1 438 109 CARDIOVASCULAR AND RESPIRATORY EFFECT OF YOGIC SLOW BREATHING IN THE YOGA BEGINNER: WHAT IS THE BEST APPROACH? SLOW BREATHING INCREASES CARDIAC-VAGAL BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY (BRS), IMPROVES OXYGEN SATURATION, LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE, AND REDUCES ANXIETY. WITHIN THE YOGA TRADITION SLOW BREATHING IS OFTEN PAIRED WITH A CONTRACTION OF THE GLOTTIS MUSCLES. THIS RESISTANCE BREATH "UJJAYI" IS PERFORMED AT VARIOUS RATES AND RATIOS OF INSPIRATION/EXPIRATION. TO TEST WHETHER UJJAYI HAD ADDITIONAL POSITIVE EFFECTS TO SLOW BREATHING, WE COMPARED BRS AND VENTILATORY CONTROL UNDER DIFFERENT BREATHING PATTERNS (EQUAL/UNEQUAL INSPIRATION/EXPIRATION AT 6 BREATH/MIN, WITH/WITHOUT UJJAYI), IN 17 YOGA-NAIVE YOUNG HEALTHY PARTICIPANTS. BRS INCREASED WITH SLOW BREATHING TECHNIQUES WITH OR WITHOUT EXPIRATORY UJJAYI (P < 0.05 OR HIGHER) EXCEPT WITH INSPIRATORY + EXPIRATORY UJJAYI. THE MAXIMAL INCREASE IN BRS AND DECREASE IN BLOOD PRESSURE WERE FOUND IN SLOW BREATHING WITH EQUAL INSPIRATION AND EXPIRATION. THIS CORRESPONDED WITH A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN OXYGEN SATURATION WITHOUT INCREASE IN HEART RATE AND VENTILATION. UJJAYI SHOWED SIMILAR INCREASE IN OXYGEN SATURATION BUT SLIGHTLY LESSER IMPROVEMENT IN BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY WITH NO CHANGE IN BLOOD PRESSURE. THE SLOW BREATHING WITH EQUAL INSPIRATION AND EXPIRATION SEEMS THE BEST TECHNIQUE FOR IMPROVING BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY IN YOGA-NAIVE SUBJECTS. THE EFFECTS OF UJJAYI SEEMS DEPENDENT ON INCREASED INTRATHORACIC PRESSURE THAT REQUIRES GREATER EFFORT THAN NORMAL SLOW BREATHING. 2013 2 751 21 EFFECT OF SHORT TERM YOGA PRACTICE ON VENTILATORY FUNCTION TESTS. TWENTYFIVE NORMAL MALE VOLUNTEERS UNDERGOING A TEN WEEKS COURSE IN THE PRACTICE OF YOGA HAVE BEEN STUDIED BY SOME PARAMETERS OF VENTILATORY FUNCTIONS TESTS. THE OBSERVATIONS RECORDED AT THE END OF TEN WEEKS OF THE COURSE HAVE SHOWN IMPROVED VENTILATORY FUNCTIONS IN THE FORM OF LOWERED RESPIRATORY RATE, INCREASED FORCED VITAL CAPACITY, FEV1, MAXIMUM BREATHING CAPACITY AND BREATH HOLDING TIME, WHILE TIDAL VOLUME AND %FEV1, DID NOT REVEAL ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE. THUS, A COMBINED PRACTICE OF YOGA SEEMS TO BE BENEFICIAL ON RESPIRATORY EFFICIENCY. 1988 3 2775 39 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 4 1322 31 HEMODYNAMIC AND PRESSOR RESPONSES TO COMBINATION OF YOGA AND BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION. A COMBINATION OF YOGA AND BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION, EACH OF WHICH ELICITS MARKED PRESSOR RESPONSES, MAY FURTHER INCREASE BLOOD PRESSURE AND MYOCARDIAL OXYGEN DEMAND. TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF A COMBINATION OF YOGA AND BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION ON HEMODYNAMIC RESPONSES, TWENTY YOUNG HEALTHY PARTICIPANTS PERFORMED 20 YOGA POSES WITH/WITHOUT BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION BANDS PLACED ON BOTH LEGS. AT BASELINE, THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN ANY OF THE VARIABLES BETWEEN THE BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION AND NON-BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION CONDITIONS. BLOOD PRESSURE AND HEART RATE INCREASED IN RESPONSE TO THE VARIOUS YOGA POSES (P<0.01) BUT WERE NOT DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION AND NON-BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION CONDITIONS. RATE-PRESSURE PRODUCTS, AN INDEX OF MYOCARDIAL OXYGEN DEMAND, INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY DURING YOGA EXERCISES WITH NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO CONDITIONS. RATING OF PERCEIVED EXERTION WAS NOT DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE CONDITIONS. BLOOD LACTATE CONCENTRATION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER AFTER PERFORMING YOGA WITH BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION BANDS (P=0.007). CARDIO-ANKLE VASCULAR INDEX, AN INDEX OF ARTERIAL STIFFNESS, DECREASED SIMILARLY AFTER YOGA EXERCISE IN BOTH CONDITIONS WHILE FLOW-MEDIATED DILATION REMAINED UNCHANGED. IN CONCLUSION, THE USE OF LOWER BODY BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION BANDS IN COMBINATION WITH YOGA DID NOT RESULT IN ADDITIVE OR SYNERGISTIC HEMODYNAMIC AND PRESSOR RESPONSES. 2020 5 1451 35 INFLUENCE OF INTENSIVE YOGA TRAINING ON PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES IN 6 ADULT WOMEN: A CASE REPORT. THE SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF 4 WEEKS OF INTENSIVE YOGA PRACTICE ON PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES IN SIX HEALTHY ADULT FEMALE VOLUNTEERS WERE MEASURED USING THE MAXIMAL EXERCISE TREADMILL TEST. YOGA PRACTICE INVOLVED DAILY MORNING AND EVENING SESSIONS OF 90 MINUTES EACH. PRE- AND POST-YOGA EXERCISE PERFORMANCE WAS COMPARED. MAXIMAL WORK OUTPUT (WMAX) FOR THE GROUP INCREASED BY 21%, WITH A SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED LEVEL OF OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK BUT WITHOUT A CONCOMITANT SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN HEART RATE. AFTER INTENSIVE YOGA TRAINING, AT 154 WMIN(-1) (CORRESPONDING TO WMAX OF THE PRE-YOGA MAXIMAL EXERCISE TEST) PARTICIPANTS COULD EXERCISE MORE COMFORTABLY, WITH A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER HEART RATE (P < 0.05), REDUCED MINUTE VENTILATION (P < 0.05), REDUCED OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK (P < 0.05), AND A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER RESPIRATORY QUOTIENT (P < 0.05). THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE EFFECT OF INTENSIVE YOGA ON CARDIORESPIRATORY EFFICIENCY ARE DISCUSSED, WITH THE SUGGESTION THAT YOGA HAS SOME TRANSPARENTLY DIFFERENT QUANTIFIABLE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS TO OTHER EXERCISES. 1997 6 525 30 COMPARISON OF EFFECTS OF YOGA & PHYSICAL EXERCISE IN ATHLETES. THE EFFECT OF PRANAYAMA A CONTROLLED BREATHING PRACTICE, ON EXERCISE TESTS WAS STUDIED IN ATHLETES IN TWO PHASES; SUB-MAXIMAL AND MAXIMAL EXERCISE TESTS. AT THE END OF PHASE I (ONE YEAR) BOTH THE GROUPS (CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL) ACHIEVED SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER WORK RATE AND REDUCTION IN OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN BLOOD LACTATE AND AN INCREASE IN P/L RATIO IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP, AT REST. AT THE END OF PHASE II (TWO YEARS), THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK WAS FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED AND THE WORK RATE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. BLOOD LACTATE DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AT REST IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP ONLY. PYRUVATE AND