1 301 156 AN ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECTS OF IYENGAR YOGA PRACTICE ON THE HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF AN IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM (IYP) ON PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES. METHODS: PATIENTS ATTENDING LUNG TRANSPLANT CLINICS IN A TERTIARY INSTITUTION WERE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN A TWO-PHASE, 12-WEEK IYP THAT INCLUDED 2 H BIWEEKLY CLASSES. DOCTORS COMPLETED A FORMAL PHYSICAL AND CLINICAL ASSESSMENT ON CANDIDATES BEFORE ENROLLMENT. PATIENTS WITH NEW YORK ASSOCIATION CLASS III OR IV, OR DYSPNEA GRADE IV WERE EXCLUDED. AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 12-WEEKS, PATIENTS COMPLETED THE HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS), CHRONIC RESPIRATORY QUESTIONNAIRE (CRQ) AND HEALTH UTILITIES INDEX (HUI). MEDICATION(S), 6 MIN WALK TEST RESULTS AND OTHER CLINICAL PARAMETERS WERE ALSO RECORDED. PATIENTS RECORDED THE EFFECTS OF THE IYP ON THEIR DAILY LIVING IN JOURNALS. NONPARAMETRIC AND QUALITATIVE METHODS WERE USED TO ANALYZE THE DATA. RESULTS: TWENTY-FIVE PATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (MEAN AGE 60 YEARS) WERE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE. AT THE END OF THE 12-WEEK PERIOD, CHANGES IN HADS ANXIETY AND CRQ FATIGUE SCORES WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05) AND CHANGES IN HUI AMBULATION, PAIN, EMOTION AND OVERALL SCORE WERE CLINICALLY IMPORTANT. THE CONTENT OF THE JOURNALS REVEALED PATIENTS' IMPROVEMENT IN BREATHING CAPACITY, MOBILITY, ENERGY, SLEEP AND INCLUDED POSITIVE FEEDBACK SUCH AS: "INCREASED TIDAL VOLUME WITH SLOWING EXPIRATION", "I HAVE AN OVERALL FEELING OF WELLBEING" AND "EXCELLENT AMOUNT OF ENERGY". CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA HAS SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE BENEFITS. POTENTIAL BENEFITS WILL BE FURTHER EXPLORED IN A NATIONAL MULTISITE STUDY. 2013 2 708 44 EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPY ON AUDIOVISUAL REACTION TIME, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS CHARACTERIZED BY A SIGNIFICANT DETERIORATION IN AUDITORY AND VISUAL REACTION TIMES ALONG WITH ASSOCIATED DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPY (PT) INTERVENTIONS HAVE BEEN FOUND TO ENHANCE RECOVERY FROM THESE PROBLEMS IN VARIOUS NEUROPSYCHIATRIC ILLNESSES, BUT SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE IS LACKING IN CHRONIC MS POPULATION. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPY (IYP) ON AUDIOVISUAL REACTION TIMES, DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM CHRONIC MS. METHODS: FROM A NEURO-REHABILITATION CENTER IN GERMANY, 11 PATIENTS (SIX FEMALES) SUFFERING FROM MS FOR 19+/-7.4 YEARS WERE RECRUITED. SUBJECTS WERE IN THE AGE RANGE OF 55.45+/-10.02 YEARS AND HAD EXTENDED DISABILITY STATUS SCORES (EDSS) BELOW 7. ALL THE SUBJECTS RECEIVED MIND-BODY INTERVENTION OF INTEGRATED YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPY (IYP) FOR 3 WEEKS. THE INTERVENTION WAS GIVEN IN A RESIDENTIAL SETUP. PATIENTS FOLLOWED A ROUTINE INVOLVING YOGIC PHYSICAL POSTURES, PRANAYAMA, AND MEDITATIONS ALONG WITH VARIOUS PHYSICAL THERAPY (PT) TECHNIQUES FOR 21 DAYS, 5 DAYS A WEEK, 5 H/DAY. THEY WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION FOR CHANGES IN AUDIOVISUAL REACTION TIMES (USING BRAIN FIT MODEL NO. OT 400), ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION [USING HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS)]. DATA WAS ANALYZED USING PAIRED SAMPLES TEST. RESULTS: THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN VISUAL REACTION TIME (P=0.01), DEPRESSION (P=0.04), AND ANXIETY (P=0.02) SCORES AT THE END OF 3 WEEKS AS COMPARED TO THE BASELINE. AUDITORY REACTION TIME SHOWED REDUCTION WITH BORDERLINE STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE (P=0.058). CONCLUSIONS: THIS PILOT PROJECT SUGGESTS UTILITY OF IYP INTERVENTION FOR IMPROVING AUDIOVISUAL REACTION TIMES AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH IN CHRONIC MS PATIENTS. IN FUTURE, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH LARGER SAMPLE SIZE SHOULD BE PERFORMED TO CONFIRM THESE FINDINGS. 