Study Aim: To assess the effects of Chandra nadi pranayama on hematological parameters. Methods: Thirty, university level girls of Department of Physical Education (T), Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar between the age group of 21 - 26 years (Mean ± SD: age 22.8 ± 2.023 yrs, height 5.53 ± 1.822 ft, body mass 61.506 ± 4.514 kg) volunteered to participate in the study. The subjects from Group-A: experimental were subjected to a 4-week Chandra nadi pranayama (Left Nostril). Statistical Analysis: Student t test for paired samples was utilized to compare the means of the pre- test and the post-test. Results: No significant differences were found in Hemoglobin (Hb), Total Cholesterol (TC), Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-Cholesterol), High Density Lipopro- tein Cholesterol (HDL-Cholesterol) and Triglycerides (TG) among university level girls.
Chandra Nadi Pranayama Hemoglobin Total Cholesterol Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Triglycerides1. Introduction
Yoga―a way of life―is marked with certain qualities namely balance, health, harmony, and bliss Nagendra & Nagarathna (1977) . Inflating the matter into wider semantic denominations, Meditation-being part of yoga, which is the seventh limb of Ashtanga Yoga Tamini (1961) , is a state of alert rest as stated by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1972) , who founded a new technique of meditation, popularly known as transcendental meditation. By Yogic participation, a person is supposed to reach a state of mental composure, where responses to favorable or unfavorable external events are well under the individual’s control, and responses are moderate in intensity Telles et al. (2000) . The science of yoga is a powerful stream of knowledge, which enables the practitioners to achieve radiant physical health, serene mind, continues spiritual uplift, and creates the ability for harmonious social living Kumar (2005) . The traditional yogic practices of pranayama have a history of over 4000 years. The practice of pranayama has substantiated valuable both for the healthy and for the sick. In addition, recent research has established the therapeutic effect on some diseases. Women subject to psychological stress found significant improvement of their symptoms after a three-month yoga program Michalsen et al. (2005) . In anxiety disorders, at least two comparative studies of yoga and meditation techniques (mindfulness) revealed the same effectiveness for both procedures (Krisanaprakornkit et al., 2006 & Smith et al., 2007) . There are a multitude of pranayama techniques and it is traditionally taught that each of them has different psycho-physiological benefits Gitananda (2008) . Pranayama has immense therapeutic potential in a wide range of psychosomatic disorders, but there is currently lack of an adequate meta-analysis in relation to Chandra nadi pranayama to assess its efficacy with respect to hematological parameters and as a result the present study was conducted to find out effects of Chandra nadi pranayama on hematological parameters.
2. Methods2.1. Subjects
Thirty, university level girls of Department of Physical Education (T), Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar between the age group of 21 - 26 years (Mean ± SD: age 22.8 ± 2.023 yrs, height 5.53 ± 1.822 ft, body mass 61.506 ± 4.514 kg) volunteered to participate in the study. The subjects were purposively assigned into two groups:
・ Group-A: Experimental (n1 = 15);
・ Group-B: Control (n2 = 15).
All the subjects were informed about the objective and protocol of the study. Distribution and demographics of subjects are brought forth in Table 1.
2.2. Procedure
This study is designed as a retrospective cross-sectional study (Figure 1). The subjects from Group-A: Experimental were subjected to a 4-weeks Chandra nadi pranayama (Left Nostril). This lasted 3 weeks and consisted of daily sessions as shown in Table 2 & Figure 2. Hemoglobin was determined in the blood samples of all the subjects with the use of a hematology analyzer (Celldyne model 3500). Blood samples (10 ml) for the determi-
Distribution and demographics of subjects
Sample Size (N = 30)
Variables
Total (N = 30)
Experimental group (n1 = 15)
Control group (n2 = 15)
Age
22.8 ± 2.023
22.6 ± 1.956
23 ± 2.138
Body Height
5.53 ± 1.822
5.546 ± 1.959
5.513 ± 1.726
Body Mass
61.506 ± 4.514
61.92 ± 4.866
61.093 ± 4.262
Experimental treatment
4-Weeks Chandra Nadi Pranayama Training
Weeks
Schedule
Time
Duration
Ist Week
Preliminary Yogic Exercises
5 Minute
20 Minute
Practice of Chandra Nadi Pranayama (9 Rounds × 1 Set)
10 Minute
Relaxation Posture
5 Minute
2nd Week
Preliminary Yogic Exercises
5 Minute
25 Minute
Practice of Chandra Nadi Pranayama (9 Rounds × 2 Set)
15 Minute
Relaxation Posture
5 Minute
3rd Week
Preliminary Yogic Exercises
5 Minute
30 Minute
Practice of Chandra Nadi Pranayama (9 Rounds × 3 Set)
20 Minute
Relaxation Posture
5 Minute
4rd Week
Preliminary Yogic Exercises
5 Minute
35 Minute
Practice of Chandra Nadi Pranayama (9 Rounds × 4 Set)
25 Minute
Relaxation Posture
5 Minute
Study design
Subject performing Chandra Nadi Pranayama.
