1 1096 149 EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS IN THE AFTERMATH OF AN EARTHQUAKE: A COMMUNITY-BASED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF AN INTEGRATED HATHA YOGA PRACTICE ON PERCEIVED STRESS AND STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS IN THE AFTERMATH OF AN EARTHQUAKE. DESIGN AND SETTING: INHABITANTS, AGED 20-67 YEARS, FROM HIGHLY EXPOSED EARTHQUAKE AREAS OF TWO VILLAGES IN SOUTH ICELAND WERE OFFERED TO PARTICIPATE IN A YOGA PROGRAM SUBSEQUENT TO AN EARTHQUAKE. SIXTY-SIX INDIVIDUALS WERE SELF-SELECTED INTO THE STUDY AND DIVIDED BY RESIDENTIAL CONVENIENCE INTO AN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (N=31) AND A WAITING LIST CONTROL GROUP (N=35). INTERVENTION: THE YOGA PROGRAM WAS CONDUCTED TWICE A WEEK FOR SIX WEEKS, IN NORMAL SITUATIONS AMONG THE INHABITANTS IN THE COMMUNITY. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: SEVERAL VALIDATED QUESTIONNAIRES ASSESSING STRESS AND STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS, POSTTRAUMATIC SYMPTOMS, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE WERE ADMINISTERED AT PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTION. RESULTS: MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (MANOVA) REVEALED DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AND WAITING LIST CONTROL GROUP ON SLEEP QUALITY (P=.03) AND SOCIAL RELATIONS (P=.04). THESE DIFFERENCES DID NOT PREVAIL AT BONFERRONI CORRECTION FOR MULTIPLE TESTING (AT ALPHA LEVEL OF .005). PARTICIPANTS IN BOTH GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN STRESS AND SOME STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS SUCH AS SLEEP, CONCENTRATION, WELL-BEING, QUALITY OF LIFE, DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY FROM PRE- TO POST-INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: THE DATA FROM THIS SMALL STUDY SHOW NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OF AN INTEGRATED HATHA YOGA PROGRAM ABOVE AND BEYOND WAITING LIST CONTROL, FOLLOWING EXPOSURE TO AN EARTHQUAKE. HOWEVER, THE OBSERVED TREND TOWARD IMPROVED SLEEP QUALITY AND SOCIAL RELATIONS DESERVE FURTHER EXPLORATION IN LARGER EFFECTIVENESS STUDIES ON THE IMPACT OF HATHA YOGA ON RECOVERY AFTER NATURAL DISASTER. 2014 2 1056 48 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY OF WOMEN. UNLABELLED: YOGA HAS OFTEN BEEN PERCEIVED AS A METHOD OF STRESS MANAGEMENT TOOL THAT CAN ASSIST IN ALLEVIATING DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY DISORDERS. THIS STUDY SOUGHT TO EVALUATE THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA IN RELIEVING SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN WOMEN WHO WERE REFERRED TO A YOGA CLINIC. METHODS: THE STUDY INVOLVED A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF WOMEN WHO WERE REFERRED TO A YOGA CLINIC FROM JULY 2006 TO JULY 2007. ALL NEW CASES WERE EVALUATED ON ADMISSION USING A PERSONAL INFORMATION QUESTIONNAIRE WELL AS BECK AND SPIELBERGER TESTS. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO AN EXPERIMENTAL AND A CONTROL GROUP. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (N=34) PARTICIPATED IN TWICE WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES OF 90 MIN DURATION FOR TWO MONTHS. THE CONTROL GROUP (N=31) WAS ASSIGNED TO A WAITING LIST AND DID NOT RECEIVE YOGA. BOTH GROUPS WERE EVALUATED AGAIN AFTER THE TWO-MONTH STUDY PERIOD. RESULTS: THE AVERAGE PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSION IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PRE AND POST YOGA INTERVENTION WAS 12.82+/-7.9 AND 10.79+/-6.04 RESPECTIVELY, A STATISTICALLY INSIGNIFICANT DECREASE (P=0.13). HOWEVER, WHEN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WAS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, WOMEN WHO PARTICIPATED IN YOGA CLASSES SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN STATE ANXIETY (P=0.03) AND TRAIT ANXIETY (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: PARTICIPATION IN A TWO-MONTH YOGA CLASS CAN LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PERCEIVED LEVELS OF ANXIETY IN WOMEN WHO SUFFER FROM ANXIETY DISORDERS. THIS STUDY SUGGESTS THAT YOGA CAN BE CONSIDERED AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY OR AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD FOR MEDICAL THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY DISORDERS. 