2016 3 1380 41 IMPACT OF LONG TERM YOGA PRACTICE ON SLEEP QUALITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE ELDERLY. BACKGROUND: SLEEP DISTURBANCES AND DECLINE IN THE PHYSICAL FUNCTIONALITY ARE COMMON CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH AGING. PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT OF SLEEP DISTURBANCES CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH VARIOUS ADVERSE EFFECTS. SHORT TERM TRIALS OF YOGA ON SLEEP HAVE SHOWN BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. OBJECTIVES: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF LONG-TERM YOGA EXERCISES ON SLEEP QUALITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) IN THE ELDERLY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS WAS A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN WHICH DATA WERE COLLECTED FROM ELDERLY PEOPLE AGED 60 YEARS OR MORE LIVING IN NAGPUR CITY. WE EMPLOYED TWO TYPES OF SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES: PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI) AND QOL LEIDEN-PADUA (LEIPAD) QUESTIONNAIRE. A TOTAL OF 65 ELDERLY MEN AND WOMEN WHO SIGNED AN INFORMED CONSENT AND COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. SLEEP QUALITY SCORE PSQI AND QOL (LEIPAD QUESTIONNAIRE) SCORE OF THE STUDY GROUP WERE EVALUATED AND COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP USING MANN-WHITNEY U TEST. RESULTS: TOTAL PSQI SCORE IN YOGA GROUP WAS LOWER THAN THAT OF THE CONTROL GROUP. ALSO VARIOUS QOL SCORES OF THE YOGA GROUPS WERE HIGHER THAN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: ADDITION OF REGULAR YOGA EXERCISES IN THE DAILY ROUTINE OF ELDERLY PEOPLE CAN HELP TO ACHIEVE GOOD SLEEP QUALITY AS WELL AS IMPROVE THE QOL. 2013 4 2871 34 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 5 947 38 EFFECTS OF A 4-MONTH ANANDA YOGA PROGRAM ON PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR PERSONS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. OBJECTIVES: YOGA HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR ADDRESSING PROBLEMS WITH STRENGTH, FLEXIBILITY, BALANCE, GAIT, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND CONCENTRATION. VARYING DEGREES OF THESE PROBLEMS OCCUR IN INDIVIDUALS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS). THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF A COMPREHENSIVE, 4-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM ON STRENGTH, MOBILITY, BALANCE, RESPIRATORY FUNCTION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MS. METHODS: TWENTY FOUR INDIVIDUALS WITH MS PARTICIPATED IN AN INTENSIVE ANANDA YOGA TRAINING FOLLOWED BY 17 WEEKS OF HOME PRACTICE. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH, BALANCE, AND PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW AND A TREND TOWARD IMPROVEMENTS IN MENTAL HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOMES WERE DETECTED FOLLOWING THE INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS OF THIS EXPLORATORY STUDY SUGGEST THAT YOGA CAN HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PERSONS WITH MILD TO MODERATE MS. 2013 6 2673 28 YOGA IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY TO ACCESS THE EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. BACKGROUND: AND PURPOSE: YOGA IS GROWING IN POPULARITY, BUT ITS BENEFITS AND INTEGRATION INTO PRIMARY CARE REMAIN UNCERTAIN. HERE, WE DETERMINE YOGA EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, AND EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF INTRODUCING YOGA AT PRIMARY CARE LEVEL. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS IS A PROSPECTIVE, LONGITUDINAL, QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY, WITH AN INTERVENTION (N=49) AND A CONTROL GROUP (N=37). YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT 24-WEEKS PROGRAM OF ONE-HOUR SESSIONS. OUR PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS QUALITY OF LIFE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, AS WELL AS SATISFACTION LEVEL AND ADHERENCE RATE. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS REPORTED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ALL DOMAINS OF QUALITY OF LIFE AND A REDUCTION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT YOGA SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES PSYCHOLOGICAL QUALITY OF LIFE (P=0.046). CONCLUSION: YOGA IN PRIMARY CARE IS FEASIBLE, SAFE AND HAS A SATISFACTORY ADHERENCE, AS WELL AS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON PSYCHOLOGICAL QUALITY OF LIFE OF PARTICIPANTS. 2019 7 719 42 EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA ON MENTAL HEALTH OF INCARCERATED WOMEN: A FEASIBILITY STUDY. BACKGROUND: INCARCERATED WOMEN SHARE A DISPROPORTIONATE BURDEN OF MENTAL ILLNESS. ALTHOUGH PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE TO WOMEN IN PRISON, ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT MODALITIES, SUCH AS IYENGAR YOGA, MAY INCREASE PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING. OBJECTIVES: THE PURPOSES OF THIS STUDY WERE (A) TO ADDRESS THE FEASIBILITY OF PROVIDING A GENDER-RESPONSIVE EXERCISE INTERVENTION WITHIN A CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION AND (B) TO OBSERVE THE EFFECT OF A GROUP-FORMAT IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM THAT MET TWO SESSIONS A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS ON LEVELS OF DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS, ANXIETY SYMPTOMS, AND PERCEIVED STRESS AMONG INCARCERATED WOMEN. METHODS: A REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN, IN WHICH EACH PARTICIPANT SERVED AS HER OWN CONTROL, WAS USED. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THREE SELF-ADMINISTERED INSTRUMENTS: THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, THE BECK ANXIETY INVENTORY, AND THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE BEFORE TREATMENT (BASELINE) AND DURING TREATMENT (WEEKS 4, 8, AND 12). LINEAR MIXED EFFECTS MODELS WERE USED TO EXAMINE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN MENTAL HEALTH MEASURES OVER TIME, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF ALL AVAILABLE DATA. RESULTS: ALTHOUGH 21 WOMEN INITIALLY PARTICIPATED IN THE INTERVENTION, 6 WOMEN COMPLETED THE 12-WEEK INTERVENTION. A SIGNIFICANT LINEAR DECREASE WAS DEMONSTRATED IN SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION OVER TIME, WITH MEAN VALUES CHANGING FROM 24.90 AT BASELINE TO 5.67 AT WEEK 12. THERE WAS A MARGINALLY SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ANXIETY OVER TIME (12.00 AT BASELINE TO 7.33 AT WEEK 12) AND A NONLINEAR CHANGE IN STRESS OVER TIME, WITH DECREASES FROM BASELINE TO WEEK 4 AND SUBSEQUENT INCREASES TO WEEK 12. DISCUSSION: WOMEN WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS PROGRAM EXPERIENCED FEWER SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY OVER TIME. FINDINGS FROM THIS STUDY MAY BE USED TO IMPROVE FUTURE INTERVENTIONS FOCUSING ON THE HEALTH OUTCOMES OF INCARCERATED WOMEN. 2010 8 2235 35 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 9 239 31 A TWO-YEAR FOLLOW-UP CASE OF CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME: SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT IN PERSONALITY FOLLOWING A YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME (CFS) IS CHARACTERIZED BY EXCESSIVE FATIGUE AFTER MINIMAL PHYSICAL OR MENTAL EXERTION, MUSCLE AND JOINT PAIN, POOR CONCENTRATION, DIZZINESS, AND SLEEP DISTURBANCES. WE REPORT HERE THE EFFECT OF A YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN A 30-YEAR OLD MALE PATIENT WITH A DOCUMENTED DIAGNOSIS OF CFS WITH COMPROMISED QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND ALTERED PERSONALITY. METHODS: THE PATIENT INITIALLY ATTENDED