Effects of Selected Meditative Asanas on Kinaesthetic Perception and Speed of Movement

Study aim: To assess the effects of selected meditative "asanas" on kinesthetic perception and movement speed. Material and methods: Thirty randomly selected male students aged 18-24 years volunteered to participate in the study. They were randomly assigned into two groups: A (medidative) and B (control). The Nelson's movement speed and reaction test and horizontal space test (to assess the kinaesthetic ability to determine specific positions along the horizontal line) were applied. The subjects from Group A were subjected to 8-week training of meditative "asanas" which included "Padmasana", "Siddhasana", "Sukhasana", "Vajrasana" and "Ushtrasana". Results: The kinaesthetic perception and movement speed significantly (p less than 0.001) improved (by nearly 10%) in Group A compared with the control one. Conclusions: Training "asanas" may be recommended to improve concentration-based performance. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)