1 350 175 ASSESSMENT OF CARDIAC AUTONOMIC TONE FOLLOWING LONG SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA IN ART OF LIVING PRACTITIONERS. OBJECTIVE: THE BREATHING PROCESSES ARE KNOWN TO MODULATE CARDIAC AUTONOMIC TONE AND IMPROVE PSYCHOLOGICAL STATUS. WE INVESTIGATED CARDIAC AUTONOMIC TONE FOLLOWING LONG SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA (SKY) USING HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) AND SKIN CONDUCTANCE LEVEL (SCL). METHODS: THIRTY HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (AGE 28.3 +/- 8.4 YEARS; 23 M: 7 F) PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. ELECTROCARDIOGRAM (ECG) AND SCL WERE RECORDED FOR 5 MIN EACH, BEFORE AND AFTER LONG SKY. LONG SKY IS A COMBINATION OF PRANAYAMA AND CYCLIC RHYTHMIC BREATHING AND IS PERFORMED BY FOLLOWING THE GUIDED AUDIO INSTRUCTIONS. HRV ANALYSIS WAS USED FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF CARDIAC AUTONOMIC TONE. TIME AND FREQUENCY DOMAIN PARAMETERS OF HRV WERE CALCULATED BY USING RR INTERVAL OF ECG. SCL WAS ACQUIRED USING GALVANIC SKIN RESPONSE (GSR) AMPLIFIER OF POWERLAB IN MICROSEIMENS (MUS). RESULTS: TIME DOMAIN PARAMETERS OF HRV, INCLUDING MEAN RR INTERVAL (P = 0.000), RESPIRATORY SINUS ARRHYTHMIA (RSA) (P = 0.037), STANDARD DEVIATION OF ALL NN INTERVALS (SDNN) (P = 0.013), NN50 COUNT DIVIDED BY THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ALL NN INTERVALS (PNN50) (P = 0.004), AND SQUARE ROOT OF THE MEAN OF THE SUM OF THE SQUARES OF DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ADJACENT NN INTERVALS (RMSSD) (P = 0.002) INCREASED, AND MEAN HEART RATE DECREASED (P = 0.000) FOLLOWING LONG SKY. IN FREQUENCY DOMAIN ANALYSIS, POWER OF LOW-FREQUENCY (LF) COMPONENT (P = 0.010) AND LF/HF RATIO (P = 0.008) DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY, WHEREAS POWER OF HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED (P = 0.010). SCL DECREASED FOLLOWING LONG SKY, ALTHOUGH IT DID NOT ATTAIN STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT LONG SKY INDUCES SIGNIFICANT OSCILLATIONS IN CARDIAC AUTONOMIC TONE. PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY INCREASES AND SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY DECREASES AND SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE IMPROVES FOLLOWING LONG SKY. DECREASE IN SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY IS ALSO DEMONSTRATED BY DECREASE IN CONDUCTANCE ALTHOUGH IT DID NOT REACH STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. FROM THIS STUDY IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT LONG SKY HAS A BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON CARDIAC AUTONOMIC TONE, AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL RELAXATION. IT MAY SERVE AS A TOOL TO IMPROVE HRV, WHICH IS THE MARKER OF CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH. 2017 2 1578 68 MEASUREMENT OF THE EFFECT OF ISHA YOGA ON CARDIAC AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM USING SHORT-TERM HEART RATE VARIABILITY. BACKGROUND: BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA HAVE BEEN POSTULATED TO BE DUE TO MODULATION OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF ISHA YOGA PRACTICES ON CARDIOVASCULAR AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM THROUGH SHORT-TERM HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV). DESIGN OF THE STUDY: SHORT-TERM HRV OF LONG-TERM REGULAR HEALTHY 14 (12 MALES AND 2 FEMALES) ISHA YOGA PRACTITIONERS WAS COMPARED WITH THAT OF AGE- AND GENDER-MATCHED 14 (12 MALES AND 2 FEMALES) NON-YOGA PRACTITIONERS. METHODS AND MATERIALS: ECG LEAD II AND RESPIRATORY MOVEMENTS WERE RECORDED IN BOTH GROUPS USING POLYRITE DURING SUPINE REST FOR 5 MIN AND CONTROLLED DEEP BREATHING FOR 1 MINUTE. FREQUENCY DOMAIN ANALYSIS [RR INTERVAL IS THE MEAN OF DISTANCE BETWEEN SUBSEQUENT R WAVE PEAKS IN ECG], LOW FREQUENCY (LF) POWER, HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) POWER, LF NORMALIZED UNITS (NU), HF NU, LF/HF RATIO] AND TIME DOMAIN ANALYSIS [STANDARD DEVIATION OF NORMAL TO NORMAL INTERVAL (SDNN), SQUARE OF MEAN SQUARED DIFFERENCE OF SUCCESSIVE NORMAL TO NORMAL INTERVALS (RMSSD), NORMAL TO NORMAL INTERVALS WHICH ARE DIFFERING BY 50 MS (NN50), AND PERCENTAGE OF NN50 (PNN50)] OF HRV VARIABLES WERE ANALYZED FOR SUPINE REST. TIME DOMAIN ANALYSIS WAS RECORDED FOR DEEP BREATHING. RESULTS: RESULTS SHOWED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ISHA YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND CONTROLS IN BOTH FREQUENCY AND TIME DOMAIN ANALYSES OF HRV INDICES, WITH NO DIFFERENCE IN RESTING HEART RATE BETWEEN THE GROUPS. CONCLUSIONS: PRACTITIONERS OF ISHA YOGA SHOWED WELL-BALANCED BENEFICIAL ACTIVITY OF VAGAL EFFERENTS, AN OVERALL INCREASED HRV, AND SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE, COMPARED TO NON-YOGA PRACTITIONERS DURING SUPINE REST AND DEEP BREATHING. 