Effect of Yogasana Practice on Physical Fitness Variables of College Obese Students

Yoga is a discipline to improve or develop one's inherent power in a balanced manner. It offers the means to attain complete self-realization. The literal meaning of the Sanskrit word Yoga is 'Yoke'. Yoga can therefore be defined as a means of uniting the individual spirit with the universal spirit of God. According to Maharishi Patanjali, "Yoga is the suppression of modifications of the mind". Physical fitness is not only of the most important keys to healthy body. It is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity. The relationship between soundness of the body and the activities of the mind is subtle and complex. Much is not understood. But we do know what the Greeks knew that intelligence and skills can only function at the peak of their capacity when the body is healthy and strong; that hardly spirits and tough minds usually inhabit sound bodies. The present study is an outcome of the effect of asana practice on physical fitness variables among college obese students. As the study is intended to focus mainly on the impact of asana practice, twenty male obese students between the age group of seventeen to twenty five years, from Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts & Science, Periyanaickenpalayam, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, were selected as subjects for this study. The subjects were divided into two equal groups namely control group and experimental group. Based on the review of past studies and in consultation with the experts in the field of study it was decided to explore the improvement of physical fitness variables. The pre and post means of each group 't' test were used to find out significant difference between the control and the experimental groups. The study showed that there was a significant improvement in the yogasana practice in physical fitness variables such as Endurance, Explosive Power and Flexibility of college obese students.