The impact of shatkriyas on boosting immunity to respiratory allergies in college students: A research study

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the urgent need to strengthen respiratory health and the immune system. Respiratory allergies, characterized by hypersensitivity of the airways to environmental allergens, are increasingly common among young people living in polluted urban environments. Yoga purification techniques (Shatkriyas), such as Sutra Neti, Jal Neti, Kunjal Kriya, and Kapalbhati Pranayama, are described in classical texts as effective practices for cleansing the respiratory tract and strengthening the immune system. This study examined the efficacy of selected Shatkriyas on indicators of respiratory allergy in university students, using the validated Respiratory Allergy Prediction (RAP) test. A total of 150 students, evenly distributed across five institutions in Meerut participated in a three-month structured intervention under expert supervision. RAP test scores were assessed before and after the intervention and analyzed using paired t-tests and between-group comparisons. The results showed a significant reduction in RAP scores across all institutions (p < 0.001), with a mean decrease of -6.15 points (95% CI: -6.78, -5.52). No significant differences were observed between institutions after the intervention (Welch's t-test = -0.09, p = 0.92), indicating similar efficacy across different student groups.In conclusion, regular practice of Shatkriyas significantly improved respiratory health and immunity in young adults. These findings support the inclusion of these yoga purification techniques as a cost-effective, non-pharmacological preventive strategy for mitigating respiratory allergies in the post-COVID-19 era.