1 868 160 EFFECT OF YOGA RELAXATION TECHNIQUES ON PERFORMANCE OF DIGIT-LETTER SUBSTITUTION TASK BY TEENAGERS. BACKGROUND/AIMS: MEMORY AND SELECTIVE ATTENTION ARE IMPORTANT SKILLS FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE. TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE THESE SKILLS ARE NOT TAUGHT EITHER IN EDUCATION OR COMPANY TRAINING COURSES. ANY SYSTEM WHICH CAN SYSTEMATICALLY IMPROVE THESE SKILLS WILL BE OF VALUE IN SCHOOLS, UNIVERSITIES, AND WORKPLACES. AIMS: TO INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENTS IN MEMORY AND SELECTIVE ATTENTION, AS MEASURED BY THE DIGIT-LETTER SUBSTITUTION TASK (DLST), DUE TO PRACTICE OF CYCLIC MEDITATION (CM), A YOGA RELAXATION TECHNIQUE, AS COMPARED TO SUPINE REST (SR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: SUBJECTS CONSISTED OF 253 SCHOOL STUDENTS, 156 BOYS, 97 GIRLS, IN THE AGE RANGE 13-16 YEARS, WHO WERE ATTENDING A 10-DAY YOGA TRAINING COURSE DURING SUMMER VACATION. THE SELECTED SUBJECTS HAD ENGLISH AS THEIR MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION IN SCHOOL AND THEY ACTED AS THEIR OWN CONTROLS. THEY WERE ALLOCATED TO TWO GROUPS, AND TESTED ON THE DLST, IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER 22.5 MINUTES PRACTICE OF CM ON ONE DAY, AND IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER AN EQUAL PERIOD OF SR ON THE OTHER DAY. THE FIRST GROUP PERFORMED CM ON DAY 9 AND SR ON DAY 10. FOR THE SECOND GROUP, THE ORDER WAS REVERSED. RESULTS: WITHIN EACH GROUP PRE-POST TEST DIFFERENCES WERE SIGNIFICANT FOR BOTH THE RELAXATION TECHNIQUES. THE MAGNITUDE OF NET SCORE IMPROVEMENT WAS GREATER AFTER SR (7.85%) COMPARED TO CM (3.95%). SIGNIFICANCE LEVELS WERE P < 0.4 X 10(-9)FOR SR AND P < 0.1 X 10(-3) FOR CM. THE NUMBER OF WRONG ATTEMPTS ALSO INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY ON BOTH INTERVENTIONS, EVEN AFTER REMOVING TWO OUTLIER DATA POINTS ON DAY 1 IN THE SR GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: BOTH CM AND SR LEAD TO IMPROVEMENT IN PERFORMANCE ON THE DLST. HOWEVER, THESE RELAXATION TECHNIQUES LEAD TO MORE WRONG CANCELLATION ERRORS. 2009 2 1355 53 IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF TWO YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES ON ATTENTION IN CHILDREN. AIMS: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF TWO YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES, NAMELY, CYCLIC MEDITATION (CM) AND SUPINE REST (SR), USING THE SIX LETTER CANCELLATION TASK (SLCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE SUBJECTS CONSISTED OF 208 SCHOOL STUDENTS, (132 BOYS, 76 GIRLS) IN THE AGE RANGE OF 13 - 16 YEARS. THE SUBJECTS WERE ASSESSED ON SLCT BEFORE AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER BOTH YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES. RESULTS: AFTER BOTH PRACTICES, THE TOTAL AND NET SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED, ALTHOUGH THE MAGNITUDE OF CHANGE WAS MORE AFTER CM THAN AFTER SR IN THE NET SCORES (14.5 VERSUS 11.31%). THE NET SCORE CHANGE IN THE CM SESSION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER THAN THE CHANGE IN THE SR, WHEREAS, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE WRONG CANCELLATION SCORE. AFTER EITHER PRACTICE, THE TOTAL AND NET SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED, IRRESPECTIVE OF GENDER AND AGE. CONCLUSIONS: BOTH CM AND SR LED TO IMPROVEMENT IN PERFORMANCE, AS ASSESSED BY SLCT, BUT THE CHANGE CAUSED BY CM WAS LARGER THAN SR. 2010 3 768 51 EFFECT OF TWO YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES ON MEMORY SCORES AND STATE ANXIETY. BACKGROUND: A YOGA PRACTICE INVOLVING CYCLES OF YOGA POSTURES AND SUPINE REST (CALLED CYCLIC MEDITATION) WAS PREVIOUSLY SHOWN TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE IN ATTENTION TASKS MORE THAN RELAXATION IN THE CORPSE POSTURE (SHAVASANA). THIS WAS ASCRIBED TO REDUCED ANXIETY, THOUGH THIS WAS NOT ASSESSED. METHODS: IN FIFTY-SEVEN MALE VOLUNTEERS (GROUP AVERAGE AGE +/- S.D., 26.6 +/- 4.5 YEARS) THE IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF TWO YOGA RELAXATION TECHNIQUES WAS STUDIED ON MEMORY AND STATE ANXIETY. ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER (I) CYCLIC MEDITATION (CM) PRACTICED FOR 22:30 MINUTES ON ONE DAY AND (II) AN EQUAL DURATION OF SUPINE REST (SR) OR THE CORPSE POSTURE (SHAVASANA), ON ANOTHER DAY. SECTIONS OF THE WECHSLER MEMORY SCALE (WMS) WERE USED TO ASSESS; (I) ATTENTION AND CONCENTRATION (DIGIT SPAN FORWARD AND BACKWARD), AND (II) ASSOCIATE LEARNING. STATE ANXIETY WAS ASSESSED USING SPIELBERGER'S STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY (STAI). RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE SCORES OF ALL SECTIONS OF THE WMS STUDIED AFTER BOTH CM AND SR, BUT, THE MAGNITUDE OF CHANGE WAS MORE AFTER CM COMPARED TO AFTER SR. THE STATE ANXIETY SCORES DECREASED AFTER BOTH CM AND SR, WITH A GREATER MAGNITUDE OF DECREASE AFTER CM. THERE WAS NO CORRELATION BETWEEN PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN MEMORY SCORES AND STATE ANXIETY FOR EITHER SESSION. CONCLUSION: A CYCLICAL COMBINATION OF YOGA POSTURES AND SUPINE REST IN CM IMPROVED MEMORY SCORES IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE PRACTICE AND DECREASED STATE ANXIETY MORE THAN REST IN A CLASSICAL YOGA RELAXATION POSTURE (SHAVASANA). 2009 4 1351 41 IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF A YOGA BREATHING PRACTICE ON ATTENTION AND ANXIETY IN PRE-TEEN CHILDREN. PRE-TEEN CHILDREN FACE STRESSORS RELATED TO THEIR TRANSITION FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADOLESCENCE, WITH A SIMULTANEOUS INCREASE IN ACADEMIC PRESSURE. THE PRESENT STUDY COMPARED THE IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF 18 MIN OF (I) HIGH FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING WITH (II) YOGA-BASED BREATH AWARENESS AND (III) SITTING QUIETLY, ON (A) ATTENTION AND (B) ANXIETY, IN 61 PRE-TEEN CHILDREN (AGED BETWEEN 11 AND 12 YEARS; 25 GIRLS). ATTENTION WAS ASSESSED USING A SIX LETTER CANCELLATION TASK AND SPIELBERGER'S STATE TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY STAI-S WAS USED TO MEASURE ANXIETY BEFORE AND AFTER THE THREE PRACTICES, PRACTICED ON SEPARATE DAYS. REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA, FOLLOWED BY BONFERRONI ADJUSTED POST-HOC ANALYSES SHOWED AN INCREASE IN TOTAL ATTEMPTS AND NET SCORES AFTER HIGH FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING (P < 0.05), WHILE WRONG ATTEMPTS INCREASED AFTER YOGA BASED BREATH AWARENESS (P < 0.05). ANXIETY DECREASED COMPARABLY AFTER ALL THREE INTERVENTIONS. THE 25 GIRLS IN THE GROUP HAD THE SAME TREND OF RESULTS AS THE WHOLE GROUP WITH RESPECT TO THE ATTENTION-BASED CANCELLATION TASK, WHILE BOYS SHOWED NO, HOW SINCE CHANGE. FOR BOTH GIRLS AND BOYS, ANXIETY DECREASED AFTER ALL THREE 18MIN INTERVENTIONS. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT HIGH FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING COULD BE A SHORT, USEFUL SCHOOL BASED PRACTICE TO IMPROVE ATTENTION AND REDUCE ANXIETY. 