Pranayama and Bhakti Yoga Increased Pain Tolerance in Mantra Japa Mantra Japa
Pranayama and Bhakti Yoga Increased Pain Tolerance in Mantra Japa Mantra Japa
Pranayama and Bhakti Yoga Increased Pain Tolerance in Mantra Japa Mantra Japa
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Kuldeep Singh
Patanjali Ayurved Hospital Haridwar
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Professor, University of Patanjali, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India
Abstract:
Yoga practices to assess the pain tolerance to be both positive and negative effects on
especially in dental pain when compared to oral health. Based on these results, it can be
control group. The bhakti yoga methods said that Yoga is a non drug, non invasive
such as AUM chanting, Mantra Japa, and cost effective method which has
Prayer and Meditation have increased the therapeutic intervention and protective
pain tolerance level of the patients. Based effects on pain tolerance levels. The
on Cohen’s formula, the selected clinical beneficial effects of Yoga as seen in this
sample size is 32 with and without bhakti study may be assumed that adoption of Yoga
yoga practitioners. The statistical ‘t’ test is on long term basis. However, considering
applied to analyze the data by using SPSS. the small sample size, limited methodology,
Significant changes in pain tolerance values and the potential heterogeneity, further
are found at p<0.001.The findings are extensive, large- scale, and long term
discussed and compared with the findings of studies are necessary to support our
other researchers on pain. The OHQoL –UK findings.
is compared with our percentage of oral
health changes. The percentages are found
Key words: Dental pain, Bhakti yoga, However, yoga also involves focused
Pranayam, Pain tolerance.
attention and has been shown to improve
1. Introduction
mood and depression (Woolery et al.
The practice of yoga in India was
2004; Lavey et al. 2005; Shapiro et al.
documented as early as 3000 BC. The term
2007). Both attentional and emotional
'yoga' is obtained from Sanskrit word ‘yuz’
factors influence pain perception (Wiech et
or in other words as signifying 'union'.
al. 2008). Furthermore, yoga practitioners
Yoga is said to be for motivation behind
are encouraged to adopt an emotionally
joining the brain, body and soul. Yoga
detached observation of the present moment
focuses on body, breathing and mind
and, accordingly, yoga has been shown to
(Kumar et al. 2013) this is accomplished by
improve mindfulness scores (Brisbon and
Asanas (exercise postures), pranayama
Lowery 2011), which are also associated
(breathing techniques) and meditation
with improved pain tolerance (Kingston et
(Cramer et al. 2013).
al. 2007).
Several studies have directly examined yoga
Oral maladies keep on being a noteworthy
as a potential treatment for pain and found
medical issue around the world (Petersen et
evidence for the beneficial and safe use of
al., 2005). Dental caries and periodontal
yoga to alleviate different painful conditions
diseases are among the most important
(Wren et al. 2011; Posadzki et al. 2011;
global oral health problems, although other
Nambi et al. 2014). These studies have often
conditions like oral and pharyngeal cancers
assumed that the benefits of yoga stem from
and oral tissue lesions are also of significant
its effect on the musculoskeletal system (e.g.
concern. Oral health is integral to general
increase in strength and flexibility).
well-being and relates to the quality-of-life procedure, experienced less pain during
.Dental caries, gingivitis & periodontal drilling and extraction type procedures while
disease are the three most common chronic patients with low-anxiety predicted actual
human diseases, which finally results in level of pain which they experienced during
painful dental conditions (Petersen et al., the procedures. Patients of anxiety expected
decreases with the age and 3. white people theory of yoga. In our studies, we have
can tolerate more pain than Orientals. In all covered the dental pain tolerance levels,
these studies, the impact of yoga was not while most of the studies mentioned above,
considered in pain tolerance. A study (Tul et doesn’t reflect the dental pain tolerance
al. 2010), conducted on seven adult patients levels, but they do cover the anxiety and
after 8 week yoga program, based on depression levels before and after the
concluded that pain’s sensory aspects did paper to incorporate bhakti yoga techniques
not change through yoga but it is helpful to of increasing the pain tolerance levels.
each group having 16 patients. Group 1 patients for rate their pain as 0 for none pain,
participants were practicing yoga and bhakti 1,2,3 combined for mild pain,4,5,6 for
yoga on daily basis for about 10 minutes on moderate, 7,8,9 for severe and 10 number
Prayer is worship to the almighty. The non Yoga groups and their pain tolerance,
participants were given universal prayer, the degrees of freedom is 15 and the
such as – “Om, Sarve bhavantu sukhinah, standard deviation to the variance mean is
Sarve santu niramayah, Sarve bhadrani ±6.28 and the non Yoga group it is ±5.57.
pasyantu, Ma kashchit dukha bhagbhavet, The data obtained from the SPSS analysis is
translated as- May all be prosperous and is explicitly clear that with practice of Yoga
happy, May all be free from illness, May all the pain tolerance is higher than the non
see what is spiritually uplifting, May no one practice group. Difference of 1.73% in pain
suffer. Om Peace, Peace, Peace. This prayer tolerance level found between Bhakti Yoga
is repeated both in the morning and evening Group and Control Group.
The data presented in Table 1, shows pains in the physical body level. Dental pain
significant difference (2 - tailed) at p<0.001. is very much a different pain like Achilles
While comparing groups- Yoga group and pain in the literature (Woodrow et al.1972).
Achilles pain was measured by Automated from none to extreme in the scale Each item
the dental pain where it is measured using a Summing up the individual item responses
pain is measured in the term of score with possible scores ranging from 16
psychological scale Visual Analog Scale to 144 (McGrath, and Bedi, a 2001, b 2002).
