1 553 135 CORRELATION OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY WITH CAROTID INTIMA MEDIA THICKNESS AFTER 6 MONTH OF YOGA INTERVENTION IN PREDIABETICS. INTRODUCTION: ATHEROSCLEROTIC CAROTID INTIMAMEDIA THICKNESS (CIMT) MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERATIONS IN THE AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF 6-MONTH YOGA INTERVENTION ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) AND CIMT IN ELDERLY SUBJECTS AND THE CORRELATION BETWEEN HRV AND CIMT. METHODOLOGY: THIS WAS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY, IN WHICH A TOTAL OF 250 SUBJECTS WERE ENROLLED. RANDOMIZATION AND ALLOCATION IN YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS WERE PERFORMED USING COMPUTER-GENERATED RANDOM NUMBERS. THE CIMT WAS DETERMINED BY B-MODE ULTRASONOGRAPHY, AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION WAS DETERMINED THROUGH FREQUENCY DOMAIN PARAMETER OF HRV MEASURES AT BASELINE AND AFTER 6 MONTHS OF YOGA INTERVENTION. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS HAD A MEAN AGE OF 45.4 +/- 6.4 YEARS, AND A MEAN CIMT IN CONTROL (0.70 +/- 0.05) AND STUDY GROUP (0.69 +/- 0.073), AND LOW FREQUENCY/HIGH FREQUENCY (LF/HF) RATIO IN CONTROL (2.20 +/- 1.05) AND STUDY GROUP (0.57 +/- 0.54). YOGA GROUP HAD EVIDENCE OF INCREASED VAGAL ACTIVITY IN THE FREQUENCY DOMAIN (HF AND LF/HF RATIO, P < 0.001) WITH RESPECT TO CONTROL GROUP. MOREOVER, A STUDY GROUP SHOWED LOWER INTIMAMEDIA THICKNESS (IMT) THAN CONTROL SUBJECTS (P < 0.01). IN THE WHOLE POPULATION, LF/HF RATIO POSITIVELY AND SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATED (R = 0.665, P < 0.01) TO IMT. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATED THAT, AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION, LF/HF RATIO IS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH CIMT, A PUTATIVE INDEX OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS, CONFIRMING CARDIAC AUTONOMIC NEUROPATHY AS A PART OF THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL PATHWAY FOR ATHEROSCLEROSIS. IT CONFIRMS THAT THE REGULAR YOGA REPRESENTS A VALUABLE STRATEGY TO COUNTER IMPAIRMENTS OF CARDIAC AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY AND ARTERY STRUCTURAL CHANGES. 2021 2 890 48 EFFECT OF YOGA-BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL IN PATIENTS POST-MI. AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION IS AN INDEPENDENT PREDICTOR OF CARDIOVASCULAR AND ALL-CAUSE MORTALITY AFTER MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION (MI). WE TESTED THE EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK YOGA-BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAM ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) IN 80 PATIENTS POST-MI. THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH TWO PARALLEL GROUPS WAS CARRIED OUT IN A TERTIARY CARE INSTITUTION IN INDIA. THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED 13 HOSPITAL-BASED STRUCTURED YOGA SESSIONS AS AN ADJUNCT TO STANDARD CARE. CONTROL GROUP PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED ENHANCED STANDARD CARE INVOLVING THREE BRIEF EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS WITH A LEAFLET ON THE IMPORTANCE OF DIET AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. HRV WAS MEASURED IN ALL PARTICIPANTS WITH LEAD II ELECTROCARDIOGRAM (ECG) SIGNALS. ONE YOGA GROUP PATIENT'S DATA WERE EXCLUDED DUE TO ECG ABNORMALITIES. BASELINE MEASUREMENT WAS DONE 3 WEEKS POST-MI, AND POSTINTERVENTION ASSESSMENT TOOK PLACE AT THE 13TH WEEK. HRV FREQUENCY AND TIME DOMAIN INDICES WERE ANALYZED. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES IN THE HRV TIME DOMAIN INDICES. FREQUENCY DOMAIN INDICES SHOWED SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES IN HF POWER (ABSOLUTE) (YOGA VS. CONTROL: 114.42 [-794.80-7,993.78] VS. -38.14 [-4,843.50-1,617.87], P = 0.005) AND TOTAL POWER (NU) (YOGA VS. CONTROL: 44.96 [21.94] VS. -19.55 [15.42], P = 0.01) WITH HIGHER HF POWER AND TOTAL POWER (NU) IN THE YOGA GROUP. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THESE RESULTS CANNOT BE GENERALIZED TO HIGH RISK PATIENTS. RESPIRATORY FREQUENCY CONTROL TO CHECK FOR INFLUENCE OF RESPIRATORY RATE ON RR INTERVAL WAS NOT EVALUATED. THIS SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAM HAD ADDITIVE EFFECTS IN SHIFTING SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE TOWARD PARASYMPATHETIC PREDOMINANCE WHILE INCREASING OVERALL HRV IN OPTIMALLY MEDICATED POST-MI PATIENTS. 2019 3 850 40 EFFECT OF YOGA ON SHORT-TERM HEART RATE VARIABILITY MEASURE AS A STRESS INDEX IN SUBJUNIOR CYCLISTS: A PILOT STUDY. SUBJUNIOR ATHLETES EXPERIENCE MENTAL STRESS DUE TO PRESSURE FROM THE COACH, TEACHERS AND PARENTS FOR BETTER PERFORMANCE. STRESS, IF REMAINS FOR LONGER PERIOD AND NOT MANAGED APPROPRIATELY CAN LEADS TO NEGATIVE PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND COGNITIVE IMPACT ON CHILDREN. THE PRESENT STUDY WAS AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA MODULE ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) MEASURE AS A STRESS INDEX IN SUBJUNIOR CYCLISTS. FAST FURRIER TRANSFORM TECHNIQUE OF FREQUENCY DOMAIN METHOD WAS USED FOR THE ANALYSIS OF HRV. WE HAVE FOUND A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) COMPONENT BY 14.64% (P < 0.05) AND DECREASE IN THE LOW FREQUENCY COMPONENT (LF) OF HRV SPECTRUM BY 5.52% (P < 0.05) AND A DECREASE IN LF/HF RATIO BY 19.63% (P < 0.01) IN YOGA GROUP. IN THE CONTROL GROUP, THERE WAS DECREASE IN THE HF COMPONENT AND, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE LF COMPONENT OF HRV SPECTRUM AND LF/HF RATIO. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT YOGA PRACTICE DECREASES SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY AND CAUSES A SHIFT IN THE AUTONOMIC BALANCE TOWARDS PARASYMPATHETIC DOMINANCE INDICATING A REDUCTION IN STRESS. IN CONCLUSION, YOGA PRACTICE HELPS TO REDUCE STRESS BY OPTIMIZING THE AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS. SO, IT IS SUGGESTED TO INCORPORATE YOGA MODULE AS A REGULAR FEATURE TO KEEP SUBJUNIOR ATHLETES BOTH MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY FIT. 2013 4 1027 42 EFFECTS OF YOGA BREATHING PRACTICE ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN HEALTHY ADOLESCENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AMONG HEALTHY ADOLESCENTS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA BREATHING PRACTICE (BHRAMARI PRANAYAMA, BHR.P) TOWARDS CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION USING HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) PARAMETERS. METHODS: OF THE 730 ELIGIBLE SUBJECTS SCREENED, 520 HEALTHY ADOLESCENTS WHO MET THE INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER YOGA BREATHING GROUP (N=260) OR CONTROL GROUP (N=260). THE YOGA BREATHING GROUP PRACTICED BHR.P. FIVE DAYS A WEEK FOR A DURATION OF SIX MONTHS WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP CONTINUED WITH THEIR DAILY ROUTINE WITHOUT ANY INTERVENTION. OUTCOME MEASURES WERE TIME AND FREQUENCY DOMAIN OF HRV IN BOTH GROUPS WHICH WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION USING LEAD II ECG. LINEAR MODELS WERE USED IN THE ANALYSIS OF SHORT TERM HRV. RESULTS: AFTER 6 MONTHS OF YOGA BREATHING, THE TIME DOMAIN PARAMETERS OF SHORT TERM HRV SHOWED SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05) IMPROVEMENT TOWARDS THE PARASYMPATHETIC DOMAIN. FREQUENCY DOMAIN PARAMETERS ALSO SHOWED THE SAME DIRECTION OF CHANGES. IN CONTRAST, CONTROL GROUP SUBJECTS SHOWED A TREND TOWARDS A SYMPATHETIC DOMAIN. CONCLUSION: THE PRESENT STUDY SHOWED A POSITIVE SHIFT IN CARDIAC AUTONOMIC MODULATION TOWARDS PARASYMPATHETIC PREDOMINANCE AFTER 6 MONTHS OF YOGA BREATHING PRACTICE AMONG APPARENTLY HEALTHY ADOLESCENTS. 