2012 3 297 53 ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING AT DIFFERENT RATES AND ITS INFLUENCE ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN NON PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA. INTRODUCTION: HEART RATE VARIABILITY IS A MEASURE OF MODULATION IN AUTONOMIC INPUT TO THE HEART AND IS ONE OF THE MARKERS OF AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS. THOUGH THERE ARE MANY STUDIES ON THE LONG TERM INFLUENCE OF BREATHING ON HRV (HEART RATE VARIABILITY) THERE ARE ONLY A FEW STUDIES ON THE IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF BREATHING ESPECIALLY ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING ON HRV. THIS STUDY FOCUSES ON THE IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING AND THE INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT BREATHING RATES ON HRV. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY WAS DONE ON 25 SUBJECTS IN THE AGE GROUP OF 17-35 YEARS. ECG AND RESPIRATION WERE RECORDED BEFORE INTERVENTION AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SUBJECTS WERE ASKED TO PERFORM ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING FOR FIVE MINUTES. RESULTS: LOW FREQUENCY (LF) WHICH IS A MARKER OF SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY INCREASED, HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) WHICH IS A MARKER OF PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY DECREASED AND THEIR RATIO LF/HF WHICH IS A MARKER OF SYMPATHO/VAGAL BALANCE INCREASED IMMEDIATELY AFTER 6 AND 12 MINUTES IN COMPARISON TO BASELINE VALUES WHEREAS THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE MEANS OF THESE COMPONENTS WHEN BOTH 6 AND 12 MINUTES WERE COMPARED. CONCLUSION: IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING ON HRV IN NON PRACTITIONERS OF YOGIC BREATHING ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE LONG TERM INFLUENCE OF YOGIC BREATHING ON HRV WHICH SHOW A PREDOMINANT PARASYMPATHETIC INFLUENCE ON THE HEART. 2016 4 1530 59 IYENGAR YOGA INCREASES CARDIAC PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS MODULATION AMONG HEALTHY YOGA PRACTITIONERS. RELAXATION TECHNIQUES ARE ESTABLISHED IN MANAGING OF CARDIAC PATIENTS DURING REHABILITATION AIMING TO REDUCE FUTURE ADVERSE CARDIAC EVENTS. IT HAS BEEN HYPOTHESIZED THAT RELAXATION-TRAINING PROGRAMS MAY SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE CARDIAC AUTONOMIC NERVOUS TONE. HOWEVER, THIS HAS NOT BEEN PROVEN FOR ALL AVAILABLE RELAXATION TECHNIQUES. WE TESTED THIS ASSUMPTION BY INVESTIGATING CARDIAC VAGAL MODULATION DURING YOGA.WE EXAMINED 11 HEALTHY YOGA PRACTITIONERS (7 WOMEN AND 4 MEN, MEAN AGE: 43 +/- 11; RANGE: 26-58 YEARS). EACH INDIVIDUAL WAS SUBJECTED TO TRAINING UNITS OF 90 MIN ONCE A WEEK OVER FIVE SUCCESSIVE WEEKS. DURING TWO SESSIONS, THEY PRACTICED A YOGA PROGRAM DEVELOPED FOR CARDIAC PATIENTS BY B.K.S. IYENGAR. ON THREE SESSIONS, THEY PRACTICED A PLACEBO PROGRAM OF RELAXATION. ON EACH TRAINING DAY THEY UNDERWENT AMBULATORY 24 H HOLTER MONITORING. THE GROUP OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS WAS COMPARED TO A MATCHED GROUP OF HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS NOT PRACTICING ANY RELAXATION TECHNIQUES. PARAMETERS OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) WERE DETERMINED HOURLY BY A BLINDED OBSERVER. MEAN RR INTERVAL (INTERVAL BETWEEN TWO R-WAVES OF THE ECG) WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER DURING THE TIME OF YOGA INTERVENTION COMPARED TO PLACEBO AND TO CONTROL (P < 0.001 FOR BOTH). THE INCREASE IN HRV PARAMETERS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER DURING YOGA EXERCISE THAN DURING PLACEBO AND CONTROL ESPECIALLY FOR THE PARAMETERS ASSOCIATED WITH VAGAL TONE, I.E. MEAN STANDARD DEVIATION OF NN (NORMAL BEAT TO NORMAL BEAT OF THE ECG) INTERVALS FOR ALL 5-MIN