PYRUVATE-LACTATE RATIO INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN BOTH THE GROUPS AFTER EXERCISE AND AT REST IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. THE RESULTS IN BOTH PHASES SHOWED THAT THE SUBJECTS WHO PRACTISED PRANAYAMA COULD ACHIEVE HIGHER WORK RATES WITH REDUCED OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK AND WITHOUT INCREASE IN BLOOD LACTATE LEVELS. THE BLOOD LACTATE LEVELS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOW AT REST. 1994 7 436 28 CARDIORESPIRATORY AND METABOLIC CHANGES DURING YOGA SESSIONS: THE EFFECTS OF RESPIRATORY EXERCISES AND MEDITATION PRACTICES. THE NOVELTY OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE CHANGES IN CARDIORESPIRATORY AND METABOLIC INTENSITY BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE PRACTICE OF PRANAYAMAS (BREATHING EXERCISES OF YOGA) AND MEDITATION DURING THE SAME HATHA-YOGA SESSION. THE TECHNIQUE APPLIED WAS THE ONE ADVOCATED BY THE HATHA-YOGA SYSTEM. NINE YOGA INSTRUCTORS-FIVE FEMALES AND FOUR MALES, MEAN AGE OF 44+/-11, 6, WERE SUBJECTED TO ANALYSIS OF THE GASES EXPIRED DURING THREE DISTINCT PERIODS OF 30 MIN: REST, RESPIRATORY EXERCISES AND MEDITATIVE PRACTICE. A METABOLIC OPEN CIRCUIT COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM WAS APPLIED (VO2000, MEDGRAPHICS-USA). THE OXYGEN UPTAKE (VO(2)) AND THE CARBON DIOXIDE OUTPUT (VCO(2)) WERE STATISTICALLY DIFFERENT (P 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 16 297 30 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 17 985 33 EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AND OMKAR MEDITATION ON CARDIORESPIRATORY PERFORMANCE, PSYCHOLOGIC PROFILE, AND MELATONIN SECRETION. OBJECTIVES: TO EVALUATE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AND OMKAR MEDITATION ON CARDIORESPIRATORY PERFORMANCE, PSYCHOLOGIC PROFILE, AND MELATONIN SECRETION. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: THIRTY HEALTHY MEN IN THE AGE GROUP OF 25-35 YEARS VOLUNTEERED FOR THE STUDY. THEY WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED IN TWO GROUPS OF 15 EACH. GROUP 1 SUBJECTS SERVED AS CONTROLS AND PERFORMED BODY FLEXIBILITY EXERCISES FOR 40 MINUTES AND SLOW RUNNING FOR 20 MINUTES DURING MORNING HOURS AND PLAYED GAMES FOR 60 MINUTES DURING EVENING HOURS DAILY FOR 3 MONTHS. GROUP 2 SUBJECTS PRACTICED SELECTED YOGIC ASANAS (POSTURES) FOR 45 MINUTES AND PRANAYAMA FOR 15 MINUTES DURING THE MORNING, WHEREAS DURING THE EVENING HOURS THESE SUBJECTS PERFORMED PREPARATORY YOGIC POSTURES FOR 15 MINUTES, PRANAYAMA FOR 15 MINUTES, AND MEDITATION FOR 30 MINUTES DAILY, FOR 3 MONTHS. ORTHOSTATIC TOLERANCE, HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, RESPIRATORY RATE, DYNAMIC LUNG FUNCTION (SUCH AS FORCED VITAL CAPACITY, FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1 SECOND, FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME PERCENTAGE, PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE, AND MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY VENTILATION), AND PSYCHOLOGIC PROFILE WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER 3 MONTHS OF YOGIC PRACTICES. SERIAL BLOOD SAMPLES WERE DRAWN AT VARIOUS TIME INTERVALS TO STUDY EFFECTS OF THESE YOGIC PRACTICES AND OMKAR MEDITATION ON MELATONIN LEVELS. RESULTS: YOGIC PRACTICES FOR 3 MONTHS RESULTED IN AN IMPROVEMENT IN CARDIORESPIRATORY PERFORMANCE AND PSYCHOLOGIC PROFILE. THE PLASMA MELATONIN ALSO SHOWED AN INCREASE AFTER THREE MONTHS