2009 3 657 30 EFFECT OF 'EXERCISE WITHOUT MOVEMENT' YOGA METHOD ON MINDFULNESS, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. OBJECTIVE: TO ANALYZE THE EFFECT OF THE 'EXERCISE WITHOUT MOVEMENT' (E.W.M) YOGA METHOD ON MINDFULNESS AND ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS. METHODS: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECT OF ONE MONTH E.W.M. INTERVENTION AMONG 38 PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE ENROLLED VOLUNTARILY TO BOTH GROUPS, STUDY (N = 16) AND CONTROL (N = 22). FIVE PARTICIPANTS DROPPED OUT DURING THE STUDY. THE STATE MINDFULNESS SCALE (SMS) WAS USED TO MEASURE MINDFULNESS. THE ANXIETY INVENTORY BECK (BAI) AND THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY (BDI-II) WERE USED TO MEASURE THE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS, RESPECTIVELY, BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: STUDY GROUP SHOWED BOTH A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN MINDFULNESS AND DECREASE IN ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS, COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THE E.W.M. HAS BEEN USEFUL IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MINDFULNESS AND IN THE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AND MAY REPRESENT A NEW METHOD IN THE MINDFULNESS-BASED THERAPEUTIC APPLICATION. 2016 4 719 43 EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA ON MENTAL HEALTH OF INCARCERATED WOMEN: A FEASIBILITY STUDY. BACKGROUND: INCARCERATED WOMEN SHARE A DISPROPORTIONATE BURDEN OF MENTAL ILLNESS. ALTHOUGH PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE TO WOMEN IN PRISON, ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT MODALITIES, SUCH AS IYENGAR YOGA, MAY INCREASE PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING. OBJECTIVES: THE PURPOSES OF THIS STUDY WERE (A) TO ADDRESS THE FEASIBILITY OF PROVIDING A GENDER-RESPONSIVE EXERCISE INTERVENTION WITHIN A CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION AND (B) TO OBSERVE THE EFFECT OF A GROUP-FORMAT IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM THAT MET TWO SESSIONS A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS ON LEVELS OF DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS, ANXIETY SYMPTOMS, AND PERCEIVED STRESS AMONG INCARCERATED WOMEN. METHODS: A REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN, IN WHICH EACH PARTICIPANT SERVED AS HER OWN CONTROL, WAS USED. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THREE SELF-ADMINISTERED INSTRUMENTS: THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, THE BECK ANXIETY INVENTORY, AND THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE BEFORE TREATMENT (BASELINE) AND DURING TREATMENT (WEEKS 4, 8, AND 12). LINEAR MIXED EFFECTS MODELS WERE USED TO EXAMINE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN MENTAL HEALTH MEASURES OVER TIME, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF ALL AVAILABLE DATA. RESULTS: ALTHOUGH 21 WOMEN INITIALLY PARTICIPATED IN THE INTERVENTION, 6 WOMEN COMPLETED THE 12-WEEK INTERVENTION. A SIGNIFICANT LINEAR DECREASE WAS DEMONSTRATED IN SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION OVER TIME, WITH MEAN VALUES CHANGING FROM 24.90 AT BASELINE TO 5.67 AT WEEK 12. THERE WAS A MARGINALLY SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ANXIETY OVER TIME (12.00 AT BASELINE TO 7.33 AT WEEK 12) AND A NONLINEAR CHANGE IN STRESS OVER TIME, WITH DECREASES FROM BASELINE TO WEEK 4 AND SUBSEQUENT INCREASES TO WEEK 12. DISCUSSION: WOMEN WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS PROGRAM EXPERIENCED FEWER SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY OVER TIME. FINDINGS FROM THIS STUDY MAY BE USED TO IMPROVE FUTURE INTERVENTIONS FOCUSING ON THE HEALTH OUTCOMES OF INCARCERATED WOMEN. 2010 5 1085 42 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS, FATIGUE, MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG EMPLOYEES OF DIAMOND INDUSTRY: A NEW APPROACH IN EMPLOYEE WELLNESS. BACKGROUND: DIAMOND INDUSTRY EMPLOYEES OFTEN EXPERIENCE MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, FATIGUE, AND STRESS, CONTRIBUTING TO A LOW QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). YOGA IS AN ANCIENT DISCIPLINE OF MIND-BODY PRACTICE YOGA HAS NUMEROUS HEALTH BENEFITS. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFICACY OF WORKPLACE YOGA IN IMPROVING STRESS, MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, FATIGUE, AND QOL AMONG EMPLOYEES OF THE DIAMOND INDUSTRY. METHODS: ONE-HUNDRED SIXTY-SIX EMPLOYEES OF THE DIAMOND INDUSTRY BETWEEN THE AGES OF 20 AND 60 PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSIGNED TO EITHER YOGA (N = 84) OR WAITLIST (N = 82) GROUPS. THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED ONE HOUR OF YOGA, FOUR DAYS A WEEK FOR THREE CONSECUTIVE MONTHS. PARTICIPANTS IN THE WAITLIST GROUP FOLLOWED THEIR DAILY ROUTINES. MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, FATIGUE, STRESS, AND QOL WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER THREE MONTHS. RESULTS: ONE-HUNDRED FIFTY-FIVE EMPLOYEES COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05) IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN, PERCEIVED STRESS, FATIGUE, AND QOL DOMAINS AFTER THREE MONTHS COMPARED TO BASELINE. THE WAITLIST GROUP SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ANY OF THE MEASURES. IN THE POST SCORES COMPARISON BETWEEN THE GROUPS REVEALED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GROUPS. CONCLUSION: WORKPLACE YOGA FOUND TO BE A USEFUL, COST-EFFECTIVE AND FEASIBLE INTERVENTION IN IMPROVING STRESS, MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, FATIGUES AND QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG EMPLOYEES OF THE DIAMOND INDUSTRY. YOGA MAY BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE WORKPLACE AS A WELLNESS PROGRAM AT THE WORKPLACE. 2021 6 2127 41 THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF WELL-BEING AND RESILIENCE TO STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE. OBJECTIVES: RECENT RESEARCH HAS INDICATED CONCERN FOR THE DEGREE OF STRESS AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AMONG UNIVERSITY STAFF. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN ENHANCING EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AND RESILIENCE TO STRESS AMONG UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEES. METHODS: IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL AT A BRITISH UNIVERSITY, WE RECRUITED 48 EMPLOYEES AND RANDOMIZED THEM INTO EITHER A YOGA OR A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP WAS OFFERED SIX WEEKS OF DRU YOGA, COMPRISING ONE 60-MINUTE CLASS PER WEEK. THESE CLASSES WERE OFFERED BY A CERTIFIED DRU YOGA INSTRUCTOR AT LUNCHTIME FROM JANUARY-MARCH 2008. THE WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED NO INTERVENTION DURING THIS SIX-WEEK STUDY. BASELINE AND END-PROGRAM MEASUREMENTS OF SELF-REPORTED MOOD AND WELL-BEING WERE SELF-ASSESSED WITH THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES - BIPOLAR (POMS-BI) AND THE INVENTORY OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL ATTITUDES (IPPA). RESULTS: THIS SIX-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED POMS-BI AND IPPA SCORES FOR THE YOGA COMPARED TO THE WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP FOR SEVEN OF EIGHT MEASURES OF MOOD AND WELL-BEING. IN COMPARISON TO THE WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP AT BASELINE AND THE END OF THE PROGRAM, THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED MARKED IMPROVEMENTS IN FEELINGS OF CLEAR-MINDEDNESS, COMPOSURE, ELATION, ENERGY, AND CONFIDENCE. IN ADDITION, THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED INCREASED LIFE PURPOSE AND SATISFACTION, AND FEELINGS OF GREATER SELF-CONFIDENCE DURING STRESSFUL SITUATIONS. CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS SHOW THAT EVEN A SHORT PROGRAM OF YOGA IS EFFECTIVE FOR ENHANCING EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AND RESILIENCE TO STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE. WE SUGGEST THAT EMPLOYERS SHOULD CONSIDER OFFERING YOGA CLASSES TO THEIR EMPLOYEES. 2011 7 893 27 EFFECT OF YOGA-BASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON PERCEIVED STRESS, ANXIETY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN YOUNG ADULTS. PURPOSE: THIS STUDY, CONDUCTED AT A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN TURKEY, SOUGHT TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON PERCEIVED STRESS, ANXIETY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN YOUNG ADULTS. DESIGN AND METHODS: THIS STUDY WAS PLANNED AS A SEMIEXPERIMENTAL NONRANDOMIZED STUDY WITH A CONTROL GROUP. FINDINGS: YOGA-BASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DECREASED THE PERCEIVED STRESS AND STATE ANXIETY LEVELS, BUT HAD NO EFFECT ON TRAIT ANXIETY LEVELS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOGA-BASED TREATMENT CAN BE INCLUDED IN NURSING INTERVENTIONS FOR REDUCING STRESS AND ANXIETY LEVELS IN YOUNG ADULTS. 