COMPARISON BETWEEN EFFICACIES OF AGNIHOTRA ON
GERMINATION OF RICE SEEDS PERFORMED BY MALES AND FEMALES
- A CONTROLLED STUDY

OMKAR GOTKHINDIKAR, Post Graduate Student
Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation, Bangalore, India

Agnihotra is a form of Vedic ritual where oblations are poured in a fire with cow dung cakes with chanting of Agnihotra Mantra at appropriate sunrise and sunset time. In ancient time procedure of Agnihotra was used in various areas such as bioenergetics, psychotherapy, Medicine and Agriculture. Earlier studies have shown that Agnihotra has very good effect on germination of rice seeds. Agnihotra can be performed by males and females both, so following same tradition this study was designed. The experiment was done for three sets, 15 days each by taking three pairs each of one male and one female volunteer for Agnihotra ritual performance, Agnihotra Mantra chanting and control, in six different rooms and the effect was seen on the germination of rice seeds which were germinated in Petri dishes containing distilled water. The four parameters investigated were Root length, Shoot length, Fresh weight and Dry weight. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 10.0 for windows package. This data showed that Agnihotra ritual had significant improvement in Root Length, Shoot length and Fresh weight compared to chanting of Agnihotra Mantra and control group for both male and female performances. Marginal significance can be seen in case of Dry weight.

THE EFFECTS OF YOGA THERAPY ON LOW BACK PAIN IN A
NON-RESIDENTIAL SET UP

PADMAVATI L., Post Graduate Student
Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation, Bangalore, India

Yoga, practiced widely in the East, is now popular in the West as part of a healthy lifestyle. Low back pain is a very common problem of modern lifestyle. This study was an attempt to examine the effect of one week Yoga Therapy in patients with Low Back Pain (LBP) in a non residential set up. Design of the study was self as control. A total of 34 (F-7, M-27) members age ranged between 20-60 years, who participated in a yoga camp for seven days in a nonresidential set up in Patna (Bihar). The therapy for the participants was given for two hours per day by well trained therapy instructors. Measurements of this study were (1) Sit and Reach (SAR) and (2) Pain Analog Scale (PAS). The data was taken on the 1st and 7th day of the program. Qualitative data was analyzed. There were significant improvements in both the SAR and PAS. Measurement scores showed improvements (SAR: Pre-12.297? 5.069, Post-14.665?5.239 and PAS: Pre-5.368?2.415, Post-3.474?2.279). Yoga was effective for improving the balance, flexibility of the spine and reducing the Low Back Pain.

THE EFFECT OF INTEGRATED APPROCH OF YOGA
MODULE ON INTELLIGENCE SCORE IN ADOLESCENTS

SANDHYA B., Post Graduate Student
Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation, Bangalore, India

This stratified randomized control study was planned to compare the effect of yoga and physical exercises on intelligence in school children of age 13-17yrs. The sample consisted of 256 students in age range (13-17yrs), who participated in a residential personality development camp. Assessments were done at the beginning and end of 9 days using G.C.Ahuja Group Test of Intelligence (GGTI), which consists of 8 cognitive abilities - Additional test, Classification, Analogies, Arithmetic Reasoning, Vocabulary, Comprehension, Series, and Best Answers. The yoga group showed significantly higher scores in all variables after 9 days (p<0.001 for all these variables). There were no significant differences before & after 9 days except Series (p<0.001) in the control group. An analysis based on gender for boys and girls showed similar trends as the whole group. We conclude that the integrated set of yoga practices plays a significant role in improving the IQ of school students as compared to physical exercise.