Yoga

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of yoga training with emotion regulation training on students' working memory and cognitive flexibility. The research methodology was quasi-experimental designed as pretest and posttest with control and follow-up groups. Entire second-grade female high schoolers in the 2nd District of Tehran, during 2018-19 academic year, constituted study’s statistical population, of whom 54 students were chosen using cluster random sampling method, and randomly assigned into three groups. The pretest of N-back and Denis and Wenderval’s cognitive flexibility (2010) was administered for all three groups; and then the experimental groups received yoga training and emotion regulation intervention and finally posttest was implemented followed by 4-week follow-up test. Data analysis used by analysis of variance with repeated measurements exhibited that, both trainings significantly resulted in an increase in components of Different recognition and recognition time of working memory and cognitive flexibility (p≤/001). Yoga training had more effect on the component of different recognition and psychological flexibility than on emotional regulation training (p≤/001), while the impact of both two interventions had not a significant difference on the component of recognition time.

Trends that have emerged in the epistemological field (of divine and non-divine origin) have commonalities due to the focus on the spiritual dimension of human existence, like the eye of the heart in Islamic Sufism that has similarities with the third eye on Yoga. The most important similarities are the effect of Zikr in the opening of the eye of the heart and the third eye, the need to get Zikr from Sheikh/Guru, solitude, the necessity of observing certain conditions before and during Zikr, steps of Zikr, and the manifestation of the unseen after the opening of the eye of the heart and the third eye. However, there are some differences, too. In Yoga, the physical location of the third eye is determined in the body, but in Islamic Sufism, the eye of the heart is a non-physical concept. In Islamic Sufism, the extent of manifestation of truths that one sees with the eye of the heart is fully described and symbolized, but in Yoga, a brief description is given.

The present study aimed at investigating the effects of applying yoga, visualization, and Rosetta Stone software on English achievement of Iranian senior citizen EFL learners. Prior to this study, the homogeneity of the learners was checked through conducting Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT). Consulting the rating scale of OQPT, 30 female elementary level senior citizen EFL learners between the ages of 55 and 65 were selected to take part in the study. The participants sat for an English achievement test designed based on their textbook. They were, then, assigned to two groups of control and experimental. The members of the experimental group were taught English while practicing yoga, visualization, and applying Rosetta Stone software program, whereas their counterparts in the control group were taught via the conventional method of teaching English in the elderly day-care center. The procedure lasted for 30 sessions during the three-month treatment. Afterwards, the posttest which was similar to the pretest was administered to unravel the effect of the treatment. They were also given an attitude questionnaire to uncover their attitude towards the applied instruments. The results of the study indicated that the members of the experimental group outperformed those of the control group in terms of their English learning. The results of the attitude questionnaire demonstrated that they had positive attitudes towards the use of yoga, visualization, and Rosetta Stone software in learning English. The results of this study may offer implications for EFL teachers, curriculum designers, day-care centers of the elderly, well-fare organizations, and language schools.  

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Yoga on women's anxiety. This research was quasi-experimental. The statistical population of the research included women who visited Yoga clubs in Rasht city in 2021. For this purpose, 30 women who had a high score according to the Beck Anxiety Questionnaire (BAI) were selected as a purposive sampling and divided into two experimental (15 people) and control (15 people) groups. Then, Yoga exercises were performed for 8 ninety-minute sessions for the participants of the experimental group, and the control group did not receive any exercises during this period. Then the said questionnaire was again implemented on both groups. The data were analyzed using covariance analysis and SPSS27 software. The results showed that Yoga exercise was effective in reducing women's anxiety (p < 0.05). Therefore, it can be concluded that counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists can use Yoga exercises to reduce women's anxiety.