1 408 145 BIOMECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS ON THE LOWER EXTREMITY OF THREE TYPICAL YOGA MANOEUVRES. THIS STUDY WAS AIMED AT EXPLORING THE BIOMECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LOWER EXTREMITY AMONGST THREE TYPICAL YOGA MANOEUVRES. A TOTAL OF THIRTEEN EXPERIENCED FEMALE YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE RECRUITED IN THE CURRENT STUDY; THEY WERE ALL CERTIFIED WITH THE YOGA ALLIANCE. A THREE-DIMENSIONAL MOTION CAPTURE SYSTEM WITH 10 CAMERAS COMBINED WITH FOUR SYNCHRONISED FORCE PLATES WAS USED TO COLLECT KINEMATICS OF THE LOWER EXTREMITY AND GROUND REACTIVE FORCE WHILST THE PARTICIPANTS PERFORMED THE CRESCENT LUNGE POSE, WARRIOR II POSE, AND TRIANGLE POSE. ONE-WAY REPEATED ANOVA WAS USED IN EXPLORING THE DIFFERENCES AMONGST THE THREE YOGA MOVEMENTS, AND THE SIGNIFICANCE WAS SET TO ALPHA < 0.05. THE TRIANGLE POSE PERFORMED THE LARGEST RANGE OF MOTION (ROM) OF THE HIP (90.5 DEGREES +/- 22.9 DEGREES ), KNEE (68.8 DEGREES +/- 23.1 DEGREES ), AND ANKLE (46.4 DEGREES +/- 11.3 DEGREES ) IN THE SAGITTAL PLANE AND THE HIP (54.8 DEGREES +/- 6.5 DEGREES ), KNEE (42.4 DEGREES +/- 12.8 DEGREES ), AND ANKLE (4.8 DEGREES +/- 1.7 DEGREES ) IN THE FRONTAL PLANE AMONGST THE THREE MANOEUVRES (P < 0.05). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND FOR THE HIP AND ANKLE JOINT MOMENT AMONGST THE THREE MANOEUVRES (P > 0.05). KNEE JOINT TRAVELLED INTO 9.5 DEGREES OF EXTENSION AND SLIGHT ADDUCTION OF 1.94 DEGREES WHILST EXPRESSING THE LARGEST KNEE JOINT ADDUCTION MOMENTS (0.30 +/- 0.22 NM/KG) IN THE TRIANGLE POSE. THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE ANGULAR IMPULSE OF THE LOWER LIMB JOINTS INDICATED THAT THE HIP JOINT CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY THE MOST IN THE SAGITTAL AND FRONTAL PLANES OF THE THREE YOGA MANOEUVRES (P < 0.05), RANGING FROM 51.67% TO 70.56%. RESULTS INDICATED THAT TRIANGLE POSE MAY BE SUPERIOR TO THE OTHER TWO MANOEUVRES, WHICH IMPROVED HIP JOINT ROM, STRENGTH, AND DYNAMIC STABILITY. HOWEVER, KNEE INJURIES SUCH AS OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA) SHOULD BE CONSIDERED BECAUSE OF THE LARGE KNEE EXTENSOR ANGLE AND ADDUCTOR MOMENTS. 2021 2 322 34 ANKLE MOTION IN COMMON YOGA POSES. BACKGROUND: MOTION OF THE ANKLE IS ESSENTIAL FOR MANY YOGA POSES. AN UNDERSTANDING OF RANGE OF ANKLE MOTION DURING TYPICAL YOGA POSES MAY HELP THE CLINICIAN TO UNDERSTAND EXPECTED OUTCOMES OF PATIENTS WHEN RETURNING FROM ANKLE SURGERY OR INJURY TO YOGA. METHODS: THE BIOMECHANICS OF TWENTY HEALTHY ACTIVE YOGIS WERE COLLECTED DURING SEVEN YOGA POSES THAT ARE COMMON WITHIN THEIR PRACTICES. MOTION CAPTURE AND FORCE PLATES WERE USED TO ASSESS THE RANGE OF MOTION AND JOINT MOMENTS OF THE ANKLE FOR EACH POSE. RESULTS: ALL POSES RESULTED IN PLANTARFLEXION AND EXTERNAL ROTATION MOMENTS AT THE ANKLE JOINTS. JOINT LOADING WAS HIGHEST IN SINGLE LEG POSES. THE ARC OF MOTION USED BY THE STUDY PARTICIPANTS IN THE POSES WAS 29 DEGREES OF SAGITTAL MOTION, 20 DEGREES OF FRONTAL MOTION AND 35 DEGREES OF TRANSVERSE MOTION. DISCUSSION: ANKLE MOTION WAS EVALUATED WHEN HEALTHY YOGIS PERFORM STANDARD POSES. THESE RESULTS MAY HELP IN DISCUSSION WITH PATIENTS REGARDING EXPECTED OUTCOMES AFTER ANKLE INJURY OR SURGERY. 2019 3 2306 45 TRAINING BENEFITS AND INJURY RISKS OF STANDING YOGA APPLIED IN MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS: LOWER LIMB BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS. STANDING YOGA POSES STRENGTHEN A PERSON'S LEGS AND HELPS TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL OF MUSCULOSKELETAL REHABILITATION, BUT INADEQUATE EXERCISE PLANNING CAN CAUSE INJURIES. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED CHANGES IN THE ELECTROMYOGRAM AND JOINT MOMENTS OF FORCE (JMOFS) OF LOWER EXTREMITIES DURING COMMON STANDING YOGA POSES IN ORDER TO EXPLORE THE FEASIBILITY AND POSSIBLE INJURY RISK IN DEALING WITH MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS. ELEVEN YOGA INSTRUCTORS WERE RECRUITED TO EXECUTE FIVE YOGA POSES (CHAIR, TREE, WARRIOR 1, 2, AND 3). THE RESULTS REVEALED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN HIP, KNEE, AND ANKLE JMOFS AND VARYING DEGREES OF MUSCLE ACTIVATION AMONG THE POSES. AMONG THESE POSES, RECTUS FEMORIS MUSCLE ACTIVATION DURING THE CHAIR POSE WAS THE HIGHEST, WARRIOR 2 PRODUCED THE HIGHEST MUSCLE ACTIVATION IN THE VASTUS LATERALIS OF THE FRONT LIMB, WHILE WARRIOR 1 HAD THE HIGHEST MUSCLE ACTIVATION IN THE VASTUS MEDIALIS OF THE BACK LIMB. THEREFORE, ALL THREE POSES CAN POSSIBLY BE SUGGESTED AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION FOR QUADRICEPS STRENGTHENING. WARRIOR 1 WAS POSSIBLY SUGGESTED AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION IN ORDER