The effect of ‘Sama Vritti’ pranayama on cognitive function
Item
- Title
- The effect of ‘Sama Vritti’ pranayama on cognitive function
- Author(s)
- Simon, Laila
- Abstract
-
Osteopathy and naturopathy are holistic therapies, which aim to treat the patient as a whole. Cognitive function is important for all areas of an individual’s life especially while in education. Studies have shown that students in the medical field have increased levels of perceived stress, which can be detrimental to cognitive functions. Pranayama is a breath awareness and control practice, which stems from yoga and has been practiced for centuries. This practice has been widely studied with beneficial physiological and psychological effects. Studies on pranayama have observed an effect on the parasympathetic nervous system and improvement in cognitive function when practiced regularly.
This investigation aims to understand if the use of a single a pranayama breathing practice can be used within an osteopathic setting to aid the individual in improving their cognitive function.
A crossover study was used on twenty-one volunteers of both genders between the ages of 19-35 years old. Students were recruited from the British College of Osteopathic Medicine. Cognitive function was measured using STROOP test. The participants took part in the intervention and control group with a one-week wash out period in-between. The intervention group consisted of a single pranayama breathing practice of called Sama Vritti. The control group sat quietly for three minutes. Cognitive function was measured using a STROOP test before and after the intervention.
The results demonstrated no statistical improvement in cognitive function between the intervention and control group. This demonstrated that a single practice of pranayama does not significantly improve cognitive function.
Research suggests that pranayama can be a powerful tool when practiced regularly. There may be scope for teaching pranayama within an osteopathic setting. However, the patient must adhere to a regular pranayama practice to achieve any significant result. - presented at
- British College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Date Accepted
- 2017
- Date Submitted
- 12.11.2018 13:37:56
- Type
- osteo_thesis
- Language
- English
- Number of pages
- 26
- Submitted by:
- 4457
- Pub-Identifier
- 16237
- Inst-Identifier
- 1076
- Keywords
- Breathing, Cognition, Meditation, STROOP, Pranayama, Yoga, Yogic breathing
- Recommended
- 0
- Item sets
- Thesis
Simon, Laila, “The effect of ‘Sama Vritti’ pranayama on cognitive function”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 26, 2025, https://www.osteopathicresearch.org/s/orw/item/2118