in

organizations found an increase in corporate meditation programs.

As of 2016 around a quarter of U.S. employers were using stress

reduction initiatives. The goal was to help reduce stress and improve
reactions to stress. Aetna now offers its program to its customers. Google
also implements mindfulness, offering more than a dozen meditation
courses, with the most prominent one, "Search Inside Yourself", having
been implemented since 2007. General Mills offers the Mindful
Leadership Program Series, a course which uses a combination of
mindfulness meditation, yoga and dialogue with the intention of
developing the mind's capacity to pay attention.
 Chapter –V

Finding, Summary, Conclusion

Finding the inferences

The EEG signals and brain activity map is again collected from the
subjects while performing yoga/pranayama which serves us as the test
data. After the stipulated time again, the individual is tested for the EEG
regularly to analyze the changes in the health of a person. The result from
EEG and questionnaire is analyzed by combining them and the
transformation in reducing anger, anxiety and tension that has been
observed in an individual is exhibited.
Development of intelligent system

After the analysis of the data or samples obtained, a prototype is

modelled to help an individual to control his emotions. An IoT device
would be prepared which detects the state of emotions of a person and at
a preliminary stage would give an alarm to the individual to control his
state of emotion (Figures 2 & 3).
Summary

Yoga meditation is done without moving the body. When you do this
mindful practice, you will get into position, either sitting or lying down
peacefully, letting thoughts and feelings pass without judging them. You
keep your eyes closed and your palms facing upward to the sky.

"Short Course" in Yoga Meditation:

World

 First, be aware of the external world, however broad that may be

for you: universe, galaxy, earth, country, city, home.
 Be aware of the world in a peaceful, contemplative way.

Body

 Next, after making peace with the world and exploring your senses,
explore the body internally through a variety of methods of inner
surveying.
 (more on methods of surveying)

Mind

 Next, after exploring the world, senses, body, and breath, you
begin to allow the conscious mind to still itself.
 First, be aware of the process of mind, while continuing to focus on
the breath at the nostrils. Become a witness to the inner functioning
of the mind. (more on functions of mind)
 Allow the streams of thoughts to flow naturally, without
interruption, yet remaining focused. (more on inviting thoughts)
Silence

 Next, after systematically examining and letting go of the world,

senses, body, breath, and mind, you gradually come to a place of
deep Stillness and Silence.
 As meditation deepens, either watch into the space for the invisible
source of all light, or listen into the space for the silent source of all
sound.
 Gradually, experience the convergence of practices of meditation,
contemplation, prayer and mantra. (more on convergence)
 Allow the inner peace or spiritual truth to come forward,
experiencing the heights of Samadhi and Turiya, the fourth state,
beyond waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. (more on Samadhi;
more on Turiya)

Breath

 Next, after exploring the world, senses, and body, allow your
breath to be smooth, slow, calm and serene through a variety of
energizing, balancing and centering breath practices. (more on
breath techniques)
 Explore the breath as if you are really curious, as if you are a
professional interior researcher.
 First, be aware of breath at the diaphragm, eliminating jerks and
pauses, and making breath steady, smooth, and comfortably slow.
 Then, do invigorating breathing practices, pranayama, along with
locks, within your comfortable capacity.
  Then, breath as though exhaling down from the top of the head to
the base of the spine. Inhale as though inhaling up from the base of
the spine to the top of the head.

Conclusion

People are looking out in positive way of living by keeping their health
in a good condition. To improve breathing and relax. People tend to use
they logic way of exercising which provides away to overcome every
health issue in a natural way by strengthening the immune system. The
technology has improved drastically, and everything can be found using
means of technology. In this paper we have given an overview of how
yoga and technology can be brought together, an idea to produce an

interactive system to help people control their emotions using yoga and
get the best out of them.

A number of studies indicate that stress is among the most common

problem faced by prisoners and thus the study was undertaken to review
the importance of stress management tools like yoga and meditation.
Research studies prove the importance of stress management tools like
yoga and meditation for the betterment prisoners and especially the
female prisoners who face more stress levels when compared to male
counterparts. It can be 498 | P a g e concluded from the analysis that yoga
and meditation has positive impact on improved mood, reduced stress,
lesser psychological distress, improved concentration and decision
making and an improved ability to override impulse for female prisoners.
Yoga and meditation also help bringing in the positivity among the
prisoners which help them in positive thinking and motivate to
concentrate on other things in which they are interested and in which they
prove their actual identity, their real personality. Further scope of study
can be focused on collecting first hand data from the prisoners in Delhi to
determine the actual problems they face and what the stress management
tools currently available to reduce their stress levels.

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