1 287 88 ADJUNCT YOGA THERAPY: INFLUENCE ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER - A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. HRV IS INVERSELY PROPORTIONAL TO SEVERITY OF DEPRESSION. EFFECT OF 12-WEEKS ADJUNCT YOGA THERAPY ON HRV IN PATIENTS WITH MDD WAS ASSESSED THROUGH A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SIXTY-EIGHT SUBJECTS (40 FEMALES) WITH MEAN AGE 31.58 +/- 8.79 YEARS, SCORING >/= 18 ON HDRS WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER (YG; N = 35) OR (WG; N = 33). LINEAR MIXED MODEL ANALYSIS SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS. ON COMPARING CHANGE IN MEAN PERCENTAGE, SUBSTANTIAL MORE DECREASE COULD BE ELICITED ONLY FOR LF/HF RATIO IN YG COMPARED TO WG, WHILE BEING COMPARABLE FOR OTHER VARIABLES ACROSS THE GROUPS. FINDINGS SUGGEST YOGA THERAPY MAY HELP IN BRINGING PARASYMPATHETIC DOMINANCE IN PATIENTS WITH MDD. 2021 2 1062 31 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN DEPRESSED WOMEN. METHODS: THIS WAS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. TWENTY-SIX SEDENTARY WOMEN SCORING >/=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 3 1318 36 HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN PATIENTS RANDOMIZED TO YOGA OR STANDARD CARE. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC PAIN CAN ALTER THE AUTONOMIC BALANCE WITH INCREASED SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY REFLECTED IN ALTERED HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV). IT HAS BEEN PROPOSED THAT YOGA CAN BE USEFUL TO CORRECT THE AUTONOMIC IMBALANCE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN WHO HAVE REDUCED HRV. METHODS AND DESIGNS: IN THE PRESENT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL 62 PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERED ALIGNMENT OF INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS (AGED BETWEEN 20 AND 45 YEARS, 32 MALES) WERE RANDOMIZED TO 2 GROUPS. ONE GROUP RECEIVED YOGA FOR 3 MONTHS WHILE THE OTHER GROUP CARRIED OUT STANDARD MEDICAL CARE BASED ON THE PHYSICIAN'S ADVICE. THE DURATION WAS THE SAME, I.E., 3 MONTHS. THE HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND RATE OF RESPIRATION WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 3 MONTHS. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE BASELINE (PRE) VALUES BETWEEN GROUPS (P = 0.008) FOR RESPIRATION RATE WHICH WAS HIGHER IN THE YOGA GROUP. THE CHANGES REPORTED BELOW ARE PRE-POST COMPARISONS WITHIN EACH GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05; REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA, POST-HOC ANALYSES) DECREASE IN THE LF POWER OF HRV, RATE OF RESPIRATION AND A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE HF POWER OF HRV AND IN THE PNN50. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE CAN SHIFT THE AUTONOMIC BALANCE TOWARDS VAGAL DOMINANCE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERED ALIGNMENT OF INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: THE STUDY IS REGISTERED WITH THE CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY OF INDIA ( CTRI/2012/11/003094 ) AND CAN BE ACCESSED AT. 2016 4 871 33 EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON DISEASE ACTIVITY, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. BACKGROUND: RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) IS AN IMMUNE-MEDIATED INFLAMMATORY DISEASE. ANTIRHEUMATOID TREATMENT REDUCES DISEASE ACTIVITY AND INFLAMMATION, BUT NOT ALL PATIENTS RESPOND TO TREATMENT. AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION IS COMMON IN RA LEADING TO FREQUENT CARDIOVASCULAR COMPLICATIONS. YOGA THERAPY MAY BE USEFUL IN THESE PATIENTS, BUT THERE ARE LITTLE DATA ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON DISEASE ACTIVITY, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV). OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY ASSESSED THE EFFECT OF 12-WEEK YOGA THERAPY ON DISEASE ACTIVITY, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND HRV IN PATIENTS WITH RA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED ON NEWLY DIAGNOSED RA PATIENTS ATTENDING OUTPATIENT SERVICES AT THE DEPARTMENT OF CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY, JIPMER. ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SIX PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS: THE CONTROL GROUP (CG) (N = 83) AND YOGA GROUP (YG) (N = 83). YOGA THERAPY WAS ADMINISTERED TO PARTICIPANTS IN THE YG FOR 12 WEEKS, ALONG WITH STANDARD MEDICAL TREATMENT. THE CG RECEIVED ONLY STANDARD MEDICAL TREATMENT. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE DISEASE ACTIVITY SCORE 28, INTERLEUKIN-1ALPHA (IL-1ALPHA), IL-6, TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-ALPHA (TNF-ALPHA), CORTISOL, AND HRV PARAMETERS. ALL PARAMETERS WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS. RESULTS: DISEASE ACTIVITY SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED IN BOTH GROUPS AFTER 12 WEEKS, BUT IT WAS REDUCED MORE IN YG, WHICH WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05). IN BOTH YG AND CG, IL-1ALPHA, IL-6, TNF-ALPHA, AND CORTISOL DECREASED AFTER 12 WEEKS, BUT IL-1ALPHA AND CORTISOL DECREASED MORE SIGNIFICANTLY IN YG THAN IN CG. LOW-FREQUENCY COMPONENT EXPRESSED AS NORMALIZED UNIT (LFNU) AND THE LOW-FREQUENCY/HIGH-FREQUENCY (LF-HF) RATIO DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY, AND TOTAL POWER AND HF COMPONENT EXPRESSED AS NORMALIZED UNIT (HFNU) INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE YG COMPARED WITH CG. CONCLUSION: TWELVE-WEEK YOGA THERAPY, IF GIVEN ALONG WITH STANDARD MEDICAL TREATMENT, SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCES DISEASE ACTIVITY AND IMPROVES SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE IN RA PATIENTS. 2020 5 1542 23 KRIYA YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES DESPITE THE EASY ACCEPTABILITY AND HOLISTIC NATURE OF KRIYA YOGA, THERE ARE NO STUDIES EVALUATING THE ROLE OF KRIYA YOGA INTERVENTION ON DEPRESSION. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE CURRENT STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECT OF ADJUNCTIVE KRIYA YOGA ON DEPRESSION. METHODS PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER WHO OPTED FOR KRIYA YOGA WERE RECRUITED INTO THE INTERVENTION GROUP (ADJUNCTIVE KRIYA YOGA) AND THOSE ON PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATION ALONE WERE ENROLLED INTO THE CONTROL GROUP. THE HAMILTON DEPRESSION RATING SCALE (HDRS) MEASUREMENTS WERE RECORDED AT BASELINE, END OF 2, 4, AND 8 WEEKS. RESULTS HDRS SCORES OF THE INTERVENTION GROUP ( N = 29) WERE FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY LESSER THAN THAT OF THE CONTROL GROUP ( N = 52) BY THE END OF 2, 4, AND 8 WEEKS. THE REMISSION RATE WAS ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP. CONCLUSION KRIYA YOGA INTERVENTION WAS FOUND TO BE FEASIBLE, AS WELL AS IMPROVED THE SEVERITY OF DEPRESSION. 2021 6 772 24 EFFECT OF YOGA AND EXERCISE ON GLYCEMIC CONTROL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL PARAMETERS IN TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. CONTEXT BACKGROUND: TYPE 2 DIABETES HAS BEEN STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS SUCH AS STRESS, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). THERE IS NOT MUCH EVIDENCE WHETHER YOGA CAN IMPROVE THESE FACTORS AND MOTIVATE INDIVIDUALS TO ENGAGE IN ACTIVE LIFESTYLE. AIMS: THIS STUDY AIMS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA AND EXERCISE OVER GLYCEMIC CONTROL, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, EXERCISE