2019 5 1357 42 IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF TWO YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES ON PERFORMANCE IN A LETTER-CANCELLATION TASK. THE PERFORMANCE IN A SIX-LETTER CANCELLATION TASK WAS ASSESSED WITH 69 MALE VOLUNTEERS, AGES 18 TO 48 YEARS, IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER TWO YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES AND A CONTROL SESSION OF EQUAL DURATION. THE TECHNIQUES WERE CYCLIC MEDITATION AND SUPINE REST. CYCLIC MEDITATION CONSISTS OF ALTERNATING CYCLES OF YOGA POSTURES AND SUPINE REST. AFTER BOTH PRACTICES, THE NET SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER, ALTHOUGH THE MAGNITUDE OF CHANGE WAS MORE AFTER CYCLIC MEDITATION THAN AFTER SUPINE REST (24.9% VERSUS 13.6%). THERE WAS REDUCTION IN SCORES FOR WRONG CANCELLATIONS AFTER CYCLIC MEDITATION AND NOT AFTER SUPINE REST. THE CONTROL GROUP SHOWED NO CHANGE. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT CYCLIC MEDITATION BRINGS ABOUT A GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN PERFORMANCE IN THIS TASK, WHICH REQUIRES SELECTIVE ATTENTION, CONCENTRATION, VISUAL SCANNING ABILITIES, AND A REPETITIVE MOTOR RESPONSE. 2007 6 1957 41 SELF-ESTEEM AND PERFORMANCE IN ATTENTIONAL TASKS IN SCHOOL CHILDREN AFTER 4(1/2) MONTHS OF YOGA. INTRODUCTION: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS KNOWN TO IMPROVE SELF-ESTEEM OF CHILDREN. LOW SELF-ESTEEM CAUSES DISTRACTION OF ATTENTION WHICH LEADS TO DECLINE IN PERFORMANCE IN ATTENTIONAL TASKS. THE PERFORMANCE OF A CHILD AT SCHOOL DEPENDS ON MULTIPLE FACTORS, A MAJOR FACTOR BEING ATTENTION. HENCE, THE PRESENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO SEE (I) THE EFFECT 4(1/2) MONTHS OF YOGA PRACTICE HAD ON CHILDREN'S (A) PERFORMANCE IN ATTENTIONAL TASKS, (B) SELF-ESTEEM AND (II) THE CORRELATION BETWEEN YOGA PERFORMANCE AND (A) ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, (B) BEHAVIOR WITH PEERS, (C) BEHAVIOR WITH TEACHERS, (D) PUNCTUALITY, (E) PARTICIPATION IN EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE 116 CHILDREN WITH GROUP MEAN AGE +/- STANDARD DEVIATION; 10.2 +/- 0.6 YEARS. WE ASSESSED THEM FOR (I) SELF-ESTEEM USING INDIAN ADAPTATION OF BATTLE'S SELF ESTEEM INVENTORY FOR CHILDREN AND (II) PERFORMANCE IN ATTENTIONAL TASKS USING TWO DIFFERENT TESTS, I.E., SIX LETTER CANCELLATION TEST (SLCT) AND DIGIT LETTER SUBSTITUTION TEST (DLST) AND (III) THE TEACHER'S RATING SCALE WHICH ANALYZED THE TEACHER'S ASSESSMENT OF THE CHILDREN'S ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, BEHAVIOR WITH PEERS, BEHAVIOR WITH TEACHERS, PUNCTUALITY, YOGA PRACTICE, AND PARTICIPATION IN EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES ON AN ANALOG SCALE, BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. DATA WERE ANALYZED WITH PASW (SPSS STATISTICS 24) USING THE T-TEST FOR PAIRED DATA. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE SCORES OF (I) SLCT (P < 0.001), (II) DLST (P < 0.001), (III) SOCIAL SELF-ESTEEM (P < 0.01), (IV) ACADEMIC SELF-ESTEEM (P < 0.001), AND (V) TOTAL SELF-ESTEEM (P < 0.001) AFTER 60 MIN/DAY OF YOGA PRACTICE FOR 4(1/2) MONTHS. PEARSON CORRELATION SHOWED A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN YOGA PERFORMANCE AND THE BEHAVIOR WITH TEACHERS (R = 0.221 AND P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PRACTICE IS BENEFICIAL FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN AS IT IMPROVES ATTENTION, CONCENTRATION, MEMORY, MOTOR SPEED, AND SELF-ESTEEM (SOCIAL, ACADEMIC AND TOTAL). IN ADDITION, IMPROVED YOGA PERFORMANCE IMPROVES BEHAVIOR WITH TEACHERS, THUS IMPROVING DISCIPLINE IN SCHOOL. 