DISCUSSION

It is known that regular practice of yoga builds up the personality at all levels, i.e. physical, mental, intellectual and emotional, in normal persons (Udupa & Singh, 1972; Udupa et al., 1973). The results from this study clearly show that children with mental retardation also improve considerably by yogic practices. It has been found especially useful in improving the intellectual performance and social adaptation in all three categories of retardation under study, more so in the moderate and mild groups. Epidemiological and hospital studies show that mild and moderate degree are more prevalent in India as compared to other categories (Gupta & Sethi, 1980; Prabhu, 1977). Therefore, it is of significance that it is these two groups which have been most benefited by yoga practices. The yoga techniques loosen the joints and relax the musculature and thus help the children in improving their locomotor skills and basic controls. Yoga brings control over breathing and that works in effectively increasing the psycho-motor coordination. Yoga is a conscious process of gaining control over the mind, and thus the concentration and attention-span improve, and hence both IQ and memory power will enhance. By improving skills and coordination

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to put on record our deep gratitude to Miss Rajini, Miss Sumitra, Miss Pushpa and Miss Rajashri (yoga instructors), and the Principals and staff of all the four schools for their kind cooperation.

We thank the Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation (VK YOGAS) for funding this project.