1 289 138 ADJUNCTIVE YOGA TRAINING FOR PERSONS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA: WHO BENEFITS? OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO IDENTIFY FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH ACCEPTABILITY AND EFFICACY OF YOGA TRAINING (YT) FOR IMPROVING COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IN INDIVIDUALS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA (SZ). METHODS: WE ANALYSED DATA FROM TWO PUBLISHED CLINICAL TRIALS OF YT FOR COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION AMONG INDIANS WITH SZ: (1) A 21-DAY RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT, N = 286), 3 AND 6 MONTHS FOLLOW-UP AND (2) A 21-DAY OPEN TRIAL (N = 62). MULTIVARIATE ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED TO EXAMINE THE ASSOCIATION OF BASELINE CHARACTERISTICS (AGE, SEX, SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS, EDUCATIONAL STATUS, DURATION, AND SEVERITY OF ILLNESS) WITH IMPROVEMENT IN COGNITION (I.E. ATTENTION AND FACE MEMORY) FOLLOWING YT. FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH ACCEPTABILITY WERE IDENTIFIED BY COMPARING BASELINE DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES BETWEEN SCREENED AND ENROLLED PARTICIPANTS AS WELL AS COMPLETERS VERSUS NON-COMPLETERS. RESULTS: ENROLLED PARTICIPANTS WERE YOUNGER THAN SCREENED PERSONS WHO DECLINED PARTICIPATION (T = 2.952, P = 0.003). NO OTHER CHARACTERISTICS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH STUDY ENROLLMENT OR COMPLETION. REGARDING EFFICACY, SCHOOLING DURATION WAS NOMINALLY ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER AND SUSTAINED COGNITIVE IMPROVEMENT ON A MEASURE OF FACIAL MEMORY. NO OTHER BASELINE CHARACTERISTICS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH EFFICACY OF YT IN THE OPEN TRIAL, THE RCT, OR THE COMBINED SAMPLES (N = 148). CONCLUSIONS: YT IS ACCEPTABLE EVEN AMONG YOUNGER INDIVIDUALS WITH SZ. IT ALSO ENHANCES SPECIFIC COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS, REGARDLESS OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN SELECTED PSYCHOSOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS. THUS, YOGA COULD BE INCORPORATED AS ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH SZ. IMPORTANTLY, OUR RESULTS SUGGEST COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IS REMEDIABLE IN PERSONS WITH SZ ACROSS THE AGE SPECTRUM. 2021 2 288 47 ADJUNCTIVE COGNITIVE REMEDIATION FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA USING YOGA: AN OPEN, NON-RANDOMIZED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: YOGA THERAPY (YT) IMPROVES COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS, BUT ITS IMPACT ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG PERSONS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA (SZ) HAS NOT BEEN INVESTIGATED. AIMS: EVALUATE ADJUNCTIVE YT FOR COGNITIVE DOMAINS IMPAIRED IN SZ. METHODS: PATIENTS WITH SZ RECEIVED YT OR TREATMENT AS USUAL (TAU; N = 65, N = 23, RESPECTIVELY). ACCURACY AND SPEED FOR SEVEN COGNITIVE DOMAINS WERE ASSESSED USING A COMPUTERIZED NEUROCOGNITIVE BATTERY (CNB), THUS MINIMIZING OBSERVER BIAS. SEPARATELY, YT WAS EVALUATED AMONG PATIENTS WITH BIPOLAR I DISORDER (N = 40), MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (N = 37), AND CARDIOLOGY OUTPATIENTS (N = 68). ALL PATIENTS ALSO RECEIVED ROUTINE PHARMACOTHERAPY. PATIENTS WERE NOT RANDOMIZED TO YT OR TAU. RESULTS: COMPARED WITH THE SZ/TAU GROUP, THE SZ/YT GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT WITH REGARD TO MEASURES OF ATTENTION FOLLOWING CORRECTIONS FOR MULTIPLE COMPARISONS; THE CHANGES WERE MORE PROMINENT AMONG THE MEN. IN THE OTHER DIAGNOSTIC GROUPS, DIFFERING PATTERNS OF IMPROVEMENTS WERE NOTED WITH SMALL TO MEDIUM EFFECT SIZES. CONCLUSIONS: OUR INITIAL ANALYSES SUGGEST NOMINALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA WITH ADJUNCTIVE THERAPIES SUCH AS YT. THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CHANGE VARIES BY COGNITIVE DOMAIN AND MAY ALSO VARY BY DIAGNOSTIC GROUP. 2012 3 1822 48 PROTOCOL TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF YOGA SUPPLEMENTATION ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: SCHIZOPHRENIA (SZ) IS A CHRONIC ILLNESS THAT IS TREATED SYMPTOMATICALLY. COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IS A CORE FEATURE OF SZ THAT IS RELATIVELY INTRACTABLE TO PHARMACOTHERAPY. YOGA CAN IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. A RECENT OPEN TRIAL INDICATED SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS OF YOGA TRAINING (YT) IN CONJUNCTION WITH CONVENTIONAL PHARMACOTHERAPY AMONG PATIENTS WITH SZ. AIMS: TO DESCRIBE THE PROTOCOL FOR AN ONGOING RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGNED TO TEST WHETHER THE REPORTED BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YT ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG SZ PATIENTS CAN BE REPLICATED. SECONDARILY, THE EFFECTS OF YT ON DAILY FUNCTIONING LIVING SKILLS ARE EVALUATED. METHODS: CONSENTING PATIENTS WITH SZ RECEIVE ROUTINE CLINICAL TREATMENT AND ARE RANDOMISED TO ADJUNCTIVE YT, ADJUNCTIVE