TO REDUCE EXCESSIVE LATERAL OVERLOAD OF THE PATELLA, BUT THE POSSIBLE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF WARRIOR 2 WITH THE HIGHEST KNEE ADDUCTOR JMOF IN THE BACK LIMB COULD RAISE JOINT REACTION FORCES ACROSS THE MEDIAL CONDYLES. IN SINGLE-LEG BALANCE POSTURES, WARRIOR 3 HAD UNIQUE TRAINING EFFECTS ON THE HAMSTRING, AND IS THEREFORE SUGGESTED AS A PART OF HAMSTRING REHABILITATION EXERCISES. THE TREE POSE INDUCED LOW LOWER-EXTREMITY JMOFS AND A LOW LEVEL OF THIGH MUSCLE ACTIVATIONS WHEN IT WAS PERFORMED BY SENIOR INSTRUCTORS WITH EXCELLENT BALANCE CONTROL; HOWEVER, FOR YOGA BEGINNERS WITH INSUFFICIENT STABILITY, IT WILL BE A USEFUL TRAINING MODE FOR STRENGTHENING THE MUSCLES THAT HELP TO KEEP ONE UPRIGHT. THIS STUDY QUANTIFIED THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF YOGA POSES USING BIOMECHANICAL DATA AND ELUCIDATED THE STRUCTURES AND PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING EACH YOGA MOVEMENT. THIS IS CRUCIAL FOR YOGA PRACTITIONERS. 2021 4 2064 43 THE BIOMECHANICAL DEMANDS OF STANDING YOGA POSES IN SENIORS: THE YOGA EMPOWERS SENIORS STUDY (YESS). BACKGROUND: THE NUMBER OF OLDER ADULTS PARTICIPATING IN YOGA HAS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY IN RECENT YEARS; YET, THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA PERFORMANCE HAVE NOT BEEN REPORTED. THE PRIMARY AIM OF THE YOGA EMPOWERS SENIORS STUDY (YESS) WAS TO USE BIOMECHANICAL METHODS TO QUANTIFY THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF 7 COMMONLY-PRACTICED STANDING YOGA POSES IN OLDER ADULTS. METHODS: 20 AMBULATORY OLDER ADULTS (70.7+-3.8 YRS) ATTENDED 2 WEEKLY 60-MINUTE HATHA YOGA CLASSES FOR 32 WEEKS. THE LOWER-EXTREMITY NET JOINT MOMENTS OF FORCE (JMOFS), WERE OBTAINED DURING THE PERFORMANCE OF THE FOLLOWING POSES: CHAIR, WALL PLANK, TREE, WARRIOR II, SIDE STRETCH, CRESCENT, AND ONE-LEGGED BALANCE. REPEATED-MEASURE ANOVA AND TUKEY'S POST-HOC TESTS WERE USED TO IDENTIFY DIFFERENCES IN JMOFS AMONG THE POSES. ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS WAS USED TO SUPPORT THE JMOF FINDINGS. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECT FOR POSE, AT THE ANKLE, KNEE AND HIP, IN THE FRONTAL AND SAGITTAL PLANES (P=0.00-0.03). THE CRESCENT, CHAIR, WARRIOR II, AND ONE-LEGGED BALANCE POSES GENERATED THE GREATEST AVERAGE SUPPORT MOMENTS. SIDE STRETCH GENERATED THE GREATEST AVERAGE HIP EXTENSOR AND KNEE FLEXOR JMOFS. CRESCENT PLACED THE HIGHEST DEMANDS ON THE HIP FLEXORS AND KNEE EXTENSORS. ALL OF THE POSES PRODUCED ANKLE PLANTAR-FLEXOR JMOFS. IN THE FRONTAL PLANE, THE TREE GENERATED THE GREATEST AVERAGE HIP AND KNEE ABDUCTOR JMOFS; WHEREAS WARRIOR II GENERATED THE GREATEST AVERAGE HIP AND KNEE ADDUCTOR JMOFS. WARRIOR II AND ONE-LEGGED BALANCE INDUCED THE LARGEST AVERAGE ANKLE EVERTOR AND INVERTOR JMOFS, RESPECTIVELY. THE ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC FINDINGS WERE CONSISTENT WITH THE JMOF RESULTS. CONCLUSIONS: MUSCULOSKELETAL DEMAND VARIED SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS THE DIFFERENT POSES. THESE FINDINGS MAY BE USED TO GUIDE THE DESIGN OF EVIDENCE-BASED YOGA INTERVENTIONS THAT ADDRESS INDIVIDUAL-SPECIFIC TRAINING AND REHABILITATION GOALS IN SENIORS. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: THIS STUDY IS REGISTERED WITH NIH CLINICALTRIALS.GOV #NCT 01411059. 2013 5 1757 33 POSITION OF THE HIP IN YOGA. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS GROWING IN POPULARITY AS A FORM OF EXERCISE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. ORTHOPEDIC PATIENTS PARTICIPATE IN YOGA, YET LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE RANGES-OF-MOTION OF THE HIP WITHIN VARIOUS YOGA POSES. ORTHOPEDIC SURGEONS ARE UNSURE ABOUT WHAT POTENTIAL POSITIONS THEIR PATIENTS ARE PLACING THEIR HIPS DURING A YOGA PRACTICE. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO QUANTIFY THE DEGREE OF HIP MOTION WITH COMMON YOGA POSES. METHODS: TWENTY HEALTHY, REGULAR PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA PERFORMED 11 DIFFERENT YOGA POSES IN A STANDARDIZED FASHION. MOTION ANALYSIS WAS USED TO CAPTURE RANGE-OF-MOTION OF THE HIP DURING EACH POSE. RESULTS: MANY YOGA POSES PUT THE HIP IN EXTREMES OF MOTION. POSES SUCH AS DOWNWARD DOG, FORWARD FOLD, SEATED TWIST, AND PIGEON STRESSED THE HIP IN FLEXION. WARRIOR 1, WARRIOR 2, CRESCENT LUNGE, PIGEON, AND TRIANGLE STRESSED THE HIP IN EXTENSION. EAGLE AND SEATED TWIST PUT THE HIP IN HIGHER ADDUCTION, WHILE HALF MOON, EAGLE, AND TRIANGLE PRODUCED MORE HIP INTERNAL ROTATION. CONCLUSION: MANY POSES WERE FOUND TO REACH EXTREMES OF HIP MOTION. THIS STUDY MAY HELP GUIDE THE ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON IN COUNSELING HIP ARTHROPLASTY AND HIP IMPINGEMENT PATIENTS ABOUT YOGA-RELATED ACTIVITY. BY KNOWING WHICH POSES POTENTIALLY STRESS THE HIP IN PARTICULAR PLANES OF MOTION, SURGEONS MAY BETTER INFORM THEIR PATIENTS WHO ARE RETURNING TO YOGA AFTER INJURY OR SURGERY. 