OF YOGIC PRACTICES. THE SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, MEAN ARTERIAL PRESSURE, AND ORTHOSTATIC TOLERANCE DID NOT SHOW ANY SIGNIFICANT CORRELATION WITH PLASMA MELATONIN. HOWEVER, THE MAXIMUM NIGHT TIME MELATONIN LEVELS IN YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT CORRELATION (R = 0.71, P < 0.05) WITH WELL-BEING SCORE. CONCLUSION: THESE OBSERVATIONS SUGGEST THAT YOGIC PRACTICES CAN BE USED AS PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGIC STIMULI TO INCREASE ENDOGENOUS SECRETION OF MELATONIN, WHICH, IN TURN, MIGHT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR IMPROVED SENSE OF WELL-BEING. 2004 18 758 31 EFFECT OF SLOW BREATHING ON AUTONOMIC TONE & BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS. BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: SLOW BREATHING INCREASES PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY AND BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY (BRS) IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS, ALSO SIMILARLY OBSERVED IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS. PRANAYAMA WHICH IS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF YOGA WHEN PRACTICED AT A SLOW PACE WAS AT A RESPIRATORY FREQUENCY OF AROUND 0.1 HZ (6 BREATHS/MIN). THEREFORE, IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT YOGA PRACTITIONERS MIGHT HAVE ADAPTED TO SLOW BREATHING. THIS STUDY WAS AIMED TO DECIPHER THE ROLE OF YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR VARIABILITY DURING SLOW BREATHING (0.1 HZ) IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS. METHODS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN IN NAIVE-TO-YOGA INDIVIDUALS (N=40) AND YOGA PRACTITIONERS (N=40) WITH AN AVERAGE AGE OF 31.08 +/- 7.31 AND 29.93 +/- 7.57 YR, RESPECTIVELY. THE ANALYSIS OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY, BLOOD PRESSURE VARIABILITY (BPV) AND BRS DURING SPONTANEOUS AND SLOW BREATHING WAS COMPARED BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. RESULTS: DURING SLOW BREATHING, THE HEART RATE (P<0.01) WAS LOWER, RESPIRATORY RATE INTERVAL (P<0.05) AND PNN50 PER CENT (P=0.01) WERE HIGHER, MEAN SYSTOLIC BP (SBP) (P<0.05) AND SDSD (STANDARD DEVIATION OF SUCCESSIVE BEAT TO BEAT SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE DIFFERENCES) (P<0.01) OF SBP VARIABILITY WERE LOWER WITH SEQUENCE BRS (P<0.001) AND ALPHA LOW FREQUENCY (P<0.01) AND ALPHA HIGH FREQUENCY (P<0.001) OF SPECTRAL BRS WERE HIGHER IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: THE PRESENT STUDY INDICATED HIGHER PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY AND BRS WITH LOWER SBP VARIABILITY AT REST AND DURING SLOW BREATHING IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS COMPARED TO NAIVE GROUP. FINDINGS INDICATE THAT THE SHORT-TERM PRACTICE OF SLOW BREATHING COMPLEMENTS THE AUGMENTED PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY AND BRS IN THE YOGA GROUP. 