This review article is about the spontaneous dawn of the transparent mind and the peaceful self. The article starts with my direct observations as documented in my recent journal entries. As a neurologist, I ask myself, “how can I understand and explain these experiences in terms of modern neuroscience?” We as human beings have been asking such fundamental questions for thousands of years. The often asked questions are: Who am I? What is self? What is I-Me-Mine? What is self-consciousness? What is reality? How can I be free and peaceful? I have tried to answer some of these questions based on my personal experience and the review of current neuroscience. Self-aware experience is singular, nonspecific, multimodal with deep roots in human life, self-development, and evolution. Human development depends on both exogenous signals and endogenous self-organization. It is nature-guided. The evolution of vertebrates including humans is complex and fascinating. Our sense of self has been described in terms of two aspects namely, the subjective and objective self. We are alive as embodied and embedded beings in nature. The wholeness of our spontaneous peaceful being is unique and hard to describe, but it can be joyously actualized. One can understand self better by the affective rather than the cognitive approach. The nuances of self-aware being, the Atman have been extensively described in Upanishads, Vedanta, Yoga, and Buddhism.

Learning based on indigenous knowledge has been widely accepted as an important means to inspire and enforce the sustainable development goals (SDGs) mandated by the United Nations. Nevertheless, little is known on the potential of yoga-based traditional learning to enhance the SDGs. In fact, yoga-based learning started in India over two millennia ago, and the practice has gained global attention in recent decades. This article discusses the less known aspect of how students can learn more about yoga-based knowledge to refine their personalities to promote the SDGs. It also discusses teachers, especially those who lead yoga knowledge transferring enterprises in catalyzing the active participation of learners leading to sustainable outcomes to preserve nature and decelerate climate change consequences.

Freedom has been the eternal theme of human pursuit since ancient times. Freedom is always related to bondage, it is difficult to only talk about freedom without bondage. These two concepts are extremely important in Eastern philosophy and relevant to the modern thinking of India and China. The concepts of bondage and freedom in ancient India and ancient China are derived from their respective cultures; the striking similarity of both sides is the starting point of this paper. Pursuit of freedom is the eternal theme in all Upanishads and Zhuangzi, the means to attain ultimate freedom is to understand the real self. The ancient scriptures explained bondage and freedom in their ways. The Upanishads and Zhuangzi share the same desire for freedom, which refers to the realm of spiritual freedom. They all seek an absolute reality, and there is no difference in essence between the knowledge of the Brahman and the self, and the knowledge of the Tao and I is the same. One is bound because one does not know the ultimate reality. To obtain the ultimate reality is to obtain the highest freedom. This article tries to trace back to the source of ancient Indian scriptures and early Taoism scriptures, from the start point of the origin of bondage and freedom, the cause of bondage, the solution of bondage, and the result, and to analyze the similarities and differences of the two important concepts “bondage” and “freedom” in both traditions.

Religion-based psychotherapy is therapy formulated based on the norms and values of one particular philosophy or ideology of a religion. Many studies have shown that religion and spirituality play an essential role in helping people with mental health issues. This is the first systematic review of five religion-based interventions (including five major religions: Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Sikhism) for people with mental health disorders. The five electronic databases included PubMed (MEDLINE), ProQuest, EBSCO-host Google Scholar, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews to retrieve eligible studies (randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and case studies). Published studies between 1st January 2000 to 30th June 2020 examined the efficacy of mental health outcomes based on religion-based psychotherapy. Two researchers independently screened studies, extracted data, and assessed the risks of bias. The total number of articles identified through [MeSH] terms was 87160. After sorting out the duplicates, 13073 articles remained. 12727 articles were excluded for not meeting the inclusion criteria; 12678 were out of topic, and 49 included spiritual interventions. A total of 346 full-text articles were assessed, out of which 318 had methodological issues, and the authors were contacted by email; despite that, 5 failed to respond. 23 articles were found eligible, out of which 17 were case studies and 6 were intervention studies. Surprisingly, we were unable to find any intervention studies based on Hinduism. Results from included studies show that religion-based therapies have led to effective ways in managing anxiety, depression, psychological stress, and alcohol dependence. The findings of this review suggest a lack of experimental studies based on Hinduism, which is an area that needs exploration. Nevertheless, results from included studies show that religion-based psychological interventions are feasible and have the potential to improve anxiety, depression, psychological stress, and alcohol dependence. However, the included religion-based intervention studies have shown poor replicability and a high risk of bias due to a lack of standardization and methodological rigor. Thus, religion-based interventions need to follow standardized methods to enhance the quality of evidence.

