1 439 152 CARDIOVASCULAR, CELLULAR, AND NEURAL ADAPTATIONS TO HOT YOGA VERSUS NORMAL-TEMPERATURE YOGA. CONTEXT: CHRONIC HEAT EXPOSURE PROMOTES CARDIOVASCULAR AND CELLULAR ADAPTATIONS, IMPROVING AN ORGANISM'S ABILITY TO TOLERATE SUBSEQUENT STRESSORS. HEAT EXPOSURE MAY ALSO PROMOTE NEURAL ADAPTATIONS AND ALTER THE NEURAL-HORMONAL STRESS RESPONSE. HOT-TEMPERATURE YOGA (HY) COMBINES MIND-BODY EXERCISE WITH HEAT EXPOSURE. THE ADDED HEAT COMPONENT IN HY MAY INDUCE CARDIOVASCULAR AND CELLULAR CHANGES, ALONG WITH NEURAL BENEFITS AND MODULATION OF STRESS HORMONES. AIMS: THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT STUDY IS TO COMPARE THE CARDIOVASCULAR, CELLULAR HEAT SHOCK PROTEIN 70 (HSP70), NEURAL, AND HORMONAL ADAPTATIONS OF HY VERSUS NORMAL-TEMPERATURE YOGA (NY). SETTINGS AND DESIGN: TWENTY-TWO SUBJECTS (MALES = 11 AND FEMALES = 11, 26 +/- 6 YEARS) COMPLETED 4 WEEKS OF NY (N = 11) OR HY (N = 11, 41 DEGREES C, 40% HUMIDITY). YOGA SESSIONS WERE PERFORMED 3 TIMES/WEEK FOLLOWING A MODIFIED BIKRAM PROTOCOL. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: PRE- AND POSTTESTING INCLUDED (1) HEMODYNAMIC MEASURES DURING A HEAT TOLERANCE TEST AND MAXIMAL AEROBIC FITNESS TEST; (2) NEURAL AND HORMONAL ADAPTATIONS USING SERUM BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF) AND ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE (ACTH), ALONG WITH A MENTAL STRESS QUESTIONNAIRE; AND (3) CELLULAR ADAPTATIONS (HSP70) IN PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS (PBMCS). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: WITHIN- AND BETWEEN-GROUP STUDENT'S T-TEST ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED TO COMPARE PRE- AND POST-VO2 MAX, PERCEIVED STRESS, BDNF, HSP70, AND ACTH IN HY AND NY GROUPS. RESULTS: MAXIMAL AEROBIC FITNESS INCREASED IN THE HY GROUP ONLY. NO EVIDENCE OF HEAT ACCLIMATION OR CHANGE IN MENTAL STRESS WAS OBSERVED. SERUM BDNF SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN YOGA GROUPS COMBINED. ANALYSIS OF HSP70 SUGGESTED HIGHER EXPRESSION OF HSP70 IN THE HY GROUP ONLY. CONCLUSIONS: TWELVE SESSIONS OF HY PROMOTED CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS AND CELLULAR THERMOTOLERANCE ADAPTATIONS. SERUM BDNF INCREASED IN RESPONSE TO YOGA (NY + HY) AND APPEARED TO NOT BE TEMPERATURE DEPENDENT. 2021 2 404 35 BIKRAM YOGA TRAINING AND PHYSICAL FITNESS IN HEALTHY YOUNG ADULTS. THERE HAS BEEN RELATIVELY LITTLE LONGITUDINAL CONTROLLED INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON GENERAL PHYSICAL FITNESS, DESPITE THE WIDESPREAD PARTICIPATION IN THIS FORM OF EXERCISE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS EXPLORATORY STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF SHORT-TERM BIKRAM YOGA TRAINING ON GENERAL PHYSICAL FITNESS. YOUNG HEALTHY ADULTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA TRAINING (N = 10, 29 +/- 6 YEARS, 24 SESSIONS IN 8 WEEKS) OR A CONTROL GROUP (N = 11, 26 +/- 7 YEARS). EACH YOGA TRAINING SESSION CONSISTED OF 90-MINUTE STANDARDIZED SUPERVISED POSTURES PERFORMED IN A HEATED AND HUMIDIFIED STUDIO. ISOMETRIC DEADLIFT STRENGTH, HANDGRIP STRENGTH, LOWER BACK/HAMSTRING AND SHOULDER FLEXIBILITY, RESTING HEART RATE AND BLOOD PRESSURE, MAXIMAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (TREADMILL), AND LEAN AND FAT MASS (DUAL-ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY) WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER TRAINING. YOGA SUBJECTS EXHIBITED INCREASED DEADLIFT STRENGTH, SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED LOWER BACK/HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY, INCREASED SHOULDER FLEXIBILITY, AND MODESTLY DECREASED BODY FAT COMPARED WITH CONTROL GROUP. THERE WERE NO CHANGES IN HANDGRIP STRENGTH, CARDIOVASCULAR MEASURES, OR MAXIMAL AEROBIC FITNESS. IN SUMMARY, THIS SHORT-TERM YOGA TRAINING PROTOCOL PRODUCED BENEFICIAL CHANGES IN MUSCULOSKELETAL FITNESS THAT WERE SPECIFIC TO THE TRAINING STIMULUS. 2013 3 2009 33 SUBJECTIVE SLEEP QUALITY AND HORMONAL MODULATION IN LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTITIONERS. YOGA REPRESENTS A FASCINATING MIND-BODY APPROACH, WHEREIN BODY MOVEMENTS (ASANA), BREATHING EXERCISES (PRANAYAMA) AND MEDITATION ARE INTEGRATED INTO A SINGLE MULTIDIMENSIONAL PRACTICE. NUMEROUS BENEFICIAL MENTAL AND PHYSICAL EFFECTS HAVE BEEN CLASSICALLY ASCRIBED TO THIS HOLISTIC ANCIENT METHOD. THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT STUDY HAS BEEN TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTICE ON SUBJECTIVE SLEEP QUALITY (SSQ) AND ON SEVERAL HORMONAL PARAMETERS OF THE HYPOTHALAMUS-PITUITARY-ADRENAL (HPA) AXIS. TWENTY-SIX SUBJECTS (16 EXPERIMENTAL AND 10 