This cross-sectional research aims to study the effect of yoga practice on the illness perception, and wellbeing of healthy adults during 4–10 weeks of lockdown due to COVID19 outbreak. A total of 668 adults (64.7% males, M = 28.12 years, SD = 9.09 years) participated in the online survey. The participants were grouped as; yoga practitioners, other spiritual practitioners, and non-practitioners based on their responses to daily practices that they follow. Yoga practitioners were further examined based on the duration of practice as; long-term, mid-term and beginners. Multivariate analysis indicates that yoga practitioners had significantly lower depression, anxiety, & stress (DASS), and higher general wellbeing (SWGB) as well as higher peace of mind (POMS) than the other two groups. The results further revealed that the yoga practitioners significantly differed in the perception of personal control, illness concern and emotional impact of COVID19. However, there was no significant difference found for the measure of resilience (BRS) in this study. Yoga practitioners also significantly differed in the cognitive reappraisal strategy for regulating their emotions than the other two groups. Interestingly, it was found that beginners -those who had started practicing yoga only during the lockdown period reported no significant difference for general wellbeing and peace of mind when compared to the mid- term practitioner. Evidence supports that yoga was found as an effective self- management strategy to cope with stress, anxiety and depression, and maintain wellbeing during COVID19 lockdown.

Background: Several studies have demonstrated that brief interactions with natural environments can improve cognitive functioning. However, the neurocognitive processes that are affected by natural surroundings are not yet fully understood. It is argued that the “elements” in natural environment evoke “effortless” involuntary attention and may affect the neural mechanisms underlying inhibition control central to directed attention. Methods: The present study used electroencephalography (EEG) to investigate the effects of nature experience on neurocognitive processes involved in directed attention. During EEG recordings, participants ( n = 53) were presented nature audio/video as stimuli to evoke nature experience, and flanker task was administered both before and after nature experience. An open eye rest condition was included randomly in either before or after nature experience cognitive task as a control condition. Results: The event-related potential analysis demonstrated a significant improvement in the response time after the nature experience. The analysis also demonstrated a significant difference for the inhibitory control process in fronto-parietal N2 ( P < .01) and P3 ( P < .05) for incongruent trials subsequent to nature experience. The spectral analysis also found an increase in alpha in all five brain regions (all Ps < .01) and fronto-central theta power ( P < .01). Conclusion: The findings suggest that improved inhibitory control processes could be one of the aspects of enhanced directed attention after nature experience. Increased alpha along with theta indicates a relaxed yet alert state of mind after nature experience.

The spread of COVID-19 has resulted in reports of increase in stress, anxiety, and depression across society, especially in people who have tested positive for COVID-19, which affects their mental health and well-being. This article reports a quasi-randomized controlled study conducted in the COVID wards of a hospital to examine the efficacy of add-on yoga intervention in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression in COVID-affected patients under quarantine. The peripheral capillary oxygen saturation level and heart rate of the COVID-19-affected patients were also measured. A total of 62 COVID-19-positive patients participated in the study. The participants were randomized into a control group (n = 31), which received conventional medical treatment alone, and a yoga intervention group (n = 31), which received 50 minutes of yoga intervention along with the conventional medical treatment. Standardized Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder–7 Item, Patient Health Questionnaire–9, and Perceived Stress Scale were administered at the beginning and end of the quarantine period. A significant decrease in stress, anxiety, and depression was observed in the patients who undertook the add-on yoga intervention. There was also a significant decrease in anxiety in the control group, but the intervention group had a larger decrease compared to the control group. Further significant improvements in oxygen saturation and heart rate levels were observed in the group of patients who were practicing yoga, but no significant improvement was observed in the control group. Findings of this study suggest that yoga intervention can be an effective add-on practice in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression levels of COVID-19 patients.

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The economical and technological evolution has brought the situation where our attention is being targeted. Lots of creative professionals have been employed by commercial agencies to grab attention such as in a marketing space. On the other hand, there is a societal need to use the attentional resources for development of human values towards harmonious coexistence. Designers therefore have this twin responsibility to use creative processes to design such that it grabs attention towards one or the other direction. Today brain research is advancing at a rapid pace and it has a potential to provide insights into the value based decision processes within users as well as within designers. This paper reports neurophysiological study on value based decision in children during a game play. A visual story based interactive game was designed to elicit value-based decisions from children. Eighteen children (age group of 5 to 9 years) participated in the pilot study. The neurophysiological data was derived using an electroencephalography (EEG) device during the story-interaction. This paper reports findings on how the proposed design in this study can be implemented for eliciting specific values, and therefore be applicable in acting as a value-based education system for younger populations.

History is replete with examples where humans have sought refuge in nature for psychological restoration. In this cross-sectional study we explore the relationship of nature experience and mindfulness. Nature experience is assessed through “nature in the neighbourhood”, “frequency of visit” to nature-rich spaces, as well as one's inherent connection with nature described as “nature relatedness”. The study sample consisted of 334 Indian adults. The findings from this study show that frequency of visit to nature-rich spaces has a significant positive association with mindfulness. The hierarchical regression analysis suggests an interaction effect of “nature relatedness” in the association of the presence of nature rich spaces in the neighbourhood, frequency of visit as well as mindfulness. Interestingly, when childhood experiences were explored they had a significant association with “nature relatedness” and mindfulness. The evidence from this research suggests that nature experience may find its application as one of the mindfulness techniques prescribed for self-management of mental health problems.

Aim of the present paper was to develop a test on Swadhyaya (Self-study) defined in Indian philosophical and religious scriptures. The study was conducted in two phases; 150 participants (M =133 and F= 17) with age range=17-54 yrs. (M = 21.43 yrs., & SD= 6.79) in the pilot study and 491 participants (Male= 310 & Female =181) with 18 – 70 years age range (M=32.16 yrs. & SD= 10.92) in the main study.  Three factors solution was finalized through exploratory factor analysis; Study of Scriptures, Self-introspection and Self-discipline with 55.74 % of total variance. Scale of Positive and Negative Experiences and Flourishing Scale (SPANE & FS,Diener et. al., 2010) and Sukha- Dukha scale (Singh, Raina and Sahni, 2016) were used to establish concurrent validity. The scale was found psychometrically robust with high internal consistency (α=0.79) and acceptable concurrent validity as significant positive correlations of Swadhyaya and its factors with Sukha, SPANE-P and FS were obtained.

This paper investigates empathic concern for nature using the EEG/ERP method. The assessment of empathic concern for nature is of much utility as it could give us greater insights into conservation behaviors. Research studies investigating the development of empathy in young children inform us about the interplay of affective and cognitive aspects while perceiving other people in distress and its relation with prosocial behaviors. However, it is not clear how the brain responds while perceiving nature in distress. Nor are the developmental dynamics of empathic concern for nature concretely known. In this study, eighty three healthy children, 5-12 years (Mean age = 7.65 years and SD = 2.50 years, 35 girls) participated. Analysis of the differences in neural processing when perceiving images of nature in distress and no-distress showed a significant main effect of stimulus type. There was a significant difference in the mean amplitudes of early and late ERP components for distress versus no-distress, with distress eliciting a pronounced neural response. There were also significant interaction effects of laterality and age with stimulus type. Correlation analysis of differences in early and late components with age suggests shifting dynamics of empathy for nature from affective arousal to cognitive appraisal. In its novel attempt, this study provides neurophysiological support for the development of empathy for nature during childhood.