1 715 97 EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON STRESS AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN PREGNANT WOMEN. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA PRACTICE AND GUIDED YOGIC RELAXATION ON BOTH PERCEIVED STRESS AND MEASURED AUTONOMIC RESPONSE IN HEALTHY PREGNANT WOMEN. METHOD: THE 122 HEALTHY WOMEN RECRUITED BETWEEN THE 18TH AND 20TH WEEK OF PREGNANCY AT PRENATAL CLINICS IN BANGALORE, INDIA, WERE RANDOMIZED TO PRACTICING YOGA AND DEEP RELAXATION OR STANDARD PRENATAL EXERCISES 1-HOUR DAILY. THE RESULTS FOR THE 45 PARTICIPANTS PER GROUP WHO COMPLETED THE STUDY WERE EVALUATED BY REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE. RESULTS: PERCEIVED STRESS DECREASED BY 31.57% IN THE YOGA GROUP AND INCREASED BY 6.60% IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P=0.001). DURING A GUIDED RELAXATION PERIOD IN THE YOGA GROUP, COMPARED WITH VALUES OBTAINED BEFORE A PRACTICE SESSION, THE HIGH-FREQUENCY BAND OF THE HEART RATE VARIABILITY SPECTRUM (PARASYMPATHETIC) INCREASED BY 64% IN THE 20TH WEEK AND BY 150% IN THE 36TH WEEK, AND BOTH THE LOW-FREQUENCY BAND (SYMPATHETIC), AND THE LOW-FREQUENCY TO HIGH-FREQUENCY RATIO WERE CONCOMITANTLY REDUCED (P<0.001 BETWEEN THE 2 GROUPS). MOREOVER, THE LOW-FREQUENCY BAND REMAINED DECREASED AFTER DEEP RELAXATION IN THE 36TH WEEK IN THE YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSION: YOGA REDUCES PERCEIVED STRESS AND IMPROVES ADAPTIVE AUTONOMIC RESPONSE TO STRESS IN HEALTHY PREGNANT WOMEN. 2009 2 1027 36 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 3 998 35 EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP OF PREGNANT WOMEN. PURPOSE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS IN NORMAL PREGNANT WOMEN. METHODS: ONE HUNDRED AND TWO PREGNANT WOMEN BETWEEN 18 AND 20 WEEKS OF GESTATION WHO MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA WERE RECRUITED FROM THE OBSTETRIC UNITS IN BANGALORE AND WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS OF YOGA (N = 51) AND CONTROL (N = 51). WOMEN WITH MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY LEAD TO PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS AND THOSE WITH ABNORMAL FETAL PARAMETERS WERE EXCLUDED. THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED INTEGRATED YOGA WHILE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED STANDARD ANTENATAL EXERCISES, BOTH FOR 1-H THREE TIMES A WEEK FROM 20TH TO 36TH WEEK OF GESTATION. PRE AND POST ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE USING WHOQOL-100 AND FIRO-B QUESTIONNAIRES. RESULTS: OF THE SIX DOMAINS OF WHOQOL-100, BETWEEN GROUPS ANALYSIS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL IN THE PHYSICAL (P = 0.001), PSYCHOLOGICAL (P < 0.001), SOCIAL (P = 0.003), AND ENVIRONMENTAL DOMAINS (P = 0.001). IN FIRO-B, THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN 'EXPRESSED INCLUSION' (P = 0.02) AND 'WANTED CONTROL' (P = 0.009) DOMAINS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE INTEGRATED YOGA IS AN EFFICACIOUS MEANS OF IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PREGNANT WOMEN AND ENHANCING CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THEIR INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS. 2010 4 2863 33 YOGA-BASED GUIDED RELAXATION REDUCES SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY JUDGED FROM BASELINE LEVELS. 