CONTROLS) WERE RECRUITED TO BE PART OF THE STUDY. EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECTS WERE REGULAR YOGA PRACTITIONERS WITH A MINIMUM OF 3 YEARS OF PRACTICE. BLOOD SAMPLES FOR THE QUANTIFICATION OF ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE (ACTH), CORTISOL AND DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE SULPHATE (DHEA-S) WERE DRAWN FROM ALL SUBJECTS. LIKEWISE, THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI) WAS EMPLOYED TO ASSESS SSQ. AS STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, MANN-WHITNEY U-TEST WAS PERFORMED. THE YOGA GROUP DISPLAYED LOWER PSQI SCORES AND HIGHER BLOOD CORTISOL LEVELS THAN CONTROL SUBJECTS. THEREFORE, IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT PSYCHO-BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES, INCLUDING BETTER SLEEP QUALITY AS WELL AS A MODULATORY ACTION ON THE LEVELS OF CORTISOL. THESE PRELIMINARY RESULTS SUGGEST INTERESTING CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS WHICH SHOULD BE FURTHER RESEARCHED. 2009 4 341 37 ARTERIAL BLOOD PRESSURE AND CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES TO YOGA PRACTICE. CONTEXT: YOGA IS QUALITATIVELY DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER MODE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN THAT IT CONSISTS OF A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF ISOMETRIC MUSCULAR CONTRACTIONS, STRETCHING EXERCISES, RELAXATION TECHNIQUES, AND BREATHING EXERCISES. IN PARTICULAR, YOGA POSTURES CONSIST OF SYSTEMIC ISOMETRIC CONTRACTIONS THAT ARE KNOWN TO ELICIT MARKED INCREASES IN MEAN BLOOD PRESSURE THAT ARE NOT OBSERVED DURING DYNAMIC EXERCISE. STRETCHING CAN ALSO INDUCE INCREASES IN BLOOD PRESSURE AND SYMPATHETIC NERVE ACTIVITY IN THE MUSCLES. CURRENTLY, NOT MUCH IS KNOWN ABOUT CHANGES IN BLOOD PRESSURE AND OTHER CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES TO YOGA PRACTICE. OBJECTIVE: THE STUDY INTENDED TO DETERMINE THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF ONE SESSION OF HATHA YOGA PRACTICE ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND OTHER CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES. TO GAIN INSIGHT INTO THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE, BOTH NOVICE (N = 19) AND ADVANCED (N = 18) YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE STUDIED. DESIGN: THE TWO GROUPS WERE MATCHED FOR AGE, GENDER, BMI, AND BLOOD PRESSURE. SETTING: THE SETTING WAS A RESEARCH LABORATORY AT A UNIVERSITY. PARTICIPANTS: THIRTY-SIX APPARENTLY HEALTHY, NONOBESE, SEDENTARY, OR RECREATIONALLY ACTIVE INDIVIDUALS FROM THE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. INTERVENTION THE INTERVENTION COMPRISED ONE SESSION OF YOGA PRACTICE, IN WHICH PARTICIPANTS FOLLOWED A CUSTOM MADE INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO PROVIDING A YOGA ROUTINE THAT CONSISTED OF A SERIES OF 23 HATHA-BASED YOGA POSTURES. OUTCOME MEASURES: PRIOR TO ARRIVING AT THE LABORATORY, EACH PARTICIPANT COMPLETED A RESEARCH HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE, A TRAINING-STATUS QUESTIONNAIRE, AND A YOGA-EXPERIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE. PRIOR TO THE YOGA PRACTICE, EACH PARTICIPANT'S HEIGHT, BODY FAT PERCENTAGE, TRUNK OR LUMBAR FLEXIBILITY, AND ARTERIAL STIFFNESS AS ASSESSED BY CAROTID FEMORAL PULSE WAVE VELOCITY (CFPWV) WERE MEASURED. FOR EACH POSTURE DURING THE YOGA PRACTICE, THE STUDY CONTINUOUSLY MEASURED SYSTOLIC, MEAN, AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES, HEART RATE, STROKE VOLUME, AND CARDIAC OUTPUT. RESULTS: SYSTOLIC, MEAN, AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY DURING THE YOGA PRACTICE. THE MAGNITUDE OF THESE INCREASES IN BLOOD PRESSURE WAS GREATEST WITH STANDING POSTURES. HEART RATE AND CARDIAC OUTPUT INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY DURING YOGA PRACTICE, ESPECIALLY WITH STANDING POSTURES. OVERALL, NO DIFFERENCES EXISTED IN CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES BETWEEN THE NOVICE AND ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS THROUGHOUT THE YOGA TESTING SESSION; CFPWV VELOCITY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY AND INVERSELY ASSOCIATED WITH LUMBAR FLEXION BUT NOT WITH SIT-AND-REACH TEST SCORES. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESEARCH TEAM CONCLUDED THAT A VARIETY OF HATHA YOGA POSTURES, ESPECIALLY STANDING POSTURES, EVOKED SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN BLOOD PRESSURE. THE ELEVATION IN BLOOD PRESSURE DUE TO YOGA PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASES IN CARDIAC OUTPUT AND HEART RATE, WHICH ARE RESPONSES SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN ISOMETRIC EXERCISE. THE LACK OF OBVIOUS DIFFERENCES IN BLOOD PRESSURE AND OTHER CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES BETWEEN NOVICE AND ADVANCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS SUGGESTS THAT LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTICE DOES NOT ATTENUATE ACUTE YOGA RESPONSES. 