PHYSICAL EXERCISE (PE) OR TREATMENT AS USUAL (PROPOSED N = 234 TOTAL, N = 78 IN EACH GROUP). THE TRIAL INVOLVES YT OR PE 5 DAYS A WEEK AND LASTS 3 WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS ARE EVALUATED THRICE OVER 6 MONTHS. COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS MEASURED BY TRAIL MAKING TEST, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA NEUROCOGNITIVE COMPUTERISED BATTERY WERE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WHILE CLINICAL SEVERITY AND DAILY FUNCTIONING MEASURED BY INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS SURVEY WERE SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 309 PARTICIPANTS HAVE BEEN RANDOMISED AS OF 31 AUGUST 2013, WHICH EXCEEDED BEYOND 294 PROPOSED AFTER ATTRITION. ONCE PARTICIPANTS BEGIN YT OR PE THEY GENERALLY COMPLETE THE PROTOCOL. NO INJURIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: SHORT TERM YT IS FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE TO INDIAN SZ PATIENTS. IF BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YT ARE DETECTED, IT WILL PROVIDE A NOVEL ADJUNCTIVE COGNITIVE REMEDIATION STRATEGY FOR SZ PATIENTS. 2014 4 161 46 A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF ADJUNCTIVE YOGA AND ADJUNCTIVE PHYSICAL EXERCISE TRAINING FOR COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. BACKGROUND: YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE HAVE BEEN USED AS ADJUNCTIVE INTERVENTION FOR COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA (SZ), BUT CONTROLLED COMPARISONS ARE LACKING. AIMS A SINGLE-BLIND RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS DESIGNED TO EVALUATE WHETHER YOGA TRAINING OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE TRAINING ENHANCE COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS IN SZ, BASED ON A PRIOR PILOT STUDY. METHODS: CONSENTING, CLINICALLY STABLE, ADULT OUTPATIENTS WITH SZ (N=286) COMPLETED BASELINE ASSESSMENTS AND WERE RANDOMISED TO TREATMENT AS USUAL (TAU), SUPERVISED YOGA TRAINING WITH TAU (YT) OR SUPERVISED PHYSICAL EXERCISE TRAINING WITH TAU (PE). BASED ON THE PILOT STUDY, THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS SPEED INDEX FOR THE COGNITIVE DOMAIN OF 'ATTENTION' IN THE PENN COMPUTERISED NEUROCOGNITIVE BATTERY. USING MIXED MODELS AND CONTRASTS, COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS AT BASELINE, 21 DAYS (END OF TRAINING), 3 AND 6 MONTHS POST-TRAINING WERE EVALUATED WITH INTENTION-TO-TREAT PARADIGM. RESULTS: SPEED INDEX OF ATTENTION DOMAIN IN THE YT GROUP SHOWED GREATER IMPROVEMENT THAN PE AT 6 MONTHS FOLLOW-UP (P<0.036, EFFECT SIZE 0.51). IN THE PE GROUP, 'ACCURACY INDEX OF ATTENTION DOMAIN SHOWED GREATER IMPROVEMENT THAN TAU ALONE AT 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP (P<0.025, EFFECT SIZE 0.61). FOR SEVERAL OTHER COGNITIVE DOMAINS, SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED WITH YT OR PE COMPARED WITH TAU ALONE (P<0.05, EFFECT SIZES 0.30-1.97). CONCLUSIONS: BOTH YT AND PE IMPROVED ATTENTION AND ADDITIONAL COGNITIVE DOMAINS WELL PAST THE TRAINING PERIOD, SUPPORTING OUR PRIOR REPORTED BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF YT ON SPEED INDEX OF ATTENTION DOMAIN. AS ADJUNCTS, YT OR PE CAN BENEFIT INDIVIDUALS WITH SZ. 2017 5 1252 48 FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY AND EVALUATION OF MEDITATION TO AUGMENT YOGA PRACTICE AMONG PERSONS DIAGNOSED WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. OBJECTIVE: TO DESIGN A MEDITATION PROTOCOL AND TEST ITS FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY AND EFFICACY IN CONJUNCTION WITH YT FOR PERSONS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA (SZ). METHODS: THE MEDITATION PROTOCOL CONSISTED OF ANAPANA (OBSERVING NORMAL RESPIRATION) AND YOGA NIDRA (SUPINE, RESTFUL AWARENESS). IN A SINGLE BLIND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, MEDICATED AND CLINICALLY STABLE OUTPATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH SZ WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE TREATMENT AS USUAL (TAU), TAU AUGMENTED WITH YOGA TRAINING (YT), OR TAU AUGMENTED WITH MEDITATION AND YOGA TRAINING (MYT) FOR THREE WEEKS (N=145). ACCEPTABILITY, CLINICAL, SOCIAL AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS WERE ASSESSED AFTER 3 WEEKS AND 3 MONTHS POST RANDOMIZATION USING WITHIN GROUP AND BETWEEN GROUPS ANALYSES WITH REPEATED MEASURES MULTIVARIATE TESTS. RESULTS: NO GROUP-WISE DIFFERENCES IN COMPLIANCE, STUDY DISCONTINUATION, MAJOR/SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS OR ADVERSE EVENTS WERE NOTED. FOR SIX ASSESSED CLINICAL VARIABLES, THE DIRECTION OF CHANGES WERE IN THE DESIRED DIRECTION AND THE EFFECT SIZES WERE GREATER IN THE MYT GROUP COMPARED WITH THE TAU GROUP AT BOTH TIME POINTS. CHANGES IN SOCIAL FUNCTION VARIABLES WERE GREATER AT 3 MONTHS THAN AT 3 WEEKS. NOMINALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN INDIVIDUAL COGNITIVE DOMAINS WERE NOTED IN ALL GROUPS AT BOTH TIME POINTS. ALL EFFECT SIZES WERE IN THE SMALL TO MEDIUM RANGE. CONCLUSION: MYT IS FEASIBLE, ACCEPTABLE AND SHOWS MODEST BENEFITS FOR PERSONS WITH SZ. MYT CAN ALSO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND CLINICAL SYMPTOMS. LARGER STUDIES OF LONGER DURATION ARE WARRANTED. 