Kundalini

Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) accompanied by cerebrovascular risk factors (CVRFs) are known to increase the risk of developing dementia. Mind-body practices such as yoga and meditation, have been recognized as safe techniques with beneficial effects on cognitive functions in older adults at risk for cognitive decline. We conducted a randomized, controlled trial to assess the efficacy of Kundalini yoga training (KY) compared to memory enhancement training (MET) on mood and cognitive functioning in a group of older women with CVRFs and SCD (clinicaltrials...

University students were at an increased risk for psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a randomized controlled trial, we examined the efficacy of an online Kundalini Yoga intervention on students' psychological functioning. Healthy university students ( N = 106) were randomly assigned to a Kundalini Yoga group, an active control group, or a passive control group in a 1:1:1 ratio. The experimental group attended six Yoga sessions over 6 weeks and the active control group attended to six autogenic relaxation sessions over 6 weeks...

Increasingly, individuals with anxiety disorders are seeking mind-body interventions (e.g., yoga), but their effectiveness is unclear. This report summarizes seven additional, secondary outcomes measuring anxiety and depression symptoms from a study of 226 adults with generalized anxiety disorder who were randomized to 12-week Kundalini Yoga, Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT) or stress education (control). At post-treatment, participants receiving CBT displayed significantly lower symptom severity, compared to those in the control group, on 6 of the 7 measures...

Sleep disturbances are present in ~65% of individuals with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). Although both Kundalini yoga (KY) and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) are effective treatment options for GAD, little is known about how these treatments compare in improving sleep for GAD and what drives these changes. Accordingly, we examined the effects of CBT, KY, and stress education (SEdu; an attention control condition) on subjective sleep quality (as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI] and Insomnia Severity Index [ISI]) in a randomised controlled trial of 226 adults with GAD (mean age 33...

BACKGROUND: Yoga may be an ideal early intervention for those with modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD) development. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of Kundalini yoga (KY) training versus memory enhancement training (MET) on the resting-state connectivity of hippocampal subregions in women with subjective memory decline and cardiovascular risk factors for AD. METHODS: Participants comprised women with subjective memory decline and cardiovascular risk factors who participated in a parent randomized controlled trial (NCT03503669) of 12-weeks of KY versus MET and completed pre- and post-intervention resting-state magnetic resonance imaging scans (yoga: n = 11, age = 61...

We study how obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects the complexity and time-reversal symmetry-breaking (irreversibility) of the brain resting-state activity as measured by magnetoencephalography (MEG). Comparing MEG recordings from OCD patients and age/sex matched control subjects, we find that irreversibility is more concentrated at faster time scales and more uniformly distributed across different channels of the same hemisphere in OCD patients than in control subjects. Furthermore, the interhemispheric asymmetry between homologous areas of OCD patients and controls is also markedly different...

BACKGROUND: Yoga is a mind-body practice that can elicit robust health and wellbeing effects for older adults. As a result, there is increased public and academic interest into the potential benefits of yoga for older people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. METHODS: Literature searches in five databases (CENTRAL, PubMed and EBSCOHost indexing CINAHL Plus, PsycINFO, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection) were conducted from the databases' date of inception through to 4 September 2020 to identify pre-post single and multigroup studies of yoga-based interventions involving people with MCI or dementia...

BACKGROUND: Among a rapidly aging population, there is increased need for neuroprotective interventions promoting healthy neurological aging. Mind-body interventions, such as Kundalini yoga, are actively being explored as accessible means to encourage healthy aging. However, little remains known about the neurobiological effects of Kundalini yoga. AIMS: This pilot randomized-controlled trial (RCT) examined the potential neuroprotective effects of Kundalini yoga in older adults...

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This study examined the adherence to and the potential benefit of Kundalini yoga (KY) for post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). Participants were randomly assigned to 8 weeks of a KY small-group intervention or a waitlist control (WLC). Adherence was measured as attendance at KY group sessions. Primary outcomes assessed pain, pain interference, fatigue, and global health. Secondary outcomes assessed multisystem symptom burden, mood, sleep, physical and social functioning, cognition, and mindfulness...

Traditional spiritual literature contains rich anecdotal reports of spontaneously arising experiences occurring during meditation practice, but formal investigation of such experiences is limited. Previous work has sometimes related spontaneous experiences to the Indian traditional contemplative concept of kundalini. Historically, descriptions of kundalini come out of Tantric schools of Yoga, where it has been described as a "rising energy" moving within the spinal column up to the brain. Spontaneous meditation experiences have previously been studied within Buddhist and Christian practices and within eclectic groups of contemplative practitioners...