2020 8 2112 36 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION IN WOMEN. BACKGROUND: IN RECENT DECADES, SEVERAL MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC STUDIES ON YOGA PROVED IT TO BE VERY USEFUL IN THE TREATMENT OF SOME DISEASES. THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION IN WOMEN LIVING IN ILAM, IRAN. METHODS: THIS STUDY IS A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WITH PRE-POST TEST. TO COLLECT DATA, THE QUESTIONNAIRE OF DASS-21 (DEPRESSION ANXIETY STRESS SCALE-21) WAS USED. FOR ELIGIBLE SAMPLES, HATHA YOGA EXERCISES AND TRAINING SESSIONS WERE HELD FOR 4 WEEKS (3 TIME/WEEKS; 60-70 MIN EACH) BY A SPECIALIST. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING SPSS VERSION 20. RESULTS: 52 WOMEN WITH A MEAN AGE OF 33.5 +/- 6.5 WERE INCLUDED FOR ANALYSIS. DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND STRESS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN WOMEN AFTER 12 SESSIONS OF REGULAR HATHA YOGA PRACTICE (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA HAS AN EFFECTIVE ROLE IN REDUCING STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION. THUS, IT CAN BE USED AS COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE. 2018 9 1701 44 PARTICIPATION IN A YOGA STUDY DECREASES STRESS AND DEPRESSION SCORES FOR INCARCERATED WOMEN. INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS EXHIBIT A HIGH INCIDENCE OF STRESS-RELATED DISORDERS, INCLUDING ADDICTION AND POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD), AS WELL AS THE ADDED STRESS OF CAPTIVITY. ACCESS TO STRESS-REDUCTION TOOLS IS LIMITED FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS. ONE POSSIBLE APPROACH MAY BE REGULAR STRUCTURED YOGA CLASSES. USING TWO APPROACHES, WE TESTED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A BRIEF, INTENSIVE YOGA INTERVENTION IN A POPULATION OF INCARCERATED WOMEN IN A COUNTY JAIL. THE FIRST APPROACH WAS AN EXAMINATION OF ARCHIVAL DATA COLLECTED AS PART OF A PROGRAM ANALYSIS. INDIVIDUALS SHOWED CONSIDERABLE REDUCTION IN SELF-REPORTED STRESS FOLLOWING A SINGLE YOGA SESSION. THE SECOND APPROACH WAS AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY USING A WEEK-LONG YOGA INTERVENTION. THIRTY-FOUR PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP FOR THE FIRST WEEK. IN THE SECOND WEEK, THE CONDITIONS WERE REVERSED. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED WEEKLY, BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. BASELINE SCORES REVEALED HIGH RATES OF DEPRESSION, STRESS, AND EXPOSURE TO TRAUMATIC LIFE EVENTS COMPARED TO NORMATIVE DATA. STRESS AND DEPRESSION WERE ASSESSED USING THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE AND BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, RESPECTIVELY. COMPARED TO CONTROLS, PARTICIPANTS REPORTED LESS DEPRESSION AFTER A WEEK OF DAILY YOGA SESSIONS. PERCEIVED STRESS DECLINED UNDER BOTH CONTROL AND YOGA CONDITIONS. DUE TO THE TRANSIENT NATURE OF THE JAIL INSTITUTION, IT IS IMPORTANT TO EXAMINE INTERVENTIONS THAT CAN BE PROVIDED ON A SHORT-TERM BASIS. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE LIMITATIONS IN THIS STUDY, THE RESULTS SUPPORT THE CONCLUSION THAT THE BRIEF YOGA INTERVENTION HAD A POSITIVE EFFECT ON PARTICIPANTS' WELL-BEING. 2021 10 248 44 A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR YOUNG ADULTS WITH ELEVATED SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION. CONTEXT: YOGA TEACHERS AND STUDENTS OFTEN REPORT THAT YOGA HAS AN UPLIFTING EFFECT ON THEIR MOODS, BUT SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ON YOGA AND DEPRESSION IS LIMITED. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF A SHORT-TERM IYENGAR YOGA COURSE ON MOOD IN MILDLY DEPRESSED YOUNG ADULTS. DESIGN: YOUNG ADULTS PRE-SCREENED FOR MILD LEVELS OF DEPRESSION WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A YOGA COURSE OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. SETTING: COLLEGE CAMPUS RECREATION CENTER. PARTICIPANTS: TWENTY-EIGHT VOLUNTEERS AGES 18 TO 29. AT INTAKE, ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE EXPERIENCING MILD LEVELS OF DEPRESSION, BUT HAD RECEIVED NO CURRENT PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSES OR TREATMENTS. NONE HAD SIGNIFICANT YOGA EXPERIENCE. INTERVENTION: SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP ATTENDED TWO 1-HOUR IYENGAR YOGA CLASSES EACH WEEK FOR 5 CONSECUTIVE WEEKS. THE CLASSES EMPHASIZED YOGA POSTURES THOUGHT TO ALLEVIATE DEPRESSION, PARTICULARLY BACK BENDS, STANDING POSES, AND INVERSIONS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY, PROFILE OF MOOD STATES, MORNING CORTISOL LEVELS. RESULTS: SUBJECTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE YOGA COURSE DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN SELF-REPORTED SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND TRAIT ANXIETY. THESE EFFECTS EMERGED BY THE MIDDLE OF THE YOGA COURSE AND WERE MAINTAINED BY THE END. CHANGES ALSO WERE OBSERVED IN ACUTE MOOD, WITH SUBJECTS REPORTING DECREASED LEVELS OF NEGATIVE MOOD AND FATIGUE FOLLOWING YOGA CLASSES. FINALLY, THERE WAS A TREND FOR HIGHER MORNING CORTISOL LEVELS IN THE YOGA GROUP BY THE END OF THE YOGA COURSE, COMPARED TO CONTROLS. THESE FINDINGS PROVIDE SUGGESTIVE EVIDENCE OF THE UTILITY OF YOGA ASANAS IN IMPROVING MOOD AND SUPPORT THE NEED FOR FUTURE STUDIES WITH LARGER SAMPLES AND MORE COMPLEX STUDY DESIGNS TO MORE FULLY EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MOOD DISTURBANCES. 2004 11 2162 44 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND MINDFUL MEDITATION ON ELDERLY CARE WORKER'S BURNOUT: A CONSORT-COMPLIANT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY AIMS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF MINDFUL MEDITATION AND YOGA ON REDUCING BURNOUT AND STRESS IN CARE WORKERS WHO ASSIST ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS. KNOWING HOW TO REDUCE BURNOUT IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THAT OF CARE WORKERS IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE QUALITY OF CLIENT CARE, WORKER PRODUCTIVITY, AND JOB TURNOVER. PATIENTS AND METHODS: THE PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED 44 CARE WORKERS WHO WORKED FOR ELDERLY CARE FACILITIES IN RURAL FUKUOKA. THEY WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THREE INTERVENTION GROUPS: CONTROL, YOGA, OR MINDFULNESS. IN THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP, A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR TAUGHT A 60-MINUTE YOGA SESSION EACH WEEK FOR SIX WEEKS. IN THE MINDFULNESS GROUP, AN EXPERIENCED MEDICAL DOCTOR INSTRUCTED A MINDFUL MEDITATION PROGRAM FOR THE SAME LENGTH. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO COMPLETE THE JAPANESE BURNOUT SCALE (JBS), AND THE RESEARCH TEAM COLLECTED THE LEVEL OF ALPHA-AMYLASE IN SALIVA USING NIPRO: T-110-N PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTIONS. RESULTS: MANOVA WAS PERFORMED WITH EACH INTERVENTION (CONTROL, YOGA, MINDFULNESS) AS THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE ON THE THREE SUBSCALES OF THE JBS (EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION, DEPERSONALIZATION, AND PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT) AND A BIOMARKER OF STRESS LEVEL (ALPHA-AMYLASE). THE RESULTS INDICATED A SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECT OF INTERVENTIONS, AND A FOLLOW-UP ANOVA SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT OF INTERVENTIONS ON EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION AND PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT PRACTICING MINDFUL MEDITATION OR YOGA FOR 60 MINUTES ONCE A WEEK FOR SIX WEEKS CAN REDUCE CARE WORKERS' BURNOUT. THIS STUDY WAS NOTABLE BECAUSE THE BIOMARKER OF STRESS ALSO IMPROVED. IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED AND ENCOURAGED THAT INSTITUTIONS CARING FOR THE ELDERLY POPULATION PROVIDE MINDFUL MEDITATION OR YOGA INTERVENTION TO REDUCE BURNOUT, WHICH BENEFITS NOT ONLY CARE WORKERS BUT ALSO THEIR CLIENTS. 