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  3. EFFECT OF YOGA ON IMMUNITY- A REVIEW PAPER
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Vd. Avani Fichadiya1*, Prof. Vd. Arpan Bhatt2

EFFECT OF YOGA ON IMMUNITY- A REVIEW PAPER

The science of Yoga is of ancient origin rooting its presence right from the Vedic literature. According to Patanjala Yoga Sutra, there are eight limbs of Yoga which have been explained to have effect on various dimensions of human life and existence. Bala or strength has been explained to be a prime requisite for healthy and disease-free state of existence. Both, the texts of Yoga and Ayurveda have shared many technical terminologies where Bala or strength is one of them. The texts of Ayurveda vividly describe Vyadhikshamatva as one of the aspects related with physical and mental strength. Different Yoga practices, said to be having an effect on various aspects of physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being of a person would obviously be having an impact on the immune capacity of a person directly or indirectly either by regulating the flow of Prana in the body or by correcting the behavioral aspects through right mental attitude. The diet and lifestyle corrections also play a vital role in enhancing the strength and immune capacity of a person. In current era Mental health and stress are the most discussed concepts in every field which have a greater impact on an individual’s personal and professional life. As a part of adaptive response to stress, various body systems including immune systems may be affected. As the immune system is the body’s tool for preventing or limiting infection, it is very essential to protect and enhance it. Therefore, it is very essential to know and understand various dimensions of Yoga practices which can modulate the immune system of human body through non-invasive approach of Yoga. The aim and objectives of the study were to know and understand the dimensions of different Yoga practices with their possible effects on immunity through the scriptures and available data sources. In order to study the therapeutic effect of Yoga on immunity, classical texts were referred and data was searched through Pubmed, a database of scientific publications with the key words ‘Yoga’ and ‘Immunity’. The articles and related classical texts of Yoga were critically reviewed and compiled. Out of total 207 articles found, only few articles are focused on discussing about the correlation of immunity with Yoga/ Yogic practices whereas maximum articles have discussed about the therapeutic effect of Yoga with regards of the aspect of immunity pertaining to different diseases. The full paper discusses about the direct and indirect effect of Yoga practices with their probable psychophysiological effects on immunity.

KEYWORDS: Yoga, Yogic practices, Bala, Immune system, Immunity, Stress, Vyadhikshamatva