(VAS), none-0, mild-1, 2,3, modrate-4,5,6, The post yogic study respondents perceived
severe-7,8,9 and 10 for unconscious. This their oral health has changed their quality of
scale is little modified at the level 10 as life. This supports earlier findings of the
unconscious or maximum limit of pain studies done in Britain using the same items
leading to unconscious state. The dental pain of OHQoL measure. Though the clinical
relief through yoga and bhakti yoga method, sample size is small, the validation requires
we have used the Oral health related quality repeated trials to prove the reliability of the
of life – UK items which includes the data. However, the findings by Pradeep, and
physical, social and psychological domains. Pushpanjali, (2014) support our study. As
Each of these oral health questions was reported by Pradeep and Pushpanjali (2014)
scored first on effect with response ranging some other studies claimed that with oral
from good to bad effect on the quality of health did not bring the desired effect
life. The respondents were asked to rate the (Murariu et al. 2014; Caglayan et al., 2009).
impact of each effect on the scale ranging In their individual or with social
from none to extreme impact by the way of interactions, perhaps, the OHQoL has the
effects on oral health. Further, our findings tools to tolerate more pain, and this
may be related to the model proposed by increased pain tolerance could be mediated
Melzack (1999), Rome and Rome, (2000) through autonomic activation of the insular
disused about neuro matrix model. As per cortex. The strategies used by yogis,
the model, the brain is a dynamic entity including breathing techniques, focusing on
involved in the processing of pain. The sensations without reacting, relaxing the
processing includes inhibition, modulation, mind or body, and accepting pain, are all
and excitation through sensory, thalamic, part of yoga training and are similar to
limbic, hypothalamic pituitary axis (HPA) mindfulness practice that has been shown to
and cortical pathways. This model also improve pain tolerance (Kingston et al.
discusses about Oral Health Quality of Life 2007). Yoga practitioners are encouraged to
includes psychological, somatic and social of the present moment and, accordingly,
aspect of life. These three aspects are also yoga has been shown to improve scores on
OHQoL-UK. In our findings also the same (Brisbon and Lowery 2011).
The strategies used by yoga practitioners to pain regulation and attention than do
tolerate pain, it appears that it is the yoga individually matched controls. Nevertheless,
training itself that equips individuals with only the increased GM in the insular cortex
correlated with the higher pain tolerance insula, from nociceptive input in the
across groups. Further, the results of our posterior insula to autonomic integration in
indicate that the duration of yoga practice anterior insula (Craig 2011)., The results of
positively correlated with GM volume in the post operated patient’s shows the pain
left insular cortex, suggesting that yoga decrease from 60 to 30 percentages while
practice contributed to the anatomical the pain tolerance level increased when
differences, rather than the yoga compared to control groups. The study
practitioners having fundamentally different carried out by Villemure et al. (2014) shows
brains before beginning to practice yoga. In that insulator gray matter untimely
running along the posterior/anterior length positively correlated with Yoga experiences.
of the left insular GM showed signs of The experimented study improves the pain
effects on pain tolerance levels. The There are declaring that there are no relevant
We are grateful to our fraternity of Patanjali (2011). Mindfulness and levels of stress: a
doctors who guided me and helped me with comparison of beginner and advanced
Research Institute specially Dr Vinay [3]. Caglayan, F., Altun, O., Miloglu, O.,
Sharma and Dr Swami Narsingh Chandra Kaya, M. D., & Yilmaz, A. B. (2009).
Dev, for their suggestions and support. I am Correlation between oral health-related
also grateful to the patients who fully quality of life (OHQoL) and oral disorders
cooperated with our doctors and with our in a Turkish patient population. Med Oral
Conflict of interest
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0.001
Table 2: Comparative studies of OHQoL of the present study with Pradeep Y. &
Pushpanjali (2014) study.
Aspect of Oral Impact on Quality of Life (%)
Health
None Little Moderate Great Extreme
S.No. Items Pradeep’s Present Pradeep’s Present Pradeep’s Present Pradeep’s Present Pradeep’s Present
study Study study Study study Study study Study study Study
data data data data data
1. Eating 21.8 10 24.6 23 32.9 32 19.3 24 1.4 11
2. Appearance 14.7 18 22.2 20 37.2 35 22.0 20 3.9 7
3. Speech 24.5 8 22.0 35 31.3 30 20.3 24 1.9 6
4. General 61.6 40 10.1 20 18.5 25 9.0 13 0.8 2
Health
5. Comfort 36.1 20 20.4 22 30.1 38 10.2 17 3.1 3
6. Breath 32.2 42 22.2 19 30.2 28 15.1 9 0.4 2
Odor
7. Social Life 55.6 25 14.2 10 18.6 40 11.1 20 0.5 5
8. Romantic 57.4 20 11.8 22 20.9 29 9.3 21 0.7 8
Life
9. Smile 20.2 18 26.8 21 29.3 37 21.0 16 2.7 7
10. Usual 67.7 32 10.5 37 12.0 25 9.1 5 0.7 1
Work
11. Finance 58.6 30 15.6 18 20.6 37 4.1 12 1.1 3
12. Confidence 32.2 25 23.5 31 28.2 30 15.1 9 1.0 5
13. Lack of 58.8 23 13.9 18 17.8 36 8.9 14 0.6 9
Worry
14. Sleep 29.8 21 18.9 23 27.7 33 22.5 13 1.1 10
15. Mood 68.8 16 9.0 19 15.9 34 6.2 30 0.1 1
16. Personality 66.2 13 10.4 32 15.0 29 8.2 24 0.2 2