1 1048 144 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON ATTENTION, IMPULSIVITY, AND HYPERACTIVITY IN PRESCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION-DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER SYMPTOMS. OBJECTIVE: BEHAVIORAL THERAPIES ARE FIRST-LINE FOR PRESCHOOLERS WITH ATTENTION-DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD). STUDIES SUPPORT YOGA FOR SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN WITH ADHD; THIS STUDY EVALUATED YOGA IN PRESCHOOLERS ON PARENT- AND TEACHER-RATED ATTENTION/CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS, ATTENTIONAL CONTROL (KINDER TEST OF ATTENTIONAL PERFORMANCE [KITAP]), AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV). METHODS: THIS RANDOMIZED WAITLIST-CONTROLLED TRIAL TESTED A 6-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION IN PRESCHOOLERS WITH >/=4 ADHD SYMPTOMS ON THE ADHD RATING SCALE-IV PRESCHOOL VERSION. GROUP 1 (N = 12) PRACTICED YOGA FIRST; GROUP 2 (N = 11) PRACTICED YOGA SECOND. WE COLLECTED DATA AT 4 TIME POINTS: BASELINE, T1 (6 WEEKS), T2 (12 WEEKS), AND FOLLOW-UP (3 MONTHS AFTER T2). RESULTS: AT BASELINE, THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS. AT T1, GROUP 1 HAD FASTER REACTION TIMES ON THE KITAP GO/NO-GO TASK (P = 0.01, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI], -371.1 TO -59.1, D = -1.7), FEWER DISTRACTIBILITY ERRORS OF OMISSION (P = 0.009, 95% CI, -14.2 TO -2.3, D = -1.5), AND MORE COMMISSION ERRORS (P = 0.02, 95% CI, 1.4-14.8, D = 1.3) THAN GROUP 2. CHILDREN IN GROUP 1 WITH MORE SEVERE SYMPTOMS AT BASELINE SHOWED IMPROVEMENT AT T1 VERSUS CONTROL ON PARENT-RATED STRENGTHS AND DIFFICULTIES QUESTIONNAIRE HYPERACTIVITY INATTENTION (BETA = -2.1, P = 0.04, 95% CI, -4.0 TO -0.1) AND INATTENTION ON THE ADHD RATING SCALE (BETA = -4.4, P = 0.02, 95% CI, -7.9 TO -0.9). HRV MEASURES DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN GROUPS. CONCLUSION: YOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH MODEST IMPROVEMENTS ON AN OBJECTIVE MEASURE OF ATTENTION (KITAP) AND SELECTIVE IMPROVEMENTS ON PARENT RATINGS. 2018 2 307 55 AN EVALUATION OF YOGA AND MEDITATION TO IMPROVE ATTENTION, HYPERACTIVITY, AND STRESS IN HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS. OBJECTIVE: PROBLEMS WITH ATTENTION AND STRESS ARE COMMON IN CHILDREN AND PREDICT ACADEMIC DIFFICULTIES AND OTHER BEHAVIORAL AND EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS. MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS SUCH AS YOGA AND MEDITATION IMPROVE ATTENTION AND REDUCE STRESS. IN THIS STUDY, WE EXAMINED THE IMPACT OF HATHA YOGA ON ATTENTION AND STRESS IN NINTH GRADERS. DESIGN: A TOTAL OF 174 NINTH GRADERS FROM A TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL WERE ENROLLED IN THE STUDY. TEACHERS ASSIGNED STUDENTS TO A YOGA GROUP (YG) OR CONTROL GROUP (CG) BASED ON THEIR CLASS SCHEDULE. THE YG PARTICIPATED IN 25-MIN HATHA YOGA CLASSES TWICE WEEKLY OVER 12 WEEKS (N = 123). THE CG INCLUDED 51 STUDENTS. STUDENT SELF-REPORTS ON MEASURES OF INATTENTION AND HYPERACTIVITY (THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF ADHD [ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER] SYMPTOMS AND NORMAL BEHAVIOR RATING SCALE FOR ADHD) AND STRESS (PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE) WERE OBTAINED AT BASELINE AND AT 12 WEEKS. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN BASELINE LEVELS OF INATTENTION (P = 0.86), HYPERACTIVITY (P = 0.25), AND PERCEIVED STRESS (P = 0.28) BETWEEN THE YG AND CG. REGARDING INATTENTION SCORES, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION OF GROUP AND TIME (B = -1.09, STANDARD ERROR [SE] = 0.30, P < 0.001). PAIRWISE T-TESTS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN INATTENTION FOR THE YG (D = 0.27) BUT A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN INATTENTION FOR THE CG. REGARDING HYPERACTIVITY, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION OF GROUP AND TIME (B = -0.43, SE = 0.26, P = 0.1). PAIRWISE T-TESTS DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN HYPERACTIVITY FOR THE YG (D = 0.22), BUT NOT THE CG. THE INTERACTION OF GROUP AND TIME WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT IN PREDICTING THE SLOPE OF CHANGE IN PERCEIVED DISTRESS (B = -0.93, SE = 1.19, P = 0.43). PAIRWISE T-TESTS DID NOT SHOW A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PERCEIVED DISTRESS FOR EITHER GROUP. CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT HATHA YOGA MAY IMPROVE ATTENTION AND HYPERACTIVITY IN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. 2020 3 30 44 12 WEEKS OF KINDERGARTEN-BASED YOGA PRACTICE INCREASES VISUAL ATTENTION, VISUAL-MOTOR PRECISION AND DECREASES BEHAVIOR OF INATTENTION AND HYPERACTIVITY IN 5-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN. THE PRESENT STUDY ASSESSES THE IMPACT OF KINDERGARTEN-BASED YOGA ON COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE, VISUAL-MOTOR COORDINATION, AND BEHAVIOR OF INATTENTION AND HYPERACTIVITY IN 5-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN. IN THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, 45 CHILDREN (28 FEMALE; 17 MALE; 5.2 +/- 0.4 YEARS) PARTICIPATED. OVER 12 WEEKS, 15 CHILDREN PERFORMED HATHA-YOGA TWICE A WEEK FOR 30 MIN, ANOTHER 15 CHILDREN PERFORMED GENERIC PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE) TWICE A WEEK FOR 30 MIN, AND 15 CHILDREN PERFORMED NO KIND OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES, SERVING AS CONTROL GROUP (CG). PRIOR TO (T 0) AND AFTER 12 WEEKS (T 1), ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED VISUAL ATTENTION AND VISUOMOTOR PRECISION SUBTESTS OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION BATTERY AND TEACHERS EVALUATED CHILDREN'S BEHAVIOR OF INATTENTION AND HYPERACTIVITY WITH THE ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD) RATING SCALE-IV. AT T 0, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS APPEARED. REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE REVEALED THAT FOLLOWING BONFERRONI-HOLM CORRECTIONS YOGA, IN COMPARISON TO PE AND CG, HAD A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE DEVELOPMENT ON BEHAVIOR OF INATTENTION AND HYPERACTIVITY. FURTHER, YOGA HAS A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE IMPACT ON COMPLETION TIMES IN TWO VISUMOTOR PRECISION TASKS IN COMPARISON TO PE. FINALLY, RESULTS INDICATE A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE EFFECT OF YOGA ON VISUAL ATTENTION SCORES IN COMPARISON TO CG. 12 WEEKS OF KINDERGARTEN-BASED YOGA IMPROVES SELECTED VISUAL ATTENTION AND VISUAL-MOTOR PRECISION PARAMETERS AND DECREASES BEHAVIOR OF INATTENTION AND HYPERACTIVITY IN 5-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN. CONSEQUENTLY, YOGA REPRESENTS A SUFFICIENT AND COST-BENEFIT EFFECTIVE EXERCISE WHICH COULD ENHANCE COGNITIVE AND BEHAVIORAL FACTORS RELEVANT FOR LEARNING AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG YOUNG CHILDREN. 2019 4 290 44 ADJUNCTIVE YOGA V. HEALTH EDUCATION FOR PERSISTENT MAJOR DEPRESSION: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER HATHA YOGA IS AN EFFICACIOUS ADJUNCTIVE INTERVENTION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CONTINUED DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS DESPITE ANTIDEPRESSANT TREATMENT. METHOD: WE CONDUCTED A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES (N = 63) V. HEALTH EDUCATION CLASSES (HEALTHY LIVING WORKSHOP; HLW; N = 59) IN INDIVIDUALS WITH ELEVATED DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AND ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION USE. HLW SERVED AS AN ATTENTION-CONTROL GROUP. THE INTERVENTION PERIOD WAS 10 WEEKS, WITH FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS 3 AND 6 MONTHS AFTERWARDS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS DEPRESSION SYMPTOM SEVERITY ASSESSED BY BLIND RATER AT 10 WEEKS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS OVER THE ENTIRE INTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP PERIODS, SOCIAL AND ROLE FUNCTIONING, GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTIONS, PAIN, AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING. RESULTS: AT 10 WEEKS, WE DID NOT FIND A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS IN DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS (B = -0.82, S.E. = 0.88, P = 0.36). HOWEVER, OVER THE ENTIRE INTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP PERIOD, WHEN CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE, YOGA PARTICIPANTS SHOWED LOWER LEVELS OF DEPRESSION THAN HLW PARTICIPANTS (B = -1.38, S.E. = 0.57, P = 0.02). AT 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP, 51% OF YOGA PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED A RESPONSE (50% REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS) COMPARED WITH 31% OF HLW PARTICIPANTS (ODDS RATIO = 2.31; P = 0.04). YOGA PARTICIPANTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER SOCIAL AND ROLE FUNCTIONING AND GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTIONS OVER TIME. CONCLUSIONS: ALTHOUGH WE DID NOT SEE A DIFFERENCE IN DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION PERIOD, YOGA PARTICIPANTS SHOWED FEWER DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS OVER THE ENTIRE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. BENEFITS OF YOGA MAY ACCUMULATE OVER TIME. 2017 5 948 43 EFFECTS OF A 6 WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING IN WOMEN SCREENING POSITIVE FOR ADULT ADHD: A PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF YOGA TRAINING IN ADULTS WITH ADHD SYMPTOMS. THIS PILOT STUDY SOUGHT TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND SELECTED PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF 6 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING IN WOMEN SCREENING POSITIVE FOR ADULT ADHD COMPARED TO A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. METHODS: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED WITH 32 ADULT WOMEN (18-24 YEARS) WHO VOLUNTEERED AFTER SCREENING POSITIVE FOR ADULT ADHD AS ASSESSED BY THE ADULT ADHD SELF-REPORT SCALE (ASRS). PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO 6 WEEKS OF BIKRAM YOGA TRAINING OR TO A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF TWO 90-MIN CLASSES PER WEEK. MULTILEVEL MODELS WERE USED TO TEST HYPOTHESIZED INTERACTIONS OF YOGA-INDUCED IMPROVEMENTS COMPARED TO CONTROLS ACROSS TIME (BASELINE, 3 WEEKS, AND 6 WEEKS). THE PRIMARY OUTCOMES ASSESSED INHIBITORY CONTROL, COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY AND WORKING MEMORY USING THE NIH TOOLBOX. SEPARATE MODELS WITH TRAIT MINDFULNESS, TRAIT ANXIETY AND EXPECTATIONS FOR CHANGE IN EITHER ATTENTION OR WORKING MEMORY AS COVARIATES TESTED WHETHER THESE VARIABLES MEDIATED THE CHANGES IN THE THREE MEASURES OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTION. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED MOOD, PERCEIVED FUNCTIONAL IMPAIRMENT AND MOTIVATION FOR, AND HYPERACTIVITY DURING, THE COGNITIVE TESTS. RESULTS: NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE OBSERVED. ATTENDANCE AVERAGED 91.7% AMONG THE 69% OF THE SAMPLE THAT DID NOT DROPOUT. NO SIGNIFICANT GROUP X TIME INTERACTIONS WERE FOUND FOR ANY OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES AND THE NULL EXECUTIVE FUNCTION FINDINGS WERE UNCHANGED WHEN INCLUDING THE COVARIATES. CONCLUSION: SIX-WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING TWICE PER WEEK IS POTENTIALLY FEASIBLE FOR WOMEN EXPERIENCING ADHD SYMPTOMS, BUT AN EXERCISE STIMULUS OF THIS DURATION AND MAGNITUDE YIELDS NO BENEFICIAL COGNITIVE OR MOOD OUTCOMES. 2022 6 2825 35 YOGA VERSUS HOME EXERCISE PROGRAM IN CHILDREN WITH ENTHESITIS RELATED ARTHRITIS: A PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: THE AIM WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND HOME EXERCISE PROGRAM ON LOWER EXTREMITY FUNCTIONAL STATUS, PAIN, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN CHILDREN WITH ENTHESITIS RELATED ARTHRITIS (ERA). METHODS: TWENTY-ONE CHILDREN WITH ERA WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS AS YOGA (N = 11) AND HOME EXERCISE (N = 10). YOGA GROUP PERFORMED SUPERVISED YOGA EXERCISES TWICE A WEEK FOR EIGHT WEEKS. HOME EXERCISE GROUP PERFORMED VIDEO-BASED EXERCISES FOR THE SAME PERIOD. PAIN IN REST AND ACTIVITY, LOWER EXTREMITY FUNCTIONAL STATUS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE EVALUATED AT BASELINE AND FOLLOWING EIGHT WEEKS. RESULTS: THE GROUPS WERE SIMILAR AT BASELINE (P > 0.05). ALL THE PARAMETERS, EXCEPT PARENT REPORTED QUALITY OF LIFE, SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED IN YOGA GROUP (P < 0.05), WHERE ONLY STAIR CLIMB TEST TIMES SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED IN HOME EXERCISE GROUP (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA SEEMS PROMISING FOR IMPROVING LOWER EXTREMITY FUNCTIONAL STATUS, PAIN, AND QUALITY OF LIFE AS AN EXERCISE INTERVENTION IN REHABILITATION PROGRAMS OF CHILDREN WITH ERA. 2021 7 2187 48 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: UNIVERSITIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE FACING AN EPIDEMIC OF MENTAL DISTRESS AMONG THEIR STUDENTS. THE PROBLEM IS TRULY A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE, AFFECTING MANY AND WITH SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. THE GLOBAL BURDEN OF DISEASE-AGENDA CALLS FOR EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS WITH LASTING EFFECTS THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE THE MENTAL HEALTH OF YOUNG ADULTS. IN THIS STUDY WE AIMED TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA, A POPULAR AND WIDELY AVAILABLE MIND-BODY PRACTICE, CAN IMPROVE STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH. METHODS: WE PERFORMED A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH 202 HEALTHY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN THE OSLO AREA. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSIGNED TO A YOGA GROUP OR WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP IN A 1:1 RATIO BY A SIMPLE ONLINE RANDOMISATION PROGRAM. THE INTERVENTION GROUP WAS OFFERED 24 YOGA SESSIONS OVER 12 WEEKS. MEASUREMENTS WERE TAKEN AT WEEK 0 (BASELINE), WEEK 12 (POST-INTERVENTION), AND WEEK 24 (FOLLOW-UP). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS ASSESSED BY THE HSCL-25 QUESTIONNAIRE. ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED BASED ON THE INTENTION TO TREAT-PRINCIPLE. RESULTS: BETWEEN 24 JANUARY 2017, AND 27 AUGUST 2017, WE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED 202 STUDENTS TO A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 100), OR WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 102). COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP, THE YOGA PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DISTRESS SYMPTOMS BOTH AT POST-INTERVENTION (ADJUSTED DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN CHANGE -0.15, 95% CI -0.26 TO -0.03, P = 0.0110) AND FOLLOW-UP (ADJUSTED DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN CHANGE -0.18, 95% CI -0.29 TO -0.06, P = 0.0025). SLEEP QUALITY ALSO IMPROVED AT POST-INTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: OUR FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA HAS A MODERATELY LARGE AND LASTING EFFECT, AT LEAST FOR SOME MONTHS, REDUCING SYMPTOMS OF DISTRESS AND IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY AMONG STUDENTS. FURTHER RESEARCH SHOULD SEEK WAYS TO ENHANCE THE EFFECT, ASSESS AN EVEN LONGER FOLLOW-UP PERIOD, INCLUDE ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS, AND CONSIDER PERFORMING SIMILAR STUDIES IN OTHER CULTURAL SETTINGS.TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT04258540. 