2020 5 1988 41 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 6 1388 41 IMPACT OF SHORT-TERM PRACTICE OF YOGA ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A SCIENCE THAT FACILITATES HOMEOSTASIS, AN ANCIENT WAY OF LIFE INTENDED TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF AN INDIVIDUAL. PRACTICE OF YOGA IS PROPOSED TO ALTER THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AND AFFECT THE CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTIONING. THIS STUDY WAS INTENDED TO ASSESS THE INFLUENCE OF SHORT-TERM PRACTICE OF YOGA FOR A MONTH ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV). MATERIALS AND METHODS: TOTALLY, 40 HEALTHY MALE VOLUNTEERS IN THE AGE GROUP OF 30-60 YEARS WILLING TO PRACTICE YOGA FOR A MONTH WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. HRV WAS ASSESSED USING HRV DEVICE (RMS VAGUS, INDIA). PREINTERVENTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF HRV WAS DONE IN THESE SUBJECTS. PRACTICE OF YOGA THAT INCLUDED A SET OF PHYSICAL POSTURES (ASANAS), BREATHING TECHNIQUES (PRANAYAMA), AND MEDITATION (DHYANA) WERE PERFORMED FOR AN HOUR DAILY FOR 1 MONTH UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR. POSTINTERVENTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF HRV WAS DONE. THE VALUES WERE EXPRESSED IN MEDIAN AND THEIR INTERQUARTILE RANGE, AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS WAS DONE TO COMPARE THE CHANGES USING WILCOXON SIGNED RANK TEST. RESULTS: THIRTY-TWO OF 40 SUBJECTS RECRUITED FOR YOGA PRACTICE COMPLETED THE STUDY PROTOCOL. ANALYSIS OF HRV REVEALED THAT IN TIME DOMAIN PARAMETERS, SDNN INCREASED FROM 33.60 (31.41-44.82) TO 42.11 (34.43-57.51), RMSSD INCREASED FROM 22.00 (16.00-33.80) TO 25.6 (17.0-34.8), AND PNN50 INCREASED FROM 2.45 (0.80-15.38) TO 7.35 (1.40-18.57) AFTER INTERVENTION. IN THE FREQUENCY DOMAIN PARAMETERS, THE LOW-FREQUENCY (LF) POWER SPECTRUM REDUCED FROM 39.30 (25.1-46.25) TO 30.40 (22.75-40.62) AND LF/HIGH-FREQUENCY RATIO WAS REDUCED FROM 2.62 (1.91-4.07) TO 2.28 (1.4-3.07) AFTER 1 MONTH PRACTICE OF YOGA. P < 0.05 WAS CONSIDERED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. CONCLUSION: AUTONOMIC BALANCE TILTS TOWARD PARASYMPATHETIC PREDOMINANCE AFTER 1 MONTH PRACTICE OF YOGA. 2016 7 1473 34 INSULIN SENSITIVITY AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION IN YOUNG MALE PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA. BACKGROUND: WHILE YOGA IS THOUGHT TO REDUCE THE RISK OF CHRONIC NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES SUCH AS DIABETES, THERE ARE NO STUDIES ON INSULIN SENSITIVITY IN LONG TERM PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA. WE ASSESSED INSULIN SENSITIVITY AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION IN LONG TERM PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA. METHODS: FIFTEEN HEALTHY, YOUNG, MALE PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA WERE COMPARED WITH 15 YOUNG, HEALTHY MALES WHO DID NOT PRACTICE YOGA MATCHED FOR BODY-MASS INDEX. FASTING INSULIN SENSITIVITY WAS MEASURED IN THE FASTING STATE BY THE HYPERINSULINAEMIC-EUGLYCAEMIC CLAMP. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS IN THEIR ANTHROPOMETRY OR BODY COMPOSITION. HOWEVER, THE FASTING PLASMA INSULIN WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP WAS ALSO MORE INSULIN SENSITIVE (YOGA 7.82 [2.29] V. CONTROL 4.86 [11.97] (MG/[KG.MIN])/(MICROU/ML), P < 0.001). WHILE THE BODY WEIGHT AND WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE WERE NEGATIVELY CORRELATED WITH GLUCOSE DISPOSAL RATE IN THE CONTROLS, THERE WERE NO SIMILAR CORRELATIONS IN THE YOGA GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER LOW-FREQUENCY POWER AND LOWER NORMALIZED HIGH-FREQUENCY POWER. CONCLUSION: LONG TERM YOGA PRACTICE (FOR 1 YEAR OR MORE) IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED INSULIN SENSITIVITY AND ATTENUATES THE NEGATIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BODY WEIGHT OR WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE AND INSULIN SENSITIVITY. 