Fig. 1.
Results after 12 weeks, mean ± SD in and across groups
| Parameters | Sheetali group | Bhramari group | P-value (among categories) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serum cortisol (µg/dl) | Average ± SD | Average ± SD | |
| Pre-treatment | 13.95 ± 2.55 | 14.27 ± 1.95 | |
| Post-treatment | 11.91 ± 2.5 | 13.26 ± 2.56 | 0.044* |
| Significance measure (in groups) | <0.001* | 0.007* | |
| Percentage of improvement % | ↓14.62% | ↓7.07% | |
| Serum nitric oxide (µmol/L | Average ± SD | Average ± SD | |
| Pre-treatment | 4.5 ± 0.96 | 4.29 ± 1.07 | |
| Post-treatment | 8.2 ± 0.89 | 5.56 ±1 | <0.001* |
| Significance measure (in groups) | <0.001* | <0.001* | |
| Percentage of improvement % | ↑45.12% | ↑22.84% | |
| Blood pressure through systole (mmHg) | Average ± SD | Average ± SD | |
| Pre-treatment | 147.2 ± 4.65 | 146.4 ± 4.42 | |
| Post-treatment | 127.43 ± 3.14 | 130.7 ± 5.75 | <0.001* |
| Significance measure (in groups) | <0.001* | <0.001* | |
| Percentage of improvement % | ↓13.43% | ↓10.72% | |
| Blood pressure through diastole (mmHg) | Average ± SD | Average ± SD | |
| Pre-treatment | 94.1 ± 2.78 | 94.43 ± 2.86 | |
| Post-treatment | 86.86 ± 2.34 | 90.9 ± 2.7 | <0.001* |
| Significance measure (in groups) | <0.001* | <0.001* | |
| Percentage of improvement % | ↓7.69% | ↓3.73% | |
| 30 sec. sit-to-stand test | Average ± SD | Average ± SD | |
| Pre-treatment | 6.1 ± 1.49 | 6.33 ± 1.8 | |
| Post-treatment | 8.3 ± 1.56 | 8.16 ± 1.55 | 0.680 |
| Significance measure (in groups) | <0.001* | <0.001* | |
| Percentage of improvement % | ↑26.5% | ↑22.42% | |
| SF12 questionnaire (physical) | Average ± SD | Average ± SD | |
| Pre-treatment | 33.64 ± 3.43 | 34.09 ±2.85 | |
| Post-treatment | 35.22 ± 3.41 | 35.69 ± 3.02 | 0.579 |
| Significance measure (in groups) | <0.001* | <0.001* | |
| Percentage of improvement % | ↑4.48% | ↑4.48% | |
| SF 12 questionnaire (mental) | Average ± SD | Average ± SD | |
| Pre-treatment | 32.67 ± 3.23 | 33.09 ± 4.64 | |
| Post-treatment | 36.31 ± 5 | 41.91 ± 4.88 | <0.001* |
| Significance measure (in groups) | <0.001* | <0.001* | |
| Percentage of improvement % | ↑10.02% | ↑21.04% | |
The basic metrics between the 2 pranayama classes
| Sheetali class | Bhramari class | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 65.23 ± 3.97 | 66.46 ± 4.07 | 0.24 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 27.03 ± 0.99 | 27 ± 0.94 | 0.89 |
| Sex (male: female) | 14:16 | 12:18 |