Upcoming Study and Call for Participation
(Yoga Bharati’s Research Division - Yogaanvesha)
We have two research projects underway. A study on the efficacy of:
Yoga for Children with ADHD approved by MIT Institutional Review Board (we are in phase II). See below for details.
Yoga for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (or Disease) - IBS/IBD in collaboration with Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio. Details will follow. Contact us at research@yogabharati.org
Effect of Yoga on Children with ADHD - Phase II
This study is approved by MIT Institutional Review Board (IRB Protocol 2110000497) and complies with regulatory guidelines.
Opening Enrollment soon (TBD)
Children will receive $50 compensation upon study completion.
We are inviting participants for the study on yoga and its effects on children with ADHD. The study starts in September 2024 and we will be taking enrollment throughout the year. Classes will be conducted in SF Bay Area (CA), Los Angeles area (CA), Dallas Texas, and possibly other parts of the USA (TBD).
Eligibility Requirements
1. Your child must be between 8 and 12 years old.
2. Your child must be diagnosed with ADHD by a medical professional (physician or psychologist).
3. Your child must not have other diagnoses of developmental disorders (such as autism spectrum disorder or other learning disorders).
4. Your child must be able to follow the instructions given in the class; this will be evaluated through a sample yoga class for your child before inclusion into the study.
5. Your child must not have practiced yoga in the last 6 months.
Principal Investigator
Dr. Richard Fletcher, Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
If your child chooses to participate, you and your child will be asked to take the following assessments before, during, and after the intervention period:
(for your child) A private screening and orientation to our yoga practice to ensure the child can follow instructions and is eligible for yoga practice.
(for your child) Wisconsin card sorting Test (WCST-64) – which is a timed card sorting game on the computer, where your child needs to sort playing cards by shape, color, and numerical order. The game measures the accuracy and speed of sorting. Each test can be 10-15 mins long on average. The WCST-64 test will be administered 3 times (each administration on a different day) for your child.
(for parents) NICHQ Vanderbilt Assessment – which is a questionnaire about the child’s social-emotional status and behavior done with the research coordinator.
Your child will be asked to do the following things (other than assessments):
A private screening and orientation to our yoga practice to ensure your child can follow instructions and is eligible for the yoga intervention.
Participate in yoga sessions with an approximate duration of 1 hour twice per week for 8 weeks.
See below for schedule of classes in the following areas:
SF Bay Area Kids Class Schedule
We are working on providing yoga sessions in Cupertino Area, Milpitas Area, S. San Jose Area (Evergreen), Fremont Area, and Pleasanton Trivalley area. Below is the schedule. More classes are being announced.
LA Area Kids Class Schedule
Dallas Area Kids Class Schedule
Our Earlier Published Research Papers
Yoga Bharati has completed Phase I of the study of the Effect of Yoga on Children with ADHD and this study is accepted for a poster presentation by International Association of Yoga Therapists to present at Symposium of Yoga Research (SYR-2024) on October 14–16th 2024 at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health.
Mind Sound Resonance Technique - Paper Abstract
In collaboration with the University of California, Santa Barbara
For the full paper, click here.
Cross-cultural study on the Effects of an Online-Administered Chanting-Based Meditation Technique (MSRT) on Anxiety, Stress, Sleep, and Mindfulness
Authors: Chinmay Surpur-1, Elliott Ihm-1, Dr. Jonathan Schooler-2, Dr. H. R. Nagarathna-3, Dr. Judu Ilavarasu-4
Institutions: Yoga Bharati-1; University of California, Santa Barbara-1; SVYASA University-2
Key words: Yoga, Meditation, Chanting, Sleep, Stress, Mindfulness
Objective: The purpose of this randomized pilot study was to understand the effects of a 10-day online intervention of a chanting-based relaxation technique called Mind Sound Resonance Technique (MSRT) on measures of anxiety, stress, sleep, and mindfulness.
Methods: Two-hundred and ten participants were recruited for this pilot study: fifty participants from India and one-hundred and sixty participants from the United States. Participants were initially administered a series of questionnaires to assess measures of state anxiety, stress, quality of sleep, and mindfulness. Each day, participants received a video of MSRT at 9 AM local time. Upon completion of the 10-day intervention, participants were administered the same series of questionnaires.
Results: Sixty-five participants completed all portions of the study and were compensated. Upon applying exclusion criteria, the data of 47 participants’ (10 male and 37 female) was used for statistical analysis. The mean age of participants was 43.07 years old. Initial results showed no statistically significant difference in any of the questionnaires. However, within the Karolinska Sleep Questionnaire, four specific questions showed statistically significant improvements:
1. Difficulties falling asleep (M = 2.089, SD = 1.42; t(44) = 3.0, p = 0.004).
2. Insufficient amount of sleep (M = 2.178, SD = 0.1.29; t(44) = 2.0, p = 0.05)
3. Feeling exhausted when waking up (M = 1.689, SD = 1.39; t(44) = 2.8, p = 0.008)
4. Sleepiness during work (M = 1.33, SD = 1.10; t(44) = 2.8, p = 0.008)
Although the results did not show statistical significance, 75% of the testimonials written by the participants indicated that MSRT is a relaxing experience.
Testimonials were the best part of this study:
Conclusion: While none of the results showed statistically significant improvements in mindfulness, anxiety, and stress, there was a statistically significant improvement in some sleep-related questions. In addition, the testimonials were emphatically positive, showing that this study needs to be revised and revisited. Conducting online research in the field of yoga is a fairly new area of study, and the effort of this experiment was to design a robust pilot study in order to construct concrete future research. There is promise in potential future online research to study the effects of MSRT on various aspects of sleep alone, rather than including anxiety, stress, and mindfulness, in order to create a more pointed study on the effects of Mind Sound Resonance Technique on various aspects of sleep.
For Questions, contact research@yogabharati.org