1 1290 122 GROUND REACTION FORCES GENERATED BY TWENTY-EIGHT HATHA YOGA POSTURES. ADHERENTS CLAIM MANY BENEFITS FROM THE PRACTICE OF YOGA, INCLUDING PROMOTION OF BONE HEALTH AND PREVENTION OF OSTEOPOROSIS. HOWEVER, NO KNOWN STUDIES HAVE INVESTIGATED WHETHER YOGA ENHANCES BONE MINERAL DENSITY. FURTHERMORE, NONE HAVE ESTIMATED REACTION FORCES APPLIED BY YOGA PRACTITIONERS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COLLECT GROUND REACTION FORCE (GRF) DATA ON A VARIETY OF HATHA YOGA POSTURES THAT WOULD COMMONLY BE PRACTICED IN FITNESS CENTERS OR PRIVATE STUDIOS. TWELVE FEMALE AND EIGHT MALE VOLUNTEERS PERFORMED A SEQUENCE OF 28 HATHA YOGA POSTURES WHILE GRF DATA WERE COLLECTED WITH AN AMTI STRAIN-GAUGE FORCE PLATFORM. THE SEQUENCE WAS REPEATED SIX TIMES BY EACH STUDY SUBJECT. FOUR DEPENDENT VARIABLES WERE STUDIED: PEAK VERTICAL GRF, MEAN VERTICAL GRF, PEAK RESULTANT GRF, AND MEAN RESULTANT GRF. UNIVARIATE ANALYSIS WAS USED TO IDENTIFY MEAN VALUES AND STANDARD DEVIATIONS FOR THE DEPENDENT VARIABLES. PEAK VERTICAL AND RESULTANT VALUES OF EACH POSTURE WERE SIMILAR FOR ALL SUBJECTS, AND STANDARD DEVIATIONS WERE SMALL. SIMILARLY, MEAN VERTICAL AND RESULTANT VALUES WERE SIMILAR FOR ALL SUBJECTS. THIS 28 POSTURE YOGA SEQUENCE PRODUCED LOW IMPACT GRF APPLIED TO UPPER AND LOWER EXTREMITIES. FURTHER RESEARCH IS WARRANTED TO DETERMINE WHETHER THESE FORCES ARE SUFFICIENT TO PROMOTE OSTEOGENESIS OR MAINTAIN CURRENT BONE HEALTH IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS. 2012 2 2085 37 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 3 987 25 EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA EXERCISES ON SPINE FLEXIBILITY IN WOMEN OVER 50 YEARS OLD. [PURPOSE] THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ACCESS THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE SPINE IN WOMEN PRACTICING YOGA AS A PART OF THE "UNIVERSITY FOR HEALTH" PROJECT. [SUBJECTS AND METHODS] THE STUDY INCLUDED 56 WOMEN RANGING IN AGE BETWEEN 50-79 AND ATTENDING 90 MINUTES HATHA YOGA SESSIONS ONCE A WEEK. THE MEASUREMENTS WERE PERFORMED TWICE-AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT AND AFTER ITS COMPLETION, I.E., AFTER 20 WEEKS OF CLASSES. THE RANGE OF SPINE MOBILITY IN THREE PLANES WAS MEASURED USING A RIPPSTEIN PLURIMETER. THE RANGE OF MOTION IN THE SAGITTAL AND FRONTAL PLANES WAS MEASURED IN A STANDING POSITION WITH THE FEET HIP-WIDTH APART. THE TORSIONAL RANGE OF MOTION OF THE SUBJECTS WAS MEASURED WITH THE TRUNK BENT AT A RIGHT ANGLE AND THE LEGS APART. THE FLEXIBILITY RANGES OF THE SPINE AND HAMSTRINGS WERE ALSO MEASURED BY THE TOE-TOUCH TEST IN A STANDING POSITION. [RESULTS] THIS STUDY SHOWED THAT THE APPLIED YOGA EXERCISES INCREASED SPINAL MOBILITY AND FLEXIBILITY OF THE HAMSTRING MUSCLES REGARDLESS OF AGE. [CONCLUSION] YOGA EXERCISES SHOULD BE RECOMMENDED TO THE ELDERLY TO MAKE THEIR MUSCLES MORE FLEXIBLE AND TO INCREASE THE RANGE OF MOTION IN THE JOINTS, WHICH IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT FOR IMPROVING THEIR LIFE QUALITY. 