1 1246 112 FEASIBILITY OF INTEGRATION OF YOGA IN A BEHAVIORAL WEIGHT-LOSS INTERVENTION: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE FEASIBILITY AND COMPARISON OF TWO STYLES OF YOGA WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF A STANDARD BEHAVIORAL WEIGHT-LOSS INTERVENTION (SBWI). METHODS: FIFTY ADULTS WITH OBESITY (BMI: 31.3 +/- 3.8 KG/M(2) ) PARTICIPATED IN THIS 6-MONTH STUDY THAT INCLUDED A SBWI AND A CALORIE- AND FAT-REDUCED DIET. RANDOMIZATION WAS TO RESTORATIVE HATHA (SBWI+RES) OR VINYASA (SBWI+VIN) YOGA. YOGA WAS PRESCRIBED TO INCREASE FROM 20 TO 40 TO 60 MINUTES PER SESSION ACROSS THE INTERVENTION. WEIGHT WAS ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND 6 MONTHS. PERCEPTIONS OF YOGA WERE ASSESSED AT THE COMPLETION OF THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: ADJUSTED WEIGHT LOSS WAS -3.4 KG (95% CI: -6.4 TO -0.5) IN SBWI+RES AND -3.8 KG (95% CI: -6.8 TO -0.9) IN SBWI+VIN (P < 0.001), WITH NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS. OF ALL PARTICIPANTS, 74.4% REPORTED THAT THEY WOULD CONTINUE PARTICIPATION IN YOGA AFTER THE SBWI. SESSION DURATION WAS A BARRIER AS YOGA INCREASED FROM 20 TO 40 TO 60 MINUTES PER DAY, WITH 0%, 7.5%, AND 48.8% REPORTING THIS BARRIER, RESPECTIVELY. CONCLUSIONS: AMONG ADULTS WITH OBESITY, YOGA PARTICIPATION, WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF A SBWI, APPEARS TO BE FEASIBLE, WITH WEIGHT LOSS NOT DIFFERING BY STYLE OF YOGA. PROGRESSING TO 60 MINUTES PER SESSION APPEARS TO BE A BARRIER TO ENGAGEMENT IN YOGA IN THIS POPULATION. 2021 2 2751 38 YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH ATTENUATED WEIGHT GAIN IN HEALTHY, MIDDLE-AGED MEN AND WOMEN. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS PROMOTED OR WEIGHT MAINTENANCE, BUT THERE IS LITTLE EVIDENCE OF ITS EFFICACY. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE WHETHER YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER MEAN 10-YEAR WEIGHT GAIN AFTER AGE 45. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED 15,550 ADULTS, AGED 53 TO 57 YEARS, RECRUITED TO THE VITAMIN AND LIFESTYLE (VITAL) COHORT STUDY BETWEEN 2000 AND 2002. MEASUREMENTS: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (INCLUDING YOGA) DURING THE PAST 10 YEARS, DIET, HEIGHT, AND WEIGHT AT RECRUITMENT AND AT AGES 30 AND 45. ALL MEASURES WERE BASED ON SELF-REPORTING, AND PAST WEIGHT WAS RETROSPECTIVELY ASCERTAINED. METHODS: MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSES WERE USED TO EXAMINED COVARIATE-ADJUSTED ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN YOGA PRACTICE AND WEIGHT CHANGE FROM AGE 45 TO RECRUITMENT, AND POLYCHOTOMOUS LOGISTIC REGRESSION WAS USED TO EXAMINE ASSOCIATIONS OF YOGA PRACTICE WITH THE RELATIVE ODDS OF WEIGHT MAINTENANCE (WITHIN 5%) AND WEIGHT LOSS (> 5%) COMPARED TO WEIGHT GAIN. RESULTS: YOGA PRACTICE FOR FOUR OR MORE YEARS WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A 3.1-LB LOWER WEIGHT GAIN AMONG NORMAL WEIGHT (BMI < 25) PARTICIPANTS [9.5 LBS VERSUS 12.6 IBS] AND AN 18.5-LB LOWER WEIGHT GAIN AMONG OVERWEIGHT PARTICIPANTS [-5.0 LBS VERSUS 13.5 IBS] (BOTH P FOR TREND <.001). AMONG OVERWEIGHT INDIVIDUALS, 4+ YEARS