CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

The high growth of population is proportionately raising individuals with multiple

disabilities. The main attribute being higher rates of survival is pre mature birth.

Although today’s advanced techniques of medical science are trying to reduce other

attributes, yet majority of the children is left with one or more disabilities.

Health is the foundation to life that makes it possible to do all the things you want

to do. We need to learn how to listen to the whispers of the soul and not become a

victim in life, feeling life has passed us by and that it is too late to do something. This is

the cause of waste of such a lot of creativity within us all. Health in itself was not very

interesting but it is an absolute essential element in being able to do what one wants to

do.

Health is the means of all the most sublime aspirations and achievements of

mankind. In fact, health means not only to have strong body or lack of disease but one

should have balanced mind, controlled senses, and integrated ego to have perfect

evolution of all important faculties (action, emotion, will and wisdom) of Personality into

state of Self realization.

World Book Encyclopedia states health to be a state of physical, mental and

social well being. It involves more than just the absence of disease. A truly healthy

person not only feels good physically but also has a realistic outlook at life and gets

along well with other people. Good health enables people to enjoy life and have the

opportunity to achieve the goals they have set for themselves.

According to ancient texts, health is the harmony between body and mind,

harmony between mind and knowledge, harmony between the members of the family,

harmony in the neighborhood and with every other person. If we want a healthy body

we have to make our mind healthy. With physical health, one’s mental health has to

improve. Health is an equipoise state of the body, mind, sense organs and soul. This is

the state of ease.

In this age of advancement of science and technology we are taking maximum

advantage of man-made machines. The tremendous explosion of recent knowledge and

its advancement have given us maximum comfort so that we are able to do work by

sitting at one place by utilizing a limited time. Such comfort and availability of excessive

leisure time have changed our living environment which in turn is leading us towards

several degenerative diseases. As a result the physique (which is the product of

heredity) is affected. This gives a clear picture that leads to formulate a hypothesis that

modern day’s lifestyle, which is full of stress and tension, might have changed the

personality profiles not only of common man but also in children.

Although Adivasi or Tribal population in Maharashtra State is around ten percent

of total population very little studies are conducted on adivasi communities. The adivasi

group mostly stays in forest or hilly areas that are far from civilization. It is believed that

India represents approximately four hundred adivasi communities which represent

about 7% of the population. These communities continue to live with old fashioned and

primordial lifestyle. A significant number of them are hunters or use ancient techniques

for agricultural purpose. Most of them live away from modern civilization.

There are several tribal or adivasi communities differ from each other in quite a

lot of aspects. For example in the language they speak and in their socio-economic

classes. As most of the tribal communities live in the remote areas they are untouched

by the development that is happening in other parts of the State. As a result, these

communities remain backward particularly in health and education

In fact, health is a state of physical mental and social well being. Fitness is state,

which portrays the capacity of a person to do work without undue fatigue. Good health

empowers individuals to revel in life euphorically and have the chance to attain the

objectives they have set for themselves; in their existence. Health related physical

fitness is a term has wide range of meaning. Generally, physical in sports competition

means to exhibit top performance and here the real sense of fitness is performance

related. Such fitness may not consider one’s health. In this piece of research the

researcher considers a status of physical fitness of these tribal that has relation with the

health.

Generally, being alive without any disease or illness is called Health. But

According to Ayurveda when all the systems of the body works satisfactory and soul,

organs and mind are in pleasant condition, it is known as health. Therefore, there is no

need to tell that some kind of physical fitness that also contributes to health is essential

for every person.

However, it has been seen that as adivasi people reside in remote areas and

they are deprived of good education as well as health services. In fact, in our society

rich and middle class children receive better facility and opportunities i.e., good

education, food, exercise and guidance etc. But the children belonging to Adivasi

(Tribal) communities are always lacking these facilities for the development of their

child. The details of the Adivasi areas in Maharashtra are as follows:

Different tribal groups of Maharashtra

Sr. No Tribal Groups

District

1 Otkar Gadchiroli

2 Pardhan Nanded, Yeotmal

3 Pawara Dhule, Jalgaon

4 Madia, Gond Gadchiroli, Yeotmal

5 Bhil Nandurbar

6 Halbi Gadchiroli

7 MaloharKoli Thane

8 Rajgond Gadchiroli

9 Korku Amravati

10 Tandvi Jalgaon

11 Kolam Yeotmal

12 Warli Thane

13 Katkari Thane,PuneRaigad,Ratnagiri

14 Kokana Dhule, Nasik

15 Anhdha Nanded

16 MahadeoKoli Pune, Nasik

17 Thakur Pune, Thane,Raigad, Ahmednagar

1.2 Brief about Yoga

The word ‘Yoga’ needs to be understood. Equally important is what it implies and

how it can be implemented in daily life. Yoga, gently textured by dance and music, with

meditation as its flowering, is the panacea for all ills that threaten mankind in this

millennium. It is not only about the physical fitness or beauty that is so widely advertised

and so ardently desired. The aim is to attain balance, harmony and tranquility in all the

functions of the body mind framework, individually and collectively.

Today, more and more people in the Western world are becoming health

conscious. This renewed attention to health may reflect our sense of imbalance with

accelerated technological growth, while we witness our incredible potential to transform

the outer world, at the same time we experience a growing thirst for inner

transformation. We want to live healthy, productive, and meaningful lives with a sense

of inner contentment.

Following the current trend toward improving the quality of life, the health industry

has blossomed. New prepackaged, generalized, get healthy quick programs continually

appear and yoga, too, has been brought into the market. The principles and scientific

approach that yoga uses are without bias and therefore can be applied irrespective of

race, religion or faith. It permeates beliefs only to empower all the positive facets of life

and much more.

This is a great and beneficial development. It is important, though, that in the

midst of this expansion the deeper, more truly practical relevance of yoga not be lost,

that, with an eye to the market place, we not lose sight of the essential principles

underlying this profound tradition.

As human beings, we are a complex of interrelated systems (including the

various components of our anatomy, physiology, and psychology) existing within a

larger complex of interrelated systems, including our interpersonal relationships and our

environment. There is a reciprocal relation between these various structural

components and the metabolic functioning of the body as a whole. The body possesses

an intrinsic, organic wholeness, and the key to health lies in the balanced interaction of

all these systems.