A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION PROGRAM THAT CONSISTED OF YOGA-POSTURES, BREATHING EXERCISES (PRANAYAMA), MEDITATION, GROUP DISCUSSIONS, AND INDIVIDUALIZED ADVICE ON STRESS MANAGEMENT, DIET AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BESIDES GROUP SUPPORT. THEREAFTER, PATIENT ATTENDED 5 MORE SUCH PROGRAMS. RESULTS: THERE WAS A NOTABLE AND CONSISTENT IMPROVEMENT IN HIS CLINICAL PROFILE, POSITIVE ASPECTS OF PERSONALITY AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING, AND REDUCTION IN ANXIETY FOLLOWING THIS YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: OVERALL, THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION MAY IMPROVE CLINICAL CONDITION AND PERSONALITY IN PATIENTS WITH CFS. 2015 10 248 33 A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR YOUNG ADULTS WITH ELEVATED SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION. CONTEXT: YOGA TEACHERS AND STUDENTS OFTEN REPORT THAT YOGA HAS AN UPLIFTING EFFECT ON THEIR MOODS, BUT SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ON YOGA AND DEPRESSION IS LIMITED. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF A SHORT-TERM IYENGAR YOGA COURSE ON MOOD IN MILDLY DEPRESSED YOUNG ADULTS. DESIGN: YOUNG ADULTS PRE-SCREENED FOR MILD LEVELS OF DEPRESSION WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A YOGA COURSE OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. SETTING: COLLEGE CAMPUS RECREATION CENTER. PARTICIPANTS: TWENTY-EIGHT VOLUNTEERS AGES 18 TO 29. AT INTAKE, ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE EXPERIENCING MILD LEVELS OF DEPRESSION, BUT HAD RECEIVED NO CURRENT PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSES OR TREATMENTS. NONE HAD SIGNIFICANT YOGA EXPERIENCE. INTERVENTION: SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP ATTENDED TWO 1-HOUR IYENGAR YOGA CLASSES EACH WEEK FOR 5 CONSECUTIVE WEEKS. THE CLASSES EMPHASIZED YOGA POSTURES THOUGHT TO ALLEVIATE DEPRESSION, PARTICULARLY BACK BENDS, STANDING POSES, AND INVERSIONS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY, PROFILE OF MOOD STATES, MORNING CORTISOL LEVELS. RESULTS: SUBJECTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE YOGA COURSE DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN SELF-REPORTED SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND TRAIT ANXIETY. THESE EFFECTS EMERGED BY THE MIDDLE OF THE YOGA COURSE AND WERE MAINTAINED BY THE END. CHANGES ALSO WERE OBSERVED IN ACUTE MOOD, WITH SUBJECTS REPORTING DECREASED LEVELS OF NEGATIVE MOOD AND FATIGUE FOLLOWING YOGA CLASSES. FINALLY, THERE WAS A TREND FOR HIGHER MORNING CORTISOL LEVELS IN THE YOGA GROUP BY THE END OF THE YOGA COURSE, COMPARED TO CONTROLS. THESE FINDINGS PROVIDE SUGGESTIVE EVIDENCE OF THE UTILITY OF YOGA ASANAS IN IMPROVING MOOD AND SUPPORT THE NEED FOR FUTURE STUDIES WITH LARGER SAMPLES AND MORE COMPLEX STUDY DESIGNS TO MORE FULLY EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MOOD DISTURBANCES. 2004 11 893 22 EFFECT OF YOGA-BASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON PERCEIVED STRESS, ANXIETY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN YOUNG ADULTS. PURPOSE: THIS STUDY, CONDUCTED AT A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN TURKEY, SOUGHT TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON PERCEIVED STRESS, ANXIETY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN YOUNG ADULTS. DESIGN AND METHODS: THIS STUDY WAS PLANNED AS A SEMIEXPERIMENTAL NONRANDOMIZED STUDY WITH A CONTROL GROUP. FINDINGS: YOGA-BASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DECREASED THE PERCEIVED STRESS AND STATE ANXIETY LEVELS, BUT HAD NO EFFECT ON TRAIT ANXIETY LEVELS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOGA-BASED TREATMENT CAN BE INCLUDED IN NURSING INTERVENTIONS FOR REDUCING STRESS AND ANXIETY LEVELS IN YOUNG ADULTS. 2020 12 459 39 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 13 1091 40 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN CANCER PATIENTS. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY SOUGHT TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. DESIGN: TWENTY PATIENTS BETWEEN 30 AND 50 YEARS OF AGE PRESENTLY UNDER TREATMENT FOR BREAST CANCER WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PATIENTS WERE RECORDED AND GENERAL PHYSIOTHERAPY ASSESSMENTS PERFORMED. EIGHT SESSIONS OF A YOGA PROGRAM INCLUDING WARMING AND BREATHING EXERCISES, ASANAS, RELAXATION IN SUPINE POSITION, AND MEDITATION WERE APPLIED TO PARTICIPANTS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRE- AND POST-YOGA QUALITY OF LIFE ASSESSMENTS FOR THE PATIENTS WERE CONDUCTED USING THE NOTTINGHAM HEALTH PROFILE (NHP). PATIENTS' STRESS LEVELS WERE ASSESSED USING THE STAI-I AND STAI-II ANXIETY INVENTORY. THEIR SATISFACTION LEVELS ABOUT THE YOGA PROGRAM WAS EVALUATED USING THE VISUAL ANALOG SCALE (VAS). RESULTS: IT WAS FOUND THAT PATIENTS' QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES AFTER THE YOGA PROGRAM WERE BETTER THAN SCORES OBTAINED BEFORE THE YOGA PROGRAM (P < 0.05). AFTER SESSIONS, THERE WAS A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THEIR STAI-I (MEASURING THE REACTIONS OF ANXIETY) SCORES AND STAI-II (MEASURING THE PERMANENCE OF ANXIETY) SCORES (P < 0.05). IT WAS FOUND OUT THAT THE SATISFACTION SCORE CONCERNING THE YOGA PROGRAM WAS CONSIDERABLY INCREASED AFTER THE YOGA PROGRAM (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT YOGA IS VALUABLE IN HELPING TO ACHIEVE RELAXATION AND DIMINISH STRESS, HELPS CANCER PATIENTS PERFORM DAILY AND ROUTINE ACTIVITIES, AND INCREASES THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN CANCER PATIENTS. THIS RESULT WAS POSITIVELY REFLECTED IN PATIENTS SATISFACTION WITH THE YOGA PROGRAM. 2010 14 2579 37 YOGA FOR HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADULT CANCER: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED FEASIBILITY STUDY. AN INCREASE IN PATIENT-LED UPTAKE OF COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES IN ADULT CANCER HAS LED TO A NEED FOR MORE RIGOROUS STUDY OF SUCH INTERVENTIONS AND THEIR OUTCOMES. THIS STUDY THEREFORE AIMED TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION IN MEN AND WOMEN RECEIVING CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT FOR A CANCER DIAGNOSIS. PROSPECTIVE, MIXED METHODS FEASIBILITY TRIAL ALLOCATED PARTICIPANTS TO RECEIVE ONE OF THREE YOGA INTERVENTIONS OVER A FOUR-WEEK STUDY PERIOD. DATA COLLECTION WAS COMPLETED THROUGH ONLINE SURVEY OF QOL-CA/CS AND CUSTOMIZED SURVEYS. FIFTEEN PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED (11 FEMALE) UNDERGOING TREATMENT FOR BREAST, PROSTATE, COLORECTAL, BRAIN, AND BLOOD AND LUNG CANCER. TWO PARTICIPANTS DROPPED OUT AND COMPLETE QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE DATA SETS WERE COLLECTED FROM 12 PARTICIPANTS AND FOUR YOGA INSTRUCTORS. OTHER OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED IMPLEMENTATION COSTS PATIENT-REPORTED PREFERENCES FOR YOGA INTERVENTION AND CHANGES IN QOL-CA/CS. THREE TYPES OF YOGA INTERVENTION WERE SAFELY ADMINISTERED IN ADULT CANCER. MIXED METHODS, COST-EFFICIENCY, QOL-CA/CS, AND EVIDENCE-BASED DESIGN OF YOGA INTERVENTION HAVE BEEN USED TO ESTABLISH FEASIBILITY AND PATIENT-PREFERENCES FOR YOGA DELIVERY IN ADULT CANER. RESULTS SUGGEST THAT, WITH SOME METHODOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS, A LARGE-SCALE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL IS WARRANTED TO TEST THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR MALE AND FEMALE CANCER PATIENTS. THIS TRIAL IS REGISTERED WITH CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT02309112. 