1 919 134 EFFECTIVENESS OF WORKPLACE YOGA INTERVENTIONS TO REDUCE PERCEIVED STRESS IN EMPLOYEES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. WORK-RELATED STRESS REPRESENTS A RELEVANT PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE AND SOLUTION STRATEGIES ARE MANDATORY. YOGA IS A COMMON APPROACH TO MANAGE STRESS AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY CONFIRMED. THEREFORE, THIS STUDY AIMS SYSTEMATICALLY TO REVIEW THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS CARRIED OUT AT WORKPLACE ON WORK-RELATED STRESS AMONG EMPLOYEES AND TO ASSESS THEIR IMPACT QUANTITATIVELY. SPRINGERLINK, MEDLINE, PUBMED, CINAHL, WEB OF SCIENCE, SCOPUS, COCHRANE CENTRAL AND PEDRO DATABASES WERE SEARCHED. CLINICAL TRIALS COMPARING WORKPLACE YOGA INTERVENTIONS TO CONTROL GROUPS, AND EVALUATING PERCEIVED STRESS AS OUTCOME MEASURE, WERE ASSESSED FOR ELIGIBILITY. ALL FORMS AND STYLES OF YOGA WERE CONSIDERED FOR THE ANALYSIS. OUT OF 3392 INITIALLY IDENTIFIED, 6 STUDIES WERE INCLUDED IN THE META-ANALYSIS; 266 PARTICIPANTS PRACTICING YOGA INTERVENTIONS AT WORKSITE WERE COMPARED TO 221 SUBJECTS IN CONTROL GROUP. INCLUDED STUDIES SHOWED "SOME CONCERNS" ABOUT DIFFERENT DOMAINS OF SOURCE OF BIAS. QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS SHOWED AN OVERALL EFFECT SIZE OF -0.67 [95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI): -0.86, -0.49] IN FAVOR OF YOGA INTERVENTION IN REDUCING STRESS OUTCOME MEASURES. HENCE, WORKPLACE YOGA INTERVENTIONS WERE MORE EFFECTIVE WHEN COMPARED TO NO TREATMENT IN WORK-RELATED STRESS MANAGEMENT. FURTHER HIGH-QUALITY STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO IMPROVE THE VALIDITY OF THESE RESULTS AND TO SPECIFY MORE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE YOGA INTERVENTION, SUCH AS STYLE, VOLUME, AND FREQUENCY. 2020 2 2689 45 YOGA IN THE WORKPLACE AND HEALTH OUTCOMES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND: HEALTH PROMOTION IN THE WORKPLACE IS INTENDED TO ENHANCE EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. YOGA PROGRAMMES ARE EASY TO IMPLEMENT AND HAVE BEEN EFFECTIVE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF VARIOUS HEALTH CONDITIONS. AIMS: TO ASSESS THE EVIDENCE REGARDING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA PROGRAMMES AT WORK. METHODS: A SEARCH OF ELECTRONIC DATABASES OF PUBLISHED STUDIES UP UNTIL THE 1ST OF APRIL 2017. INCLUSION CRITERIA FOR THE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WERE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF ADULT EMPLOYEES AND YOGA IN THE WORKPLACE. QUALITY APPRAISAL WAS CARRIED OUT USING THE COCHRANE COLLABORATION'S TOOL FOR ASSESSING RISK OF BIAS IN RANDOMIZED TRIALS. RESULTS: OF 1343 PAPERS IDENTIFIED, 13 STUDIES MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. NINE OUT OF 13 TRIALS WERE CLASSIFIED AS HAVING AN UNCLEAR RISK OF BIAS. THE OVERALL EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES WERE BENEFICIAL, MAINLY ON STRESS. MOST OF THE CARDIOVASCULAR ENDPOINTS SHOWED NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOGA AND CONTROLS. OTHER OUTCOMES REPORTED POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA OR NO CHANGE. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY SUGGEST THAT YOGA HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE, PARTICULARLY IN REDUCING STRESS, AND NO NEGATIVE EFFECTS WERE REPORTED IN ANY OF THE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. FURTHER LARGER STUDIES ARE REQUIRED TO CONFIRM THIS. 2019 3 2181 42 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN OLDER ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVE: THE GOAL WAS TO REVIEW SYSTEMATICALLY THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA, COMPARED WITH OTHER EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS, FOR OLDER ADULTS AS SHOWN ON MEASURES OF HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING. DESIGN: THIS WAS A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WITH BOTH NARRATIVE SYNTHESIS AND META-ANALYSIS. DATA SOURCES: SEARCHES WERE CONDUCTED IN MEDLINE(R)/PUBMED, PSYCINFO, CINAHL, WEB OF SCIENCE, AND SCOPUS; BIBLIOGRAPHIES OF SELECTED ARTICLES; AND ONE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. METHODS: ORIGINAL STUDIES FROM 1950 TO NOVEMBER 2010 WERE SOUGHT, EVALUATING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON OLDER ADULTS. THE SEARCH WAS RESTRICTED TO RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF YOGA IN SUBJECTS >/=AGE 60, AND PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH. DATA WERE EXTRACTED AND EVALUATED REGARDING