Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Sep-Dec;12(3):247-251.
doi: 10.4103/ijoy.IJOY_55_18.

Performance in a Corsi Block-tapping Task following High-frequency Yoga Breathing or Breath Awareness

Ram Kumar Gupta  1 , Savita Agnihotri  1 , Shirley Telles  1 , Acharya Balkrishna  1
Affiliations

Performance in a Corsi Block-tapping Task following High-frequency Yoga Breathing or Breath Awareness

Ram Kumar Gupta et al. Int J Yoga. 2019 Sep-Dec.

Abstract

Background: Uninostril yoga breathing practices have improved spatial memory scores. There has been no assessment on the effect of high-frequency yoga breathing (HFYB) on working memory and spatial memory scores using the Corsi block-tapping task (CBTT).

Objectives: The present study was planned to assess the immediate effects of HFYB and breath awareness (BAW) compared to a control session on performance in a CBTT.

Methods: Fifteen participants of both sexes with ages between 18 and 24 years (group mean age ± standard deviation, 20.0 ± 1.6 years; 10 females) were recruited for the trial from a university in North India. Each participant was assessed in three sessions conducted on 3 separate days at the same time of the day. The three sessions were (i) HFYB, (ii) BAW, and (iii) quiet sitting (QS). The duration of the intervention was 18 min. The participants were assessed before and after all the three sessions. Repeated-measures-analyses of variance followed by post hoc tests with Bonferroni adjustment were performed to compare data before and after all the three sessions.

Results: BAW resulted in an improvement in backward total scores (P < 0.05) and the backward Corsi span (P < 0.05; one tailed).

Conclusions: The results suggest that BAW improves primary working memory, spatial memory, and spatial attention. HFYB did not cause any change.

Keywords: Breath awareness; Corsi block-tapping task; high-frequency yoga breathing.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sequence of the square presentation along with forward and backward tapping
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Telles S, Singh N. A review of the use of yoga in breathing disorders. In: Chaitow L, Gilbert C, Morrison D, editors. Recognizing and Treating Breathing Disorders – A Multidisciplinary Approach. Elsevier: United Kingdom; 2013. pp. 275–82.
    1. [Last accessed on 2018 Jan 05]. Available from: https://www.ekhartyoga.com/articles/the-importance-of-breath-in-yoga .
    1. Telles S, Raghuraj P, Arankalle D, Naveen KV. Immediate effect of high-frequency yoga breathing on attention. Indian J Med Sci. 2008;62:20–2. - PubMed
    1. Joshi M, Telles S. A nonrandomized non-naive comparative study of the effects of kapalabhati and breath awareness on event-related potentials in trained yoga practitioners. J Altern Complement Med. 2009;15:281–5. - PubMed
    1. Vecera SP, Rizzo M. Spatial attention: Normal processes and their breakdown. Neurol Clin. 2003;21:575–607. - PubMed