~ 86 ~ International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health 2021; 8(5): 86-90 P-ISSN: 2394-1685 E-ISSN: 2394-1693 Impact Factor (ISRA): 5.38 IJPESH 2021; 8(5): 86-90 © 2021 IJPESH www.kheljournal.com Received: 07-07-2021 Accepted: 09-08-2021 MM Kasun Asiri Weerasinghe Department of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka S Joniton Department of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Corresponding Author: MM Kasun Asiri Weerasinghe Department of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Develop and assess the impact of musical yoga carpet for better yoga practices MM Kasun Asiri Weerasinghe and S Joniton Abstract Yoga is a group of physical, mental and spiritual practices or disciplines that focus on bringing harmony between mind and body. Soothing music is important in yoga practices to set an emotional tone. Whether practitioner is consciously aware of music or not, someone is affected physically, spiritually and mentally by the sounds or a slow mantra can ease the mind and body to relax, letting the mind’s eye turn inward. Listening to music can have a tremendously relaxing effect on our brain. Yoga is a mind –body practice that combines physical poses, controlled breathing and meditation or relaxation. Yoga may help to reduce stress, lower blood pressure and lower heart rate. Yoga carpet helps practitioners to keep their hold strong on the surface due to its anti-slipping nature. A yoga carpet is provided in which upper surface of the carpet includes sound system, battery, digital timing, display, and mini compass. Sets of accessories can be used by yoga practitioners to facilitate proper and effective yoga practices. The effect of music on yoga practices was studied in 20 practitioners under the use of musical yoga carpet. The data were collected for treatment and questionnaire in order to examine the data statically, analyzed by using Pearson correlation test with 95%confidence level to test the significance. The result of present study showed that there was a significant negative correlation between music and level of stress of yoga practitioners. In general, it can be concluded that yoga exercises have a positive impact on stress level of yoga practitioners. Keywords: music, stress, yoga practices Introduction Yoga is an ancient Indian practice. This is one of the six Indian philosophy schools and is also part of Ayurveda, an Indian traditional medicine practice. Health encourages a balance of physical, cultural, psychological and social aspects. The term yoga was derived from the Sanskrit term yuj which means 'to join' or 'to merge.' This union is not just about your nose hitting your knees when you lean to touch your feet! The union you are referring to is that of your mind and your body. You’re interacting with your surroundings and nature. Then ultimately, your human knowledge of the collective consciousness. The philosophical history of yoga is rooted in ancient Hindu tradition. There are several modern schools or forms of yoga (i.e., Iyengar, Viniyoga, Sivananda) each with a distinct focus on the relative content of physical postures and exercises (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and deep relaxation. Meditation activities that promote perception and eventually deeper states of consciousness. The use of yoga as a therapeutic technique, which started at the beginning of the twentieth century, takes advantage of the multiple psychophysiological advantages of the component activities. Physical exercises (asanas) can improve the physical flexibility, coordination and strength of the patient. While breathing and meditation will calm down and concentrate the mind to increase consciousness and decrease anxiety, resulting in a higher quality of life. Certain beneficial effects may include a decrease in anxiety, blood pressure, and increased endurance, mood, and metabolic control. In the minds of many Westerners, the term; yoga conjures up visions of people performing workouts and adopting odd, often contrive, postures. These movements and postures have a place in the practice of yoga. Yet the practice of yoga is a lot more than that. In reality, early literature on yoga describes and defines yoga as a type of mental rather than physical discipline. Yoga is also popular with the subcontinent of India and the sects of Hinduism and of Buddhism. (Arambula et al., 2001b) [2]