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Document Type

Abstract

Publication Date

12-1-2024

Abstract

PURPOSE: Yoga is associated with psychological and physiological benefits, including relaxation and increased attention. Electroencephalograms (EEG) signals reflect the electrical activity of the brain and transformed Alpha and Beta brainwaves into meditation and attention values. This study primarily aimed to measure college students’ attention and meditation level in yoga courses. The secondary aim was to explore yoga’s effect on students’ cognitive ability.

METHODS: The study selected two yoga classes in the first semester of 2023 in an academic university in China. Using convenience sampling methods, 16 college students who attended yoga courses voluntarily participated in this study. All learning phases, teaching content, and course time were maintained the same between the two classes during the study. Selected yoga poses included one previously learned pose and seven new poses. Each lesson lasted 90 min with 30-40 min review phase and 40-45 min in the teaching phase. EEG signals were processed during the review phase and the teaching phase in yoga courses. Collected data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA tests using R 4.3.1.

RESULTS: For the attention level, EEG signal in the review phase was (mean ± standard deviation) 48.12±1.40, while that in the teaching phase was 46.24±2.57. For meditation, EEG signal in the review phase was 50.05±3.41, while that in the teaching phase was 49.37±4.85. The attention level in the teaching phase was significantly lower than that in the review phase (F(1,19)=4.68, p < 0.05, η2=0.2). In contrast, for the meditation level, there was no significant difference between the teaching phase and the review phase (F(1,19)=0.15, p=0.7, η2=0.008). Among different yoga poses, there was no significant difference observed in either attention or meditation.

CONCLUSION: Students’ attention was significantly higher in the review phase than that in the teaching phase. As the time of two phases was relatively the same, students may lose their attention when learning new poses. To enhance class efficiency, the teaching phase is recommended to be placed before the review phase, as students may have more energy at the beginning of the class. In addition, including a review practice during the teaching phase can enhance students’ attention and achieve better effect.

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