A small independent pilot study of the effects of Sama Vritti Pranayama and “No Mind/Being Present” Meditation on patients with stress and anxiety.
Abstract
Background
Albeit anxiety and stress can have positive functions in human life, such as keeping us alert to dangers and allowing adaptation towards stressors, when these normally occurring nervous system functions heighten outside our capabilities of handling, one can experience many different debilitating effects interfering with all aspects of living a life. Last year an estimated 19.1% of U.S adults had an anxiety disorder and an estimated 31.1% of U.S adults will or have experienced it in their lifetime (1). Different yoga techniques have been used for wellness for thousands of years and ancient yogic scriptures are known by yoga practitioners to have provided some of the first therapies for mental dis-ease.
Objective
It is not in the scope of this study to dissect why individuals suffer but rather what can be done about it. The research aimed to collect data, pre Sama Vritti (SV) and No Mind Meditation (NMM) intervention, on a large number of parameters which are associated with stress and anxiety and data points post intervention on factors that counter and are helpful against stress and anxiety.
Methods
Participants who joined the study were able to receive 6 weeks, three times weekly, 30 minute interventions in a live online setting (zoom) with guided pranayama (yogic breath work and breath awareness practice), meditation and discussions around the experiences.
Results
9 individuals completed 6 weeks of intervention with a median of two sessions a week, 100% of them reported improved or somewhat improved outcomes on the varying data collection points related to stress and/or anxiety and none reported any adverse side effects (2).
Conclusions
Despite the overwhelmingly positive results on the data points of this study it’s hard to conclude that the results were due to the intervention considering there were no control groups or controls of any other sorts. Hopefully this small independent study will encourage more time and funding for future studies.
Introduction
Historically, knowledge and information has had a more exclusive reach than the almost overwhelming free flow we experience today, this has its own dilemma of discerning what knowledge and information to seek and use. The art of living is paradoxically difficult and many things which can be deemed as beneficial can also have opposite effects as life is full of contradictions and navigating them can be very stressful. Yoga and Yoga Therapy (YT) has a long history of being a valuable treatment option for patients with varying illnesses including stress and anxiety. Yoga and YT is founded on the principles of balance and harmony and almost all lineages and styles use the techniques of pranayama and meditation to achieve it (3). Achieving peace and harmony may result in better management of stressors that can cause anxiety. Breath is directly and indirectly linked with the nervous system(4) and awareness around it (or lack thereof) have tangible effects on how we sense ourselves. Meditation is the act of merging with and absorbing one task, focus or source which allows for a practitioner to be present. Being present is considered an optimal state for clearing useless blockages and clutter, easing tasks of life.
Methods
Recruitment strategy and participation determinations
Participants who self identified as having stress and/or anxiety were recruited via Facebook and the researcher’s personal network. 37 individuals signed up, 29 filled out the initial waivers and forms to some capacity, 26 came to at least one session and 9 attended a minimum average of twice a week making them compliant enough to be included in the study.
Intervention: Sama Vritti Pranayama & No mind Meditation twice a week for six weeks
The participants had access to three live 30 minute early morning group sessions, online, for six weeks and recorded audio sessions were available for support and homework. Participants answered an initial intake form consisting of questions related to stress and anxiety, or lack thereof, prior to the sessions and self-reported their progress with two biweekly and one final progress report. Attendance was conducted in the chat box of the online meeting and those who wished to stay anonymous attended through a predetermined pseudonym. Anonymity was achieved by educating the participants how to manage their zoom username and camera access prior to the meeting with a link to a tutorial. Each session began with a request for the participants to find a comfortable seated position, preferably without back support. Secondly they were guided through progressive SV, consisting of four equal parts: 1x inhalation, 1x retention post inhalation, 1x exhalation, 1x retention post exhalation, which initially started with a three second rate and progressively increased throughout the ongoing session as well the course of sessions, the increase was determined by the progress reports (this was the only function of the bi-weekly progress reports, they will not be included in the research data). The breath work was guided in a gentle manner and modifications were offered as well as tips for an easy and safe participation. The meditation followed the breath practice and was led with mantra/wording for inspiring focus and detaching from distractions. The session concluded with optional opportunities to share experiences and ask questions.