We have all noticed that there are some people who always seem healthy, while

others have chronic problems and we may tend to think of these differences as being

largely ingrained, especially today, as we learn more and more about the role of genetic

inheritance in individual health. Yet, while it is true that we are each born with certain

genetically predetermined characteristics that influence our health, who we are and how

we feel is strongly influenced by our day to day activity. This means that we have

prospect, through altering our actions, to achieve immense changes in our wellness. If

we understand who we are, we can refine and improve how we feel, no matter what our

genetic predisposition.

The process of achieving wellness, however, is complicated by the fact that our

day to day activity is influenced by our conditioning, what is known in the yoga tradition

as samskara. For each of us, this conditioning has been forming since early childhood.

It is the result of our particular relation to our interpersonal and social environments, the

result, in fact, of all our past actions.

At birth most of our movements are instinctive we experience hunger or fear, and

we respond by crying. As we grow, our movements gradually become more and more

active, more intentional, and as the mind develops, it begins in turn to program the

functioning brain and body. Learning how to walk, to talk to play, to relate with other

people acquiring these skills we impose onto our neuromuscular structure an order that

becomes programmed, through repetition, into our pre motor cortex in the form of

increasingly conditioned reflexes. Where we once had to focus all our attention on a

movement as seemingly simple as walking, we are gradually patterned to move

reflexively, unconsciously. This learning process is the beginning of our conditioning,

and it is why we tend, even if we don’t like to admit it, to walk, talk, and behave like our

parents or the people who raised us.

As we continue to grow, even beyond childhood, the development of our body

and mind continues to be conditioned by these twin processes of neuromuscular

organization and socialization. Meanwhile, those particular patterns we each acquire

and develop are always imperfect in some way, in relation to wellness, even though

they allow us to function. In fact, because they allow us to function and are therefore,

reinforced they inhibit our optimal development. The result of this conditioning is

inequity at diverse levels of our system, accumulation of stress, and, ultimately, disease.

In normal behavior our attention is primarily focused outward, into the world. as a

result, we are generally unaware of the mechanical and repetitive nature of our actions,

both physical and mental. Thus, the starting point in breaking these cycles and

changing the quality of our lives must be interiorizing our attention. This is the key to the

yoga process.

This process begins with the discipline of body, breath, and mind, known in the

yoga tradition as asana practice. At the most basic level, this practice involves

consciously moving the body into specific postures asanas remaining in these postures

for some time, and organizing them together in particular sequences.

Since ancient times, the asanas have been defined in terms of relatively precise

forms, by mastering these forms, an individual demonstrated his or her mastery of

certain basic principles of movement. Yet it was also generally understood that the

practical application of these principles must be based on each individual’s actual

condition. An individuals way of doing each posture was therefore worked out between

teacher and student. In this sense, the transformational value of a posture was always

seen in relation to its function, not to its form.

Unfortunately, chief among the popular misconceptions about yoga is the idea

that the value of each posture lies in achieving its precise, fixed form. Thus, emphasis

has too often been placed on superficial details of positioning and the development of

the body in the direction of preconceived, external standards of perfection and the forms

have been crystallized into rigid, static postures in which the living quality of the asana

is lost.

But if we strive in this way to meet external standards, without first recognizing

our actual condition and developing our practice accordingly, we may actually re

enforce dysfunctional patterns and completely miss the deeper value of asana practice.

In such a case, yoga practitioners generally attempt to achieve a form through a willful

effort of muscular contraction, but the achievement of a form through static contraction

creates rigidity and, ultimately, other problems, such as compression at the joints and

restriction of blood flow. The body creates resistance, stress is absorbed in vulnerable

areas, and problems almost inevitably develop, either immediately or after some time.

Our efforts to achieve the precise form of an asana then become an actually harmful

imposition of the body, of an order that has no relation to the actual needs of the body.

If we analyze the classical asanas in terms of their function and interrelation,

however, we can see them as a systematic record of the structural potential of the

human body. According to this view, the benefits to be achieved from these postures

derive not at the level of form but at the level of function.

The Myth of Yoga

The greatest myth of yoga and there are many- is that its meaning is confined to

complex physical postures and breathing exercises. But that is not the case, these are

only means to an end.

Also, the general impression is that yoga asanas are meant for a select few or

the elite, or even for those sequestered in some far ways ashram. This is not at all the

case yoga asanas are for almost anyone, including the lazy, old, stiff-backed,

handicapped and infirm and can be performed within the sanctity of the four walls of

your own home.

The aim of such asanas is not to make you an acrobat or a gymnast, but to

create a reasonably supple spine, as well as deal with other related health aspects.

Understanding Yoga as a Whole

The general understanding and definition of yoga is reunion or union of the

individual spirit with the universal spirit, or union of the limited self with the cosmic self

or our limited consciousness with the cosmic consciousness. According to realized

yogis, there is an anomaly in this concept, for this definition implies a ‘separation’ from

the cosmic whole rather than a union with it.

This feeling of separation arises because our mindset and awareness is at zero,

or ground level, from a spiritual perspective. But as we begin to expand our awareness

and have an aerial view of existence and of our being ness, this feeling and belief of

separateness drops like a dry leaf falling off a branch on to the ground.

According to Albert Einstein, who was also a well known yogi, ‘A human being is

a part of a whole, called by us ‘universe’, a part limited in time and space. He

experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a

kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us,

restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.

Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion

to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

Yoga implies unity and oneness. Its main aim is to gradually root out the ego and

transcend its limitations so as to repose in one’s real and innermost nature. This defines

yoga in its highest and spiritual perspective.

In general parlance the word ‘yoga’ indicates the practice or the path or the

program one adheres to, but the term also includes the meaning of its end point and its

progressive aims.

This subject itself or the very experience of self realization is a mighty tall order

for anyone whose mind is essentially immersed in or focused on the mundane aspects

of earthly existence. According to sages and yogis, this ultimate experience could take

innumerable lives to attain, running into thousands or even millions of years of earthly

life in the normal course of human evolution.

At the physical and physiological level, yoga provides the means to achieve

coordination and efficiency of the various functions in the body to reach the goal of

physical harmony and health.

At the mental level, yoga, is the integration and harmony between thoughts,

words and deeds or integration between head, heart and hands.

From a psychic point of view, yoga is the science that aims to awaken one’s

psychic centers to achieve a high level of creativity and confidence, to eventually unfold

deeper aspects of our being and consciousness.

Therefore, the primary aim of yoga is to remove all anomalies in the body mind

complex, to balance opposing forces, to bring about a state of integration and harmony

between the physical body, the pranic or bio-plasmic body and the mental body to merit

sitting on the throne of meditation and onwards to experience the immense range of self

discovery and self mastery.