2022 12 841 36 EFFECT OF YOGA ON POSTTRAUMATIC GROWTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN FIRST-TIME MOTHERS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. AIM: THIS STUDY AIMS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON POSTTRAUMATIC GROWTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN POSTPARTUM MOTHERS. METHODS: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED. THERE WERE 160 PARTICIPANT MOTHERS, INCLUDING 80 FOR THE YOGA GROUP AND 80 FOR THE CONTROL GROUP. MOTHERS IN THE YOGA GROUP PARTICIPATED IN INDIVIDUAL YOGA PRACTICES AT THEIR HOMES EVERY WEEKDAY FOR 10 WEEKS. THE PERSONAL INFORMATION FORM, POSTTRAUMATIC GROWTH INVENTORY (PTGI), AND SHORT FORM-36 (SF-36) QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE WERE USED TO COLLECT DATA. RESULTS: THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT TOTAL AND SUBSCALE MEAN SCORES OF THE PTGI WERE HIGHER IN THE YOGA GROUP THAN THE CONTROL GROUP AFTER THE INTERVENTION. IN COMPARISON TO THE CONTROL GROUP, THE MEAN SCORES OF THE YOGA GROUP WERE HIGHER IN SUBSCALES AS PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING, ROLE-PHYSICAL, BODILY PAIN, GENERAL HEALTH, VITALITY, SOCIAL FUNCTIONING, MENTAL HEALTH OF THE SF-36, AFTER THE INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: THE YOGA INCREASED PSYCHOLOGICAL GROWTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE POSTPARTUM PERIOD. HEALTH PROFESSIONALS COULD USE YOGA TO INCREASE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF MOTHERS AND TO ENSURE THEIR PSYCHOLOGICAL GROWTH IN HEALTH CARE. 2021 13 1369 26 IMPACT OF A SHORT YOGA INTERVENTION ON MEDICAL STUDENTS' HEALTH: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: MEDICAL STUDENTS OFTEN EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT DISTRESS EARLY-ON IN UNDERGRADUATE TRAINING. AIMS: WE AIMED TO DEMONSTRATE THE IMPACT OF A BRIEF STRUCTURED YOGA INTERVENTION ON MEDICAL STUDENTS. METHOD: FOURTEEN FIRST-YEAR MEDICAL STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN A 16-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION PILOT STUDY. STUDENTS COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES AT BASELINE, MID-INTERVENTION AND END OF THE STUDY. RESULTS: THE STUDENTS REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN OVERALL HEALTH, PERCEIVED STRESS AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS FOLLOWING THE INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: A YOGA INTERVENTION MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN DECREASING STRESS AND IMPROVING GENERAL WELL-BEING IN MEDICAL STUDENTS. 2009 14 208 47 A SINGLE SESSION OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM AS A STRESS MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR SCHOOL EMPLOYEES: COMPARISON OF DAILY PRACTICE AND NONDAILY PRACTICE OF A YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM. OBJECTIVES: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF THE DAILY PRACTICE OF A YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM LEARNT DURING A SINGLE SESSION OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA INTERVENTION THAT WAS DEVELOPED BY US AS A STRESS MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR SCHOOL EMPLOYEES. SUBJECTS: NINETY SCHOOL EMPLOYEES. DESIGN: CASE-CONTROL STUDY. THREE MONTHS AFTER THE INTERVENTION, THE SUBJECTS WERE ASSIGNED TO A DAILY PRACTICE GROUP (CASE: N=43) AND A NONCONSECUTIVE DAILY PRACTICE GROUP (CONTROL: N=47) ACCORDING TO THEIR DAILY PRACTICE LEVEL OF THE YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM. INTERVENTIONS: THE SUBJECTS PARTICIPATED IN A STRESS MANAGEMENT EDUCATION PROGRAM BASED ON AN INTEGRATED YOGA THERAPY SESSION. THE PROGRAM INCLUDED PSYCHOLOGICAL EDUCATION AND COUNSELING ABOUT STRESS MANAGEMENT AND YOGA THEORIES, AS WELL AS THE PRACTICES OF ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, RELAXATION, AND COGNITIVE STRUCTURE BASED ON INDIAN PHILOSOPHY. OUTCOME MEASURES: ASSESSMENTS WERE PERFORMED BEFORE AND AFTER THE PROGRAM USING THE SUBJECTIVE UNITS OF DISTRESS FOR MIND AND BODY AND THE TWO-DIMENSIONAL MOOD SCALE. THE GENERAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE 28 (GHQ28) WAS USED TO ASSESS THE MENTAL HEALTH STATE BEFORE THE INTERVENTION AND AT 3 MONTHS AFTER THE PROGRAM. RESULTS: THE SUBJECTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN THEIR LEVELS OF CALMNESS, COMFORT, AND CHEERFULNESS (P<0.001) AND SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN COGNITIVE MIND AND BODY STRESS (P<0.001) AFTER PARTICIPATING IN THE INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM. A COMPARISON OF THE TOTAL SCORES ON THE GHQ28 USING A TWO-WAY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS IN TERMS OF BOTH INTERACTION (P=0.047) AND THE MAIN EFFECT (P=0.026). CONCLUSIONS: THE