2013 5 2043 21 THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF VINYASA FLOW YOGA ON VASCULAR FUNCTION, LIPID AND GLUCOSE CONCENTRATIONS, AND MOOD. WHILE THE CHRONIC EFFECTS OF CERTAIN STYLES OF YOGA ON CARDIOMETABOLIC FACTORS HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF A SINGLE YOGA SESSION ON THESE OUTCOMES. MOREOVER, VINYASA YOGA'S POTENTIAL TO MODULATE CARDIOMETABOLIC OUTCOMES HAS NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY IS TO DETERMINE THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF A VINYASA YOGA SESSION ON ARTERIAL STIFFNESS, WAVE REFLECTION, LIPID AND GLUCOSE CONCENTRATIONS, AND MOOD IN ADULTS WITH PRIOR YOGA EXPERIENCE. THIRTY YOGA PRACTITIONERS WITH A MINIMUM OF 3 MONTHS OF PRACTICE EXPERIENCE WERE ENROLLED INTO THE STUDY. CAROTID-FEMORAL PULSE WAVE VELOCITY (CF-PWV), AUGMENTATION INDEX (AIX), LIPID PROFILE, GLUCOSE CONCENTRATIONS, AND MOOD (POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE AFFECT SCALE) WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING A 1 -H VINYASA YOGA SESSION. AFTER THE YOGA SESSION, PARTICIPANTS HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER AIX (P < 0.001), NON-HDL CHOLESTEROL (P < 0.05), AND NEGATIVE AFFECT (P < 0.01) COMPARED TO BASELINE. THESE RESULTS HIGHLIGHT THE EFFICACY OF A SINGLE BOUT OF YOGA IN ALTERING WAVE REFLECTION WHILE IMPROVING MOOD AND LIPID CONCENTRATIONS IN HEALTHY ADULTS WITH A HISTORY OF YOGA PRACTICE. 2021 6 716 34 EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA PRACTICES ON IMMUNE RESPONSES IN EXAMINATION STRESS - A PRELIMINARY STUDY. BACKGROUND: STRESS IS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED OCCURRENCE OF AUTONOMIC, CARDIOVASCULAR, AND IMMUNE SYSTEM PATHOLOGY. THIS STUDY WAS DONE TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF STRESS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL, PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS, AND IMMUNE SYSTEM DURING MEDICAL TERM -ACADEMIC EXAMINATION AND THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICES ON THE SAME. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT ON SIXTY FIRST-YEAR MBBS STUDENTS RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP (30 EACH). THE YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT INTEGRATED YOGA PRACTICES FOR 35 MINUTES DAILY IN THE PRESENCE OF TRAINED YOGA TEACHER FOR 12 WEEKS. CONTROL GROUP DID NOT UNDERGO ANY KIND OF YOGA PRACTICE OR STRESS MANAGEMENT. PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS LIKE HEART RATE, RESPIRATORY RATE, AND BLOOD PRESSURE WERE MEASURED. GLOBAL ASSESSMENT OF RECENT STRESS SCALE AND SPIELBERGERS STATE ANXIETY SCORE WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND DURING THE EXAMINATION. SERUM CORTISOL LEVELS, IL-4, AND IFN-GAMMA LEVELS WERE DETERMINED BY ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY TECHNIQUE. RESULT: IN THE YOGA GROUP, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS OBSERVED IN PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS DURING THE EXAMINATION STRESS, WHEREAS IN THE CONTROL GROUP, A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE WAS OBSERVED. LIKEWISE, THE INDICATORS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS SHOWED HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN CONTROL GROUP COMPARED WITH SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN YOGA GROUP. DURING THE EXAMINATION, THE INCREASE IN SERUM CORTICAL AND DECREASE IN SERUM IFN-GAMMA IN YOGA GROUP WAS LESS SIGNIFICANT (P<0.01) THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P<0.001). BOTH THE GROUPS DEMONSTRATED AN INCREASE IN SERUM IL-4 LEVELS, THE CHANGES BEING INSIGNIFICANT FOR THE DURATION OF THE STUDY. CONCLUSION: YOGA RESISTS THE AUTONOMIC CHANGES AND IMPAIRMENT OF CELLULAR IMMUNITY SEEN IN EXAMINATION STRESS. 