SELF-EFFICACY (ESE), AND QOL AFTER 3-MONTH PROGRAM. METHODS: TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN INDIVIDUALS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO YOGA GROUP (YG) AND EXERCISE GROUP. YG PRACTICED YOGA FOR 2 WEEKS UNDER SUPERVISION AND THEN CARRIED OUT PRACTICE AT HOME FOR 3 MONTHS. THE EXERCISE GROUP PRACTICED 30 MIN OF BRISK WALKING FOR 5 DAYS A WEEK. RESULTS: ON COMPARISON AMONG THE GROUPS, IN YG, THERE WAS A MEAN CHANGE OF 0.47 IN GLYCATED HEMOGLOBIN WHICH WAS GREATER THAN MEAN REDUCTION OF 0.28 IN THE EXERCISE GROUP WITH P < 0.05. STATE ANXIETY REDUCED BY 7.8 AND TRAIT ANXIETY REDUCED BY 4.4 IN YG (P < 0.05) IN 3 MONTHS AS COMPARED TO NONSIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS OF 3 AND 1 IN MEAN OF STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY SCORES IN THE EXERCISE GROUP (P > 0.05). THERE WAS A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION SCORE IN BOTH THE GROUPS, 8.6 IN YOGA AND 4.0 IN EXERCISE, WHICH WAS GREATER IN YG. ESE IMPROVED BY 19.2 IN YG (P < 0.05), WHEREAS IT IMPROVED ONLY 2.2 IN THE EXERCISE GROUP (P > 0.05). QOL IMPROVED BY 23.7 IN YG AND 3.0 IN THE EXERCISE GROUP WHICH WAS NONSIGNIFICANT IN THE EXERCISE GROUP AS COMPARED TO YG. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA IS SUPERIOR TO EXERCISE ALONE AS A LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION PROGRAM IN IMPROVING GLYCEMIC CONTROL, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND QOL AS WELL AS ESE. 2020 7 1063 23 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND MOOD IN WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND MOOD IN GENERALLY HEALTHY WOMEN. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. PARTICIPANTS: FIFTY-TWO HEALTHY WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A YOGA GROUP OR A CONTROL GROUP. INTERVENTIONS: PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPLETED AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM, WHICH COMPRISED A 60-MINUTE SESSION TWICE A WEEK. EACH SESSION 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 STUDY. OUTCOME MEASURES: PARTICIPANTS' HEART RATE VARIABILITY, PERCEIVED STRESS, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AND STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE (WEEK 0) AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION (WEEK 9). RESULTS: NO MEASURES OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY IN EITHER THE YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP AFTER INTERVENTION. STATE ANXIETY WAS REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE YOGA GROUP BUT NOT IN THE CONTROL GROUP. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE NOTED IN PERCEIVED STRESS, DEPRESSION, OR TRAIT ANXIETY IN EITHER GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM WAS NOT SUFFICIENT TO IMPROVE HEART RATE VARIABILITY. HOWEVER, SUCH A PROGRAM APPEARS TO BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING STATE ANXIETY IN GENERALLY HEALTHY WOMEN. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD INVOLVE LONGER PERIODS OF YOGA TRAINING, INCLUDE HEART RATE VARIABILITY MEASURES BOTH AT REST AND DURING YOGA PRACTICE, AND ENROLL WOMEN WITH HIGHER LEVELS OF STRESS AND TRAIT ANXIETY. 