DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2019.v07i03.054

Pages: 1138-1143

Objective: To explore the therapeutic effects of Surya Namaskar on Attention, Emotional Maturity and Psychological Well-Being among medical students. Background: Sun salutation (Surya Namaskar) is a comprehensive Yoga technique which incorporates physical activity, breath regulation, relaxation and awareness. Apart from improving physical stamina and endurance, Surya Namaskar has been shown to influence an individual’s perception and performance. Hence, the present study has been designed to measure the performance of medical students in a digit letter substitution task following the practice of Surya Namaskar compared to physical exercise. Methods: 250 medical students between the age group of 18 to 24 years, belonging to both genders were screened and 64 healthy volunteers were selected. This was the pre and post study and was conducted on 64 healthy volunteers .They were randomly allocated to 2 groups with 32 students each (Experimental group and Control group). Subjects were assessed at the beginning and end of 30 days of intervention (Surya Namaskar or Physical Exercise) using a Digit Letter Substitution Task. Results: After 30 days of practice, there was improvement in attention, emotional maturity and psychological well-being of the medical students. The value of t-test for attention, Emotional Maturity and Psychological Well-Being is significant at 0.01 level of confidence. The data were normally distributed and the baseline data across the groups were not statistically different (p>.05). The pre-post data within each group was analysed using a paired‘t’test. There was a significant increase in number of letters substituted per digits in both yoga (p<0.01) as well as control group (p<0.01).The difference between the groups was not statistically significant (p>.05). Conclusion: The result of the study shows significant effect of Surya Namaskar in improving the levels of Attention, Emotional Maturity and Psychological Well-Being, If Physical activity given re