1 1320 125 HEATED HATHA YOGA TO TARGET CORTISOL REACTIVITY TO STRESS AND AFFECTIVE EATING IN WOMEN AT RISK FOR OBESITY-RELATED ILLNESSES: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: CORTISOL REACTIVITY TO STRESS IS ASSOCIATED WITH AFFECTIVE EATING, AN IMPORTANT BEHAVIORAL RISK FACTOR FOR OBESITY AND RELATED METABOLIC DISEASES. YOGA PRACTICE IS RELATED TO DECREASES IN STRESS AND CORTISOL LEVELS, THUS EMERGING AS A POTENTIAL TARGETED COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTION FOR AFFECTIVE EATING. THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL EXAMINED THE EFFICACY OF A HEATED, HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION FOR REDUCING CORTISOL REACTIVITY TO STRESS AND AFFECTIVE EATING. METHOD: FEMALES (N = 52; AGES 25-46 YEARS; 75% WHITE) AT RISK FOR OBESITY AND RELATED ILLNESSES WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO 8 WEEKS OF BIKRAM YOGA PRACTICE OR TO WAITLIST CONTROL. CORTISOL REACTIVITY TO A LABORATORY STRESS INDUCTION WERE MEASURED AT WEEKS 0 (PRETREATMENT) AND 9 (POSTTREATMENT). SELF-REPORTED BINGE EATING FREQUENCY AND COPING MOTIVES FOR EATING WERE ASSESSED AT WEEKS 0, 3, 6, AND 9. RESULTS: AMONG PARTICIPANTS WITH ELEVATED CORTISOL REACTIVITY AT PRETREATMENT ("HIGH REACTORS"), THOSE RANDOMIZED TO THE YOGA CONDITION EVIDENCED GREATER PRE- TO POSTTREATMENT REDUCTIONS IN CORTISOL REACTIVITY (P = .042, D = .85), BUT THERE WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT CONDITION DIFFERENCES FOR THE "LOW REACTORS" (P = .178, D = .53). YOGA PARTICIPANTS REPORTED GREATER DECREASES IN BINGE EATING FREQUENCY (P = .040, D = .62) AND EATING TO COPE WITH NEGATIVE AFFECT (P = .038, D = .54). CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY PROVIDES PRELIMINARY SUPPORT FOR THE EFFICACY OF HEATED HATHA YOGA FOR TREATING PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS REACTIVITY AND AFFECTIVE EATING AMONG WOMEN AT RISK FOR OBESITY-RELATED ILLNESSES. (PSYCINFO DATABASE RECORD 2016 2 2687 28 YOGA IN THE TREATMENT OF EATING DISORDERS WITHIN A RESIDENTIAL PROGRAM: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON NEGATIVE AFFECT (AN EATING DISORDERS RISK FACTOR), 38 INDIVIDUALS IN A RESIDENTIAL EATING DISORDER TREATMENT PROGRAM WERE RANDOMIZED TO A CONTROL OR YOGA INTERVENTION: 1 HOUR OF YOGA BEFORE DINNER FOR 5 DAYS. NEGATIVE AFFECT WAS ASSESSED PRE- AND POST-MEAL. MIXED-EFFECTS MODELS COMPARED NEGATIVE AFFECT BETWEEN GROUPS DURING THE INTERVENTION PERIOD. YOGA SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED PRE-MEAL NEGATIVE AFFECT COMPARED TO TREATMENT AS USUAL; HOWEVER, THE EFFECT WAS ATTENUATED POST-MEAL. MANY EATING DISORDERS PROGRAMS INCORPORATE YOGA INTO TREATMENT. THIS PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE SETS THE STAGE FOR LARGER STUDIES EXAMINING YOGA AND EATING DISORDER TREATMENT AND PREVENTION. 2017 3 2837 38 YOGA'S IMPACT ON RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS FOR DISORDERED EATING: A PILOT PREVENTION TRIAL. YOGA HAS BEEN PROPOSED AS A STRATEGY FOR IMPROVING RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS FOR EATING DISORDERS, BUT FEW PREVENTION TRIALS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF A YOGA SERIES IN FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS (N = 52). PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO A YOGA INTERVENTION (THREE 50-MINUTE YOGA CLASSES/WEEK FOR 10 WEEKS CONDUCTED BY CERTIFIED YOGA TEACHERS WHO RECEIVED A 3-DAY INTENSIVE TRAINING) OR A CONTROL GROUP. RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS, ASSESSED AT BASELINE, 5 AND 10 WEEKS, INCLUDED BODY DISSATISFACTION, NEGATIVE AFFECT, LONELINESS, SELF-COMPASSION, POSITIVE AFFECT, AND