2015 4 2461 32 YOGA AS A NOVEL ADJUVANT THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH IDIOPATHIC INFLAMMATORY MYOPATHIES. CONTEXT: RECENT STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS WELL TOLERATED BY PATIENTS WITH IDIOPATHIC INFLAMMATORY MYOPATHIES (IIMS) AND CAN HAVE ADDITIONAL BENEFITS AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY TO PHARMACOLOGIC AGENTS, ESPECIALLY IF STARTED EARLY. TO DATE, NO STUDIES HAVE EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PATIENTS WITH IIMS. AIMS: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SELF-REPORTED DIFFICULTY IN PERFORMING ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING (ADL) AND MUSCLE STRENGTH IN PATIENTS WITH MILD-TO-MODERATE IIMS. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A LONGITUDINAL COHORT STUDY IN WHICH PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED USING THE MYOSITIS ACTIVITIES PROFILE (MAP) AND MANUAL MUSCLE TESTING (MMT) BEFORE AND AFTER THE COMPLETION OF AN 8-WEEK INSTRUCTOR-GUIDED YOGA COURSE WAS PERFORMED. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: WILCOXON SIGNED-RANKED TEST WAS PERFORMED FOR STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. RESULTS: THE AVERAGE POSTTREATMENT MAP SCORES OF SIX PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED AN INCREASE OF 2.51 POINTS, WHILE THE AVERAGE MMT SCORE OF FOUR PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED AN INCREASE OF 11 POINTS. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY IS THE FIRST STUDY TO DATE TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH IIM. CONTINUED RESEARCH SHOULD BE DONE ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY, FOR IN ADDITION TO INCREASE IN MUSCLE STRENGTH AND ABILITY TO PERFORM ADL, YOGA MAY OFFER POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS IN MOOD, MENTAL HEALTH, AND SLEEP. 2021 5 1301 25 HATHA YOGA ON BODY BALANCE. BACKGROUND: A GOOD BODY BALANCE REQUIRES A PROPER FUNCTION OF VESTIBULAR, VISUAL, AND SOMATOSENSORY SYSTEMS WHICH CAN BE REACH WITH EXERCISE PRACTICE AND/OR YOGA. AIM: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF A 5-MONTH HATHA YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM ON BODY BALANCE IN YOUNG ADULTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS STUDY USED A CONTROLLED, NONRANDOMIZED DESIGN, WHERE THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP UNDERWENT A 5-MONTH TRAINING PROGRAM AND WERE THEN COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP THAT HAD A SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE. A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF 34 OUT OF 40 MEN AGED 25-55 YEARS OLD (34.0 +/- 0.9) WERE DEEMED ELIGIBLE FOR THIS STUDY. THEY WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS. SUBJECTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WERE ENGAGED IN 60 MIN SESSIONS OF HATHA YOGA THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR 5 MONTHS. WE EVALUATED POSTURAL CONTROL BY MEASURING THE LIMIT OF STABILITY AND VELOCITY OF OSCILLATION (VOS) IN THREE CONDITIONS OF THE BALANCE REHABILITATION UNIT (BRU) AND THROUGH FIELD PROCEDURES (FOUR POSITION, PLANE, FLAMINGO, HOPSCOTCH, AND DYNAMIC TEST). RESULTS: WE OBSERVED DIFFERENCES (P < 0.05) IN POSTINTERVENTION SCORES BETWEEN THE GROUPS REGARDLESS OF BRU PARAMETERS AND FIELD PROCEDURES (EXCEPT FOR FLAMINGO) EVEN AFTER ADJUSTING FOR PREINTERVENTION SCORES, SUGGESTING THAT THESE CHANGES WERE INDUCED BY HATHA YOGA TRAINING. THE PARTIAL ETA SQUARED ON BRU PARAMETERS RANGED FROM 0.78 (VOS1)-0.97 (COP2), AND FROM 0.00 (FLAMINGO)-0.94 (FOUR POSITION) FOR THE FIELD