1 184 149 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL TO ASSESS PAIN AND MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING-BASED (MRI-BASED) STRUCTURAL SPINE CHANGES IN LOW BACK PAIN PATIENTS AFTER YOGA PRACTICE. BACKGROUND THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED AT DETERMINING WHETHER 12 WEEKS OF YOGA PRACTICE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LBP AND MRI-BASED DEGENERATIVE CHANGES WOULD RESULT IN DIFFERENCES IN: (I) SELF-REPORTED PAIN, ANXIETY, AND SPINAL FLEXIBILITY; AND (II) THE STRUCTURE OF THE DISCS OR VERTEBRAE. MATERIAL AND METHODS SIXTY-TWO PERSONS WITH MRI-PROVEN DEGENERATIVE INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS (GROUP MEAN +/-S.D., 36.2+/-6.4 YEARS; 30 FEMALES) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS. HOWEVER, TESTING WAS CONDUCTED ON ONLY 40 SUBJECTS, SO ONLY THEIR DATA ARE INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY. THE ASSESSMENTS WERE: SELF-REPORTED PAIN, STATE ANXIETY, SPINAL FLEXIBILITY, AND MRI OF THE LUMBOSACRAL SPINE, PERFORMED USING A 1.5 TESLA SYSTEM WITH A SPINAL SURFACE COLUMN. THE YOGA GROUP WAS TAUGHT LIGHT EXERCISES, PHYSICAL POSTURES, BREATHING TECHNIQUES, AND YOGA RELAXATION TECHNIQUES FOR 1 HOUR DAILY FOR 3 MONTHS. NO INTERVENTION WAS GIVEN TO THE CONTROL GROUP EXCEPT FOR ROUTINE MEDICAL CARE. A REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) WITH POST HOC ANALYSES (WHICH WAS BONFERRONI-ADJUSTED) WAS USED. THE ETHICS COMMITTEE OF PATANJALI RESEARCH FOUNDATION HAD APPROVED THE STUDY WHICH HAD BEEN REGISTERED IN THE CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY OF INDIA (CTRI/2012/11/003094). RESULTS THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN SELF-REPORTED PAIN AND STATE ANXIETY IN A BEFORE/AFTER COMPARISON AT 12 WEEKS. A FEW PATIENTS IN BOTH GROUPS SHOWED CHANGES IN THE DISCS AND VERTEBRAE AT POST-INTERVENTION ASSESSMENT. CONCLUSIONS WITHIN 12 WEEKS, YOGA PRACTICE REDUCED PAIN AND STATE ANXIETY BUT DID NOT ALTER MRI-PROVEN CHANGES IN THE INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS AND IN THE VERTEBRAE. 2016 2 2871 46 YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE FACILITATES SUSTAINED ATTENTION IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN: A PILOT STUDY. CONTEXT: THE EXPERIENCE OF PAIN STRONGLY INFLUENCES SUSTAINED ATTENTION, WHICH IS IMPORTANT FOR NEUROCOGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING SUSTAINED ATTENTION BY ATTENUATING PAIN IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN. HENCE, WE AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF A YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE ON SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND SELF-REPORTED PAIN DISABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 22 MEN AGED 30 TO 50 YEARS WITH LOW BACK PAIN WERE RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY. THEY WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE YOGA (N = 11) OR CONTROL (N = 11) GROUPS. THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED A YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE (YBRT) 1 HOUR A DAY FOR 4 WEEKS AND THE CONTROL GROUP MAINTAINED THEIR USUAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY REGIMEN. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED THE SUSTAINED ATTENTION TO RESPONSE TASK (SART) AND THE OSWESTRY LOW BACK PAIN DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (OLBPDQ) MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER THE 4-WEEK INTERVENTION. RESULTS: THE STUDY SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN ALL SELF-REPORTED OLBPDQ DOMAINS AND IMPROVEMENT IN SUSTAINED ATTENTION IN A BEFORE AND AFTER COMPARISON 4 WEEKS FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION. PEARSON'S CORRELATION ALSO SHOWED A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND PAIN REDUCTION FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: THE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT YOGA PRACTICE REDUCES PAIN AND SIMULTANEOUSLY IMPROVES INFORMATION PROCESSING SPEED WITH IMPULSE CONTROL DURING THE PERFORMANCE OF A SUSTAINED ATTENTION TASK. 2020 3 1442 41 INCREASED MENTAL WELL-BEING AND REDUCED STATE ANXIETY IN TEACHERS AFTER PARTICIPATION IN A RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROGRAM. BACKGROUND REDUCING STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE IMPROVES MENTAL HEALTH. TEACHING IS OF SOCIAL IMPORTANCE, BUT IT MAY RECEIVE INADEQUATE RECOGNITION AND REWARDS. THE PRESENT STUDY COMPARED MENTAL WELL-BEING AND STATE ANXIETY IN PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS WHO PRACTICED 15 DAYS OF YOGA IN A RESIDENTIAL SETTING WITH THOSE WHO CONTINUED THEIR USUAL ROUTINE. MATERIAL AND METHODS WE ENROLLED 236 PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY. WE ASSIGNED 118 PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS (GROUP