PRESENT RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT A SINGLE SESSION OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM WAS EFFECTIVE FOR REDUCING STRESS AND THAT THE MENTAL HEALTH OF SCHOOL EMPLOYEES WAS PROMOTED BY THE DAILY PRACTICE OF THE YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM. 2015 15 2227 44 THE IMPACT OF YOGA NIDRA AND SEATED MEDITATION ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF COLLEGE PROFESSORS. BACKGROUND: WORLD STATISTICS FOR THE PREVALENCE OF ANXIETY AND MOOD DISORDERS SHOWS THAT A GREAT NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS WILL EXPERIENCE SOME TYPE OF ANXIETY OR MOOD DISORDER AT SOME POINT IN THEIR LIFETIME. MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS SUCH AS HATHA YOGA AND SEATED MEDITATION HAVE BEEN USED AS A FORM OF SELF-HELP THERAPY AND IT IS ESPECIALLY USEFUL FOR CHALLENGING OCCUPATIONS SUCH AS TEACHERS AND PROFESSORS. AIMS: IN THIS INVESTIGATION, WE AIMED AT OBSERVING THE IMPACT OF YOGA NIDRA AND SEATED MEDITATION ON THE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION LEVELS OF COLLEGE PROFESSORS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: SIXTY COLLEGE PROFESSORS, MEN AND WOMEN, AGED BETWEEN 30 AND 55 YEARS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED IN ONE OF THE THREE EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS: YOGA NIDRA, SEATED MEDITATION, AND CONTROL GROUP. PROFESSORS WERE EVALUATED TWO TIMES THROUGHOUT THE 3-MONTH STUDY PERIOD. PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES INCLUDED ANXIETY, STRESS, AND DEPRESSION. RESULTS: DATA ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT THE RELAXATION GROUP PRESENTED BETTER INTRAGROUP RESULTS IN THE ANXIETY LEVELS. MEDITATION GROUP PRESENTED BETTER INTRAGROUP RESULTS ONLY IN THE ANXIETY VARIABLE (PHYSICAL COMPONENT). INTERGROUP ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT, EXCEPT FOR THE DEPRESSION LEVELS, BOTH INTERVENTION GROUPS PRESENTED BETTER RESULTS THAN THE CONTROL GROUP IN ALL OTHER VARIABLES. CONCLUSIONS: PREPOST RESULTS INDICATE THAT BOTH INTERVENTIONS REPRESENT AN EFFECTIVE THERAPEUTIC APPROACH IN REDUCING ANXIETY AND STRESS LEVELS. HOWEVER, THERE WAS A TENDENCY TOWARD A GREATER EFFECTIVENESS OF THE YOGA NIDRA INTERVENTION REGARDING ANXIETY, WHICH MIGHT REPRESENT AN EFFECTIVE TOOL IN REDUCING BOTH COGNITIVE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY. 2018 16 1442 37 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 17 748 37 EFFECT OF SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION ON QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. OBJECTIVE: THE PRESENT STUDY INVESTIGATES THE EFFECT OF SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION ON QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. DESIGN: THE PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL COHORT STUDY ENROLLED TWO STUDY GROUPS: THOSE RECEIVING TREATMENT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SAHAJA YOGA RESEARCH AND HEALTH CENTER (MEDITATION GROUP) AND THOSE RECEIVING TREATMENT FROM THE MAHATMA GANDHI MISSION HOSPITAL (CONTROL GROUP). RESEARCHERS MEASURED QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE BEFORE AND AFTER TREATMENT. RESULTS: SIXTY-SEVEN (67) PARTICIPANTS IN THE MEDITATION GROUP AND 62 PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE TWO GROUPS WERE COMPARABLE IN DEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS. AT BASELINE, THE MEDITATION GROUP HAD HIGHER QUALITY OF LIFE (P<0.001) THAN CONTROLS BUT SIMILAR ANXIETY LEVEL (P=0.74) TO CONTROLS. WITHIN-GROUP PRE- VERSUS POST-TREATMENT COMPARISONS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE IN THE MEDITATION GROUP (P<0.001), WHILE IN CONTROLS, QUALITY OF LIFE DETERIORATED AND THERE WAS NO IMPROVEMENT IN BLOOD PRESSURE. THE IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY REDUCTION, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL WAS GREATER IN THE MEDITATION GROUP. THE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF MEDITATION REMAINED SIGNIFICANT AFTER ADJUSTING FOR CONFOUNDERS. CONCLUSIONS: MEDITATION TREATMENT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY REDUCTION, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. 