OF YOGA PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A RELATIVE ODDS OF 1.85 (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI] 0.63-5.42) FOR WEIGHT MAINTENANCE (WITHIN 5%) AND 3.88 (95% CL 1.30-9.88) FOR WEIGHT LOSS (> 5%) COMPARED TO WEIGHT GAIN (P FOR TREND .026 AND .003, RESPECTIVELY). CONCLUSIONS: REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH ATTENUATED WEIGHT GAIN, MOST STRONGLY AMONG INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE OVERWEIGHT. ALTHOUGH CAUSAL INFERENCE FROM THIS OBSERVATIONAL STUDY IS NOT POSSIBLE, RESULTS ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE HYPOTHESIS THAT REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE CAN BENEFIT INDIVIDUALS WHO WISH TO MAINTAIN OR LOSE WEIGHT. 2005 3 2653 45 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 4 579 26 DESIGNING A YOGA INTERVENTION PROGRAM TO IMPROVE WELL-BEING FOR PHYSICIAN TRAINEES: CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNED. WELL-BEING ACTIVITIES MAY HELP TO COUNTERACT PHYSICIAN BURNOUT. YOGA IS KNOWN TO ENHANCE WELL-BEING, BUT THERE ARE FEW STUDIES OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR PHYSICIANS IN TRAINING. THIS PROSPECTIVE METHODOLOGY-DEVELOPMENT STUDY AIMED TO EXPLORE HOW TO ESTABLISH A YOGA-BASED WELL-BEING INTERVENTION FOR PHYSICIAN TRAINEES IN A LARGE URBAN TRAINING HOSPITAL. WE AIMED TO IDENTIFY FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO TRAINEE PARTICIPATION AND EXPLORE AN INSTRUMENT TO MEASURE CHANGES IN SELF-REPORTED WELL-BEING AFTER YOGA. COHORTS INCLUDED A REQUIRED-ATTENDANCE GROUP, A VOLUNTARY-ATTENDANCE GROUP, AND AN UNASSIGNED WALK-IN YOGA GROUP. WEEKLY 1-HOUR YOGA SESSIONS WERE LED BY A QUALIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR FOR 4 WEEKS. THE SEVEN-QUESTION RESIDENT PHYSICIAN WELL-BEING INDEX (RPWBI) WAS USED TO MEASURE RESIDENT WELL-BEING BEFORE YOGA, AFTER 4 WEEKS OF YOGA, AND 6 MONTHS POST-YOGA. TRAINEES ATTENDING EACH SESSION RANGED FROM 17 FOR REQUIRED YOGA TO 0-2 FOR VOLUNTARY YOGA, 2-9 FOR LUNCHTIME WALK-IN YOGA, AND 1-7 FOR EVENING WALK-IN YOGA. IN THE REQUIRED-YOGA GROUP (N = 17), OVERALL RPWBI MEAN SCORES DID NOT CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS THE THREE QUERY TIMES, AND PARTICIPATION IN THE SURVEY DECLINED OVER TIME. THE MEAN BASELINE RPWBI SCORE FOR THE REQUIRED GROUP BEFORE YOGA WAS IN THE NON-DISTRESSED RANGE AND ANSWERS TO THE SEVEN INDIVIDUAL QUESTIONS VARIED. REQUIRING A YOGA ACTIVITY FOR MEDICAL TRAINEES MAY BE A GOOD STRATEGY FOR PROMOTING PARTICIPATION IN YOGA. THE RPWBI MAY HAVE LIMITED UTILITY FOR MEASURING CHANGES IN OVERALL GROUP WELL-BEING AFTER A YOGA INTERVENTION. 2021 5 819 30 EFFECT OF YOGA ON DEPRESSION IN HYPOTHYROIDISM: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: THE PREVALENCE OF HYPOTHYROIDISM AMONG INDIAN WOMEN IS 15.8%. DEPRESSION IS FREQUENTLY REPORTED IN HYPOTHYROIDISM. YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR DEPRESSION. HOWEVER, THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA ON DEPRESSION IN PATIENTS WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED. AIM: THE PRESENT STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECT OF A 3-MONTH INTEGRATED YOGA INTERVENTION (3-IY) ON DEPRESSION, LIPID INDICES, AND SERUM THYROID-STIMULATING HORMONE (STSH) LEVELS AMONG FEMALE PATIENTS HAVING HYPOTHYROIDISM, AND MILD-TO-MODERATE DEPRESSION. METHOD: THE PRESENT SINGLE-ARM PRE-POST DESIGN STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN THIRTY-EIGHT WOMEN (AVERAGE AGE 34.2 +/- 4.7 YEARS). PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED A 3-IY COMPRISING ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, AND RELAXATION TECHNIQUES FOR 60 MIN DAILY (5 DAYS A WEEK). DEPRESSION, STSH, LIPID PROFILE INDICES, BODY MASS INDEX (BMI), FATIGUE, ANXIETY, AND STRESS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS. THYROID MEDICATION WAS KEPT CONSTANT DURING THE STUDY PERIOD. DATA WERE ANALYSED USING R STUDIO SOFTWARE. RESULT: A SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05) REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION (58%), STSH (37%), BMI (6%), FATIGUE (64%), ANXIETY (57%), LIPID PROFILE INDICES (HLD INCREASED SIGNIFICANTY), AND STRESS (55%) LEVELS WAS OBSERVED AFTER 3 MONTHS, COMPARED WITH THE CORRESPONDING BASELINE LEVELS. CONCLUSION: THE 3-IY IS USEFUL FOR REDUCING DEPRESSION, DYSLIPIDEMIA, AND STSH IN WOMEN WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM AND DEPRESSION. FURTHER STUDIES WITH A LARGER SAMPLE SIZE AND A ROBUST RESEARCH DESIGN USING OBJECTIVE VARIABLES MUST BE CONDUCTED TO STRENGTHEN THE STUDY FINDINGS. 2021 6 2833 32 YOGA'S EFFECT ON FALLS IN RURAL, OLDER ADULTS. BACKGROUND: UNINTENTIONAL FALLS AFFECT 30% OF PEOPLE OVER AGE 65 YEARS. YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE BALANCE. WE DESIGNED THIS STUDY TO EXAMINE IF YOGA REDUCES FALLS. METHODS: WE CONDUCTED 16 SESSIONS OF HATHA YOGA OVER 8 WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO PRACTICE 10MIN OF YOGA DAILY AT HOME IN ADDITION TO 5-MIN RELAXATION EXERCISES OR RELAXATION EXERCISES ONLY (CONTROL GROUP). RESULTS: OF THE 38 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETING THE INTERVENTION, 15 PARTICIPANTS REPORTED A TOTAL OF 27 FALLS IN THE 6-MONTHS BEFORE THE STUDY, COMPARED TO 13 PARTICIPANTS SUSTAINING 14 FALLS IN THE 6 MONTHS FROM THE START OF THE STUDY (P<0.047), WITHOUT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOGA HOME-EXERCISE AND HOME RELAXATION-ONLY GROUPS. COMPARED TO BASELINE SCORES, ALL PARTICIPANTS IMPROVED ON THE BERG BALANCE SCALE (53-54 OUT OF 56, P=0.002), THE FUNCTIONAL GAIT ASSESSMENT (22.9-25.8 OUT OF 30 POINTS, P<0.001), AND THE DYNAMIC GAIT INDEX (20.6-22.4 OUT OF 24 POINTS, P<0.001). RIGHT LEG STAND TIME IMPROVED FROM A MEAN OF 13.3S TO 17.1S (P=0.020) AND STANDING FORWARD REACH DISTANCE FROM 26.0CM TO 29.6CM (P<0.001). WITHOUT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS. CONFIDENCE, WITH THE ACTIVITIES-SPECIFIC BALANCE CONFIDENCE SCALE, INCREASED IN THE YOGA HOME-EXERCISE GROUP (88%-93%, P=0.037) COMPARED TO 90% UNCHANGED FROM PRE-INTERVENTION IN THE HOME RELAXATION-ONLY GROUP. CONCLUSION: YOGA CLASSES REDUCE SELF-REPORTED FALLS AND IMPROVE BALANCE MEASURES. THE ADDITION OF HOME YOGA EXERCISES DID NOT ENHANCE BENEFIT OVER RELAXATION EXERCISE ONLY. 2017 7 97 21 A