2011 7 1988 31 SPECTRAL PARAMETERS OF HRV IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS, ATHLETES AND SEDENTARY MALES. PHYSICAL INACTIVITY IS AN IMPORTANT RISK FACTOR FOR CARDIOVASCULAR MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY. EXERCISE IS CONSIDERED AN ACCEPTABLE METHOD FOR IMPROVING AND MAINTAINING PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH. ALTHOUGH YOGA IS HISTORICALLY A SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE, A GROWING BODY OF EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THE BELIEF THAT YOGA BENEFITS PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE HEART RATE VARIABILITY WHICH REFLECTS AUTONOMIC CONTROL OF HEART AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS, ATHLETES AND INDIVIDUALS WITH SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE. THE STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT IN THE DEPARTMENTS OF PHYSIOLOGY AT MAMC AGROHA, HISAR AND PT. BD SHARMA PGIMS ROHTAK, HARYANA. THE STUDY GROUP COMPRISED OF 1200 HEALTHY MALE VOLUNTEERS OF 16 TO 55 YEARS OF AGE. THE STUDY GROUP WAS DIVIDED INTO FOUR AGE GROUPS: GROUP A OF AGE 16 TO 25 YEARS; GROUP B OF AGE 26 TO 35 YEARS; GROUP C OF AGE 36 TO 45 YEARS AND GROUP D OF AGE 46 TO 55 YEARS. ALL AGE GROUPS WERE FURTHER DIVIDED INTO THREE CATEGORIES I.E ATHLETE (RUNNER), YOGA (YOGA PRACTITIONERS) AND SEDENTARY IN WHICH INDIVIDUALS WITH SEDENTARY LIFE STYLE WERE INCLUDED. THE BASAL RECORDING OF ECG IN LEAD II WAS DONE FOR 5 MINUTES. THE POLYRITE-D ECG DATA WAS USED FOR ANALYSIS OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY BY FREQUENCY DOMAIN METHOD. TWO SPECTRAL COMPONENTS WERE RECORDED NAMELY HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) COMPONENT (0.15-0.4 HZ), AN INDICATOR OF VAGAL EFFERENT ACTIVITY AND LOW FREQUENCY (LF) COMPONENT (0.04-.15 HZ), REPLICATOR OF COMPOSITE SYMPATHO-VAGAL INTERPLAY. HF COMPONENT IN NORMALIZED UNIT WAS FOUND SIGNIFICANTLY HIGH IN AGE GROUP B AND C IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND ATHLETES AS COMPARED TO SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS AND IN AGE GROUP D SIGNIFICANTLY HIGH IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS AS COMPARED TO ATHLETES AND SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS. SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED LF/HF RATIO WAS FOUND IN AGE GROUP B AND C IN YOGA AND ATHLETE SUBJECTS AS COMPARED TO SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS AND IN AGE GROUP D IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS AS COMPARED TO ATHLETES AND SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS. THIS INDICATES THAT PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY IS SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS. 2015 8 727 31 EFFECT OF LONG-TERM REGULAR YOGA ON PHYSICAL HEALTH OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE. THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON MENTAL HEALTH HAS BEEN STUDIED EXTENSIVELY IN INDIA BUT LESS IN THE CONTEXT OF PHYSICAL HEALTH. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE WAS TO EXPLORE THE EFFECT OF LONG-TERM REGULAR YOGA ON PHYSICAL HEALTH OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IT WAS AN INTERVENTIONAL STUDY. INCLUSION CRITERIA WERE STUDENTS WHO ENROLLED FOR 1-YEAR DIPLOMA COURSE AT THE YOGA CENTER. EXCLUSION CRITERIA WERE NONREGULAR YOGA PRACTITIONERS DURING THE COURSE. PHYSICAL HEALTH PARAMETERS CONSIDERED FOR ASSESSMENT BEFORE AND AFTER THE YOGA COURSE WERE PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS, MAXIMUM OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (VO2 MAX) USING BRUCE TREADMILL TEST, FLEXIBILITY, BODY COMPOSITION ANALYSIS, AND HEMOGLOBIN LEVEL. PAIRED SAMPLE T-TEST AND CHI-SQUARE TEST WERE USED FOR STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. RESULTS: THE AEROBIC CAPACITY IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN TERMS OF MEAN (STANDARD DEVIATION [SD]) FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (P < 0.001), FORCED EXPIRATION VOLUME AT THE END OF THE FIRST SECOND (P < 0.001) AS WELL AS PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (P = 0.04). THE MEAN (SD) FLEXIBILITY SCORE IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < 0.001). SIMILARLY, THE ENDURANCE IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN TERMS OF MEAN (SD) VO2 MAX (< 0.001) AND TREADMILL TIME (P < 0.001). THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN BODY COMPOSITION AND HEMOGLOBIN LEVEL. CONCLUSIONS: REGULAR YOGA PRACTITIONERS DEMONSTRATED THE IMPROVEMENT IN PULMONARY FUNCTIONS, CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS, ENDURANCE, AND FLEXIBILITY. 2021 9 569 16 DECREASE IN SERUM CORTISOL DURING YOGA EXERCISE IS CORRELATED WITH ALPHA WAVE ACTIVATION. WE EXAMINED CHANGES IN BRAIN WAVES AND BLOOD LEVELS OF SERUM CORTISOL DURING YOGA EXERCISE IN 7 YOGA INSTRUCTORS AND FOUND THAT ALPHA WAVES INCREASED AND SERUM CORTISOL DECREASED. THESE TWO MEASURES WERE NEGATIVELY CORRELATED (R = -.83). COMPARISON WITH A CONTROL GROUP OF NONPRACTITIONERS IS DESIRABLE. 