Efeitos fisiológicos e psicológicos associados à respiração nasal e às técnicas respiratórias do Yoga

Abstract

This thesis was divided into a general introduction (in portuguese), 3 chapters (one for each article in english) and a general discussion (in portuguese). The first chapter is a systematic review published in The International Journal of Yoga that follows the PRISMA recommendations, entitled: “PRANAYAMAS AND THEIR NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS”. The aim of this review was to describe the influence of yogic breathing exercises on the human brain and mind. After filtering 1,588 articles, the final 14 articles showed that (pranayamas) in general terms promote: clinical improvement in patients with aphasia; reduced cerebral theta oscillation, increased gamma oscillation in the left medial temporal lobe, and increased inhibitory response (self-control) during a reaction time task; immediate reduction in visual and auditory reaction times and increased parasympathetic activity. The second chapter is a quasi-experimental research called PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF A THREE-MONTHS UJJAYI PRANAYAMA TRAINING conducted during COVID-19 pandemic and already under submission for publication in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. From nine psychometric scales used in the study, we observed a reduction in mind wandering (MEWS), negative affect (PANAS-N) and perceived stress (PSS), and an enhancement in interoceptive awareness (MAIA) over the course of the intervention. Furthermore, significant positive correlations were found between MEWS, PANAS-N and PPS before and after 12 weeks of pranayama intervention. The third chapter is a RCT (randomized controlled trial) called: UJJAYI PRANAYAMA: A PSYCHOBIOLOGICAL APPROACH OF A YOGIC BREATHING TRAINING. After 8 weeks of an online ujjayi intervention with university students from UFRN, the findings revealed significant improvements of the test group after the 8-week period compared to the control group for MAIA (interoceptive awareness), PANAS-P (higher pleasant moods or positive affect) and ESS-BR (lower somnolence) scores. Also, PANAS-P x MAIA had a significant and positive correlation (p = .016; r = .438). However, the control group showed better performance in the stress test (MMST) than the test group. No difference was found for delta of salivary cortisol, heart rate variability, Flanker test (go no-go task), spirometry, P0.1, mind wandering measures (MEWS and probe/likert scales), lung capacity and inspiratory drive (P0.1). We conclude that Ujjayi pranayama may be a useful yogic technique for reducing negative affect, perceived stress, daytime sleepiness and mind wandering while increasing interoceptive awareness and positive affect in university students and possibly in the general population.