The current pandemic situation has put a lot of strain on both the human respiratory system and mind. As contemporary sources are to be explored to find solace and solution, ancient yogic resources in this regard should also be systematically studied. With this as background, a study of hitherto less noticed Sūtra in the first chapter of Yogasūtras-pracchardanavidhāraṇābhyāṁ vā prāṇasya (1.34) was done based on 15 Saṃskṛta commentaries ranging from 4^th to 20^th century CE. This Sūtra mentions about a practice of prāṇāyāma toward attainment of calmness of the mind. Calmness of mind is an indicator of subjective wellbeing – which will be necessary in facing the challenges posed by the pandemic confidently and effectively. A systematic study of these commentaries reveals nine unique techniques of Prāṇāyāma toward steadiness and calmness of the mind (Cittasthairya and Cittaprasādana). It is to be noted that these techniques are not to be found in any of the numerous Haṭhayoga texts that run parallel to the period of the commentaries of Yogasūtras. Although the commentaries also add other insights on the practice including the kind of food for the practitioners, the mechanism of working of this Prāṇāyāma in bringing about the outcomes, and so on, this paper focuses on the nine techniques only, to draw the attention of researchers and practitioners for further exploration, validation, and utilization.

A unique condition called “Mada” or “Madonmada” is available in Bhela samhita. Mada is considered as a prodromal phase of Unamada, or it can occur as an independent disease condition also. Mada/Madonmada is caused by various traumatic events or extreme stressors, and it is characterized by various features such as pradhyayati (immersed in thoughts/flashbacks/recurrent or persistent distressing thoughts), praswapati (excessive sleep), animittitam rodati (crying without any reason/pervasive negative emotions/depressed mood), akasmaat hasati (laughing inappropriately or without any reason/disorganized behavior), nidraalu (hypersomnia/excessive sleep), alpa vaak (diminished speech or poverty of speech/social withdrawal), nityam utsuka (hypervigilant/restlessness), trasta shareeri (tiredness/weakness), deenaaksha (depression/pervasive negative emotions), krodhana (angry outbursts/irritable behavior), nirapatrapa (self-destructive behavior/recklessness), purastaat avalokee (exaggerated startle response), na yathavritta eva (disorganized or abnormal behavior), parushatva of roma (roughness or dryness of skin and hair), and aavilam chakshusha (confused/teary eyes). Mada/Madonmada has shown similarity with various psychiatric conditions such as “acute stress disorder,” “posttraumatic stress disorder,” “brief psychotic disorder,” and “adjustment disorder.” The present study provides insights for clinical implementation of “Mada/Madonmada” in the diagnosis and management of “trauma- and stressor-related disorders” in terms of Ayurveda. It is astonishing that thousands of years before, “Acharya Bhela” has documented the conditions such as trauma- and stressor-related disorders in the form of Mada or Madonmada.

Ayurveda focuses on the diet, lifestyle, herbal medicines, and herbo-mineral medicines as per the specific constitution (Prakriti) of an individual. In this COVID-pandemic, various healthcare systems dynamically respond to combat the disease. Ayurveda also has evidence on case studies and case reports treated through Ayurvedic intervention. Therefore, there is a need for systematic review of all studies of COVID-19 and Ayurvedic intervention. The aim of this study was to systematically review the available case studies and case reports on Ayurvedic formulations/interventions in COVID-19. The published data were retrieved from MEDLINE, Embase, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, MedRxiv, and OSF on July 1, 2021. The search did not include any restrictions. Case reports and case studies published for COVID-19 through Ayurvedic formulation/intervention. Standard method for data extraction and coding was developed for the analysis of the eligible case studies and case reports. A total of 59 studies were collected from different databases; among them, extractions were made for repetitive studies; after extraction, only 17 studies were taken. The present systematic review proves that Ayurveda science is safe and effective without an adverse effect in treating COVID-19 even in high-risk, comorbid, vulnerable conditions. Adaptation of Ayurveda in the COVID-19 pandemic is the positive hope for the management of COVID-19.

