EFFECT OF YOGA GUIDED RELAXATION AND OF SHAVASANA
ON AUTONOMIC AND RESPIRATORY VARIABLES

KSHIRSAGAR R.M.
Post Graduate Student
Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation, Bangalore, India

The present study evaluated the effect of yoga-guided relaxation and of shavasana on autonomic and respiratory variables in healthy subjects with minimum of 3 months experience, (mean?SD, 35?29.4 months) of yoga practices including relaxation techniques. 27 male volunteers with ages ranging between 20-45 years (mean?SD 26.3?4.1) were studied in two sessions, of yoga based guided relaxation and shavasana (supine rest). Yoga guided relaxation consisted of 3 minutes session of supine relaxation under yoga based instructions while shavasana session was 3 minutes supine rest without instructions. Assessment of autonomic parameters was made in all 27 subjects, before, during and after both types of relaxation, recorded by a 4-channel polygraph (RMS polyrite-D, chandigarh, India). Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 10.0 for windows. A significant decrease in respiratory rate (p=0.001), systolic blood pressure (p<0.001) and diastolic blood pressures (p<0.001) during yoga based guided relaxation and in mean heart rate (p<0.001) and respiratory rate (p=0.005) during shavasana was recorded. There was no significant change in blood pressure during shavasana. Also the low frequency (LF) and high frequency powers (HF) of heart rate variability and the ratio of low frequency power to high frequency power (LF/HF) of heart rate variability did not show significant change within or between the groups. The results suggest that yoga based guided relaxation is better in reducing the sympathetic activity as compared to shavasana.

IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF YOGIC RELAXATION ON
FRONTALIS SURFACE EMG

PADMASRI G.
Post Graduate Student
Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation, Bangalore, India

The immediate effect of Yogic Relaxation (verbal instructions for deep abdominal breathing and frontalis muscle relaxation) was studied in subjects who attended a seven-day yoga camp. 36 subjects whose age range was from 16 to 78yrs took part in the study. Frontalis muscle surface EMG was measured under four conditions: normal, yogic relaxation, after yogic relaxation and when the subject was frowning. A significant difference in the frontalis surface EMG was found during yogic relaxation. The surface EMG following relaxation was reduced to baseline, indicating that the effect of very short (one minute) yogic relaxation on frontalis surface EMG was also very short. In contrast there was a significant increase in frontalis muscle EMG while frowning. These results agree with an earlier study, which showed that surface EMG reduces with breathing exercises in migraine episodes. Control of breathing and muscle activity are the important common factors mediating learned ability to influence physiological stress levels.