2020 8 459 42 CHANGES IN PAIN INTENSITY AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE WITH IYENGAR YOGA IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK (NCLBP) PAIN IS PREVALENT AMONG ADULT POPULATION AND OFTEN LEADS TO FUNCTIONAL LIMITATIONS, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, LOWER QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), AND HIGHER HEALTHCARE COSTS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY ON PAIN INTENSITY AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) WITH NCLBP. AIM OF THE STUDY: TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY AND CONVENTIONAL EXERCISE THERAPY ON PAIN INTENSITY AND HRQOL IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WITH RANDOM SAMPLING TECHNIQUE. SUBJECTS/INTERVENTION: SIXTY SUBJECTS WHO FULFILLED THE SELECTION CRITERIA WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO IYENGAR YOGA (YOGA GROUP, N = 30) AND CONTROL GROUP (EXERCISE GROUP, N = 30). PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED LOW BACK PAIN EVALUATION FORM AND HRQOL-4 QUESTIONNAIRE BEFORE THEIR INTERVENTION AND AGAIN 4 WEEKS AND 6 MONTH LATER. YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT 29 YOGIC POSTURES TRAINING AND EXERCISE GROUP HAD UNDERGONE GENERAL EXERCISE PROGRAM FOR 4 WEEKS. STATISTICS: REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) WAS USED TO ANALYZE GROUP DIFFERENCES OVER TIME, WHILE CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE DIFFERENCES. RESULTS: PATIENTS IN BOTH GROUPS EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PAIN AND IMPROVEMENT IN HRQOL. IN VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE (VAS) YOGA GROUP SHOWED REDUCTION OF 72.81% (P = 0.001) AS COMPARED TO EXERCISE GROUP 42.50% (P = 0.001). IN HRQOL, YOGA GROUP SHOWED REDUCTION OF 86.99% (P = 0.001) AS COMPARED TO EXERCISE GROUP 67.66% (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT IYENGAR YOGA PROVIDES BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN REDUCTION AND IMPROVEMENT IN HRQOL IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC BACK PAIN THAN GENERAL EXERCISE. 2014 9 1700 44 PARTICIPATION IN A 10-WEEK COURSE OF YOGA IMPROVES BEHAVIOURAL CONTROL AND DECREASES PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS IN A PRISON POPULATION. BACKGROUND: YOGA AND MEDITATION HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO BE EFFECTIVE IN ALLEVIATING SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS AND PSYCHIATRIC POPULATIONS. RECENT WORK HAS ALSO INDICATED THAT YOGA CAN IMPROVE COGNITIVE-BEHAVIOURAL PERFORMANCE AND CONTROL. ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN NO CONTROLLED STUDIES OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN A PRISON POPULATION, WE REASONED THAT YOGA COULD HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS IN A SETTING WHERE PSYCHOSOCIAL FUNCTIONING IS OFTEN LOW, AND THE FREQUENCY OF IMPULSIVE BEHAVIOURS IS HIGH. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED FROM 7 BRITISH PRISONS AND RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO EITHER A 10-WEEK YOGA PROGRAMME (YOGA GROUP; 1 CLASS PER WEEK; N = 45) OR A CONTROL GROUP (N = 55). SELF-REPORT MEASURES OF MOOD, STRESS, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS WERE COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION PERIOD. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED A COGNITIVE-BEHAVIOURAL TASK (GO/NO-GO) AT THE END OF THE STUDY, WHICH ASSESSED BEHAVIOURAL RESPONSE INHIBITION AND SUSTAINED ATTENTION. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED INCREASED SELF-REPORTED POSITIVE AFFECT, AND REDUCED STRESS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, COMPARED TO PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS WHO COMPLETED THE YOGA COURSE ALSO SHOWED BETTER PERFORMANCE IN THE COGNITIVE-BEHAVIOURAL TASK, MAKING SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER ERRORS OF OMISSION IN GO TRIALS AND FEWER ERRORS OF COMMISSION ON NO-GO TRIALS, COMPARED TO CONTROL PARTICIPANTS. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING SUBJECTIVE WELLBEING, MENTAL HEALTH, AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING WITHIN PRISON POPULATIONS. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION GIVEN THE CONSISTENTLY HIGH RATES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL MORBIDITY IN THIS GROUP AND THE NEED FOR EFFECTIVE AND ECONOMICAL INTERVENTION PROGRAMMES. 2013 10 1086 43 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS, STRESS ADAPTION, AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY AMONG MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS--A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS EXPERIENCING WORK-RELATED STRESS MAY EXPERIENCE BURN OUT, LEADING TO A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THEIR ORGANIZATION AND PATIENTS. AIM: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA CLASSES ON WORK-RELATED STRESS, STRESS ADAPTATION, AND AUTONOMIC NERVE ACTIVITY AMONG MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS. METHODS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS USED, WHICH COMPARED THE OUTCOMES BETWEEN THE EXPERIMENTAL (E.G., YOGA PROGRAM) AND THE CONTROL GROUPS (E.G., NO YOGA EXERCISE) FOR 12 WEEKS. WORK-RELATED STRESS AND STRESS ADAPTATION WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER THE PROGRAM. HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) WAS MEASURED AT BASELINE, MIDPOINT THROUGH THE WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES (6 WEEKS), AND POSTINTERVENTION (AFTER 12 WEEKS OF YOGA CLASSES). RESULTS: THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN THE YOGA GROUP EXPERIENCED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN WORK-RELATED STRESS (T = -6.225, P < .001), AND A SIGNIFICANT ENHANCEMENT OF STRESS ADAPTATION (T = 2.128, P = .042). PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP REVEALED NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES. COMPARING