INTERVALS (SDNNI, P < 0.001 FOR BOTH) AND ROOT MEAN SQUARE SUCCESSIVE DIFFERENCE (RMSSD, P < 0.01 FOR BOTH). IN CONCLUSION, RELAXATION BY YOGA TRAINING IS ASSOCIATED WITH A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF CARDIAC VAGAL MODULATION. SINCE THIS METHOD IS EASY TO APPLY WITH NO SIDE EFFECTS, IT COULD BE A SUITABLE INTERVENTION IN CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAMS. 2007 5 448 66 CHANGES IN AUTONOMIC VARIABLES FOLLOWING TWO MEDITATIVE STATES DESCRIBED IN YOGA TEXTS. OBJECTIVES: IN ANCIENT YOGA TEXTS THERE ARE TWO MEDITATIVE STATES DESCRIBED. ONE IS DHARANA, WHICH REQUIRES FOCUSING, THE SECOND IS DHYANA, DURING WHICH THERE IS NO FOCUSING, BUT AN EXPANSIVE MENTAL STATE IS REACHED. WHILE AN EARLIER STUDY DID SHOW IMPROVED PERFORMANCE IN AN ATTENTION TASK AFTER DHARANA, THE AUTONOMIC CHANGES DURING THESE TWO STATES HAVE NOT BEEN STUDIED. METHODS: AUTONOMIC AND RESPIRATORY VARIABLES WERE ASSESSED IN 30 HEALTHY MALE VOLUNTEERS (GROUP MEAN AGE +/- SD, 29.1 +/- 5.1 YEARS) DURING FOUR MENTAL STATES DESCRIBED IN TRADITIONAL YOGA TEXTS. THESE FOUR MENTAL STATES ARE RANDOM THINKING (CANCALATA), NONMEDITATIVE FOCUSING (EKAGRATA), MEDITATIVE FOCUSING (DHARANA), AND EFFORTLESS MEDITATION (DHYANA). ASSESSMENTS WERE MADE BEFORE (5 MINUTES), DURING (20 MINUTES), AND AFTER (5 MINUTES), EACH OF THE FOUR STATES, ON FOUR SEPARATE DAYS. RESULTS: DURING DHYANA THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE SKIN RESISTANCE LEVEL (P<0.001; POST HOC ANALYSIS FOLLOWING ANOVA, DURING COMPARED TO PRE) AND PHOTO-PLETHYSMOGRAM AMPLITUDE (P<0.05), WHEREAS THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE HEART RATE (P<0.001) AND BREATH RATE (P<0.001). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE LOW FREQUENCY (LF) POWER (P<0.001) AND INCREASE IN THE HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) POWER (P<0.001) IN THE FREQUENCY DOMAIN ANALYSIS OF THE HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) SPECTRUM, ON WHICH HF POWER IS ASSOCIATED WITH PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY. THERE WAS ALSO A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE NN50 COUNT (THE NUMBER OF INTERVAL DIFFERENCES OF SUCCESSIVE NN INTERVALS GREATER THAN 50 MS; P<0.001) AND THE PNN50 (THE PROPORTION DERIVED BY DIVIDING NN50 BY THE TOTAL NUMBER OF NN INTERVALS; P<0.001) IN TIME DOMAIN ANALYSIS OF HRV, BOTH INDICATIVE OF PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY. CONCLUSIONS: MAXIMUM CHANGES WERE SEEN IN AUTONOMIC VARIABLES AND BREATH RATE DURING THE STATE OF EFFORTLESS MEDITATION (DHYANA). THE CHANGES WERE ALL SUGGESTIVE OF REDUCED SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY AND/OR INCREASED VAGAL MODULATION. DURING DHARANA THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN SKIN RESISTANCE. THE CHANGES IN HRV DURING EKAGRATA AND CANCALATA WERE INCONCLUSIVE. 2013 6 452 48 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 7 1441 49 INCREASED HEART RATE VARIABILITY BUT NO EFFECT ON BLOOD PRESSURE FROM 8 WEEKS OF HATHA YOGA - A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: YOGA EXERCISES ARE KNOWN TO DECREASE STRESS AND RESTORE AUTONOMIC BALANCE. YET KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF INVERSION POSTURES IS LIMITED. THIS STUDY AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF INVERSION POSTURES (HEAD BELOW THE HEART) ON BLOOD PRESSURE (BP) AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV). METHODS: TWELVE HEALTHY WOMEN AND MEN TOOK PART IN AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM (60 MIN ONCE A WEEK). BP WAS MEASURED WITH AN AUTOMATIC OMRON MX3 OSCILLOMETRIC MONITORING DEVICE AND HRV WITH A HOLTER 24-HOUR ECG AT BASELINE AND 8 WEEKS AFTER THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECT OF INVERSION POSTURES ON BP. NINE OUT OF 12 PARTICIPANTS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN HRV (P < 0.05) AT NIGHT (2 HOURS) ON PNN50% (12.7 +/- 12.5 TO 18.2 +/- 13.3). THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN OTHER HRV MEASURES SUCH AS NN50, LF, HF, LF/HF RATIO, LF NORMALIZED UNITS (N.U.), HF N.U. AND RMSSD. CONCLUSION: EIGHT WEEKS OF HATHA YOGA IMPROVED HRV SIGNIFICANTLY WHICH SUGGESTS AN INCREASED VAGAL TONE AND REDUCED SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY. 2013 8 2731 59 YOGA OFFERS CARDIOVASCULAR PROTECTION IN EARLY POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. CONTEXT: POSTMENOPAUSE, AN ESTROGEN DEFICIENT STATE COMES WITH INCREASED INCIDENCE OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES (CVDS). YOGA HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS HAVING A BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV), A MARKER FOR CARDIAC AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY WHICH CAN ASSESS CARDIOVASCULAR RISK, IN VARIOUS POPULATIONS. AIM: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF 3-MONTH LONG YOGA PRACTICE ON HRV IN EARLY POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A PROSPECTIVE LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF 67 WOMEN WITHIN 5 YEARS OF MENOPAUSE BETWEEN 45 AND 60 YEARS OF AGE ATTENDING MENOPAUSE CLINIC OF DEPARTMENT OF GYNAECOLOGY, SUCHETA KRIPLANI HOSPITAL FULFILLING INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA AND CONSENTING WERE ENROLLED FOR THE STUDY. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: HRV OF 37 CASES (YOGA GROUP) AND 30 CONTROLS (NON-YOGA GROUP) WAS RECORDED PRE AND 3-MONTH POSTINTERVENTION. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: GRAPHPAD PRISM VERSION 5 SOFTWARE WAS USED. VALUES ARE A MEAN AND STANDARD ERROR OF MEAN. STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE WAS SET UP AT P < 0.05. RESULTS: IN HRV, FREQUENCY DOMAIN ANALYSIS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT FALL IN LOW FREQUENCY (LF) IN NORMALIZED UNITS (NU) AND LF: HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) RATIO AND SIGNIFICANT RISE IN HF IN NU IN THE YOGA GROUP (DEPICTING PARASYMPATHETIC DOMINANCE) AGAINST A SIGNIFICANT RISE IN LF (NU) AND LF: HF RATIO AND SIGNIFICANT FALL IN HF (NU) IN NON-YOGA GROUP (INDICATING SYMPATHETIC DOMINANCE). TIME DOMAIN ANALYSIS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN STANDARD DEVIATION OF NN INTERVALS IN NON-YOGA GROUP AGAINST NONSIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN YOGA GROUP INDICATING DETERIORATION IN PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY IN NON-YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THREE-MONTH LONG YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVED HRV IN EARLY POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN SIGNIFICANTLY AND HAS THE POTENTIAL TO ATTENUATE THE CVD RISK IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. 2018 9 1318 48 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 10 2863 42 YOGA-BASED GUIDED RELAXATION REDUCES SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY JUDGED FROM BASELINE LEVELS. 35 MALE VOLUNTEERS WHOSE AGES RANGED FROM 20 TO 46 YEARS WERE STUDIED IN TWO SESSIONS OF YOGA-BASED GUIDED RELAXATION AND SUPINE REST. ASSESSMENTS OF AUTONOMIC VARIABLES WERE MADE FOR 15 SUBJECTS, BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THE PRACTICES, WHEREAS OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND BREATH VOLUME WERE RECORDED FOR 25 SUBJECTS BEFORE AND AFTER BOTH TYPES OF RELAXATION. A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND INCREASE IN BREATH VOLUME WERE RECORDED AFTER GUIDED RELAXATION (PAIRED T TEST). THERE WERE COMPARABLE REDUCTIONS IN HEART RATE AND SKIN CONDUCTANCE DURING BOTH TYPES OF RELAXATION. DURING GUIDED RELAXATION THE POWER OF THE LOW FREQUENCY COMPONENT OF THE HEART-RATE VARIABILITY SPECTRUM REDUCED, WHEREAS THE POWER OF THE HIGH FREQUENCY COMPONENT INCREASED, SUGGESTING REDUCED SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY. ALSO, SUBJECTS WITH A BASELINE RATIO OF LF/HF > 0.5 SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE RATIO AFTER GUIDED RELAXATION, WHILE SUBJECTS WITH A RATIO < OR = 0.5 AT BASELINE SHOWED NO SUCH CHANGE. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY DECREASED AFTER GUIDED RELAXATION BASED ON YOGA, DEPENDING ON THE BASELINE LEVELS. 