Limitations
This study was small and conducted by one researcher. The counts for the breath were counted without a timer tool and were not exact but continued rhythmically in a progressive manner based on the teacher's intuition. The instructions for the procedure, the tips for safety and ease as well as the inspirational mantras were consistent but not exactly scripted to maintain flow and avoid robotic experience. The results were self reported and not measured with any tools. There was no control group and there were no additional methods to control for external factors which may have interfered with the intervention.
Results and Discussions
The self reported initial intake form indicated that 100% of the participants reported having scattered thoughts, 77.8% reported having undesirable moods. 66.7% of participants reported poor focusing capacity and general lack of focus and concentration, poor memory, regular frustrations, feelings of unbalance and disharmony and sense of disorganization. The majority, 55.6%, also experienced inability to manage stress, poor sleep quality, lack of vitality, sense of emotional instability , disability to create new positive patterns and dissatisfaction. Less common but still noteworthy was that 44.4% related to having lack of willpower, low energy levels, low self confidence, poor concentration, regular sense of overwhelm, anger, sense of disconnect, and having poor communication.
Out of the 9 participants who were compliant enough to be included in the study, 100% reported experiencing improved or somewhat improved thought process monitoring as well as breathing awareness. 88.9% reported improved or somewhat improved stress management, mood, sense of productivity, awareness, sense of ease in overwhelming situations, handling of stressful situations and awareness of reactions. 77.8% reported improved or somewhat improved focusing capacity, sense of emotional stability, management of frustrations, sense of connection, feelings of balance and harmony, and ability to detach. 66.7% reported improved or somewhat improved sleeping quality, focus and concentration, behavior, self confidence, joy, sense of vitality, quality of relationships, ability to concentrate, anger management, ability to manage habits, ability to create new positive patterns, feelings of compassion, and constructive behavior. 55.6% reported improved or somewhat improved willpower, energy levels, creativity, logical thinking, conflict management, problem solving capacity, sense of fulfillment, empathy, creativity, management of fear or phobias, emotional maturity, and social contentment. Less common but still noteworthy, 44.4% reported improved or somewhat improved learning abilities, trust in intuition, understanding of complexities, resolutions of confusions, satisfaction, listening skills, sense of organization and communication skills. All factors that may have a diminishing effect on stress and anxiety.
One interesting thing to observe is the improved breathing awareness in all participants, an area that only 33.3% noted on the initial intake form. The parasympathetic and sympathetic states of the nervous system are interlinked with our breath in a cyclical manner, breath affecting state and state affecting breath, this feedback loop is subject to patterns and habits. Awareness is an important key in altering patterns and habits, and having better insight (to the breath) arguably generated opportunities which enabled the practitioners greater influence on their own nervous system state. We can hypothesize that this gave the participants a tool to combat useless stress and anxiety and also wisdom of when to use it and possibly explaining improvements in areas initially not recognized as problematic.
Note that the discussion here does not argue that one of the states is superior, albeit the state of the parasympathetic nervous system is often sought after as the more calming one, the sympathetic state has its own value and without it we might lose our self preservation instincts.
The action of taking in and expelling air is something generally managed automatically and when this function of equilibrium gets disturbed, regardless where in the cycle it happens, we’re fortunate to have the capability of overwriting the “autopilot” enabling us to control and direct our breath, and thereby our nervous system state “manually”.
The english translation for sanskrit Sama Vritti Pranayama, is “Equal-mindwave-life-force” (similar and varying translations exist), and the purpose of guiding the breath with an equal part inhale and exhale is to equalize the o2 and co2 levels in the body, or in yogic jargong, find balance and harmony within the opposing qualities of life. The breath-holding parts (the absence of active breathing) of the practice can be experienced as moments of stillness and quiet, where observance becomes easier, cultivating further ease around observing the breath (there are many other benefits as well and different individuals may anchor to different effects).