nation of lipid profiles were obtained. All of biochemical tests have been done with serum samples. Lipid parameters (Triglyceride; Cholesterol; Low-density lipoprotein; High-density lipoprotein) were measured using Boehringer Mannheim kits and Clinilab, BioMerieux analyser as used by Jastrzebska et al. (2002) . The Collection of Biochemical tests with Serum Samples show in the Figure 3.
3. Statistical Analysis
Statistical analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for Windows version 16.0 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). Data is expressed as the mean ± SD. Student t test for paired samples was utilized to compare the means of the pre-test and the post-test. The level of significance was set at 0.05.
4. Results4.1. Hemoglobin (Hb)
The results of Hematological Parameter in group (Experimental) and group (Control) are shown in Table 3. The
Biochemical tests with Serum Samples.
Descriptive statistics (Mean & Standard Deviation) and paired sample t-test of hematological parameter (i.e., Hemoglobin (Hb), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol) and triglycerides (TG) of university level girls
Hemoglobin (Hb)
Group
Number
Mean
Standard Deviation
Standard Error of the Mean
t-value
p-value
Experiment (Pre-test) Experimental (Post-test)
15 15
12.780 12.913
0.421 0.456
0.108 0.117
1.740
0.1038
Control (Pre-test) Control (Post-test)
15 15
12.473 12.506
0.240 0.265
0.062 0.068
0.517
0.6132
Total Cholesterol (TC)
Experiment (Pre-test) Experimental (Post-test)
15 15
167.240 168.940
14.598 15.355
3.7694 3.964
1.937
0.0732
Control (Pre-test) Control (Post-test)
15 15
166.760 166.893
14.613 14.266
3.773 3.683
0.581
0.5705
Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-Cholesterol)
Experiment (Pre-test) Experimental (Post-test)
15 15
119.120 119.486
7.640 7.694
1.972 1.986
1.243
0.2343
Control (Pre-test) Control (Post-test)
15 15
118.980 119.040
7.506 7.532
1.938 1.945
0.169
0.8682
High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-Cholesterol)
Experiment (Pre-test) Experimental (Post-test)
15 15
75.120 75.206
4.443 4.296
1.147 1.109
0.617
0.5471
Control (Pre-test) Control (Post-test)
15 15
74.926 74.960
4.799 4.682
1.239 1.208
0.289
0.7768
Triglycerides (TG)
Experiment (Pre-test) Experimental (Post-test)
15 15
135.473 217.626
9.647 314.503
2.491 81.204
1.011
0.3292
Control (Pre-test) Control (Post-test)
15 15
132.913 133.113
14.755 15.297
3.809 3.949
0.617
0.5471
Mean and Standard Deviation values of Hemoglobin (Hb) of pre-test and post-test of experimental group was 12.780 ± 0.421 and 12.913 ± 0.456 respectively. However, the Mean and Standard Deviation values of Hemoglobin (Hb) of pre-test and post-test of control group were 12.473 ± 0.240 and 12.506 ± 0.265. The t-value in case of experimental group was 1.740 and for control group it was 0.517 as show in the Figure 4.
No significant between-group differences were noted in Haemoglobin (Hb) since the calculated value of (t = 1.740) is smaller than tabulated value of t0.05 (14) = 2.1448 for the selected degree of freedom and level of significance. The data does suggest that the differences between pre-test and post-test of Hemoglobin (Hb) in experimental and control group are insignificant. The t-test and p-value for the Experimental (Pre-Test & Post-Test) and Control (Pre-Test & Post-Test) Groups on the parameter Hemoglobin (Hb) has been presented graphically in Figure 5.
4.2. Total Cholesterol (TC)
A glance at Table 3 shows the Mean and Standard Deviation values of Total Cholesterol (TC) of pre-test and post-test of experimental group was 167.240 ± 14.598 and 168.940 ± 15.355 respectively. However, the Mean and Standard Deviation values of Total Cholesterol (TC) of pre-test and post-test of control group were 166.760 ± 14.613 and 166.893 ± 14.266. The t-value in case of experimental group was 1.937 and for control group it was 0.581 as show in the Figure 4.
No significant between-group differences were noted in Total Cholesterol (TC) since the calculated value of (t = 1.937) is smaller than tabulated value of t0.05 (14) = 2.1448 for the selected degree of freedom and level of significance. The data does suggest that the differences between pre-test and post-test of Total Cholesterol (TC) in experimental and control group are insignificant. The t-test and p-value for the Experimental (Pre-Test & Post-Test) and Control (Pre-Test & Post-Test) Groups on the parameter Total Cholesterol (TC) has been presented graphically in Figure 6.