2022 6 2782 35 YOGA THERAPY AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA--A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TREATMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA HAS REMAINED UNSATISFACTORY DESPITE THE AVAILABILITY OF ANTIPSYCHOTICS. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFICACY OF YOGA THERAPY (YT) AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT TO THE ONGOING ANTIPSYCHOTIC TREATMENT. METHOD: SIXTY-ONE MODERATELY ILL SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YT (N = 31) AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE THERAPY (PT; N = 30) FOR 4 MONTHS. THEY WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND 4 MONTHS AFTER THE START OF INTERVENTION, BY A RATER WHO WAS BLIND TO THEIR GROUP STATUS. RESULTS: FORTY-ONE SUBJECTS (YT = 21; PT = 20) WERE AVAILABLE AT THE END OF 4 MONTHS FOR ASSESSMENT. SUBJECTS IN THE YT GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LESS PSYCHOPATHOLOGY THAN THOSE IN THE PT GROUP AT THE END OF 4 MONTHS. THEY ALSO HAD SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER SOCIAL AND OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING AND QUALITY OF LIFE. CONCLUSION: BOTH NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS CONTRIBUTE TO REDUCTION IN SYMPTOMS, WITH YT HAVING BETTER EFFICACY. 2007 7 2293 37 THERAPEUTIC EFFICACY OF ADD-ON YOGASANA INTERVENTION IN STABILIZED OUTPATIENT SCHIZOPHRENIA: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED COMPARISON WITH EXERCISE AND WAITLIST. BACKGROUND: SCHIZOPHRENIA IS A HIGHLY DISABLING ILLNESS. PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN YOGA TO BE A FEASIBLE ADD-ON THERAPY IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. AIMS: THE CURRENT STUDY AIMED TO TEST THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT IN OUTPATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: THE STUDY DONE AT A TERTIARY PSYCHIATRY CENTER USED A SINGLE BLIND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED DESIGN WITH ACTIVE CONTROL AND WAITLIST GROUPS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CONSENTING PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA, EXERCISE, OR WAITLIST GROUP. THEY CONTINUED TO RECEIVE PHARMACOLOGICAL THERAPY THAT WAS UNCHANGED DURING THE STUDY. PATIENTS IN THE YOGA OR EXERCISE GROUP WERE OFFERED SUPERVISED DAILY PROCEDURES FOR ONE MONTH. ALL PATIENTS WERE ASSESSED BY A BLIND RATER AT THE START OF THE INTERVENTION AND AT THE END OF 4 MONTHS. RESULTS: KENDALL TAU, A NONPARAMETRIC STATISTICAL TEST, SHOWED THAT SIGNIFICANTLY MORE PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP IMPROVED IN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYNDROME SCALE (PANSS) NEGATIVE AND TOTAL PANSS SCORES AS WELL AS SOCIAL FUNCTIONING SCORES COMPARED WITH THE EXERCISE AND WAITLIST GROUP. ODDS RATIO ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT THE LIKELIHOOD OF IMPROVEMENT IN YOGA GROUP IN TERMS OF NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS WAS ABOUT FIVE TIMES GREATER THAN EITHER THE EXERCISE OR WAITLIST GROUPS. CONCLUSION: IN SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS WITH SEVERAL YEARS OF ILLNESS AND ON STABILIZED PHARMACOLOGICAL THERAPY, ONE-MONTH TRAINING FOLLOWED BY THREE MONTHS OF HOME PRACTICES OF YOGA AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT OFFERED SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE OVER EXERCISE OR TREATMENT AS USUAL. YOGA HOLDS PROMISE AS A COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. 2012 8 2441 41 YOGA AND SCHIZOPHRENIA-A COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF NEUROPLASTICITY: PROTOCOL FOR A SINGLE BLIND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY OF YOGA IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. INTRODUCTION: SCHIZOPHRENIA IS ONE OF THE MOST SEVERE MENTAL DISORDERS WITH A PREVALENCE OF ABOUT 1% AND A LEADING CAUSE OF DISABILITY AMONG YOUNG ADULTS. PHARMACOTHERAPY IS THE MAINSTAY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. HOWEVER, EVEN WITH THE BEST OF MEDICATION, SEVERAL PROBLEMS LIKE REFRACTORINESS, NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS, FREQUENT RELAPSES, AND COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS PERSIST. METHODS: THIS IS A RANDOMIZED-CONTROLLED CLINICAL STUDY INCLUDING PATIENTS FROM AN URBAN TERTIARY HOSPITAL AND A SEMI-URBAN COMMUNITY CENTER, WITH A BETWEEN-GROUP, REPEATED-MEASURES, LONGITUDINAL DESIGN. THIS STUDY WILL RECRUIT 160 PATIENTS WITH DSM 5 DIAGNOSIS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA WHO ARE ON STABLE MEDICATION FOR A MINIMUM OF 6 WEEKS; THEY WILL BE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO 2 ARMS VIZ., YOGA THERAPY (YT), AND TREATMENT-AS-USUAL (TAU) WITH 80 PATIENTS IN EACH ARM. PARTICIPANTS WILL UNDERGO CLINICAL, LABORATORY, AND RADIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENTS AT BASELINE AND AT INTERVALS OF 1 