1 267 227 ACUTE FETAL BEHAVIORAL RESPONSE TO PRENATAL YOGA: A SINGLE, BLINDED, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (TRY YOGA). BACKGROUND: IN 2012, YOGA WAS PRACTICED BY 20 MILLION AMERICANS, OF WHOM 82% WERE WOMEN. A RECENT LITERATURE REVIEW ON PRENATAL YOGA NOTED A REDUCTION IN SOME PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS (IE, PRETERM BIRTH, LUMBAR PAIN, AND GROWTH RESTRICTION) IN THOSE WHO PRACTICED YOGA; TO DATE, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE ON FETAL RESPONSE AFTER YOGA. OBJECTIVES: WE AIMED TO CHARACTERIZE THE ACUTE CHANGES IN MATERNAL AND FETAL RESPONSE TO PRENATAL YOGA EXERCISES USING COMMON STANDARDIZED TESTS TO ASSESS THE WELL-BEING OF THE MATERNAL-FETAL UNIT. STUDY DESIGN: WE CONDUCTED A SINGLE, BLINDED, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. UNCOMPLICATED PREGNANCIES BETWEEN 28 0/7 AND 36 6/7 WEEKS WITH A NONANOMALOUS SINGLETON FETUS OF WOMEN WHO DID NOT SMOKE, USE NARCOTICS, OR HAVE PRIOR EXPERIENCE WITH YOGA WERE INCLUDED. A COMPUTER-GENERATED SIMPLE RANDOMIZATION SEQUENCE WITH A 1:1 ALLOCATION RATIO WAS USED TO RANDOMIZE PARTICIPANTS INTO THE YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP. WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP PARTICIPATED IN A 1-TIME, 1 HOUR YOGA CLASS WITH A CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR WHO TAUGHT A PREDETERMINED YOGA SEQUENCE. IN THE CONTROL GROUP, EACH PARTICIPANT ATTENDED A 1-TIME, 1 HOUR POWERPOINT PRESENTATION BY AN OBSTETRICIAN ON AMERICAN CONGRESS OF OBSTETRICIANS AND GYNECOLOGISTS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EXERCISE, NUTRITION, AND OBESITY IN PREGNANCY. ALL PARTICIPANTS UNDERWENT PRE- AND POSTINTERVENTION TESTING, WHICH CONSISTED OF UMBILICAL AND UTERINE ARTERY DOPPLER ULTRASOUND, NONSTRESS TESTING, A BIOPHYSICAL PROFILE, MATERNAL BLOOD PRESSURE, AND MATERNAL HEART RATE. A BOARD-CERTIFIED MATERNAL-FETAL MEDICINE SPECIALIST, AT A DIFFERENT TERTIARY CENTER, INTERPRETED ALL NONSTRESS TESTS AND BIOPHYSICAL PROFILE DATA AND WAS BLINDED TO GROUP ASSIGNMENT AND PRE- OR POSTINTERVENTION TESTING. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS A CHANGE IN UMBILICAL ARTERY DOPPLER SYSTOLIC TO DIASTOLIC RATIO. SAMPLE SIZE CALCULATIONS INDICATED 19 WOMEN PER GROUP WOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO DETECT THIS DIFFERENCE IN DOPPLER INDICES (ALPHA, 0.05; POWER, 80%). DATA WERE ANALYZED USING A REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE, A CHI(2), AND A FISHER EXACT TEST. A VALUE OF P < .05 WAS CONSIDERED SIGNIFICANT. RESULTS: OF THE 52 WOMEN RANDOMIZED, 46 (88%) COMPLETED THE STUDY. THERE WAS NO CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN UMBILICAL ARTERY SYSTOLIC TO DIASTOLIC RATIO (P = .34), PULSATILITY INDEX (P = .53), OR RESISTANCE INDEX (P = .66) BETWEEN THE 2 GROUPS BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. FETAL AND MATERNAL HEART RATE, MATERNAL BLOOD PRESSURE, AND UTERINE ARTERY DOPPLERS REMAINED UNCHANGED OVER TIME. WHEN UMBILICAL ARTERY INDICES WERE INDIVIDUALLY COMPARED WITH GESTATIONAL AGE REFERENCES, THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE WHO IMPROVED OR WORSENED BETWEEN THE GROUPS. CONCLUSION: THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN FETAL BLOOD FLOW ACUTELY AFTER PERFORMING YOGA FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PREGNANCY. YOGA CAN BE RECOMMENDED FOR LOW-RISK WOMEN TO BEGIN DURING PREGNANCY. 2016 2 2116 42 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON UTERINE ARTERY DOPPLER INDICES, MATERNAL AND FETAL COMPLICATIONS IN PREGNANT WOMEN: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY. BACKGROUND: TODAY, THE EFFECT OF YOGA HAS BEEN EXAMINED ON VARIOUS PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DIMENSIONS OF PREGNANT WOMEN. HOWEVER, THERE ARE STILL SPARSE STUDIES ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE UTERINE ARTERY INDICES AS WELL AS MATERNAL AND FETAL COMPLICATIONS. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON UTERINE ARTERY DOPPLER INDICES, MATERNAL AND FETAL COMPLICATIONS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS QUASI-EXPERIENTIAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED, ON 100 PREGNANT WOMEN. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSIGNED TO YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS. IN THE YOGA GROUP, THE PARTICIPANTS EXERCISED YOGA FOR 1 H. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED ROUTINE CARE. RESULTS: THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT IN THE YOGA GROUP, THE FUNCTIONAL INDICES OF THE UTERINE ARTERY (S/D, PI, RI, AND DN) IMPROVED MORE SIGNIFICANTLY COMPARED TO THE CONTROL (P = 0.01). THE RESULTS ALSO SHOWED THAT IN THE YOGA GROUP, MATERNAL COMPLICATIONS (DIABETES AND PREECLAMPSIA), AS WELL AS FETAL COMPLICATIONS (SAG, IUGR), WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER COMPARED TO THE CONTROL (P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY REVEALED THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON IMPROVING FETAL DEVELOPMENT INDICES AND REDUCING MATERNAL AND FETAL COMPLICATIONS FOLLOWING PREGNANCY. IT CAN BE USED AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY ALONGSIDE OTHER TREATMENTS FOR MOTHERS. 2021 3 998 43 EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP OF PREGNANT WOMEN. PURPOSE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS IN NORMAL PREGNANT WOMEN. METHODS: ONE HUNDRED AND TWO PREGNANT WOMEN BETWEEN 18 AND 20 WEEKS OF GESTATION WHO MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA WERE RECRUITED FROM THE OBSTETRIC UNITS IN BANGALORE AND WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS OF YOGA (N = 51) AND CONTROL (N = 51). WOMEN WITH MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY LEAD TO PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS AND THOSE WITH ABNORMAL FETAL PARAMETERS WERE EXCLUDED. THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED INTEGRATED YOGA WHILE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED STANDARD ANTENATAL EXERCISES, BOTH FOR 1-H THREE TIMES A WEEK FROM 20TH TO 36TH WEEK OF GESTATION. PRE AND POST ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE USING WHOQOL-100 AND FIRO-B QUESTIONNAIRES. RESULTS: OF THE SIX DOMAINS OF WHOQOL-100, BETWEEN GROUPS ANALYSIS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL IN THE PHYSICAL (P = 0.001), PSYCHOLOGICAL (P < 0.001), SOCIAL (P = 0.003), AND ENVIRONMENTAL DOMAINS (P = 0.001). IN FIRO-B, THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN 'EXPRESSED INCLUSION' (P = 0.02) AND 'WANTED CONTROL' (P = 0.009) DOMAINS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE INTEGRATED YOGA IS AN EFFICACIOUS MEANS OF IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PREGNANT WOMEN AND ENHANCING CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THEIR INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS. 2010 4 2660 53 YOGA IN ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION. BACKGROUND: YOGA SEEMS TO EXERT ITS EFFECT AGAINST ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION MAINLY THROUGH THE ASSOCIATED BREATHING AND MEDITATION TECHNIQUES, AND LESS SO THROUGH YOGA POSTURES. THE GOAL OF THIS TRIAL WAS TO COMPARE THE BLOOD PRESSURE-LOWERING EFFECT OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS WITH AND WITHOUT YOGA POSTURES IN PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION. METHODS: 75 PATIENTS TAKING MEDICATIONS FOR ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION (72% WOMEN, MEAN AGE 58.7 +/- 9.5 YEARS) WERE RANDOMIZED INTO THREE GROUPS: A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP WITH YOGA POSTURES (25 PATIENTS, OF WHOM 5 DROPPED OUT OF THE TRIAL BEFORE ITS END), A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP WITHOUT YOGA POSTURES (25 PATIENTS, 3 DROPOUTS), AND A WAIT LIST CONTROL GROUP (25 PATIENTS, ONE DROPOUT). THE INTERVENTIONS CONSISTED OF 90 MINUTES OF YOGA PRACTICE PER WEEK FOR TWELVE WEEKS. THE DATA COLLECTORS, WHO WERE BLINDED TO THE INTERVENTION RECEIVED, ASSESSED THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES "SYSTOLIC 24-HOUR BLOOD PRESSURE" AND "DIASTOLIC 24-HOUR BLOOD PRESSURE" BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. IN THIS REPORT, WE ALSO PRESENT THE FINDINGS ON SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES, INCLUDING FOLLOW-UP DATA. RESULTS: AFTER THE INTERVENTION, THE SYSTOLIC 24-HOUR BLOOD PRESSURE IN THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP WITHOUT YOGA POSTURES WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP (GROUP DIFFERENCE [DELTA]= -3.8 MMHG; [95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI): (-0.3; -7.4) P = 0.035]); IT WAS ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN IN THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP WITH YOGA POSTURES (DELTA = -3.2 MMHG; 95% CI: [-6.3; -0.8]; P = 0.045). DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS GROUPS. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE ENCOUNTERED IN THE COURSE OF THE TRIAL. CONCLUSION: IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FINDINGS OF EARLIER STUDIES, WE FOUND THAT ONLY YOGA WITHOUT YOGA POSTURES INDUCED A SHORT-TERM LOWERING OF AMBULATORY SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE. YOGA IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE IN PATIENTS TAKING MEDICATIONS FOR ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION AND THUS CAN BE RECOMMENDED AS AN ADDITIONAL TREATMENT OPTION FOR PERSONS IN THIS CATEGORY. 2018 5 2135 48 THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA EXERCISE AND NUTRITIONAL GUIDANCE PROGRAM ON PREGNANCY OUTCOMES AMONG HEALTHY PREGNANT JAPANESE WOMEN: A STUDY PROTOCOL FOR A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: THIS REPORT PROVIDES AN EXPERIMENTAL PROTOCOL FOR A STUDY DESIGNED TO VERIFY THE EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISE AND A NUTRITIONAL GUIDANCE PROGRAM DURING PREGNANCY ON SEVERAL KEY PREGNANCY AND BIRTH OUTCOMES AMONG JAPANESE WOMEN. DESIGN: THIS IS A STUDY PROTOCOL OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING/LOCATION: THIS INTERVENTION WILL BE CARRIED OUT IN A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN TOKYO. SUBJECTS: HEALTHY PRIMIPAROUS WOMEN WILL BE RECRUITED AT 18-23 GESTATIONAL WEEKS IN THE HOSPITAL. A TOTAL OF 400 PARTICIPANTS WILL BE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF FOUR GROUPS IN THIS TRIAL, WITH 100 PARTICIPANTS IN EACH GROUP-GROUP WITH YOGA EXERCISE, WITH NUTRITIONAL GUIDANCE, WITH BOTH YOGA AND NUTRITIONAL GUIDANCE, AND WITH STANDARD CARE ALONE, AS THE CONTROL GROUP. YOGA EXERCISE CONSISTS OF YOGA CLASSES HELD AT THE HOSPITAL 3 OR 5 DAYS A MONTH, DURATION 60 MIN, AND HOME PRACTICE USING A DIGITAL VIDEO DISK, DURATION 30 OR 60 MIN PER SESSION. WE RECOMMEND PARTICIPANTS DO YOGA AT LEAST 3 DAYS A WEEK FOR A TOTAL OF 60 MIN PER DAY. NUTRITIONAL GUIDANCE IS BASED ON INDIVIDUAL DIETARY INTAKE ASSESSED USING A BRIEF-TYPE DIET HISTORY QUESTIONNAIRE. RESULTS: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME IS RATE OF PREGNANT WOMEN WITH ADEQUATE GESTATIONAL WEIGHT GAIN. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDE PHYSIOLOGIC AND PSYCHOLOGIC STATUS ASSESSED VIA BIOMARKERS AND HEALTH-RELATED SCALES, DIETARY NUTRITION INTAKE, AND BIRTH OUTCOMES. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY SHOWS THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA EXERCISE AND NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTION. IF THE INTERVENTION IS FOUND TO BE EFFECTIVE, OUR RESULTS WILL BE USEFUL FOR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AND PREGNANT WOMEN. 2018 6 1402 64 IMPACT OF YOGA ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION - A CONTROLLED TRIAL IN PRIMARY CARE, MATCHED FOR SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE. BACKGROUND: MEDICAL TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION IS NOT ALWAYS SUFFICIENT TO ACHIEVE BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. DESPITE THIS, PREVIOUS STUDIES ON SUPPLEMENTARY THERAPIES, SUCH AS YOGA, ARE RELATIVELY FEW. WE INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF TWO YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE DIAGNOSED WITH HYPERTENSION. METHODS: ADULT PATIENTS (AGE 20-80 YEARS) WITH DIAGNOSED HYPERTENSION WERE IDENTIFIED BY AN ELECTRONIC CHART SEARCH AT A PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CENTER IN SOUTHERN SWEDEN. IN TOTAL, 83 SUBJECTS WITH BLOOD PRESSURE VALUES OF 120-179//=14 ON THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY-II WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER THE YOGA OR THE CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP COMPLETED A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM, WHICH TOOK PLACE TWICE A WEEK FOR 60 MIN PER SESSION AND CONSISTED OF BREATHING EXERCISES, YOGA POSE PRACTICE, AND SUPINE MEDITATION/RELAXATION. THE CONTROL GROUP WAS INSTRUCTED NOT TO ENGAGE IN ANY YOGA PRACTICE AND TO MAINTAIN THEIR USUAL LEVEL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURING THE COURSE OF THE STUDY. PARTICIPANTS' HRV, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AND PERCEIVED STRESS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND POST-TEST. RESULTS: THE YOGA GROUP HAD A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN HIGH-FREQUENCY HRV AND DECREASES IN LOW-FREQUENCY HRV AND LOW FREQUENCY/HIGH FREQUENCY RATIO AFTER THE INTERVENTION. THE YOGA GROUP ALSO REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND PERCEIVED STRESS. NO CHANGE WAS FOUND IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM WAS EFFECTIVE IN INCREASING PARASYMPATHETIC TONE AND REDUCING DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND PERCEIVED STRESS IN WOMEN WITH ELEVATED DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE MAY BE RECOMMENDED FOR WOMEN TO COPE WITH THEIR DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND STRESS AND TO IMPROVE THEIR HRV. 2017 16 60 41 A COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN SEDENTARY ADULTS: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON PEOPLE'S MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISES ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN SEDENTARY ADULTS. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. METHODS: FIFTY-ONE PARTICIPANTS AGED MEAN (SD) 25.6 (5.7) YEARS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS: HATHA YOGA GROUP, RESISTANCE EXERCISE GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP. THE HATHA YOGA GROUP AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE GROUP PARTICIPATED IN SESSIONS THREE DAYS PER WEEK FOR 7 WEEKS AND THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY SESSIONS. ALL THE SUBJECTS WERE EVALUATED THROUGH THE ROSENBERG SELF-ESTEEM SCALE, BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, BODY CATHEXIS SCALE, NOTTINGHAM HEALTH PROFILE AND VISUAL ANALOG SCALE FOR FATIGUE PRE-AND POST-SESSION. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN TERMS OF ALL OUTCOME MEASURES IN THE HATHA YOGA GROUP AND THE RESISTANCE EXERCISE GROUP. NO IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN THE CONTROL GROUP. HATHA YOGA MORE IMPROVED THE DIMENSIONS FATIGUE, SELF-ESTEEM, AND QUALITY OF LIFE, WHILST RESISTANCE EXERCISE TRAINING MORE IMPROVED BODY IMAGE. HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE DECREASED DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AT A SIMILAR LEVEL. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS INDICATED THAT HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE HAD POSITIVE EFFECTS ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN SEDENTARY ADULTS. HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE MAY AFFECT DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. 2014 17 344 36 ASSESSING DEPRESSION FOLLOWING TWO ANCIENT INDIAN INTERVENTIONS: EFFECTS OF YOGA AND AYURVEDA ON OLDER ADULTS IN A RESIDENTIAL HOME. THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND AYURVEDA ON GERIATRIC DEPRESSION WERE EVALUATED IN 69 PERSONS OLDER THAN 60 WHO WERE LIVING IN A RESIDENTIAL HOME. PARTICIPANTS WERE STRATIFIED BY AGE AND GENDER AND RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO THREE GROUPS: YOGA, AYURVEDA, OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL. THE 15-ITEM GERIATRIC DEPRESSION SCALE WAS USED TO ASSESS DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS PRIOR TO THE INTERVENTION, AND AFTER 3 MONTHS AND 6 MONTHS POST-INTERVENTION. PARTICIPATION IN ONE OF THE THREE GROUPS LASTED 24 WEEKS. THE YOGA PROGRAM (7 HOURS 30 MINUTES PER WEEK) INCLUDED PHYSICAL POSTURES, RELAXATION TECHNIQUES, REGULATED BREATHING, DEVOTIONAL SONGS, AND LECTURES. THE AYURVEDA GROUP RECEIVED AN HERBAL PREPARATION TWICE DAILY FOR THE WHOLE PERIOD. THE DEPRESSION SYMPTOM SCORES OF THE YOGA GROUP AT BOTH 3 AND 6 MONTHS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY, FROM A GROUP AVERAGE BASELINE OF 10.6 TO 8.1 AND 6.7, RESPECTIVELY (P < .001, PAIRED T-TEST). THE OTHER GROUPS SHOWED NO CHANGE. HENCE, AN INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA INCLUDING THE MENTAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECTS IN ADDITION TO THE PHYSICAL PRACTICES WAS USEFUL FOR INSTITUTIONALIZED OLDER PERSONS. 2007 18 1102 44 EFFECTS OF YOGA TRAINING ON BODY COMPOSITION AND OXIDANT-ANTIOXIDANT STATUS AMONG HEALTHY MALE. BACKGROUND: THE STRESSFUL CONDITION MAY CAUSE OXIDATIVE STRESS, WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR VARIOUS DISEASES. AIMS: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO FIND OUT WHETHER YOGA HAS IMPACT ON THE REDUCTION OF OXIDATIVE STRESS. METHODS: FOR THE PRESENT STUDY, 95 (N = 95) HEALTHY MALE VOLUNTEERS WITHIN THE AGE GROUP OF 18-24 YEARS WERE INCLUDED, 35 (N = 35) VOLUNTEERS WERE EXCLUDED. THE REMAINING 60 (N = 60) VOLUNTEERS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: (A) YOGA GROUP (N = 30) AND (B) CONTROL GROUP (N = 30). YOGA TRAINING WAS GIVEN FOR 60 MIN PER DAY, 6 DAYS PER WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS IN THE YOGA GROUP, WITH NO YOGA TRAINING IN CONTROL GROUP. ASSESSMENT OF BODY COMPOSITION AND OXIDANT-ANTIOXIDANT STATUS WERE PERFORMED IN BOTH THE GROUPS AT BASELINE, BEFORE YOGA TRAINING (0 WEEK) AND AFTER (12 WEEKS) OF THE TRAINING. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION (P < 0.001) IN THE PERCENTAGE OF BODY FAT AND MALONDIALDEHYDE; SIGNIFICANT ELEVATION (P < 0.001) IN SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE, CATALASE, REDUCED GLUTATHIONE AND ASCORBIC ACID LEVELS WERE NOTED IN THE YOGA GROUP AFTER 12 WEEKS WHEN COMPARED TO BASELINE DATA (0 WEEK). HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN HEIGHT, WEIGHT, BODY MASS INDEX, BODY SURFACE AREA AND LEAN BODY MASS AMONG THE YOGA GROUP AFTER 12 WEEKS WHEN COMPARED TO BASELINE DATA. THESE CHANGES MIGHT BE DUE TO YOGA TRAINING. CONCLUSIONS: REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE REDUCES BODY FAT AND OXIDATIVE STRESS. YOGA TRAINING MAY BE HELPFUL TO REDUCE THE CHANCE OF OCCURRENCE OF VARIOUS DISEASES AND HELPS TO MAINTAIN NORMAL HEALTHY LIFESTYLE. 