SETTING, POPULATION SIZE AND CHARACTERISTICS, INTERVENTION TYPE AND DURATION, COMPARISON GROUP, OUTCOME ASSESSMENT, DATA ANALYSIS, FOLLOW-UP, KEY RESULTS, AND THE QUALITY OF EACH STUDY ACCORDING TO SPECIFIC PREDETERMINED CRITERIA. RESULTS: THE SEARCH YIELDED 18 ELIGIBLE STUDIES (N=649). THE STUDIES REPORTED ON OLDER ADULTS ACROSS A RANGE OF SETTINGS, INTERVENTION INTENSITY, AND OUTCOME MEASURES. THE MAJORITY OF THE STUDIES HAD<35 PARTICIPANTS (RANGE 9-77). QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE SYNTHESIS OF THE STUDIES SUGGESTED THAT THE BENEFITS OF YOGA MAY EXCEED THOSE OF CONVENTIONAL EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS FOR SELF-RATED HEALTH STATUS, AEROBIC FITNESS, AND STRENGTH. HOWEVER, THE EFFECT SIZES WERE MODEST, AND THE EVIDENCE WAS MIXED FOR YOGA'S EFFECT ON DEPRESSION, SLEEP, AND BONE-MINERAL DENSITY. STUDIES DID NOT FIND AN EFFECT ON COGNITION. CONCLUSIONS: SMALL STUDIES WITH MIXED METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY SUGGESTED THAT YOGA MAY BE SUPERIOR TO CONVENTIONAL PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY INTERVENTIONS IN ELDERLY PEOPLE. THE PRECISION OF THE ESTIMATES REMAINS LOW. LARGER STUDIES ARE NECESSARY TO DEFINE BETTER THE INTERSECTION OF POPULATIONS, SETTINGS, AND INTERVENTIONS IN WHICH YOGA IS MOST BENEFICIAL. 2012 4 1109 38 EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN HEALTHY OLDER ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. BACKGROUND: THE WORLD'S ELDERLY POPULATION IS GROWING. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAS POSITIVE EFFECTS ON HEALTH AND COGNITION, BUT IS DECREASING AMONG THE ELDERLY. INTEREST IN YOGA-BASED EXERCISES HAS INCREASED IN THIS POPULATION, ESPECIALLY AS AN INTERVENTION TARGETING BALANCE, FLEXIBILITY, STRENGTH, AND WELL-BEING. RECENT INTEREST HAS ARISEN REGARDING YOGA'S POTENTIAL BENEFITS FOR COGNITION. OBJECTIVE: TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW EVIDENCE FROM RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING IN HEALTHY ADULTS AGED >/=60. A SECONDARY AIM WAS TO DESCRIBE INTERVENTION CHARACTERISTICS AND, WHERE POSSIBLE, THE EXTENT TO WHICH THESE INFLUENCED STUDY OUTCOMES. METHOD: THE REVIEW WAS CONDUCTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH PRISMA GUIDELINES. SEARCHES WERE PERFORMED FROM INCEPTION TO JUNE 2020 USING THE FOLLOWING ELECTRONIC DATABASES: (1) PUBMED (NLM); (2) EMBASE (ELSEVIER); (3) COCHRANE CENTRAL (WILEY); (4) PSYCINFO (EBSCOHOST); AND (5) CINAHL (EBSCOHOST). INCLUSION CRITERIA: RCTS OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ASSESSING COGNITION IN HEALTHY ADULTS >/=60 YEARS. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE REVISED COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 1466 RECORDS WERE INITIALLY IDENTIFIED; SIX STUDIES (5 UNIQUE TRIALS) WERE INCLUDED IN THE REVIEW. FOUR OF THE SIX ARTICLES REPORTED SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ON COGNITION, INCLUDING GROSS MEMORY FUNCTIONING AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS. INTERVENTION CHARACTERISTICS AND ASSESSMENT METHODS VARIED BETWEEN STUDIES, WITH A HIGH OVERALL RISK OF BIAS IN ALL STUDIES. CONCLUSION: YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVEMENTS IN COGNITION IN HEALTHY OLDER ADULTS. ADEQUATELY POWERED RCTS WITH ROBUST STUDY DESIGNS AND LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UPS ARE REQUIRED. FUTURE STUDIES SHOULD EXPLICITLY REPORT THE INTERVENTION CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGES IN COGNITIVE FUNCTION. 2021 5 1084 29 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS MANAGEMENT IN HEALTHY ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. OBJECTIVE: THIS ARTICLE REPORTS A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON STRESS MANAGEMENT IN HEALTHY ADULTS. METHODS: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE SEARCH WAS PERFORMED TO IDENTIFY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) AND CLINICAL CONTROLLED TRIALS (CCTS) THAT ASSESSED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS MANAGEMENT IN HEALTHY ADULTS. SELECTED STUDIES WERE CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THE TYPES OF INTERVENTION, DURATION, OUTCOME MEASURES, AND RESULTS. THEY WERE ALSO QUALITATIVELY ASSESSED BASED ON PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS. RESULTS: THE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS BASED ON EIGHT RCTS AND CCTS THAT INDICATED A POSITIVE EFFECT OF YOGA IN REDUCING STRESS LEVELS OR STRESS SYMPTOMS. HOWEVER, MOST OF THE STUDIES HAD METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IN THAT THE INTERVENTION DURATION WAS SHORT AND LIMITED FOLLOW-UP DATA WAS AVAILABLE. CONCLUSION: THIS REVIEW REVEALED POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS REDUCTION IN HEALTHY ADULT POPULATIONS. HOWEVER, THE RESULT SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION DUE TO THE SMALL NUMBER OF STUDIES AND THE ASSOCIATED METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS. FURTHER STUDIES TO ASCERTAIN YOGA'S LONG-TERM EFFECTS AND THE UNDERLYING BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS LEADING TO ITS STRESS REDUCTION EFFECT SHOULD BE CONDUCTED. 