2008 8 492 41 COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR EVALUATION BASED ON PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AMONG YOUNG HEALTHY SUBJECTS WITH YOGA AS INTERVENTION. OBJECTIVE: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE ON COGNITIVE SKILLS, AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM, AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY BY ANALYZING PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS. METHODS: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED ON 30 NORMAL YOUNG HEALTHY ENGINEERING STUDENTS. THEY WERE RANDOMLY SELECTED INTO TWO GROUPS: YOGA GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED YOGA ONE AND HALF HOUR PER DAY FOR SIX DAYS IN A WEEK, FOR A PERIOD OF FIVE MONTHS. RESULTS: THE YOGA PRACTISING GROUP SHOWED INCREASED ALPHA, BETA, AND DELTA EEG BAND POWERS AND SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THETA AND GAMMA BAND POWERS. THE INCREASED ALPHA AND BETA POWER CAN REPRESENT ENHANCED COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS SUCH AS MEMORY AND CONCENTRATION, AND THAT OF DELTA SIGNIFIES SYNCHRONIZATION OF BRAIN ACTIVITY. THE HEART RATE INDEX THETA/ALPHA DECREASED, NEURAL ACTIVITY BETA/THETA INCREASED, ATTENTION RESOURCE INDEX BETA/(ALPHA + THETA) INCREASED, EXECUTIVE LOAD INDEX (DELTA + THETA)/ALPHA DECREASED, AND THE RATIO (DELTA + THETA)/(ALPHA + BETA) DECREASED. THE YOGA PRACTICE GROUP SHOWED IMPROVEMENT IN HEART RATE VARIABILITY, INCREASED SDNN/RMSSD, AND REDUCTION IN LF/HF RATIO. CONCLUSION: YOGA PRACTISING GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN VARIOUS COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS, SUCH AS PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT, NEURAL ACTIVITY, ATTENTION, AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTION. IT ALSO RESULTED IN INCREASE IN THE HEART RATE VARIABILITY, PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM ACTIVITY, AND BALANCED AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM REACTIVITY. 2015 9 1637 28 MODULATION OF CARDIAC AUTONOMIC BALANCE WITH ADJUVANT YOGA THERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH REFRACTORY EPILEPSY. THE PRACTICE OF YOGA REGULATES BODY PHYSIOLOGY THROUGH CONTROL OF POSTURE, BREATHING, AND MEDITATION. EFFECTS OF YOGA ON AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS OF PATIENTS WITH REFRACTORY EPILEPSY, AS QUANTIFIED BY STANDARDIZED AUTONOMIC FUNCTION TESTS (AFTS), WERE DETERMINED. THE YOGA GROUP (N=18) RECEIVED SUPERVISED TRAINING IN YOGA, AND THE EXERCISE GROUP (N=16) PRACTICED SIMPLE ROUTINE EXERCISES. AFTS WERE REPEATED AFTER 10 WEEKS OF DAILY SESSIONS. DATA WERE COMPARED WITH THOSE OF HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (N=142). THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PARASYMPATHETIC PARAMETERS AND A DECREASE IN SEIZURE FREQUENCY SCORES. THERE WAS NO IMPROVEMENT IN BLOOD PRESSURE PARAMETERS IN EITHER GROUP. TWO PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP ACHIEVED NORMAL AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS AT THE END OF 10 WEEKS OF THERAPY, WHEREAS THERE WERE NO CHANGES IN THE EXERCISE GROUP. THE DATA SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY HAVE A ROLE AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH REFRACTORY EPILEPSY. 