Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, with an estimated 57.5 million people suffering from glaucoma globally. Treatment of glaucoma focuses on lowering intra-ocular pressure to prevent progression of visual field defects, which is the only proven method for treating this disease. Yoga practices are believed to lower intra-ocular pressure in the eyes and prevent further damage in patients with glaucoma. Therefore, this systematic review was planned to explore the available scientific studies on yoga and intra-ocular pressure in glaucoma patients. PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar were the basis for the investigation of the literature. The Jadad Scale was used to assess the quality of included clinical trials, and the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist was used to assess the quality of included case studies. Based on the quality assessment and eligibility, six studies on yoga and intra-ocular pressure in glaucoma patients carried out between 2007 and 2021 were included in the final review. The results showed a reduction in intra-ocular pressure in patients with glaucoma through Jyoti-trataka (gazing steadily on a point or candle flame) and some other slow yogic breathing techniques, whereas studies on inversion Asanas (yoga postures) showed a rapid increase in intra-ocular pressure soon after starting. The three high-quality RCTs included in the meta-analysis showed a greater improvement in intra-ocular pressure in the yoga groups in both eyes than in the control groups; however, there were some limitations related to a small sample size, study quality, a long-term follow-up period, and variations in the yoga practices. Therefore, further studies with larger sample sizes and long-term follow-up are needed to overcome the limitations for a better understanding.

Pranayama is one of the most important and widely practiced components of Hatha Yoga. Among the traditional Hatha Yoga texts, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (HYP) and Gheranda Samhita (GS) (written between 1200 A.D. and 1857 A.D.) are the two most influential and practical foundational texts on Pranayama, which are very useful even till date. Previously published reviews on Hatha Yoga texts only cover the brief overview, concept of Kundalini, concept of Pranayamas, and comparative study on Asanas. The present study was conducted to systematically review: (1) the general features of Pranayama practices, (2) types and techniques of Pranayama practices, (3) the benefits of Pranayama practices, and (4) safety and adverse effects related to Pranayama practices mentioned in HYP and GS. The original verses written in Sanskrit were translated into English for correct interpretation of the general features, types, techniques, benefits, safety, and adverse effects related to Pranayama as mentioned in the two Hatha Yoga texts. In this review, the verses on Pranayama are systematically reviewed, arranged, and presented under the four mentioned points.

Pranayama is one of the most essential components of yoga which has been found to be effective to physiology of the mankind in many ways. Among the Pranayamas, Bhastrika Pranayama is one of the popular breathing techniques widely practiced in yoga, which is believed to improve pulmonary, cardiac, and psychological functions. This present systematic review was planned to explore the available scientific studies on Bhastrika Pranayama individually on pulmonary, cardiovascular, and psychological variables. PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar were the basis for our review of the literature. The final review included 19 trials on Bhastrika Pranayama between 2005 and 2021 based on eligibility criteria, including four randomized controlled trials and another 15 clinically controlled trials. The quality assessment of each individual trial was performed using the Jadad Scale and the assessment showed ten trails as high quality studies (score 4–8) and nine trials as low quality studies (score 0–3). The results were discussed based on ten high-quality trials and the findings showed that Bhastrika Pranayama significantly improves pulmonary, cardiovascular, and psychological variables, although there were some limitations related to sample size, study quality, follow-up duration, and practice guidelines. Future studies should address those limitations to reach better conclusions.