2011 6 2742 46 YOGA PRACTICE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF TYPE II DIABETES MELLITUS IN ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. THE EFFECT OF PRACTICING YOGA FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF TYPE II DIABETES WAS ASSESSED IN THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW THROUGH SEARCHING RELATED ELECTRONIC DATABASES AND THE GREY LITERATURE TO THE END OF MAY 2007 USING OVID. ALL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALS (RCTS) COMPARING YOGA PRACTICE WITH OTHER TYPE OF INTERVENTION OR WITH REGULAR PRACTICE OR BOTH, WERE INCLUDED REGARDLESS OF LANGUAGE OR TYPE OF PUBLICATION. EACH STUDY WAS ASSESSED FOR QUALITY BY TWO INDEPENDENT REVIEWERS. MEAN DIFFERENCE WAS USED FOR SUMMARIZING THE EFFECT OF EACH STUDY OUTCOMES WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS. POOLING OF THE STUDIES DID NOT TAKE PLACE DUE TO THE WIDE CLINICAL VARIATION BETWEEN THE STUDIES. PUBLICATION BIAS WAS ASSESSED BY STATISTICAL METHODS. FIVE TRIALS WITH 363 PARTICIPANTS MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA WITH MEDIUM TO HIGH RISK OF BIAS AND DIFFERENT INTERVENTION CHARACTERISTICS. THE STUDIES' RESULTS SHOW IMPROVEMENT IN OUTCOMES AMONG PATIENTS WITH DIABETES TYPE II. THESE IMPROVEMENTS WERE MAINLY AMONG SHORT TERM OR IMMEDIATE DIABETES OUTCOMES AND NOT ALL WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. THE RESULTS WERE INCONCLUSIVE AND NOT SIGNIFICANT FOR THE LONG-TERM OUTCOMES. NO ADVERSE EFFECTS WERE REPORTED IN ANY OF THE INCLUDED STUDIES. SHORT-TERM BENEFITS FOR PATIENTS WITH DIABETES MAY BE ACHIEVED FROM PRACTICING YOGA. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED IN THIS AREA. FACTORS LIKE QUALITY OF THE TRIALS AND OTHER METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES SHOULD BE IMPROVED BY LARGE RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS WITH ALLOCATION CONCEALMENT TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA ON DIABETES TYPE II. A DEFINITIVE RECOMMENDATION FOR PHYSICIANS TO ENCOURAGE THEIR PATIENTS TO PRACTICE YOGA CANNOT BE REACHED AT PRESENT. 2010 7 1043 31 EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON FATIGUE: A META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND. RESEARCHERS AIMED AT SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEWING AND META-ANALYZING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR FATIGUE. METHODS. PUBMED/MEDLINE WAS SEARCHED UNTIL JANUARY 2012 FOR CONTROLLED CLINICAL STUDIES. TWO REVIEWERS INDEPENDENTLY EXTRACTED THE DATA. THE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF THE STUDIES WAS ASSESSED. A META-ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED. RESULTS. NINETEEN CLINICAL STUDIES (TOTAL N = 948) WERE INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW. INVESTIGATED YOGA STYLES INCLUDED HATHA, IYENGAR, ASANAS, PATANJALI, SAHAJA, AND TIBETAN YOGA. PARTICIPANTS WERE SUFFERING FROM CANCER, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, DIALYSIS, CHRONIC PANCREATITIS, FIBROMYALGIA, ASTHMA, OR WERE HEALTHY. YOGA HAD A SMALL POSITIVE EFFECT ON FATIGUE (SMD = 0.27, 59% CI = 0.23-0.31). SEVEN STUDIES RECEIVED 4 POINTS ON THE JADAD SCORE. THERE WERE BASELINE DIFFERENCES IN AT LEAST 5 STUDIES. CONCLUSION. OVERALL, THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON FATIGUE WERE ONLY SMALL, PARTICULARLY IN CANCER PATIENTS. ALTHOUGH YOGA IS GENERALLY A SAFE THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION AND EFFECTIVE TO ATTENUATE OTHER HEALTH-RELATED SYMPTOMS, THIS META-ANALYSIS WAS NOT ABLE TO DEFINE THE POWERFUL EFFECT OF YOGA ON PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM FATIGUE. TREATMENT EFFECTS OF YOGA COULD BE IMPROVED IN WELL-DESIGNED FUTURE STUDIES. ACCORDING TO THE GRADE RECOMMENDATIONS ASSESSING THE OVERALL QUALITY OF EVIDENCE, THERE IS A MODERATE EFFECT OF THE CONFIDENCE PLACED IN THE ESTIMATES OF THE EFFECTS DISCUSSED HERE. 2012 8 340 41 