Introduction: Geriatric population is vulnerable to physical and emotional discommodes that requires expert care from a holistic perspective. Depression, stress, anxiety, etc., are the common problems faced by the elderly. Holistic interventions such as yoga are reckoned to be a pillar in alleviating these issues; however, most of the studies in this arena are conducted on elderly who resides in shelter homes. Materials and Methods: Ninety-six participants were randomized to a yoga or waitlisted control group (n = 48 each). Yoga group received a set of yogic practices for 12 weeks. Assessments were done using Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and older people quality of life (OPQOL). Results: Yoga group has shown statistically significant reduction in PSS (P < 0.001), GDS (P = 0.001), and improvement in the selected components of OPQOL such as social relationship (P = 0.014), neighborhood (P = 0.001), psychological well-being (P = 0.001), financial circumstances (P = 0.001), and OPQOL – total (P = 0.001). Discussion: The results indicate that yoga can successfully be implemented in the elderly population on an outpatient basis and can produce clinically beneficial effects. Nurses, physicians, and other therapists should consider integrating yoga in the elderly. Conclusion: The results of this study are encouraging to recommend yoga as a stand-alone mind-body rehabilitation program for older adults.

Background: Yoga is effective for managing stress and increasing resilience of college students. However, there is a scarcity of research on differences between males and females in the effects of Yoga. Aim: The present study aims to investigate the effect Classical Yoga Intervention (CYI) on resilience of rural-to-urban migrant college students as migration is a challenging situation demanding resilient adaptation. It also explores sex differences in the effects of CYI. Methods: The study included 125 migrant college students (age 16–18 years). Sixty-two students (30 males, 32 females) from the CYI group underwent 40 sessions of CYI and 63 (33 males, 30 females) in the control group did not receive intervention at that time. Resilience was measured using Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale. Mixed Analysis of Variance was conducted to understand the independent and interactive effects of test time (pretest, posttest), sex (male, female), and group (CYI, control). Results: CYI group improved significantly on resilience as compared to control group from pretest to posttest indicating positive effects of Yoga. CYI group females were significantly higher than control group females on posttest scores of resilience, whereas no difference was found between CYI and control group males. Within the CYI group, no significant difference was found between males and females on posttest scores of resilience. Conclusion: The study indicates a positive effect of CYI on resilience. Although females of the CYI group showed higher improvements as compared to control group females, it can be said that Yoga is effective for both males and females.

Background: Children with bilateral sensorineural hearing impairment (SNHI) face various physiological, psychological, and sociological complications that require attention. The objective of the current study was to analyze the effect of a 1-month structured yoga program on functional balance, flexibility, and emotional status of the students with bilateral SNHI. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted as a controlled pre–post experimental method. Forty (n = 40) bilateral sensorineural hearing-impaired students (moderate–profound range) of ages 8–16 years were randomly divided into two equal groups, i.e., experimental and control. A one-hour structured yoga module was provided to the experimental group as an intervention for 30 days, while the control group followed a routine lifestyle. Outcome Measures: Static balance (SB) was assessed by single-leg stance test, dynamic balance (DB) by functional reach test, flexibility by sit and reach test, emotional status by Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), and Self-Esteem recorded by Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Results: The results revealed a significant improvement (P < 0.001) in physical parameters such as SB on the right leg, SB on the left leg, DB, and lumbar flexibility in the experimental group. Additionally, psychosocial parameters such as positive emotions, negative emotions, and self-esteem showed significant improvement in the experimental group. However, no significant change in any of the study parameters was observed in the control group (P > 0.05). Conclusion: These findings provide substantial evidence that a 1-month structured yoga program was an efficient method to improve the functional balance, flexibility, and emotional status in the students with bilateral SNHI.

Background: Astrological knowledge and interpretations can be applied in the field of healthcare to gain new insight into patients' health status, diagnosis, and line of treatment. Aim: This study was carried out to test the validity of astrological claims concerning early death; particularly, to identify correlations between early death prediction, astrological rules, and birth timestamp in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome cases. Methodology: Data of 21 dead newborns were taken from a hospital and respective parents. Horoscope reports were generated and analyzed through standardized interpretation rules to eliminate confusion and complexity. Five independent scores were calculated based on a point-based evaluation system for each case. Results: The outcome measures that 53% of cases belong to highly afflicted Lagna/Lagnesh, Sun, and Moon, whereas the moderate affliction group has 33% of cases. Jointly these two groups indicate 86% death cases. The findings show that if all three factors (Lagna/Lagnesh, Sun, and Moon) are contributing points then it becomes a potentially deadly combination. Conclusions: Results of the astrological inferences can be utilized to develop a systematic process, which could be applied for further analysis of early infant death cases.