Yoga practices and sattvic ahar in the management of overweight and obesity: Four case studies

Abstract

Abstract The advent of the twenty-first century has evidenced a significant change in our lifestyles, leading to a sedentary way of living resulting in an imbalanced food consumption and output in the form of energy expenditure. Furthermore, modern individuals have developed new habits of consuming unethical, unhealthy, and incompatible food combinations to cater to their taste preferences and to indulge in addictive eating patterns. Media advertisements further promote such food consumption, diverting attention away from nutritious traditional food habits. A case study was conducted on four individuals belonging to the obesity classes I, II, and III. The study intervention consisted of a yoga regimen and sattvic ahar for 7 days. In the study, body weight, blood pressure, bioelectrical impedance, body mass index (BMI), muscle mass, and body fat percentage were measured. Data were collected twice: at the beginning and the end of the study. Postintervention results showed a remarkable reduction in average body weight, BMI, and fat percentage compared with the baseline results. In addition, the average bioelectrical impedance and muscle mass of these four subjects increased notably. Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that a regular practice of yoga and adherence to a sattvic diet may prove effective in weight management. Future research should explore the long-term effects of this practice and sattvic ahar on weight management, as well as, their possible implications for overall health and wellbeing. Additionally, further research should include different demographic groups to validate the effectiveness of the intervention comprising yoga and a sattvic diet.