When the processes of your life-force, your breath, is trained to happen with ease and harmony and you can find a balance within your nervous system it allows you to meditate. Meditation is a sometimes abstract and largely encompassing word of an act that requires focus. In Yoga philosophy, as per Maharishi Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, meditation can be separated into 4 stages: 1. Pratyahara, sense withdrawal, the act of moving your senses away from external as well as internal distractions; 2. Daharana single pointed focus; 3. Dyhana, absorbed focus, ie, the focus begins to happen automatically; 4. Samadhi, the state of meditation where the process brings the bliss of knowing one's true eternal nature. The cuing in the guided meditation for the research was executed as mantra, the act of manifesting or applying verbal “software” for the practitioners to encourage them to detach from distractions, focus, allow everything to happen and be one with themselves and the universe.
Conclusion
The limitations of this study prevents us from drawing too firm conclusions but the results are still highly encouraging considering 100% of the compliant participants reported positive effects on their breath awareness as well as thought process monitoring. Further, the fact that no one reported adverse side effects allows us to begin prescribing this to individuals who are looking for help with their stress and anxiety. Hopefully the results of this study will lead to more, organized, well funded and high quality research (which can become peer reviewed), regarding pranayama and meditation as an intervention for individuals with stress and anxiety.
1) https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder
2) A few participants (most whom dropped out or where otherwise excluded due to non compliance) had some type of difficulty with the timing of the early morning sessions and one participant (whom was not compliant enough to be included in the study) reported disturbances in their sleeping due to the time of the interventions not being compatible with their sleep schedule.
3) Bruno Bordoni,1 Shahin Purgol,2 Annalisa Bizzarri,3 Maddalena Modica,4 and Bruno Morabito5
4) Medical Yoga Therapy Ina Stephens
Abstract
Background
Albeit anxiety and stress can have positive functions in human life, such as keeping us alert to dangers and allowing adaptation towards stressors, when these normally occurring nervous system functions heighten outside our capabilities of handling, one can experience many different debilitating effects interfering with all aspects of living a life. Last year an estimated 19.1% of U.S adults had an anxiety disorder and an estimated 31.1% of U.S adults will or have experienced it in their lifetime (1). Different yoga techniques have been used for wellness for thousands of years and ancient yogic scriptures are known by yoga practitioners to have provided some of the first therapies for mental dis-ease.
Objective
It is not in the scope of this study to dissect why individuals suffer but rather what can be done about it. The research aimed to collect data, pre Sama Vritti (SV) and No Mind Meditation (NMM) intervention, on a large number of parameters which are associated with stress and anxiety and data points post intervention on factors that counter and are helpful against stress and anxiety.
Methods
Participants who joined the study were able to receive 6 weeks, three times weekly, 30 minute interventions in a live online setting (zoom) with guided pranayama (yogic breath work and breath awareness practice), meditation and discussions around the experiences.
Results
9 individuals completed 6 weeks of intervention with a median of two sessions a week, 100% of them reported improved or somewhat improved outcomes on the varying data collection points related to stress and/or anxiety and none reported any adverse side effects (2).
Conclusions
Despite the overwhelmingly positive results on the data points of this study it’s hard to conclude that the results were due to the intervention considering there were no control groups or controls of any other sorts. Hopefully this small independent study will encourage more time and funding for future studies.