2018 6 1741 34 PHYSICAL DEMAND PROFILES OF HATHA YOGA POSTURES PERFORMED BY OLDER ADULTS. UNDERSTANDING THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS PLACED UPON THE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM BY INDIVIDUAL POSTURES MAY ALLOW EXPERIENCED INSTRUCTORS AND THERAPISTS TO DEVELOP SAFE AND EFFECTIVE YOGA PROGRAMS WHICH REDUCE UNDESIRABLE SIDE EFFECTS. THUS, WE USED BIOMECHANICAL METHODS TO QUANTIFY THE LOWER EXTREMITY JOINT ANGLES, JOINT MOMENTS OF FORCE, AND MUSCLE ACTIVITIES OF 21 HATHA YOGA POSTURES, COMMONLY USED IN SENIOR YOGA PROGRAMS. TWENTY OLDER ADULTS, 70.7 YEARS +/- 3.8 YEARS, PARTICIPATED IN A 32-WK YOGA CLASS (2 D/WK) WHERE THEY LEARNED INTRODUCTORY AND INTERMEDIATE POSTURES (ASANAS). THEY THEN PERFORMED THE ASANAS IN A MOTION ANALYSIS LABORATORY. KINEMATIC, KINETIC, AND ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC DATA WAS COLLECTED OVER THREE SECONDS WHILE THE PARTICIPANTS HELD THE POSES STATICALLY. PROFILES ILLUSTRATING THE POSTURES AND INCLUDING THE BIOMECHANICAL DATA WERE THEN GENERATED FOR EACH ASANA. OUR FINDINGS DEMONSTRATED THAT HATHA YOGA POSTURES ENGENDERED A RANGE OF APPRECIABLE JOINT ANGLES, JMOFS, AND MUSCLE ACTIVITIES ABOUT THE ANKLE, KNEE, AND HIP, AND THAT DEMANDS ASSOCIATED WITH SOME POSTURES AND POSTURE MODIFICATIONS WERE NOT ALWAYS INTUITIVE. THEY ALSO DEMONSTRATED THAT ALL OF THE POSTURES ELICITED APPRECIABLE RECTUS ABDOMINIS ACTIVITY, WHICH WAS UP TO 70% OF THAT INDUCED DURING WALKING. 2013 7 987 33 EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA EXERCISES ON SPINE FLEXIBILITY IN WOMEN OVER 50 YEARS OLD. [PURPOSE] THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ACCESS THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE SPINE IN WOMEN PRACTICING YOGA AS A PART OF THE "UNIVERSITY FOR HEALTH" PROJECT. [SUBJECTS AND METHODS] THE STUDY INCLUDED 56 WOMEN RANGING IN AGE BETWEEN 50-79 AND ATTENDING 90 MINUTES HATHA YOGA SESSIONS ONCE A WEEK. THE MEASUREMENTS WERE PERFORMED TWICE-AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT AND AFTER ITS COMPLETION, I.E., AFTER 20 WEEKS OF CLASSES. THE RANGE OF SPINE MOBILITY IN THREE PLANES WAS MEASURED USING A RIPPSTEIN PLURIMETER. THE RANGE OF MOTION IN THE SAGITTAL AND FRONTAL PLANES WAS MEASURED IN A STANDING POSITION WITH THE FEET HIP-WIDTH APART. THE TORSIONAL RANGE OF MOTION OF THE SUBJECTS WAS MEASURED WITH THE TRUNK BENT AT A RIGHT ANGLE AND THE LEGS APART. THE FLEXIBILITY RANGES OF THE SPINE AND HAMSTRINGS WERE ALSO MEASURED BY THE TOE-TOUCH TEST IN A STANDING POSITION. [RESULTS] THIS STUDY SHOWED THAT THE APPLIED YOGA EXERCISES INCREASED SPINAL MOBILITY AND FLEXIBILITY OF THE HAMSTRING MUSCLES REGARDLESS OF AGE. [CONCLUSION] YOGA EXERCISES SHOULD BE RECOMMENDED TO THE ELDERLY TO MAKE THEIR MUSCLES MORE FLEXIBLE AND TO INCREASE THE RANGE OF MOTION IN THE JOINTS, WHICH IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT FOR IMPROVING THEIR LIFE QUALITY. 2015 8 1290 33 GROUND REACTION FORCES GENERATED BY TWENTY-EIGHT HATHA YOGA POSTURES. ADHERENTS CLAIM MANY BENEFITS FROM THE PRACTICE OF YOGA, INCLUDING PROMOTION OF BONE HEALTH AND PREVENTION OF OSTEOPOROSIS. HOWEVER, NO KNOWN STUDIES HAVE INVESTIGATED WHETHER YOGA ENHANCES BONE MINERAL DENSITY. FURTHERMORE, NONE HAVE ESTIMATED REACTION FORCES APPLIED BY YOGA PRACTITIONERS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COLLECT GROUND REACTION FORCE (GRF) DATA ON A VARIETY OF HATHA YOGA POSTURES THAT WOULD COMMONLY BE PRACTICED IN FITNESS CENTERS OR PRIVATE STUDIOS. TWELVE FEMALE AND EIGHT MALE VOLUNTEERS PERFORMED A SEQUENCE OF 28 HATHA YOGA POSTURES WHILE GRF DATA WERE COLLECTED WITH AN AMTI STRAIN-GAUGE FORCE PLATFORM. THE SEQUENCE WAS REPEATED SIX TIMES BY EACH STUDY SUBJECT. FOUR DEPENDENT VARIABLES WERE STUDIED: PEAK VERTICAL GRF, MEAN VERTICAL GRF, PEAK RESULTANT GRF, AND MEAN RESULTANT GRF. UNIVARIATE ANALYSIS WAS USED TO IDENTIFY MEAN VALUES AND STANDARD DEVIATIONS FOR THE DEPENDENT VARIABLES. PEAK VERTICAL AND RESULTANT VALUES OF EACH POSTURE WERE SIMILAR FOR ALL SUBJECTS, AND STANDARD DEVIATIONS WERE SMALL. SIMILARLY, MEAN VERTICAL AND RESULTANT VALUES WERE SIMILAR FOR ALL SUBJECTS. THIS 28 POSTURE YOGA SEQUENCE PRODUCED LOW IMPACT GRF APPLIED TO UPPER AND LOWER EXTREMITIES. FURTHER RESEARCH IS WARRANTED TO DETERMINE WHETHER THESE FORCES ARE SUFFICIENT TO PROMOTE OSTEOGENESIS OR MAINTAIN CURRENT BONE HEALTH IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS. 2012 9 81 23 A MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF EFFECTS ON SPECIFIC JOINTS