YOGA FOR LEARNING AND INTELLIGENCE

Shecter (1975) showed significantly greater improvement on measures of creativity (match problem test), Intellectual performance (Raven progressive matrices) and personality (Jackson personality inventory) with a reduction in their anxiety (Lickert scaled questionnaire) after practice of transcendental meditation (4 days) and science of creative intelligence (14 weeks) program in 60 high school students. Col1ier ( 1973) 39 and Heaton et al 40 demonstrated the improvement in performance and achievement in university students after transcendental meditation. In 1989 we (Uma et al) demonstrated the role of integrated approach of yoga in improving IQ in special children. 41

Yoga for emotional stability

Modern day living style is laden with the ill effects of stress. Stress according to yoga is an uncontrolled surge of emotions like intense desire, anger, anxiety etc. When the stress is prolonged the person loses his capacity to come out of the clutches of the loop of intensely heightened activity that shows up as imbalances in the function of the autonomic nervous system. This shows up as generalized complaints like anxiety, fatigue, addictions etc. or as localized problems (asthma). Role of yoga to reduce the force and speed of these violent surges of emotions has been validated by many workers through psycho-physiological studies. In early 1970's, the epoch

making study of Wallace 42 showed that the practice of Transcendental Meditation brings about a unique "hypometabolic physiologic wakeful state" with overall sign of psycho-physiological relaxation. A study from DIPAS (Delhi) showed that six months training in asanas (physical postures), Pranayama (breathing practices), and meditation brought about definite physiological changes in normal volunteers, viz. an increase in ortho-static tolerance and an overall shift in the autonomic equilibrium towards parasympathodominance, as was shown during Transcendental Meditation. 43 Further studies 37 on OM meditation showed significant reduction in heart rate with an increase in coetaneous peripheral vascular resistance which is a sign of increased mental alertness even while physiologically relaxed. Telles et al 44 published their interesting observation that breathing exclusively through right nostril (Surya anuloma viloma) showed a 37% increase in basal oxygen consumption, as compared to 18% and 24% increase after alternate nostril (nadisudhi) or left nostril (Chandra anuloma viloma) breathing. This suggested that breathing through right or left nostril breathing may have activating or relaxing effect on the sympathetic nervous system. This was supported (Telles 1997) 45 by changes in systolic blood pressure and digit pulse volume suggesting the sympathetic stimulating effect of right nostril breathing.

YOGA FOR SOCIAL HEALTH

Better adaptability when exposed to varying socio-cultural situations is an important faculty which is generally measured through various personality tests. According to yoga the most important paranieter of positive social health is "Tatsukha Sukitwam" which means joy in the joy of others. Movement from selfishness to selflessness is considered as the measure of growth of social health. At the negative spectrum of the social health one could consider antisocial behaviors like crimes, accidents etc. that show up because of increasing degree of selfishness with total lack of social awareness and civic sense.
In 1976 Borland et al. published their interesting paper on "Maharshi effect" wherein they demonstrated a sudden downward shift in the trend of increasing crime rate when about 1 % of the city population had begun the TM technique. A comparison of 11 US cities with population over 25,000 with 0.97% or more of their population practicing TM with 11 matched control cities showed that the mean change in crime rate from 1972-1973 among the control cities had increased by 8.3% as compared to a decrease of 8.2% in cities with 1 % meditators, the difference being statistically significant.

YOGA FOR SPIRITUAL HEALTH

Texts on Yoga and Upanishads describe the criteria of spiritual health as self awareness of one's natural state of contentment. The joy or happiness is independent of any external agency. Such a person's activities are not motivated by the need for material gains of money, name or fame and they function in the society totally in tune with cosmic order characterized by simplicity, truthfulness and confidence. This is a state of eternal bliss and contentment, undisturbed by the ups and downs of the life.

The nearest measure of such a state described by the modern psychologists could be that of "self actualization". Many studies were conducted on transcendental meditators to show improved scores on self actualization values, spontaneity, self regard, self acceptance, synergy, acceptance of aggression, capacity for intimate contact in meditation as compared to non meditators.46,47,48 This was measured by Shostrom's personal orientation inventory of self actualization.

Triguna questionnaire which is based on satva, rajas, and tamas type of personality described in Bhagavad gita and other Indian texts may prove to be a good tool for measuring the spiritual growth of the individual.
Studies on higher states of consciousness48

New theories in physics defining consciousness as the base of all being, research in ESP, telepathy, rebirth and psychoneuroimmunology are all opening up newer avenues of understanding of the subtler aspect of positive health,
which were not in the preview of science until recently.50

Yoga in memory

Improved information processing at thalamocortical pathway, better attention, concentration and emotional stability forms the basis for better registration and retrieval. Abrams15 showed a direct relationship between transcendental meditation, quicker acquisition and higher recall performance in 14 subjects. Effect of breathing through a particular nostril on selective memory test for 'right' (spatial) and 'left' (verbal) brain functions 45 were studied. 108 school children with an age range of 1 0 to 17 years were randomly arranged to 4 groups. Each group practiced a specific yoga breathing technique namely (a) right nostril breathing (SAV), (b) left nostril breathing (CAV), (c) alternate nostril breathing (NS), (d) breath awareness without manipulation of nostrils. Yoga training caused an increase in verbal and spatial memory scores within 10 days. For all groups there appeared to be more marked improvement in right brain functioning. A marginal difference was obtained between the scores of the SAV and the CAY groups, suggesting an ipsilateral beneficial effect.