PROCEDURES. CONCLUSIONS: OUR RESULTS PROVIDE SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE THAT POSTURAL CONTROL IN HEALTHY YOUNG ADULTS CAN BE IMPROVED THROUGH PRACTICING HATHA YOGA. 2014 6 371 20 AWARENESS AND PRACTICE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA AMONG HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS IN ANAND CITY. BACKGROUND: AEROBIC EXERCISE IS HELPFUL IN REDUCING ELEVATED BLOOD PRESSURE (BP). IT WAS ALSO FOUND THAT YOGA IS USEFUL IN REDUCING RAISED BP. THUS, THEY BOTH CAN BE USED IN PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION. HENCE, THE STUDY AIMED TO OBSERVE BOTH AWARENESS AND PRACTICE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA AMONG HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS IN ANAND CITY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL DESCRIPTIVE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED. A QUESTIONNAIRE WAS PREPARED CONTAINING 24 QUESTIONS ABOUT AWARENESS AND PRACTICE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA AMONG HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS. THE QUESTIONS WERE EXPLAINED TO ALL THE PATIENTS, AND 200 PATIENTS WERE RECRUITED FROM ANAND CITY THROUGH CONVENIENCE SAMPLING. RESULTS: TWO-HUNDRED PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY, OF WHICH 100% WERE AWARE OF HYPERTENSION. 67.68% WERE AWARE OF THE ROLE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE IN HYPERTENSION, OF WHICH 58.29% PRACTICED THEM. THE AWARENESS OF THE ROLE OF YOGA IN HYPERTENSION WAS NOTED IN 33.67% OF PATIENTS, OF WHICH ONLY 13.07% PRACTICED PRANAYAMA AND 9.50% PRACTICED ASANAS. CONCLUSION: THERE WAS A COMPLETE AWARENESS OF HYPERTENSION AMONG HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS. A LARGE NUMBER OF PATIENTS WERE AWARE OF THE ROLE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE IN HYPERTENSION, BUT ONLY FEW OF THE PATIENTS PRACTICED THEM. HOWEVER, THERE WAS LESS AWARENESS OF THE ROLE OF YOGA IN HYPERTENSION AND EVEN LESSER NUMBER PRACTICED THEM. 2019 7 579 28 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 8 2393 15 YOGA AND BONE HEALTH. OSTEOPOROSIS IS A PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM AFFECTING INDIVIDUALS GLOBALLY. YOGA HAS BEEN FOUND TO PREVENT AND REVERSE BONE LOSS. YOGA MAY RESULT IN BETTER BALANCE, IMPROVED POSTURE, AND GREATER RANGE OF MOTION, STRENGTH, AND COORDINATION, ALL FACTORS THAT ALSO MITIGATE THE RISK OF FALLS AND FRACTURES. A 12-MINUTE, 12-POSE YOGA REGIMEN IS DISCUSSED IN DETAIL. ONCE LEARNED, THE ONGOING USE OF YOGA IS SAFE, WITHOUT COST, AND MAY BE DONE LIFELONG. 2021 9 2890 24 YOGA: POTENTIAL BENEFITS FOR PERSONS WHO STUTTER. YOGA HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED TO MODULATE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM ACTIVITY, DECREASING ANXIETY AND STRESS, AND IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE. THIS PRELIMINARY STUDY SOUGHT TO EXAMINE THE USE OF YOGIC TECHNIQUES ON PERSONS WHO STUTTER GIVEN THE INTERACTION BETWEEN PHYSIOLOGICAL AROUSAL/ANXIETY AND STUTTERING THAT CURRENT MULTIFACTORIAL MODELS OF STUTTERING PROPOSE. FOUR PARTICIPANTS (M = 52 YR, SD = 10; 2 FEMALE, 2 MALE), RECRUITED FROM LOCAL STUTTERING SUPPORT GROUPS IN THE GREATER PHILADELPHIA COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERED TO