THE MEAN DIFFERENCES IN PRE- AND POSTTEST SCORES BETWEEN YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS, WE FOUND THE YOGA GROUP SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED WORK-RELATED STRESS (T = -3.216, P = .002), BUT THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN STRESS ADAPTATION (P = .084). WHILE CONTROLLING FOR THE PRETEST SCORES OF WORK-RELATED STRESS, PARTICIPANTS IN YOGA, BUT NOT THE CONTROL GROUP, REVEALED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN AUTONOMIC NERVE ACTIVITY AT MIDPOINT (6 WEEKS) TEST (T = -2.799, P = .007), AND AT POSTTEST (12 WEEKS; T = -2.099, P = .040). LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: BECAUSE MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS EXPERIENCED A REDUCTION IN WORK-RELATED STRESS AND AN INCREASE IN AUTONOMIC NERVE ACTIVITY IN A WEEKLY YOGA PROGRAM FOR 12 WEEKS, CLINICIANS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND EDUCATORS SHOULD OFFER YOGA CLASSES AS A STRATEGY TO HELP HEALTH PROFESSIONALS REDUCE THEIR WORK-RELATED STRESS AND BALANCE AUTONOMIC NERVE ACTIVITIES. 2015 11 531 32 COMPARISON OF THE EFFECT OF 8 WEEKS AEROBIC AND YOGA TRAINING ON AMBULATORY FUNCTION, FATIGUE AND MOOD STATUS IN MS PATIENTS. BACKGROUND: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS A DISEASE OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM THAT RESULTS IN MANY SYMPTOMS INCLUDING MOBILITY LIMITATION AND FATIGUE. PATIENTS AND METHODS: THIRTY-ONE MS PATIENTS, ALL FEMALE WITH MEAN OF AGE OF 36.75 YEARS AND EXPANDED DISABILITY STATUS SCALE SCORES (EDSS) OF 1.0 TO 4.0 WERE RECRUITED. SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THE THREE GROUPS: TREADMILL TRAINING, YOGA OR CONTROL GROUPS. TREADMILL TRAINING AND YOGA PRACTICE CONSISTED OF 8 WEEKS (24 SESSIONS, THRICE WEEKLY). THE CONTROL GROUP FOLLOWED THEIR OWN ROUTINE TREATMENT PROGRAM. BALANCE, SPEED AND ENDURANCE OF WALKING, FATIGUE, DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY WERE MEASURED BY BERG BALANCE SCORES, TIME FOR 10M WALK AND DISTANCE FOR A TWO MINUTE WALK, FATIGUE SEVERITY SCALE (FFS), BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY (BDI) AND BECK ANXIETY INVENTORY (BAI), RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS: COMPARISON OF RESULTS HAVE SHOWN THAT PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTIONS PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE BALANCE SCORE, WALKING ENDURANCE, FFS SCORE, BDI SCORE AND BAI SCORE IN THE TREADMILL TRAINING GROUP AND YOGA GROUP. HOWEVER, 10M WALK TIME DECREASED IN THE TREADMILL TRAINING GROUP BUT DID NOT SHOW ANY CLEAR CHANGE IN THE YOGA GROUP. MOREOVER, THE ANALYSIS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TREADMILL TRAINING GROUP AND YOGA GROUP FOR BAI SCORE. CONCLUSIONS: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT TREADMILL TRAINING AND YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVED AMBULATORY FUNCTION, FATIGUE AND MOOD STATUS IN THE INDIVIDUALS WITH MILD TO MODERATE MS. 2013 12 594 35 DEVELOPMENT AND FEASIBILITY OF A GROUP-BASED THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PELVIC PAIN. OBJECTIVE: TO DEVELOP A GROUP-BASED THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PELVIC PAIN (CPP) AND EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF THIS PROGRAM ON PAIN SEVERITY, SEXUAL FUNCTION, AND WELL-BEING. METHODS: A YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM FOR CPP WAS DEVELOPED BY A MULTIDISCIPLINARY PANEL OF CLINICIANS, RESEARCHERS, AND YOGA CONSULTANTS. WOMEN REPORTING MODERATE TO SEVERE PELVIC PAIN FOR AT LEAST SIX MONTHS WERE RECRUITED INTO A SINGLE-ARM TRIAL. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED TWICE WEEKLY GROUP CLASSES FOCUSING ON IYENGAR-BASED YOGA TECHNIQUES AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO PRACTICE YOGA AT HOME AN HOUR A WEEK FOR SIX WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS SELF-RATED THE SEVERITY OF THEIR PELVIC PAIN USING DAILY LOGS. THE IMPACT OF PARTICIPANTS' PAIN ON EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES, EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING, AND SEXUAL FUNCTION WAS ASSESSED USING AN IMPACT OF PELVIC PAIN (IPP) QUESTIONNAIRE. SEXUAL FUNCTION WAS FURTHER ASSESSED USING THE SEXUAL HEALTH OUTCOMES IN WOMEN QUESTIONNAIRE (SHOW-Q). RESULTS: AMONG THE 16 PARTICIPANTS (AGE RANGE = 31-64 YEARS), AVERAGE RATINGS OF THE SEVERITY OF PAIN "AT ITS WORST," "AT ITS BEST," AND "ON AVERAGE" DECREASED BY 29%, 32%, AND 34%, RESPECTIVELY, FROM START TO SIX WEEKS (P < 0.05 FOR ALL). WOMEN DEMONSTRATED IMPROVEMENTS IN SCORES ON IPP SUBSCALES FOR DAILY ACTIVITIES (1.8 +/- 0.7 TO 0.9 +/- 0.7, P < 0.001), EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING (1.7 +/- 0.9 TO 0.9 +/- 0.7, P = 0.005), AND SEXUAL FUNCTION (1.9 +/- 1.1 TO 1.0 +/- 0.9, P = 0.04). SCORES ON THE SHOW-Q "PELVIC PROBLEM INTERFERENCE" SCALE ALSO IMPROVED OVER SIX WEEKS (53 +/- 23 TO 27 +/- 23, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS PROVIDE PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE OF THE FEASIBILITY OF TEACHING WOMEN WITH CPP TO PRACTICE YOGA TO SELF-MANAGE PAIN AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND SEXUAL FUNCTION. 2017 13 2653 50 YOGA IMPROVES OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE, DEPRESSION, AND DAILY ACTIVITIES FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC PAIN. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC PAIN IS A COMPLEX ACCUMULATION OF PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS, THUS INTERVENTIONS THAT ADDRESS PAIN AND PROMOTE OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE ARE NEEDED. A HOLISTIC INTERVENTION, WITH MIND AND BODY COMPONENTS, IS LIKELY NECESSARY TO BEST TREAT THE COMPLEXITIES OF CHRONIC PAIN. THUS, WE DEVELOPED AND TESTED A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC PAIN. OBJECTIVES: IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL (RCT), PARTICIPANTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN WERE RANDOMIZED TO A YOGA INTERVENTION OR USUAL CARE GROUP. BETWEEN AND WITHIN GROUP DIFFERENCES FOR PRE-AND POST-OUTCOME MEASURE SCORES WERE ASSESSED FOR: OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE, COMPLETION OF ACTIVITIES, AND DEPRESSION. METHODS: PILOT RCT WITH PARTICIPANT ALLOCATION TO 8 WEEKS OF YOGA OR USUAL CARE. BOTH GROUPS RECEIVED ONGOING MONTHLY SELF-MANAGEMENT PROGRAMMING. DATA WERE COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER THE 8-WEEK INTERVENTION. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA OR USUAL CARE AFTER BASELINE ASSESSMENTS. DEMOGRAPHICS WERE COLLECTED AND MEASURES INCLUDED: CANADIAN OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE MEASURE (COPM) TO ASSESS OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE; THE 15-ITEM FRENCHAY ACTIVITIES INDEX (FAI)(ACTIVITIES); AND THE 9-ITEM PATIENT HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE (PHQ-9) FOR DEPRESSION. INDEPENDENT T-TESTS WERE USED TO ASSESS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS. PAIRED T-TESTS WERE USED TO ASSESS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PRE- AND POST 8-WEEK INTERVENTION FOR BOTH THE YOGA AND THE USUAL CARE GROUPS. PERCENT CHANGE SCORES AND EFFECT SIZES WERE CALCULATED. RESULTS: 83 PEOPLE WERE RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY AND COMPLETED BASELINE ASSESSMENTS; 44 INDIVIDUALS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA AND 39 TO THE CONTROL GROUP. THE AVERAGE AGE OF ALL PARTICIPANTS WAS 51.4+/-10.5 YEARS, 68% WERE FEMALE; AND 60% HAD AT LEAST SOME COLLEGE EDUCATION. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN DEMOGRAPHICS OR OUTCOME MEASURES BETWEEN GROUPS AT BASELINE OR 8 WEEKS; HOWEVER, THE STUDY WAS NOT POWERED TO SEE SUCH DIFFERENCES. INDIVIDUALS RANDOMIZED TO THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE IN ANY OUTCOME MEASURE OVER THE 8 WEEKS. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN COPM PERFORMANCE AND COPM SATISFACTION SCORES FOR INDIVIDUALS RANDOMIZED TO THE YOGA GROUP; BOTH SCORES SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED. COPM PERFORMANCE IMPROVED BY 27% WITH A MODERATE TO LARGE EFFECT SIZE (3.66+/-1.85 VS 4.66+/-1.93, P < 0.001, D = 0.76). COPM SATISFACTION SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED BY 78% (2.14+/-2.31 VS. 3.80+/-2.50, P < 0.001) AND HAD A LARGE EFFECTS SIZE (D = 1.02). FAI SCORES IMPROVED, INDICATING INCREASED ACTIVITY OR ENGAGEMENT IN DAILY OCCUPATION DURING THE 8-WEEK INTERVENTION. SCORES INCREASED BY 5% (38.13+/-8.48 VS. 39.90+/-8.57, P = 0.024) WITH A SMALL EFFECT SIZE (D = 0.37). DEPRESSION SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED FROM 13.21+/-5.60 TO 11.41+/-5.82, P = 0.041, WITH A SMALL EFFECT SIZE. CONCLUSION: DATA FROM THIS PILOT RCT INDICATE YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION WITH PEOPLE IN CHRONIC PAIN TO IMPROVE OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE, INCREASE ENGAGEMENT IN ACTIVITIES, AND DECREASE DEPRESSION. OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PRACTITIONERS MAY CONSIDER ADDING YOGA AS A TREATMENT INTERVENTION TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE WITH PAIN. 2019 14 970 32 EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM ON SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND DISCRIMINATION FUNCTION IN CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED WHETHER A YOGA EXERCISE INTERVENTION INFLUENCED THE SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND DISCRIMINATION FUNCTION IN CHILDREN WITH ADHD. FORTY-NINE PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE = 10.50 YEARS) WERE ASSIGNED TO EITHER A YOGA EXERCISE OR A CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS WERE GIVEN THE VISUAL PURSUIT TEST AND DETERMINATION TEST PRIOR TO AND AFTER AN EIGHT-WEEK EXERCISE INTERVENTION (TWICE PER WEEK, 40 MIN PER SESSION) OR A CONTROL INTERVENTION. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN ACCURACY RATE AND REACTION TIME OF THE TWO TESTS WERE OBSERVED OVER TIME IN THE EXERCISE GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES SUCH AS YOGA EXERCISES CAN BE COMPLEMENTARY TO BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS FOR CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION AND INHIBITION PROBLEMS. SCHOOLS AND PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH ADHD SHOULD CONSIDER ALTERNATIVES FOR MAXIMIZING THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT CHILDREN WITH ADHD CAN ENGAGE IN STRUCTURED YOGA EXERCISES. 2017 15 1585 33 MEDICAL YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSES IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. AN INCREASING NUMBER OF PATIENTS ARE SUFFERING FROM STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSES. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE MEDICAL YOGA TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSES IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE. A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY WAS PERFORMED AT A PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CENTRE IN SWEDEN FROM MARCH TO JUNE, 2011. PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO A CONTROL GROUP RECEIVING STANDARD CARE OR A YOGA GROUP TREATED WITH MEDICAL YOGA FOR 1 HOUR, ONCE A WEEK, OVER A 12-WEEK PERIOD IN ADDITION TO THE STANDARD CARE. A TOTAL OF 37 MEN AND WOMEN, MEAN AGE OF 53 +/- 12 YEARS WERE INCLUDED. GENERAL STRESS LEVEL (MEASURED USING PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS)), BURNOUT (SHIROM-MELAMED BURNOUT QUESTIONNAIRE (SMBQ)), ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION (HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS)), INSOMNIA SEVERITY (INSOMNIA SEVERITY INDEX (ISI)), PAIN (VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE (VAS)), AND OVERALL HEALTH STATUS (EURO QUALITY OF LIFE VAS (EQ-VAS)) WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS. PATIENTS ASSIGNED TO THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENTS ON MEASURES OF GENERAL STRESS LEVEL (P < 0.000), ANXIETY (P < 0.019), AND OVERALL HEALTH STATUS (P < 0.018) COMPARED TO CONTROLS. TREATMENT WITH MEDICAL YOGA IS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING LEVELS OF STRESS AND ANXIETY IN PATIENTS WITH STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE. 2013 16 858 53 EFFECT OF YOGA OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE ON PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE AND EMOTIONAL MEASURES IN CHILDREN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SEPARATELY REPORTED THE EFFECTS OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND YOGA IN CHILDREN, SHOWING PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE AND EMOTIONAL BENEFITS. OBJECTIVES: THE PRESENT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL ASSESSED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE ON PHYSICAL FITNESS, COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE, SELF-ESTEEM, AND TEACHER-RATED BEHAVIOR AND PERFORMANCE, IN SCHOOL CHILDREN. METHODS: 98 SCHOOL CHILDREN BETWEEN 8 TO 13 YEARS WERE RANDOMIZED AS YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUPS {N = 49 EACH; (YOGA: 15 GIRLS, GROUP MEAN AGE 10.4 +/- 1.2 YEARS), (PHYSICAL EXERCISE: 23 GIRLS, GROUP MEAN AGE 10.5 +/- 1.3 YEARS)}. BOTH GROUPS WERE BLIND ASSESSED AFTER ALLOCATION, USING: (I) THE EUROFIT PHYSICAL FITNESS TEST BATTERY, (II) STROOP COLOR-WORD TASK FOR CHILDREN, (III) BATTLE'S SELF-ESTEEM INVENTORY AND (IV) THE TEACHERS' RATING OF THE CHILDREN'S OBEDIENCE, ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, ATTENTION, PUNCTUALITY, AND BEHAVIOR WITH FRIENDS AND TEACHERS. AFTER ASSESSMENTS THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED YOGA (BREATHING TECHNIQUES, POSTURES, GUIDED RELAXATION AND CHANTING), 45 MINUTES EACH DAY, 5 DAYS A WEEK. DURING THIS TIME THE PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP HAD JOGGING-IN-PLACE, RAPID REPETITIVE MOVEMENTS AND RELAY RACES OR GAMES. BOTH GROUPS WERE ASSESSED AT THE END OF 3 MONTHS. DATA WERE ANALYZED WITH RM ANOVA AND POST-HOC TESTS WERE BONFERRONI ADJUSTED. RESULTS: THERE WAS ONE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS. THIS WAS IN SOCIAL SELF-ESTEEM WHICH WAS HIGHER AFTER PHYSICAL EXERCISE COMPARED TO YOGA (P < 0.05). ALL THE CHANGES REPORTED BELOW ARE BASED ON AFTER-BEFORE COMPARISONS, WITHIN EACH GROUP. BOTH GROUPS SHOWED AN INCREASE IN BMI, AND NUMBER OF SIT-UPS (P < 0.001). BALANCE WORSENED IN THE PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP, WHILE PLATE TAPPING IMPROVED IN THE YOGA GROUP (P < 0.001). IN THE STROOP TASK BOTH GROUPS SHOWED IMPROVED COLOR, WORD- AND COLOR-WORD NAMING (P < 0.01), WHILE THE PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP SHOWED HIGHER INTERFERENCE SCORES. TOTAL, GENERAL AND PARENTAL SELF-ESTEEM IMPROVED IN THE YOGA GROUP (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE ARE USEFUL ADDITIONS TO THE SCHOOL ROUTINE, WITH PHYSICAL EXERCISE IMPROVING SOCIAL SELF-ESTEEM. TRIAL REGISTRATION: THE STUDY WAS REGISTERED IN THE CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY OF INDIA (CTRI/2012/11/003112). 2013 17 2871 36 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 18 1034 45 EFFECTS OF YOGA IN DAILY LIFE PROGRAM IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: TO EXPLORE THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF A YOGA PROGRAM IN IMPROVING HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HQOL), PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) PATIENTS. DESIGN: SINGLE-CENTRE PARALLEL-ARMS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING YOGA (N = 30) AND EDUCATION CONTROL GROUP (N = 27). SETTING: TERTIARY CARE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL. INTERVENTION: A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM, BASED ON THE YOGA IN DAILY LIFE SYSTEM, INCLUDED 2X WEEKLY/90-MINUTE SESSIONS. THE CONTROL GROUP HAD 1XWEEKLY/60-MINUTE EDUCATIONAL LECTURES ON ARTHRITIS-RELATED TOPICS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ASSESSMENTS WERE PERFORMED AT BASELINE, 12 (POST-INTERVENTION) AND 24 WEEKS (FOLLOW-UP). