Yoga for control of epilepsy

Abstract

Yoga is an age-old traditional Indian psycho-philosophical-cultural method of leading one's life, that alleviates stress, induces relaxation and provides multiple health benefits to the person following its system. It is a method of controlling the mind through the union of an individual's dormant energy with the universal energy. Commonly practiced yoga methods are 'Pranayama' (controlled deep breathing), 'Asanas' (physical postures) and 'Dhyana' (meditation) admixed in varying proportions with differing philosophic ideas. A review of yoga in relation to epilepsy encompasses not only seizure control but also many factors dealing with overall quality-of-life issues (QOL). This paper reviews articles related to yoga and epilepsy, seizures, EEG, autonomic changes, neuro-psychology, limbic system, arousal, sleep, brain plasticity, motor performance, brain imaging studies, and rehabilitation. There is a dearth of randomized, blinded, controlled studies related to yoga and seizure control. A multi-centre, cross-cultural, preferably blinded (difficult for yoga), well-randomized controlled trial, especially using a single yogic technique in a homogeneous population such as Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy is justified to find out how yoga affects seizure control and QOL of the person with epilepsy.