Types of Yoga

The most important two types of yoga disciplines are explained as follows:

Hatha Yoga

The principles and practices of Hatha Yoga were compiled after several

generations of scattered practices all over India by Yogi Swatmarama in the 15th century

AD under the text of Hatha Yoga Pradipika. There are several other ancient texts on

Hatha Yoga, such as Shiva Samhita and Gheranda Samhita. These three mentioned

treatises stand out as most prominent amongst all Hatha Yoga texts.

Hatha is composed of two words ‘ha’ and ‘tha’, ‘Ha’ means the sun and ‘tha’ , the

moon. ‘Ha’ (sun aspect) is associated with the right nostril and ‘tha’ (moon aspect) is

connected with the left nostril.

According to basic tenet of yoga, the moon aspect influences and rules over

mental functions and the sun aspect controls the vital and physical functions.

For a perfect balance between mental activity and physical activities, the flow of

breath would have to be balanced for a period of twelve hours each in alteration

between left and right nostrils in a day of twenty four hours. Such a balance in the flow

of breath between the two nostrils leads to perfect health and harmony. This is the basic

aim of Hatha Yoga.

This aspect of breath follows naturally after achieving perfect coordination

between several other functions in the body and also after acquiring a balance in the

psychic channels, the autonomic nervous system the endocrine system and overall

body by the practices prescribed.

Hatha yoga is primarily concerned with the purification of the body to achieve

mental and emotional calm, with discipline of the physical body.

The basic practices are:

1. Cleansing the nose, alimentary canal and the intestines and the massage of

abdominal organs, etc, under the heading ‘shatkarmas’

2. Asanas: physical postures of yoga

3. Pranayama: breathing exercises

4. Practice of physical gestures or psychic positions called ‘mudras’

5. Practice of bandhas: Physical movements and positions to lock up the energy

flows.

6. Trataka: the practices to develop concentration.

Patanjali Yoga

Patanjali yoga is also referred to as Ashtanga yoga or Raja yoga. Sage Patanjali

is believed to have been born some time before Christ, and compiled and reformulated

the yoga philosophy, its techniques and practices in an exposition of 196 verses named

‘Yoga Sutras’

This is a comprehensive approach and an upscale program compared to the

ways of Hatha Yoga. The system consists of eight stages leading the aspirant from

mental programming to yogic postures, regulation of prana by way of controlling the

breath and onwards to meditative practices leading to meditation and eventually

transcendence or realization of pure bliss.

The eight stages are, in progression of practice-

1. Yama

2. Niyamas

3. Asanas

4. Pranayama

5. Pratyahara

6. Dharana

7. Dhyan and

8. samadhi

Introduction to Asana

The Asana is Sanskrit word derived from the verbal root as, meaning ‘to sit’ or to

be present, and in the context of the yoga tradition, means ‘to be established in a

particular posture’. Traditionally the term refers to a wide range of bodily postures that

have been transmitted by teachers in India for thousands of years. Since the forms of

many of these practices specifically defined in the classic texts of Hatha Yoga tradition,

each asana is characterized by certain objective criteria, and, in fact, one traditional

definition of asana is the arrangement of the different components of the body in a

specific way. However, the history of asana is not a record of the possibilities of bodily

contortion, nor simply a record of an ancient form of physical culture, rather, asana

evolved as an integral part of a comprehensive spiritual practice oriented toward

purification, accomplishment, and realization.

These postures have been devised with the specific aim to nourish and activate

the organs and their functions in their locations in different parts of the body, as well as

the connective tissues, ligaments and joints, synovial fluid and the pranic body, to treat

the system as a whole. The initial goal is to improve the functioning of the internal

organs of the body, loosen up the joints, stretch and tone the muscles and improve the

condition of the connective tissues and ligaments.

However, the main aim of asanas, according to advanced yogis, is to aspire and

acquire a state of higher consciousness by initially eliminating all aches and pains and

disease, alleviating mental stress and physical tension. This is achieved by influencing

the three aspects of your being-body, mind and consciousness-and aligning them to be

in harmony.

Asanas can run into several hundreds in number, though about one hundred are

perhaps better known today. There are two types of asanas: the therapeutic –

preventive and the meditative.

Meditative asanaas are basically sitting poses and can be learnt easily from

books or ordinary teachers, but to understand the influence of these on the psychic

centers one has to learn them from an advanced teacher or master. There are eight

meditative asanas, of which three are most preferred. These are padmasana,

siddhasana and siddha yoni asana.

The highlights of these poses are that they-

1. provide a firm base to ensure a stable position

2. ensure an upright position of the spine without much effort,

3. distribute the weight of the body over a wider area, thus reducing the pressure on

the buttocks and

4. redirect the blood supply towards the pelvic and abdominal area as they reduce

flow into the legs in these postures, thereby toning up the muscles, organs and

nerves in the area.

Therapeutic preventive asanas are of two main types- the general category

taught to most people, with the exception of those vulnerable to contra indications of the

exercise, if any, and specific or restorative asanas taught to special individuals with the

aid of props such as weights, ropes, pulleys, etc, to rectify imbalances and conditions

and thereby assist the individual in completing the stretch to arrive at the required

posture for a certain duration of time. Such asanas are classified into four types, each

with its own salient features:

1. standing poses,

2. bending and twisting movements,

3. inversions and

4. sitting postures.

Yoga asanas attempt to harmonize the body by eliminating afflictions and

disturbances, so that you may tread the path of higher consciousness without being

hampered by the body’s identifications and its associated ailments. The correct

performance of asanas demands participation of your whole being- body, mind and

consciousness- with maximum awareness of the movement and the posture, the stretch

and the relaxation of muscles, and the breath. In summary, the approach towards yoga

asanas should be clear, they should not be viewed as merely physical poses, but as an

active and focused involvement of your attention or being.

Pranayama

Pranayama is an essential and esoteric aspect of yoga that deals with the

manipulation of ‘prana’, or vital life energy, through the regulation of breath with the help

of breathing exercises.

The general impression is that pranayama is a physical practice of breath control.

It may appear to be such, but in reality all such exercises have been devised to

influence the nervous system and the pranic body or psychic energy within all of us.

Therefore, the control of this psychic energy is a major concern to the practitioner of

yoga as a therapy to restore health and as an ideal means of preparation for meditation.

