Effect of bhramari pranayama on metacognition and mindfulness in high school children

Abstract

Present generation students face challenges in physical, intellectual, social, emotional and academic domains. As students’ progress to higher classes, high order thinking skills such as mindfulness and metacognition play a crucial role to surmount stress and improve their academic performance. Documented benefits of yoga seem to offer a viable solution within the classrooms. The study aims to investigate the effects of bhramari pranayama on metacognition and mindfulness among ninth grade students. Through a randomized controlled design, the intervention was given for four weeks with nine rounds of Bhramari Pranayama given six times a day before the commencement of classes. The variables were measured using the Jr. MAI (Junior Metacognitive Awareness Inventory) and CAMM (Child Adolescent Mindfulness Measure). Paired t-test analyses have shown a significant difference in the experimental and control groups with respect to metacognition (p < 0.001) and mindfulness (p < 0.033). It is concluded that Pranayama is beneficial in enhancing metacognition and mindfulness among high school children.