DURING PRACTICE OF THE SUN SALUTATION--A SEQUENCE OF YOGA POSTURES. THE 'SUN SALUTATION' CONSISTS OF A SEQUENCE OF TEN YOGA POSTURES, EACH POSTURE COUNTERACTING THE PRECEDING ONE PRODUCING A BALANCE BETWEEN FLEXION AND EXTENSION, PERFORMED WITH SYNCHRONIZED BREATHING AND AEROBIC ACTIVITY. AS THIS SEQUENCE IS OFTEN PERFORMED AND RECOMMENDED BY MANY YOGA PRACTITIONERS, THERE IS A NEED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A BIOMECHANICAL MODEL TO SUPPORT ITS REPORTED CLINICAL BENEFITS. THIS REQUIRES A DETAILED KNOWLEDGE OF THE NATURE OF THE FORCES AND MOMENTS AT THE VARIOUS JOINTS INVOLVED. A SIMPLE MATHEMATICAL MODEL BASED ON RIGID BODY MECHANICS IS DEVELOPED FOR EACH OF THE SUN SALUTATION POSTURES. DYNAMIC MOMENTS WITH HIGH MAGNITUDES AND RATES, APPLIED WITH UNUSUAL DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS, OPTIMAL FOR OSTEOGENESIS, ARE FOUND TO OCCUR. ALSO, THE JOINTS ARE SUBJECTED TO SUBMAXIMAL LOADINGS THUS ENSURING THAT NONE OF THE JOINTS ARE OVERSTRESSED. 2011 10 253 40 A YOGA STRENGTHENING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO MINIMIZE THE KNEE ADDUCTION MOMENT FOR WOMEN WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS: A PROOF-OF-PRINCIPLE COHORT STUDY. UNLABELLED: PEOPLE WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS MAY BENEFIT FROM EXERCISE PRESCRIPTIONS THAT MINIMIZE KNEE LOADS IN THE FRONTAL PLANE. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER A NOVEL 12-WEEK STRENGTHENING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO MINIMIZE EXPOSURE TO THE KNEE ADDUCTION MOMENT (KAM) COULD IMPROVE SYMPTOMS AND KNEE STRENGTH IN WOMEN WITH SYMPTOMATIC KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. A SECONDARY OBJECTIVE WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE PROGRAM COULD IMPROVE MOBILITY AND FITNESS, AND DECREASE PEAK KAM DURING GAIT. THE TERTIARY OBJECTIVE WAS TO EVALUATE THE BIOMECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS YOGA PROGRAM. IN PARTICULAR, WE COMPARED THE PEAK KAM DURING GAIT WITH THAT DURING YOGA POSTURES AT BASELINE. WE ALSO COMPARED LOWER LIMB NORMALIZED MEAN ELECTROMYOGRAPHY (EMG) AMPLITUDES DURING YOGA POSTURES BETWEEN BASELINE AND FOLLOW-UP. PRIMARY MEASURES INCLUDED SELF-REPORTED PAIN AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION (KNEE INJURY AND OSTEOARTHRITIS OUTCOME SCORE) AND KNEE STRENGTH (EXTENSOR AND FLEXOR TORQUES). SECONDARY MEASURES INCLUDED MOBILITY (SIX-MINUTE WALK, 30-SECOND CHAIR STAND, STAIR CLIMBING), FITNESS (SUBMAXIMAL CYCLE ERGOMETER TEST), AND CLINICAL GAIT ANALYSIS USING MOTION CAPTURE SYNCHRONIZED WITH ELECTROMYOGRAPHY AND FORCE MEASUREMENT. ALSO, KAM AND NORMALIZED MEAN EMG AMPLITUDES WERE COLLECTED DURING YOGA POSTURES. FORTY-FIVE WOMEN OVER AGE 50 WITH SYMPTOMATIC KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS, CONSISTENT WITH THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF RHEUMATOLOGY CRITERIA, ENROLLED IN OUR 12-WEEK (3 SESSIONS PER WEEK) PROGRAM. DATA FROM 38 WERE ANALYZED (SIX DROP-OUTS; ONE LOST TO CO-INTERVENTION). PARTICIPANTS EXPERIENCED REDUCED PAIN (MEAN IMPROVEMENT 10.1-20.1 NORMALIZED TO 100; P<0.001), INCREASED KNEE EXTENSOR STRENGTH (MEAN IMPROVEMENT 0.01 NM/KG; P = 0.004), AND INCREASED FLEXOR STRENGTH (MEAN IMPROVEMENT 0.01 NM/KG; P = 0.001) AT FOLLOW-UP COMPARED TO BASELINE. PARTICIPANTS IMPROVED MOBILITY ON THE SIX-MINUTE WALK (MEAN IMPROVEMENT 37.7 M; P<0.001) AND 30-SECOND CHAIR STAND (MEAN IMPROVEMENT 1.3; P = 0.006) AT FOLLOW-UP COMPARED TO BASELINE. FITNESS AND PEAK KAM DURING GAIT WERE UNCHANGED BETWEEN BASELINE AND FOLLOW-UP. AVERAGE KAM DURING THE YOGA POSTURES WERE LOWER THAN THAT OF NORMAL GAIT. NORMALIZED MEAN EMG AMPLITUDES DURING YOGA POSTURES WERE UP TO 31.0% OF MAXIMUM BUT DID NOT CHANGE BETWEEN BASELINE AND FOLLOW-UP. IN THIS COHORT STUDY, THE YOGA-BASED STRENGTHENING POSTURES THAT ELICIT LOW KAMS IMPROVED KNEE SYMPTOMS AND STRENGTH IN WOMEN WITH KNEE OA FOLLOWING A 12 WEEK PROGRAM (3 SESSIONS PER WEEK). THE PROGRAM ALSO IMPROVED MOBILITY, BUT DID NOT IMPROVE FITNESS OR REDUCE PEAK KAM DURING GAIT. THE KAM DURING THE YOGA POSTURES WERE LOWER THAN THAT OF NORMAL GAIT. OVERALL, THE PROPOSED PROGRAM MAY BE USEFUL IN IMPROVING PAIN, STRENGTH, AND MOBILITY IN WOMEN WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. CLINICAL EFFICACY NEEDS TO BE ASSESSED USING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGN. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT02146105. 