ARE THERE BENEFITS FROM TEACHING YOGA AT SCHOOLS? A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS. INTRODUCTION. YOGA IS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM OF VARIED MIND-BODY PRACTICES THAT CAN BE USED TO IMPROVE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH AND IT HAS BEEN UTILIZED IN A VARIETY OF CONTEXTS AND SITUATIONS. EDUCATORS AND SCHOOLS ARE LOOKING TO INCLUDE YOGA AS A COST-EFFECTIVE, EVIDENCE-BASED COMPONENT OF URGENTLY NEEDED WELLNESS PROGRAMS FOR THEIR STUDENTS. OBJECTIVES. THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THIS STUDY WAS TO SYSTEMATICALLY EXAMINE THE AVAILABLE LITERATURE FOR YOGA INTERVENTIONS EXCLUSIVELY IN SCHOOL SETTINGS, EXPLORING THE EVIDENCE OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ON ACADEMIC, COGNITIVE, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL BENEFITS. METHODS. AN EXTENSIVE SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED FOR STUDIES PUBLISHED BETWEEN 1980 AND OCTOBER 31, 2014 (PUBMED, PSYCINFO, EMBASE, ISI, AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY). EFFECT SIZE ANALYSIS, THROUGH STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE AND HEDGES'G, ALLOWED FOR THE COMPARISON BETWEEN EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS. NINE RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS MET CRITERIA FOR INCLUSION IN THIS REVIEW. EFFECT SIZE WAS FOUND FOR MOOD INDICATORS, TENSION AND ANXIETY IN THE POMS SCALE, SELF-ESTEEM, AND MEMORY WHEN THE YOGA GROUPS WERE COMPARED TO CONTROL. FUTURE RESEARCH REQUIRES GREATER STANDARDIZATION AND SUITABILITY OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR CHILDREN. 2015 9 1031 34 EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISES FOR HEADACHES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. [PURPOSE] TO ASSESS THE EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA EXERCISES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HEADACHES. [SUBJECTS AND METHODS] A SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED OF SIX ELECTRONIC DATABASES TO IDENTIFY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) REPORTING THE EFFECTS OF YOGIC INTERVENTION ON HEADACHES PUBLISHED IN ANY LANGUAGE BEFORE JANUARY 2015. QUALITY ASSESSMENT WAS CONDUCTED USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL. [RESULTS] ONE POTENTIAL TRIAL WAS IDENTIFIED AND INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW. THE QUALITY CRITICAL APPRAISAL INDICATED A MODERATE RISK OF BIAS. THE AVAILABLE DATA COULD ONLY BE INCLUDED AS A NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION. HEADACHE INTENSITY AND FREQUENCY, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCORES, AND SYMPTOMATIC MEDICATION USE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. [CONCLUSION] THERE IS EVIDENCE FROM ONE RCT THAT YOGA EXERCISES MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR HEADACHES. HOWEVER, THE FINDINGS SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION DUE TO THE SMALL NUMBER OF RCTS. THEREFORE, FURTHER RIGOROUS METHODOLOGICAL AND HIGH QUALITY RCTS ARE REQUIRED TO INVESTIGATE THE HYPOTHESIS THAT YOGA EXERCISES ALLEVIATE HEADACHES, AND TO CONFIRM AND FURTHER COMPREHEND THE EFFECTS OF STANDARDIZED YOGA PROGRAMS ON HEADACHES. 2015 10 227 32 A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE EFFECT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES IN OLDER ADULTS. BACKGROUND: LAUGHTER YOGA IS ONE OF THE INCREASINGLY USED METHODS AMONG COMPLEMENTARY HEALTH APPROACHES IN THE WORLD. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES IN OLDER ADULTS. METHODS: IN THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW, ELECTRONIC SEARCHES WERE PERFORMED IN CINAHL, WEB OF SCIENCE, COCHRANE, SCOPUS, PROQUEST DATABASES FROM MAY 2010 TO MAY 2020. THE SCREENING PROCESS WAS CONDUCTED BY TWO AUTHORS INDEPENDENTLY AND FINALLY AGREED TOGETHER. THE REVIEW WAS REPORTED ACCORDING TO PRISMA GUIDELINE. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 3210 STUDIES WERE EXAMINED, AND SEVEN PUBLICATIONS (SIX QUASI EXPERIMENTAL AND ONE RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL), IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INCLUSION CRITERIA WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY AND EVALUATED. THE RESULTS INDICATED THAT SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND IN THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON PHYSICAL FUNCTION (BLOOD PRESSURE, CORTISOL LEVEL, SLEEP QUALITY) AND PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH (LIFE SATISFACTION, QUALITY OF LIFE, LONELINESS, DEATH ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, MOOD, HAPPINESS) IN OLDER ADULTS. CONCLUSION: LAUGHTER YOGA IS A COST-EFFECTIVE AND NO ADVERSE EFFECT IN OLDER ADULTS. IT CAN BE USED FOR HEALTH PROMOTION FOR OLDER ADULTS. 