MONTH, 3 MONTHS, AND 6 MONTHS FROM THE BASELINE. IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT YOGA WILL IMPROVE PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND EMOTION PROCESSING, INCREASE SERUM BRAIN DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF) AND PLASMA OXYTOCIN LEVELS AND EFFECT CHANGES IN CEREBRAL ACTIVATION IN AREAS OF THE BRAIN ASSOCIATED WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. DISCUSSION: THIS STUDY AIMS TO MEASURE THE EFFICACY OF A YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION AS AN ADJUNCT IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA AS WELL AS THE MECHANISMS OF THESE EFFECTS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: REGISTERED RETROSPECTIVELY WITH CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY - INDIA (CTRI) WITH REGISTRATION NUMBER CTRI/2017/08/009219. 2019 9 2222 44 THE IMPACT OF MODIFIED HATHA YOGA ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS RANDOMIZED PILOT STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE A POSSIBLE DESIGN FOR A 6-WEEK MODIFIED HATHA YOGA PROTOCOL TO STUDY THE EFFECTS ON PARTICIPANTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. PARTICIPANTS: TWENTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS (M = 4; F = 17), BETWEEN THE AGES OF 30 AND 65, WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER AN IMMEDIATE YOGA BASED INTERVENTION, OR TO A CONTROL GROUP WITH NO TREATMENT DURING THE OBSERVATION PERIOD BUT RECEIVED LATER YOGA TRAINING. METHODS: A SPECIFIC CLBP YOGA PROTOCOL DESIGNED AND MODIFIED FOR THIS POPULATION BY A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR WAS ADMINISTERED FOR ONE HOUR, TWICE A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS. PRIMARY FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED THE FORWARD REACH (FR) AND SIT AND REACH (SR) TESTS. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED OSWESTRY DISABILITY INDEX (ODI) AND BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY (BDI) QUESTIONNAIRES. GUIDING QUESTIONS WERE USED FOR QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS TO ASCERTAIN HOW YOGA PARTICIPANTS PERCEIVED THE INSTRUCTOR, GROUP DYNAMICS, AND THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON THEIR LIFE. ANALYSIS: TO ACCOUNT FOR DROP OUTS, THE DATA WERE DIVIDED INTO BETTER OR NOT CATEGORIES, AND ANALYZED USING CHI-SQUARE TO EXAMINE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS. QUALITATIVE DATA WERE ANALYZED THROUGH FREQUENCY OF POSITIVE RESPONSES. RESULTS: POTENTIALLY IMPORTANT TRENDS IN THE FUNCTIONAL MEASUREMENT SCORES SHOWED IMPROVED BALANCE AND FLEXIBILITY AND DECREASED DISABILITY AND DEPRESSION FOR THE YOGA GROUP BUT THIS PILOT WAS NOT POWERED TO REACH STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. SIGNIFICANT LIMITATIONS INCLUDED A HIGH DROPOUT RATE IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND LARGE BASELINE DIFFERENCES IN THE SECONDARY MEASURES. IN ADDITION, ANALYSIS OF THE QUALITATIVE DATA REVEALED THE FOLLOWING FREQUENCY OF RESPONSES (1) GROUP INTERVENTION MOTIVATED THE PARTICIPANTS AND (2) YOGA FOSTERED RELAXATION AND NEW AWARENESS/LEARNING. CONCLUSION: A MODIFIED YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION MAY BENEFIT INDIVIDUALS WITH CLB, BUT A LARGER STUDY IS NECESSARY TO PROVIDE DEFINITIVE EVIDENCE. ALSO, THE IMPACT ON DEPRESSION AND DISABILITY COULD BE CONSIDERED AS IMPORTANT OUTCOMES FOR FURTHER STUDY. ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME MEASURES SHOULD BE EXPLORED. THIS PILOT STUDY SUPPORTS THE NEED FOR MORE RESEARCH INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF YOGA FOR THIS POPULATION. 2004 10 2864 36 YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION FOR CAREGIVERS OF OUTPATIENTS WITH PSYCHOSIS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: THE USE OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR CAREGIVERS OF PATIENTS WITH PSYCHOSIS HAS BEEN POORLY STUDIED. THE CURRENT STUDY AIMED TO TEST THE EFFICACY OF A BRIEF YOGA PROGRAM AS AN INTERVENTION IN CAREGIVERS OF OUTPATIENTS WITH FUNCTIONAL PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS USING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED RESEARCH DESIGN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CAREGIVERS WHO AGREED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY (N=29) WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA (N=15) OR WAIT-LIST GROUP (N=14). THEY WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 3 MONTHS. PATIENTS WHO WERE RANDOMIZED INTO THE YOGA GROUP WERE OFFERED SUPERVISED YOGA TRAINING THRICE A WEEK FOR 4 WEEKS, AFTER WHICH THEY WERE INSTRUCTED TO PRACTICE AT HOME FOR THE NEXT 2 MONTHS. DUE TO THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE AND SOME VARIABLES NOT BEING NORMALLY DISTRIBUTED, NON-PARAMETRIC STATISTICAL ANALYSIS WAS USED. RESULTS: RESULTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BURDEN SCORES AND IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO THE WAIT-LIST GROUP AT THE END OF 3 MONTHS. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCORES IN CAREGIVERS, OR PSYCHOPATHOLOGY SCORES IN PATIENTS. CONCLUSION: IN CAREGIVERS OF OUTPATIENTS WITH FUNCTIONAL PSYCHOSIS, 4 WEEKS OF TRAINING FOLLOWED BY 3 MONTHS OF HOME PRACTICE OF A YOGA MODULE OFFERED SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE OVER WAITLIST. YOGA CAN BE OFFERED AS AN INTERVENTION FOR CAREGIVERS OF PATIENTS WITH SEVERE MENTAL DISORDERS. METHODS OF PROVIDING YOGA INTERVENTION CLOSER TO THE COMMUNITY OR USE OF FLEXIBLE MODULES AT HOSPITALS NEEDS FURTHER STUDY. 2013 11 115 30 A PILOT STUDY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR THE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY IN YOUNG PEOPLE WITH EARLY PSYCHOSIS. BACKGROUND: ANXIETY IS COMMON IN YOUNG PEOPLE WITH EARLY PSYCHOSIS AND TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR THIS CO-MORBIDITY REMAIN LIMITED. YOGA IS A PROMISING ADJUNCT INTERVENTION THAT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE ANXIETY FOR ADULTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA, THEREFORE THIS PILOT STUDY EVALUATED THE ACCEPTABILITY AND POTENTIAL EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR ANXIETY IN EARLY PSYCHOSIS. METHODS: A PROSPECTIVE SINGLE ARM PILOT STUDY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION WAS CONDUCTED WITHIN AN EARLY INTERVENTION FOR PSYCHOSIS SERVICE. RATES OF ATTENDANCE, AS WELL AS SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY PRE AND POST YOGA SESSION WERE MEASURED. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 14 YOUNG PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY AND OVER 70% ATTENDED HALF OR MORE OF THE YOGA SESSIONS OFFERED. SIGNIFICANT TRANSIENT REDUCTION IN STATE ANXIETY AFTER A SINGLE SESSION OF YOGA WAS OBSERVED (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA WAS FOUND TO BE AN ACCEPTABLE AND POTENTIALLY EFFECTIVE ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR ANXIETY IN EARLY PSYCHOSIS AND THE RESULTS WARRANT FURTHER CLINICAL TRIALS. 2022 12 1707 34 PATTERNS OF YOGA PRACTICE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOLLOWING A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR ADULTS WITH OR AT RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES. BACKGROUND: THE CURRENT STUDY DESCRIBED PATTERNS OF YOGA PRACTICE AND EXAMINED DIFFERENCES IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OVER TIME BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS WITH OR AT RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES WHO COMPLETED AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION COMPARED WITH CONTROLS. METHODS: A LONGITUDINAL COMPARATIVE DESIGN MEASURED THE EFFECT OF A YOGA INTERVENTION ON YOGA PRACTICE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, USING DATA AT BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION MONTHS 3, 6, AND 15. RESULTS: DISPARATE PATTERNS OF YOGA PRACTICE OCCURRED BETWEEN INTERVENTION AND CONTROL PARTICIPANTS OVER TIME, BUT THE SUBJECTIVE DEFINITION OF YOGA PRACTICE LIMITS INTERPRETATION. MULTILEVEL MODEL ESTIMATES INDICATED THAT TREATMENT GROUP DID NOT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCE IN THE RATE OF CHANGE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OVER THE STUDY PERIOD. WHILE AGE AND EDUCATION WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT INDIVIDUAL PREDICTORS, THE INCLUSION OF THESE VARIABLES IN THE MODEL DID IMPROVE FIT. CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS INDICATE THAT AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION HAD LITTLE EFFECT ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OVER TIME. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NECESSARY TO EXPLORE THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA ON BEHAVIORAL HEALTH OUTCOMES AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH OR AT RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES. 2012 13 1732 41 PERSPECTIVE OF PATIENTS REFERRED TO YOGA CENTER IN A TERTIARY NEUROPSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL: A CROSS-SECTIONAL RETROSPECTIVE STUDY. BACKGROUND: YOGA HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY USED AS AN ALTERNATIVE OR COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY IN PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS DEPENDING ON THE TYPE AND SEVERITY OF THE DISORDERS. HOWEVER, DATA RELATED TO PERSPECTIVE ON YOGA SERVICES AND THE BENEFITS AND ADVERSE EFFECTS ATTRIBUTED TO YOGA BY PATIENTS WITH MAJOR PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS IS LACKING. AIM: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO ASSESS FEEDBACK OF THE PATIENTS WHO ATTENDED YOGA SESSIONS AT A YOGA CENTER IN A TERTIARY NEUROPSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS WAS A CROSS-SECTIONAL RETROSPECTIVE STUDY USING A SPECIFIC QUESTIONNAIRE TO GET FEEDBACK FROM PATIENTS REFERRED TO THE NIMHANS INTEGRATED CENTER FOR YOGA, AT THE END OF THEIR YOGA TRAINING. RESULTS: TWO HUNDRED AND ONE PATIENTS' DATA WERE INCLUDED IN THIS RETROSPECTIVE STUDY. MOST OF THE PATIENTS WERE REFERRED BY THE DOCTORS. THE YOGA MODULE FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA WAS MOST COMMONLY UTILIZED, FOLLOWED BY DEPRESSION. ON AN AVERAGE, PATIENTS ATTENDED 13 SESSIONS. MOST OF THEM PRACTICED YOGA FOR 1-2 WEEKS AND HAD MISSED LESS THAN 2 SESSIONS. THE GREAT MAJORITY OF THE PATIENTS REPORTED THAT PRACTICING YOGA HELPED THEM. SPEARMAN CORRELATION ANALYSIS REVEALED POSITIVE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN IMPROVEMENT ATTRIBUTED TO YOGA AND VARIABLES AFFECTING QUALITY OF YOGA SERVICES AT THE CENTER, INCLUDING THE QUALITY OF YOGA SESSIONS ATTENDED. OVERALL HEALTH AND SLEEP IMPROVEMENT ALSO POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH IMPROVEMENT ATTRIBUTED TO YOGA. A MINORITY OF PATIENTS REPORTED ADVERSE EFFECTS, ALTHOUGH THESE DID NOT LEAD TO DISCONTINUATION. CONCLUSION: IN THIS RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF PATIENTS REFERRED TO A YOGA CENTER IN A TERTIARY PSYCHIATRIC FACILITY, THE MAJORITY OF PATIENTS WITH MAJOR MENTAL DISORDERS WERE ABLE TO PRACTICE YOGA UNDER SUPERVISION AND REPORTED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN SYMPTOMS WITH MINIMAL ADVERSE EFFECTS. 2021 14 2235 33 THE IMPACT OF YOGA UPON FEMALE PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM HYPOTHYROIDISM. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF FEMALE HYPOTHYROID PATIENTS. DESIGN: THE WHO QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE(22) WAS USED TO ASSESS THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF 20 FEMALE HYPOTHYROID PATIENTS. SUBJECTS ATTENDED ONE HOUR YOGA SESSIONS DAILY FOR A PERIOD OF ONE MONTH. A PRETEST-POST-TEST RESEARCH DESIGN WAS USED FOR DATA ANALYSIS. RESULTS: PATIENTS' QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES FOLLOWING THE YOGA PROGRAM WERE GREATER THAN SCORES OBTAINED PRIOR TO UNDERTAKING YOGA (P < 0.01). PATIENTS ALSO REPORTED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR PERCEPTION OF THE OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE AND OF THEIR HEALTH POST YOGA INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT YOGA IS VALUABLE IN HELPING THE HYPOTHYROID PATIENTS TO MANAGE THEIR DISEASE-RELATED SYMPTOMS. YOGA MAY BE CONSIDERED AS SUPPORTIVE OR COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY IN CONJUNCTION WITH MEDICAL THERAPY FOR THE TREATMENT OF HYPOTHYROID DISORDER. 2011 15 428 37 CAN YOGA HAVE ANY EFFECT ON SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER? A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, SINGLE-BLIND TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), DEPRESSION, AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. METHODS: THIS PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED STUDY INCLUDED 42 PATIENTS. THE PATIENTS IN GROUP 1 UNDERWENT A 10-WEEK HATHA YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM. THE PATIENTS IN GROUP 2 WERE INCLUDED IN A 10-WEEK FOLLOW-UP PROGRAM. OUR PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS ARM AND SHOULDER PAIN INTENSITY. RESULTS: THE GROUP RECEIVING YOGA SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR PAIN SEVERITY FROM BASELINE TO POST-TREATMENT, AND THESE BENEFITS WERE MAINTAINED AT 2.5 MONTHS POST-TREATMENT. WHEN COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, THERE WERE NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE 2 GROUPS WITH RESPECT TO THE PARAMETERS ASSESSED AT THE END OF WEEK 10. CONCLUSION: YOGA WAS AN EFFECTIVE AND SAFE EXERCISE FOR ALLEVIATING SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN, WHICH IS A COMPLICATION WITH A HIGH PREVALENCE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. 2018 16 1041 40 EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON SLEEP AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE IN ELDERLY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. CONTEXT: YOGA AS A LIFE-STYLE PRACTICE HAS DEMONSTRATED BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. THE ROLE OF YOGA IN THE ELDERLY FOR SUCH BENEFITS MERITS INVESTIGATION. AIMS: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON QUALITY-OF-LIFE (QOL) AND SLEEP QUALITY IN THE ELDERLY LIVING IN OLD AGE HOMES. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: SINGLE BLIND CONTROLLED STUDY WITH BLOCK RANDOMIZATION OF ELDERLY HOMES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 120 SUBJECTS FROM NINE ELDERLY HOMES WERE RANDOMIZED IN TO YOGA GROUP (N=62) AND WAITLIST GROUP (N=58). SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP WERE GIVEN YOGA INTERVENTION DAILY FOR 1 MONTH AND WEEKLY UNTIL 3 MONTHS AND WERE ENCOURAGED TO PRACTICE YOGA WITHOUT SUPERVISION UNTIL FOR 6 MONTHS. SUBJECTS IN WAITLIST GROUP RECEIVED NO INTERVENTION DURING THIS PERIOD. SUBJECTS WERE EVALUATED WITH WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE (WHOQOL)-BREF FOR MEASURING QOL AND PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX FOR SLEEP QUALITY IN THE BASELINE AND AFTER 6 MONTHS. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: INDEPENDENT T-TEST AND REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE RESPECTIVELY WAS USED TO MEASURE THE DIFFERENCE IN OUTCOME MEASURES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS AT BASELINE AND AFTER THE STUDY PERIOD. RESULTS: SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER NUMBER OF YEARS OF FORMAL EDUCATION. SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ALL THE DOMAINS OF QOL AND TOTAL SLEEP QUALITY AFTER CONTROLLING FOR THE EFFECT OF BASELINE DIFFERENCE IN EDUCATION BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. CONCLUSION: YOGA INTERVENTION APPEARS TO IMPROVE THE QOL AND SLEEP QUALITY OF ELDERLY LIVING IN OLD AGE HOMES. THERE IS A NEED FOR FURTHER STUDIES OVERCOMING THE LIMITATIONS IN THIS STUDY TO CONFIRM THE BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR ELDERLY IN QOL AND SLEEP QUALITY. 2013 17 159 35 A RANDOMISED COMPARATIVE TRIAL OF YOGA AND RELAXATION TO REDUCE STRESS AND ANXIETY. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE YOGA AND RELAXATION AS TREATMENT MODALITIES AT 10 AND 16 WEEKS FROM STUDY BASELINE TO DETERMINE IF EITHER OF MODALITY REDUCES SUBJECT STRESS, ANXIETY, BLOOD PRESSURE AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE. DESIGN: A RANDOMISED COMPARATIVE TRIAL WAS UNDERTAKEN COMPARING YOGA WITH RELAXATION. PARTICIPANTS: ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE SUBJECTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE LEVELS OF STRESS WERE RECRUITED FROM THE COMMUNITY IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. INTERVENTIONS: TEN WEEKLY 1- H SESSIONS OF RELAXATION OR HATHA YOGA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: CHANGES IN THE STATE TRAIT PERSONALITY INVENTORY SUB-SCALE ANXIETY, GENERAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE AND THE SHORT FORM-36. RESULTS: FOLLOWING THE 10 WEEK INTERVENTION STRESS, ANXIETY AND QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES IMPROVED OVER TIME. YOGA WAS FOUND TO BE AS EFFECTIVE AS RELAXATION IN REDUCING STRESS, ANXIETY AND IMPROVING HEALTH STATUS ON SEVEN DOMAINS OF THE SF-36. YOGA WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN RELAXATION IN IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH. AT THE END OF THE 6 WEEK FOLLOW-UP PERIOD THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS IN LEVELS OF STRESS, ANXIETY AND ON FIVE DOMAINS OF THE SF-36. VITALITY, SOCIAL FUNCTION AND MENTAL HEALTH SCORES ON THE SF-36 WERE HIGHER IN THE RELAXATION GROUP DURING THE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. CONCLUSION: YOGA APPEARS TO PROVIDE A COMPARABLE IMPROVEMENT IN STRESS, ANXIETY AND HEALTH STATUS COMPARED TO RELAXATION. 2007 18 1902 38 RESTORATIVE YOGA IN ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL. BACKGROUND: METABOLIC SYNDROME INCREASES THE RISK OF DIABETES AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. YOGA IMPROVES SOME METABOLIC PARAMETERS, BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED IN PERSONS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME. WE CONDUCTED A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL TO DETERMINE WHETHER A RESTORATIVE YOGA INTERVENTION WAS FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE IN UNDERACTIVE, OVERWEIGHT ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME. METHODS: TWENTY SIX UNDERACTIVE, OVERWEIGHT ADULT MEN AND WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME WERE RANDOMIZED TO ATTEND 15 YOGA SESSIONS OF 90 MINUTES EACH OVER 10 WEEKS OR TO A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. FEASIBILITY WAS MEASURED BY RECRUITMENT RATES, SUBJECT RETENTION, AND ADHERENCE. ACCEPTABILITY WAS ASSESSED BY INTERVIEW AND QUESTIONNAIRES. CHANGES IN METABOLIC OUTCOMES AND QUESTIONNAIRE MEASURES FROM BASELINE TO WEEK 10 WERE CALCULATED. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 280 PEOPLE WERE SCREENED BY PHONE, AND 93 WITH HIGH LIKELIHOOD OF METABOLIC SYNDROME WERE INVITED TO A SCREENING VISIT. OF THE 68 WHO ATTENDED SCREENING VISITS, 26 (38%) WERE RANDOMIZED, AND 24 (92%) COMPLETED THE TRIAL. ATTENDANCE AT YOGA CLASSES AND ADHERENCE TO HOME PRACTICE EXCEEDED OUR GOALS. IN THE YOGA GROUP, ALL PARTICIPANTS GAVE THE STUDY THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE SATISFACTION RATING, AND THE MAJORITY (87%) FELT THAT THE YOGA POSES WERE EASY TO PERFORM. THERE WAS TREND TO REDUCED BLOOD PRESSURE (P = 0.07), A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN ENERGY LEVEL (P < 0.009), AND TRENDS TO IMPROVEMENT IN WELL-BEING (P < 0.12) AND STRESS (P < 0.22) IN THE YOGA VERSUS CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: RESTORATIVE YOGA WAS A FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE INTERVENTION IN OVERWEIGHT ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME. THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR IMPROVING METABOLIC PARAMETERS IN THIS POPULATION SHOULD BE EXPLORED IN A LARGER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. 