2012 18 696 41 EFFECT OF FOUR WEEKS OF INTEGRATED YOGA INTERVENTION ON PERCEIVED STRESS AND SLEEP QUALITY AMONG FEMALE NURSING PROFESSIONALS WORKING AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: STUDIES HAVE REPORTED THAT SIGNIFICANT NURSING PROFESSIONALS EXPERIENCE TREMENDOUS STRESS WHICH OFTEN AFFECTS THEIR SLEEP QUALITY LEADING TO POOR WELL-BEING. YOGA BEING A MIND BODY INTERVENTION REPORTED TO IMPROVE SLEEP QUALITY AND REDUCE STRESS. AIM: THE PRESENT PILOT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON PERCEIVED STRESS AND SLEEP QUALITY OF THE FEMALE NURSING PROFESSIONALS WORKING AT TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIRTY-THREE APPARENTLY HEALTHY NURSING STAFFS IN THE AGE RANGE OF 30-60 YEARS (MEAN AGE 40.60 +/- 10.26) WERE RECRUITED AS PARTICIPANTS OF THE STUDY, FROM A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN DELHI. PARTICIPANTS WERE ADMINISTERED PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS) AND PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI) BEFORE AND AFTER THE YOGA INTERVENTION. PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED 4 WEEK OF YOGA INTERVENTION FOR 45 MIN/DAY FOR 5 DAYS A WEEK. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION ON THE POSTSCORES OF PSS (T = 5.86, P < 0.0001, PAIRED T-TEST) AND PSQI (Z = -4.38, P < 0.0001, WILCOXON SIGNED-RANKS TEST) IN COMPARISON TO PRESCORES. AFTER THE YOGA INTERVENTION, PERCEIVED STRESS REDUCED BY 27.01% AND THE SLEEP QUALITY IMPROVED BY 38.68%. CONCLUSION: THE FINDING OF THE STUDY SUGGESTS EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN REDUCTION OF THE PERCEIVED STRESS AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE QUALITY OF SLEEP OF THE NURSING PROFESSIONAL. HOWEVER, THE PRESENT FINDINGS NEED TO BE CONFIRMED WITH FURTHER STUDIES WITH LARGER SAMPLE SIZE AND ROBUST RESEARCH DESIGN. 2021 19 2673 34 YOGA IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY TO ACCESS THE EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. BACKGROUND: AND PURPOSE: YOGA IS GROWING IN POPULARITY, BUT ITS BENEFITS AND INTEGRATION INTO PRIMARY CARE REMAIN UNCERTAIN. HERE, WE DETERMINE YOGA EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, AND EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF INTRODUCING YOGA AT PRIMARY CARE LEVEL. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS IS A PROSPECTIVE, LONGITUDINAL, QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY, WITH AN INTERVENTION (N=49) AND A CONTROL GROUP (N=37). YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT 24-WEEKS PROGRAM OF ONE-HOUR SESSIONS. OUR PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS QUALITY OF LIFE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, AS WELL AS SATISFACTION LEVEL AND ADHERENCE RATE. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS REPORTED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ALL DOMAINS OF QUALITY OF LIFE AND A REDUCTION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT YOGA SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES PSYCHOLOGICAL QUALITY OF LIFE (P=0.046). CONCLUSION: YOGA IN PRIMARY CARE IS FEASIBLE, SAFE AND HAS A SATISFACTORY ADHERENCE, AS WELL AS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON PSYCHOLOGICAL QUALITY OF LIFE OF PARTICIPANTS. 2019 20 342 30 ASHTANGA YOGA FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS FOR WEIGHT MANAGEMENT AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL BEING: AN UNCONTROLLED OPEN PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON WEIGHT IN YOUTH AT RISK FOR DEVELOPING TYPE 2 DIABETES. SECONDARILY, THE IMPACT OF PARTICIPATION IN YOGA ON SELF-CONCEPT AND PSYCHIATRIC SYMPTOMS WAS MEASURED. METHODS: A 12-WEEK PROSPECTIVE PILOT ASHTANGA YOGA PROGRAM ENROLLED TWENTY CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS. WEIGHT WAS MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER THE PROGRAM. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED SELF-CONCEPT, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION INVENTORIES AT THE INITIATION AND COMPLETION OF THE PROGRAM. RESULTS: FOURTEEN PREDOMINATELY HISPANIC CHILDREN, AGES 8-15, COMPLETED THE PROGRAM. THE AVERAGE WEIGHT LOSS WAS 2KG. WEIGHT DECREASED FROM 61.2+/-20.2KG TO 59.2+/-19.2KG (P=0.01). FOUR OF FIVE CHILDREN WITH LOW SELF-ESTEEM IMPROVED, ALTHOUGH TWO HAD DECREASES IN SELF-ESTEEM. ANXIETY SYMPTOMS IMPROVED IN THE STUDY. CONCLUSION: ASHTANGA YOGA MAY BE BENEFICIAL AS A WEIGHT LOSS STRATEGY IN A PREDOMINATELY HISPANIC POPULATION. 2009