MEAN +/-S.D., AGE 41.5+/-6.0 YEARS, 74 FEMALES) TO THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP; THEY UNDERWENT 15 DAYS OF YOGA TRAINING FOR 6 HOURS/DAY) IN A RESIDENTIAL YOGA CENTER. THE NON-YOGA CONTROL GROUP (GROUP MEAN +/-S.D., AGE 42.3+/-6.0 YEARS, 79 FEMALES) CONSISTED OF 118 TEACHERS WHO CONTINUED WITH THEIR NORMAL TEACHING ROUTINE. RESULTS AFTER 15 DAYS IN THE RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROGRAM, THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN OVERALL MENTAL WELL-BEING (P<.001) AND LOWER STATE ANXIETY (P<.01) (REPEATED-MEASURES ANOVA, FOLLOWED BY POST HOC MULTIPLE COMPARISON TESTS). AT BASELINE, THE NON-YOGA CONTROL GROUP HAD HIGHER LEVELS OF STATE ANXIETY, PRESUMABLY RELATED TO THEIR REMAINING IN THE WORKPLACE. CONCLUSIONS THE STUDY WAS A 15-DAY, COMPARATIVE, CONTROLLED TRIAL. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT AFTER 15 DAYS OF PARTICIPATION IN THE RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROGRAM, PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS INCREASED ALL ASPECTS OF MENTAL WELL-BEING AND HAD REDUCED STATE ANXIETY. 2018 4 2400 38 YOGA AND DISC DEGENERATIVE DISEASE IN CERVICAL AND LUMBAR SPINE: AN MR IMAGING-BASED CASE CONTROL STUDY. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE CURRENT STUDY WAS TO FIND OUT WHETHER YOGA PRACTICE WAS BENEFICIAL TO THE SPINE BY COMPARING DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE IN THE SPINES OF LONG-TIME YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND NON-YOGA PRACTICING CONTROLS, USING AN OBJECTIVE MEASUREMENT TOOL, MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING. THIS MATCHED CASE-CONTROL STUDY COMPRISED 18 YOGA INSTRUCTORS WITH TEACHING EXPERIENCE OF MORE THAN 10 YEARS AND 18 NON-YOGA PRACTICING ASYMPTOMATIC INDIVIDUALS RANDOMLY SELECTED FROM A HEALTH CHECKUP DATABASE. A VALIDATED GRADING SCALE WAS USED TO GRADE THE CONDITION OF CERVICAL AND LUMBAR DISCS SEEN IN MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING OF THE SPINE, AND THE RESULTING DATA ANALYZED STATISTICALLY. THE MEAN NUMBER OF YEARS OF YOGA PRACTICE FOR THE YOGA GROUP WAS 12.9 +/- 7.5. THE OVERALL (CERVICAL + LUMBAR) DISC SCORES OF THE YOGA GROUP WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER (INDICATING LESS DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE) THAN THOSE OF THE CONTROL GROUP (P < 0.001). THE SCORES FOR THE CERVICAL VERTEBRAL DISCS OF THE YOGA GROUP WERE ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THOSE OF THE CONTROL GROUP (P < 0.001), WHILE THE LOWER SCORES FOR THE YOGA GROUP IN THE LUMBAR GROUP APPROACHED, BUT DID NOT REACH, STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE (P = 0.055). THE SCORES FOR INDIVIDUAL DISCS OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY LESS DEGENERATIVE DISEASE AT THREE DISC LEVELS, C3/C4, L2/L3 AND L3/L4 (P < 0.05). MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING SHOWED THAT THE GROUP OF LONG-TERM PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA STUDIED HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LESS DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE THAN A MATCHED CONTROL GROUP. 2011 5 2103 33 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY LEVEL IN SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS. PURPOSE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY LEVEL IN SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN WITH PRETEST-POSTTEST CONTROL GROUP. THE POPULATION OF THE STUDY CONSISTED OF SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS WITH REGISTERED IN MALATYA AND ELAZIG COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTERS AND REGULARLY GOING TO THESE CENTERS. THE SAMPLE GROUP OF THE STUDY CONSISTED OF TOTALLY 100 PATIENTS INCLUDING 50 PATIENTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AND 50 PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP WHO WERE SPECIFIED THROUGH POWER ANALYSIS AND CHOSEN BY USING RANDOM SAMPLING METHOD FROM THIS POPULATION. THE DATA WERE COLLECTED BETWEEN APRIL 2015 AND AUGUST 2015. 'PATIENT DESCRIPTION FORM' AND 'FROGS' WERE USED TO COLLECT THE DATA. YOGA WAS APPLIED TO PATIENTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. ANY INTERVENTION WAS NOT MADE TO PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION, ARITHMETIC MEAN, STANDARD DEVIATION, CHI-SQUARE, INDEPENDENT SAMPLES T TEST, AND PAIRED T TEST WERE USED TO ASSESS THE DATA. RESULTS: PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PRETEST SUBSCALE AND THE TOTAL MEANS SCORES OF FROGS WAS FOUND TO BE LOW. IN THE POSTTEST SUBSCALE AND TOTAL MEANS SCORES OF FROGS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WERE HIGHER THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEM WERE FOUND TO BE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05). IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PRETEST AND POSTTEST SUBSCALE AND TOTAL MEANS SCORES OF FR0GS WAS DETERMINED TO BE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: YOGA THAT APPLIED TO SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS IT WAS DETERMINED TO INCREASED THE LEVEL OF FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY. IT CAN BE SUGGESTED THAT YOGA SHOULD BE USED AS AN COMPLEMENTARY METHOD IN NURSING PRACTISE IN ORDER TO INCREASE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE TREATMENT. 