2019 7 1463 44 INFLUENCE OF YOGA-BASED PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ON PSYCHOMOTOR PERFORMANCE AND SELF-EFFICACY IN SCHOOL CHILDREN. SELECTIVE ATTENTION AND EFFICACY ARE IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF SCHOLASTIC PERFORMANCE IN SCHOOL CHILDREN. WHILE ATTEMPTS ARE BEING MADE TO INTRODUCE NEW METHODS TO IMPROVE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE EITHER AS PART OF CURRICULAR OR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES IN SCHOOLS, THE SUCCESS RATES ARE MINIMAL. HENCE, THIS STUDY ASSESSED THE EFFECT OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION ON PSYCHOMOTOR PERFORMANCE AND SELF-EFFICACY IN SCHOOL CHILDREN. TWO HUNDRED TEN SCHOOL CHILDREN WITH AGES RANGING FROM 11 TO 16 YEARS (MEAN AGE +/- SD; 13.7 +/- 0.8 YEARS) SATISFYING THE INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA WERE RECRUITED FOR THE 10-DAY YOGA PROGRAM. AN EQUAL NUMBER OF AGE-MATCHED PARTICIPANTS (N = 210; MEAN +/- SD; 13.1 +/- 0.8 YEARS) WERE SELECTED FOR THE CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED FOR ATTENTION AND PERFORMANCE AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF 10 DAYS USING TRAIL MAKING TASK (TMT) A AND B, AND SELF-EFFICACY QUESTIONNAIRE. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED HIGHER SELF-EFFICACY AND IMPROVED PERFORMANCE AFTER 10 DAYS OF YOGA INTERVENTION. THE PERFORMANCE IN TMT-A AND -B OF THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER NUMBER OF ATTEMPTS WITH A REDUCTION IN TIME TAKEN TO COMPLETE THE TASK AND A NUMBER OF WRONG ATTEMPTS COMPARED WITH CONTROL GROUP. RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE ENHANCES SELF-EFFICACY AND PROCESSING SPEED WITH FINE MOTOR COORDINATION, VISUAL-MOTOR INTEGRATION, VISUAL PERCEPTION, PLANNING ABILITY, AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. 2016 8 678 30 EFFECT OF A YOGA PRACTICE SESSION AND A YOGA THEORY SESSION ON STATE ANXIETY. YOGA TECHNIQUES PRACTICED FOR VARYING DURATIONS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE STATE ANXIETY. IN THIS STUDY, THERE WERE 300 NAIVE-TO-YOGA PERSONS OF BOTH SEXES WHO WERE ATTENDING A YOGA THERAPY CENTER IN NORTH INDIA FOR STRESS RELIEF AS DAY VISITORS AND WERE NOT RESIDING AT THE CENTER. THEY WERE ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS, YOGA PRACTICE AND YOGA THEORY, AND THEIR STATE ANXIETY WAS ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER A 2-HR. YOGA SESSION. A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN SCORES ON STATE ANXIETY WAS FOUND IN THE YOGA PRACTICE GROUP (14.7% DECREASE), AS WELL AS IN THE YOGA THEORY GROUP (3.4% DECREASE). THE DIFFERENCE IN SCORES FOLLOWING THE SESSIONS WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. HENCE, YOGA PRACTICE AS WELL AS LEARNING ABOUT THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF YOGA APPEAR TO REDUCE STATE ANXIETY, WITH A GREATER REDUCTION FOLLOWING YOGA PRACTICE. 2009 9 1728 37 PERFORMANCE ON PSYCHOMOTOR TASKS FOLLOWING TWO YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES. PREVIOUSLY CYCLIC MEDITATION AND SUPINE REST HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE IN A LETTER CANCELLATION TASK REQUIRING ATTENTION, VISUAL SCANNING, AND MOTOR SPEED. THE PRESENT STUDY ASSESSED THE PERFORMANCE IN 57 VOLUNTEERS (ALL MALE, M AGE = 26.5 YR., SD = 4.6) IN THREE TASKS, VIZ., A DIGIT-LETTER SUBSTITUTION TASK (DLST), A LETTER-COPYING TASK, AND A CIRCLE-DOTTING TASK. THE DLST ASSESSED ATTENTION AND SPEED OF INFORMATION PROCESSING, WHILE THE OTHER 2 TESTS ASSESSED MOTOR SPEED. EACH PARTICIPANT WAS ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER THREE TYPES OF SESSIONS: CYCLIC MEDITATION, SUPINE REST, AND CONTROL (NO INTERVENTION). DLST SCORES AND SCORES FOR LETTER-COPYING AND CIRCLE-DOTTING TASKS IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER CYCLIC MEDITATION; THE SAME SCORES ALSO IMPROVED AFTER SUPINE REST. THERE WAS NO CHANGE AFTER THE NO-INTERVENTION/CONTROL SESSION. FROM THE RESULTS IT WAS DIFFICULT TO CONCLUDE WHETHER IMPROVED DLST SCORES AFTER CYCLIC MEDITATION WERE DUE TO BETTER INFORMATION PROCESSING SPEED OR IMPROVED MOTOR SPEED. 