2020 19 263 33 ACUTE CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES TO A SESSION OF BIKRAM YOGA: A PILOT UNCONTROLLED TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: MAIN CARDIOVASCULAR PARAMETERS SUCH AS HEART RATE (HR), BLOOD PRESSURE, AND MYOCARDIAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (MOC) ARE TIGHTLY REGULATED BY A MULTIFACTORIAL, NONLINEAR CONTROL SYSTEM. INCREASED HR BECAUSE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY AN INCREASE IN BLOOD PRESSURE. POSTURAL CHANGES HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE BARORECEPTORS, AND STRETCHING EXERCISES AND ISOMETRIC CONTRACTIONS MODULATE MUSCLE MECHANORECEPTORS ELICITING INCREASES IN BLOOD PRESSURE. HOWEVER, A HOT ENVIRONMENT INCREASES THE CORE TEMPERATURE INDUCING VASODILATION AND PLASMA VOLUME CHANGES THAT MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO A DROP IN BLOOD PRESSURE. DURING THE PRACTICE OF BIKRAM YOGA, ALL THESE FACTORS CONVERGE AND LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE RESULTING CHANGES IN BLOOD PRESSURE AND MOC. METHODS: SIXTEEN APPARENTLY HEALTHY FEMALE VOLUNTEERS, REGULAR PRACTITIONERS OF BIKRAM YOGA, WERE EVALUATED DURING A 90 MIN SESSION. SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (SBP) AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (DBP) WERE MEASURED IMMEDIATELY AFTER EACH POSTURE AND HR WAS MEASURED CONTINUOUSLY DURING THE PRACTICE. RESULTS: HR AND ESTIMATED MOC INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER BASELINE DURING THE EXERCISE (+62.3% AND +63.6%, RESPECTIVELY). HR MEAN VALUE ACROSS THE ENTIRE BIKRAM YOGA SESSION WAS 126.6 +/- 14.3 BPM REACHING A MAXIMUM OF 168.1 +/- 20.2 BPM. SBP WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED OVER BASELINE AT ANY TIME DURING THE PRACTICE WITH A MEAN VALUE OF 117.0 +/- 10.1 MMHG AND DBP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED OVER BASELINE MOST OF THE TIME (-10.1%, MEAN 71.2 +/- 7.3 MMHG) WITH PARTICULAR DECLINE TOWARD THE END OF THE PRACTICE DURING THE FLOOR POSTURES. CONCLUSIONS: DBP DURING THE PRACTICE OF BIKRAM YOGA WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM THAT PREVIOUSLY REPORTED FOR NONHEATED HATHA YOGA FOR NORMOTENSIVE SUBJECTS. FURTHER STUDIES EVALUATING THE SAME GROUP AT BOTH CONDITIONS ARE NEEDED TO BETTER CHARACTERIZE THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CHANGES IN HR, SBP, DBP, AND MOC. 2019 20 300 30 AN ASSESSMENT OF A SEQUENCE OF YOGA EXERCISES TO PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION. THIS QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY DESCRIBES THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA SEQUENCE FOLLOWING HEMODYNAMIC AND BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION. THIRTY-THREE VOLUNTEERS PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY (CONTROL = 16 AND YOGA = 17) FOR FOUR MONTHS. BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS, CARDIAC AND RESPIRATORY RATE WERE COLLECTED MONTHLY, WHILE THE BIOCHEMICAL PROFILE WAS TAKEN AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF THE PROGRAM. TO ANALYZE THE DATA, STUDENT'S T TEST AND REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSES WERE PERFORMED. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OF SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART AND RESPIRATORY RATE (P < 0.05). AS FOR THE BIOCHEMICAL PROFILE, THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED CORRELATION COEFFICIENTS BETWEEN INITIAL VALUES AND FINAL RESPONSES GREATER THAN THE CONTROL OF FASTING GLUCOSE, TOTAL CHOLESTEROL, LDL-CHOLESTEROL AND TRIGLYCERIDES. THE ELABORATED SEQUENCE PRACTICE PROMOTED SIGNIFICANT CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC BENEFITS. THE YOGA EXERCISES PERFORMED IN THE PROPOSED SEQUENCE CONSTITUTE COMPLEMENTARY NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL CONTROL OF BLOOD PRESSURE IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION. 2013