2015 8 243 35 A YOGA & EXERCISE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL FOR VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS: EFFECTS ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY. OBJECTIVES: HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) REFLECTS THE INTEGRATION OF THE PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM WITH THE REST OF THE BODY. STUDIES ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND EXERCISE ON HRV HAVE BEEN MIXED BUT SUGGEST THAT EXERCISE INCREASES HRV. WE CONDUCTED A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF YOGA AND EXERCISE ON HRV BASED ON A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL OF TREATMENTS FOR VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS IN PERI/POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL OF BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS IN WOMEN WITH VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS (N=335), 40-62 YEARS OLD FROM THREE CLINICAL STUDY SITES. INTERVENTIONS: 12-WEEKS OF A YOGA PROGRAM, DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR MID-LIFE WOMEN, OR A SUPERVISED AEROBIC EXERCISE-TRAINING PROGRAM WITH SPECIFIC INTENSITY AND ENERGY EXPENDITURE GOALS, COMPARED TO A USUAL ACTIVITY GROUP. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: TIME AND FREQUENCY DOMAIN HRV MEASURED AT BASELINE AND AT 12 WEEKS FOR 15MIN USING HOLTER MONITORS. RESULTS: WOMEN HAD A MEDIAN OF 7.6 VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS PER 24H. TIME AND FREQUENCY DOMAIN HRV MEASURES DID NOT CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY IN EITHER OF THE INTERVENTION GROUPS COMPARED TO THE CHANGE IN THE USUAL ACTIVITY GROUP. HRV RESULTS DID NOT DIFFER WHEN THE ANALYSES WERE RESTRICTED TO POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. CONCLUSIONS: ALTHOUGH YOGA AND EXERCISE HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO INCREASE PARASYMPATHETIC-MEDIATED HRV IN OTHER POPULATIONS, NEITHER INTERVENTION INCREASED HRV IN MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN WITH VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS. MIXED RESULTS IN PREVIOUS RESEARCH MAY BE DUE TO SAMPLE DIFFERENCES. YOGA AND EXERCISE LIKELY IMPROVE SHORT-TERM HEALTH IN MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN THROUGH MECHANISMS OTHER THAN HRV. 2016 9 1027 29 EFFECTS OF YOGA BREATHING PRACTICE ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN HEALTHY ADOLESCENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AMONG HEALTHY ADOLESCENTS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA BREATHING PRACTICE (BHRAMARI PRANAYAMA, BHR.P) TOWARDS CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION USING HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) PARAMETERS. METHODS: OF THE 730 ELIGIBLE SUBJECTS SCREENED, 520 HEALTHY ADOLESCENTS WHO MET THE INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER YOGA BREATHING GROUP (N=260) OR CONTROL GROUP (N=260). THE YOGA BREATHING GROUP PRACTICED BHR.P. FIVE DAYS A WEEK FOR A DURATION OF SIX MONTHS WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP CONTINUED WITH THEIR DAILY ROUTINE WITHOUT ANY INTERVENTION. OUTCOME MEASURES WERE TIME AND FREQUENCY DOMAIN OF HRV IN BOTH GROUPS WHICH WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION USING LEAD II ECG. LINEAR MODELS WERE USED IN THE ANALYSIS OF SHORT TERM HRV. RESULTS: AFTER 6 MONTHS OF YOGA BREATHING, THE TIME DOMAIN PARAMETERS OF SHORT TERM HRV SHOWED SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05) IMPROVEMENT TOWARDS THE PARASYMPATHETIC DOMAIN. FREQUENCY DOMAIN PARAMETERS ALSO SHOWED THE SAME DIRECTION OF CHANGES. IN CONTRAST, CONTROL GROUP SUBJECTS SHOWED A TREND TOWARDS A SYMPATHETIC DOMAIN. CONCLUSION: THE PRESENT STUDY SHOWED A POSITIVE SHIFT IN CARDIAC AUTONOMIC MODULATION TOWARDS PARASYMPATHETIC PREDOMINANCE AFTER 6 MONTHS OF YOGA BREATHING PRACTICE AMONG APPARENTLY HEALTHY ADOLESCENTS. 