Impact of Yogic Practices on Breath-Holding Time of OBESE Boys

Abstract

The present study investigates the effect of yogic practices on the breath holding time (BHT) of pre-obese adolescent boys. A total of 45 boys aged 14 to 16 years were supposed through purposive sampling and were equally given to the group with the experimental group and the control group. A structured yogic training program consisting of specific asana, pranayama and meditation was given to the experimental group for a period of six weeks and the control group did not receive any such intervention. Then, to determine what changed in BHT, pre & post tests were run with statistical tools such as ANCOVA and Scheffe’s post hoc test. Interestingly, findings showed that the participants of the experimental group significantly improved their breath holding time compared with the control group. Physical improvements cannot be denied as with regular practice of yoga shows a physiological positive impact on the respiratory efficiency of preobese adolescents.