2016 6 2073 46 THE EFFECT OF A STRETCH AND STRENGTH-BASED YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM ON PATIENTS WITH NEUROPATHIC PAIN DUE TO LUMBAR DISC HERNIATION. STUDY DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF A STRETCH AND STRENGTHBASED YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM ON NEUROPATHIC PAIN DUE TO LDH. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: LDH WITH NEUROPATHIC PAIN INFLUENCES TREATMENT OUTCOMES NEGATIVELY. MOST YOGA POSES INCLUDE THE PARAMETERS OF SPINAL TRAINING AND HELP REDUCE PAIN AND DISABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK INJURIES. WE HYPOTHESIZED THAT YOGA POSITIVELY AFFECTS BOTH LDH AND NEUROPATHIC PAIN BY INCREASING MOBILIZATION, CORE MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND SPINAL AND HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY. METHODS: IN TOTAL, 48 PATIENTS WITH NEUROPATHIC PAIN DUE TO LDH WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A CONTROL GROUP AND A YOGA GROUP. ALL PATIENTS UNDERWENT A PATIENT EDUCATION PROGRAM. IN ADDITION, THE SELECTED YOGA EXERCISE WAS TAUGHT AND PERFORMED TO THE YOGA GROUP FOR ONE HOUR TWICE WEEKLY FOR 12 WEEKS. NEUROPATHIC PAIN (DOULEUR NEUROPATHIQUE 4 FOR DIAGNOSIS; LEEDS ASSESSMENT OF NEUROPATHIC SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS FOR SEVERITY), LOW BACK PAIN (THE SHORT-FORM OF MCGILL PAIN QUESTIONNAIRE), DISABILITY (OSWESTRY DISABILITY INDEX), AND FUNCTION (MODIFIED SCHOBER AND PASSIVE KNEE EXTENSION TEST) WERE MEASURED BLIND BEFORE AND AT THE ONE-, THREE-, AND SIX-MONTH FOLLOW-UPS. THE PATIENT GLOBAL ASSESSMENT WAS APPLIED AT THE SIX-MONTH FOLLOWUP. THE INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED IN THIS STUDY. RESULTS: THE INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN NEUROPATHIC PAIN, PATIENT GLOBAL ASSESS MENT, LOW BACK PAIN, DISABILITY, AND FUNCTION IN FAVOR OF THE YOGA GROUP AT POST-TREATMENT. THE BETWEEN-GROUP EFFECT SIZES WERE MODERATE AT SIX-MONTHS FOLLOW-UP. CONCLUSION: IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE SELECTED STRETCH AND STRENGTH-BASED YOGA EXERCISE COULD BE A PROMISING TREATMENT OPTION FOR NEUROPATHIC PAIN DUE TO LDH. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2. 2022 7 459 51 CHANGES IN PAIN INTENSITY AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE WITH IYENGAR YOGA IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK (NCLBP) PAIN IS PREVALENT AMONG ADULT POPULATION AND OFTEN LEADS TO FUNCTIONAL LIMITATIONS, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, LOWER QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), AND HIGHER HEALTHCARE COSTS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY ON PAIN INTENSITY AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) WITH NCLBP. AIM OF THE STUDY: TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY AND CONVENTIONAL EXERCISE THERAPY ON PAIN INTENSITY AND HRQOL IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WITH RANDOM SAMPLING TECHNIQUE. SUBJECTS/INTERVENTION: SIXTY SUBJECTS WHO FULFILLED THE SELECTION CRITERIA WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO IYENGAR YOGA (YOGA GROUP, N = 30) AND CONTROL GROUP (EXERCISE GROUP, N = 30). PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED LOW BACK PAIN EVALUATION FORM AND HRQOL-4 QUESTIONNAIRE BEFORE THEIR INTERVENTION AND AGAIN 4 WEEKS AND 6 MONTH LATER. YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT 29 YOGIC POSTURES TRAINING AND EXERCISE GROUP HAD UNDERGONE GENERAL EXERCISE PROGRAM FOR 4 WEEKS. STATISTICS: REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) WAS USED TO ANALYZE GROUP DIFFERENCES OVER TIME, WHILE CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE DIFFERENCES. RESULTS: PATIENTS IN BOTH GROUPS EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PAIN AND IMPROVEMENT IN HRQOL. IN VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE (VAS) YOGA GROUP SHOWED REDUCTION OF 72.81% (P = 0.001) AS COMPARED TO EXERCISE GROUP 42.50% (P = 0.001). IN HRQOL, YOGA GROUP SHOWED REDUCTION OF 86.99% (P = 0.001) AS COMPARED TO EXERCISE GROUP 67.66% (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT IYENGAR YOGA PROVIDES BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN REDUCTION AND IMPROVEMENT IN HRQOL IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC BACK PAIN THAN GENERAL EXERCISE. 