Experimental Design for Transforming Student Life after COVID-19 with Mind-Body Practices
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37591/rrjon.v13i3.3326Keywords:
COVID-19, Mind-body practices, mental well-being, academic performance, physical healthAbstract
Background: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the well-being and academic performance of students have faced unprecedented challenges. Objective: This study explores the transformative potential of mind body practices pranayama and meditation as holistic interventions to enhance student resilience and success. Method: The study included 50 participants who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were selected and assigned into control (n=25) and experimental (n=25) groups with a simple random sampling method. The mental well-being and academic performance of students assessed using Short Warwick-Edinburgh Well-Being Scale and Academic Performance Scale. Physiological Parameters, Mental well-being and academic performance of the students were measured before and after the intervention. The Experimental group received daily 30 minutes integrated mind body practices for 2 months while control group received routine care. Descriptive statistics, mean and standard deviation were used to compare the results. Result: The study demonstrated the positive effects of a two-month pranayama and meditation program on students' well-being and academic performance. Physiologically, participants had better cardiovascular and respiratory health. Mentally, they showed improved positivity, productivity, and decision-making. Academically, students were more engaged and better at problem-solving. Overall, Pranayama and Meditation practices proved beneficial for students, fostering physical and mental well-being, and enhancing academic performance. Conclusion: Embracing post-COVID-19 mind-body practices like pranayama and meditation empowers students with mental strength, reduced stress, and improved physiology, benefiting academic and personal success in the new normal.
References
Matias T, Dominski FH, Marks DF. Human needs in COVID-19 isolation. J Health Psychol. 2020 Jun;25(7):871-882. doi: 10.1177/1359105320925149.
Scotta AV, Cortez MV, Miranda AR. Insomnia is associated with worry, cognitive avoidance and low academic engagement in Argentinian university students during the COVID-19 social isolation. Psychol Health Med. 2022 Jan;27(1):199-214. doi: 10.1080/13548506.2020.1869796. 3. Dalpati N, Jena S, Jain S, et al. Yoga and meditation, an essential tool to alleviate stress and enhance immunity to emerging infections: A perspective on the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on students. Brain Behav Immun Health. 2022 Mar;20:100420. doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2022.100420. 4. Roy R, Mukhopadhyay MK. Yoga for Combat with COVID-19 Epidemic. Int J Yogic, Hum Mov Sports Sci. 2020;
(1):97-99. 5. Araújo FJO, de Lima LSA, Cidade PIM, et al. Impact of Sars-Cov-2 And Its Reverberation In Global Higher Education And Mental Health. Psychiatry Res. 2020 Jun;288:112977. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112977.
Gupta N, Khera S, Vempati RP, et al. Effect of yoga based lifestyle intervention on state and trait anxiety. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 2006 Jan-Mar;50(1):41-7.
Telles S, Singh N, Balkrishna A. Major Mental Disorders and Strength of Grip: A Study of Yoga Practitioners. Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health. 2017; 13:10-12.
Chong CS, Tsunaka M, Chan EP. Effects of yoga on stress management in healthy adults: a systematic review. Altern Ther Health Med. 2011;17(1):32.
Sawant RS, Zinjurke BD, Binorkar SV. Preventive aspect of ayurveda and yoga towards newly emerging disease COVID-19. J Complement Integr Med. 2021 Jan 27;18(4):667-78.
Kulkarni MS, Kakodkar P, Nesari TM, et al. Combating the psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic through yoga: Recommendation from an overview. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2022 Apr- Jun;13(2):100433. doi: 10.1016/j.jaim.2021.04.003.
Nivethitha L, Mooventhan A, Manjunath NK. Evaluation of Cardiovascular Functions during the Practice of Different Types of Yogic Breathing Techniques. Int J Yoga. 2021 May-Aug;14(2):158- 162. doi: 10.4103/ijoy.IJOY_61_20.
Tang YY, Hölzel BK, Posner MI. The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2015 Apr;16(4):213-25. doi: 10.1038/nrn3916.
Ott MJ, Norris RL, Bauer-Wu SM. Mindfulness meditation for oncology patients: a discussion and critical review. Integr Cancer Ther. 2006 Jun;5(2):98-108. doi: 10.1177/1534735406288083.
Fredrickson BL, Cohn MA, Coffey KA, et al. Open hearts build lives: positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2008 Nov;95(5):1045-1062. doi: 10.1037/a0013262.
Shapiro SL, Carlson LE, Astin JA, Freedman B. Mechanisms of mindfulness. J Clin Psychol. 2006 Mar;62(3):373-86. doi: 10.1002/jclp.20237.
Telles S, Gupta RK, Kumar A, et al. Mental Wellbeing, Quality of Life, and Perception of Chronic Illness in Yoga-Experienced Compared with Yoga-Naïve Patients. Med Sci Monit Basic Res. 2019 May 20;25:153-163. doi: 10.12659/MSMBR.914663.
Goldsby TL, Goldsby ME, McWalters M, et al. Effects of Singing Bowl Sound Meditation on Mood, Tension, and Well-being: An Observational Study. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2017 Jul;22(3):401-406. doi: 10.1177/2156587216668109.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Declaration and Copyright Transfer Form
(to be completed by authors)
I/ We, the undersigned author(s) of the submitted manuscript, hereby declare, that the above manuscript which is submitted for publication in the STM Journals(s), is not published already in part or whole (except in the form of abstract) in any journal or magazine for private or public circulation, and, is not under consideration of publication elsewhere.
- I/We will not withdraw the manuscript after 1 week of submission as I have read the Author Guidelines and will adhere to the guidelines.
- I/We Author(s ) have niether given nor will give this manuscript elsewhere for publishing after submitting in STM Journal(s).
- I/ We have read the original version of the manuscript and am/ are responsible for the thought contents embodied in it. The work dealt in the manuscript is my/ our own, and my/ our individual contribution to this work is significant enough to qualify for authorship.
- I/We also agree to the authorship of the article in the following order:
Author’s name
1. ________________
2. ________________
3. ________________
4. ________________
| We Author(s) tick this box and would request you to consider it as our signature as we agree to the terms of this Copyright Notice, which will apply to this submission if and when it is published by this journal. |