1 354 126 ASSESSMENT OF YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT TREATMENT FOR COMBAT-RELATED POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY ASSESSED YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT STRATEGY FOR SYMPTOMS OF COMBAT-RELATED POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD). METHODS: SUBJECTS HAD SIGNIFICANT, COMBAT-RELATED PTSD. CONTROL DATA WERE COLLECTED DURING AN EIGHT-WEEK WAITING PERIOD. TRAUMA-SENSITIVE YOGA SESSIONS OF 90 MINUTES DURATION WERE PROVIDED EVERY SEVEN DAYS FOR EIGHT WEEKS. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED THE PTSD CHECKLIST (PCL); THE DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND STRESS SCALE (DASS); THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI); THE ADULT/ADOLESCENT SENSORY PROFILE (AASP); THE SF36 QUALITY OF LIFE INSTRUMENT; AND A BRIEF, STRUCTURED PRE-ENROLMENT ASSESSMENT OF ATTITUDES TOWARDS YOGA. BIOMARKERS WERE ALSO ASSESSED. RESULTS: THIRTY PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED, WITH 28 COMPLETING THE PROTOCOL ( MAGE=63.5 YEARS). FOR MOST VARIABLES, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN RESULTS AFTER THE WAITING PERIOD. COMPARING MEASUREMENTS OBTAINED IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE INTERVENTION TO THOSE TAKEN AFTER COMPLETION OF EIGHT YOGA SESSIONS, SIGNIFICANT CHANGES INCLUDED AN INCREASE IN THE SERUM DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE CONCENTRATION, DECREASED TOTAL PCL SCORE (AND ALL PCL SUB-SCALES), DECREASES IN ALL DASS SUB-SCALE SCORES AND SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PSQI AND SF36 SCORES. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: A RANGE OF BENEFITS WERE OBSERVED AFTER YOGA, CONSISTENT WITH THE THEORETICAL CONSTRUCT FOR THE LONG HISTORY OF YOGA AS A STRATEGY TO REDUCE STRESS AND PROMOTE WELL-BEING. 2017 2 159 37 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 3 719 40 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 4 1267 32 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 5 2640 41 YOGA FOR VETERANS WITH PTSD: COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING, MENTAL HEALTH, AND SALIVARY CORTISOL. OBJECTIVE: RESEARCH INDICATES THAT COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING IS NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY EXPOSURE TO CHRONIC STRESS DUE TO OVERACTIVATION OF THE STRESS RESPONSE. YOGA HAS DEMONSTRATED BENEFITS WHEN PRACTICED BY INDIVIDUALS DIAGNOSED WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD). THIS QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL PILOT STUDY EXAMINED THE IMPACT OF A YOGA INTERVENTION ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING, SYMPTOMS OF PTSD, AND THE BIOLOGICAL STRESS RESPONSE IN VETERANS DIAGNOSED WITH PTSD. METHOD: COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING, SELF-REPORT MEASURES OF MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS, AND SALIVARY CORTISOL WERE MEASURED WITHIN TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO BEGINNING AND FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF A 10-WEEK YOGA PROTOCOL. VETERANS WITH PTSD PARTICIPATED IN GENDER-SPECIFIC GROUPS OF THE YOGA INTERVENTION. PAIRED T TESTS AND CORRELATIONAL ANALYSES WERE USED TO ANALYZE QUANTITATIVE DATA. RESULTS: STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED BETWEEN BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION SCORES ON MEASURES OF RESPONSE INHIBITION, PTSD, DEPRESSION, SLEEP, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND SUBJECTIVE NEUROCOGNITIVE COMPLAINTS. POSITIVE CORRELATIONS WERE FOUND BETWEEN BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION CHANGES IN SLEEP AND DEPRESSION, AND BETWEEN CHANGE IN CORTISOL OUTPUT AND A MEASURE OF LIFE SATISFACTION. STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES (BASELINE TO POSTINTERVENTION) FOR OTHER OBJECTIVE MEASURES OF COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE AND CORTISOL WERE NOT DETECTED. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS PROVIDE PRELIMINARY SUPPORT FOR THE PRACTICE OF YOGA TO IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING (RESPONSE INHIBITION) RELATED TO SYMPTOMS OF PTSD WHILE ALSO IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS, SLEEP, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. POSITIVE CORRELATIONS AFFIRM THE ROLE OF SLEEP IN MOOD SYMPTOMS AND INDICATE THE NEED FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION OF THE ROLE OF CORTISOL IN LIFE SATISFACTION. (PSYCINFO DATABASE RECORD (C) 2020 APA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED). 2020 6 1483 27 INTEGRATING YOGA WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL GROUP-TREATMENT FOR MIXED DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN PRIMARY HEALTHCARE: AN EXPLORATIVE PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: YOGA HAS SHOWN PROMISE AS A TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. THE PRESENT PILOT STUDY INVESTIGATED THE FEASIBILITY OF AN EIGHT-WEEK GROUPTREATMENT INTEGRATING EMOTION-FOCUSED PSYCHOEDUCATION, COMPASSION-FOCUSED THERAPY, AND VIRYA YOGA FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN PRIMARY HEALTHCARE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PATIENTS SEEKING TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN A PRIMARY HEALTHCARE CENTRE COMPLETED EITHER AN INTEGRATIVE GROUP-TREATMENT (N = 14) OR TREATMENT AS USUAL (TAU, N = 17). OUTCOME MEASURES WERE ANALYSED PRE- AND POSTTREATMENT. CORRELATIONS IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP WERE INVESTIGATED BETWEEN TREATMENT OUTCOMES AND AMOUNT OF YOGA PRACTICE BETWEEN SESSIONS. RESULTS: LARGE WITHIN-GROUP EFFECT SIZES ON ALL OUTCOME MEASURES WERE FOUND AT POSTTREATMENT. SYMPTOM REDUCTION DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN GROUPS (P = 0.155). IMPROVEMENT IN ALEXITHYMIA CORRELATED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < 0.05) WITH AMOUNT OF YOGA PRACTICE BETWEEN SESSIONS. CONCLUSION: INTEGRATING YOGA WITH A PSYCHOLOGICAL GROUP-TREATMENT IS A SOMEWHAT FEASIBLE APPROACH TO TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN PRIMARY HEALTHCARE. 2020 7 248 35 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 8 252 31 A YOGA PROGRAM FOR THE SYMPTOMS OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN VETERANS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF A YOGA PROGRAM AS AN ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY FOR IMPROVING POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) SYMPTOMS IN VETERANS WITH MILITARY-RELATED PTSD. VETERANS (N = 12) PARTICIPATED IN A 6 WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION HELD TWICE A WEEK. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PTSD HYPERAROUSAL SYMPTOMS AND OVERALL SLEEP QUALITY AS WELL AS DAYTIME DYSFUNCTION RELATED TO SLEEP. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TOTAL PTSD, ANGER, OR QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOME SCORES. THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THIS YOGA PROGRAM MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY FOR IMPROVING HYPERAROUSAL SYMPTOMS OF PTSD INCLUDING SLEEP QUALITY. THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATES THAT THE YOGA PROGRAM IS ACCEPTABLE, FEASIBLE, AND THAT THERE IS GOOD ADHERENCE IN A VETERAN POPULATION. 2013 9 901 34 EFFECTIVENESS OF A BRIEF ADJUNCTIVE YOGA INTERVENTION FOR SHORT-TERM MOOD AND PSYCHIATRIC SYMPTOM CHANGE DURING PARTIAL HOSPITALIZATION. OBJECTIVE: EVIDENCE CONCERNING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN PARTIAL HOSPITAL PROGRAMS IS LIMITED. YET, PARTIAL HOSPITALS PROVIDE TREATMENT AT A CRITICAL JUNCTURE BY BRIDGING INPATIENT AND OUTPATIENT CARE. THE PRESENT STUDY TESTED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A SINGLE-SESSION GROUP YOGA INTERVENTION FOR SHORT-TERM MOOD AND PSYCHIATRIC SYMPTOM CHANGE IN PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING A 1- TO 2-WEEK PARTIAL HOSPITAL PROGRAM. METHOD: PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED 104 PARTIAL HOSPITAL PATIENTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE SINGLE-SESSION YOGA INTERVENTION AND COMPLETED A MEASURE OF POSITIVE/NEGATIVE AFFECT BEFORE AND AFTER THE GROUP. PARTICIPANTS, AS WELL AS PARTIAL HOSPITAL PATIENTS WHO DID NOT ATTEND THE YOGA INTERVENTION (N = 438), COMPLETED MEASURES OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS AT ADMISSION AND DISCHARGE FROM THE PROGRAM. AT DISCHARGE, THEY ALSO RATED THEIR PERCEIVED IMPROVEMENT AND THE OVERALL QUALITY OF THE CARE THEY RECEIVED. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS WHO ATTENDED THE YOGA INTERVENTION EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE AFFECT DURING THE GROUP. THEY DID NOT SHOW GREATER IMPROVEMENTS IN SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY OR DEPRESSION OVER THE COURSE OF TREATMENT COMPARED TO INDIVIDUALS WHO DID NOT ATTEND THE GROUP. YOGA INTERVENTION PARTICIPANTS NONETHELESS GAVE HIGHER RATINGS TO THE QUALITY OF THE CARE THEY RECEIVED. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: FINDINGS DEMONSTRATED THAT ATTENDING A SINGLE YOGA SESSION DURING PARTIAL HOSPITALIZATION WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SHORT-TERM MOOD BENEFITS, AND WITH ENHANCED OVERALL PERCEPTIONS OF TREATMENT. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO DETERMINE THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH PARTICIPATION IN YOGA DURING PARTIAL HOSPITALIZATION COULD CONTRIBUTE TO SYMPTOM CHANGE IN THIS CONTEXT. (PSYCINFO DATABASE RECORD (C) 2019 APA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED). 2019 10 177 37 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF MINDFULNESS VERSUS YOGA: EFFECTS ON DEPRESSION AND/OR ANXIETY IN COLLEGE STUDENTS. BACKGROUND: DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY DISORDERS ARE TWO OF THE MOST COMMON MENTAL DISORDERS IN THE UNITED STATES. THESE DISORDERS ARE PREVALENT AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS. OBJECTIVE: THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF INTERVENTION PRACTICES (MINDFULNESS VS. YOGA) AND A NONINTERVENTIONAL CONTROL GROUP IN MITIGATING THE EFFECTS OF DEPRESSION AND/OR ANXIETY IN COLLEGE STUDENTS. METHOD: A SAMPLE OF 90 STUDENTS (BOTH GENDERS) OVER AGE 18 WHO HAD A DIAGNOSIS OF ANXIETY AND/OR DEPRESSION WAS RECRUITED FROM 11,500 UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE STUDENTS IN A MID-SIZE UNIVERSITY. THE STUDY'S DESIGN INCLUDED STRATIFIED-RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED REPEATED MEASURES WITH THREE GROUPS: A MINDFULNESS INTERVENTION GROUP, A YOGA-ONLY INTERVENTION GROUP, AND A NONINTERVENTIONAL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO THE AFOREMENTIONED THREE GROUPS. PARTICIPANTS IN THE INTERVENTION GROUPS RECEIVED AN 8-WEEK TRAINING EITHER IN MINDFULNESS OR YOGA. DEPRESSIVE, ANXIETY, STRESS SYMPTOMS, SELF-COMPASSION, AND MINDFULNESS WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE, WEEK 4, WEEK 8, AND WEEK 12. RESULTS: DEPRESSIVE, ANXIETY, AND STRESS SYMPTOMS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < .01) FROM BASELINE TO FOLLOW-UP CONDITIONS IN BOTH THE MINDFULNESS AND YOGA INTERVENTION GROUPS. THE CHANGES IN MINDFULNESS SCORES WERE ALSO SIGNIFICANT IN BOTH GROUPS. HOWEVER, THE CHANGES IN SELF-COMPASSION SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANT ONLY IN THE MINDFULNESS INTERVENTION GROUP. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE CONTROL GROUP WERE DEMONSTRATED. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS FROM THIS STUDY CAN PROVIDE USEFUL INFORMATION TO NURSES AND OTHER HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS. THIS STUDY MAY HAVE IMPLICATIONS FOR A COST-EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. 2016 11 1380 37 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 12 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 13 2508 41 YOGA BREATHING FOR CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE: RESULTS OF A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: MANY DEBILITATING SYMPTOMS ARISE FROM CANCER AND ITS TREATMENT THAT ARE OFTEN UNRELIEVED BY ESTABLISHED METHODS. PRANAYAMA, A SERIES OF YOGIC BREATHING TECHNIQUES, MAY IMPROVE CANCER-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE, BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED FOR THIS PURPOSE. OBJECTIVES: A PILOT STUDY WAS PERFORMED TO EVALUATE FEASIBILITY AND TO TEST THE EFFECTS OF PRANAYAMA ON CANCER-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. DESIGN: THIS WAS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL COMPARING PRANAYAMA TO USUAL CARE. SETTING: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT A UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER. SUBJECTS: PATIENTS RECEIVING CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE PRANAYAMA IMMEDIATELY OR AFTER A WAITING PERIOD (CONTROL GROUP). INTERVENTIONS: THE PRANAYAMA INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF FOUR BREATHING TECHNIQUES TAUGHT IN WEEKLY CLASSES AND PRACTICED AT HOME. THE TREATMENT GROUP RECEIVED PRANAYAMA DURING TWO CONSECUTIVE CYCLES OF CHEMOTHERAPY. THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED USUAL CARE DURING THEIR FIRST CYCLE, AND RECEIVED PRANAYAMA DURING THEIR SECOND CYCLE OF CHEMOTHERAPY. OUTCOME MEASURES: FEASIBILITY, CANCER-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS (FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, STRESS), AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE THE OUTCOMES. RESULTS: CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS NEARLY 100% IN BOTH GROUPS. SIXTEEN (16) PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSES. THE REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSES DEMONSTRATED THAT ANY INCREASE IN PRANAYAMA DOSE, WITH DOSE MEASURED IN THE NUMBER OF HOURS PRACTICED IN CLASS OR AT HOME, RESULTED IN IMPROVED SYMPTOM AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE SCORES. SEVERAL OF THESE ASSOCIATIONS--SLEEP DISTURBANCE (P=0.04), ANXIETY (P=0.04), AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE (P=0.05)--REACHED OR APPROACHED STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA BREATHING WAS A FEASIBLE INTERVENTION AMONG PATIENTS WITH CANCER RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY. PRANAYAMA MAY IMPROVE SLEEP DISTURBANCE, ANXIETY, AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE. A DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP WAS FOUND BETWEEN PRANAYAMA USE AND IMPROVEMENTS IN CHEMOTHERAPY-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. THESE FINDINGS NEED TO BE CONFIRMED IN A LARGER STUDY. 2012 14 1701 41 PARTICIPATION IN A YOGA STUDY DECREASES STRESS AND DEPRESSION SCORES FOR INCARCERATED WOMEN. INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS EXHIBIT A HIGH INCIDENCE OF STRESS-RELATED DISORDERS, INCLUDING ADDICTION AND POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD), AS WELL AS THE ADDED STRESS OF CAPTIVITY. ACCESS TO STRESS-REDUCTION TOOLS IS LIMITED FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS. ONE POSSIBLE APPROACH MAY BE REGULAR STRUCTURED YOGA CLASSES. USING TWO APPROACHES, WE TESTED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A BRIEF, INTENSIVE YOGA INTERVENTION IN A POPULATION OF INCARCERATED WOMEN IN A COUNTY JAIL. THE FIRST APPROACH WAS AN EXAMINATION OF ARCHIVAL DATA COLLECTED AS PART OF A PROGRAM ANALYSIS. INDIVIDUALS SHOWED CONSIDERABLE REDUCTION IN SELF-REPORTED STRESS FOLLOWING A SINGLE YOGA SESSION. THE SECOND APPROACH WAS AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY USING A WEEK-LONG YOGA INTERVENTION. THIRTY-FOUR PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP FOR THE FIRST WEEK. IN THE SECOND WEEK, THE CONDITIONS WERE REVERSED. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED WEEKLY, BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. BASELINE SCORES REVEALED HIGH RATES OF DEPRESSION, STRESS, AND EXPOSURE TO TRAUMATIC LIFE EVENTS COMPARED TO NORMATIVE DATA. STRESS AND DEPRESSION WERE ASSESSED USING THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE AND BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, RESPECTIVELY. COMPARED TO CONTROLS, PARTICIPANTS REPORTED LESS DEPRESSION AFTER A WEEK OF DAILY YOGA SESSIONS. PERCEIVED STRESS DECLINED UNDER BOTH CONTROL AND YOGA CONDITIONS. DUE TO THE TRANSIENT NATURE OF THE JAIL INSTITUTION, IT IS IMPORTANT TO EXAMINE INTERVENTIONS THAT CAN BE PROVIDED ON A SHORT-TERM BASIS. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE LIMITATIONS IN THIS STUDY, THE RESULTS SUPPORT THE CONCLUSION THAT THE BRIEF YOGA INTERVENTION HAD A POSITIVE EFFECT ON PARTICIPANTS' WELL-BEING. 2021 15 115 29 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 16 1939 37 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