2008 19 1180 38 EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICACY OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. STUDY DESIGN: THE EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICACY OF IYENGAR YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) WERE ASSESSED WITH INTENTION-TO-TREAT AND PER-PROTOCOL ANALYSIS. NINETY SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO A YOGA (N = 43) OR CONTROL GROUP (N = 47) RECEIVING STANDARD MEDICAL CARE. PARTICIPANTS WERE FOLLOWED 6 MONTHS AFTER COMPLETION OF THE INTERVENTION. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. YOGA SUBJECTS WERE HYPOTHESIZED TO REPORT GREATER REDUCTIONS IN FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, PAIN INTENSITY, DEPRESSION, AND PAIN MEDICATION USAGE THAN CONTROLS. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: CLBP IS A MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDER WITH PUBLIC HEALTH AND ECONOMIC IMPACT. PILOT STUDIES OF YOGA AND BACK PAIN HAVE REPORTED SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CLINICALLY IMPORTANT OUTCOMES. METHODS: SUBJECTS WERE RECRUITED THROUGH SELF-REFERRAL AND HEALTH PROFESSIONAL REFERRALS ACCORDING TO EXPLICIT INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA. YOGA SUBJECTS PARTICIPATED IN 24 WEEKS OF BIWEEKLY YOGA CLASSES DESIGNED FOR CLBP. OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT 12 (MIDWAY), 24 (IMMEDIATELY AFTER), AND 48 WEEKS (6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP) AFTER THE START OF THE INTERVENTION USING THE OSWESTRY DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE, A VISUAL ANALOG SCALE, THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, AND A PAIN MEDICATION-USAGE QUESTIONNAIRE. RESULTS: USING INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS WITH REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA (GROUP X TIME), SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER REDUCTIONS IN FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND PAIN INTENSITY WERE OBSERVED IN THE YOGA GROUP WHEN COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP AT 24 WEEKS. A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER PROPORTION OF YOGA SUBJECTS ALSO REPORTED CLINICAL IMPROVEMENTS AT BOTH 12 AND 24 WEEKS. IN ADDITION, DEPRESSION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN YOGA SUBJECTS. FURTHERMORE, WHILE A REDUCTION IN PAIN MEDICATION OCCURRED, THIS WAS COMPARABLE IN BOTH GROUPS. WHEN RESULTS WERE ANALYZED USING PER-PROTOCOL ANALYSIS, IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED FOR ALL OUTCOMES IN THE YOGA GROUP, INCLUDING AGREATER TREND FOR REDUCED PAIN MEDICATION USAGE. ALTHOUGH SLIGHTLY LESS THAN AT 24 WEEKS, THE YOGA GROUP HAD STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, PAIN INTENSITY, AND DEPRESSION COMPARED TO STANDARD MEDICAL CARE 6-MONTHS POSTINTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: YOGA IMPROVES FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, PAIN INTENSITY, AND DEPRESSION IN ADULTS WITH CLBP. THERE WAS ALSO A CLINICALLY IMPORTANT TREND FOR THE YOGA GROUP TO REDUCE THEIR PAIN MEDICATION USAGE COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. 2009 20 1731 35 PERSONALIZED YOGA THERAPY FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: EFFECT ON SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT AND QUALITY OF LIFE. THIS STUDY AIMED TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF PERSONALIZED YOGA THERAPY INTERVENTION IN A PRIVATE SETTING AND ITS EFFECT ON QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), SLEEP QUALITY, AND SYMPTOM RELIEF AMONG PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS). A SINGLE-GROUP PRE- AND POST-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AMONG 10 MEMBERS OF THE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY OF INDIA BETWEEN DECEMBER 2017 AND APRIL 2018. AT BASELINE AND DURING FOLLOW-UP, QOL, SLEEP QUALITY, SYMPTOMS, AND PAIN WERE ASSESSED USING THE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS QUALITY OF LIFE, PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX, MS SYMPTOM CHECKLIST, AND VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE, RESPECTIVELY. THE INTERVENTION COMPRISED 12 PRIVATE CUSTOMIZED YOGA SESSIONS OF 1 HOUR DURATION AND THREE GROUP SESSIONS, ALL SPREAD OVER 3-MONTHS. PATIENT FEEDBACK AND DIRECT OBSERVATIONS BY THE YOGA THERAPIST WE RE DOCUMENTED AT EACH SESSION. TEN PATIENTS (SEVEN FEMALE, THREE MALE, AGE 31-52 YEARS) WERE ENROLLED IN THE YOGA INTERVENTION; SEVEN COMPLETED 8-12 SESSIONS, AND THREE COMPLETED FEWER THAN 5 SESSIONS. THERAPIST-TO-PATIENT RATIO WAS 1:2. ALL DOMAINS EXCEPT SEXUAL FUNCTION SHOWED CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN QOL SCORES. STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WAS FOUND IN SOCIAL FUNCTION (P = 0.014) AND CHANGE IN HEALTH STATUS (P = 0.029) SCORES AFTER THE INTERVENTION. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN AND SLEEP QUALITY, THESE CHANGES WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. PATIENTS REPORTED IMPROVEMENT IN SYMPTOMS WITH PRACTICE OF YOGA ALONGSIDE LIFESTYLE CHANGES. THE STUDY SUPPORTS THE FEASIBILITY OF THIS 3-MONTH YOGA INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WITH MS. STUDIES WITH LARGER SAMPLE SIZES ARE REQUIRED TO CONFIRM OUR FINDINGS. 2021