NONRANDOMIZED COMPARISON STUDY OF SELF-HYPNOSIS, YOGA, AND COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY TO REDUCE EMOTIONAL DISTRESS IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. THE AUTHORS ASKED BREAST CANCER (BC) PATIENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN 1 OF 3 MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS (COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (CBT), YOGA, OR SELF-HYPNOSIS) TO EXPLORE THEIR FEASIBILITY, EASE OF COMPLIANCE, AND IMPACT ON THE PARTICIPANTS' DISTRESS, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), SLEEP, AND MENTAL ADJUSTMENT. NINETY-NINE PATIENTS COMPLETED AN INTERVENTION (CBT: N = 10; YOGA: N = 21; AND SELF-HYPNOSIS: N = 68). RESULTS SHOWED HIGH FEASIBILITY AND HIGH COMPLIANCE. AFTER THE INTERVENTIONS, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECT IN THE CBT GROUP BUT SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE EFFECTS ON DISTRESS IN THE YOGA AND SELF-HYPNOSIS GROUPS, AND, ALSO, ON QOL, SLEEP, AND MENTAL ADJUSTMENT IN THE SELF-HYPNOSIS GROUP. IN CONCLUSION, MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS CAN DECREASE DISTRESS IN BC PATIENTS, BUT RCTS ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE FINDINGS. 2017 8 2085 30 THE EFFECT OF LONG TERM COMBINED YOGA PRACTICE ON THE BASAL METABOLIC RATE OF HEALTHY ADULTS. BACKGROUND: DIFFERENT PROCEDURES PRACTICED IN YOGA HAVE STIMULATORY OR INHIBITORY EFFECTS ON THE BASAL METABOLIC RATE WHEN STUDIED ACUTELY. IN DAILY LIFE HOWEVER, THESE PROCEDURES ARE USUALLY PRACTICED IN COMBINATION. THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE NET CHANGE IN THE BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR) OF INDIVIDUALS ACTIVELY ENGAGING IN A COMBINATION OF YOGA PRACTICES (ASANA OR YOGIC POSTURES, MEDITATION AND PRANAYAMA OR BREATHING EXERCISES) FOR A MINIMUM PERIOD OF SIX MONTHS, AT A RESIDENTIAL YOGA EDUCATION AND RESEARCH CENTER AT BANGALORE. METHODS: THE MEASURED BMR OF INDIVIDUALS PRACTICING YOGA THROUGH A COMBINATION OF PRACTICES WAS COMPARED WITH THAT OF CONTROL SUBJECTS WHO DID NOT PRACTICE YOGA BUT LED SIMILAR LIFESTYLES. RESULTS: THE BMR OF THE YOGA PRACTITIONERS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THAT OF THE NON-YOGA GROUP, AND WAS LOWER BY ABOUT 13 % WHEN ADJUSTED FOR BODY WEIGHT (P < 0.001). THIS DIFFERENCE PERSISTED WHEN THE GROUPS WERE STRATIFIED BY GENDER; HOWEVER, THE DIFFERENCE IN BMR ADJUSTED FOR BODY WEIGHT WAS GREATER IN WOMEN THAN MEN (ABOUT 8 AND 18% RESPECTIVELY). IN ADDITION, THE MEAN BMR OF THE YOGA GROUP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THEIR PREDICTED VALUES, WHILE THE MEAN BMR OF NON-YOGA GROUP WAS COMPARABLE WITH THEIR PREDICTED VALUES DERIVED FROM 1985 WHO/FAO/UNU PREDICTIVE EQUATIONS. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY SHOWS THAT THERE IS A SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BMR, PROBABLY LINKED TO REDUCED AROUSAL, WITH THE LONG TERM PRACTICE OF YOGA USING A COMBINATION OF STIMULATORY AND INHIBITORY YOGIC PRACTICES. 