2020 10 2817 28 YOGA TRAINING IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE IN WOMEN WITH ASTHMA. OBJECTIVES: INDIVIDUALS WITH ASTHMA FREQUENTLY SUFFER WITH A DECREASE IN QUALITY OF LIFE. YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE AUTONOMIC FUNCTION IN THE HEALTHY POPULATION AND HAS BEEN USED AS AN ALTERNATIVE THERAPY TO HELP IMPROVE SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH VARIOUS DISEASES. PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS WHETHER 10 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING CAN IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) IN PATIENTS WITH ASTHMA. DESIGN: NINETEEN (19) FEMALES WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A YOGA GROUP OR A CONTROL GROUP FOR A 10-WEEK INTERVENTION WHILE STILL FOLLOWING GUIDELINES ESTABLISHED BY THEIR PHYSICIAN. ALL SUBJECTS ANSWERED THE ST. GEORGE'S RESPIRATORY QUESTIONNAIRE (SGRQ) TO ASSESS QUALITY OF LIFE AND PERFORMED AN ISOMETRIC HANDGRIP EXERCISE TEST TO ASSESS HRV. RESULTS: BASED ON THE SGRQ, SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS (45%, P < 0.05) IN QUALITY OF LIFE WERE OBSERVED WITH THE YOGA TRAINING, WHILE NO CHANGES WERE FOUND IN THE CONTROL GROUP. RESTING HEMODYNAMIC MEASURES IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (P < 0.05). THE YOGA GROUP DECREASED PARASYMPATHETIC MODULATION (HFNU [NORMALIZED UNITS]) PRE- TO POSTINTERVENTION (0.45 +/- 0.60 TO 0.35 +/- 0.06 NU, P<0.05, RESPECTIVELY) IN RESPONSE TO THE ISOMETRIC FOREARM EXERCISE (IFE), WHEREAS THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT CHANGE. ADDITIONALLY, THE YOGA GROUP INCREASED SYMPATHETIC (LFNU) (PRE 0.47 +/- 0.07 TO POST 0.60 +/- 0.07 NU, P < 0.05) AND SYMPATHOVAGAL MODULATION (LOGLF/HF) (PRE 4.61 +/- 0.39 TO POST 5.31 +/- 0.44, P < 0.05, RESPECTIVELY) DURING IFE WITH NO CHANGE IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA TRAINING IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE IN WOMEN WITH MILD-TO-MODERATE ASTHMA AND RESULTED IN DECREASED PARASYMPATHETIC AND INCREASED SYMPATHETIC MODULATION IN RESPONSE TO AN IFE. 2012 11 452 25 CHANGES IN HEART RATE VARIABILITY AFTER YOGA ARE DEPENDENT ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AT BASELINE AND DURING YOGA: A STUDY SHOWING AUTONOMIC NORMALIZATION EFFECT IN YOGA-NAIVE AND EXPERIENCED SUBJECTS. BACKGROUND: YOGA THERAPY IS WIDELY APPLIED TO THE MAINTENANCE OF HEALTH AND TO TREATMENT OF VARIOUS ILLNESSES. PREVIOUS RESEARCHES INDICATE THE INVOLVEMENT OF AUTONOMIC CONTROL IN ITS EFFECTS, ALTHOUGH THE GENERAL AGREEMENT HAS NOT BEEN REACHED REGARDING THE ACUTE MODULATION OF AUTONOMIC FUNCTION. AIM: THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED AT REVEALING THE ACUTE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY USING HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) MEASUREMENT. METHODS: TWENTY-SEVEN HEALTHY CONTROLS PARTICIPATED IN THE PRESENT STUDY. FIFTEEN OF THEM (39.5 +/- 8.5 YEARS OLD) WERE NAIVE AND 12 (45.1 +/- 7.0 YEARS OLD) WERE EXPERIENCED IN YOGA. YOGA SKILLS INCLUDED BREATH AWARENESS, TWO TYPES OF ASANA, AND TWO TYPES OF PRANAYAMA. HRV WAS MEASURED AT THE BASELINE, DURING YOGA, AND AT THE RESTING STATE AFTER YOGA. RESULTS: IN BOTH YOGA-NAIVE AND EXPERIENCED PARTICIPANTS, THE CHANGES IN LOW-FREQUENCY (LF) COMPONENT OF HRV AND ITS RATIO TO HIGH-FREQUENCY (HF) COMPONENT (LF/HF) AFTER YOGA WERE FOUND TO BE CORRELATED NEGATIVELY WITH THE BASELINE DATA. THE CHANGES IN LF AFTER YOGA WERE ALSO CORRELATED WITH LF DURING YOGA. THE CHANGES IN HF AS WELL AS THE RAW HRV DATA AFTER YOGA WERE NOT RELATED TO THE BASELINE HRV OR THE HRV DURING YOGA. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT YOGA LEADS TO AN INCREASE IN LF WHEN LF IS LOW AND LEADS TO A DECREASE IN LF WHEN IT IS HIGH AT THE BASELINE. THIS NORMALIZATION OF LF IS DEPENDENT ON THE AUTONOMIC MODULATION DURING YOGA AND MAY UNDERLIE THE CLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA THERAPY BOTH IN YOGA-NAIVE AND EXPERIENCED SUBJECTS. 2020 12 748 18 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 13 1402 31 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/