2000 10 2085 27 THE EFFECT OF LONG TERM COMBINED YOGA PRACTICE ON THE BASAL METABOLIC RATE OF HEALTHY ADULTS. BACKGROUND: DIFFERENT PROCEDURES PRACTICED IN YOGA HAVE STIMULATORY OR INHIBITORY EFFECTS ON THE BASAL METABOLIC RATE WHEN STUDIED ACUTELY. IN DAILY LIFE HOWEVER, THESE PROCEDURES ARE USUALLY PRACTICED IN COMBINATION. THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE NET CHANGE IN THE BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR) OF INDIVIDUALS ACTIVELY ENGAGING IN A COMBINATION OF YOGA PRACTICES (ASANA OR YOGIC POSTURES, MEDITATION AND PRANAYAMA OR BREATHING EXERCISES) FOR A MINIMUM PERIOD OF SIX MONTHS, AT A RESIDENTIAL YOGA EDUCATION AND RESEARCH CENTER AT BANGALORE. METHODS: THE MEASURED BMR OF INDIVIDUALS PRACTICING YOGA THROUGH A COMBINATION OF PRACTICES WAS COMPARED WITH THAT OF CONTROL SUBJECTS WHO DID NOT PRACTICE YOGA BUT LED SIMILAR LIFESTYLES. RESULTS: THE BMR OF THE YOGA PRACTITIONERS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THAT OF THE NON-YOGA GROUP, AND WAS LOWER BY ABOUT 13 % WHEN ADJUSTED FOR BODY WEIGHT (P < 0.001). THIS DIFFERENCE PERSISTED WHEN THE GROUPS WERE STRATIFIED BY GENDER; HOWEVER, THE DIFFERENCE IN BMR ADJUSTED FOR BODY WEIGHT WAS GREATER IN WOMEN THAN MEN (ABOUT 8 AND 18% RESPECTIVELY). IN ADDITION, THE MEAN BMR OF THE YOGA GROUP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THEIR PREDICTED VALUES, WHILE THE MEAN BMR OF NON-YOGA GROUP WAS COMPARABLE WITH THEIR PREDICTED VALUES DERIVED FROM 1985 WHO/FAO/UNU PREDICTIVE EQUATIONS. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY SHOWS THAT THERE IS A SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BMR, PROBABLY LINKED TO REDUCED AROUSAL, WITH THE LONG TERM PRACTICE OF YOGA USING A COMBINATION OF STIMULATORY AND INHIBITORY YOGIC PRACTICES. 2006 11 2120 26 THE EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON ENHANCEMENT OF ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE (ACTH) AND CORTISOL LEVELS IN FEMALE PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. THE EFFECT OF 8 WEEKS YOGA TRAINING ON CORTISOL AND ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE (ACTH) LEVELS IN FEMALE PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS EXAMINED. TWENTY FOUR MS FEMALE PATIENTS WITH EXPANDED DISABILITY STATUS SCALE (EDSS) 1 TO 5.5 PARTICIPATED IN THIS STUDY AS THE SUBJECT. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE DIVIDED INTO CONTROL (N = 10) OR TRAINING GROUP (N = 14) RANDOMLY. TRAINING GROUP PERFORMED 90 MIN YOGA TRAINING PER SESSION, 3 DAYS A WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDE BODY COMPOSITION MEASUREMENT AND BLOOD SAMPLING 48 H BEFORE FIRST SESSION AND 48 H AFTER THE INTERVENTION. THE RESULTS DEMONSTRATED THAT ACTH INCREASED AND CORTISOL DECREASED COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (P < 0.05); IN CONCLUSION, IT SEEMS THAT YOGA TRAINING MODULATES ACTH LEVEL IN CONCOMITANT WITH REDUCTION IN CORTISOL LEVEL IN FEMALE PATIENTS WITH MS. 2017 12 33 26 A 10-WEEK YOGA PRACTICE HAS NO EFFECT ON COGNITION, BUT IMPROVES BALANCE AND MOTOR LEARNING BY ATTENUATING BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR LEVELS IN OLDER ADULTS. DESPITE STUDIES INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON COGNITIVE AND MOTOR FUNCTIONING IN OLDER ADULTS, THE EFFECT ON DUAL-TASK PERFORMANCE AND MOTOR LEARNING AND THE SPECIFIC MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE POSITIVE EFFECT OF YOGA REMAIN UNCLEAR. THUS, THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON COGNITION, BALANCE UNDER SINGLE- AND DUAL-TASK CONDITIONS, AND MOTOR LEARNING. THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF) IN INDUCED IMPROVEMENT WAS ALSO EXPLORED. PARTICIPANTS AGED 60-79YEARS WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER A CONTROL GROUP (N=15) OR A YOGA GROUP (N=18) FOR A 10-WEEK PERIOD. THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED 90-MIN DURATION YOGA CLASSES TWO TIMES PER WEEK. CHANGES IN COGNITION, BALANCE UNDER SINGLE- AND DUAL-TASK CONDITIONS, AND LEARNING FAST AND ACCURATE REACHING MOVEMENTS WERE ASSESSED. YOGA PRACTICE DECREASED (P<0.05) THE VELOCITY VECTOR OF THE CENTER OF PRESSURE UNDER SINGLE- AND DUAL-TASK CONDITIONS, WHEREAS NO CHANGES IN COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE WERE OBSERVED. ALTHOUGH REACTION AND MOVEMENT TIMES DURING LEARNING WERE DECREASED IN BOTH GROUPS (P<0.05), A FASTER REACTION TIME (P<0.05) AND SHORTER MOVEMENT TIME (P<0.05) WERE OBSERVED IN THE YOGA GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. SIGNIFICANT MODERATE RELATIONSHIPS (P<0.05) BETWEEN CHANGES IN BDNF LEVELS AND FUNCTIONAL IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED. THUS, 10WEEKS OF YOGA PRACTICE RESULTED IN IMPROVED BALANCE AND LEARNING IN THE SPEED-ACCURACY MOTOR TASK THAT WERE MEDIATED BY INCREASED BDNF LEVELS, BUT HAD NO IMPACT ON COGNITION IN OLDER ADULTS. 