Since, it is the most direct method to adjust the flow of energy in the body and a very

powerful tool to do so, practitioners should exercise caution before they embark on the

pranayama journey. People with any physical imbalance or these who are aged or

suffer from coronary ailments should attempt this only under expert guidance.

Every technique in pranayama can graduate to advanced stages and therefore

must be learnt slowly and gradually after mastering the preliminaries. Systematically

done, the method confers great benefits to the practitioner over a period of time.

Prana and Pranic Body

In the ancient texts of yoga and the Upanishads there are several difinitions of

prana, all pointing to the same concept. But, in literal meaning, ‘prana’ is composed of

two words – ‘pra’ which means ‘force’, and ‘na’ or constancy’. Therefore, ‘prana’ means

‘force in constant motion’.

Prana is said to be the inner matrix of air and is described as a type of complex

multidimensional energy consisting of a combination of electrical, magnetic,

electromagnetic, thermal and mental energies.

Oxygen is not the only element that is needed for life, in fact, oxygen is

concerned only with maintaining the chemical aspect and organic vitality of the body. It

is prana, the cosmic essence, both macrocosmic and microcosmic, that is the

substratum of all life. It permeates all living organisms. It animates the psychic (pranic)

body and vitalizes every cell and every organ of the being.

Breath and prana are intricately linked. Under normal circumstances, at death,

when breathing stops, prana leaves. As long as prana is retained, the body will retain its

ability to see, hear, move, etc., and will not become a decaying corpse.

It is said that prana or mahaprana, the universal, all encompassing energy out of

which we draw substance through breathing, enters the fetus in about its fourth month.

Until then, the fetus grows and survives solely on the mother’s prana. Upon entering the

new entity, this universal prana divides itself into five functional sub-pranas in the body,

responsible for metabolism, circulation, assimilation, elimination and crystallization.

There are mainly four sources of prana energy:

• Solar prana from sunlight absorbed through the chakras and, in some cases,

through the pores of the skin by advanced yogis.

• Prana from air, which is of a positive plarity and absorbed by the lungs during

breathing.

• Prana from the earth, called ground prana, is absorbed through the soles of the

feet. That’ why many people recommend walking barefoot in the park to energize

and increase vitality.

• In addition the negative polarity of prana, some is obtained from food and water

and transferred to all the cells of the body by way of the digestive system.

Prana and Scientific Research

The knowledge of Prana is not new. It has been known to the yogis from time

long past by virtue of their intuitive realizations. Scientific research in the 20th century

has endorsed the findings of these wise men, confirming the existence of the pranic

body.

There have been several non-mystical scientific minded people who have

demonstrated and/or given evidence to support the existence of the pranic body. In

1935 Dr Harold S Burr, a professor of neuro-anatomy at Yale university in the United

States, established that all plants, animals, organic matter and humans are enveloped

by an energy body. He called it the ‘electro-dynamic field’ and stated that it controlled

the growth, shape and decay of all cells, tissues and organs that regulate the functions

of the physical body.

In 1939, Semiyon Kirlian, and ingenious technician from Russia, and his wife

developed a photographic device of high frequency that produced images of the pranic

body of humans, plants and other organic matter. This outstanding discovery paved the

way for other scientists to conduct further research on the matter, with revealing

conclusions. No one had seen such beautiful, iridescent colors emanating from the

pranic body- lights of all colours bursting and then some fading away. The scientists

were seeing a new kind of energy that defied all previous classification into the normal,

known forms of energy. They called it the ‘bioplasmic body’ and termed its light

emanations as ‘bioluminescence’.

‘Bio’ means ‘life’ and ‘plasma’ is defined as a gas containing ionized and neutral

particles, or ionized gas with positive and negative charged particles.

Pranayama

Pranayama is composed of two words. ‘Prana’ equates to ‘vital life force in

motion’ and ‘ayama’ means to stretch, restrain and expand. Thus ‘pranayama’ means to

extend and overcome one’s normal limitations. It also implies pranic capacity or length.

It employs breath control to bring about alterations in the flow of prana in our

pranic body.

Breath control means to alter-

• The duration of inhalation, exhalation and retention

• The depth of inhalation and

• The force of inhalation and exhalation. Pranayama exercises can be sorted into four basic categories-

• Sensitizing • Tranquilizing

• Balancing

• Vitalizing

All pranayama exercises have an energizing effect, the vitalizing techniques have

a heating effect, tranquilizing techniques have a cooling effect and balancing techniques

have a balancing effect on prana flow and the physical body. All such techniques

essentially refine, harmonized decongest, charge the frequency of pranic flow and

promote proper distribution to parts of the body via the vast network of nadis.

Prior to starting any pranayama exercises, it is imperative to know and practice

yogic breathing and a few exercises for developing lung and breath capacity. This will

facilitate the practice of other balancing and vitalizing exercises.

Brief Introduction to Physical Fitness

Endurance In everyday language the term endurance is used to describe the durability of an

objector an individual’s ability to tolerate circumstances that are less that pleasant. In

sport it is usually used in the context of the ability to sustain some form of physical

activity. This implies that the athlete operates like many mechanical engines which are

able to develop maximum power until they finally break down or run out of fuel. In the

case of the human machine the situation is less straightforward. The power that can be

developed depends upon the duration of the activity. This becomes apparent when the

relationship between race length and running speed is examined. There is no particular

achievement in being able to run continuously for four minutes, but it is very much

harder to do so at a pace which results in a mile being covered. Superficially this may

appear to be a matter of speed rather than endurance, but in fact endurance is very

much involved. A minute mile requires a speed of 6.7 meters per second. It is relatively

easy to maintain this pace over 100 meters – the distance would be covered in about 15

seconds, 50 per cent slower than the current record. A successful miler must maintain

this speed for almost 4 minutes which requires the development of half a horsepower

over this period. While it is easy to work at this rate for a few seconds, very few

individuals can develop such power over a period of several minutes. Endurance thus

amounts to more than the ability to continue physical activity; it involves continuing to

work at a rate that is high in relation to the duration.

Energy sources

Maximum power output varies with duration because different energy sources

are involved. Some provide power at a high rate but are quickly exhausted; others last

for much longer but are capable of supporting only a low work rate. There are

similarities with a space vehicle that is powered by a multistage rocket. The size of each

energy source is inversely related to the maximum rate of power output. High energy

phosphate compounds provide energy at the greatest rate but the total amount

available is so small that exhaustion occurs in a few seconds. At the other end of the

scale the body can have vast stores of fat but the rate of utilization of this fuel is so low

that it is normally used as an energy source only during light or moderate activity.