PARTICIPATE. STUTTERING SEVERITY, ANXIETY, AND EXPERIENCES REGARDING STUTTERING AND COMMUNICATION WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE, POST INTERVENTION, AND AT 4 MONTHS FOLLOW-UP. THE PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED GROUP YOGA SESSIONS AND ENGAGED IN HOME PRACTICE. DESCRIPTIVE RESULTS REVEALED THAT PARTICIPANTS SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS ACROSS OUTCOME MEASURES, WITH THE MOST IMPROVEMENT RELATED TO ANXIETY. PARTICIPANTS ALSO REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN THEIR PERCEPTIONS ABOUT COMMUNICATION AS PER QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF RESPONSES TO THE OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONNAIRES. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR PERSONS WHO STUTTER AND WARRANTS FURTHER STUDY USING AN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN. 2016 10 2152 22 THE EFFECTS OF SELECTED ASANAS IN IYENGAR YOGA ON FLEXIBILITY: PILOT STUDY. IN RECENT YEARS THE PRACTICE OF YOGA HAS GAINED POPULARITY AS A FORM OF PHYSICAL FITNESS AND EXERCISE, AND HAS BEEN SAID TO IMPROVE STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A SIX WEEK IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTION ON FLEXIBILITY. N = 16 LOW TO MODERATELY ACTIVE FEMALES (52.37 +/- 7.79 YEARS) ATTENDED IYENGAR YOGA PRACTICE FOR A TOTAL OF 6 WEEKS, CONSISTING OF ONE 90 MIN SESSION PER WEEK. LUMBAR AND HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY WERE ASSESSED PRE AND POST-INTERVENTION USING A STANDARD SIT AND REACH TEST. THE RESULTS SHOW A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN FLEXIBILITY, INDICATING 6 WEEKS OF SINGLE SESSION YOGA TRAINING MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN INCREASING ERECTOR SPINAE AND HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY. THIS IS IMPORTANT WHEN CONSIDERING THAT MUCH OF THE POPULATION FIND IT DIFFICULT TO ATTEND MORE THAN ONE SESSION A WEEK INTO THEIR TRAINING SCHEDULE. 2014 11 2015 23 SUGGESTIONS FOR ADAPTING YOGA TO THE NEEDS OF OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOPOROSIS. BACKGROUND: EXERCISE SUCH AS YOGA MAY HAVE HEALTH BENEFITS FOR OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOPOROSIS, BUT WITHOUT ATTENTION TO SAFE MOVEMENT YOGA CAN ALSO INCREASE THE RISK FOR INJURY. OBJECTIVE: THE CURRENT ARTICLE PROVIDES SUGGESTIONS FOR HOW TO ADAPT YOGA TO THE NEEDS OF OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOPOROSIS. SUGGESTIONS: A GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR EXERCISE IS THAT OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOPOROSIS SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN A MULTICOMPONENT EXERCISE PROGRAM, INCLUDING RESISTANCE AND BALANCE TRAINING. CONTRAINDICATED MOVEMENTS INCLUDE END-RANGE FLEXION/EXTENSION/ROTATION OF THE SPINE AND INTERNAL/EXTERNAL ROTATION OF THE HIP. YOGA POSTURES THAT SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED INCLUDE POSTURES EMPHASIZING SPINAL ALIGNMENT AND EXTENSION TO MID-RANGE IN STANDING AND ON THE FLOOR. OVERARCHING CONSIDERATIONS FOR PARTICIPATION IN YOGA ARE THAT CLASSES SHOULD BE DESIGNED FOR HIGHER-RISK OLDER ADULTS, LED BY AN INSTRUCTOR WHO HAS HAD PROPER TRAINING WITH INDIVIDUALS WITH OSTEOPOROSIS, SHOULD BE A NONCOMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT, AND SHOULD GIVE ATTENTION TO WHICH POSTURES ARE SAFE AND HOW TO TRANSITION SAFELY. 