2020 11 1516 32 IS YOGA AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN COMPARED WITH OTHER CARE MODALITIES - A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO ASSESS RANDOMIZED-CONTROL TRIALS (RCTS) TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) COMPARED WITH OTHER CARE MODALITIES. METHODS: A SEARCH STRATEGY WAS FORMULATED WITH KEY CONCEPTS IDENTIFIED USING THE PICO PROCESS. FOUR DATABASES WERE SEARCHED IN JUNE 2012. APPROPRIATE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA WERE SET AND IMPLEMENTED. RESULTS: FOUR RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. ALL FOUR PAPERS FOUND THAT YOGA LEAD TO A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BACK FUNCTION, AND THREE DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BACK PAIN WHEN COMPARED WITH CERTAIN CARE MODALITIES. ALL PAPERS HAD SIGNIFICANT LIMITATIONS IDENTIFIED, HOWEVER. CONCLUSIONS: GIVEN THE LIMITATIONS IDENTIFIED WITHIN THE STUDIES, THE CONCLUSIONS DRAWN MUST BE CONSIDERED CONSERVATIVELY. ALTHOUGH EARLY RESULTS APPEAR PROMISING, BUT FURTHER WELL-DESIGNED RCTS ARE WARRANTED, WITH MULTIPLE, SPECIFIED COMPARATOR CARE MODALITIES BEFORE FIRM CONCLUSIONS CAN BE GAINED. 2013 12 2566 44 YOGA FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS IN PEOPLE WITH CANCER: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVE: CANCER AND ITS TREATMENT CAN LEAD TO A VARIETY OF PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL CONCERNS IMPACTING ON THOSE AFFECTED, INCLUDING SUBCLINICAL OR CLINICAL DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, WHICH IN TURN HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON WELLBEING, QUALITY OF LIFE AND SURVIVAL. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ON SELF-REPORTED DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS IN PEOPLE WITH CANCER IN RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. METHOD: SIX DATABASES WERE SEARCHED TO IDENTIFY RELEVANT STUDIES. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW PROCEDURES WERE FOLLOWED INCLUDING A QUALITY ASSESSMENT. META-ANALYSIS OF SUITABLE STUDIES WAS CONDUCTED. RESULTS: 26 STUDIES FROM OUR SEARCH CRITERIA WERE ELIGIBLE FOR INCLUSION FOR DEPRESSIVE AND 16 FOR ANXIETY SYMPTOMS. META-ANALYSES REVEALED EVIDENCE FOR SIGNIFICANT MEDIUM EFFECTS OF YOGA ON DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS (N = 1,486, G = -0.419, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI] = -0.558 TO -0.281, P < 0.001) AND ANXIETY (N = 977, G = -0.347, 95% CI = -0.473 TO -0.221, P < 0.001) COMPARED TO CONTROLS. SUBGROUP ANALYSES FOR DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS REVEALED SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS FOR ALL ANALYSES PERFORMED (TYPE OF CANCER, TYPE OF CONTROL, TREATMENT STATUS, DURATION OF INTERVENTION OR FREQUENCY OF YOGA SESSIONS), WITH EFFECT SIZES BEING COMPARABLE BETWEEN SUBGROUPS. SIMILAR FINDINGS WERE FOUND FOR ANXIETY SYMPTOMS EXCEPT FOR TREATMENT STATUS, WHERE THE ONLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECT WAS FOUND WHEN YOGA WAS DELIVERED DURING ACTIVE TREATMENT. CONCLUSIONS: THIS REVIEW PROVIDES EVIDENCE THAT IN PEOPLE WITH CANCER, YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH AMELIORATION OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS AND THEREFORE A PROMISING THERAPEUTIC MODALITY FOR THEIR MANAGEMENT. HOWEVER, THE POTENTIAL FOR RISK OF BIAS TOGETHER WITH CONTROL GROUP DESIGN CHALLENGES MEANS THE RESULTS SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION. 2021 13 1055 32 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CHRONIC NECK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. [PURPOSE] THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC NECK PAIN. [SUBJECTS AND METHODS] FIVE ELECTRONIC DATABASES WERE SEARCHED TO IDENTIFY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON CHRONIC NECK PAIN. THE TRIALS WERE PUBLISHED IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE BETWEEN JANUARY 1966 AND DECEMBER 2015. THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL WAS USED TO ASSESS THE QUALITY OF THE TRIALS. [RESULTS] THREE TRIALS WERE IDENTIFIED AND INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW. A CRITICAL APPRAISAL WAS PERFORMED ON THE TRIALS, AND THE RESULT INDICATED A HIGH RISK OF BIAS. A NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION WAS PROCESSED BECAUSE OF THE SMALL NUMBER OF RCTS. NECK PAIN INTENSITY AND FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUPS THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUPS. [CONCLUSION] EVIDENCE FROM THE 3 RANDOMLY CONTROLLED TRIALS SHOWS THAT YOGA MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR CHRONIC NECK PAIN. THE LOW-QUALITY RESULT OF THE CRITICAL APPRAISAL AND THE SMALL NUMBER OF TRIALS SUGGEST THAT HIGH-QUALITY RCTS ARE REQUIRED TO EXAMINE FURTHER THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON CHRONIC NECK PAIN RELIEF. 