2014 8 2152 28 THE EFFECTS OF SELECTED ASANAS IN IYENGAR YOGA ON FLEXIBILITY: PILOT STUDY. IN RECENT YEARS THE PRACTICE OF YOGA HAS GAINED POPULARITY AS A FORM OF PHYSICAL FITNESS AND EXERCISE, AND HAS BEEN SAID TO IMPROVE STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A SIX WEEK IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTION ON FLEXIBILITY. N = 16 LOW TO MODERATELY ACTIVE FEMALES (52.37 +/- 7.79 YEARS) ATTENDED IYENGAR YOGA PRACTICE FOR A TOTAL OF 6 WEEKS, CONSISTING OF ONE 90 MIN SESSION PER WEEK. LUMBAR AND HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY WERE ASSESSED PRE AND POST-INTERVENTION USING A STANDARD SIT AND REACH TEST. THE RESULTS SHOW A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN FLEXIBILITY, INDICATING 6 WEEKS OF SINGLE SESSION YOGA TRAINING MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN INCREASING ERECTOR SPINAE AND HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY. THIS IS IMPORTANT WHEN CONSIDERING THAT MUCH OF THE POPULATION FIND IT DIFFICULT TO ATTEND MORE THAN ONE SESSION A WEEK INTO THEIR TRAINING SCHEDULE. 2014 9 1760 42 POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSICAL AND RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS IN HEALTHY INACTIVE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE. CONTEXT: YOGA IMPROVES PHYSICAL AND RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS IN HEALTHY INACTIVE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE. AIM: THIS STUDY AIMED TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF 8 WEEKS OF ASANA AND ASANA WITH PRANAYAMA LESSONS IN ORDER TO CLARIFY THE INFLUENCE OF TWO DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON PHYSICAL AND RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS IN HEALTHY INACTIVE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 28 PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE: 52.7 YEARS) WERE DIVIDED INTO A YOGA ASANA (YA) GROUP AND YA WITH PRANAYAMA (YAP) GROUP. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED A 70-MIN SESSION ONCE A WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS. THE YA GROUP PRACTICED BASIC ASANA WITHOUT SPECIFIC BREATHING INSTRUCTIONS, WHILE THE YAP GROUP PRACTICED BASIC ASANA WITH SPECIFIC BREATHING INSTRUCTIONS (PRANAYAMA). RESPIRATORY FUNCTION WAS MEASURED WITH AN AUTOSPIROMETER. PHYSICAL FUNCTION ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED THE 30-S CHAIR STAND TEST AND UPPER AND LOWER EXTREMITY FLEXIBILITY. ALL TESTS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 8 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: CHANGES IN SCORES WERE ANALYZED WITH THE PAIRED T-TEST FOR EACH GROUP. PRE-POST RESULTS WERE COMPARED FOR ALL THE MEASURED VALUES. P < 0.05 WAS CONSIDERED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. RESULTS: BOTH GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PHYSICAL AND OVERALL RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS AFTER THE 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION. HOWEVER, THE MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE AND LOWER EXTREMITY FLEXIBILITY IMPROVED ONLY IN THE YAP GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THE 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION FOR HEALTHY INACTIVE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE IMPROVED THE OVERALL RESPIRATORY AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONS, AND THE INCLUSION OF PRANAYAMA HAD THE ADDED BENEFIT OF IMPROVING INSPIRATORY MUSCLE STRENGTH AND GLOBAL BODY FLEXIBILITY. 2019 10 748 30 EFFECT OF SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION ON QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. OBJECTIVE: THE PRESENT STUDY INVESTIGATES THE EFFECT OF SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION ON QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. DESIGN: THE PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL COHORT STUDY ENROLLED TWO STUDY GROUPS: THOSE RECEIVING TREATMENT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SAHAJA YOGA RESEARCH AND HEALTH CENTER (MEDITATION GROUP) AND THOSE RECEIVING TREATMENT FROM THE MAHATMA GANDHI MISSION HOSPITAL (CONTROL GROUP). RESEARCHERS MEASURED QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE BEFORE AND AFTER TREATMENT. RESULTS: SIXTY-SEVEN (67) PARTICIPANTS IN THE MEDITATION GROUP AND 62 PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE TWO GROUPS WERE COMPARABLE IN DEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS. AT BASELINE, THE MEDITATION GROUP HAD HIGHER QUALITY OF LIFE (P<0.001) THAN CONTROLS BUT SIMILAR ANXIETY LEVEL (P=0.74) TO CONTROLS. WITHIN-GROUP PRE- VERSUS POST-TREATMENT COMPARISONS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE IN THE MEDITATION GROUP (P<0.001), WHILE IN CONTROLS, QUALITY OF LIFE DETERIORATED AND THERE WAS NO IMPROVEMENT IN BLOOD PRESSURE. THE IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY REDUCTION, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL WAS GREATER IN THE MEDITATION GROUP. THE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF MEDITATION REMAINED SIGNIFICANT AFTER ADJUSTING FOR CONFOUNDERS. CONCLUSIONS: MEDITATION TREATMENT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY REDUCTION, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. 