Endurance is primarily about the ability to generate energy at an appropriately high rate.

The biological mechanism by which this occurs is considered as follows:

Energy for muscular contraction

All the energy used by the human is obtained from foodstuffs, carbohydrates

being the most important type. Glucose is one of the simplest carbohydrates. It is

compound of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen that has a great deal of energy locked into

the chemical bonds holding the atoms together. This energy was obtained from the sun

during the process of photosynthesis. When glucose is combined with oxygen it is

converted back into carbon dioxide and water and the energy in the chemical bonds is

released, sometimes as heat, occasionally in a form that can be used to produce

muscular contraction. The energy available is known as the free energy. In the case of

glucose this amounts to approximately 400 kcal per 100 g, about the amount used

during one hour of moderately heavy physical activity. If glucose is burnt it is converted

into carbon dioxide and water and all the energy is released as heat. It cannot be

converted into muscular work and in order to provide energy in a useful form the body

allows the reaction to proceed in a series of steps. A small amount of energy is released

during each step and is transferred to other chemicals that are used during the

contraction of muscle. The most important of these is adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

The step-wise process occurs due to the intervention of other chemicals known as

enzymes. These play a vital role in the regulation of all aspects of body chemistry and

several aspects of physical fitness.

The rate of a particular chemical reaction is often influenced by the concentration

of the principle enzyme involved. This has implications for physical activity because a

higher concentration of a key enzyme may allow energy to be produced at a faster rate.

In many cases it has been shown that athletes have a higher concentrations of these

enzymes than non-athletes. For example, Costill et al., (1976a) found that successful

runners had about three times the concentration of succinate dehydrogenase in their leg

muscles as untrained subjects. This enzyme is involved in the citric acid cycle and an

increase in concentration would be expected to benefit performance in middle and long

distance running. It has also been shown that an increase in enzyme concentrations is

one of the effects of training. For example, Thorstensson et al., (1975) demonstrated a

36 per cent increase in creatin phosphokinase an enzyme involved in the release of

energy from creatin phosphate after sprint training.

Long term endurance

Some sports involve a prolonged period of physical activity- long distance

running, canoeing, skiing and cycling are examples. In such activities endurance can be

influenced by one or more of a large number of different factors. The more important

include: the supply of nutrients, cardiovascular function, the ability to regulate body

temperature, water and electrolyte loss, tissue breakdown and injury, resistance to

fatigue.

Fuel supply: during prolonged physical activity the stores of muscle glycogen become

exhausted and energy is obtained from other fuels supplied via the bloodstream. These

include glucose obtained from glycogen that is stored in the liver, fats, and chemicals

derived from the breakdown of protein. The release of these substances is controlled by

a complex series of hormones that match the supply of fuel to the demands of the

muscles. The system is not yet fully understood but it appears that training leads to

changes in the hormonal balance during exercise. Diet has an important influence on

the availability of fuels.

Cardiovascular Function: During prolonged exercise there is a gradual decline in the

subject’s stroke volume and a corresponding increase in heart rate. It is not known for

certain whether this is due to fatigue of the heart muscle, or to other causes. Maher et

al., (1978) suggest that it is probably due to changes occurring in the circulation which

lead to a pooling of blood and a decrease in the venous return to the heart.

Temperature regulation: Physical activity leads to a massive generation of heat. When

working hard an athlete produces about as much heat as a one bar electric fire. If steps

were not taken to secure the removal of this heat a fatal rise in body temperature would

rapidly occur. One of the constraints upon long term endurance is the ability to maintain

body temperature at a normal level.

There are two principle mechanisms for heat loss. Large quantities of blood are

diverted to the skin where energy is lost from the body by convection, conduction and

radiation. This process requires the diversion of blood away from the working muscles

so that their oxygen supply is reduced. This results in a corresponding drop in work

output. The other mechanism involves the production of sweat which evaporates, taking

heat away from the body. The latter process is more efficient in that it involves the

diversion of less blood away from working muscle. Endurance training appears to

reduce the temperature at which seating begins so that more of the cardiac output is

reserved for the transport of oxygen to the tissues. A similar but more pronounced effect

occurs in the process of acclimatization to a hot environment. Sweat consists of water

and certain salts. These are obtained from plasma, the watery part of blood. Thus

sweating results in a reduction in blood volume and a loss of electrolytes from the body.

If much water is lost, venous return and cardiac output are compromised and the blood

supply to muscle is reduced. When the subject becomes dehydrated sweating is

reduced and eventually stops altogether. Body temperature then rises and the individual

succumbs to heat stroke. There is an increased risk of heat stroke in children and old

people. During long periods of activity fluid losses should be replaced as they occur and

the athlete obviously should not begin the activity in a state of partial dehydration. Other

ways in which the athlete can minimize the problem of the heat dissipation are through

endurance training, acclimatization to heat, and wearing the minimum of clothing

appropriate to the activity, natural fibers generally allow for better evaporation of sweat.

When the relative humidity is high, the evaporation of sweat is reduced. If the

environmental temperature is also high heat cannot be lost from the body by conduction

or convection and any form of prolonged activity will inevitably lead to heat stroke.

Prolonged exercise may also be limited by several other factors. Fatigue in the nervous

system is a likely candidate. This is not meant to imply that the individual simply stops

trying. Changes in the function of the nervous system may prevent the activity being

continued or indicate that it must take place at a considerably reduced rate.

It is likely that tissue damage also has an important effect. Enzymes and other

chemicals leak from muscle, and this may be responsible for a decline in power output

with time. Strenuous exercise can increase the urinary excretion of protein up to one

hundred times, some of this may be due to simple leakage, but there is evidence that

tissue breakdown also occurs.

Training

Adaptation

If you regularly take your mini up the motorway at top speed one of two things

will eventually happen. The car will either expire in a noisy disintegration of half shafts,

big ends and cylinder head gasket, or the top speed will gradually decline as the engine

loses its tune and begins to wear. If you run regularly at top speed yourself the result is

likely to be different. A catastrophic disintegration is still possible but provided you

remain intact your top speed will slowly increase. This improvement is due to the effects

of training.

The human body differs from a mechanical engine in that it can sometimes adapt

to certain conditions. In this respect it is like a thermostatically controlled central heating

system which responds to cold weather by producing more heat, in other ways the body

is different and much more complex. An appreciation of the process of adaptation is

essential to an understanding of the effects of training.