Methods: Undergraduate students from the University of Chile's health careers were divided at random into control ( n = 7) and treated groups ( n = 15). The treated group participated in an active meditation program once a week for three months. This treatment included different techniques such as Chakra Sounds, Nataraj, Mandala, Kundalini, Devavani, Gourishankar, and Nadabrahma. Hair samples were taken before and after the treatment period to measure cortisol. Results: The control group increased cortisol level 168...

Quasi-experimental research designs, such as regression discontinuity and interrupted time series, allow for causal inference in the absence of a randomized controlled trial, at the cost of additional assumptions. In this paper, we provide a framework for discontinuity-based designs using Bayesian model averaging and Gaussian process regression, which we refer to as 'Bayesian nonparametric discontinuity design', or BNDD for short. BNDD addresses the two major shortcomings in most implementations of such designs: overconfidence due to implicit conditioning on the alleged effect, and model misspecification due to reliance on overly simplistic regression models...

The purpose of this study is to systematically review the literature on the role of yoga in managing the consequences of work stress to examine the current body of knowledge in this field and to provide directions for future research in this domain. A comprehensive literature search of 14 databases using 12 different search term combinations in the area of 'yoga and work stress' was carried out till the period January 2022 following the PRISMA guidelines to select the relevant English-language peer-reviewed SCImago Ranked articles for review...

The prevalence of traumatic events in South Africa is considerably high due to a history of political violence and the ongoing cycle of interpersonal, community-based, and socioeconomic violence. While conventional therapeutic techniques have been found to support trauma survivors in the local context, alternative approaches that focus on the mind-body connection have become increasingly popular. However, studies reporting on the use of these approaches remain scarce. This study aimed to add to the body of knowledge on yoga as a non-conventional therapy to support trauma survivors and foster posttraumatic growth...

Spontaneous Spiritual Awakenings (SSAs) are subjective experiences characterised by a sudden sense of direct contact, union, or complete nondual merging (experience of oneness) with a perceived ultimate reality, the universe, "God," or the divine. These profound transformative experiences have scarcely been researched, despite extensive anecdotal evidence suggesting their potential to catalyse drastic, long-term, and often positive shifts in perception, world-view, and well-being. The aims of this study were to investigate the phenomenological variances of these experiences, including the potential differences between SSAs and Spontaneous Kundalini Awakenings (SKAs), a subset of awakening experiences that the authors postulate may produce a higher likelihood of both physical and negative effects; to explore how these experiences compare to other altered states of consciousness (ASCs), including those mediated by certain psychedelic substances; and understand their impact on well-being...

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Prior studies have suggested a benefit of yoga for alleviating sleep disturbance; however, many studies have had methodological limitations. This trial study aimed to extend that literature by including an active sleep hygiene comparison. METHODS: Participants aged 25-59 years with a primary complaint of sleep onset insomnia lasting at least 6 months were block randomized to an 8-week Kundalini yoga or sleep hygiene intervention, both consisting of initial 60-minute instruction and weekly check-ins...

OBJECTIVES: The present investigation is to study the impact of yoga and meditation on Brain waves concerning physical and mental health. There are mainly three stages (steps) in the brain wave classification:(i) preprocessing, ii) feature extraction, and iii) classification. This work provides a review of interpretation methods of Brain signals (Electroencephalogram (EEG)) EEG during yoga and meditation. Past research has revealed significant mental and physical advantages with yoga and meditation...

Background and aim: Heart rate variability (HRV) quantifies the variability in the heart's beat-to-beat intervals. This signal is a potential marker of cardiac function in normal, pathological, and psychological states. Signal asymmetry refers to an unequal distribution in the signal, which can be found by a two-dimensional Poincare plot. Earlier, heart rate asymmetry (HRA) was assessed using a conventional Poincare plot (lag of 1). In this study, we have investigated the effect of delay on the phase space asymmetry using lagged Poincare's plot...

Kundalini concept comes from ancient yogic philosophy in which it is believed that certain spiritual practices will cause Kundalini awakening. The phenomenon of Kundalini awakening can sometimes mimic mental illness and results in difficulty for mental health practitioners to distinguish between them. While there are ample literatures suggesting the benefits of yogic practices in mental illness, it is also worth understanding the side effects of these practices, especially if advanced yogic practices are not performed properly with necessary preparations and precautions under the guidance of an expert...