EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS MIND-BODY EXERCISE OVER MEMORY, PERCEIVED STRESS AND MENTAL HEALTH

ABSTRACT: Introduction: Advancement in the world has brought various health concerns in human life. One of the major concerns is psychological stress and therefore mental disorders. Yoga is applied as an alternative approach to overcome the physical & mental issues. Present study was conducted to find the effect of 6 months regular yoga practice (Asanas, Pranayama and Meditation) on Memory, Perceived Stress and Mental Health Index score in healthy individuals. Material & Methods: 200 healthy study subjects were selected by employing inclusion & exclusion criteria. Out of 200 subjects, 120 were males and 80 were female of age range 30 to 50 years. Written consent from subjects & study approval from ethical committee were obtained. Pre & Post yogic exercise Memory, Perceived Stress (PSS) and Mental Health Index (MHI) Score were estimated by applying PGI Memory scale, Perceived Stress Scale and Mental Health Inventory -38 questionnaire, respectively. Results: Pre-yogic Mean Memory Score, Mean Perceived Stress Score (PSS) and Mean Mental Health Index (MHI) were 78.80±8.14; 18.63±7.02 and 147.30±35.09, respectively. Whereas, post-yogic it were to be 86.75±SD 7.86; 13.55±4.43 and 176.76± 17.34, respectively. Conclusion: There was significant increase in memory score, decrease in perceived stress score and increase in mental health index score after 6 months of regular yoga exercise compared to that of before yoga practice. Significant results encourage us to recommend yoga as a mind-body exercise to achieve mental well-being.