2008 10 412 26 BLOOD PRESSURE EFFECTS OF YOGA, ALONE OR IN COMBINATION WITH LIFESTYLE MEASURES: RESULTS OF THE LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND BLOOD PRESSURE STUDY (LIMBS). THE AUTHORS CONDUCTED A STUDY TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON BLOOD PRESSURE (BP). PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA (BLOOD PRESSURE EDUCATION PROGRAM [BPEP]), OR A COMBINED PROGRAM (COMBO). AMBULATORY BP WAS MEASURED AT BASELINE AND AT 12 AND 24 WEEKS. DATA ARE PRESENTED FOR ALL ENROLLED PATIENTS (N=137) AND FOR COMPLETERS ONLY (N=90). SYSTOLIC BP (SBP) AND DIASTOLIC BP (DBP) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED WITHIN ALL GROUPS AT 12 AND 24 WEEKS (P<.001) FOR ENROLLED PATIENTS AND COMPLETERS. SBP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED IN THE YOGA AND COMBO GROUPS AS COMPARED WITH THE BPEP GROUP AT 12 WEEKS IN ALL ENROLLED AND COMPLETERS. SBP DIFFERENCES WERE NO LONGER SIGNIFICANT AT 24 WEEKS BETWEEN GROUPS IN ALL ENROLLED PATIENTS; HOWEVER, THERE WAS A GREATER REDUCTION IN SBP AT 24 WEEKS IN COMPLETERS FAVORING BPEP OVER YOGA. NO DIFFERENCES IN DBP BETWEEN GROUPS OR IN BP BETWEEN THE YOGA AND COMBO GROUPS WERE PRESENT. THE AUTHORS DID NOT OBSERVE AN ADDITIVE BENEFIT FROM COMBINING YOGA WITH BPEP MEASURES. REASONS FOR THIS ARE UNCLEAR AT THIS TIME. BP LOWERING WITH YOGA, HOWEVER, WAS SIMILAR TO THAT ACHIEVED WITH LIFESTYLE MEASURES. 2016 11 797 45 EFFECT OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON SHORT-TERM HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER. BACKGROUND: AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD) IS A NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER CHARACTERIZED BY IMPAIRMENT IN SOCIAL INTERACTIONS, COMMUNICATION, RESTRICTED, AND REPETITIVE BEHAVIORS. EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR ASD ARE LIMITED. YOGA IS PRACTICED BY OVER 20 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE, AND MULTIPLE STUDIES HAVE INVESTIGATED YOGA AS A POSSIBLE EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR CHILDREN WITH ASD. AIM: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON SHORT-TERM HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) IN CHILDREN WITH ASD. METHODOLOGY: IN THIS STUDY, 50 CHILDREN (38 BOYS AND 12 GIRLS) WITH ASD WERE RECRUITED FROM SWABHIMAAN TRUST, PALAVAKKAM, CHENNAI. THEY WERE RANDOMLY GROUPED INTO ASD WITH YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 25) AND ASD WITHOUT YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 25) BY SIMPLE LOTTERY METHOD. YOGA GROUP CHILDREN UNDERWENT YOGA TRAINING FOR 3 MONTHS, AND THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT RECEIVE ANY SUCH TRAINING. FOR SHORT-TERM HRV, 15 MIN ELECTROCARDIOGRAM RECORDING IN SITTING POSTURE WAS RECORDED IN LEAD II USING A SIMPLE ANALOG AMPLIFIER. RESULTS: IN HRV, TIME DOMAIN PARAMETERS SUCH AS MEAN RR INTERVAL (0.72 [0.74] TO 0.94 [0.92]), STANDARD DEVIATION OF THE NN INTERVALS (52.04 [54.23] TO 74.48 [72.80]), AND ROOT OF THE MEAN SQUARED DIFFERENCES OF SUCCESSIVE NN INTERVAL (32.60 [34.40] TO 40.83 [42.90]) SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN ASD CHILDREN AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION. IN FREQUENCY-DOMAIN PARAMETERS, HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) IN N. U (48.08 [47.24] TO 58.37 [59.22]) SHOWS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE AND LOW FREQUENCY (LF) IN N. U (52.4 [51.82] TO 40.51 [40.12]), AND LF/HF RATIO (1.29 [1.31] TO 0.78 [0.79]) SHOWS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ASD WITH YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP CHILDREN AFTER 3 MONTHS OF YOGA TRAINING. CONCLUSION: YOGA INTERVENTIONS HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN BRINGING PARASYMPATHETIC DOMINANCE IN ASD CHILDREN, AND THE GREATER ADVANTAGE IS BEING A NONINVASIVE WAY OF INTERVENTION TO SUPPORT CHILDREN WITH ASD AND HELP THEM TO ACHIEVE PHYSIOLOGICAL AS WELL AS PSYCHOLOGICAL BALANCE. 