2009 10 2871 42 YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE FACILITATES SUSTAINED ATTENTION IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN: A PILOT STUDY. CONTEXT: THE EXPERIENCE OF PAIN STRONGLY INFLUENCES SUSTAINED ATTENTION, WHICH IS IMPORTANT FOR NEUROCOGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING SUSTAINED ATTENTION BY ATTENUATING PAIN IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN. HENCE, WE AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF A YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE ON SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND SELF-REPORTED PAIN DISABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 22 MEN AGED 30 TO 50 YEARS WITH LOW BACK PAIN WERE RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY. THEY WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE YOGA (N = 11) OR CONTROL (N = 11) GROUPS. THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED A YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE (YBRT) 1 HOUR A DAY FOR 4 WEEKS AND THE CONTROL GROUP MAINTAINED THEIR USUAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY REGIMEN. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED THE SUSTAINED ATTENTION TO RESPONSE TASK (SART) AND THE OSWESTRY LOW BACK PAIN DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (OLBPDQ) MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER THE 4-WEEK INTERVENTION. RESULTS: THE STUDY SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN ALL SELF-REPORTED OLBPDQ DOMAINS AND IMPROVEMENT IN SUSTAINED ATTENTION IN A BEFORE AND AFTER COMPARISON 4 WEEKS FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION. PEARSON'S CORRELATION ALSO SHOWED A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND PAIN REDUCTION FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: THE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT YOGA PRACTICE REDUCES PAIN AND SIMULTANEOUSLY IMPROVES INFORMATION PROCESSING SPEED WITH IMPULSE CONTROL DURING THE PERFORMANCE OF A SUSTAINED ATTENTION TASK. 2020 11 523 32 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 12 785 47 EFFECT OF YOGA BASED TECHNIQUES ON STRESS AND HEALTH INDICES USING ELECTRO PHOTONIC IMAGING TECHNIQUE IN MANAGERS. BACKGROUND: MEDITATION TECHNIQUES ARE KNOWN TO ELICIT RELAXATION RESPONSE IN WHICH MOVING MEDITATION WHICH COMBINES THE PRACTICE OF YOGA POSTURES AND GUIDED RELAXATION IS KNOWN AS CYCLIC MEDITATION REPORTED HELPFUL IN REDUCING THE SYMPATHETIC AROUSAL AND IMPROVING HEALTH OF PRACTITIONERS. OBJECTIVES: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF CYCLIC MEDITATION ON STRESS AND HEALTH INDICES IN MANAGERS AS MEASURED BY ELECTRO PHOTONIC IMAGING (EPI) TECHNIQUE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: EPI TECHNIQUE WAS USED TO ASSESS PARTICIPANTS BEFORE AND AFTER 35 MIN OF CYCLIC MEDITATION (CM) AND EQUAL DURATION OF SUPINE REST (SR) SESSION. A TOTAL OF SIXTY SIX MALE MANAGERS, AGE RANGES FROM 35 TO 60 YEARS (MEAN +/- SD 53.97 +/- 5.96) WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. EPI PARAMETERS, INCLUDING ACTIVATION COEFFICIENT, INTEGRAL AREA LEFT AND RIGHT AND INTEGRAL ENTROPY, LEFT AND RIGHT WERE TAKEN FOR STATISTICAL ANALYSES. RESULTS: CYCLIC MEDITATION HAS PRODUCED A HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN STRESS LEVEL, WHEREAS THIS REDUCTION WAS NOT FOUND SIGNIFICANT WITHIN SR GROUP. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN HEALTH INDEX 'INTEGRAL AREA' VALUES IN BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES WITHIN THE CM GROUP WHILE ONLY IA RIGHT SIDE SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WITHIN THE CM GROUP. THE INTEGRAL ENTROPY VALUE RIGHT SIDE DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY WITHIN THE CM GROUP, WHEREAS IE LEFT WAS FOUND DETERIORATED WITHIN THE SR GROUP. MOREOVER, ONLY IE LEFT SIDE HAS SHOWN A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GROUPS. CONCLUSION: THE INVESTIGATIONS IN THIS STUDY SUGGEST THAT CYCLIC MEDITATION PRACTICE REDUCES STRESS AND IMPROVES PSYCHOSOMATIC HEALTH INDICES MORE EFFECTIVELY THAN SUPINE REST IN MANAGERS. 2016 13 1442 33 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 14 760 34 EFFECT OF SUDARSANKRIYA YOGA PRACTICES ON P300 AMPLITUDE AND LATENCY. THE COGNITIVE ABILITY WHICH WAS PERCEIVED AS A CONSTANT TRAIT, IS NOW UNDERSTOOD TO BE UPGRADED BY ADAPTIVE AND EXTENDED TRAINING. YOGA PRACTICES ARE KNOWN TO SHARPEN THE INTELLECT AND ENHANCE CONCENTRATION. IN THE INITIAL PERIOD OF PRACTICING YOGA AS AN ALTERNATIVE/SUPPORTING TOOL TO MEDICAL LINE OF TREATMENT, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO INVESTIGATE EFFECT OF YOGA ON COGNITIVE ABILITY USING OBJECTIVE METHOD, IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH EVIDENCES. HENCE, AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXPLORE THE EFFECT OF REGULAR PRACTICE OF SUDARSANKRIYA YOGA ON AUDITORY EVENT RELATED POTENTIAL (P300) BY RECORDING AND COMPARING PEAK LATENCY AND AMPLITUDE. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS WITH GROUP I AND GROUP II PARTICIPANTS PRACTICING SUDARSANKRIYA YOGA FOR MORE THAN 36 MONTHS AND LESS THAN 36 MONTHS RESPECTIVELY. GROUP III WERE NON-PRACTITIONERS WITH NO PRIOR PRACTICE OF ANY FORM OF YOGA. TWENTY PARTICIPANTS IN EACH GROUP WITH A TOTAL OF 60 PARTICIPANTS BETWEEN 40 TO 65 YEARS OF AGE WERE RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY. RESULTS REVEALED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE FOR MEAN LATENCY AND AMPLITUDE BETWEEN THREE GROUPS. FINDINGS OF THE CURRENT STUDY SUGGEST THAT SUDARSANKRIYA YOGA PRACTICES SLOWS DOWN THE PROCESS OF AGING EFFECT OR MAINTAINS ON COGNITIVE ABILITY IN ADULTS. 2021 15 1727 36 PERFORMANCE IN A SUBSTITUTION TASK AND STATE ANXIETY FOLLOWING YOGA IN ARMY RECRUITS. 140 MEN (M AGE = 30.3 YR., SD = 5.7) FROM THE INDIAN ARMY IN NORTH INDIA PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. THEY WERE NAIVE TO YOGA AND WERE ASSIGNED TO YOGA AND BREATH AWARENESS GROUPS RANDOMLY, WITH 70 IN EACH GROUP. 20 HEALTHY MALES OF COMPARABLE AGE (M AGE = 33.7 YR., SD = 7.0) FORMED A COMPARISON GROUP. THEIR PERFORMANCE IN A DIGIT-LETTER SUBSTITUTION TASK AND A STATE ANXIETY SUBSCALE WAS ASSESSED IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER TWO 45-MIN. SESSIONS. THE TWO GROUPS OF SOLDIERS PRACTICED EITHER YOGA OR BREATH AWARENESS. THE COMPARISON GROUP LISTENED TO MEDITATION MUSIC. DIGIT-LETTER SUBSTITUTION SCORES INCREASED IN BOTH GROUPS OF ARMY PERSONNEL AND IN THE COMPARISON GROUP. STATE ANXIETY DECREASED AFTER YOGA AND LISTENING TO MEDITATION MUSIC, BUT NOT AFTER BREATH AWARENESS. THIS SUGGESTS THAT EVEN IN ARMY PERSONNEL NAIVE TO YOGA, A YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION OR LISTENING TO MEDITATION MUSIC COULD REDUCE ANXIETY WHILE INCREASING PERFORMANCE ON AN ATTENTION TASK. 2012 16 1559 27 LONG-TERM VIHANGAM YOGA MEDITATION AND SCORES ON TESTS OF ATTENTION. ALTHOUGH THE LITERATURE INDICATES THAT MEDITATION HAS BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON SEVERAL ASPECTS OF HUMAN FUNCTIONING, FEW STUDIES HAVE SPECIFICALLY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF MEDITATION ON VARIOUS DOMAINS OF ATTENTION. THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO EXAMINE THE DIFFERENCES IN VARIOUS DOMAINS OF ATTENTION BETWEEN LONG-TERM CONCENTRATIVE MEDITATORS VERSUS MATCHED CONTROLS. 