2016 14 590 42 DETERMINING THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA IN CHRONIC STROKE CARE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: SURVIVORS OF STROKE HAVE LONG-TERM PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES THAT IMPACT THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE. FEW INTERVENTIONS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE COMMUNITY TO ADDRESS THESE PROBLEMS. YOGA, A TYPE OF MINDFULNESS-BASED INTERVENTION, IS SHOWN TO BE EFFECTIVE IN PEOPLE WITH OTHER CHRONIC ILLNESSES AND MAY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO ADDRESS MANY OF THE PROBLEMS REPORTED BY SURVIVORS OF STROKE. OBJECTIVES: TO DATE ONLY NARRATIVE REVIEWS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED. WE SOUGHT TO PERFORM, THE FIRST SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WITH META-ANALYSES OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) THAT INVESTIGATED YOGA FOR ITS POTENTIAL BENEFIT FOR CHRONIC SURVIVORS OF STROKE. METHODS: OVID MEDLINE, CINHAL PLUS, AMED, PUBMED, PSYCHINFO, PEDRO, COCHRANE DATABASE, SPORT DISCUSS, AND GOOGLE SCHOLAR WERE SEARCHED FOR PAPERS PUBLISHED BETWEEN JANUARY 1950 AND AUGUST 2016. REFERENCE LISTS OF INCLUDED PAPERS, REVIEW ARTICLES AND OPENGREY FOR GREY LITERATURE WERE ALSO SEARCHED. WE USED A MODIFIED COCHRANE TOOL TO EVALUATE RISK OF BIAS. THE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF RCTS WAS ASSESSED USING THE GRADE APPROACH, RESULTS WERE COLLATED, AND RANDOM EFFECTS META-ANALYSES PERFORMED WHERE APPROPRIATE. RESULTS: THE SEARCH YIELDED FIVE ELIGIBLE PAPERS FROM FOUR RCTS WITH SMALL SAMPLE SIZES (N = 17-47). QUALITY OF RCTS WAS RATED AS LOW TO MODERATE. YOGA IS BENEFICIAL IN REDUCING STATE ANXIETY SYMPTOMS AND DEPRESSION IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (MEAN DIFFERENCES FOR STATE ANXIETY 6.05, 95% CI:-0.02 TO 12.12; P = 0.05 AND STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES FOR DEPRESSION: 0.50, 95% CI:-0.01 TO 1.02; P = 0.05). CONSISTENT BUT NONSIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE DEMONSTRATED FOR BALANCE, TRAIT ANXIETY, AND OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA MAY BE EFFECTIVE FOR AMELIORATING SOME OF THE LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES OF STROKE. LARGE WELL-DESIGNED RCTS ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE FINDINGS. 2017 15 2622 41 YOGA FOR SUBSTANCE USE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. INTRODUCTION: SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS (SUDS) ARE COMPLEX INTERACTIONS BETWEEN VARIOUS GENETIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, DEVELOPMENTAL, AND SOCIAL FACTORS. YOGA IS RECOMMENDED AS A NONMAINSTREAM TREATMENT FOR MANY HEALTH CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SUDS. METHODS: FIVE DATABASES WERE SEARCHED FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) THAT EVALUATED YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION IN ADULTS WITH ANY TYPE OF SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER. THE INTERVENTIONS BEING STUDIED INCLUDED HATHA YOGA, SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA, BREATHING YOGA EXERCISES, AND MEDITATION. STUDIES, WHERE YOGA WAS COMBINED WITH OTHER INTERVENTIONS WERE EXCLUDED. THE EFFECT OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION WAS ANALYZED USING PRIMARY OUTCOMES SUCH AS ANXIETY, PAIN, AND CRAVING. EIGHT RCTS MET THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, AND QUALITY ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED USING THE COCHRANE CRITERIA. RESULTS: AMONG THE 8 FINAL STUDIES ELIGIBLE FOR QUALITY ANALYSIS, 2 HAD UNDEFINED SUBSTANCE USE, WHILE THE OTHERS WERE FOCUSED ON TOBACCO, ALCOHOL, OR OPIOIDS. SEVEN OUT OF 8 STUDIES SHOWED SIGNIFICANT RESULTS AND IMPROVED PRIMARY OUTCOMES SUCH AS ANXIETY, PAIN, OR SUBSTANCE USE. SEVEN OUT OF THE 8 STUDIES SHOWED SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE OUTCOMES