2002 11 2727 47 YOGA NIDRA RELAXATION INCREASES HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND IS UNAFFECTED BY A PRIOR BOUT OF HATHA YOGA. OBJECTIVE: THE MEASUREMENT OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) IS OFTEN APPLIED AS AN INDEX OF AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (ANS) BALANCE AND, THEREFORE, MYOCARDIAL STABILITY. PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SUGGESTED THAT RELAXATION OR MIND-BODY EXERCISE CAN INFLUENCE ANS BALANCE POSITIVELY AS MEASURED BY HRV BUT MAY ACT VIA DIFFERENT MECHANISMS. NO STUDIES, TO THE AUTHORS' KNOWLEDGE, HAVE EXAMINED THE ACUTE RESPONSE IN HRV TO INTERVENTIONS COMBINING RELAXATION AND MIND-BODY EXERCISE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE ACUTE HRV RESPONSES TO YOGA NIDRA RELAXATION ALONE VERSUS YOGA NIDRA RELAXATION PRECEDED BY HATHA YOGA. DESIGN: THIS WAS A RANDOMIZED COUNTER-BALANCED TRIAL. SETTING: THE TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED IN A UNIVERSITY EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY. SUBJECTS: SUBJECTS INCLUDED 20 WOMEN AND MEN (29.15+/-6.98 YEARS OF AGE, WITH A RANGE OF 18-47 YEARS). INTERVENTIONS: PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED A YOGA PLUS RELAXATION (YR) SESSION AND A RELAXATION ONLY (R) SESSION. RESULTS: THE YR CONDITION PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT CHANGES FROM BASELINE IN HEART RATE (HR; BEATS PER MINUTE [BPM], P<0.001) AND INDICES OF HRV: R-R (MS, P<0.001), PNN50 (%, P=0.009), LOW FREQUENCY (LF; %, P=0.008) AND HIGH FREQUENCY (HF; %, P=0.035). THE R CONDITION PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT CHANGES FROM BASELINE IN HEART RATE (BPM, P<0.001) AS WELL AS INDICES OF HRV: R-R (MS, P<0.001), HF (MS(2), P=0.004), LF (%, P=0.005), HF (%, P=0.008) AND LF:HF RATIO (%, P=0.008). THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CONDITIONS AT BASELINE NOR FOR THE CHANGES FROM BASELINE FOR ANY OF THE VARIABLES. CONCLUSIONS: THESE CHANGES DEMONSTRATE A FAVORABLE SHIFT IN AUTONOMIC BALANCE TO THE PARASYMPATHETIC BRANCH OF THE ANS FOR BOTH CONDITIONS, AND THAT YOGA NIDRA RELAXATION PRODUCES FAVORABLE CHANGES IN MEASURES OF HRV WHETHER ALONE OR PRECEDED BY A BOUT OF HATHA YOGA. 2012 12 1317 50 HEART RATE VARIABILITY CHANGES DURING HIGH FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING AND BREATH AWARENESS. BACKGROUND: PRE AND POST COMPARISON AFTER ONE MINUTE OF HIGH FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING (HFYB) SUGGESTED THAT THE HFYB MODIFIES THE AUTONOMIC STATUS BY INCREASING SYMPATHETIC MODULATION, BUT ITS EFFECT DURING THE PRACTICE WAS NOT ASSESSED. METHODS: THIRTY-EIGHT MALE VOLUNTEERS WITH GROUP AVERAGE AGE +/- S.D., 23.3 +/- 4.4 YEARS WERE EACH ASSESSED ON TWO SEPARATE DAYS IN TWO SESSIONS, (I) HFYB AND (II) BREATH AWARENESS. EACH SESSION WAS FOR 35 MINUTES, WITH 3 PERIODS, I.E., PRE (5 MINUTES), DURING HFYB OR BREATH AWARENESS (15 MINUTES) AND POST (5 MINUTES). RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN NN50, PNN50 AND THE MEAN RR INTERVAL DURING AND AFTER HFYB AND AFTER BREATH AWARENESS, COMPARED TO THE RESPECTIVE 'PRE' VALUES (P < 0.05) (REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA FOLLOWED BY POST-HOC ANALYSIS). THE LF POWER INCREASED AND HF POWER DECREASED DURING AND AFTER BREATH AWARENESS AND LF/HF RATIO INCREASED AFTER BREATH AWARENESS (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THERE WAS REDUCED PARASYMPATHETIC MODULATION DURING AND AFTER HFYB AND INCREASED SYMPATHETIC MODULATION WITH REDUCED PARASYMPATHETIC MODULATION DURING AND AFTER BREATH AWARENESS. 2011 13 1027 42 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 14 2775 46 YOGA RESPIRATORY TRAINING IMPROVES RESPIRATORY FUNCTION AND CARDIAC SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE IN ELDERLY SUBJECTS: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: SINCE AGEING IS ASSOCIATED WITH A DECLINE IN PULMONARY FUNCTION, HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND SPONTANEOUS BAROREFLEX, AND RECENT STUDIES SUGGEST THAT YOGA RESPIRATORY EXERCISES MAY IMPROVE RESPIRATORY AND CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTION, WE HYPOTHESISED THAT YOGA RESPIRATORY TRAINING MAY IMPROVE RESPIRATORY FUNCTION AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC MODULATION IN HEALTHY ELDERLY SUBJECTS. DESIGN: 76 HEALTHY ELDERLY SUBJECTS WERE ENROLLED IN A RANDOMISED CONTROL TRIAL IN BRAZIL AND 29 COMPLETED THE STUDY (AGE 68 +/- 6 YEARS, 34% MALES, BODY MASS INDEX 25 +/- 3 KG/M(2)). SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMISED INTO A 4-MONTH TRAINING PROGRAM (2 CLASSES/WEEK PLUS HOME EXERCISES) OF EITHER STRETCHING (CONTROL, N=14) OR RESPIRATORY EXERCISES (YOGA, N=15). YOGA RESPIRATORY EXERCISES (BHASTRIKA) CONSISTED OF RAPID FORCED EXPIRATIONS FOLLOWED BY INSPIRATION THROUGH THE RIGHT NOSTRIL, INSPIRATORY APNOEA