The body responds only to certain types of stimuli. Weight lifting leads to the

development of larger muscles, and running produces a greater stroke volume of the

heart. But high jumping does not lead to an increase in leg length or interval training to a

higher maximum heart rate, although both these changes would be advantageous. They

do not occur because the body has no biological and physiological adaptations that

occur during training.

Overload

A training effect usually occurs when a part of the body is worked harder than

normal. The situation is often referred to a overload. Biological changes then occur and

endurance fitness or strength is increased. In general terms the size of the training

effect depends upon the degree of overload. If the muscles are used to raise weights

only slightly heavier than those normally lifted, the training effect is small. If heavier

weights are used, strength gains are more rapid.

There is a definite intensity of effort below which no training effect occurs. This

varies from person to person depending mainly upon the individual’s initial capacity.

If the person can lift 100 kg with a particular muscle group, a moderate training

effect is produced if he trains with 50 percent of this weight. If he trains with 75 kg the

gains in strength are larger. There is no significant training effect when very small

weights are lifted.

As the training proceeds the individual becomes stronger and 75 kg is no longer

75 per cent of his maximum lift. He will now need to train with a heavier weight if the

strength gains are to continue at the same rate as before.

The situation with other aspects of fitness is similar. As the individual increased

his fitness the absolute intensity of the exercise must be increased correspondingly in

order to maintain the overload.

Specificity The effects of training are confined to those systems, or parts of systems,

actually subject to overload. Thus, running does little or nothing to improve strength,

neither does weight lifting normally increase flexibility. Furthermore, strength training will

affect only the muscles actually involved in the exercise and the gains may be confined

to the movements that occur during training. After isometric exercise increases in

strength may be confined to the joint angles used during contraction and there may be

little or no increase in the capacity for isotonic work. Increases in anaerobic endurance,

due to changes in the concentration of high energy phosphate compounds and

associated enzymes, are also confined to the muscles actually trained. Likewise, gains

in flexibility occur only in the joints that are actually exercised. Cardiovascular fitness is

slightly more general in that the heart and major blood vessels service all the tissues,

but even here there is a great deal of specificity because training produces biochemical

changes in the muscles that are active, and capillary density is also increased. All types

of aerobic training lead to similar changes in blood volume and cardiac function, but the

local changes are confined to the trained muscles and exercise involving running will

not lead to an optimum improvement in the oxygen uptake during swimming where a

different set of muscles is involved.

As a general principle it is an advantage if the athlete can train in a manner that

simulates his competitive activity as closely as possible. Overload can be obtained by

making the activity a little more difficult.

It may be necessary to remind the sportsman that the specificity of training is

determined by the biochemistry of his own cells, not by his coach or the editor of his

favorite athletic magazine. An exercise may appear to be specific to a particular

manoeuvre, but that is no guarantee that it is of any value as a method of training. The

only really satisfactory way of evaluating a new conditioning procedure is by means of a

carefully controlled experimental study which includes an examination of the

biochemical changes. A knowledge of some of the principles of training physiology will

help the athlete to avoid advice that is unsound, even though it may be well intentioned.

Cross-Transfer

Despite the remarks of the previous section some cross transfer effects of

training do occur. This is because the different organs and tissues of the body are not

entirely separate and the effects of a particular type of training will not be exclusively

confined to one part of the body. Also, it is difficult to overload one area of the body

without putting some extra stress on other parts. Endurance running is not a good

method of developing the strength of the legs. However, an individual who undertakes

this exercise regularly may develop greater leg strength than a person who takes no

exercise at all.

The term cross transfer is commonly applied to the strength gains occurring in

one limb when the opposite one is trained. This phenomenon was first described in

1894. In a fairly typical study it was found that the untrained arm increased in strength

by 8.9 per cent following a programme of training that produced a 12.6 per cent

increase in the trained arm. The effect is usually attributed to motor impulses arriving at

the muscles of the inactive as well as the exercising limb. These may cause isometric

contractions in the muscles of the limb which is not being trained. The cross transfer

effects of training are usually much less significant than the primary result. For optimum

gains in fitness it is essential that training programmes are tailored to the aspects of

fitness which need to be developed.

Reversal

The effects of training are not permanent and when physical activity is

discontinued fitness drops towards the pre training level. The regression is usually less

rapid than the initial increase and a given level of fitness can often be retained with a

much lower level of training than was needed for its development. Differences in the

level of activity between individuals make it difficult to quantify the rate of reversal once

training has stopped. After short training programmes strength seems to be lost at a

rate of 0.3 -1 per cent of the gains each week, that is, if the individual resumes his

normal pre training activity. If the limb is totally immobilized the losses may be up to 5

per cent per day. This was difference illustrates the importance of the level of post

training activity on the retention of strength. Berger (1965) has shown that one set of

maximum contractions per week is enough to maintain strength and may even lead to

further gains. With a normal level of activity losses are often small in the first week. After

this there is a more rapid decline for 4-6 weeks, then the losses become more gradual.

Endurance fitness also declines when appropriate training is stopped. The

decline is gradual and the higher the level that is achieved through training the longer

the effects continue. Smith and Stransky (1976) found that an 8 per cent gain, achieved

over 7 weeks, disappeared 7 weeks after training was stopped. In another study 10-14

per cent gains in Vo2 max were reversed after 7 weeks (Penderson and Jorgensen

1978). A group of champion oarsmen retained 82 per cent of their maximum oxygen

intake 18 months after training had stopped (Hagermann et al., 1975). This suggests

that they had probably retained about half the gains achieved through endurance

training.

But even very high levels of fitness eventually decline. A group of champion

middle distance athletes, whose maximum oxygen uptake was once 41 per cent above

average, were only 14 per cent above average 25 years later. Most of these men were

still doing some running. The Vo2 max of two who had become sedentary was below

the average for their age group. the study again demonstrates the influence of post

training activity on the rate of decline of fitness.

The rate of decline is normally lower than the rate of increase but isw influenced

by the post training activity level. The decline can often be halted by quite small

amounts of further training. With a normal level of activity a fit individual (subject A) will

maintain some of his gains for many weeks or months. When the gains due to training

are small (subject B), they are likely to disappear in a short time. The aspects of fitness

that are acquired slowly are generally retained for the longest period. Structural

changes in muscle will persist for many months, perhaps even years, while functional

changes and increases in blood volume are reversed more quickly. Thus, it appears

that the structural aspects of endurance fitness can be built up over a number of years,

although the functional part will still be influenced by the state of training at a given time.