Introduction
Historically, knowledge and information has had a more exclusive reach than the almost overwhelming free flow we experience today, this has its own dilemma of discerning what knowledge and information to seek and use. The art of living is paradoxically difficult and many things which can be deemed as beneficial can also have opposite effects as life is full of contradictions and navigating them can be very stressful. Yoga and Yoga Therapy (YT) has a long history of being a valuable treatment option for patients with varying illnesses including stress and anxiety. Yoga and YT is founded on the principles of balance and harmony and almost all lineages and styles use the techniques of pranayama and meditation to achieve it (3). Achieving peace and harmony may result in better management of stressors that can cause anxiety. Breath is directly and indirectly linked with the nervous system(4) and awareness around it (or lack thereof) have tangible effects on how we sense ourselves. Meditation is the act of merging with and absorbing one task, focus or source which allows for a practitioner to be present. Being present is considered an optimal state for clearing useless blockages and clutter, easing tasks of life.
Methods
Recruitment strategy and participation determinations
Participants who self identified as having stress and/or anxiety were recruited via Facebook and the researcher’s personal network. 37 individuals signed up, 29 filled out the initial waivers and forms to some capacity, 26 came to at least one session and 9 attended a minimum average of twice a week making them compliant enough to be included in the study.
Intervention: Sama Vritti Pranayama & No mind Meditation twice a week for six weeks
The participants had access to three live 30 minute early morning group sessions, online, for six weeks and recorded audio sessions were available for support and homework. Participants answered an initial intake form consisting of questions related to stress and anxiety, or lack thereof, prior to the sessions and self-reported their progress with two biweekly and one final progress report. Attendance was conducted in the chat box of the online meeting and those who wished to stay anonymous attended through a predetermined pseudonym. Anonymity was achieved by educating the participants how to manage their zoom username and camera access prior to the meeting with a link to a tutorial. Each session began with a request for the participants to find a comfortable seated position, preferably without back support. Secondly they were guided through progressive SV, consisting of four equal parts: 1x inhalation, 1x retention post inhalation, 1x exhalation, 1x retention post exhalation, which initially started with a three second rate and progressively increased throughout the ongoing session as well the course of sessions, the increase was determined by the progress reports (this was the only function of the bi-weekly progress reports, they will not be included in the research data). The breath work was guided in a gentle manner and modifications were offered as well as tips for an easy and safe participation. The meditation followed the breath practice and was led with mantra/wording for inspiring focus and detaching from distractions. The session concluded with optional opportunities to share experiences and ask questions.
Limitations
This study was small and conducted by one researcher. The counts for the breath were counted without a timer tool and were not exact but continued rhythmically in a progressive manner based on the teacher's intuition. The instructions for the procedure, the tips for safety and ease as well as the inspirational mantras were consistent but not exactly scripted to maintain flow and avoid robotic experience. The results were self reported and not measured with any tools. There was no control group and there were no additional methods to control for external factors which may have interfered with the intervention.
Results and Discussions
The self reported initial intake form indicated that 100% of the participants reported having scattered thoughts, 77.8% reported having undesirable moods. 66.7% of participants reported poor focusing capacity and general lack of focus and concentration, poor memory, regular frustrations, feelings of unbalance and disharmony and sense of disorganization. The majority, 55.6%, also experienced inability to manage stress, poor sleep quality, lack of vitality, sense of emotional instability , disability to create new positive patterns and dissatisfaction. Less common but still noteworthy was that 44.4% related to having lack of willpower, low energy levels, low self confidence, poor concentration, regular sense of overwhelm, anger, sense of disconnect, and having poor communication.
Out of the 9 participants who were compliant enough to be included in the study, 100% reported experiencing improved or somewhat improved thought process monitoring as well as breathing awareness. 88.9% reported improved or somewhat improved stress management, mood, sense of productivity, awareness, sense of ease in overwhelming situations, handling of stressful situations and awareness of reactions. 77.8% reported improved or somewhat improved focusing capacity, sense of emotional stability, management of frustrations, sense of connection, feelings of balance and harmony, and ability to detach. 66.7% reported improved or somewhat improved sleeping quality, focus and concentration, behavior, self confidence, joy, sense of vitality, quality of relationships, ability to concentrate, anger management, ability to manage habits, ability to create new positive patterns, feelings of compassion, and constructive behavior. 55.6% reported improved or somewhat improved willpower, energy levels, creativity, logical thinking, conflict management, problem solving capacity, sense of fulfillment, empathy, creativity, management of fear or phobias, emotional maturity, and social contentment. Less common but still noteworthy, 44.4% reported improved or somewhat improved learning abilities, trust in intuition, understanding of complexities, resolutions of confusions, satisfaction, listening skills, sense of organization and communication skills. All factors that may have a diminishing effect on stress and anxiety.
