Background: Yoga is an ancient science of traditional practices which has beneficial effects on attention, concentration and memory. Sun Salutation is one of the yogic techniques which consist of postures and breathing practice. Studies have reported that it is one of the effective techniques to overcome various psychosomatic disorders and ailments. Pranayama is a breathing tool to regulate the flow of vital energy in the whole body. It gives positive effect on the body and mind conducive for yogic awareness. Aim: To assess the combined effect of suryanamaskara and pranayama on intelligence quotient in school children. Methods and materials: Sixty school children were taken into the study based on convenient sampling. Single pre post design was used to carry out this study with 30 days of intervention. Assessment was done before commencement of practice and after 30 days. Digit symbol substitution task, digit span test (forward & backward) and stroop test were performed to assess the changes at psychological level due to pranayama and sun salutation practice. Result: Results showed that there was increase in value of digit symbol substitution task and digit span test (p>0.001) which were highly significant. This also reflects the better performance of cognitive faculty in school children due toSurya Namaskara and Pranayamapractices. Result of stroop exhibited that significant improvement (p>0.001) in concentration and attention. The forwards digit span showed highly significant increased values which means after practice of Yogic practices subjects started more scoring in post assessment. Conclusion: The study showed that suryanamaskara and pranayama gives synchronizing and harmonizing effect on cognitive aspect of mind. The attention, memory and concentration improved significantly after thirty days of suryanamaskara and pranayama practice. Incorporations of surya namaskra and pranayama in school curriculam can lead to the improvement in the performance of attention, concentration and memory oriented tasks in students.