4.3. Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-Cholesterol)
A glance at Table 3 shows the Mean and Standard Deviation values of Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol
t-value and p-value for the experimental (Pre-Test & Post-Test) and control (Pre-Test & Post-Test) groups scores of hematological parameter
t-test and p-value for the experimental (Pre-Test & Post-Test) and control (Pre-Test & Post-Test) groups on the parameter hemoglobin (Hb)
(LDL-Cholesterol) of pre-test and post-test of experimental group was 119.120 ± 7.640 and 119.486 ± 7.694 re- spectively. However, the Mean and Standard Deviation values of Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL- Cholesterol) of pre-test and post-test of control group were 118.980 ± 7.506 and 119.040 ± 7.532. The t-value in case of experimental group was 1.243 and for control group it was 0.169 as show in the Figure 4.
No significant between-group differences were noted in Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-Choles- terol) since the calculated value of (t = 1.243) is smaller than tabulated value of t0.05 (14) = 2.1448 for the selected degree of freedom and level of significance. The data does suggest that the differences between pre-test and post-test of in Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-Cholesterol) in experimental and control group are insignificant. The t-test and p-value for the Experimental (Pre-Test & Post-Test) and Control (Pre-Test & Post-Test) Groups on the parameter Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-Cholesterol) has been presented graphically in Figure 7.
4.4. High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-Cholesterol)
A glance at Table 3 shows the Mean and Standard Deviation values of High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-Cholesterol) of pre-test and post-test of experimental group was 75.120 ± 4.443 and 75.206 ± 4.296 respectively. However, the Mean and Standard Deviation values of High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL- Cholesterol) of pre-test and post-test of control group were 74.926 ± 4.799 and 74.960 ± 4.682. The t-value in case of experimental group was 0.617 and for control group it was 0.289 as show in the Figure 4.
No significant between-group differences were noted in High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-Cho- lesterol) since the calculated value of (t = 0.617) is smaller than tabulated value of t0.05 (14) = 2.1448 for the selected degree of freedom and level of significance. The data does suggest that the differences between pre-test and post-test of High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-Cholesterol) in experimental and control group are insignificant. The t-test and p-value for the Experimental (Pre-Test & Post-Test) and Control (Pre-Test & Post- Test) Groups on the parameter High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-Cholesterol) has been presented graphically in Figure 8.
4.5. Triglycerides (TG)
A glance at Table 3 shows the Mean and Standard Deviation values of Triglycerides (TG) of pre-test and post-test of experimental group was 135.473 ± 9.647 and 217.626 ± 314.503 respectively. However, the Mean and Standard Deviation values of Triglycerides (TG) of pre-test and post-test of control group were 132.913 ± 14.755 and 133.113 ± 15.297. The t-value in case of experimental group was 1.011 and for control group it was 0.617 as show in the Figure 4.
No significant between-group differences were noted in Triglycerides (TG) since the calculated value of (t = 1.011) is smaller than tabulated value of t0.05 (14) = 2.1448 for the selected degree of freedom and level of significance. The data does suggest that the differences between pre-test and post-test of Triglycerides (TG) in experimental and control group are insignificant. The t-test and p-value for the Experimental (Pre-Test & Post-Test) and Control (Pre-Test & Post-Test) Groups on the parameter Triglycerides (TG) has been presented graphically in Figure 9.
5. Conclusion
In summary, the present work manifests an overriding endeavor to explore effects of Chandra nadi pranayama on hematological parameters of university level girls. No significant differences were found in Hemoglobin (Hb),
t-test and p-value for the experimental (Pre-Test & Post-Test) and control (Pre-Test & Post-Test) groups on the parameter total cholesterol (TC)
t-test and p-value for the experimental (Pre-Test & Post-Test) and control (Pre-Test & Post-Test) groups on the parameter low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol)
t-test and p-value for the experimental (Pre-Test & Post-Test) and control (Pre-Test & Post-Test) groups on the parameter high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol)
t-test and p-value for the experimental (Pre-Test & Post-Test) and control (Pre-Test & Post-Test) groups on the parameter triglycerides (TG)
Total Cholesterol (TC), Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol ( LDL -Cholesterol), High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol ( HDL -Cholesterol) and Triglycerides (TG) of university level girls.
Acknowledgements
A special acknowledgement of appreciation for this work in preparing the original manuscript is due to assistance from University Grants Commission (U.G.C.) New Delhi in regards to the sanction of M.R.P (Minor and Major) Research Projects.
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