35 MALE VOLUNTEERS WHOSE AGES RANGED FROM 20 TO 46 YEARS WERE STUDIED IN TWO SESSIONS OF YOGA-BASED GUIDED RELAXATION AND SUPINE REST. ASSESSMENTS OF AUTONOMIC VARIABLES WERE MADE FOR 15 SUBJECTS, BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THE PRACTICES, WHEREAS OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND BREATH VOLUME WERE RECORDED FOR 25 SUBJECTS BEFORE AND AFTER BOTH TYPES OF RELAXATION. A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND INCREASE IN BREATH VOLUME WERE RECORDED AFTER GUIDED RELAXATION (PAIRED T TEST). THERE WERE COMPARABLE REDUCTIONS IN HEART RATE AND SKIN CONDUCTANCE DURING BOTH TYPES OF RELAXATION. DURING GUIDED RELAXATION THE POWER OF THE LOW FREQUENCY COMPONENT OF THE HEART-RATE VARIABILITY SPECTRUM REDUCED, WHEREAS THE POWER OF THE HIGH FREQUENCY COMPONENT INCREASED, SUGGESTING REDUCED SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY. ALSO, SUBJECTS WITH A BASELINE RATIO OF LF/HF > 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 5 1835 24 PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES AT THE TIME OF EXAMINATION IN MEDICAL STUDENTS BEFORE AND AFTER THE PRACTICE OF YOGA AND RELAXATION. THE EFFECT OF YOGA AND RELAXATION CHANGES IN PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN RESPONSE TO THE STRESS OF EXAMINATION IN 75 MEDICAL STUDENTS WAS STUDIED. INITIALLY FIVE PARAMETERS (ANXIETY LEVEL, HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, GALVANIC SKIN RESISTANCE AND CHOICE REACTION TIME) WERE RECORDED, A MONTH BEFORE THE EXAMINATION AND ON THE DAY OF EXAMINATION. STUDENTS WERE THEN RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO 3 GROUP OF 25 EACH. ONE GROUP PRACTICED YOGA (GROUP- Y), AND ANOTHER GROUP PRACTICED RELAXATION (GROUP-R) REGULARLY FOR THREE MONTHS. THE THIRD GROUP WAS CONTROL GROUP (GROUP-C). ALL THE PARAMETERS WERE RECORDED AFTER THE CHANGES IN ANXIETY LEVEL, HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, AND GALVANIC SKIN RESISTANCE IN RESPONSE TO STRESS OF EXAMINATION WERE SIGNIFICANTLY ATTENUATED AND THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN CHOICE REACTION TIME IN GROUP-Y AND GROUP-R AS COMPARED TO GROUP-C AFTER YOGA AND RELAXATION. 1998 6 716 35 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 1258 31 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 8 1062 42 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN DEPRESSED WOMEN. METHODS: THIS WAS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. TWENTY-SIX SEDENTARY WOMEN SCORING >/=14 ON THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY-II WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER THE YOGA OR THE CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP COMPLETED A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM, WHICH TOOK PLACE TWICE A WEEK FOR 60 MIN PER SESSION AND CONSISTED OF BREATHING EXERCISES, YOGA POSE PRACTICE, AND SUPINE MEDITATION/RELAXATION. THE CONTROL GROUP WAS INSTRUCTED NOT TO ENGAGE IN ANY YOGA PRACTICE AND TO MAINTAIN THEIR USUAL LEVEL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURING THE COURSE OF THE STUDY. PARTICIPANTS' HRV, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AND PERCEIVED STRESS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND POST-TEST. RESULTS: THE YOGA GROUP HAD A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN HIGH-FREQUENCY HRV AND DECREASES IN LOW-FREQUENCY HRV AND LOW FREQUENCY/HIGH FREQUENCY RATIO AFTER THE INTERVENTION. THE YOGA GROUP ALSO REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND PERCEIVED STRESS. NO CHANGE WAS FOUND IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM WAS EFFECTIVE IN INCREASING PARASYMPATHETIC TONE AND REDUCING DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND PERCEIVED STRESS IN WOMEN WITH ELEVATED DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE MAY BE RECOMMENDED FOR WOMEN TO COPE WITH THEIR DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND STRESS AND TO IMPROVE THEIR HRV. 2017 9 523 26 COMPARISON OF CHANGES IN AUTONOMIC AND RESPIRATORY PARAMETERS OF GIRLS AFTER YOGA AND GAMES AT A COMMUNITY HOME. THE HEART RATE, BREATHING RATE, AND SKIN RESISTANCE WERE RECORDED FOR 20 COMMUNITY HOME GIRLS (HOME GROUP) AND FOR 20 AGE-MATCHED GIRLS FROM A REGULAR SCHOOL (SCHOOL GROUP). THE FORMER GROUP HAD A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER RATE OF BREATHING AND A MORE IRREGULAR BREATH PATTERN KNOWN TO CORRELATE WITH HIGH FEAR AND ANXIETY, THAN THE SCHOOL GROUP. SKIN RESISTANCE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE SCHOOL GROUP, WHICH MAY SUGGEST GREATER AROUSAL, 28 GIRLS OF THE HOME GROUP FORMED 14 PAIRS, MATCHED FOR AGE AND DURATION OF STAY IN THE HOME. SUBJECTS OF A PAIR WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER YOGA OR GAMES GROUPS. FOR THE FORMER EMPHASIS WAS ON RELAXATION AND AWARENESS, WHEREAS FOR THE LATTER INCREASING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WAS EMPHASIZED. AT THE END OF AN HOUR DAILY FOR SIX MONTHS BOTH GROUPS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE RESTING HEART RATE RELATIVE TO INITIAL VALUES (WILCOXON PAIRED-SAMPLE REST), AND THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN BREATH RATE, WHICH APPEARED MORE REGULAR BUT NO SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE SKIN RESISTANCE. THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT A YOGA PROGRAM WHICH INCLUDES RELAXATION, AWARENESS, AND GRADED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS A USEFUL ADDITION TO THE ROUTINE OF COMMUNITY HOME CHILDREN. 1997 10 306 30 AN EVALUATION OF THE ABILITY TO VOLUNTARILY REDUCE THE HEART RATE AFTER A MONTH OF YOGA PRACTICE. THE STUDY AIMED AT DETERMINING WHETHER NOVICES TO YOGA WOULD BE ABLE TO REDUCE THEIR HEART RATE VOLUNTARILY AND WHETHER THE MAGNITUDE OF REDUCTION WOULD BE MORE AFTER 30 DAYS OF YOGA TRAINING. TWO GROUPS (YOGA AND CONTROL, N = 12 EACH) WERE ASSESSED ON DAY 1 AND ON DAY 30. DURING THE INTERVENING 30 DAYS, THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED TRAINING IN YOGA TECHNIQUES WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP CARRIED ON WITH THEIR ROUTINE. AT EACH ASSESSMENT THE BASELINE HEART RATE WAS RECORDED FOR ONE MINUTE, THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY A SIX-MINUTE PERIOD DURING WHICH PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO ATTEMPT TO VOLUNTARILY REDUCE THEIR HEART RATE, USING ANY STRATEGY. BOTH THE BASELINE HEART RATE AND THE LOWEST HEART RATE ACHIEVED VOLUNTARILY DURING THE SIX-MINUTE PERIOD WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP ON DAY 30 COMPARED TO DAY 1 BY A GROUP AVERAGE OF 10.7 BEATS PER MINUTE (I.E., BPM) AND 6.8 BPM, RESPECTIVELY (P < .05, WILCOXON PAIRED SIGNED RANKS TEST). IN CONTRAST, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN EITHER THE BASELINE HEART RATE OR THE LOWEST HEART RATE ACHIEVED VOLUNTARILY IN THE CONTROL GROUP ON DAY 30 COMPARED TO DAY 1. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA TRAINING CAN ENABLE PRACTITIONERS TO USE THEIR OWN STRATEGIES TO REDUCE THE HEART RATE, WHICH HAS POSSIBLE THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS. 2004 11 452 32 CHANGES IN HEART RATE VARIABILITY AFTER YOGA ARE DEPENDENT ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AT BASELINE AND DURING YOGA: A STUDY SHOWING AUTONOMIC NORMALIZATION EFFECT IN YOGA-NAIVE AND EXPERIENCED SUBJECTS. BACKGROUND: YOGA THERAPY IS WIDELY APPLIED TO THE MAINTENANCE OF HEALTH AND TO TREATMENT OF VARIOUS ILLNESSES. PREVIOUS RESEARCHES INDICATE THE INVOLVEMENT OF AUTONOMIC CONTROL IN ITS EFFECTS, ALTHOUGH THE GENERAL AGREEMENT HAS NOT BEEN REACHED REGARDING THE ACUTE MODULATION OF AUTONOMIC FUNCTION. AIM: THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED AT REVEALING THE ACUTE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY USING HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) MEASUREMENT. METHODS: TWENTY-SEVEN HEALTHY CONTROLS PARTICIPATED IN THE PRESENT STUDY. FIFTEEN OF THEM (39.5 +/- 8.5 YEARS OLD) WERE NAIVE AND 12 (45.1 +/- 7.0 YEARS OLD) WERE EXPERIENCED IN YOGA. YOGA SKILLS INCLUDED BREATH AWARENESS, TWO TYPES OF ASANA, AND TWO TYPES OF PRANAYAMA. HRV WAS MEASURED AT THE BASELINE, DURING YOGA, AND AT THE RESTING STATE AFTER YOGA. RESULTS: IN BOTH YOGA-NAIVE AND EXPERIENCED PARTICIPANTS, THE CHANGES IN LOW-FREQUENCY (LF) COMPONENT OF HRV AND ITS RATIO TO HIGH-FREQUENCY (HF) COMPONENT (LF/HF) AFTER YOGA WERE FOUND TO BE CORRELATED NEGATIVELY WITH THE BASELINE DATA. THE CHANGES IN LF AFTER YOGA WERE ALSO CORRELATED WITH LF DURING YOGA. THE CHANGES IN HF AS WELL AS THE RAW HRV DATA AFTER YOGA WERE NOT RELATED TO THE BASELINE HRV OR THE HRV DURING YOGA. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT YOGA LEADS TO AN INCREASE IN LF WHEN LF IS LOW AND LEADS TO A DECREASE IN LF WHEN IT IS HIGH AT THE BASELINE. THIS NORMALIZATION OF LF IS DEPENDENT ON THE AUTONOMIC MODULATION DURING YOGA AND MAY UNDERLIE THE CLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA THERAPY BOTH IN YOGA-NAIVE AND EXPERIENCED SUBJECTS. 2020 12 1637 25 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 13 1063 37 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND MOOD IN WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND MOOD IN GENERALLY HEALTHY WOMEN. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. PARTICIPANTS: FIFTY-TWO HEALTHY WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A YOGA GROUP OR A CONTROL GROUP. INTERVENTIONS: PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPLETED AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM, WHICH COMPRISED A 60-MINUTE SESSION TWICE A WEEK. EACH SESSION CONSISTED OF BREATHING EXERCISES, YOGA POSE PRACTICE, AND SUPINE MEDITATION/RELAXATION. THE CONTROL GROUP WAS INSTRUCTED NOT TO ENGAGE IN ANY YOGA PRACTICE AND TO MAINTAIN THEIR USUAL LEVEL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURING THE STUDY. OUTCOME MEASURES: PARTICIPANTS' HEART RATE VARIABILITY, PERCEIVED STRESS, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AND STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE (WEEK 0) AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION (WEEK 9). RESULTS: NO MEASURES OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY IN EITHER THE YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP AFTER INTERVENTION. STATE ANXIETY WAS REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE YOGA GROUP BUT NOT IN THE CONTROL GROUP. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE NOTED IN PERCEIVED STRESS, DEPRESSION, OR TRAIT ANXIETY IN EITHER GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM WAS NOT SUFFICIENT TO IMPROVE HEART RATE VARIABILITY. HOWEVER, SUCH A PROGRAM APPEARS TO BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING STATE ANXIETY IN GENERALLY HEALTHY WOMEN. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD INVOLVE LONGER PERIODS OF YOGA TRAINING, INCLUDE HEART RATE VARIABILITY MEASURES BOTH AT REST AND DURING YOGA PRACTICE, AND ENROLL WOMEN WITH HIGHER LEVELS OF STRESS AND TRAIT ANXIETY. 2015 14 1442 27 INCREASED MENTAL WELL-BEING AND REDUCED STATE ANXIETY IN TEACHERS AFTER PARTICIPATION IN A RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROGRAM. BACKGROUND REDUCING STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE IMPROVES MENTAL HEALTH. TEACHING IS OF SOCIAL IMPORTANCE, BUT IT MAY RECEIVE INADEQUATE RECOGNITION AND REWARDS. THE PRESENT STUDY COMPARED MENTAL WELL-BEING AND STATE ANXIETY IN PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS WHO PRACTICED 15 DAYS OF YOGA IN A RESIDENTIAL SETTING WITH THOSE WHO CONTINUED THEIR USUAL ROUTINE. MATERIAL AND METHODS WE ENROLLED 236 PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY. WE ASSIGNED 118 PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS (GROUP MEAN +/-S.D., AGE 41.5+/-6.0 YEARS, 74 FEMALES) TO THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP; THEY UNDERWENT 15 DAYS OF YOGA TRAINING FOR 6 HOURS/DAY) IN A RESIDENTIAL YOGA CENTER. THE NON-YOGA CONTROL GROUP (GROUP MEAN +/-S.D., AGE 42.3+/-6.0 YEARS, 79 FEMALES) CONSISTED OF 118 TEACHERS WHO CONTINUED WITH THEIR NORMAL TEACHING ROUTINE. RESULTS AFTER 15 DAYS IN THE RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROGRAM, THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN OVERALL MENTAL WELL-BEING (P<.001) AND LOWER STATE ANXIETY (P<.01) (REPEATED-MEASURES ANOVA, FOLLOWED BY POST HOC MULTIPLE COMPARISON TESTS). AT BASELINE, THE NON-YOGA CONTROL GROUP HAD HIGHER LEVELS OF STATE ANXIETY, PRESUMABLY RELATED TO THEIR REMAINING IN THE WORKPLACE. CONCLUSIONS THE STUDY WAS A 15-DAY, COMPARATIVE, CONTROLLED TRIAL. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT AFTER 15 DAYS OF PARTICIPATION IN THE RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROGRAM, PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS INCREASED ALL ASPECTS OF MENTAL WELL-BEING AND HAD REDUCED STATE ANXIETY. 2018 15 748 29 EFFECT OF SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION ON QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. OBJECTIVE: THE PRESENT STUDY INVESTIGATES THE EFFECT OF SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION ON QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. DESIGN: THE PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL COHORT STUDY ENROLLED TWO STUDY GROUPS: THOSE RECEIVING TREATMENT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SAHAJA YOGA RESEARCH AND HEALTH CENTER (MEDITATION GROUP) AND THOSE RECEIVING TREATMENT FROM THE MAHATMA GANDHI MISSION HOSPITAL (CONTROL GROUP). RESEARCHERS MEASURED QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE BEFORE AND AFTER TREATMENT. RESULTS: SIXTY-SEVEN (67) PARTICIPANTS IN THE MEDITATION GROUP AND 62 PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE TWO GROUPS WERE COMPARABLE IN DEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS. AT BASELINE, THE MEDITATION GROUP HAD HIGHER QUALITY OF LIFE (P<0.001) THAN CONTROLS BUT SIMILAR ANXIETY LEVEL (P=0.74) TO CONTROLS. WITHIN-GROUP PRE- VERSUS POST-TREATMENT COMPARISONS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE IN THE MEDITATION GROUP (P<0.001), WHILE IN CONTROLS, QUALITY OF LIFE DETERIORATED AND THERE WAS NO IMPROVEMENT IN BLOOD PRESSURE. THE IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY REDUCTION, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL WAS GREATER IN THE MEDITATION GROUP. THE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF MEDITATION REMAINED SIGNIFICANT AFTER ADJUSTING FOR CONFOUNDERS. CONCLUSIONS: MEDITATION TREATMENT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY REDUCTION, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. 2012 16 1003 38 EFFECTS OF MATERNITY YOGA ON THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM DURING PREGNANCY. AIM: TO ELUCIDATE THE CHANGES IN THE DAILY VARIATION SEEN IN THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM DURING PREGNANCY BROUGHT ABOUT BY MATERNITY YOGA AND TO EVALUATE HOW MATERNAL YOGA AFFECTS STRESS AND SLEEP. METHODS: A PROSPECTIVE, LONGITUDINAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED BETWEEN JANUARY 2013 AND DECEMBER 2014. PREGNANT WOMEN WHO WERE ATTENDING MATERNITY YOGA CLASSES AT PALMORE HOSPITAL BETWEEN 20 AND 23 WEEKS' GESTATION WERE ENROLLED AS THE YOGA GROUP, AND A MATCHED CONTROL GROUP WAS ALSO ENROLLED. STUDY PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES, INCLUDING A PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE AND SLEEP LOGS, DURING THEIR SECOND AND THIRD TRIMESTERS. HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND SALIVARY ALPHA-AMYLASE LEVELS WERE EVALUATED AS STRESS INDICES AT 20-23 WEEKS' GESTATION, 28-31 WEEKS' GESTATION AND 36-40 WEEKS' GESTATION. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 38 WOMEN WERE IN THE YOGA GROUP, WITH 53 IN THE CONTROL GROUP. AT 28-31 WEEKS' GESTATION, HEART RATE VARIABILITY DURING NIGHT AND LATE-NIGHT PERIODS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN THE YOGA GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. AT 36-40 WEEKS' GESTATION, VARIABILITY BETWEEN THE MORNING, AFTERNOON AND LATE NIGHT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN THE YOGA GROUP. SALIVARY ALPHA-AMYLASE LEVELS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IMMEDIATELY AFTER PRACTICING YOGA DURING ALL EVALUATION PERIODS IN THE YOGA GROUP. NIGHT-TIME SLEEP DURATION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LONGER IN THE YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSION: OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT PRACTICING YOGA ACTIVATES THE PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM DURING THE THIRD TRIMESTER OF PREGNANCY, CONSOLIDATING SLEEP DURING THE NIGHT AND DECREASING ALPHA-AMYLASE LEVELS, WHICH INDICATES REDUCED STRESS. 2018 17 297 31 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 18 1616 25 MINDFUL AWARENESS FOR FEMALE DENTAL STUDENTS THROUGH YOGA, MOTIVATIONAL VIDEO, AND A COMBINATION OF TWO ON STRESS REDUCTION. OBJECTIVE: ASSESSMENT OF THE POTENTIAL EFFECT OF YOGA, MOTIVATIONAL VIDEOS, AND A COMBINATION OF TWO ON STRESS REDUCTION IN FEMALE DENTAL STUDENTS. METHODS: THE CURRENT STUDY DESIGN IS A NONRANDOMIZED TRIAL CARRIED OUT AMONG FEMALE DENTAL STUDENTS (N = 120). THE SELECTED SUBJECTS WERE ALLOCATED INTO THREE GROUPS, NAMELY, GROUP A: YOGA GROUP ASSIGNED UNDER A PROFESSIONAL YOGA INSTRUCTOR, GROUP B: MOTIVATIONAL VIDEO GROUP, AND GROUP C: A COMBINATION OF TWO (A AND B) INVOLVING YOGA SESSIONS AND MOTIVATIONAL VIDEOS; FOLLOWING WHICH FORMATIVE EXAMINATIONS WERE CARRIED OUT AT 6 WEEKS WHICH WERE REFERRED TO AS STRESSOR 1 AND THOSE CARRIED OUT AT 12 WEEKS WERE REFERRED TO AS STRESSOR 2. USING SPIELBERGER'S STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY FOR ADULTS (STAI-A) RECORDINGS WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE, STRESSOR 1, AND STRESSOR 2. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN TRAIT ANXIETY SCORES AT BOTH STRESSORS IN ALL THE GROUPS WITH A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION SCORE FROM STRESSOR 1 TO 2 IN GROUP 1 AND GROUP 3 SUBJECTS. THE SIGNIFICANT DECREASE OCCURRED IN STAI-A SCORES IN GROUP 1 AND GROUP 3 SUBJECTS AT BOTH STRESSORS (P < 0.001) WITH NO CHANGE OBSERVED IN GROUP 2 SUBJECTS. CONCLUSION: THE PRESENT STUDY IS ONE OF A KIND AND POSITIVELY CORRELATES YOGA AND MOTIVATIONAL VIDEOS WITH STRESS REDUCTION. BOTH OF THESE INTERVENTIONS PROVED TO BE BENEFICIARY FOR PHYSICAL AS WELL AS MENTAL HEALTH OF STUDY SUBJECTS. 2020 19 1744 27 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 20 208 38 A SINGLE SESSION OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM AS A STRESS MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR SCHOOL EMPLOYEES: COMPARISON OF DAILY PRACTICE AND NONDAILY PRACTICE OF A YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM. OBJECTIVES: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF THE DAILY PRACTICE OF A YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM LEARNT DURING A SINGLE SESSION OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA INTERVENTION THAT WAS DEVELOPED BY US AS A STRESS MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR SCHOOL EMPLOYEES. SUBJECTS: NINETY SCHOOL EMPLOYEES. DESIGN: CASE-CONTROL STUDY. THREE MONTHS AFTER THE INTERVENTION, THE SUBJECTS WERE ASSIGNED TO A DAILY PRACTICE GROUP (CASE: N=43) AND A NONCONSECUTIVE DAILY PRACTICE GROUP (CONTROL: N=47) ACCORDING TO THEIR DAILY PRACTICE LEVEL OF THE YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM. INTERVENTIONS: THE SUBJECTS PARTICIPATED IN A STRESS MANAGEMENT EDUCATION PROGRAM BASED ON AN INTEGRATED YOGA THERAPY SESSION. THE PROGRAM INCLUDED PSYCHOLOGICAL EDUCATION AND COUNSELING ABOUT STRESS MANAGEMENT AND YOGA THEORIES, AS WELL AS THE PRACTICES OF ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, RELAXATION, AND COGNITIVE STRUCTURE BASED ON INDIAN PHILOSOPHY. OUTCOME MEASURES: ASSESSMENTS WERE PERFORMED BEFORE AND AFTER THE PROGRAM USING THE SUBJECTIVE UNITS OF DISTRESS FOR MIND AND BODY AND THE TWO-DIMENSIONAL MOOD SCALE. THE GENERAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE 28 (GHQ28) WAS USED TO ASSESS THE MENTAL HEALTH STATE BEFORE THE INTERVENTION AND AT 3 MONTHS AFTER THE PROGRAM. RESULTS: THE SUBJECTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN THEIR LEVELS OF CALMNESS, COMFORT, AND CHEERFULNESS (P<0.001) AND SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN COGNITIVE MIND AND BODY STRESS (P<0.001) AFTER PARTICIPATING IN THE INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM. A COMPARISON OF THE TOTAL SCORES ON THE GHQ28 USING A TWO-WAY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS IN TERMS OF BOTH INTERACTION (P=0.047) AND THE MAIN EFFECT (P=0.026). CONCLUSIONS: THE PRESENT RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT A SINGLE SESSION OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM WAS EFFECTIVE FOR REDUCING STRESS AND THAT THE MENTAL HEALTH OF SCHOOL EMPLOYEES WAS PROMOTED BY THE DAILY PRACTICE OF THE YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM. 2015