2015 11 2340 29 USE OF A 'POSE RATE' TO QUANTIFY YOGA. OBJECTIVE: TO DEVELOP A METHOD THAT DESCRIBES THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY COMPLETED DURING YOGA, AND TO USE THIS METHOD TO COMPARE THREE DIFFERENT YOGA VIDEO CATEGORIES: WEIGHT LOSS, BEGINNER, AND STRESS RELIEF/MEDITATION. DESIGN: THIS STUDY CONDUCTED CONTENT ANALYSIS OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE YOGA VIDEOS IN WHICH PRE-DETERMINED CHARACTERISTICS OF YOGA ROUTINES WERE RECORDED. OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED THE YOGA ROUTINE CHARACTERISTICS OF: DURATION OF EACH YOGA ROUTINE, NUMBER OF COMPLETED POSES, BODY POSITION OF EACH POSE, AND POSE RATE. RESULTS: TWENTY-TWO ROUTINES FROM YOGA VIDEOS WERE ANALYZED. DURATION OF ROUTINE BETWEEN THE THREE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE VIDEO CATEGORIES BASED ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF TOTAL NUMBER OF POSES AND THE POSE RATE, WITH WEIGHT LOSS ROUTINES HAVING THE HIGHEST VALUES COMPARE TO BEGINNER ROUTINES AND STRESS RELIEF/MEDITATION (TOTAL NUMBER OF POSES: 74.1, 34.3, 25.6 POSES, P < 0.05; POSE RATE: 2.5M 1.5, 1.1 POSES/MIN, P < 0.05, RESPECTIVELY). ADDITIONALLY, DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED BETWEEN BODY POSTURES IN POSES WITH WEIGHT LOSS VIDEOS INCLUDING MORE STANDING POSES (38.8, 17.0, 5.7 POSES, P < 0.05, RESPECTIVELY) AND A LOWER PERCENTAGE OF SEATED (9.9%, 15.8%, 39.0%, P < 0.05, RESPECTIVELY) AND SUPINE POSES (10.9%, 18.5%, 28.8%, P < 0.05, RESPECTIVELY) COMPARED TO THE BEGINNER AND STRESS/MEDITATION VIDEOS. CONCLUSIONS: THE CHARACTERISTICS OF TOTAL POSES, POSE RATE, AND TOTAL STANDING POSES SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DIFFERENT STYLES OF YOGA. FURTHER RESEARCH SHOULD BE CONDUCTED TO VALIDATE THESE CHARACTERISTICS AS AN INTENSITY MEASURES AND TO ASSESS IF THESE CHARACTERISTICS HAVE VARIATIONS BETWEEN DIFFERENT YOGA STYLES. 2019 12 2780 37 YOGA THERAPY AND AMBULATORY MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS ASSESSMENT OF GAIT ANALYSIS PARAMETERS, FATIGUE AND BALANCE. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: GAIT IMPAIRMENT, FALLS DUE TO BALANCE PROBLEMS AND FATIGUE ARE AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPLAINTS IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) AND CAUSE SIGNIFICANT FUNCTIONAL LIMITATION. USE OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM) TO HELP SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT AND TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE IS GROWING AMONG MS PATIENTS. YOGA IS WIDELY USED AS ONE OF THESE CAM INTERVENTIONS, HOWEVER, THE NUMBER OF STUDIES THAT SHOW THE EFFICACY OF YOGA TRAINING IN MS IS INADEQUATE. IN THIS STUDY, WE AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A SHORT TERM YOGA PROGRAM ON FATIGUE, BALANCE AND GAIT IN PATIENTS WITH MS. METHOD: EIGHT VOLUNTEER AMBULATORY MS PATIENTS WITH CLINICALLY DEFINITE RELAPSING REMITTING MS WHOSE EXPANDED DISABILITY STATUS SCORE (EDSS) IS LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 6.0, AND EIGHT HEALTHY SUBJECTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. PATIENTS PARTICIPATED IN 12 WEEKS OF A BI-WEEKLY YOGA PROGRAM UNDER SUPERVISION. AT THEIR BASELINE AND AFTER YOGA THERAPY, THE FATIGUE SEVERITY SCALE (FSS) AND BERG BALANCE SCALE (BBS) ARE USED TO ASSESS FATIGUE AND BALANCE. THREE DIMENSIONAL GAIT ANALYSIS IS DONE USING THE VICON 612 SYSTEM WITH SIX CAMERAS AND TWO BERTEC FORCE PLATES, BEFORE AND AFTER THERAPY. RESULTS: AFTER SHORT TERM YOGA THERAPY, STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS WERE OBTAINED IN FATIGUE, BALANCE, STEP LENGTH AND WALKING SPEED. ALTHOUGH SAGITTAL PLANE PELVIS AND HIP ANGLES, ANKLE PLANTAR FLEXOR MOMENT, POWERS GENERATED AT THE HIP AND ANKLE JOINTS AT THE PRE-SWING WERE IMPROVED, THE IMPROVEMENTS WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. CONCLUSION: YOGA THERAPY IS A SAFE AND BENEFICIAL INTERVENTION FOR IMPROVING FATIGUE, BALANCE AND SPATIOTEMPORAL GAIT PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH MS. FURTHER STUDIES WITH A LARGER SAMPLE SIZE AND LONGER FOLLOW-UP WILL BE NEEDED TO EVALUATE THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA THERAPY. 2015 13 983 27 EFFECTS OF HATA YOGA ON KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. BACKGROUND: THE PURPOSE OF THIS RESEARCH WAS TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF 8 WEEKS OF HATA YOGA EXERCISES ON WOMEN WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. STUDIES ABOUT EFFECTS OF YOGA ON DIFFERENT CHRONIC DISEASES SHOW THAT THESE EXERCISES HAVE POSITIVE EFFECTS ON CHRONIC DISEASES. AS KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS IS VERY COMMON AMONG MIDDLE AGE WOMEN WE DECIDED TO MEASURE EFFECTIVENESS OF THESE EXERCISES ON KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. METHODS: SAMPLE INCLUDED 30 WOMEN WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS WHO VOLUNTARILY PARTICIPATED IN THIS