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Effects of yoga and mindfulness practices on the autonomous nervous system in primary school children: A
Pune Ivaki1, Steffen Schulz1, Michael Jeitler2
1Department of Paediatrics, Division of Oncology and Haematology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
Objectives:
The present study examined the effects of a yoga and mindfulness-based programme on the autonomic nervous system of primary school children by using heart rate variability parameters.
Design:
A two-arm non-randomised controlled trial compared an integrated yoga and mindfulness-based programme (16 weeks) to conventional primary school lessons.
Setting:
Primary school classrooms and conference rooms.
Interventions:
Participants were allocated to a 16-week integrated yoga-based programme or conventional school lessons. A subgroup was randomised to receive 24h electrocardiogram-recordings.
Main Outcome Measures:
Heart rate variability indices were measured, both linear (time and frequency domain) and non-linear (symbolic dynamics, compression entropy), calculated from 30-minute extracts of Holter-electrocardiogram-recordings. Assessments were conducted at baseline and at the end of intervention.
Results:
40 participants (42.5% female) were included into the analysis of HRV. No significant changes in heart rate variability parameters were observed between the groups after 16 weeks. In the intervention group, a trend towards increased parasympathetic activity could be seen over time, although not significantly enhanced compared to the control group.
Conclusion:
Results obtained here do not clearly show that children in German primary school settings benefit from an integrated yoga-based intervention. However, exploratory post-hoc analyses point interestingly to an increased nocturnal parasympathetic activity in the intervention group. Further studies are required with high-quality study designs, larger sample sizes and longer-term follow-ups.
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