2015 15 748 27 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 16 1267 34 FOLLOW-UP OF YOGA OF AWARENESS FOR FIBROMYALGIA: RESULTS AT 3 MONTHS AND REPLICATION IN THE WAIT-LIST GROUP. OBJECTIVES: PUBLISHED PRELIMINARY FINDINGS FROM A RANDOMIZED-CONTROLLED TRIAL SUGGEST THAT AN 8-WEEK YOGA OF AWARENESS INTERVENTION MAY BE EFFECTIVE FOR IMPROVING SYMPTOMS, FUNCTIONAL DEFICITS, AND COPING ABILITIES IN FIBROMYALGIA. THE PRIMARY AIMS OF THIS STUDY WERE TO EVALUATE THE SAME INTERVENTION'S POSTTREATMENT EFFECTS IN A WAIT-LIST GROUP AND TO TEST THE INTERVENTION'S EFFECTS AT 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP IN THE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP. METHODS: UNPAIRED T TESTS WERE USED TO COMPARE DATA FROM A PER PROTOCOL SAMPLE OF 21 WOMEN IN THE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP WHO HAD COMPLETED TREATMENT AND 18 WOMEN IN THE WAIT-LIST GROUP WHO HAD COMPLETED TREATMENT. WITHIN-GROUP PAIRED T TESTS WERE PERFORMED TO COMPARE POSTTREATMENT DATA WITH 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP DATA IN THE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS THE FIBROMYALGIA IMPACT QUESTIONNAIRE REVISED (FIQR). MULTILEVEL RANDOM-EFFECTS MODELS WERE ALSO USED TO EXAMINE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN YOGA PRACTICE RATES AND OUTCOMES. RESULTS: POSTTREATMENT RESULTS IN THE WAIT-LIST GROUP LARGELY MIRRORED RESULTS SEEN AT POSTTREATMENT IN THE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP, WITH THE FIQR TOTAL SCORE IMPROVING BY 31.9% ACROSS THE 2 GROUPS. FOLLOW-UP RESULTS SHOWED THAT PATIENTS SUSTAINED MOST OF THEIR POSTTREATMENT GAINS, WITH THE FIQR TOTAL SCORE REMAINING 21.9% IMPROVED AT 3 MONTHS. YOGA PRACTICE RATES WERE GOOD, AND MORE PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH MORE BENEFIT FOR A VARIETY OF OUTCOMES. DISCUSSION: THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT THE BENEFITS OF YOGA OF AWARENESS IN FIBROMYALGIA ARE REPLICABLE AND CAN BE MAINTAINED. 2012 17 1939 43 ROLE OF YOGA THERAPY IN IMPROVING DIGESTIVE HEALTH AND QUALITY OF SLEEP IN AN ELDERLY POPULATION: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: CONSTIPATION AND SLEEP DISTURBANCES COMMONLY AFFECT ELDERLY POPULATION RESULTS IN COMPROMISED PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH. MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS LIKE YOGA NOT ONLY ADDRESS THE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH BUT ALSO PROMOTE HEALTHY AGEING. THIS STUDY EVALUATES THE EFFECT OF 3 MONTHS YOGA INTERVENTION ON THE SLEEP AND CONSTIPATION RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AMONG THE ELDERLY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: NINETY SIX PARTICIPANTS AGED BETWEEN 60 AND 75 WHO DID NOT HAD ANY HISTORY OF YOGA PRACTICE FOR PAST 1 YEAR AND HAVING A ZUBROD SCORE OF 0-2 WERE RANDOMIZED IN TO YOGA (N = 48) OR WAITLISTED CONTROL (N = 48). THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED YOGA INTERVENTIONS AT A FREQUENCY OF 3 SESSIONS PER WEEK FOR 3 MONTHS. PITTSBURG SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI) AND PATIENT ASSESSMENT OF CONSTIPATION QOL (PAC-QOL) WERE USED TO ASSESS THE IMPROVEMENT. INTENTION TO TREAT ANALYSIS METHOD WAS USED TO INCLUDE THE DROP-OUT PARTICIPANTS. RESULTS: EIGHTY ONE PARTICIPANTS (YOGA = 48, WAITLISTED CONTROL = 33) COMPLETED THE STUDY. WILCOXON'S SIGN RANK TEST HAS SHOWN THAT THE YOGA GROUP HAD STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN MOST OF THE PARAMETERS IN PSQI AND PAC-QOL (P .05). THIS STUDY SUGGESTS THAT A 6-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM CAN IMPROVE THE MENTAL DIMENSION OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, WALKING SPEED, FATIGUE, AND DEPRESSION IN THE PERSONS WITH MS. HOWEVER, THE 6-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A FEASIBLE METHOD TO INCREASE THE TIME THAT PERSONS WITH MS SPEND TOGETHER WITH THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. 2018 19 2815 41 YOGA TRAINING HAS POSITIVE EFFECTS ON POSTURAL BALANCE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING IN PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: A PILOT STUDY. CONTEXT: THERE IS A LITTLE EVIDENCE ABOUT THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY FOR POSTURAL BALANCE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) PATIENTS. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE INFLUENCE OF A SIX-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM ON POSTURAL BALANCE AND SUBJECTIVE IMPACT OF POSTURAL BALANCE IMPAIRMENT ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING IN PEOPLE WITH MS. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. SETTING: PROTOCOL DEVELOPED AT THE ADAPTIVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY STUDY DEPARTMENT, COLLEGE OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION, STATE UNIVERSITY OF CAMPINAS, BRAZIL. SUBJECTS: A TOTAL OF 12 (11 WOMEN) YOGA NAIVE PEOPLE WITH MS RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS AS FOLLOWS: CONTROL (C-WAITING LIST, N = 6) AND YOGA (Y-YOGA TRAINING, N = 6). INTERVENTIONS: YOGA GROUP PRACTICED POSTURES, BREATHING EXERCISES, MEDITATION, AND RELAXATION ON WEEKLY 60-MIN CLASSES FOR A SIX-MONTH PERIOD. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: THE FOLLOWING EVALUATIONS WERE PERFORMED AT STUDY ENTRY (BASELINE), AND AFTER SIX MONTHS (SIX MONTHS): BERG BALANCE SCALE (BBS), EXPANDED DISABILITY STATUS SCALE (EDSS), AND SELF-REPORTED POSTURAL BALANCE QUALITY AND INFLUENCE OF POSTURAL BALANCE ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BBS SCORE FROM BASELINE TO SIX MONTHS ONLY IN THE YOGA GROUP, ESPECIALLY IN SUBJECTS WITH HIGHER EDSS SCORE, WITH INCREASED QUALITY OF SELF-REPORTED POSTURAL BALANCE, AND DECREASED INFLUENCE OF POSTURAL BALANCE IMPAIRMENT ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING. IN CONCLUSION, A SIX-MONTH YOGA TRAINING IS BENEFICIAL FOR PEOPLE WITH MS, SINCE IT IMPROVES POSTURAL BALANCE AND DECREASES THE INFLUENCE OF POSTURAL BALANCE IMPAIRMENT ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING. A GREATER SAMPLE SIZE IS NECESSARY TO INCREASE GENERALIZATION, BUT IT SEEMS THAT YOGA COULD BE INCLUDED AS A FEASIBLE COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY FOR PEOPLE WITH MS. 2016 20 2613 37 YOGA FOR RISK REDUCTION OF METABOLIC SYNDROME: PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES FROM A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. LIFESTYLE CHANGE IS RECOMMENDED AS TREATMENT FOR ADULTS AT RISK FOR METABOLIC SYNDROME (METS), ALTHOUGH ADOPTION OF NEW BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS IS LIMITED. IN ADDITION, MOST EXISTING LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS DO NOT ADDRESS PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS OR QUALITY OF LIFE, BOTH OF WHICH IMPACT THE BURDEN OF METS. YOGA, A FORM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THAT INCORPORATES PSYCHOLOGICAL COMPONENTS (E.G., MAINTAINING ATTENTION, RELAXATION), IS A PROMISING INTERVENTION FOR IMPROVING THE BURDEN OF METS. THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL ASSESSED THE FEASIBILITY AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY OF A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM COUPLED WITH AN EVIDENCE-BASED HEALTH EDUCATION PROGRAM (HED) COMPARED TO HED ALONE. A SECONDARY, EXPLORATORY AIM EXAMINED PERCEIVED STRESS, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND RELATED PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES (MINDFULNESS, PERCEIVED HEALTH COMPETENCE, AND MOOD). SIXTY-SEVEN ADULTS AT RISK FOR METS ENROLLED (MEAN AGE [SD]: 58 [10] YEARS; 50% MALE; 79% NON-HISPANIC WHITE). PRELIMINARY RESULTS REVEALED SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER IMPROVEMENTS IN TWO QUALITY OF LIFE DOMAINS (ROLE-PHYSICAL AND GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTIONS) IN THE HED PLUS YOGA GROUP VERSUS HED ALONE (PS < 0.05). THIS IS THE FIRST STUDY THAT IMPLEMENTED LIFESTYLE EDUCATION ALONG WITH YOGA TO EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL UNIQUE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PARTICIPANTS AT RISK FOR METS. A LARGER CLINICAL TRIAL IS WARRANTED TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE THESE PROMISING PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES. 2016