SEMI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY AND WERE DIVIDED INTO A CONTROL GROUP (15) AND A YOGA GROUP (15). THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED 60 MINUTES SESSIONS OF HATA YOGA, 3 TIMES A WEEK AND FOR 8 WEEKS. PAIN, SYMPTOMS, DAILY ACTIVITIES, SPORTS AND SPARE-TIME ACTIVITIES, AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE RESPECTIVELY MEASURED BY VISUAL ANALOG SCALE (VAS) AND KNEE INJURY AND OSTEOARTHRITIS OUTCOME SCALE (KOOS) QUESTIONNAIRE. THE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) METHOD FOR REPETITIVE DATA WAS USED TO ANALYZE THE RESULTS (P = 0.05). RESULTS: FINDINGS SHOWED THAT PAIN AND SYMPTOMS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED AND SCORES OF DAILY ACTIVITIES, SPORTS, SPARE-TIME ACTIVITIES, AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN THE YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: IT SEEMS THAT YOGA CAN BE USED AS A CONSERVATIVE TREATMENT BESIDES USUAL TREATMENTS AND MEDICATIONS TO IMPROVE THE CONDITION OF PEOPLE WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS. 2013 14 2015 23 SUGGESTIONS FOR ADAPTING YOGA TO THE NEEDS OF OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOPOROSIS. BACKGROUND: EXERCISE SUCH AS YOGA MAY HAVE HEALTH BENEFITS FOR OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOPOROSIS, BUT WITHOUT ATTENTION TO SAFE MOVEMENT YOGA CAN ALSO INCREASE THE RISK FOR INJURY. OBJECTIVE: THE CURRENT ARTICLE PROVIDES SUGGESTIONS FOR HOW TO ADAPT YOGA TO THE NEEDS OF OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOPOROSIS. SUGGESTIONS: A GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR EXERCISE IS THAT OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOPOROSIS SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN A MULTICOMPONENT EXERCISE PROGRAM, INCLUDING RESISTANCE AND BALANCE TRAINING. CONTRAINDICATED MOVEMENTS INCLUDE END-RANGE FLEXION/EXTENSION/ROTATION OF THE SPINE AND INTERNAL/EXTERNAL ROTATION OF THE HIP. YOGA POSTURES THAT SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED INCLUDE POSTURES EMPHASIZING SPINAL ALIGNMENT AND EXTENSION TO MID-RANGE IN STANDING AND ON THE FLOOR. OVERARCHING CONSIDERATIONS FOR PARTICIPATION IN YOGA ARE THAT CLASSES SHOULD BE DESIGNED FOR HIGHER-RISK OLDER ADULTS, LED BY AN INSTRUCTOR WHO HAS HAD PROPER TRAINING WITH INDIVIDUALS WITH OSTEOPOROSIS, SHOULD BE A NONCOMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT, AND SHOULD GIVE ATTENTION TO WHICH POSTURES ARE SAFE AND HOW TO TRANSITION SAFELY. 2016 15 2152 23 THE EFFECTS OF SELECTED ASANAS IN IYENGAR YOGA ON FLEXIBILITY: PILOT STUDY. IN RECENT YEARS THE PRACTICE OF YOGA HAS GAINED POPULARITY AS A FORM OF PHYSICAL FITNESS AND EXERCISE, AND HAS BEEN SAID TO IMPROVE STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A SIX WEEK IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTION ON FLEXIBILITY. N = 16 LOW TO MODERATELY ACTIVE FEMALES (52.37 +/- 7.79 YEARS) ATTENDED IYENGAR YOGA PRACTICE FOR A TOTAL OF 6 WEEKS, CONSISTING OF ONE 90 MIN SESSION PER WEEK. LUMBAR AND HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY WERE ASSESSED PRE AND POST-INTERVENTION USING A STANDARD SIT AND REACH TEST. THE RESULTS SHOW A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN FLEXIBILITY, INDICATING 6 WEEKS OF SINGLE SESSION YOGA TRAINING MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN INCREASING ERECTOR SPINAE AND HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY. THIS IS IMPORTANT WHEN CONSIDERING THAT MUCH OF THE POPULATION FIND IT DIFFICULT TO ATTEND MORE THAN ONE SESSION A WEEK INTO THEIR TRAINING SCHEDULE. 2014 16 1906 26 RETURNING TO YOGA PRACTICE AND TEACHING AFTER TOTAL HIP ARTHROPLASTY. PATIENTS WHO PRACTICE YOGA ARE MOTIVATED TO RETURN TO PRACTICE AFTER TOTAL HIP ARTHROPLASTY (THA). WITH CASE REPORTS OF DISLOCATIONS DURING YOGA, THE SAFETY OF SUCH A RETURN IS UNCLEAR. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY IS TO EXAMINE THE TIMING AND FEASIBILITY OF A RETURN IN A SUBSET OF HIGHLY EXPERIENCED AND MOTIVATED PATIENTS. BETWEEN 2010 AND 2019, A TOTAL OF 19 THA'S PERFORMED IN 14 PATIENTS WHO SELF-IDENTIFIED AS YOGA INSTRUCTORS WERE RETROSPECTIVELY REVIEWED. PATIENTS WHO PRACTICED YOGA BUT WERE NOT TEACHERS WERE EXCLUDED FROM THIS SERIES. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE THE ABILITY TO RETURN TO YOGA, TO RESUME TEACHING, AND FLUENCY WITH 14 CLASSIC POSES. SECONDARY OUTCOMES MEASURED WERE PATIENT-REPORTED HIP DISABILITY AND OSTEOARTHRITIS OUTCOME SCORE (HOOS, JR.), COMPLICATIONS, AND RADIOGRAPHIC POSITION OF THE IMPLANTS. AFTER SURGERY, ALL PATIENTS RETURNED TO PRACTICING AND TEACHING YOGA, AND THE MEAN TIME TO EACH WAS 2 MONTHS. ALL PATIENTS WERE ABLE TO PERFORM ALL 14 CLASSIC POSES. AT A MEAN FOLLOW-UP OF 5 YEARS (SD +/- 4), THERE WERE NO COMPLICATIONS, AND THE MEAN HOOS, JR SCORE WAS 92 POINTS (SD +/- 15). THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATES THAT A RETURN TO YOGA IN AN EXPERIENCED POPULATION IS NOT ONLY POSSIBLE BUT ALSO SAFE AFTER A DIRECT ANTERIOR THA. LIMITATIONS IN PERFORMING THE POSES SHOULD BE UNDERSTOOD, AND APPROPRIATE MODIFICATIONS SHOULD BE INCORPORATED WHEN NEEDED. 