15 PRACTITIONERS OF VIHANGAM YOGA (> 10 YR. EXPERIENCE) WERE ENROLLED IN THE STUDY. CONTROLS MATCHED ON AGE, SEX, AND YEARS OF EDUCATION WERE RECRUITED. BOTH GROUPS WERE ADMINISTERED THE STROOP, TRAIL-MAKING, AND DIGIT SYMBOL SUBSTITUTION TESTS AS WELL AS THE DIGIT FORWARD AND DIGIT BACKWARD TESTS. THE GROUP OF VIHANGAM YOGIS HAD SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER MEAN PERFORMANCE ON ALL TESTS OF ATTENTION. LONG-TERM VIHANGAM YOGA MEDITATION IMPROVES ATTENTION SPAN, PROCESSING SPEED, ATTENTION ALTERNATION ABILITY, AND PERFORMANCE IN INTERFERENCE TESTS. 2010 17 1422 34 IMPROVEMENT IN HAND GRIP STRENGTH IN NORMAL VOLUNTEERS AND RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS PATIENTS FOLLOWING YOGA TRAINING. THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED AT ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF A SET OF YOGA PRACTICES ON NORMAL ADULTS (N = 37), CHILDREN (N = 86), AND PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (N = 20). AN EQUAL NUMBER OF NORMAL ADULTS, CHILDREN, AND PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS WHO DID NOT PRACTICE YOGA WERE STUDIED UNDER EACH CATEGORY, FORMING RESPECTIVE CONTROL GROUPS. YOGA AND CONTROL GROUP SUBJECTS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER VARYING INTERVALS, AS FOLLOWS, ADULTS AFTER 30 DAYS, CHILDREN AFTER 10 DAYS AND PATIENTS AFTER 15 DAYS, BASED ON THE DURATION OF THE YOGA PROGRAM, WHICH THEY ATTENDED, WHICH WAS ALREADY FIXED. HAND GRIP STRENGTH OF BOTH HANDS, MEASURED WITH A GRIP DYNAMOMETER, INCREASED IN NORMAL ADULTS AND CHILDREN, AND IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS PATIENTS, FOLLOWING YOGA, BUT NOT IN THE CORRESPONDING CONTROL GROUPS, SHOWING NO RE-TEST EFFECT. ADULT FEMALE VOLUNTEERS AND PATIENTS SHOWED A GREATER PERCENTAGE IMPROVEMENT THAN CORRESPONDING ADULT MALES. THIS GENDER-BASED DIFFERENCE WAS NOT OBSERVED IN CHILDREN. HENCE YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVES HAND GRIP STRENGTH IN NORMAL PERSONS AND IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, THOUGH THE MAGNITUDE OF IMPROVEMENT VARIES WITH FACTORS SUCH AS GENDER AND AGE. 2001 18 1261 51 FINGER DEXTERITY AND VISUAL DISCRIMINATION FOLLOWING TWO YOGA BREATHING PRACTICES. BACKGROUND: PRACTICING YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE MOTOR FUNCTIONS AND ATTENTION. THOUGH ATTENTION IS REQUIRED FOR FINE MOTOR AND DISCRIMINATION TASKS, THE EFFECT OF YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUES ON FINE MOTOR SKILLS AND VISUAL DISCRIMINATION HAS NOT BEEN ASSESSED. AIM: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUES ON FINGER DEXTERITY AND VISUAL DISCRIMINATION. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE PRESENT STUDY CONSISTED OF ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY SUBJECTS WHO HAD ENROLLED FOR STRESS MANAGEMENT. THEY WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS, ONE GROUP PRACTICED HIGH FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING WHILE THE OTHER GROUP PRACTICED BREATH AWARENESS. HIGH FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING (KAPALABHATI, BREATH RATE 1.0 HZ) AND BREATH AWARENESS ARE TWO YOGA PRACTICES WHICH IMPROVE ATTENTION. THE IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF HIGH FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING AND BREATH AWARENESS (I) WERE ASSESSED ON THE PERFORMANCE ON THE O'CONNOR FINGER DEXTERITY TASK AND (II) (IN) A SHAPE AND SIZE DISCRIMINATION TASK. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE FINGER DEXTERITY TASK BY 19% AFTER KAPALABHATI AND 9% AFTER BREATH AWARENESS (P<0.001 IN BOTH CASES, REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA AND POST-HOC ANALYSES). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION (P<0.001) IN ERROR (41% AFTER KAPALABHATI AND 21% AFTER BREATH AWARENESS) AS WELL AS TIME TAKEN TO COMPLETE THE SHAPE AND SIZE DISCRIMINATION TEST (15% AFTER KAPALABHATI AND 15% AFTER BREATH AWARENESS; P<0.001) WAS ALSO OBSERVED. CONCLUSION: BOTH KAPALABAHATI AND BREATH AWARENESS CAN IMPROVE FINE MOTOR SKILLS AND VISUAL DISCRIMINATION, WITH A GREATER MAGNITUDE OF CHANGE AFTER KAPALABHATI. 2012 19 488 31 CLINICAL STUDY OF YOGA TECHNIQUES IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WITH ASTHMA: A CONTROLLED STUDY. ADULT ASTHMATICS, RANGING FROM 19 TO 52 YEARS FROM AN ASTHMA AND ALLERGY CLINIC IN A UNIVERSITY SETTING VOLUNTEERED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY. THE 17 STUDENTS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO YOGA (9 SUBJECTS) AND NONYOGA CONTROL (8 SUBJECTS) GROUPS. THE YOGA GROUP WAS TAUGHT A SET OF BREATHING AND RELAXATION TECHNIQUES INCLUDING BREATH SLOWING EXERCISES (PRANAYAMA), PHYSICAL POSTURES (YOGASANAS), AND MEDITATION. YOGA TECHNIQUES WERE TAUGHT AT THE UNIVERSITY HEALTH CENTER, THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR 16 WEEKS. ALL THE SUBJECTS IN BOTH GROUPS MAINTAINED DAILY SYMPTOM AND MEDICATION DIARIES, COLLECTED A.M. AND P.M. PEAK FLOW READINGS, AND COMPLETED WEEKLY QUESTIONNAIRES. SPIROMETRY WAS PERFORMED ON EACH SUBJECT EVERY WEEK. ANALYSIS OF THE DATA SHOWED THAT THE SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED A SIGNIFICANT DEGREE OF RELAXATION, POSITIVE ATTITUDE, AND BETTER YOGA EXERCISE TOLERANCE. THERE WAS ALSO A TENDENCY TOWARD LESSER USAGE OF BETA ADRENERGIC INHALERS. THE PULMONARY FUNCTIONS DID NOT VARY SIGNIFICANTLY BETWEEN YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS. YOGA TECHNIQUES SEEM BENEFICIAL AS AN ADJUNCT TO THE MEDICAL MANAGEMENT OF ASTHMA. 1998 20 2215 30 THE IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF MODIFIED YOGA POSITIONS ON MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN RELIEF. MANY MUSCULOSKELETAL PAINS ARE RELATED TO POOR POSTURE. THUS, THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFICIENCY OF A SINGLE SESSION OF TWO MODIFIED YOGA POSITIONS WITH 110 SUBJECTS AND THEIR 147 PAIN-RELATED COMPLAINTS. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: THE YOGA GROUP, WHICH RECEIVED TREATMENT OF TWO 20-MIN POSTURES AND THE CONTROL GROUP, WHICH RECEIVED A PLACEBO TREATMENT OF 15 MIN WITH A TURNED OFF ULTRASOUND. ALL VOLUNTEERS EXPERIENCED SOME PAIN BEFORE TREATMENT AND WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER TREATMENT USING THE ANALOG PAIN SCALE. A SCORE OF 0 INDICATED NO PAIN WHEREAS 10 WAS THE MAXIMUM DEGREE OF PAIN ON THE SCALE. THE DIFFERENCE BEFORE AND AFTER TREATMENT WAS COMPARED BETWEEN THE GROUPS WITH A P-VALUE OF 0.0001, AS MEASURED BY THE STUDENT'S T-TEST. IT IS POSSIBLE TO CONCLUDE THAT ONE THERAPY SESSION IS EFFECTIVE IN THE TREATMENT OF VARIOUS MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS. 2013