2018 19 2691 52 YOGA IN WOMEN WITH ABDOMINAL OBESITYA RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: ABDOMINAL OBESITY IS A MAJOR RISK FACTOR FOR MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE AND OTHER ANTHROPOMETRIC AND SELF-REPORTED VARIABLES IN WOMEN WITH ABDOMINAL OBESITY. METHODS: 60 WOMEN WITH ABDOMINAL OBESITY (WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE >/= 88 CM; BODY-MASS INDEX [BMI] >/= 25) WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED IN A 2:1 RATIO TO EITHER A 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION (N = 40) OR A WAITING LIST (N = 20). THE WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE WAS THE PRIMARY ENDPOINT. SECONDARY (EXPLORATORY) ENDPOINTS INCLUDED THE WAIST/HIP RATIO, BODY WEIGHT, BMI, BODY FAT PERCENTAGE, BODY MUSCLE MASS PERCENTAGE, BLOOD PRESSURE, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, SELF-ESTEEM, SUBJECTIVE STRESS, BODY AWARENESS, AND BODY RESPONSIVENESS, AND THE SAFETY OF THE INTERVENTION. THE PERSONS ASSESSING THE OUTCOMES WERE BLINDED TO THE GROUP TO WHICH THE PATIENTS BELONGED. RESULTS: THE PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP PARTICIPATED IN A MEAN OF 30.2+/-9.2 (MAXIMUM, 42) HOURS OF SUPERVISED YOGA PRACTICE. THEIR ABDOMINAL CIRCUM - FERENCE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED IN COMPARISON TO THE PARTICIPANTS ON THE WAITING LIST, WITH AN INTERGROUP DIFFERENCE OF -3.8 CM (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [-6.1; -1,.5]; P = 0.001). THERE WERE FURTHER, MODERATE INTERGROUP DIFFERENCES IN THE WAIST/HIP RATIO, BODY WEIGHT, BMI, BODY FAT PERCENTAGE, BODY MUSCLE MASS PERCENTAGE, MENTAL AND PHYSICAL WELL-BEING, SELF-ESTEEM, SUBJECTIVE STRESS, BODY AWARENESS, AND TRUST IN BODILY SENSATIONS (ALL P<0.05). THERE WERE NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS. NONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS EMBARKED ON A LOW-CALORIE DIET WHILE PARTICIPATING IN THE STUDY. CONCLUSION: THE 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION HAD MODERATELY STRONG POSITIVE EFFECTS ON ANTHROPOMETRIC AND SELF-REPORTED VARIABLES IN WOMEN WITH ABDOMINAL OBESITY. YOGA IS SAFE IN THIS POPULATION AND CAN BE RECOMMENDED AS A TECHNIQUE FOR COMBATING ABDOMINAL OBESITY IN WOMEN. 2016 20 1258 38 FIFTEEN MINUTES OF CHAIR-BASED YOGA POSTURES OR GUIDED MEDITATION PERFORMED IN THE OFFICE CAN ELICIT A RELAXATION RESPONSE. THIS STUDY COMPARED ACUTE (15 MIN) YOGA POSTURE AND GUIDED MEDITATION PRACTICE, PERFORMED SEATED IN A TYPICAL OFFICE WORKSPACE, ON PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MARKERS OF STRESS. TWENTY PARTICIPANTS (39.6 +/- 9.5 YR) COMPLETED THREE CONDITIONS: YOGA, MEDITATION, AND CONTROL (I.E., USUAL WORK) SEPARATED BY >/=24 HRS. YOGA AND MEDITATION SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED PERCEIVED STRESS VERSUS CONTROL, AND THIS EFFECT WAS MAINTAINED POSTINTERVENTION. YOGA INCREASED HEART RATE WHILE MEDITATION REDUCED HEART RATE VERSUS CONTROL (P < 0.05). RESPIRATION RATE WAS REDUCED DURING YOGA AND MEDITATION VERSUS CONTROL (P < 0.05). DOMAINS OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY (E.G., SDNN AND TOTAL POWER) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED DURING CONTROL VERSUS YOGA AND MEDITATION. SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE WERE REDUCED SECONDARY TO MEDITATION VERSUS CONTROL ONLY (P < 0.05). PHYSIOLOGICAL ADAPTATIONS GENERALLY REGRESSED TOWARD BASELINE POSTINTERVENTION. IN CONCLUSION, YOGA POSTURES OR MEDITATION PERFORMED IN THE OFFICE CAN ACUTELY IMPROVE SEVERAL PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MARKERS OF STRESS. THESE EFFECTS MAY BE AT LEAST PARTIALLY MEDIATED BY REDUCED RESPIRATION RATE. 2012