It is known that gains of 15-20 per cent can be brought about relatively quickly while

larger increases take much longer to occur. Structural changes in muscle, due to

strength training, also persist for a considerable time. Very high levels of strength must

be acquired over a number of years and are then well retained.

Interference

Hickson (1980) has recently investigated the effects of training for strength and

aerobic endurance simultaneously. Increases in aerobic capacity occurred at the same

rate as in subjects who undertook this kind of training alone, but gains in strength were

significantly less than in a group undertaking only weight training. Hickson concludes

that endurance training interferes with strength training.

Achievements through training

The degree of achievements of an individual through training is determined by

the opportunities available and the genetic endowment of the individual. The effects of

training have been most widely studied in relation to aerobic capacity. The maximum

possible improvement for a sedentary individual appears to be between 25 and 35 per

cent, considerably less for someone who is already semi trained.

Factors which affect training

The rate of improvement in fitness may be influenced by several factors,

including; the initial level of fitness; the age, sex and nutritional status of the individual;

the mode, frequency, intensity and duration of training; the genetic endowment of the

individual.

Initial level of fitness

The initial level of fitness has an important influence on the gains likely to be

obtained through training. For example pre and post training scores of a group of 16

schoolboys who undertook the same programme of endurance training were observed.

The programme consisted of 200 m interval running and was carefully supervised so

that each individual undertook exactly the same amount of exercise. The subjects with

the lowest pre training scores increased their physical working capacity while those who

were fittest at the start of the study showed no improvement. This is because the

training did not produce an overload in the fitter subjects who had undertaken other

types of endurance training previously. Even when overload does occur, increases are

usually slower in subjects who have already undertaken some training. The influence of

initial level of fitness on the rate of increase often causes difficulties in interpreting the

results of training programs. If you devise a new type of endurance programme and test

it on discharged hospital patients you will probably get spectacular results. Many of the

claims for instant fitness programmes are based on just this type of study. They usually

give disappointing results when used with sportsmen who are already in good condition.

Intensity, duration, frequency

The intensity of training must be sufficient to produce overload otherwise no

gains in fitness occur. When overload has been reached the training effect appears to

depend upon a combination of intensity and duration, provided the latter is neither very

short nor very long. Many older studies appeared to overestimate the contribution of

intensity. Some recent investigations suggest that the two factors may play a more

equal part.

The frequency of training also seems to have a general effect. Small gains in

most components of fitness have been noted following one training session per week.

Two or three sessions per week normally produce much more significant increases, and

are usually recommended at the start of training programme. Raising the number to four

or five may lead to a further improvement, but this does not always occur. Where there

are three or four training sessions per week it is usually recommended that they take

place on alternate days. Many authors suggest that training on consecutive days is less

effective. Only one systematic investigation of this proposition is known. Moffatt et al.

(1977) compared the effects of endurance training on three consecutive days with the

same training carried out on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They found no difference

in the gains in maximum oxygen uptake and conclude that the placement of tri weekly

training sessions is unimportant.

Age

The effects of a programme of training may be influenced by the subject’s age

and developmental status. A number of studies have failed to detect any increase in the

maximum oxygen uptake per kilogram of body weight of young schoolboys following

endurance training (Sprynarova 1966; Ekblom 1969; Cumming et al., 1969; Daniels and

Oldbridge 1971; Hamilton and Andrews 1976; Daniels et al., 1978a). This has not been

a completely universal finding (Eriksson 1969; Shephard 1977) but it is clear that up to

the end of puberty the effects of training are much less marked. The physical

capabilities of children appear to be determined primarily by considerations of size, and

growth is a more important influence than training. In a study by Weber et al., (1976) it

was found that a group of 16 year olds responded to training but 13 year olds, who were

growing rapidly, did not. A group of 10 years olds responded to a small extent. There is

little evidence to support the idea that training has a particularly marked and log term

effect in the young. In fact, the opposite is nearer the truth.

In children and adolescents both strength and aerobic capacity are strongly

influenced by size (Watson and O’Donovan 1977a; Davies et al., 1972). As age

increases this relationship gradually declines and the effects of training become more

significant. It was once thought that training had a reduced effect as the subject aged.

More studies shows that this is not the case, and theat endurance training produces a

similar percentage increase in aerobic capacity in individuals aged 50-80 as in younger

subjects ( De Vries 1970; Adams and De Vries 1973; Suominen et al., 1977).

Warm Up

A period of preparatory activity undertaken before the start of a race or match is

known as a warm up. A war up of an appropriate nature normally enhances physical

performance by increasing:

1. Joint mobility and flexibility

2. The power output available from muscles

3. Coordination and

4. The energy available from aerobic metabolism at the start of activity so that less

energy is derived from the production of lactic acid.

The susceptibility to injury is also reduced. These effects are derived from different

types of warm up and individuals sometimes show a variable response. These points

are considered as below-

Flexibility

A short period of light stretching exercise is capable of increasing flexibility,

presumably by its effect upon the length and suppleness of muscle and other tissues.

This type of warm up should be undertaken by everyone about to engage in physical

activity.

Power Output

The power output of a muscle is increased when its temperature is raised

(Binkhorst et al., 1977). The effect probably occurs for three reasons:

1. Muscle viscosity is reduced

2. The speed of conduction of impulses by nerves is increased and

3. The rate of chemical reactions is increased.

It is necessary to raise muscle temperature by about 2 degree before these

effects become significant. A fairly strenuous warm up lasting several minutes is

therefore required in order to optimize power out put.

Coordination

Coordination improves after a few minutes of practice. When an activity involves

fine motor skills these should be rehearsed during the period of warm up.

Aerobic Metabolism

An adequate warm up increases the rate of aerobic metabolism at the start of

exercise. This has the effect of decreasing the contribution of anaerobic processes,

thereby minimizing the accumulation of lactic acid.

1.3 Statement of the Problem

The children living in Adivasi (Tribal) areas are mostly suffering from malnutrition

due to the lack of knowledge and insufficient facilities. In addition, Census of India, 2001

(Govt. of India Report, 2005) states that the tribal population of India is over eighty

four million and it represent 8.2% of its total population. Numerous research reports on

diverse tribal populations living in different parts of India have found that the tribal are

socially and economically disadvantaged (Basu; 1993; Singh and Rajyalakshmi; 1993)

and nutritionally deficient (Singh et al., 1987). Such a situation may bring down their

overall level of health related fitness. Moreover, such an environment deficient nutrition

seems to be disadvantageous for memory power which is required for school education.