USING YOGA IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT MODALITIES LIKE OPIOID SUBSTITUTION THERAPY. CONCLUSIONS: SIX OUT OF 8 STUDIES SHOWED LOW CONCERNS, WHILE 2 STUDIES SHOWED SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THE RISK OF BIAS JUDGMENT. ALTHOUGH THE RESULTS LOOK ENCOURAGING, RCTS WITH LARGER SAMPLE SIZE ARE NEEDED TO BETTER EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS A TREATMENT MODALITY FOR SUBSTANCE USE. 2021 16 2426 37 YOGA AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH: INTEGRATIVE REVIEW OF INTERVENTION STUDIES. BACKGROUND: EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED IN SEVERAL FIELDS. OBJECTIVE: TO INVESTIGATE AND ANALYZE RESULTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS IN THE WORKPLACE REPORTED ALONG 10 YEARS AFTER THE FORMULATION OF THE NATIONAL POLICY OF INTEGRATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY PRACTICES. METHOD: WE LOCATED 10 STUDIES PUBLISHED FROM 2006 TO 2015 WHICH MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA, INCLUDED IN DATABASES CUMULATIVE INDEX OF NURSING AND ALLIED HEALTH LITERATURE (CINAHL), MEDICAL LITERATURE ANALYSES AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM ONLINE (MEDLINE), WEB OF SCIENCE, SCOPUS, COCHRANE AND SCIENTIFIC ELECTRONIC LIBRARY ONLINE (SCIELO). ANALYZED VARIABLES WERE: PUBLICATION YEAR, AUTHORSHIP, TITLE, AIMS, RESULTS, AND CONCLUSIONS. INTERVENTIONS WERE CHARACTERIZED BASED ON YOGA STYLE, PRACTICES IMPLEMENTED, FREQUENCY AND DURATION OF SESSIONS, DURATION OF INTERVENTION, MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTS, AND ADDITIONAL INTERVENTIONS. RESULTS: OUR FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA HAS PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON WORKERS FROM DIFFERENT PROFESSIONAL CATEGORIES. HOWEVER, WE DID NOT FIND BENEFITS FOR SOME CONDITIONS, AND YOGA PRACTICE DOES NOT HAVE THE SAME POSITIVE EFFECTS ON ALL PRACTITIONERS. WORKERS' ADHERENCE TO PROGRAMS INFLUENCES THE RESULTS OF RESEARCH. MANY STUDIES DID NOT CLEARLY DESCRIBE THE IMPLEMENTED PROGRAMS. CONCLUSION: THE CHARACTERISTICS OF INTERVENTIONS SHOW SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCES AMONG PROGRAMS, WHICH ENABLE A SYNTHESIS, BUT NOT COMPARISONS. 2018 17 2184 36 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW STUDY. INTRODUCTION: THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN MENOPAUSAL WOMEN IS CONSIDERED TO BE AN IMPORTANT HEALTH ISSUE IN DIFFERENT SOCIETIES AND ONE OF THE MAIN OBJECTIVES OF HEALTH CARE IN THIS PERIOD. THIS STUDY AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. METHOD: ENGLISH DATABASES OF GOOGLE SCHOLAR, SCIENCE DIRECT, PUBMED, SCOPUS, AND COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE SEARCHED TO ACCESS RELATED ARTICLES USING KEYWORDS OF MENOPAUSE, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND YOGA. FURTHERMORE, PERSIAN EQUIVALENTS OF THE SAME KEYWORDS WERE SEARCHED IN DATABASES OF GOOGLE SCHOLAR, SID, AND MAGIRAN, IN ADDITION TO A COMBINATION OF THE KEYWORDS. THE SEARCH INTERVAL WAS FROM THE INSPECTION TO JANUARY 2020. THE QUALITY OF THE INCLUDED STUDIED WAS ASSESSED BASED ON CONSORT 2017 CHECKLIST. RESULTS: OUT OF 120 ARTICLES FOUND IN THE DATABASES, SIX ARTICLES ENTERED THE STUDY BASED ON THE INCLUSION CRITERIA AND WERE INVESTIGATED FOR INTERVENTION METHODS AND CONSEQUENCES. THE RESULTS INDICATED THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. CONCLUSION: CONSIDERING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN MENOPAUSAL WOMEN, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THIS LOW-COST METHOD BE USED TO IMPROVE THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE AND HEALTH. 2021 18 2569 40 YOGA FOR DEPRESSION: THE RESEARCH EVIDENCE. BACKGROUND: YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS MAY PROVE TO BE AN ATTRACTIVE OPTION FOR THE TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW THE RESEARCH EVIDENCE ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR THIS INDICATION. METHODS: SEARCHES OF THE MAJOR BIOMEDICAL DATABASES INCLUDING MEDLINE, EMBASE, CLNAHL, PSYCINFO AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE CONDUCTED. SPECIALIST COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM) AND THE INDMED DATABASES WERE ALSO SEARCHED AND EFFORTS MADE TO IDENTIFY UNPUBLISHED AND ONGOING RESEARCH. SEARCHES WERE CONDUCTED BETWEEN JANUARY AND JUNE 2004. RELEVANT RESEARCH WAS CATEGORISED BY STUDY TYPE AND APPRAISED. CLINICAL COMMENTARIES WERE OBTAINED FOR STUDIES REPORTING CLINICAL OUTCOMES. RESULTS: FIVE RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS WERE LOCATED, EACH OF WHICH UTILISED DIFFERENT FORMS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS AND IN WHICH THE SEVERITY OF THE CONDITION RANGED FROM MILD TO SEVERE. ALL TRIALS REPORTED POSITIVE FINDINGS BUT METHODOLOGICAL DETAILS SUCH AS METHOD OF RANDOMISATION, COMPLIANCE AND ATTRITION RATES WERE MISSING. NO ADVERSE EFFECTS WERE REPORTED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF FATIGUE AND BREATHLESSNESS IN PARTICIPANTS IN ONE STUDY. LIMITATIONS: NO LANGUAGE RESTRICTIONS WERE IMPOSED ON THE SEARCHES CONDUCTED BUT NO SEARCHES OF DATABASES IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH WERE INCLUDED. CONCLUSIONS: OVERALL, THE INITIAL INDICATIONS ARE OF POTENTIALLY BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS. VARIATION IN INTERVENTIONS, SEVERITY AND REPORTING OF TRIAL METHODOLOGY SUGGESTS THAT THE FINDINGS MUST BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION. SEVERAL OF THE INTERVENTIONS MAY NOT BE FEASIBLE IN THOSE WITH REDUCED OR IMPAIRED MOBILITY. NEVERTHELESS, FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF YOGA AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION IS WARRANTED. 2005 19 1079 28 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OF PATIENTS WITH CANCER: A META-ANALYSIS. YOGA IS ONE OF THE MOST WIDELY USED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE THERAPIES TO MANAGE ILLNESS. THIS META-ANALYSIS AIMED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OF PATIENTS WITH CANCER. STUDIES WERE IDENTIFIED THROUGH A SYSTEMATIC SEARCH OF SEVEN ELECTRONIC DATABASES AND WERE SELECTED IF THEY USED A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGN TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH CANCER. THE QUALITY OF EACH ARTICLE WAS RATED BY TWO OF THE AUTHORS USING THE PEDRO SCALE. TEN ARTICLES WERE SELECTED; THEIR PEDRO SCORES RANGED FROM 4 TO 7. THE YOGA GROUPS COMPARED TO WAITLIST CONTROL GROUPS OR SUPPORTIVE THERAPY GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENTS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH: ANXIETY (P = .009), DEPRESSION (P = .002), DISTRESS (P = .003), AND STRESS (P = .006). HOWEVER, DUE TO THE MIXED AND LOW TO FAIR QUALITY AND SMALL NUMBER OF STUDIES CONDUCTED, THE FINDINGS ARE PRELIMINARY AND LIMITED AND SHOULD BE CONFIRMED THROUGH HIGHER-QUALITY, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. 2011 20 2683 35 YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: HEART DISEASE, STROKE, AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD) ARE THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH AND DISABILITY WORLDWIDE. ALTHOUGH INDIVIDUALS WITH THESE CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO BENEFIT FROM YOGA, ITS EFFECTIVENESS REMAINS UNCLEAR. OBJECTIVE: TO PERFORM A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA ON EXERCISE CAPACITY, HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQL), AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE AND DESCRIBE THE STRUCTURE AND DELIVERY OF PROGRAMS. RESEARCH DESIGN: WE PERFORMED A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS EXAMINING YOGA PROGRAMS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH HEART DISEASE, STROKE, AND COPD COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE. QUALITY WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL. META-ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED USING REVIEW MANAGER 5.3. THE PROTOCOL WAS REGISTERED ON PROSPERO (CRD42014014589). RESULTS: TEN STUDIES (431 INDIVIDUALS, MEAN AGE 56+/-8 Y) WERE INCLUDED AND WERE COMPARABLE IN THEIR DESIGN AND COMPONENTS, IRRESPECTIVE OF THE CHRONIC DISEASE. THE STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE FOR THE MEAN CHANGE IN EXERCISE CAPACITY WAS 2.69 (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, 1.39-3.99) AND FOR HRQL IT WAS 1.24 (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, -0.37 TO 2.85). SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY WERE REDUCED AFTER YOGA IN INDIVIDUALS WITH STROKE, ALTHOUGH THIS WAS NOT OBSERVED IN INDIVIDUALS WITH COPD. THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION VARIED ACROSS STUDIES WITH NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PROGRAMS HAVE SIMILAR DESIGNS AND COMPONENTS ACROSS CHRONIC DISEASE POPULATIONS. COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE, YOGA RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN EXERCISE CAPACITY AND A MEAN IMPROVEMENT IN HRQL. YOGA PROGRAMS MAY BE A USEFUL ADJUNCT TO FORMAL REHABILITATION PROGRAMS. 2015