2019 12 1301 38 HATHA YOGA ON BODY BALANCE. BACKGROUND: A GOOD BODY BALANCE REQUIRES A PROPER FUNCTION OF VESTIBULAR, VISUAL, AND SOMATOSENSORY SYSTEMS WHICH CAN BE REACH WITH EXERCISE PRACTICE AND/OR YOGA. AIM: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF A 5-MONTH HATHA YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM ON BODY BALANCE IN YOUNG ADULTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS STUDY USED A CONTROLLED, NONRANDOMIZED DESIGN, WHERE THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP UNDERWENT A 5-MONTH TRAINING PROGRAM AND WERE THEN COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP THAT HAD A SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE. A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF 34 OUT OF 40 MEN AGED 25-55 YEARS OLD (34.0 +/- 0.9) WERE DEEMED ELIGIBLE FOR THIS STUDY. THEY WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS. SUBJECTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WERE ENGAGED IN 60 MIN SESSIONS OF HATHA YOGA THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR 5 MONTHS. WE EVALUATED POSTURAL CONTROL BY MEASURING THE LIMIT OF STABILITY AND VELOCITY OF OSCILLATION (VOS) IN THREE CONDITIONS OF THE BALANCE REHABILITATION UNIT (BRU) AND THROUGH FIELD PROCEDURES (FOUR POSITION, PLANE, FLAMINGO, HOPSCOTCH, AND DYNAMIC TEST). RESULTS: WE OBSERVED DIFFERENCES (P < 0.05) IN POSTINTERVENTION SCORES BETWEEN THE GROUPS REGARDLESS OF BRU PARAMETERS AND FIELD PROCEDURES (EXCEPT FOR FLAMINGO) EVEN AFTER ADJUSTING FOR PREINTERVENTION SCORES, SUGGESTING THAT THESE CHANGES WERE INDUCED BY HATHA YOGA TRAINING. THE PARTIAL ETA SQUARED ON BRU PARAMETERS RANGED FROM 0.78 (VOS1)-0.97 (COP2), AND FROM 0.00 (FLAMINGO)-0.94 (FOUR POSITION) FOR THE FIELD PROCEDURES. CONCLUSIONS: OUR RESULTS PROVIDE SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE THAT POSTURAL CONTROL IN HEALTHY YOUNG ADULTS CAN BE IMPROVED THROUGH PRACTICING HATHA YOGA. 2014 13 2745 35 YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVES THE BODY MASS INDEX AND BLOOD PRESSURE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: YOGA, AN ANCIENT INDIAN SYSTEM OF EXERCISE AND THERAPY IS AN ART OF GOOD LIVING OR AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE BODY, MIND, AND INNER SPIRIT. REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGA CAN HELP TO INCREASE BLOOD FLOW TO THE BRAIN, REDUCE STRESS, HAVE A CALMING EFFECT ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, AND GREATLY HELP IN REDUCING HYPERTENSION. AIM: AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY IS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF 1-MONTH YOGA PRACTICE ON BODY MASS INDEX (BMI), AND BLOOD PRESSURE (BP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE ON 64 PARTICIPANTS (AGE 53.6 +/- 13.1 YEARS) (EXPERIMENTAL GROUP) WHEREAS THE RESULTS WERE COMPARED WITH 26 HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (CONTROL GROUP). WE EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN A 1-MONTH PILOT STUDY. MOST OF THE PARTICIPANTS WERE LEARNER AND PRACTICED YOGA FOR 1 H DAILY IN THE MORNING FOR 1 MONTH. BMI AND BP (SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC) WERE STUDIED BEFORE AND AFTER 1 MONTH OF YOGA PRACTICE. RESULTS: YOGA PRACTICE CAUSES DECREASED BMI (26.4 +/- 2.5-25.22 +/- 2.4), SYSTOLIC BP (136.9 +/- 22.18 MMHG TO 133 +/- 21.38 MMHG), AND DIASTOLIC BP (84.7 +/- 6.5 MMHG TO 82.34 +/- 7.6 MMHG). ON THE OTHER HAND, NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE OBSERVED IN BMI AND BP OF CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY CONCLUDES THAT YOGA PRACTICE HAS POTENTIAL TO CONTROL BMI AND BP WITHOUT TAKING ANY MEDICATION. 