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Yoga Dissertations by MSc Students

Part I: Yoga and Diet.
Part II: Effect of Three Different IAY Modules on School Children in Manual Dexterity
By
Avinash Mishra

ABSTRACT
Part I: Yoga and Diet.
Yoga is one of the oldest science which is about 5000 yrs old. References of yoga even found in Upaniñads (Kaöhopaniñad). In yoga there is a concept of diet which is helpful in spiritual growth it is said that food has effect on our mind so, yogés used to eat only that food which is helpful for the is spiritual growth, this food was called sättvic food. Sättvic food is wholesome vegetarian food which doesn’t agitate your mind and nourishes your consciousness.
A balanced diet according to the modern concept is a diet which includes all the five basic food groups and the given amount of energy required by a healthy individual /day, as each food group has an essential role to play.
In this study we have tried to put both the concepts the yogéc concept which says about sättvic  food and the modern concept says about the total energy as per they are given.   

CONCLUSION
I would like to conclude with a health motto, i.e., "Eat to live, not live to eat” It is best if we understand that the purpose of eating is to supply our body with the life force or Präëä, the vital life energy.  So the greatest nutritional plan for the Yoga student is the simple diet of natural fresh foods. However, a true yogé has to go a step further than this. He has to be concerned with the subtle effect that food has on his mind and astral body.  He has therefore to avoid foods which are over-stimulating and select those foods, which render the mind calm and the intellect sharp.
For seriously considering a change towards the yogé c diet, the change has to be made gradually.  Start by replacing with larger portions of vegetables, grains, seeds and nuts until finally all flesh products have been completely eliminated from the diet. The Yogé’s diet will help us attain a high standard of health, keen intellect and serenity of mind. Yogés say that a growing liking for pure, wholesome, nourishing food is part of a student's spiritual unfoldment and that progress in yoga and purity of diet go together.

Part II: Effect of Three Different IAY Modules on School Children in Manual Dexterity
Yoga has already been shown to improve perceptual motor skills by increased tweezers dexterity. The present study was conducted to compare the effect of three different integrated yoga modules on fine motor movements, using Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test. After stratifying for sex, 351 school students of both genders (aged between 9 to 12 years, Mean age ± SD, 10.82±0.92), were randomly assigned to three groups IQ - group (Intelligence Quotient) (n= 125), PS group (Physical Stamina) (n=116), and CV group (Creativity) (n=110). All the groups were trained in specific yoga modules for 10 days residential personality development camp (PDC). Fine motor movement skills were assessed using Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test, to evaluate the effect of intensive practice of three different integrated yoga modules. Three different modules of yoga specially designed for improving Intelligence Quotient (IQ) or creativity (CR) or physical stamina (PS) developed based on the clinical observation as described in yoga texts. The modules included Yogäsana (Physical posture), Präëäyäma (Voluntary Breathing), Kriyä (Cleansing Practice) & Meditation (Dhyäna) in general along with specific yogic breathing, games, lectures designed to enhance creativity, intelligence and physical stamina respectively. Test of Manual Dexterity was administrated to children in all the three groups on the first and the last day. Comparison between baseline data was done using ANOVA (one way), within group’s comparison was done using student’s‘t’ test. The ANOVA for baseline values showed that the three groups did not differ significantly showing the homogeneity among groups. Comparison pre and post-values showed that there is significant improvement (p=<0.001) in manual dexterity for all the groups. Manual dexterity improved in all three groups. Manual Dexterity improved in IQ group by 10.48%, in CV group by 17.29%, and in PS group by 14.34%, between group analyses of the post training data showed in which PS group was best. There was no gender effect. Integrated yoga module helps in improving manual dexterity among the children. The three yoga modules included to facilitate intelligence quotient (IQ group), Creativity (CV group), and physical stamina (PS group) was use full in unpaired T test

SUMMARY & CONCLUSION

Keywords:Yoga,diet,IAY modules,school children,manual dexterity.