Therapeutic Effects of Yogic Practices Combined With Varma Therapy on Breath Holding Time and Vital Capacity in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Copd)

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a progressive respiratory disorder characterized by persistent airflow limitation, reduced pulmonary efficiency, and impaired quality of life. The present study was undertaken to examine the therapeutic effects of yogic practices combined with Varma therapy on Breath Holding Time and Vital Capacity among middle-aged men diagnosed with COPD. It was hypothesized that yogic practices integrated with Varma therapy would produce significant improvements in the selected respiratory variables when compared with the control group. A randomized group experimental design was adopted for the study. Among 120 invited participants, 90 individuals were screened and 40 eligible participants were randomly selected and equally divided into experimental and control groups consisting of 20 subjects each. The experimental group underwent yogic practices combined with Varma therapy for a period of 12 weeks, six days per week, whereas the control group maintained active rest without any structured intervention. Pre-test and post-test measurements were collected for Breath Holding Time and Vital Capacity. The obtained data were analysed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed significant improvements in Breath Holding Time and Vital Capacity among participants who underwent yogic practices combined with Varma therapy. The study concludes that the integrated therapeutic approach may serve as an effective complementary rehabilitation strategy for improving respiratory efficiency among individuals with COPD.