2016 12 1643 18 MOOD CHANGE AND PERCEPTIONS OF VITALITY: A COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF RELAXATION, VISUALIZATION AND YOGA. THE EFFECTS OF THREE DIFFERENT PROCEDURES, RELAXATION, VISUALIZATION AND YOGIC BREATHING AND STRETCH (PRANAYAMA) ON PERCEPTIONS OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ENERGY AND ON POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE MOOD STATES HAVE BEEN ASSESSED IN A GROUP OF NORMAL VOLUNTEERS (N = 71, AGE RANGE 21-76). PRANAYAMA PRODUCED A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER INCREASE IN PERCEPTIONS OF MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ENERGY AND FEELINGS OF ALERTNESS AND ENTHUSIASM THAN THE OTHER TWO PROCEDURES (P < 0.5). RELAXATION MADE SUBJECTS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE SLEEPY AND SLUGGISH IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SESSION THAN PRANAYAMA (P < 0.05). VISUALIZATION MADE THEM MORE SLUGGISH BUT LESS CONTENT THAN PRANAYAMA (P < 0.05) AND MORE UPSET THAN RELAXATION AFTER THE SECOND SESSION (P < 0.05). THUS, A 30 MIN PROGRAMME OF YOGIC STRETCH AND BREATHING EXERCISES WHICH IS SIMPLE TO LEARN AND WHICH CAN BE PRACTISED EVEN BY THE ELDERLY HAD A MARKEDLY 'INVIGORATING' EFFECT ON PERCEPTIONS OF BOTH MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ENERGY AND INCREASED HIGH POSITIVE MOOD. A MORE EXTENSIVE INVESTIGATION IS PLANNED TO ESTABLISH WHETHER SUCH A PROGRAMME CAN READILY BE INCORPORATED INTO EVERYDAY LIFE, AND WITH WHAT LONG-TERM RESULTS. 1993 13 81 28 A MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF EFFECTS ON SPECIFIC JOINTS DURING PRACTICE OF THE SUN SALUTATION--A SEQUENCE OF YOGA POSTURES. THE 'SUN SALUTATION' CONSISTS OF A SEQUENCE OF TEN YOGA POSTURES, EACH POSTURE COUNTERACTING THE PRECEDING ONE PRODUCING A BALANCE BETWEEN FLEXION AND EXTENSION, PERFORMED WITH SYNCHRONIZED BREATHING AND AEROBIC ACTIVITY. AS THIS SEQUENCE IS OFTEN PERFORMED AND RECOMMENDED BY MANY YOGA PRACTITIONERS, THERE IS A NEED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A BIOMECHANICAL MODEL TO SUPPORT ITS REPORTED CLINICAL BENEFITS. THIS REQUIRES A DETAILED KNOWLEDGE OF THE NATURE OF THE FORCES AND MOMENTS AT THE VARIOUS JOINTS INVOLVED. A SIMPLE MATHEMATICAL MODEL BASED ON RIGID BODY MECHANICS IS DEVELOPED FOR EACH OF THE SUN SALUTATION POSTURES. DYNAMIC MOMENTS WITH HIGH MAGNITUDES AND RATES, APPLIED WITH UNUSUAL DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS, OPTIMAL FOR OSTEOGENESIS, ARE FOUND TO OCCUR. ALSO, THE JOINTS ARE SUBJECTED TO SUBMAXIMAL LOADINGS THUS ENSURING THAT NONE OF THE JOINTS ARE OVERSTRESSED. 2011 14 277 23 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 15 2112 28 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 16 2340 27 USE OF A 'POSE RATE' TO QUANTIFY YOGA. OBJECTIVE: TO DEVELOP A METHOD THAT DESCRIBES THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY COMPLETED DURING YOGA, AND TO USE THIS METHOD TO COMPARE THREE DIFFERENT YOGA VIDEO CATEGORIES: WEIGHT LOSS, BEGINNER, AND STRESS RELIEF/MEDITATION. DESIGN: THIS STUDY CONDUCTED CONTENT ANALYSIS OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE YOGA VIDEOS IN WHICH PRE-DETERMINED CHARACTERISTICS