WITH GENERATION OF INTRATHORACIC NEGATIVE PRESSURE, AND EXPIRATION THROUGH THE LEFT NOSTRIL. PULMONARY FUNCTION, MAXIMUM EXPIRATORY AND INSPIRATORY PRESSURES (PE(MAX) AND PI(MAX), RESPECTIVELY), HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND BLOOD PRESSURE VARIABILITY FOR SPONTANEOUS BAROREFLEX DETERMINATION WERE DETERMINED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 4 MONTHS. RESULTS: SUBJECTS IN BOTH GROUPS HAD SIMILAR DEMOGRAPHIC PARAMETERS. PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES DID NOT CHANGE AFTER 4 MONTHS IN THE CONTROL GROUP. HOWEVER, IN THE YOGA GROUP, THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN PE(MAX) (34%, P<0.0001) AND PI(MAX) (26%, P<0.0001) AND A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE LOW FREQUENCY COMPONENT (A MARKER OF CARDIAC SYMPATHETIC MODULATION) AND LOW FREQUENCY/HIGH FREQUENCY RATIO (MARKER OF SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE) OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY (40%, P<0.001). SPONTANEOUS BAROREFLEX DID NOT CHANGE, AND QUALITY OF LIFE ONLY MARGINALLY INCREASED IN THE YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSION: RESPIRATORY YOGA TRAINING MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR THE ELDERLY HEALTHY POPULATION BY IMPROVING RESPIRATORY FUNCTION AND SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE. TRIAL REGISTRATION CINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT00969345; TRIAL REGISTRY NAME: EFFECTS OF RESPIRATORY YOGA TRAINING (BHASTRIKA) ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND BAROREFLEX, AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF HEALTHY ELDERLY SUBJECTS. 2011 15 1359 57 IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF OM CHANTING ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY MEASURES COMPARED BETWEEN EXPERIENCED AND INEXPERIENCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS. BACKGROUND: CHANTING "OM" IS A FORM OF MEDITATION THAT HAS NUMEROUS HEALTH BENEFITS. HOWEVER, THE NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS UNDERPINNING ITS EFFECT ARE SURPRISINGLY SCARCE. THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF OM CHANTING ON AUTONOMIC MODULATION, USING HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV), ON EXPERIENCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND YOGA NAIVE PERSONS. METHODS: THIS PROSPECTIVE STUDY INCLUDED 19 YOGA PRACTITIONERS (9 FEMALES AND 10 MALES; GROUP MEAN AGE +/- STANDARD DEVIATION [SD]; 25.9 +/- 3.2 YEARS) AND 17 YOGA NAIVE PERSONS (8 FEMALES AND 9 MALES; GROUP MEAN AGE +/- SD; 24.8 +/- 3.6 YEARS) OF BOTH SEXES AND SIMILAR AGE RANGE. BOTH THE GROUPS WERE ASSESSED FOR HRV INDICES (TIME AND FREQUENCY DOMAIN MEASURES) BEFORE AND AFTER LOUD OM CHANTING FOR 5 MIN. RESULTS: BASELINE COMPARISON USING MANN-WHITNEY U TEST BETWEEN GROUPS SHOWED YOGA PRACTITIONERS HAD SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) POWER (P < 0.029) THAN NONYOGA PRACTITIONERS, SIGNIFYING A STATE OF TRANQUILITY BEFORE THE CHANTING OF OM. AFTER 5 MIN OF LOUD CHANTING OF OM, A COMPARISON BETWEEN GROUPS ASSESSED USING WILCOXON SIGNED RANKS TEST REVEALED: HF POWER, A COMPONENT OF THE PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM, WAS FURTHER AMPLIFIED WITH A SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE (P < 0.001) IN THE YOGA PRACTITIONERS GROUP COMPARED TO NONYOGA PRACTITIONERS. FURTHERMORE, THIS INCREASE IN HF POWER WAS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH THE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN YOGA. CONCLUSION: THE PRESENT STUDY SHOWED THAT A BRIEF CHANTING OF OM (5 MIN) MIGHT ENHANCE PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM ACTIVITY, PROMOTE RELAXATION, AND PROVIDE CALMNESS. FURTHER, THIS EXPERIENCE MAY BE ACHIEVED EFFECTIVELY IN INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCED IN YOGA THAN NONYOGA PRACTITIONERS. 