2021 17 2736 24 YOGA POSES INCREASE SUBJECTIVE ENERGY AND STATE SELF-ESTEEM IN COMPARISON TO 'POWER POSES'. RESEARCH ON BENEFICIAL CONSEQUENCES OF YOGA FOCUSES ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGIC BREATHING AND MEDITATION. LESS IS KNOWN ABOUT THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF PERFORMING YOGA POSTURES. THE PRESENT STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA POSES ON SUBJECTIVE SENSE OF ENERGY AND SELF-ESTEEM. THE EFFECTS OF YOGA POSTURES WERE COMPARED TO THE EFFECTS OF 'POWER POSES,' WHICH ARGUABLY INCREASE THE SENSE OF POWER AND SELF-CONFIDENCE DUE TO THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH INTERPERSONAL DOMINANCE (CARNEY ET AL., 2010). THE STUDY TESTED THE NOVEL PREDICTION THAT YOGA POSES, WHICH ARE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH INTERPERSONAL DOMINANCE BUT INCREASE BODILY ENERGY, WOULD INCREASE THE SUBJECTIVE FEELING OF ENERGY AND THEREFORE INCREASE SELF-ESTEEM COMPARED TO 'HIGH POWER' AND 'LOW POWER' POSES. A TWO FACTORIAL, BETWEEN PARTICIPANTS DESIGN WAS EMPLOYED. PARTICIPANTS PERFORMED EITHER TWO STANDING YOGA POSES WITH OPEN FRONT OF THE BODY (N = 19), TWO STANDING YOGA POSES WITH COVERED FRONT OF THE BODY (N = 22), TWO EXPANSIVE, HIGH POWER POSES (N = 21), OR TWO CONSTRICTIVE, LOW POWER POSES (N = 20) FOR 1-MIN EACH. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT YOGA POSES IN COMPARISON TO 'POWER POSES' INCREASED SELF-ESTEEM. THIS EFFECT WAS MEDIATED BY AN INCREASED SUBJECTIVE SENSE OF ENERGY AND WAS OBSERVED WHEN BASELINE TRAIT SELF-ESTEEM WAS CONTROLLED FOR. THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THE EFFECTS OF PERFORMING OPEN, EXPANSIVE BODY POSTURES MAY BE DRIVEN BY PROCESSES OTHER THAN THE POSES' ASSOCIATION WITH INTERPERSONAL POWER AND DOMINANCE. THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATES THAT POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE CAN OCCUR AFTER PERFORMING YOGA POSES FOR ONLY 2 MIN. 2017 18 2100 32 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON ARM VOLUME, STRENGTH, AND RANGE OF MOTION IN WOMEN AT RISK FOR BREAST CANCER-RELATED LYMPHEDEMA. OBJECTIVES: TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY, SAFETY, AND INITIAL ESTIMATES OF EFFICACY OF A YOGA PROGRAM IN POSTOPERATIVE CARE FOR WOMEN AT HIGH RISK FOR BREAST CANCER-RELATED LYMPHEDEMA (BCRL). DESIGN: SINGLE-GROUP PRETEST-POST-TEST DESIGN. SETTINGS/LOCATION: PATIENTS WERE RECRUITED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO CAROL FRANC BUCK BREAST CARE CENTER. SUBJECTS: TWENTY-ONE WOMEN WERE ENROLLED IN THE STUDY. WOMEN WERE >18 YEARS OF AGE, HAD UNDERGONE SURGICAL TREATMENT FOR BREAST CANCER, AND WERE AT HIGH RISK FOR BCRL. INTERVENTION: THE WOMEN PARTICIPATED IN AN ASHTANGA YOGA INTERVENTION FOR 8 WEEKS. SESSIONS CONSISTED OF ONCE/WEEK INSTRUCTOR-LED PRACTICE AND ONCE/WEEK HOME PRACTICE. PARTICULAR ATTENTION WAS GIVEN TO POSES THAT EMPHASIZED UPPER BODY STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY, WHILE AVOIDING SIGNIFICANT TIME WITH THE UPPER EXTREMITY (UE) IN A DEPENDENT POSITION. OUTCOME MEASURES: UE VOLUME WAS ASSESSED THROUGH CIRCUMFERENTIAL FOREARM MEASUREMENT, WHICH WAS CONVERTED TO VOLUME USING THE FORMULA FOR A TRUNCATED CONE. RANGE OF MOTION (ROM) WAS ASSESSED FOR THE SHOULDERS, ELBOWS, AND WRISTS, USING A STANDARD GONIOMETER. UE STRENGTH WAS ASSESSED FOR SHOULDER ABDUCTION, ELBOW FLEXION, WRIST FLEXION, AND GRIP USING A DYNAMOMETER. RESULTS: TWENTY WOMEN COMPLETED THE YOGA INTERVENTION, WITH 17 RETURNING FOR FINAL ASSESSMENT. MEAN AGE WAS 52 (+/-9.1) YEARS AND BODY MASS INDEX WAS 24.8 (+/-5.1) KG/M(2). POSTINTERVENTION, MEAN VOLUME IN THE AT-RISK UE WAS SLIGHTLY REDUCED (P = 0.397). ROM FOR SHOULDER FLEXION (P < 0.01) AND EXTERNAL ROTATION (P < 0.05) SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED BILATERALLY. SHOULDER ABDUCTION ROM SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED FOR THE UNAFFECTED LIMB (P = 0.001). FOLLOWING INTERVENTION, STRENGTH IMPROVED ON THE AFFECTED SIDE FOR SHOULDER ABDUCTION AND GRIP STRENGTH, AND BILATERALLY FOR ELBOW FLEXION (P < 0.05 FOR ALL). CONCLUSIONS: THESE PRELIMINARY FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA IS FEASIBLE AND SAFE FOR WOMEN WHO ARE AT RISK FOR BCRL AND MAY RESULT IN SMALL IMPROVEMENTS IN SHOULDER ROM AND UE STRENGTH. 