2020 13 1744 26 PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF HATHA-YOGA EXERCISE IN HEALTHY WOMEN. HATHA-YOGA HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY POPULAR IN WESTERN COUNTRIES AS A METHOD FOR COPING WITH STRESS. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE. WE MEASURED HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, THE HORMONES CORTISOL, PROLACTIN AND GROWTH HORMONE AND CERTAIN PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN A YOGA PRACTICING GROUP AND A CONTROL GROUP OF YOUNG FEMALE VOLUNTEERS READING IN A COMFORTABLE POSITION DURING THE EXPERIMENTAL PERIOD. THERE WERE NO SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS CONCERNING ENDOCRINE PARAMETERS AND BLOOD PRESSURE. THE COURSE OF HEART RATE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT, THE YOGA GROUP HAD A DECREASE DURING THE YOGA PRACTICE. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BOTH GROUPS WERE FOUND IN PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS. IN THE PERSONALITY INVENTORY THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED MARKEDLY HIGHER SCORES IN LIFE SATISFACTION AND LOWER SCORES IN EXCITABILITY, AGGRESSIVENESS, OPENNESS, EMOTIONALITY AND SOMATIC COMPLAINTS. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES COULD ALSO BE OBSERVED CONCERNING COPING WITH STRESS AND THE MOOD AT THE END OF THE EXPERIMENT. THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANT HIGHER SCORES IN HIGH SPIRITS AND EXTRAVERTEDNESS. 1994 14 1258 26 FIFTEEN MINUTES OF CHAIR-BASED YOGA POSTURES OR GUIDED MEDITATION PERFORMED IN THE OFFICE CAN ELICIT A RELAXATION RESPONSE. THIS STUDY COMPARED ACUTE (15 MIN) YOGA POSTURE AND GUIDED MEDITATION PRACTICE, PERFORMED SEATED IN A TYPICAL OFFICE WORKSPACE, ON PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MARKERS OF STRESS. TWENTY PARTICIPANTS (39.6 +/- 9.5 YR) COMPLETED THREE CONDITIONS: YOGA, MEDITATION, AND CONTROL (I.E., USUAL WORK) SEPARATED BY >/=24 HRS. YOGA AND MEDITATION SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED PERCEIVED STRESS VERSUS CONTROL, AND THIS EFFECT WAS MAINTAINED POSTINTERVENTION. YOGA INCREASED HEART RATE WHILE MEDITATION REDUCED HEART RATE VERSUS CONTROL (P < 0.05). RESPIRATION RATE WAS REDUCED DURING YOGA AND MEDITATION VERSUS CONTROL (P < 0.05). DOMAINS OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY (E.G., SDNN AND TOTAL POWER) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED DURING CONTROL VERSUS YOGA AND MEDITATION. SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE WERE REDUCED SECONDARY TO MEDITATION VERSUS CONTROL ONLY (P < 0.05). PHYSIOLOGICAL ADAPTATIONS GENERALLY REGRESSED TOWARD BASELINE POSTINTERVENTION. IN CONCLUSION, YOGA POSTURES OR MEDITATION PERFORMED IN THE OFFICE CAN ACUTELY IMPROVE SEVERAL PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MARKERS OF STRESS. THESE EFFECTS MAY BE AT LEAST PARTIALLY MEDIATED BY REDUCED RESPIRATION RATE. 2012 15 1514 28 IS WEEKLY FREQUENCY OF YOGA PRACTICE SUFFICIENT? PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AMONG HEALTHY NOVICE WOMEN. BENEFICIAL PHYSICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL HEALTH OUTCOMES OF YOGA PRACTICE ARE WELL-SUPPORTED BY EMPIRICAL DATA. HOWEVER, WHETHER WEEKLY FREQUENCY OF TRAINING IS SUFFICIENT TO EVOKE POSITIVE CHANGES, IS STILL AN OPEN QUESTION. THE PRESENT INTERVENTION STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF 10 WEEKLY SESSIONS OF BEGINNER LEVEL HATHA YOGA WITH RESPECT TO INDICATORS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MARKERS. 82 YOUNG WOMEN (MEAN AGE OF 22.0 +/- 3.83 YEARS) PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. THE YOGA GROUP (N = 49) ATTENDED A YOGA COURSE CONSISTING OF 10 SESSIONS (1.5 H EACH) ON A WEEKLY BASIS. THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 33) DID NOT RECEIVE ANY INTERVENTION. BMI, BODY FAT PERCENTAGE, BALANCE (ONE-LEG-STAND TEST WITH OPEN AND CLOSED EYES, FUNCTIONAL REACH TEST), FLEXIBILITY (SIDE BEND TEST, MODIFIED SIT AND REACH TEST) CORE MUSCLE STRENGTH (PLANK TEST) AS WELL AS RESTING HEART RATE (HR), AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) WERE ASSESSED 1 WEEK BEFORE AND AFTER THE COURSE. BOTH FREQUENTIST AND BAYESIAN ANALYSIS SHOWED AN IMPROVEMENT IN FLEXIBILITY AND BALANCE IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED ALSO INCREASED CORE MUSCLE STRENGTH. NO CHANGES WITH RESPECT TO BMI, BODY FAT PERCENTAGE, RESTING HR AND HRV WERE FOUND. NINETY MINUTE BEGINNER LEVEL HATHA YOGA CLASSES WERE CHARACTERIZED BY 93.39 HR AND 195 KCAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION ON AVERAGE. THE PRESENT FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT WEEKLY SETTING OF A 10-SESSION LONG HATHA YOGA TRAINING LEADS TO IMPROVEMENTS IN BALANCE, FLEXIBILITY AND CORE MUSCLE STRENGTH AMONG HEALTHY YOUNG WOMEN. HOWEVER, FOR CHANGES IN BMI, BODY FAT PERCENTAGE, RESTING HR AND HRV LONGER, AND/OR MORE INTENSE INTERVENTIONS ARE NEEDED. 