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS CHANGE IN THE SHORT FORM-36 (SF-36) HQOL AT 12 WEEKS. LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSIS WAS ADJUSTED FOR BASELINE SCORES. RESULTS: NO SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND FOR SF-36 (ALL P > 0.05). AT 12 WEEKS THE ADJUSTED MEAN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS FAVOURED YOGA FOR FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CHRONIC ILLNESS THERAPY-FATIGUE (5.08 CI 1.29 TO 8.86; P = 0.009) AND HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS)-DEPRESSION (-1.37 CI -2.38 TO -0.36); P = 0.008) AND AT 24 WEEKS FOR HADS-ANXIETY (-1.79 CI -3.34 TO - 0.23; P = 0.025), WHILE THE IMPACT ON FATIGUE WAS SUSTAINED (5.43 CI 1.33 TO 9.54, P = 0.01). THE PROGRAM HAD NO IMPACT ON RA DISEASE ACTIVITY. FEASIBILITY OUTCOMES INCLUDED RECRUITMENT RATE 16 %, RETENTION 80.7 %, AND ADHERENCE TO YOGA 87.5 VS 82.7 % FOR CONTROL. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE RECORDED. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA IN DAILY LIFE PROGRAM WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGE IN HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE OF RA PATIENTS. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN FATIGUE AND MOOD WERE OBSERVED AT POSTINTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP. THIS YOGA PROGRAM WAS FOUND FEASIBLE AND SAFE FOR PATIENTS AND MAY COMPLEMENT STANDARD RA TREAT-TO-TARGET STRATEGY. 2021 19 1267 41 FOLLOW-UP OF YOGA OF AWARENESS FOR FIBROMYALGIA: RESULTS AT 3 MONTHS AND REPLICATION IN THE WAIT-LIST GROUP. OBJECTIVES: PUBLISHED PRELIMINARY FINDINGS FROM A RANDOMIZED-CONTROLLED TRIAL SUGGEST THAT AN 8-WEEK YOGA OF AWARENESS INTERVENTION MAY BE EFFECTIVE FOR IMPROVING SYMPTOMS, FUNCTIONAL DEFICITS, AND COPING ABILITIES IN FIBROMYALGIA. THE PRIMARY AIMS OF THIS STUDY WERE TO EVALUATE THE SAME INTERVENTION'S POSTTREATMENT EFFECTS IN A WAIT-LIST GROUP AND TO TEST THE INTERVENTION'S EFFECTS AT 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP IN THE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP. METHODS: UNPAIRED T TESTS WERE USED TO COMPARE DATA FROM A PER PROTOCOL SAMPLE OF 21 WOMEN IN THE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP WHO HAD COMPLETED TREATMENT AND 18 WOMEN IN THE WAIT-LIST GROUP WHO HAD COMPLETED TREATMENT. WITHIN-GROUP PAIRED T TESTS WERE PERFORMED TO COMPARE POSTTREATMENT DATA WITH 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP DATA IN THE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS THE FIBROMYALGIA IMPACT QUESTIONNAIRE REVISED (FIQR). MULTILEVEL RANDOM-EFFECTS MODELS WERE ALSO USED TO EXAMINE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN YOGA PRACTICE RATES AND OUTCOMES. RESULTS: POSTTREATMENT RESULTS IN THE WAIT-LIST GROUP LARGELY MIRRORED RESULTS SEEN AT POSTTREATMENT IN THE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP, WITH THE FIQR TOTAL SCORE IMPROVING BY 31.9% ACROSS THE 2 GROUPS. FOLLOW-UP RESULTS SHOWED THAT PATIENTS SUSTAINED MOST OF THEIR POSTTREATMENT GAINS, WITH THE FIQR TOTAL SCORE REMAINING 21.9% IMPROVED AT 3 MONTHS. YOGA PRACTICE RATES WERE GOOD, AND MORE PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH MORE BENEFIT FOR A VARIETY OF OUTCOMES. DISCUSSION: THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT THE BENEFITS OF YOGA OF AWARENESS IN FIBROMYALGIA ARE REPLICABLE AND CAN BE MAINTAINED. 2012 20 1171 41 EVALUATION OF A SPECIALIZED YOGA PROGRAM FOR PERSONS WITH A SPINAL CORD INJURY: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: THE PURPOSE OF THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A SPECIALIZED YOGA PROGRAM FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH A SPINAL CORD INJURY (SCI) ON PAIN, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND MINDFULNESS VARIABLES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WITH SCI (N=23) WERE OUTPATIENTS OR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AFFILIATED WITH A REHABILITATION HOSPITAL. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO AN IYENGAR YOGA (IY; N=11) GROUP OR TO A 6-WEEK WAIT-LIST CONTROL (WLC; N=12) GROUP. THE IY GROUP PARTICIPATED IN A TWICE-WEEKLY 6-WEEK SEATED IY PROGRAM; THE WLC GROUP PARTICIPATED IN THE SAME YOGA PROGRAM, AFTER THE IY GROUP'S YOGA PROGRAM HAD ENDED. PAIN, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND MINDFULNESS MEASURES WERE COLLECTED AT TWO TIME POINTS FOR BOTH GROUPS (WITHIN 1-2 WEEKS BEFORE AND AFTER PROGRAM 1 AND AT A THIRD TIME POINT FOR THE WLC GROUP (WITHIN 1 WEEK AFTER PROGRAM 2). RESULTS: LINEAR MIXED-EFFECT GROWTH MODELS WERE CONDUCTED TO EVALUATE THE MAIN EFFECTS OF GROUP AT T2 (POSTINTERVENTION), CONTROLLING FOR T1 (PREINTERVENTION) SCORES. T2 DEPRESSION SCORES WERE LOWER (F1,18=6.1, P<0.05) AND T2 SELF-COMPASSION SCORES HIGHER (F1,18=6.57, P< 0.05) IN THE IY GROUP COMPARED TO THE WLC GROUP. TO INCREASE SAMPLE SIZE AND POWER, THE TWO GROUPS WERE COMBINED AND ANALYZED ACROSS TIME BY COMPARING PRE- AND POSTINTERVENTION SCORES. MAIN EFFECTS OF TIME WERE FOUND FOR DEPRESSION SCORES, (F1,14.83=6.62, P<0.05), SELF-COMPASSION, (F1,16.6=4.49, P<0.05), MINDFULNESS (F1,16.79=5.42, P<0.05), MINDFUL OBSERVING (F1,19.82=5.06, P<0.05), AND MINDFUL NONREACTIVITY, (F1,16.53=4.92, P<0.05), ALL SHOWING IMPROVEMENT AFTER THE INTERVENTION. DISCUSSION: THE RESULTS INDICATED THAT A SPECIALIZED 6-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION REDUCED DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND INCREASED SELF-COMPASSION IN INDIVIDUALS WITH SCI, AND MAY ALSO HAVE FOSTERED GREATER MINDFULNESS. 2017