Background: Aggressive behavior during adolescence can adversely affect emotional regulation, peer relationships, and academic adjustment. Anuloma-Viloma pranayama may provide a complementary approach to managing aggression by promoting emotional self-regulation. This study examined its effects on aggressive behavior among higher secondary students. 

Methods: A two-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted with 80 higher secondary students aged 15–17 years, equally allocated to experimental and waitlist control groups. The experimental group practiced Anuloma-Viloma pranayama for approximately 30 minutes daily across 30 sessions, while the control group continued its usual routine. Aggressive behavior was assessed before and after the intervention using the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), which measures physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, and hostility. Data were analyzed using two-tailed paired-samples and independent-samples t-tests.

Results: The experimental group demonstrated significant reductions in physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, hostility, and total BPAQ scores (all p < .001). The total score decreased from 89.80 ± 8.52 to 79.78 ± 8.37. The control group showed no significant changes in individual aggression domains, although there was a small reduction in the total score. Post-intervention comparisons favored the experimental group across all domains and the total score (all p < .001).

Conclusion: Anuloma-Viloma pranayama may serve as a complementary practice for reducing aggressive behavior among adolescents. Further research with active controls and longer follow-up is recommended.