GLIMS Journal of Management Review and Transformation

Cognitive Flexibility Through the Path of Yoga

Manya Pandey¹ and Chirag Dagar²

First Published 10 May 2022. https://doi.org/10.1177/jmrt.22.1069776

Article Information

Volume 1, Issue 2 September 2022

Corresponding Author:

Chirag Dagar, Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400076, India.
Email: dgrchirag@gmail.com

¹ Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) IIT Powai, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

² Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-Commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed.

Abstract

Cognitive flexibility plays a crucial role in an individual’s ability to adapt to the ever-changing situations and is associated with effective problem-solving and decision-making. Given the wide range of the impact of Yoga on physiological and psychological aspects of health, the purpose of the study was to examine the impact of Yoga-based practices (YBP) on cognitive flexibility among school students. The performance in digit letter substitution test (DLST) was assessed with 80 school students of fifth-grade and 78 students of ninth-grade immediately before and after participating in a single Yoga class and a control session of equal duration. The intervention comprised of YBP focusing on pranayama and relaxation meditation. Data were analysed using mixed-method ANOVA by comparing effect sizes between the two conditions supplemented by a within-group analysis. Most outcome measures exhibited a pattern of worsening in the control group over time, whereas changes in the Yoga group over time were either consistent or showed slight improvements. The findings suggest, at a preliminary level, that YBP are effective in improving students’ cognitive flexibility as well as their academic school readiness. This information is important to consider as it aims at developing students’ executive functions, thereby impacting their future.

Keywords

Yoga, cognitive flexibility, executive function, school students, cognitive performance, learning

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