2018 19 671 28 EFFECT OF A GENTLE IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM ON GAIT IN THE ELDERLY: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE IF A TAILORED YOGA PROGRAM COULD IMPROVE AGE-RELATED CHANGES IN HIP EXTENSION, STRIDE LENGTH, AND ASSOCIATED INDICES OF GAIT FUNCTION IN HEALTHY ELDERS, CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN LINKED TO INCREASED RISK FOR FALLS, DEPENDENCY, AND MORTALITY IN GERIATRIC POPULATIONS. DESIGN: SINGLE GROUP PRE-POST TEST EXPLORATORY STUDY. A 3-DIMENSIONAL QUANTITATIVE GAIT EVALUATION, INCLUDING KINEMATIC AND KINETIC MEASUREMENTS, WAS PERFORMED PRE- AND POSTINTERVENTION. CHANGES OVER TIME (BASELINE TO POSTINTERVENTION) IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME VARIABLES WERE ASSESSED USING REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE. SETTING: YOGA EXERCISES WERE PERFORMED IN AN ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTER (GROUP CLASSES) AND IN THE SUBJECTS' HOMES (YOGA HOME-PRACTICE ASSIGNMENTS). PRE- AND POSTASSESSMENTS WERE PERFORMED IN A GAIT LABORATORY. PARTICIPANTS: TWENTY-THREE HEALTHY ADULTS (AGE RANGE, 62-83 Y) WHO WERE NAIVE TO YOGA WERE RECRUITED; 19 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE PROGRAM. INTERVENTION: AN 8-WEEK IYENGAR HATHA YOGA PROGRAM SPECIFICALLY TAILORED TO ELDERLY PERSONS AND DESIGNED TO IMPROVE LOWER-BODY STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED TWO 90-MINUTE YOGA CLASSES PER WEEK, AND WERE ASKED TO COMPLETE AT LEAST 20 MINUTES OF DIRECTED HOME PRACTICE ON ALTERNATE DAYS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: PEAK HIP EXTENSION, AVERAGE ANTERIOR PELVIC TILT, AND STRIDE LENGTH AT COMFORTABLE WALKING SPEED. RESULTS: PEAK HIP EXTENSION AND STRIDE LENGTH SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED (F1,18=15.44, P<.001; F1,18=5.57, P=.03, RESPECTIVELY). WE ALSO OBSERVED A TREND TOWARD REDUCED AVERAGE PELVIC TILT (F1,18=4.10, P=.06); ADJUSTING FOR THE MODIFYING INFLUENCE OF FREQUENCY OF HOME YOGA PRACTICE STRENGTHENED THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS ASSOCIATION (ADJUSTED F1,17=14.30, P=.001). BOTH THE FREQUENCY AND DURATION OF YOGA HOME PRACTICE SHOWED A STRONG, LINEAR, DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP TO CHANGES IN HIP EXTENSION AND AVERAGE PELVIC TILT. CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS OF THIS EXPLORATORY STUDY SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE MAY IMPROVE HIP EXTENSION, INCREASE STRIDE LENGTH, AND DECREASE ANTERIOR PELVIC TILT IN HEALTHY ELDERS, AND THAT YOGA PROGRAMS TAILORED TO ELDERLY ADULTS MAY OFFER A COST-EFFECTIVE MEANS OF PREVENTING OR REDUCING AGE-RELATED CHANGES IN THESE INDICES OF GAIT FUNCTION. 2005 20 2752 29 YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH SUPERIOR MOTOR IMAGERY PERFORMANCE. YOGA IS AN ACTIVITY THAT AIMS TO INTEGRATE PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS AND IS AN INCREASINGLY POPULAR APPROACH TO ENHANCING PHYSICAL FITNESS. THE INTEGRATION OF IMAGERY WITHIN YOGA PRACTICE IS CONSIDERED AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT AND MAY BE CRITICAL IN CONTRIBUTING TO THE BENEFITS OF YOGA THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED. IN THIS STUDY, WE TESTED WHETHER INDIVIDUALS WHO PRACTICE YOGA DEMONSTRATE SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE ON AN OBJECTIVE MEASURE OF IMPLICIT MOTOR IMAGERY. THIRTY-SIX PARTICIPANTS (18 YOGA, 18 NON-YOGA) MATCHED FOR AGE, SEX AND HANDEDNESS, UNDERTOOK THE HAND LATERALITY RECOGNITION TASK; AN OBJECTIVE MEASURE OF IMPLICIT MOTOR IMAGERY PERFORMANCE. ACCURACY AND RESPONSE TIMES WERE GATHERED AND ANALYSED TO DETERMINE ANY GROUP DIFFERENCES AS WELL AS ANY DIFFERENCES RELATING TO THE TYPICAL HALLMARKS OF IMAGERY (I.E. DOMINANCE AND AWKWARDNESS EFFECTS) ON THE TASK. RESPONSE TIMES (RTS) IN THE YOGA GROUP WERE SIGNIFICANTLY FASTER THAN CONTROLS (P < 0.05) AND THERE WAS ALSO A TREND TOWARDS GREATER ACCURACY FOR THE YOGA GROUP (P = 0.073). DOMINANCE EFFECTS (FASTER RESPONSES TO IMAGES CORRESPONDING WITH THE DOMINANT LIMB) AND AWKWARDNESS EFFECTS (FASTER RESPONSES TO IMAGES CORRESPONDING WITH NATURAL COMPARED WITH AWKWARD POSTURES) WERE EVIDENT ACROSS GROUPS, SUPPORTING THE PARTICIPANTS' USE OF MOTOR IMAGERY IN UNDERTAKING THE TASK. ADDITIONALLY, A GROUP X AWKWARDNESS INTERACTION (P < 0.05) REVEALED THAT THE ENHANCED IMAGERY PERFORMANCE FOR THE YOGA GROUP WAS MOST PRONOUNCED FOR AWKWARD POSTURES. THIS IS THE FIRST STUDY TO SHOW THAT YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH SUPERIOR MOTOR IMAGERY PERFORMANCE; AN ASSOCIATION THAT MAY BE IMPORTANT IN EXPLAINING THE ESTABLISHED REHABILITATIVE VALUE OF YOGA FOR CHRONIC PAIN. 2017