2017 14 819 36 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 15 2085 37 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 16 277 31 ADDITIONAL PRACTICE OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING ENHANCES PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: THE PRACTICE OF YOGA IS ASSOCIATED WITH ENHANCED PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING. THE CURRENT STUDY ASSESSED THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE WITH STATE MINDFULNESS, MIND-WANDERING AND STATE ANXIETY. ALSO, WE EXAMINED IF AN ADDITIONAL 20 MIN OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING (EXPERIMENTAL GROUP) FOR 8 WEEKS WOULD AFFECT THESE PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES MORE THAN REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE (CONTROL GROUP) ALONE. METHODS: ONE HUNDRED SIXTEEN SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EXPERIMENTAL (N = 60) AND CONTROL (N = 56) GROUPS. STATE MINDFULNESS ATTENTION AWARENESS SCALE (SMAAS), MIND-WANDERING QUESTIONNAIRE (MWQ) AND STATE ANXIETY INVENTORY WERE ADMINISTERED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 8 WEEKS. RESULTS: BASELINE ASSESSMENT REVEALED A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE WITH SMAAS SCORES AND NEGATIVE CORRELATION WITH MWQ AND STATE ANXIETY SCORES. AT THE END OF 8 WEEKS, BOTH GROUPS DEMONSTRATED ENHANCED PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS, BUT THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP RECEIVING ADDITIONAL YOGA BREATHING PERFORMED BETTER THAN THE GROUP PRACTICING YOGA ALONE. CONCLUSION: AN ADDITIONAL PRACTICE OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING WAS FOUND TO ENHANCE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS IN YOUNG ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS. 2018 17 295 33 AGE RELATED DIFFERENCES OF SELECTED HATHA YOGA PRACTICES ON ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS, MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY OF HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. BACKGROUND: PHYSIOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF YOGA ON VOLUNTEERS OF A PARTICULAR AGE GROUP ARE AVAILABLE. HOWEVER, REPORTS ON EFFICACY OF A SPECIFIC YOGA PACKAGE ON THE POPULACE OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS FROM SIMILAR OCCUPATIONAL BACKGROUND IS STILL VERY LIMITED. THEREFORE, THE PRESENT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO APPRAISE THE EFFECT OF A SPECIFIC HATHA YOGA PACKAGE ON ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS, FLEXIBILITY AND MUSCULAR STRENGTH OF HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS FROM SIMILAR OCCUPATIONAL TRADE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 71 PARTICIPANTS (GROUP ALL) FROM INDIAN AIR FORCE GROUND PERSONNEL VOLUNTEERED AND AGE WISE DIVIDED INTO 3 GROUPS - (I) GROUP I (GR. - I) (N1 = 27, 20-29 YEARS), (II) GROUP II (GR. - II) (N2 = 21, 30-39 YEARS) AND (III) GROUP III (GR. - III) (N3 = 23, 40-49 YEARS). ALL THE PARTICIPANTS UNDERGONE SELECTED HATHA YOGA TRAINING FOR 1 H DAILY FOR A PERIOD OF 12 WEEKS. PARAMETERS WERE RECORDED BEFORE AND AFTER THE TRAINING. PRE AND POST TRAINING DIFFERENCES WERE ASSESSED BY STUDENT'S T-TEST. RESULTS: BODY WEIGHT (ALL, GR. - II AND GR. - III [ALL P < 0.05]), BODY MASS INDEX (GR. - II AND GR. - III [BOTH P < 0.01]) AND FAT% (GR. - II AND III [BOTH P < 0.05]) WERE DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. NECK CIRCUMFERENCE WAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN GR. - I (P < 0.05) BUT DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN GR. - III (P < 0.05). CHEST CIRCUMFERENCE (ALL (P < 0.001), IN GR. - I AND II [BOTH P < 0.05]), GRIP STRENGTH (ALL [LEFT: P < 0.01 AND RIGHT: P < 0.05], IN GR. - I [LEFT: P < 0.05 AND RIGHT: P < 0.01], IN GR. - II [RIGHT: P < 0.05] AND IN GR. - III [LEFT: P < 0.05 AND RIGHT: P < 0.01]), BACK LEG STRENGTH (GROUP WISE P < 0.001, P < 0.05, P < 0.01 AND P < 0.05 RESPECTIVELY) AND FLEXIBILITY (ALL P < 0.001) WERE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: HATHA YOGA CAN IMPROVE ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS, MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY AMONG VOLUNTEERS OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUP AND CAN ALSO BE HELPFUL IN PREVENTING AND ATTENUATING AGE RELATED DETERIORATION OF THESE PARAMETERS. 