HOLISTIC HEALTH PARADIGMS IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION: ROLE OF AYURVEDA AND YOGA IN SUSTAINABLE WELLBEING

Abstract

Physical Education (PE) tends to focus on sports performance and physiological markers in Modern times, but fails to take into account the somatic and psychological wellbeing. This paper will focus on how Indian Knowledge Systems-Ayurveda and Yoga can be integrated in the mainstream PE to ensure sustainable wellbeing is promoted. The study was conducted in Purba Medinipur, West Bengal in four schools involving 12 weeks of 200 secondary school students to the control group (standard PE) and the experimental group (Ayurveda-Yoga-based PE). The outcome indicated that there was a much stronger change of increase in flexibility and decrease of perceived stress in the experimental group. The results endorse holistic PE as an economical and environmentally friendly approach towards the health of adolescents.