Effect of Suryanamaskar on Agility in College Going Students: A Pilot Study

Introduction: Agility is defined as a rapid whole-body movement with change of velocity or direction in response to a stimulus. Agility is a complex skill that include both physical and cognitive components. It requires the integrity of motion skill by using a combination of balance, coordination, speed, reflex, strength and endurance. Suryanamaskar is a part of Indian traditional Yoga. It is a series of 12 physical postures performed as a cyclical event synchronised with a specific breathing pattern and body movement awareness. In Suryanamaskar, there is a rapid change of posture during each step in every cycle. During Suryanamaskar muscles of the entire body experience stretch and contraction alternatively and therefore it is said to give more benefits with less expenditure of time.

Methodology: On the basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 12 college students both male and female with age group between 18-24 years were selected. Suryanamaskar was given 5 times/week for 4 weeks. Pre and post intervention, agility is measured.

Outcome measure: T-Test for agility

Result: Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20 and Microsoft excel 2007. Wilcoxon signed rank test was applied for within group analysis. Comparison of pre and post intervention data was done, significant difference was found with p-value less than 0.05.

Conclusion: It is concluded that Suryanamaskar is effective for improving agility in college going students.