2012 11 208 45 A SINGLE SESSION OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM AS A STRESS MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR SCHOOL EMPLOYEES: COMPARISON OF DAILY PRACTICE AND NONDAILY PRACTICE OF A YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM. OBJECTIVES: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF THE DAILY PRACTICE OF A YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM LEARNT DURING A SINGLE SESSION OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA INTERVENTION THAT WAS DEVELOPED BY US AS A STRESS MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR SCHOOL EMPLOYEES. SUBJECTS: NINETY SCHOOL EMPLOYEES. DESIGN: CASE-CONTROL STUDY. THREE MONTHS AFTER THE INTERVENTION, THE SUBJECTS WERE ASSIGNED TO A DAILY PRACTICE GROUP (CASE: N=43) AND A NONCONSECUTIVE DAILY PRACTICE GROUP (CONTROL: N=47) ACCORDING TO THEIR DAILY PRACTICE LEVEL OF THE YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM. INTERVENTIONS: THE SUBJECTS PARTICIPATED IN A STRESS MANAGEMENT EDUCATION PROGRAM BASED ON AN INTEGRATED YOGA THERAPY SESSION. THE PROGRAM INCLUDED PSYCHOLOGICAL EDUCATION AND COUNSELING ABOUT STRESS MANAGEMENT AND YOGA THEORIES, AS WELL AS THE PRACTICES OF ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, RELAXATION, AND COGNITIVE STRUCTURE BASED ON INDIAN PHILOSOPHY. OUTCOME MEASURES: ASSESSMENTS WERE PERFORMED BEFORE AND AFTER THE PROGRAM USING THE SUBJECTIVE UNITS OF DISTRESS FOR MIND AND BODY AND THE TWO-DIMENSIONAL MOOD SCALE. THE GENERAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE 28 (GHQ28) WAS USED TO ASSESS THE MENTAL HEALTH STATE BEFORE THE INTERVENTION AND AT 3 MONTHS AFTER THE PROGRAM. RESULTS: THE SUBJECTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN THEIR LEVELS OF CALMNESS, COMFORT, AND CHEERFULNESS (P<0.001) AND SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN COGNITIVE MIND AND BODY STRESS (P<0.001) AFTER PARTICIPATING IN THE INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM. A COMPARISON OF THE TOTAL SCORES ON THE GHQ28 USING A TWO-WAY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS IN TERMS OF BOTH INTERACTION (P=0.047) AND THE MAIN EFFECT (P=0.026). CONCLUSIONS: THE PRESENT RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT A SINGLE SESSION OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM WAS EFFECTIVE FOR REDUCING STRESS AND THAT THE MENTAL HEALTH OF SCHOOL EMPLOYEES WAS PROMOTED BY THE DAILY PRACTICE OF THE YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM. 2015 12 678 32 EFFECT OF A YOGA PRACTICE SESSION AND A YOGA THEORY SESSION ON STATE ANXIETY. YOGA TECHNIQUES PRACTICED FOR VARYING DURATIONS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE STATE ANXIETY. IN THIS STUDY, THERE WERE 300 NAIVE-TO-YOGA PERSONS OF BOTH SEXES WHO WERE ATTENDING A YOGA THERAPY CENTER IN NORTH INDIA FOR STRESS RELIEF AS DAY VISITORS AND WERE NOT RESIDING AT THE CENTER. THEY WERE ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS, YOGA PRACTICE AND YOGA THEORY, AND THEIR STATE ANXIETY WAS ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER A 2-HR. YOGA SESSION. A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN SCORES ON STATE ANXIETY WAS FOUND IN THE YOGA PRACTICE GROUP (14.7% DECREASE), AS WELL AS IN THE YOGA THEORY GROUP (3.4% DECREASE). THE DIFFERENCE IN SCORES FOLLOWING THE SESSIONS WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. HENCE, YOGA PRACTICE AS WELL AS LEARNING ABOUT THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF YOGA APPEAR TO REDUCE STATE ANXIETY, WITH A GREATER REDUCTION FOLLOWING YOGA PRACTICE. 2009 13 1085 36 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS, FATIGUE, MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG EMPLOYEES OF DIAMOND INDUSTRY: A NEW APPROACH IN EMPLOYEE WELLNESS. BACKGROUND: DIAMOND INDUSTRY EMPLOYEES OFTEN EXPERIENCE MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, FATIGUE, AND STRESS, CONTRIBUTING TO A LOW QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). YOGA IS AN ANCIENT DISCIPLINE OF MIND-BODY PRACTICE YOGA HAS NUMEROUS HEALTH BENEFITS. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFICACY OF WORKPLACE YOGA IN IMPROVING STRESS, MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, FATIGUE, AND QOL AMONG EMPLOYEES OF THE DIAMOND INDUSTRY. METHODS: ONE-HUNDRED SIXTY-SIX EMPLOYEES OF THE DIAMOND INDUSTRY BETWEEN THE AGES OF 20 AND 60 PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSIGNED TO EITHER YOGA (N = 84) OR WAITLIST (N = 82) GROUPS. THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED ONE HOUR OF YOGA, FOUR DAYS A WEEK FOR THREE CONSECUTIVE MONTHS. PARTICIPANTS IN THE WAITLIST GROUP FOLLOWED THEIR DAILY ROUTINES. MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, FATIGUE, STRESS, AND QOL WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER THREE MONTHS. RESULTS: ONE-HUNDRED FIFTY-FIVE EMPLOYEES COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05) IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN, PERCEIVED STRESS, FATIGUE, AND QOL DOMAINS AFTER THREE MONTHS COMPARED TO BASELINE. THE WAITLIST GROUP SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ANY OF THE MEASURES. IN THE POST SCORES COMPARISON BETWEEN THE GROUPS REVEALED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GROUPS. CONCLUSION: WORKPLACE YOGA FOUND TO BE A USEFUL, COST-EFFECTIVE AND FEASIBLE INTERVENTION IN IMPROVING STRESS, MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, FATIGUES AND QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG EMPLOYEES OF THE DIAMOND INDUSTRY. YOGA MAY BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE WORKPLACE AS A WELLNESS PROGRAM AT THE WORKPLACE. 2021 14 2112 34 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION IN WOMEN. BACKGROUND: IN RECENT DECADES, SEVERAL MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC STUDIES ON YOGA PROVED IT TO BE VERY USEFUL IN THE TREATMENT OF SOME DISEASES. THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION IN WOMEN LIVING IN ILAM, IRAN. METHODS: THIS STUDY IS A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WITH PRE-POST TEST. TO COLLECT DATA, THE QUESTIONNAIRE OF DASS-21 (DEPRESSION ANXIETY STRESS SCALE-21) WAS USED. FOR ELIGIBLE SAMPLES, HATHA YOGA EXERCISES AND TRAINING SESSIONS WERE HELD FOR 4 WEEKS (3 TIME/WEEKS; 60-70 MIN EACH) BY A SPECIALIST. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING SPSS VERSION 20. RESULTS: 52 WOMEN WITH A MEAN AGE OF 33.5 +/- 6.5 WERE INCLUDED FOR ANALYSIS. DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND STRESS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN WOMEN AFTER 12 SESSIONS OF REGULAR HATHA YOGA PRACTICE (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA HAS AN EFFECTIVE ROLE IN REDUCING STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION. THUS, IT CAN BE USED AS COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE. 2018 15 983 36 EFFECTS OF HATA YOGA ON KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. BACKGROUND: THE PURPOSE OF THIS RESEARCH WAS TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF 8 WEEKS OF HATA YOGA EXERCISES ON WOMEN WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. STUDIES ABOUT EFFECTS OF YOGA ON DIFFERENT CHRONIC DISEASES SHOW THAT THESE EXERCISES HAVE POSITIVE EFFECTS ON CHRONIC DISEASES. AS KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS IS VERY COMMON AMONG MIDDLE AGE WOMEN WE DECIDED TO MEASURE EFFECTIVENESS OF THESE EXERCISES ON KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. METHODS: SAMPLE INCLUDED 30 WOMEN WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS WHO VOLUNTARILY PARTICIPATED IN THIS SEMI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY AND WERE DIVIDED INTO A CONTROL GROUP (15) AND A YOGA GROUP (15). THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED 60 MINUTES SESSIONS OF HATA YOGA, 3 TIMES A WEEK AND FOR 8 WEEKS. PAIN, SYMPTOMS, DAILY ACTIVITIES, SPORTS AND SPARE-TIME ACTIVITIES, AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE RESPECTIVELY MEASURED BY VISUAL ANALOG SCALE (VAS) AND KNEE INJURY AND OSTEOARTHRITIS OUTCOME SCALE (KOOS) QUESTIONNAIRE. THE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) METHOD FOR REPETITIVE DATA WAS USED TO ANALYZE THE RESULTS (P = 0.05). RESULTS: FINDINGS SHOWED THAT PAIN AND SYMPTOMS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED AND SCORES OF DAILY ACTIVITIES, SPORTS, SPARE-TIME ACTIVITIES, AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN THE YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: IT SEEMS THAT YOGA CAN BE USED AS A CONSERVATIVE TREATMENT BESIDES USUAL TREATMENTS AND MEDICATIONS TO IMPROVE THE CONDITION OF PEOPLE WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS. 2013 16 1616 37 MINDFUL AWARENESS FOR FEMALE DENTAL STUDENTS THROUGH YOGA, MOTIVATIONAL VIDEO, AND A COMBINATION OF TWO ON STRESS REDUCTION. OBJECTIVE: ASSESSMENT OF THE POTENTIAL EFFECT OF YOGA, MOTIVATIONAL VIDEOS, AND A COMBINATION OF TWO ON STRESS REDUCTION IN FEMALE DENTAL STUDENTS. METHODS: THE CURRENT STUDY DESIGN IS A NONRANDOMIZED TRIAL CARRIED OUT AMONG FEMALE DENTAL STUDENTS (N = 120). THE SELECTED SUBJECTS WERE ALLOCATED INTO THREE GROUPS, NAMELY, GROUP A: YOGA GROUP ASSIGNED UNDER A PROFESSIONAL YOGA INSTRUCTOR, GROUP B: MOTIVATIONAL VIDEO GROUP, AND GROUP C: A COMBINATION OF TWO (A AND B) INVOLVING YOGA SESSIONS AND MOTIVATIONAL VIDEOS; FOLLOWING WHICH FORMATIVE EXAMINATIONS WERE CARRIED OUT AT 6 WEEKS WHICH WERE REFERRED TO AS STRESSOR 1 AND THOSE CARRIED OUT AT 12 WEEKS WERE REFERRED TO AS STRESSOR 2. USING SPIELBERGER'S STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY FOR ADULTS (STAI-A) RECORDINGS WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE, STRESSOR 1, AND STRESSOR 2. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN TRAIT ANXIETY SCORES AT BOTH STRESSORS IN ALL THE GROUPS WITH A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION SCORE FROM STRESSOR 1 TO 2 IN GROUP 1 AND GROUP 3 SUBJECTS. THE SIGNIFICANT DECREASE OCCURRED IN STAI-A SCORES IN GROUP 1 AND GROUP 3 SUBJECTS AT BOTH STRESSORS (P < 0.001) WITH NO CHANGE OBSERVED IN GROUP 2 SUBJECTS. CONCLUSION: THE PRESENT STUDY IS ONE OF A KIND AND POSITIVELY CORRELATES YOGA AND MOTIVATIONAL VIDEOS WITH STRESS REDUCTION. BOTH OF THESE INTERVENTIONS PROVED TO BE BENEFICIARY FOR PHYSICAL AS WELL AS MENTAL HEALTH OF STUDY SUBJECTS. 2020 17 753 55 EFFECT OF SHORT-TERM INTENSIVE YOGA PROGRAM ON PAIN, FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND SPINAL FLEXIBILITY IN CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL STUDY. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF A SHORT-TERM INTENSIVE RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROGRAM WITH PHYSICAL EXERCISE (CONTROL) ON PAIN AND SPINAL FLEXIBILITY IN SUBJECTS WITH CHRONIC LOW-BACK PAIN (CLBP). DESIGN: THIS WAS A WAIT-LIST, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. SETTING: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT A RESIDENTIAL INTEGRATIVE HEALTH CENTER IN BANGALORE, SOUTH INDIA. SUBJECTS: EIGHTY (80) SUBJECTS (FEMALES, N = 37) WITH CLBP, WHO CONSENTED WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO RECEIVE YOGA OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE IF THEY SATISFIED THE SELECTION CRITERIA. INTERVENTION: THE INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF A 1-WEEK INTENSIVE RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROGRAM COMPRISED OF ASANAS (PHYSICAL POSTURES) DESIGNED FOR BACK PAIN, PRANAYAMAS (BREATHING PRACTICES), MEDITATION, AND DIDACTIC AND INTERACTIVE SESSIONS ON PHILOSOPHICAL CONCEPTS OF YOGA. THE CONTROL GROUP PRACTICED PHYSICAL EXERCISES UNDER A TRAINED PHYSIATRIST AND ALSO HAD DIDACTIC AND INTERACTIVE SESSIONS ON LIFESTYLE CHANGE. BOTH OF THE GROUPS WERE MATCHED FOR TIME ON INTERVENTION AND ATTENTION. OUTCOME MEASURES: PAIN-RELATED OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED BY THE OSWESTRY DISABILITY INDEX (ODI) AND BY SPINAL FLEXIBILITY, WHICH WAS ASSESSED USING GONIOMETER AT PRE AND POST INTERVENTION. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (RMANOVA). RESULTS: DATA CONFORMED TO A GAUSSIAN DISTRIBUTION. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN ODI SCORES IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (P = 0.01; EFFECT SIZE 1.264). SPINAL FLEXIBILITY MEASURES IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN BOTH GROUPS BUT THE YOGA GROUP HAD GREATER IMPROVEMENT AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS ON SPINAL FLEXION (P = 0.008; EFFECT SIZE 0.146), SPINAL EXTENSION (P = 0.002; EFFECT SIZE 0.251), RIGHT LATERAL FLEXION (P = 0.059; EFFECT SIZE 0.006); AND LEFT LATERAL FLEXION (P = 0.006; EFFECT SIZE 0.171). CONCLUSIONS: SEVEN (7) DAYS OF A RESIDENTIAL INTENSIVE YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE PROGRAM REDUCED PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY AND IMPROVED SPINAL FLEXIBILITY IN PATIENTS WITH CLBP BETTER THAN A PHYSICAL EXERCISE REGIMEN. 2008 18 63 40 A COMPREHENSIVE YOGA PROGRAMS IMPROVES PAIN, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IN CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN PATIENTS MORE THAN EXERCISE: AN RCT. INTRODUCTION: PREVIOUSLY, OUTPATIENT YOGA PROGRAMS FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) LASTING SEVERAL MONTHS HAVE BEEN FOUND TO REDUCE PAIN, ANALGESIC REQUIREMENT AND DISABILITY, AND IMPROVE SPINAL MOBILITY. THIS STUDY EVALUATED CHANGES IN PAIN, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND SPINAL MOBILITY FOR CLBP PATIENTS ON SHORT-TERM, RESIDENTIAL YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE PROGRAMS, INCLUDING COMPREHENSIVE YOGA LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS. METHODS: A SEVEN DAY RANDOMIZED CONTROL SINGLE BLIND ACTIVE STUDY IN AN RESIDENTIAL HOLISTIC HEALTH CENTRE IN BANGALORE, INDIA, ASSIGNED 80 PATIENTS (37 FEMALE, 43 MALE) WITH CLBP TO YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUPS. THE YOGA PROGRAM CONSISTED OF SPECIFIC ASANAS AND PRANAYAMAS FOR BACK PAIN, MEDITATION, YOGIC COUNSELLING, AND LECTURES ON YOGA PHILOSOPHY. THE CONTROL GROUP PROGRAM INCLUDED PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISES FOR BACK PAIN, AND MATCHING COUNSELLING AND EDUCATION SESSIONS. RESULTS: GROUPXTIME INTERACTIONS (P<0.05) AND BETWEEN GROUP DIFFERENCES (P<0.05) WERE SIGNIFICANT IN ALL VARIABLES. BOTH GROUPS' SCORES ON THE NUMERICAL RATING SCALE FOR PAIN REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY, 49% IN YOGA (P<0.001, ES=1.62), 17.5% IN CONTROLS (P=0.005, ES=0.67). STATE ANXIETY (STAI) REDUCED 20.4% (P<0.001, ES=0.72) AND TRAIT ANXIETY 16% (P<0.001, ES=1.09) IN THE YOGA GROUP. DEPRESSION (BDI) DECREASED IN BOTH GROUPS, 47% IN YOGA (P<0.001, ES=0.96,) AND 19.9% IN CONTROLS (P<0.001, ES=0.59). SPINAL MOBILITY ('SIT AND REACH' INSTRUMENT) IMPROVED IN BOTH GROUPS, 50%, IN YOGA (P<0.001, ES=2.99) AND 34.6% IN CONTROLS (P<0.001, ES=0.81). CONCLUSION: SEVEN DAYS INTENSIVE RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROGRAM REDUCES PAIN, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION, AND IMPROVES SPINAL MOBILITY IN PATIENTS WITH CLBP MORE EFFECTIVELY THAN PHYSIOTHERAPY EXERCISES. 2012 19 716 45 EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA PRACTICES ON IMMUNE RESPONSES IN EXAMINATION STRESS - A PRELIMINARY STUDY. BACKGROUND: STRESS IS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED OCCURRENCE OF AUTONOMIC, CARDIOVASCULAR, AND IMMUNE SYSTEM PATHOLOGY. THIS STUDY WAS DONE TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF STRESS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL, PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS, AND IMMUNE SYSTEM DURING MEDICAL TERM -ACADEMIC EXAMINATION AND THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICES ON THE SAME. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT ON SIXTY FIRST-YEAR MBBS STUDENTS RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP (30 EACH). THE YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT INTEGRATED YOGA PRACTICES FOR 35 MINUTES DAILY IN THE PRESENCE OF TRAINED YOGA TEACHER FOR 12 WEEKS. CONTROL GROUP DID NOT UNDERGO ANY KIND OF YOGA PRACTICE OR STRESS MANAGEMENT. PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS LIKE HEART RATE, RESPIRATORY RATE, AND BLOOD PRESSURE WERE MEASURED. GLOBAL ASSESSMENT OF RECENT STRESS SCALE AND SPIELBERGERS STATE ANXIETY SCORE WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND DURING THE EXAMINATION. SERUM CORTISOL LEVELS, IL-4, AND IFN-GAMMA LEVELS WERE DETERMINED BY ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY TECHNIQUE. RESULT: IN THE YOGA GROUP, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS OBSERVED IN PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS DURING THE EXAMINATION STRESS, WHEREAS IN THE CONTROL GROUP, A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE WAS OBSERVED. LIKEWISE, THE INDICATORS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS SHOWED HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN CONTROL GROUP COMPARED WITH SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN YOGA GROUP. DURING THE EXAMINATION, THE INCREASE IN SERUM CORTICAL AND DECREASE IN SERUM IFN-GAMMA IN YOGA GROUP WAS LESS SIGNIFICANT (P<0.01) THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P<0.001). BOTH THE GROUPS DEMONSTRATED AN INCREASE IN SERUM IL-4 LEVELS, THE CHANGES BEING INSIGNIFICANT FOR THE DURATION OF THE STUDY. CONCLUSION: YOGA RESISTS THE AUTONOMIC CHANGES AND IMPAIRMENT OF CELLULAR IMMUNITY SEEN IN EXAMINATION STRESS. 2011 20 530 42 COMPARISON OF REGULAR AEROBIC AND YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. BACKGROUND: THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS CHARACTERIZED BY FATIGUE, MOTOR WEAKNESS, AND SPASTICITY, TO NAME A FEW. MS SYMPTOMS MAY LEAD TO PHYSICAL INACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF SECONDARY DISEASES. THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF REGULAR AEROBIC AND YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS WITH MS. METHODS: THE PRESENT QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED ON 90 PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC MS CHOSEN RANDOMLY AND DIVIDED INTO TWO TEST AND ONE CONTROL GROUPS. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING SPSS SOFTWARE (VERSION 11.5) THROUGH PAIRED T-TEST, ANOVA, AND TUKEY'S POST HOC. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AMONG THE SCORES OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE THREE GROUPS PRIOR TO INVESTIGATION. ALTHOUGH THEY WERE SIGNIFICANT AFTER INTERVENTION. THE MEAN SCORE OF YOGA GROUP WAS HIGHER THAN THAT OF AEROBIC GROUP, AND AEROBIC GROUP SHOWED A HIGHER MEAN SCORE COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL. CONCLUSION: YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISES MAY IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH MS. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT THE GOVERNOR ALONG WITH MS SOCIETIES AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS SERVICING AND SUPPORTING PATIENTS START TO DEVELOP SPORT-REGULATED PROGRAMS TO HELP IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THESE PATIENTS. 2014