2022 16 705 54 EFFECT OF INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY ON AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY (IAYT) HAD SHOWN BENEFICIAL EFFECTS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (DM). AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION IS ONE OF THE MAJOR COMPLICATIONS OF TYPE 2 DM. RESEARCH STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT YOGA CAN MODULATE AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS. HENCE, THE CURRENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF IAYT ON AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS IN TYPE 2 DIABETICS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 15 PATIENTS OF TYPE 2 DM WITH AGES RANGING FROM 35 TO 60 YEARS WERE RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY. THEY WERE DIAGNOSED WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES FROM 1-YEAR TO 15 YEARS. ASSESSMENTS WERE MADE ON DAY 1 (BEFORE YOGA) AND DAY 7 (AFTER 1-WEEK OF YOGA PRACTICE). HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV), BLOOD PRESSURE (BP) RESPONSE TO THE ISOMETRIC HANDGRIP AND HEART RATE RESPONSE TO DEEP BREATHING WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER 1-WEEK OF IAYT. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN FASTING PLASMA GLUCOSE FROM 154.67-130.27 MG/DL (WILCOXON SIGNED RANK TEST, P = 0.029) FOLLOWING 1-WEEK OF IAYT. BP RESPONSE TO ISOMETRIC HAND GRIP IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY (WILCOXON SIGNED RANK TEST, P = 0.01). THERE WAS NO STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN HRV COMPONENTS AND HEART RATE RESPONSE TO DEEP BREATHING TEST. HOWEVER, THERE WAS A TREND OF INCREASE IN THE LOW FREQUENCY POWER (41.07%), HIGH FREQUENCY POWER (6.29%), TOTAL POWER (5.38%), AND STANDARD DEVIATION OF ALL NN INTERVALS (SDNN) (6.29%). CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT, IAYT IMPROVED AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS IN TYPE 2 DIABETES PATIENTS. 2015 17 873 44 EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION IN HEART FAILURE. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT A HALL MARK OF HEART FAILURE IS ADVERSE CHANGES IN AUTONOMIC FUNCTION. ELEVATED BLOOD PRESSURE IS A POWERFUL PREDICTOR OF CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE AND OTHER CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD) OUTCOMES. IN THIS STUDY, WE PLANNED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF A 12 WEEK YOGA THERAPY ON BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART RATE, HEART RATE VARIABILITY, AND RATE PRESSURE PRODUCT (RPP). METHODS: OUT OF 130 HEART FAILURE PATIENTS RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY, 65 PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY SELECTED TO RECEIVE 12 WEEK YOGA THERAPY ALONG WITH STANDARD MEDICAL THERAPY (YOGA GROUP). OTHER PATIENTS (N=65) RECEIVED ONLY STANDARD MEDICAL THERAPY (CONTROL GROUP). HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION (BY SHORT-TERM HEART-RATE VARIABILITY ANALYSIS) AND MYOCARDIAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (BY RPP) WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS. IN THE YOGA GROUP, 44 PATIENTS AND IN THE CONTROL GROUP, 48 PATIENTS COMPLETED THE STUDY. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE AND RPP IN YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP. ALSO, LFNU AND LF-HF RATIO DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AND HFNU INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: TWELVE-WEEK YOGA THERAPY SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED THE PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY AND DECREASED THE SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY IN HEART FAILURE PATIENTS (NYHA I&II). 2014 18 715 37 EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON STRESS AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN PREGNANT WOMEN. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA PRACTICE AND GUIDED YOGIC RELAXATION ON BOTH PERCEIVED STRESS AND MEASURED AUTONOMIC RESPONSE IN HEALTHY PREGNANT WOMEN. METHOD: THE 122 HEALTHY WOMEN RECRUITED BETWEEN THE 18TH AND 20TH WEEK OF PREGNANCY AT PRENATAL CLINICS IN BANGALORE, INDIA, WERE RANDOMIZED TO PRACTICING YOGA AND DEEP RELAXATION OR STANDARD PRENATAL EXERCISES 1-HOUR DAILY. THE RESULTS FOR THE 45 PARTICIPANTS PER GROUP WHO COMPLETED THE STUDY WERE EVALUATED BY REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE. RESULTS: PERCEIVED STRESS DECREASED BY 31.57% IN THE YOGA GROUP AND INCREASED BY 6.60% IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P=0.001). DURING A GUIDED RELAXATION PERIOD IN THE YOGA GROUP, COMPARED WITH VALUES OBTAINED BEFORE A PRACTICE SESSION, THE HIGH-FREQUENCY BAND OF THE HEART RATE VARIABILITY SPECTRUM (PARASYMPATHETIC) INCREASED BY 64% IN THE 20TH WEEK AND BY 150% IN THE 36TH WEEK, AND BOTH THE LOW-FREQUENCY BAND (SYMPATHETIC), AND THE LOW-FREQUENCY TO HIGH-FREQUENCY RATIO WERE CONCOMITANTLY REDUCED (P<0.001 BETWEEN THE 2 GROUPS). MOREOVER, THE LOW-FREQUENCY BAND REMAINED DECREASED AFTER DEEP RELAXATION IN THE 36TH WEEK IN THE YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSION: YOGA REDUCES PERCEIVED STRESS AND IMPROVES ADAPTIVE AUTONOMIC RESPONSE TO STRESS IN HEALTHY PREGNANT WOMEN. 