2021 16 410 34 BLOOD LIPIDS AND ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS IN HEALTHY SUBJECTS PRACTICING YOGA OR RESISTANCE TRAINING IN LEISURE TIME. WHAT MATTERS: TYPE OR INTENSITY OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY? AIM: THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO ASSESS EFFECTS OF YOGA AND RESISTANCE TRAININGS ON BLOOD LIPIDS AND ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS IN PEOPLE WITHOUT CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY, WHICH INCLUDED 167 SUBJECTS, WAS CONDUCTED. SUBJECTS REGULARLY PRACTICING YOGA OR RESISTANCE TRAINING NOT LESS THAN 2 TIMES A WEEK FOR A PERIOD MORE THAN ONE YEAR WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. YOGA TRAININGS WERE DEFINED AS YOGA ASANAS AND RESISTANCE TRAININGS WERE DEFINED AS ANY EXERCISE THAT CAUSES THE MUSCLES TO CONTRACT AGAINST AN EXTERNAL RESISTANCE. ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS, BLOOD LIPIDS AND GLUCOSE, URIC ACID WERE ASSESSED. WE USED INTERNATIONAL QUESTIONNAIRE ON LONG PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO ASSESS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SEDENTARY TIME. SPSS 17.0 WAS USED TO PERFORM STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN "YOGA TRAINING" AND "RESISTANCE TRAINING" GROUPS IN GENERAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, MODERATE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SITTING TIME IN THE WHOLE GROUP. HDL-CHOLESTEROL WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN "YOGA TRAINING" COMPARED TO "RESISTANCE TRAINING" GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP (1,65+/-0,37 MMOL/L; 1,43+/-0,21 MMOL/L AND 1,34+/-0,22, PYOGA-RESISTANCE TRAINING=0,001; PYOGA-CONTROL=0,0001; PRESISTANCE TRAINING-CONTROL= P2-3=0,037). LDL CHOLESTEROL WAS THE LOWEST IN SUBJECTS THAT HAD THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF VIGOROUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. CONCLUSIONS: PEOPLE PRACTICING YOGA AND RESISTANCE TRAINING HAD MORE FAVORABLE BLOOD LIPID PROFILE AND ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS THAN CONTROL GROUP. "YOGA TRAINING" HAD MORE PRONOUNCED POSITIVE EFFECT ON HDL CHOLESTEROL. LEVEL OF LDL CHOLESTEROL WAS MORE LIKELY TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH INTENSITY OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THAN WITH TYPE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. 2021 17 1873 25 RAPID GENE EXPRESSION CHANGES IN PERIPHERAL BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES UPON PRACTICE OF A COMPREHENSIVE YOGA PROGRAM. ONE OF THE MOST COMMON INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE (IM) MODALITIES IS YOGA AND RELATED PRACTICES. PREVIOUS WORK HAS SHOWN THAT YOGA MAY IMPROVE WELLNESS IN HEALTHY PEOPLE AND HAVE BENEFITS FOR PATIENTS. HOWEVER, THE MECHANISMS OF HOW YOGA MAY POSITIVELY AFFECT THE MIND-BODY SYSTEM ARE LARGELY UNKNOWN. HERE WE HAVE ASSESSED POSSIBLE RAPID CHANGES IN GLOBAL GENE EXPRESSION PROFILES IN THE PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS (PBMCS) IN HEALTHY PEOPLE THAT PRACTICED EITHER A COMPREHENSIVE YOGA PROGRAM OR A CONTROL REGIMEN. THE EXPERIMENTAL SESSIONS INCLUDED GENTLE YOGA POSTURES, BREATHING EXERCISES, AND MEDITATION (SUDARSHAN KRIYA AND RELATED PRACTICES--SK&P) COMPARED WITH A CONTROL REGIMEN OF A NATURE WALK AND LISTENING TO RELAXING MUSIC. WE SHOW THAT THE SK&P PROGRAM HAS A RAPID AND SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER EFFECT ON GENE EXPRESSION IN PBMCS COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL REGIMEN. THESE DATA SUGGEST THAT YOGA AND RELATED PRACTICES RESULT IN RAPID GENE EXPRESSION ALTERATIONS WHICH MAY BE THE BASIS FOR THEIR LONGER TERM CELL BIOLOGICAL AND HIGHER LEVEL HEALTH EFFECTS. 