Yoga helps considerably in quitting tobacco: study

Nearly eighty-five per cent of tobacco addicts can quit the habit of consuming nicotine products just by meditation, a study said.

The study that commenced in early 2014, conducting tests on 1,021 tobacco addicts of various forms, also found that the person did not relapse into addiction once he had quit the habit through meditation.

The study showed 62 per cent of tobacco addicts of various forms who attended regular Yoga classes quit nicotine use within one month, while the non-regulars took a little more time to do so.

"Apart from the 62 per cent who had quit tobacco in one month, there were 7.49 per cent who quit tobacco between 2-6 months and 15.47 per cent who quit tobacco after 12 months," said the study, conducted by Brahma Kumaris centres all across India.

Calling it Raja Yogi lifestyle, Valsalan Nair, a doctor associated with the Brahma Kumaris sect, said that the entire procedure of the particular lifestyle was associated with health promoting behaviours.

"The findings of this study concludes that the Raja Yoga lifestyle is effective in management and relapse prevention among tobacco addicts," Nair told IANS.

The study was published in the Indian Journal of Private Psychiatry.

The research was made public by Brahma Kumaris at the ongoing World Health Organization's (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control -- world's biggest conference on anti-tobacco policies.

Explaining the research, Nair said all the data was collected on one-to-one interview basis after obtaining consent of 1,021 persons spread across 25 states and two Union Territories.

"The data was managed centrally at Medical Wing Research and analysed by independent analyst."

According to the study, apart from meditation what also contributed towards quitting the habit was positive thinking classes and 'satwik' food -- a vegetarian diet beneficial in developing clarity, concentration and focus that spiritual development requires.

--IANS

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