2009 19 1835 31 PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES AT THE TIME OF EXAMINATION IN MEDICAL STUDENTS BEFORE AND AFTER THE PRACTICE OF YOGA AND RELAXATION. THE EFFECT OF YOGA AND RELAXATION CHANGES IN PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN RESPONSE TO THE STRESS OF EXAMINATION IN 75 MEDICAL STUDENTS WAS STUDIED. INITIALLY FIVE PARAMETERS (ANXIETY LEVEL, HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, GALVANIC SKIN RESISTANCE AND CHOICE REACTION TIME) WERE RECORDED, A MONTH BEFORE THE EXAMINATION AND ON THE DAY OF EXAMINATION. STUDENTS WERE THEN RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO 3 GROUP OF 25 EACH. ONE GROUP PRACTICED YOGA (GROUP- Y), AND ANOTHER GROUP PRACTICED RELAXATION (GROUP-R) REGULARLY FOR THREE MONTHS. THE THIRD GROUP WAS CONTROL GROUP (GROUP-C). ALL THE PARAMETERS WERE RECORDED AFTER THE CHANGES IN ANXIETY LEVEL, HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, AND GALVANIC SKIN RESISTANCE IN RESPONSE TO STRESS OF EXAMINATION WERE SIGNIFICANTLY ATTENUATED AND THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN CHOICE REACTION TIME IN GROUP-Y AND GROUP-R AS COMPARED TO GROUP-C AFTER YOGA AND RELAXATION. 1998 20 650 48 DYNAMICS OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF COURSE YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES ON HEALTHY YOUNG PEOPLE. OBJECTIVE: INTRODUCTION: HEART RATE VARIABILITY IS A HIGHLY INFORMATIVE NON-INVASIVE METHOD OF RESEARCH NOT ONLY FOR THE FUNCTIONAL STATE OF THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM AND ALSO FOR THE INTEGRATIVE REGULATORY ACTIVITY OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM. THE POSITIVE EFFECT OF DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING IS POSITIVE IN THE MODE OF BIOLOGICAL FEEDBACK USING PORTABLE DEVICES, BUT THERE IS LITTLE EVIDENCE OF THE USE OF YOGA BREATHING GYMNASTICS IN ORDER TO INFLUENCE THE HEART RATE VARIABILITY. THE AIM: TO COMPARE THE POSSIBILITIES OF USING COURSES OF BREATHING GYMNASTICS OF YOGIS AND DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING SESSIONS IN THE MODE OF BIOLOGICAL FEEDBACK USING A PORTABLE DEVICE. PATIENTS AND METHODS: MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY INVOLVED 70 PRACTICALLY HEALTHY FOREIGNERS, WHO WERE DIVIDED INTO 2 GROUPS OF 35 PEOPLE. PARTICIPANTS OF THE 1ST GROUP DAILY ENGAGE IN RESPIRATORY EXERCISES PRANAYAMA FOR 15 MINUTES IN 1 MONTH. PARTICIPANTS IN THE 2ND GROUP USED THE MYCALMBEAT PORTABLE DEVICE. HEART RATE VARIABILITY WAS REGISTERED BY USING THE COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC COMPLEX "CARDIOLAB" ("KHAI-MEDIKA", UKRAINE). RESULTS: RESULTS: IN BOTH GROUPS THERE WAS SIMILAR DYNAMICS OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY INDICES, BUT ITS SEVERITY WAS DIFFERENT. THE COMMON INTEGRAL EFFECT WAS A SIGNIFICANT GROWTH OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY BOTH ACCORDING TO STATISTICAL AND SPECTRAL INDICATORS - TOTAL POWER INCREASED, AS WELL AS HIGH-FREQUENCY COMPONENT. THE POWER OF THE VERY-LOW FREQUENCY WAVES HAS PROBABLY DECREASED ONLY IN THE GROUP WITH THE DEVICE. IN THE PERCENTAGE STRUCTURE OF THE CARDIAC RHYTHM SPECTRUM, THE SPECIFIC WEIGHT OF VERY-LOW FREQUENCY COMPONENT AND THE PERCENTAGE OF HIGH-FREQUENCY COMPONENT INCREASED. CONCLUSION: CONCLUSIONS: RESPIRATORY GYMNASTICS YOGA FOR 15 MINUTES DAILY CONTRIBUTES TO THE GROWTH OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY THROUGH THE SUPPRESSION OF THE CENTRAL LINK (VERY-LOW FREQUENCY COMPONENT) OF REGULATION OF CARDIAC RHYTHM AND INCREASED ACTIVITY OF PARASYMPATHETIC INFLUENCES (HIGH-FREQUENCY COMPONENT), AS WELL AS THE REDISTRIBUTION OF REGULATORY ACTIVITY OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM BETWEEN THE CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL LINKS OF REGULATION OF THE CARDIAC RHYTHM IN FAVOR OF THE LATTER. 2019