2013 18 427 36 CAN YOGA BOOST ACCESS TO THE BODILY AND EMOTIONAL SELF? CHANGES IN HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND IN AFFECTIVE EVALUATION BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER A SINGLE SESSION OF YOGA EXERCISE WITH AND WITHOUT INSTRUCTIONS OF CONTROLLED BREATHING AND MINDFUL BODY AWARENESS IN YOUNG HEALTHY WOMEN. EXERCISE IS INDISPENSABLE FOR A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE. YOGA EXERCISE CAN HAVE POSITIVE EFFECTS ON WELL-BEING AND ON CARDIAC AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY MAKING IT AN IDEAL INTERVENTION FOR IMPROVING MIND-BODY INTERACTIONS AND RESILIENCE TO PHYSICAL AND MENTAL STRESSORS. EMOTIONS TRIGGER ESPECIALLY STRONG BODILY AND AFFECTIVE-COGNITIVE RESPONSES BECAUSE OF THEIR SOCIAL RELEVANCE FOR THE SELF AND THEIR BIOLOGICAL RELEVANCE OF MOBILIZING THE ORGANISM FOR ACTION. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATES WHETHER CHANGES IN EMOTION PROCESSING RELATED TO SELF-OTHER REFERENTIAL PROCESSING AND CHANGES IN CARDIAC AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY, REFLECTED BY HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV), OCCUR IMMEDIATELY AFTER ALREADY A SINGLE SESSION OF YOGA EXERCISE WHEN YOGA POSTURES ARE PRACTICED WITH OR WITHOUT BREATHING- AND MINDFUL BODY AWARENESS INSTRUCTIONS. WOMEN, ALL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS (N = 34, FINAL SAMPLE: N = 30, N = 25 NAIVE TO YOGA PRACTICE) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS WHO PERFORMED THE SAME YOGA EXERCISES WITH OR WITHOUT CONTROLLED BREATHING AND MINDFULNESS INSTRUCTIONS. EMOTIONAL, SELF-OTHER REFERENTIAL PROCESSING, AWARENESS OF BODILY SIGNALS AND HRV INDICATORS WERE INVESTIGATED BEFORE AND AFTER THE EXERCISE USING STANDARDIZED EXPERIMENTAL TASKS, STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRES, AND MOBILE RECORDING DEVICES. EXERCISING FOR 30 MINUTES CHANGED CARDIAC ACTIVITY SIGNIFICANTLY. HRV MEASURES SHOWED ADAPTABILITY OF CARDIAC ACTIVITY DURING THE EXERCISE AS WELL AS DURING THE AFFECTIVE TASK POST- TO PRE-EXERCISE. EXERCISING WITH BREATHING INSTRUCTIONS AND MINDFUL BODY AWARENESS HAD NO SUPERIOR EFFECTS ON CARDIAC, PARTICULARLY PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY, COMPARED TO PRACTICING THE SAME MOVEMENTS WITHOUT SUCH EXPLICIT INSTRUCTIONS. SELF-REFERENTIAL PROCESSING DID NOT CHANGE; HOWEVER, PARTICIPANTS WERE FASTER AND MORE ACCURATE IN THEIR AFFECTIVE JUDGMENTS OF EMOTIONAL STIMULI [REGARDLESS OF THEIR REFERENCE (SELF/OTHER)], AND SHOWED BETTER AWARENESS OF BODILY SIGNALS AFTER COMPARED TO BEFORE THE EXERCISE SESSION. THE RESULTS SUPPORT IMMEDIATE, ADAPTIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISE ON CARDIAC AND AFFECTIVE-COGNITIVE PROCESSING IN AN ALL-FEMALE HEALTHY SAMPLE. THEREFORE, YOGA EXERCISE COULD BE RECOMMENDED AS A PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR BOOSTING CARDIAC AND EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE IN THIS TARGET GROUP. 2021 19 2736 27 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 20 819 31 EFFECT OF YOGA ON DEPRESSION IN HYPOTHYROIDISM: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: THE PREVALENCE OF HYPOTHYROIDISM AMONG INDIAN WOMEN IS 15.8%. DEPRESSION IS FREQUENTLY REPORTED IN HYPOTHYROIDISM. YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR DEPRESSION. HOWEVER, THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA ON DEPRESSION IN PATIENTS WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED. AIM: THE PRESENT STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECT OF A 3-MONTH INTEGRATED YOGA INTERVENTION (3-IY) ON DEPRESSION, LIPID INDICES, AND SERUM THYROID-STIMULATING HORMONE (STSH) LEVELS AMONG FEMALE PATIENTS HAVING HYPOTHYROIDISM, AND MILD-TO-MODERATE DEPRESSION. METHOD: THE PRESENT SINGLE-ARM PRE-POST DESIGN STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN THIRTY-EIGHT WOMEN (AVERAGE AGE 34.2 +/- 4.7 YEARS). PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED A 3-IY COMPRISING ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, AND RELAXATION TECHNIQUES FOR 60 MIN DAILY (5 DAYS A WEEK). DEPRESSION, STSH, LIPID PROFILE INDICES, BODY MASS INDEX (BMI), FATIGUE, ANXIETY, AND STRESS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS. THYROID MEDICATION WAS KEPT CONSTANT DURING THE STUDY PERIOD. DATA WERE ANALYSED USING R STUDIO SOFTWARE. RESULT: A SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05) REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION (58%), STSH (37%), BMI (6%), FATIGUE (64%), ANXIETY (57%), LIPID PROFILE INDICES (HLD INCREASED SIGNIFICANTY), AND STRESS (55%) LEVELS WAS OBSERVED AFTER 3 MONTHS, COMPARED WITH THE CORRESPONDING BASELINE LEVELS. CONCLUSION: THE 3-IY IS USEFUL FOR REDUCING DEPRESSION, DYSLIPIDEMIA, AND STSH IN WOMEN WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM AND DEPRESSION. FURTHER STUDIES WITH A LARGER SAMPLE SIZE AND A ROBUST RESEARCH DESIGN USING OBJECTIVE VARIABLES MUST BE CONDUCTED TO STRENGTHEN THE STUDY FINDINGS. 2021