2006 9 1507 34 IS A YOGA-BASED PROGRAM WITH POTENTIAL TO DECREASE FALLS PERCEIVED TO BE ACCEPTABLE TO COMMUNITY-DWELLING PEOPLE OLDER THAN 60? OBJECTIVES AND IMPORTANCE OF STUDY: YOGA IMPROVES BALANCE AND MOBILITY, AND THEREFORE HAS POTENTIAL AS A FALL PREVENTION STRATEGY, YET ITS VALIDITY FOR PREVENTING FALLS HAS NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED. THE OTAGO EXERCISE PROGRAMME (OEP) AND TAI CHI ARE PROVEN TO PREVENT FALLS. THIS STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE THE PERCEPTIONS AND PREFERENCES OF OLDER PEOPLE TOWARDS A YOGA-BASED PROGRAM WITH POTENTIAL TO DECREASE FALLS, TO COMPARE THESE PERCEPTIONS TO THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ABOUT THE OEP AND TAI CHI, AND TO IDENTIFY PARTICIPANT CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH A PREFERENCE FOR THE YOGA PROGRAM. STUDY TYPE: SURVEY. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE 235 COMMUNITY-DWELLERS AGED 60 YEARS OR OLDER WHO WERE NOT PARTICIPATING OR HAD NOT PREVIOUSLY PARTICIPATED (WITHIN THE PAST 10 YEARS) IN YOGA-BASED EXERCISE. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED A SELF-REPORT SURVEY MEASURING DEMOGRAPHICS, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL AND ATTITUDE. THEY THEN VIEWED EXPLANATIONS OF THE YOGA-BASED PROGRAM, THE OEP AND TAI CHI. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE ATTITUDES TO FALLS-RELATED INTERVENTIONS SCALE (AFRIS) TO MEASURE PROGRAM ACCEPTABILITY AND IDENTIFIED THEIR PREFERRED PROGRAM. ACCEPTABILITY SCORES AND PREFERENCE WERE COMPARED BETWEEN THE PROGRAMS, AND FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA PREFERENCE WERE IDENTIFIED WITH ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE. RESULTS: THE MEAN AGE OF PARTICIPANTS (69% FEMALE) WAS 69.4 YEARS (STANDARD DEVIATION 7.4). ALL PROGRAMS WERE RATED AS EQUALLY ACCEPTABLE (P = 0.17), WITH AFRIS SCORES RANGING FROM 28.1 TO 29.4. EIGHTY-TWO PEOPLE (35%) PREFERRED YOGA, 32% CHOSE THE OEP AND 33% CHOSE TAI CHI. OVERALL, PEOPLE WHO PREFERRED YOGA WERE SIGNIFICANTLY YOUNGER, HEALTHIER, LESS FEARFUL OF FALLING, AND PERCEIVED EXERCISE MORE POSITIVELY THAN PEOPLE WHO PREFERRED THE OEP (P VALUES RANGED FROM 0.03 TO <0.001). THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PEOPLE WHO PREFERRED YOGA AND THOSE WHO PREFERRED TAI CHI DID NOT VARY SIGNIFICANTLY. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA WAS PERCEIVED TO BE APPROPRIATE AND WAS AS POPULAR AS TWO VALIDATED FALL PREVENTION PROGRAMS. YOGA WARRANTS FURTHER INVESTIGATION AS A FALL PREVENTION STRATEGY, PARTICULARLY FOR 'YOUNGER' AND HEALTHIER PEOPLE AGED 60 YEARS OR OLDER. 2018 10 277 27 ADDITIONAL PRACTICE OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING ENHANCES PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: THE PRACTICE OF YOGA IS ASSOCIATED WITH ENHANCED PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING. THE CURRENT STUDY ASSESSED THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE WITH STATE MINDFULNESS, MIND-WANDERING AND STATE ANXIETY. ALSO, WE EXAMINED IF AN ADDITIONAL 20 MIN OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING (EXPERIMENTAL GROUP) FOR 8 WEEKS WOULD AFFECT THESE PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES MORE THAN REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE (CONTROL GROUP) ALONE. METHODS: ONE HUNDRED SIXTEEN SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EXPERIMENTAL (N = 60) AND CONTROL (N = 56) GROUPS. STATE MINDFULNESS ATTENTION AWARENESS SCALE (SMAAS), MIND-WANDERING QUESTIONNAIRE (MWQ) AND STATE ANXIETY INVENTORY WERE ADMINISTERED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 8 WEEKS. RESULTS: BASELINE ASSESSMENT REVEALED A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE WITH SMAAS SCORES AND NEGATIVE CORRELATION WITH MWQ AND STATE ANXIETY SCORES. AT THE END OF 8 WEEKS, BOTH GROUPS DEMONSTRATED ENHANCED PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS, BUT THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP RECEIVING ADDITIONAL YOGA BREATHING PERFORMED BETTER THAN THE GROUP PRACTICING YOGA ALONE. CONCLUSION: AN ADDITIONAL PRACTICE OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING WAS FOUND TO ENHANCE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS IN YOUNG ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS. 2018 11 504 30 COMMUNITY-DELIVERED HEATED HATHA YOGA AS A TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS: AN UNCONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: THERE ARE NO KNOWN STUDIES OF CONCURRENT EXPOSURE TO HIGH TEMPERATURE AND YOGA FOR THE TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION. THIS STUDY EXPLORED ACCEPTABILITY AND FEASIBILITY OF HEATED (BIKRAM) YOGA AS A TREATMENT FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. DESIGN: AN 8-WEEK, OPEN-LABEL PILOT STUDY OF HEATED YOGA FOR DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. SUBJECTS: 28 MEDICALLY HEALTHY ADULTS (71.4% FEMALE, MEAN AGE 36 [STANDARD DEVIATION 13.57]) WITH AT LEAST MILD DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS (HAMILTON RATING SCALE FOR DEPRESSION [HRSD-17] SCORE >/=10) WHO ATTENDED AT LEAST ONE YOGA CLASS AND SUBSEQUENT ASSESSMENT VISIT. INTERVENTION: PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO ATTEND AT LEAST TWICE WEEKLY COMMUNITY HELD BIKRAM YOGA CLASSES. ASSESSMENTS WERE PERFORMED AT SCREENING AND WEEKS 1, 3, 5, AND 8. HYPOTHESES WERE TESTED USING A MODIFIED-INTENT-TO-TREAT APPROACH, INCLUDING PARTICIPANTS WHO ATTENDED AT LEAST ONE YOGA CLASS AND SUBSEQUENT ASSESSMENT VISIT (N = 28). RESULTS: ALMOST HALF OF OUR SUBJECTS COMPLETED THE 8-WEEK INTERVENTION, AND CLOSE TO A THIRD ATTENDED THREE QUARTERS OR MORE OF THE PRESCRIBED 16 CLASSES OVER 8 WEEKS. MULTILEVEL MODELING REVEALED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS OVER TIME IN BOTH CLINICIAN-RATED HRSD-17 (P = 0.003; DGLMM = 1.43) AND SELF-REPORTED BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY (BDI; P < 0.001, DGLMM = 1.31) DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AS WELL AS THE FOUR SECONDARY OUTCOMES: HOPELESSNESS (P = 0.024, DGLMM = 0.57), ANXIETY (P < 0.001, DGLMM = 0.78), COGNITIVE/PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING (P < 0.001, DGLMM = 1.34), AND QUALITY OF LIFE (P = 0.007, DGLMM = 1.29). OF 23 PARTICIPANTS WITH DATA THROUGH WEEK 3 OR LATER, 12 (52.2%) WERE TREATMENT RESPONDERS (>/=50% REDUCTION IN HRSD-17 SCORE), AND 13 (56.5%) ATTAINED REMISSION (HRSD SCORE