2015 18 814 35 EFFECT OF YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM IN SUBJECTS ABOVE 40 YEARS. THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTION IN SUBJECTS ABOVE 40 YRS OF AGE. PULSE RATE, SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE AND VALSALVA RATIO WERE STUDIED IN 50 CONTROL SUBJECTS (NOT DOING ANY TYPE OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE) AND 50 STUDY SUBJECTS WHO HAD BEEN PRACTICING YOGA FOR 5 YEARS. FROM THE STUDY IT WAS OBSERVED THAT SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE PULSE RATE OCCURS IN SUBJECTS PRACTICING YOGA (P<0.001). THE DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN VALUES OF SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE BETWEEN STUDY GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP WAS ALSO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P<0.01 AND P<0.001 RESPECTIVELY). THE SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE SHOWED SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CORRELATION WITH AGE IN THE STUDY GROUP (R1 SYSTOLIC= 0.631 AND R1 DIASTOLIC = 0.610) AS WELL AS IN THE CONTROL GROUP (R2 SYSTOLIC = 0.981 AND R2 DIASTOLIC = 0.864). THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CORRELATION COEFFICIENT OF BOTH THE GROUPS WAS ALSO TESTED WITH THE USE OF Z TRANSFORMATION AND THE DIFFERENCE WAS SIGNIFICANT (Z SYSTOLIC= 4.041 AND Z DIASTOLIC= 2.901). VALSALVA RATIO WAS ALSO FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS THAN IN CONTROLS (P<0.001). OUR RESULTS INDICATE THAT YOGA REDUCES THE AGE RELATED DETERIORATION IN CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTIONS. 2003 19 939 49 EFFECTS OF 12 WEEKS PRACTICE OF YOGA ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN MALES WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES RECEIVING ORAL ANTIDIABETIC DRUGS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF 12 WEEKS PRACTICE OF A STRUCTURED YOGA MODULE ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) AND CARDIOMETABOLIC RISKS IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES (T2D) RECEIVING SIMILAR KIND OF ORAL ANTIDIABETIC DRUGS (OAD) WITH YOGA THERAPY AND WITHOUT YOGA THERAPY, MATCHED FOR ALL THE KNOWN CONFOUNDERS. DESIGN: PARALLEL DESIGN INTERVENTIONAL (RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL) STUDY. SUBJECTS: EIGHTY TREATMENT-NAIVE MALES WITH T2D WERE RANDOMIZED INTO CONTROL GROUP (N = 40) AND STUDY GROUP (N = 40). INTERVENTION: STUDY GROUP PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED A STRUCTURED YOGA THERAPY THAT INCLUDED ASANA AND PRANAYAMA PRACTICE FOR 12 WEEKS IN ADDITION TO OAD, WHEREAS CONTROL GROUP PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED OAD ALONE. OUTCOME MEASURES: BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION, BP PARAMETERS, RATE PRESSURE PRODUCT (RPP) AS THE MARKER OF MYOCARDIAL STRESS, TOTAL POWER (TP) OF HRV, LOW-FREQUENCY TO HIGH-FREQUENCY (LF-HF) RATIO OF HRV, HOMEOSTATIC MODEL OF INSULIN RESISTANCE (HOMA-IR), LIPID PROFILE AND LIPID RISK FACTORS, MALONDIALDEHYDE (MDA), AND HIGH-SENSITIVE C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (HSCRP) WERE MEASURED. TP OF HRV WAS DEFINED AS THE PRIMARY OUTCOME. ASSOCIATION OF TP (THE MARKER OF HRV) AND LF-HF RATIO (THE MARKER OF SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE) WITH CARDIOMETABOLIC PARAMETERS WAS ASSESSED BY CORRELATION AND REGRESSION ANALYSES. RESULTS: AFTER 12 WEEKS YOGA THERAPY, THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN CARDIOMETABOLIC RISKS (TP OF HRV, RPP, LIPID RISKS FACTORS, LEVELS OF MDA, AND HSCRP) IN STUDY GROUP SUBJECTS COMPARED WITH CONTROL SUBJECTS THAT DID NOT RECEIVE YOGA THERAPY. ALL CARDIOMETABOLIC RISK FACTORS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATED WITH TP IN STUDY GROUP, HAVING MAXIMUM SIGNIFICANCE WITH HOMEOSTATIC MODEL OF INSULIN SECRETION (R = 0.502, P