OF YOGA ROUTINES WERE RECORDED. OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED THE YOGA ROUTINE CHARACTERISTICS OF: DURATION OF EACH YOGA ROUTINE, NUMBER OF COMPLETED POSES, BODY POSITION OF EACH POSE, AND POSE RATE. RESULTS: TWENTY-TWO ROUTINES FROM YOGA VIDEOS WERE ANALYZED. DURATION OF ROUTINE BETWEEN THE THREE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE VIDEO CATEGORIES BASED ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF TOTAL NUMBER OF POSES AND THE POSE RATE, WITH WEIGHT LOSS ROUTINES HAVING THE HIGHEST VALUES COMPARE TO BEGINNER ROUTINES AND STRESS RELIEF/MEDITATION (TOTAL NUMBER OF POSES: 74.1, 34.3, 25.6 POSES, P < 0.05; POSE RATE: 2.5M 1.5, 1.1 POSES/MIN, P < 0.05, RESPECTIVELY). ADDITIONALLY, DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED BETWEEN BODY POSTURES IN POSES WITH WEIGHT LOSS VIDEOS INCLUDING MORE STANDING POSES (38.8, 17.0, 5.7 POSES, P < 0.05, RESPECTIVELY) AND A LOWER PERCENTAGE OF SEATED (9.9%, 15.8%, 39.0%, P < 0.05, RESPECTIVELY) AND SUPINE POSES (10.9%, 18.5%, 28.8%, P < 0.05, RESPECTIVELY) COMPARED TO THE BEGINNER AND STRESS/MEDITATION VIDEOS. CONCLUSIONS: THE CHARACTERISTICS OF TOTAL POSES, POSE RATE, AND TOTAL STANDING POSES SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DIFFERENT STYLES OF YOGA. FURTHER RESEARCH SHOULD BE CONDUCTED TO VALIDATE THESE CHARACTERISTICS AS AN INTENSITY MEASURES AND TO ASSESS IF THESE CHARACTERISTICS HAVE VARIATIONS BETWEEN DIFFERENT YOGA STYLES. 2019 17 2752 27 YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH SUPERIOR MOTOR IMAGERY PERFORMANCE. YOGA IS AN ACTIVITY THAT AIMS TO INTEGRATE PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS AND IS AN INCREASINGLY POPULAR APPROACH TO ENHANCING PHYSICAL FITNESS. THE INTEGRATION OF IMAGERY WITHIN YOGA PRACTICE IS CONSIDERED AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT AND MAY BE CRITICAL IN CONTRIBUTING TO THE BENEFITS OF YOGA THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED. IN THIS STUDY, WE TESTED WHETHER INDIVIDUALS WHO PRACTICE YOGA DEMONSTRATE SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE ON AN OBJECTIVE MEASURE OF IMPLICIT MOTOR IMAGERY. THIRTY-SIX PARTICIPANTS (18 YOGA, 18 NON-YOGA) MATCHED FOR AGE, SEX AND HANDEDNESS, UNDERTOOK THE HAND LATERALITY RECOGNITION TASK; AN OBJECTIVE MEASURE OF IMPLICIT MOTOR IMAGERY PERFORMANCE. ACCURACY AND RESPONSE TIMES WERE GATHERED AND ANALYSED TO DETERMINE ANY GROUP DIFFERENCES AS WELL AS ANY DIFFERENCES RELATING TO THE TYPICAL HALLMARKS OF IMAGERY (I.E. DOMINANCE AND AWKWARDNESS EFFECTS) ON THE TASK. RESPONSE TIMES (RTS) IN THE YOGA GROUP WERE SIGNIFICANTLY FASTER THAN CONTROLS (P < 0.05) AND THERE WAS ALSO A TREND TOWARDS GREATER ACCURACY FOR THE YOGA GROUP (P = 0.073). DOMINANCE EFFECTS (FASTER RESPONSES TO IMAGES CORRESPONDING WITH THE DOMINANT LIMB) AND AWKWARDNESS EFFECTS (FASTER RESPONSES TO IMAGES CORRESPONDING WITH NATURAL COMPARED WITH AWKWARD POSTURES) WERE EVIDENT ACROSS GROUPS, SUPPORTING THE PARTICIPANTS' USE OF MOTOR IMAGERY IN UNDERTAKING THE TASK. ADDITIONALLY, A GROUP X AWKWARDNESS INTERACTION (P < 0.05) REVEALED THAT THE ENHANCED IMAGERY PERFORMANCE FOR THE YOGA GROUP WAS MOST PRONOUNCED FOR AWKWARD POSTURES. THIS IS THE FIRST STUDY TO SHOW THAT YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH SUPERIOR MOTOR