One interesting thing to observe is the improved breathing awareness in all participants, an area that only 33.3% noted on the initial intake form. The parasympathetic and sympathetic states of the nervous system are interlinked with our breath in a cyclical manner, breath affecting state and state affecting breath, this feedback loop is subject to patterns and habits. Awareness is an important key in altering patterns and habits, and having better insight (to the breath) arguably generated opportunities which enabled the practitioners greater influence on their own nervous system state. We can hypothesize that this gave the participants a tool to combat useless stress and anxiety and also wisdom of when to use it and possibly explaining improvements in areas initially not recognized as problematic.
Note that the discussion here does not argue that one of the states is superior, albeit the state of the parasympathetic nervous system is often sought after as the more calming one, the sympathetic state has its own value and without it we might lose our self preservation instincts.
The action of taking in and expelling air is something generally managed automatically and when this function of equilibrium gets disturbed, regardless where in the cycle it happens, we’re fortunate to have the capability of overwriting the “autopilot” enabling us to control and direct our breath, and thereby our nervous system state “manually”.
The english translation for sanskrit Sama Vritti Pranayama, is “Equal-mindwave-life-force” (similar and varying translations exist), and the purpose of guiding the breath with an equal part inhale and exhale is to equalize the o2 and co2 levels in the body, or in yogic jargong, find balance and harmony within the opposing qualities of life. The breath-holding parts (the absence of active breathing) of the practice can be experienced as moments of stillness and quiet, where observance becomes easier, cultivating further ease around observing the breath (there are many other benefits as well and different individuals may anchor to different effects).
When the processes of your life-force, your breath, is trained to happen with ease and harmony and you can find a balance within your nervous system it allows you to meditate. Meditation is a sometimes abstract and largely encompassing word of an act that requires focus. In Yoga philosophy, as per Maharishi Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, meditation can be separated into 4 stages: 1. Pratyahara, sense withdrawal, the act of moving your senses away from external as well as internal distractions; 2. Daharana single pointed focus; 3. Dyhana, absorbed focus, ie, the focus begins to happen automatically; 4. Samadhi, the state of meditation where the process brings the bliss of knowing one's true eternal nature. The cuing in the guided meditation for the research was executed as mantra, the act of manifesting or applying verbal “software” for the practitioners to encourage them to detach from distractions, focus, allow everything to happen and be one with themselves and the universe.
Conclusion
The limitations of this study prevents us from drawing too firm conclusions but the results are still highly encouraging considering 100% of the compliant participants reported positive effects on their breath awareness as well as thought process monitoring. Further, the fact that no one reported adverse side effects allows us to begin prescribing this to individuals who are looking for help with their stress and anxiety. Hopefully the results of this study will lead to more, organized, well funded and high quality research (which can become peer reviewed), regarding pranayama and meditation as an intervention for individuals with stress and anxiety.
1) https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder
2) A few participants (most whom dropped out or where otherwise excluded due to non compliance) had some type of difficulty with the timing of the early morning sessions and one participant (whom was not compliant enough to be included in the study) reported disturbances in their sleeping due to the time of the interventions not being compatible with their sleep schedule.
3) Bruno Bordoni,1 Shahin Purgol,2 Annalisa Bizzarri,3 Maddalena Modica,4 and Bruno Morabito5
4) Medical Yoga Therapy Ina Stephens
THIS STUDY HAS CONCLUDED
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE INFORMATION ABOUT FUTURE PROJECTS. 9/10/22
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE INFORMATION ABOUT FUTURE PROJECTS. 9/10/22
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