Amazingly, in India, no such information is available so far in this direction.

Therefore, it is necessary that for all-round development of the Adivasi (Tribal)

students –the basic components of health and fitness be stressed upon. As yoga

supports for improving health related fitness of civilized children, its similar role for

Adivasi children is assumed to be possible. Thus, the present study “Effect of Yoga

Practices and Physical Exercises on Health Related Fitness and Concentration of

Adivasi School Students” has an imminent need and hence undertaken.

1.4 Problem and its Relevance

India is in second position on the planet in respect to population, with an

expected 1.1 billion inhabitants. Out of which approximately ninety million people are

from scheduled tribes or Adivasis. These people live in various states of India and the

population in various states is significantly different. It has been seen that there is

persistent impoverishment, lack of education, hunger, deficiency of safe drinking water

and poor living conditions (Basu, 2000).

Furthermore, Shils (1999) seen that though the energy intake of adivasi children

was according to the guidelines of ICMR RDA they showed significantly lower body

mass index. However, significantly larger portion of them of them were malnourished. It

was also revealed by Wills et al., (2004) that most of the adivasi people are deprived of

facilities to improve health (Sen, 1999). There are inadequate research studies on

health in adivasi communities (Stephens et al., 2005). The research studies across the

globe shows that there is range of problems in adivasi communities like mortality

(Bramley et al., 2004), disease (Anand et al., 2001), health behaviours (Frank et al.,

2000), and health care (Finger, 2003).

The reviews presented above indicates that adivasi communities are deprived of

health facilities therefore, the researcher of present study intends to examine the

efficiency of yogic practices and physical training on physical fitness and concentration

of adivasi school students. As to date, a huge number of publications are existing,

studying various aspects of yoga in health and disease, this makes a strong base that

yoga may be of immense use to rehabilitate in promoting the positive health at physical,

mental, social and spiritual levels among the adivasi school students.

1.5 Objectives of the Study

Following objectives were kept in perspective while planning this research study:

• To assess health related physical fitness and concentration levels of the Adivasi

school children.

• To develop appropriate programmes of Yoga and Physical exercises, keeping in

view the attributes of co-ordination between health and related fitness.

• To see the efficacy of chosen yogic exercises and physical exercises training

programmes on physical fitness and concentration of Adivasi children.

• To suggest the usefulness of yoga practices especially for the children of Adivasi

area (Tribal area).

1.6 Hypotheses

After reviewing the literature and related research studies, it has been

hypothesized that-

HO1: The status of health related fitness of Adivasi area school students may not be

poor than other students.

HO2: Yoga intervention may not help to improve all the factors of health related fitness

of the school students belonging to the Adivasi (Tribal) areas.

HO3 Yoga intervention may not help to improve concentration levels of school students

belonging to the Adivasi (Tribal) areas.

1.7 Delimitation of the Study

Since the study has large scope for different age groups. It is, therefore, decided

to delimit the study as follows:

• This study was delimited for male students of the age group of 11 to 14 years

from Nanded District Adivasi area school.

• The subjects participated in this study were from low- income category, i. e.

below poverty level, which affects their standard of living and general health

standard.

1.8 Limitations of the Study While conducting the experiment, the present investigator has recorded some

drawbacks/limitations as follows:

o The subjects for the study were randomly selected from Adivasi Ashram School

of Nanded district, age ranged from 11 to 14 years. Factors such as geographical

locations, nutrition and diet, recreational activities and other such factors that

might influence subjects variedly and affect this experimental study, could not be

controlled by the research scholar.

o The researcher could not control psychological factors influencing the mind of the

subject during the conduct of this study.

o With paucity of time and limited financial resources, the researcher has to

conduct this research. Therefore, collection of large sample was not possible.

This might have affected the accuracy of the results.

1.9 Scope of the Study

The study has a very wide scope because it has been designed in such a way

that it will help other researchers, scholars, sports scientists, physical education teacher

and government to carry out various health related education programmes for the

development of Adivasi students.

1.10 Operational Definitions of the Term used

Yoga

The union of universal Self and individual self is Yoga. This is an applied science

and a systematic lifestyle for human. It’s aim is to develop whole some personality.

According to Maharshi Patanjali, yoga has eight limbs viz., yama, niyama, asana,

pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and Samadhi. However, Hatha yoga defines

yoga with asana, pranayama, kriya and mudra.

Physical Exercise

Physical exercise is defined as any physical as well as muscular activity, where

body movement is done systematically, scientifically with regularly in involving one’s

mind, with a purpose to improve, maintain or to preserve and protect health, physical as

well as motor fitness of the body.

Health Related Physical Fitness

According to AAHPERD (American Alliance for Health, Physical Education,

Recreation and Dance), health related physical fitness can be viewed as physical

fitness having a multifaceted continuum extending from optimal abilities in all aspect of

life, to severely limiting disease and dysfunction.

Components of Health Related Physical Fitness

1) Abdominal Muscle Strength

Ability of exerting pressure in one pull; it is the ability of muscle or group to

maintain a sub maximal contraction over a period of time related to abdominal muscles.

2) Cardiovascular Endurance

It is also referred to as cardio respiratory endurance, which is a kind of

physiological fitness demonstrated through an adjustment of the heart and lungs to

prolonged physical exertion.

3) Flexibility

It is the range of movement of body parts and ligaments around joint and spinal

column.

4) Body Fat

Fat is essential for a body and when depleted it produces maximal energy for

muscular function. However, excessive deposition of fat in the body is harmful. The

amount of body fat (adipose tissue) that is stored is determined by two factors:

1) The number of fat storing or adiposities; and

2) The size or capacity of the adiposities.

Adivasi

The term Adivasi is coined from two words i.e. Adi and Vasi. The term Adi means

earlier and vasi means resident. These people are also known as tribals and this term

came into existence after the independence of India..

1.11 Significance of the Study

Adivasi students are always deprived of health and education programmes. It is

assumed that they have low level of physical fitness; the result of this study may be of

immense use in considering the following benefits:

• This study may be helpful for the promotion of health related fitness and

concentration of Adivasi area school students.

• Physical education teacher will be getting readymade training materials and

strategy to develop the fitness programme useful for the students of Adivasi area.

• This study may suggest the schedules of Yoga practices and physical exercises

by which the students of Adivasi areas will be benefited.