IMAGERY PERFORMANCE; AN ASSOCIATION THAT MAY BE IMPORTANT IN EXPLAINING THE ESTABLISHED REHABILITATIVE VALUE OF YOGA FOR CHRONIC PAIN. 2017 18 554 28 CORRELATION OF PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND ACQUIRED KNOWLEDGE WITH INTENT TO RECOMMEND ADJUNCTIVE OSTEOPATHIC MANIPULATIVE TREATMENT OR YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. CONTEXT: OSTEOPATHIC MANIPULATIVE TREATMENT (OMT) AND YOGA ARE BOTH RECOMMENDED BY SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS IN THE EVIDENCE-BASED RESEARCH LITERATURE FOR LOW BACK PAIN MANAGEMENT. IT IS UNKNOWN, TO THE AUTHORS' KNOWLEDGE, WHAT THE EFFECT OF PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH OMT OR YOGA, READING RESEARCH ARTICLES ON OMT OR YOGA, OR BOTH WILL HAVE ON MEDICAL STUDENTS' RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THESE TREATMENT OPTIONS TO FUTURE PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE LIKELIHOOD OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL STUDENTS RECOMMENDING OMT OR YOGA TO TREAT PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN BASED ON THEIR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OR READING RESEARCH ARTICLES THAT RECOMMEND OMT OR YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. METHODS: IN THIS PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY, RESEARCHERS ADMINISTERED AN ANONYMOUS 18-QUESTION ONLINE SURVEY FOR OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL STUDENTS. THE SURVEY INCLUDED A PATIENT VIGNETTE, 2 EVIDENCE-BASED ARTICLES, AND MULTIPLE CHOICE, YES/NO, AND LIKERT-TYPE QUESTIONS. PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED VIA EMAIL FROM ALL 4 YEARS OF MEDICAL SCHOOL. BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES IN PROPORTIONS WERE ASSESSED WITH DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS AND CHI2 TESTS; DIFFERENCES WITHIN GROUPS WERE ASSESSED WITH THE MCNEMAR TEST; AND FISCHER EXACT TESTS WERE USED WHEN EXPECTED CELL COUNTS WERE LESS THAN 5. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 180 PARTICIPANTS (100 MALE, 80 FEMALE) COMPLETED THE STUDY. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE INCREASED THE LIKELIHOOD OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL STUDENTS RECOMMENDING OMT (P<.018) OR YOGA (P<.001) TO A FUTURE PATIENT OR TO A PATIENT IN A CASE VIGNETTE (P<.05) WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. STUDENTS WHO READ RESEARCH ARTICLES WERE MORE LIKELY TO RECOMMEND OMT TO THE CASE PATIENT AND FUTURE PATIENTS BEFORE AND AFTER READING THE INTERVENTION ARTICLE REGARDLESS OF THEIR EXPERIENCE (P<.001). CONCLUSION: PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND READING EVIDENCE-BASED RESEARCH MAY INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD THAT OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL STUDENTS WILL RECOMMEND OMT TO FUTURE PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. 