Energy cost and physiological efficiency in male yoga practitioners

Pranayama is a basic yogic breathing technique, of which one of the methods is nadisodhana wherein breathing is performed through alternate nostrils. The present study aims at identifying the energy cost of nadisodhana and compare it with standard physical activities such as controlled treadmill-walking and field-walking. The present study was conducted on twelve normal healthy male volunteers who have been practicing yoga and pranayama over a period of three years. The energy cost of nadisodhana and field-walking was derived from individual regression equations using oxygen consumption and heart rates recorded during a maximal graded exercise test on treadmill carried out in a thermoneutral environment. The predicted oxygen consumption and heart rate during nadisodhana were significantly lower than in field-walking (p