and is speculated to enhance overall awareness and attention, and 2) the effort involved in yogic breath-work has shown that sympathetic activation (better vigilance) occurs alongside the relaxed state associated with parasympathetic dominance, thus resulting in a state of relaxed alertness (Joshi and Telles 2009). These three studies (Bhavani et al. 2003; Joshi and Telles 2009; Sharma et al. 2014) provide evidence that HFYB may improve cognitive functioning. The study by Sharma et al. (2014) differentiated the effects of HFYB from slow yogic breathing and Joshi and Telles (2009) further differentiated the effects from simple BAW. 3.2 Optical illusion Telles, Maharana, Balrana, and Balkrishna (2011) studied HFYB for its effects on optical illusion, as attention is known to impact visual perception. They noted that cognitive-judgmental and cortical factors may influence the perception of optical illusion and that these factors are related to strategy mechanisms in contrast to structural mechanisms. Telles and Maharanaet al. (2011) used the MüllerLyer illusion apparatus to measure and compare participants practicing HFYB (n=15) and participants practicing BAW (n=15) against a control group who were in a simple state of rest (n=15). The degree of optical illusion was measured before and after two, eighteen minute sessions. The control group showed no significant difference in the degree of optical illusion between pre- and post-comparison. Both yogic breath practices showed a decrease in the degree of optical illusion after two sets of each practice. Telles andMaharana et al. (2011) suggested that, in the case of HFYB, the decrease in optical illusion may be attributed to the activation of the neural systems involved in perception, memory, and concentration. The reported effects on decreased optical illusion provide further evidence that HFYB may enhance cognitive-judgmental factors in information processing. Linking these results (Telles and Maharana et al. 2011) with the cognitive improvements found by Sharma et al. (2014) of enhanced sensorimotor performance, and the findings of decreased RTs by Bhavanani et al. (2003) reveals the potential that HFYB may enhance central nervous system processing. 4 Therapeutic potential The aforementioned studies give reason to speculate that HFYB could be a potential psychotherapeutic tool as several of the researchers suggested (Bhavanani et al. 2003; Sharma et al. 2014; Telles et al. 2015). Researchers are beginning to create models for applications of yogic breath-work in psychotherapy. One example is a model by Brown and Gerbarg (2005a) based on Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY), a practice comprised of four breath components, one of which is a form of HFYB. The central nervous system excitation during HFYB has been registered as gamma waves on EEG readings and corresponds with the subjective stimulation reported during the practice; and practitioners’ report alertness coupled with a state of emotional calm following HFYB (Brown and Ger42 Anna Andaházy – Gejza M. Timčák
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