2018 19 760 30 EFFECT OF SUDARSANKRIYA YOGA PRACTICES ON P300 AMPLITUDE AND LATENCY. THE COGNITIVE ABILITY WHICH WAS PERCEIVED AS A CONSTANT TRAIT, IS NOW UNDERSTOOD TO BE UPGRADED BY ADAPTIVE AND EXTENDED TRAINING. YOGA PRACTICES ARE KNOWN TO SHARPEN THE INTELLECT AND ENHANCE CONCENTRATION. IN THE INITIAL PERIOD OF PRACTICING YOGA AS AN ALTERNATIVE/SUPPORTING TOOL TO MEDICAL LINE OF TREATMENT, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO INVESTIGATE EFFECT OF YOGA ON COGNITIVE ABILITY USING OBJECTIVE METHOD, IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH EVIDENCES. HENCE, AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXPLORE THE EFFECT OF REGULAR PRACTICE OF SUDARSANKRIYA YOGA ON AUDITORY EVENT RELATED POTENTIAL (P300) BY RECORDING AND COMPARING PEAK LATENCY AND AMPLITUDE. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS WITH GROUP I AND GROUP II PARTICIPANTS PRACTICING SUDARSANKRIYA YOGA FOR MORE THAN 36 MONTHS AND LESS THAN 36 MONTHS RESPECTIVELY. GROUP III WERE NON-PRACTITIONERS WITH NO PRIOR PRACTICE OF ANY FORM OF YOGA. TWENTY PARTICIPANTS IN EACH GROUP WITH A TOTAL OF 60 PARTICIPANTS BETWEEN 40 TO 65 YEARS OF AGE WERE RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY. RESULTS REVEALED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE FOR MEAN LATENCY AND AMPLITUDE BETWEEN THREE GROUPS. FINDINGS OF THE CURRENT STUDY SUGGEST THAT SUDARSANKRIYA YOGA PRACTICES SLOWS DOWN THE PROCESS OF AGING EFFECT OR MAINTAINS ON COGNITIVE ABILITY IN ADULTS. 2021 20 597 27 DEVELOPMENT AND FEASIBILITY TESTING OF A BRIEF YOGA MODULE ON WELL-BEING AND COGNITION OF POSTGRADUATE MENTAL HEALTHCARE STUDENTS IN TERTIARY SETTINGS. BACKGROUND: MENTAL HEALTH-CARE STUDENTS EXPERIENCE STRESS AND BURNOUT DURING THEIR TRAINING PERIOD. YOGA HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE HELPFUL IN IMPROVING ONE'S MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. AIM: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO DEVELOP AND TEST THE FEASIBILITY OF A BRIEF YOGA MODULE FOR POSTGRADUATE MENTAL HEALTH-CARE STUDENTS. METHODS: AMIXED METHOD DESIGN WAS USED. PHASE 1 INVOLVED DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF THE YOGA MODULE USING THE QUALITATIVE EXPLORATORY METHOD. PHASE II TESTED THE FEASIBILITY OF THE MODULE ON A SAMPLE OF 28 FIRST-YEAR POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS. THESE STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN A 15-DAY (30 MIN/DAY) BRIEF YOGA MODULE FOR IMPROVING THEIR WELL-BEING AND COGNITION (MIRROR NEURON ACTIVATION [MNA] AND TOWER OF LONDON TASK AS ASSESSED ON DAY 0, DAY 15 (2 WEEKS), AND DAY 30 (4 WEEKS). QUALITATIVE FEEDBACK OF THE STUDENT VOLUNTEERS WAS ALSO RECORDED. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE WELL-BEING SCORES WAS OBSERVED IN THE STUDENTS WHO ADHERED TO THE YOGA PRACTICE AFTER 2 WEEKS AND 4 WEEKS. FUNCTIONAL NEAR INFRA-RED SPECTROSCOPY (FNIRS) DATA INDICATED THAT ADHERENTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT ACTIVATION OF LEFT SOMATOSENSORY REGION OF THE BRAIN AND DEACTIVATION IN THE RIGHT PRIMARY SOMATOSENSORY REGION DURING THE STATIC AND ACTIVE PHASE OF THE MNA TASK, RESPECTIVELY. ADHERENT GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN REACTION TIME DURING "ZERO-MOVES" TASKS OF TOWER OF LONDON. THE QUALITATIVE THEMATIC ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT THE MODULE HELPED IMPROVE THE WELL-BEING AND MENTAL HEALTH OF THE STUDENTS. CONCLUSION: THE YOGA PROGRAM WAS FOUND TO HAVE HIGH NEED AND MEDIUM TO HIGH FEASIBILITY. A SYSTEMIC INTEGRATION OF STUDENT WELL-BEING-ORIENTED INTERVENTIONS INCLUDING YOGA IN THE CURRICULUM OF POSTGRADUATE MENTAL HEALTH-CARE COURSES IS ADVOCATED. 2021