MINDFULNESS. MIXED MODELS CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE LEVELS OF OUTCOME VARIABLES WERE RUN. ON AVERAGE, PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED 20 OUT OF 30 YOGA CLASSES, AND THE MAJORITY OF PARTICIPANTS REPORTED HIGH LEVELS OF SATISFACTION WITH THE YOGA SERIES. APPEARANCE ORIENTATION DECREASED AND POSITIVE AFFECT INCREASED IN THE YOGA GROUP RELATIVE TO THE CONTROL GROUP. AFTER CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE LEVELS, THE YOGA GROUP HAD A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER POSITIVE AFFECT THAN THE CONTROL GROUP. CHANGES IN OTHER OUTCOMES WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT, AS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL CONDITION. FUTURE YOGA RESEARCH DIRECTIONS ARE DISCUSSED INCLUDING EDUCATION ABOUT BODY IMAGE, MEASURE AND SAMPLE SELECTION, AND USE OF AN IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE FRAMEWORK. 2020 4 248 36 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 5 2613 38 YOGA FOR RISK REDUCTION OF METABOLIC SYNDROME: PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES FROM A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. LIFESTYLE CHANGE IS RECOMMENDED AS TREATMENT FOR ADULTS AT RISK FOR METABOLIC SYNDROME (METS), ALTHOUGH ADOPTION OF NEW BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS IS LIMITED. IN ADDITION, MOST EXISTING LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS DO NOT ADDRESS PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS OR QUALITY OF LIFE, BOTH OF WHICH IMPACT THE BURDEN OF METS. YOGA, A FORM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THAT INCORPORATES PSYCHOLOGICAL COMPONENTS (E.G., MAINTAINING ATTENTION, RELAXATION), IS A PROMISING INTERVENTION FOR IMPROVING THE BURDEN OF METS. THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL ASSESSED THE FEASIBILITY AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY OF A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM COUPLED WITH AN EVIDENCE-BASED HEALTH EDUCATION PROGRAM (HED) COMPARED TO HED ALONE. A SECONDARY, EXPLORATORY AIM EXAMINED PERCEIVED STRESS, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND RELATED PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES (MINDFULNESS, PERCEIVED HEALTH COMPETENCE, AND MOOD). SIXTY-SEVEN ADULTS AT RISK FOR METS ENROLLED (MEAN AGE [SD]: 58 [10] YEARS; 50% MALE; 79% NON-HISPANIC WHITE). PRELIMINARY RESULTS REVEALED SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER IMPROVEMENTS IN TWO QUALITY OF LIFE DOMAINS (ROLE-PHYSICAL AND GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTIONS) IN THE HED PLUS YOGA GROUP VERSUS HED ALONE (PS < 0.05). THIS IS THE FIRST STUDY THAT IMPLEMENTED LIFESTYLE EDUCATION ALONG WITH YOGA TO EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL UNIQUE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PARTICIPANTS AT RISK FOR METS. A LARGER CLINICAL TRIAL IS WARRANTED TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE THESE PROMISING PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES. 2016 6 1700 36 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 7 719 30 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 8 342 23 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 9 1086 39 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 10 1267 26 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 11 1701 36 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 12 66 30 A CONTROLLED TRIAL OF A YOGA-BASED PREVENTION PROGRAM TARGETING EATING DISORDER RISK FACTORS AMONG MIDDLE SCHOOL FEMALES. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATES OUTCOMES OF A REVISED VERSION OF A YOGA-BASED, EATING DISORDER PREVENTION PROGRAM, TARGETING EATING DISORDER RISK FACTORS, AMONG FIFTH GRADE GIRLS (I.E., GIRLS GROWING IN WELLNESS AND BALANCE: YOGA AND LIFE SKILLS TO EMPOWER [GGWB]). THE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO DECREASE EATING DISORDER RISK FACTORS AND BOLSTER SELF-CARE AND INCLUDES REVISIONS NOT YET STUDIED THAT EXTEND THE PROGRAM TO 14 WEEKS AND ENHANCE CONTENT ADDRESSING SELF-CARE. EFFICACY WAS ASSESSED USING A CONTROLLED, REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN. RESULTS INDICATE THAT PARTICIPATION IN THE GGWB PROGRAM SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASES DRIVE FOR THINNESS AND BODY DISSATISFACTION WHILE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASING SELF-CARE WHEN COMPARED TO A CONTROL GROUP. AS EXPECTED, THE PROGRAM DID NOT HAVE SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS ON EATING DISORDERED BEHAVIOUR LIKELY DUE TO LOW BASELINE RATES AMONG PARTICIPANTS. IMPLICATIONS OF FINDINGS AS WELL AS DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ON PREVENTION ARE DISCUSSED. 2017 13 1512 28 IS THERE MORE TO YOGA THAN EXERCISE? CONTEXT: YOGA IS INCREASING IN POPULARITY, WITH AN ESTIMATED 15 MILLION PRACTITIONERS IN THE UNITED STATES, YET THERE IS A DEARTH OF EMPIRICAL DATA ADDRESSING THE HOLISTIC BENEFITS OF YOGA. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL BENEFITS OF AN EXERCISE-BASED YOGA PRACTICE TO THAT OF A MORE COMPREHENSIVE YOGA PRACTICE (ONE WITH AN ETHICAL/SPIRITUAL COMPONENT). DESIGN: STUDENTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, OR STRESS AND WHO AGREED TO PARTICIPATE WERE ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THREE GROUPS: INTEGRATED YOGA, YOGA AS EXERCISE, CONTROL. PARTICIPANTS: A TOTAL OF 81 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS 18 YEARS AND OLDER AT A UNIVERSITY IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, STRESS, HOPE, AND SALIVARY CORTISOL. RESULTS: OVER TIME, PARTICIPANTS IN BOTH THE INTEGRATED AND EXERCISE YOGA GROUPS EXPERIENCED DECREASED DEPRESSION AND STRESS, AN INCREASED SENSE OF HOPEFULNESS, AND INCREASED FLEXIBILITY COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. HOWEVER, ONLY THE INTEGRATED YOGA GROUP EXPERIENCED DECREASED ANXIETY-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND DECREASED SALIVARY CORTISOL FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END OF THE STUDY. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA, PRACTICED IN A MORE INTEGRATED FORM, IE, WITH AN ETHICAL AND SPIRITUAL COMPONENT, MAY PROVIDE ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OVER YOGA PRACTICED AS AN EXERCISE REGIMEN. 2011 14 2089 25 THE EFFECT OF PRENATAL HATHA YOGA ON AFFECT, CORTISOL AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. PERINATAL DEPRESSION IMPACTS MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH, AND LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS. THE EFFECTS OF PRENATAL HATHA YOGA ON CORTISOL, AFFECT AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS WERE INVESTIGATED IN 51 WOMEN. TWICE DURING PREGNANCY, YOGA GROUP PARTICIPANTS REPORTED ON AFFECT AND PROVIDED A SALIVA SAMPLE BEFORE AND AFTER A 90-MIN PRENATAL HATHA YOGA SESSION. CORRESPONDING MEASURES WERE OBTAINED FROM YOGA AND CONTROL GROUP PARTICIPANTS ON DAYS OF USUAL ACTIVITY. DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS WERE ASSESSED IN PREGNANCY AND POST PARTUM. CORTISOL WAS LOWER (P < .01) AND POSITIVE AFFECT HIGHER (P < .001) ON YOGA COMPARED TO USUAL ACTIVITY DAYS. NEGATIVE AFFECT AND CONTENTMENT (P < .05) IMPROVED MORE IN RESPONSE TO THE YOGA SESSION. YOGA GROUP PARTICIPANTS SHOWED FEWER POSTPARTUM (P < .05) BUT NOT ANTEPARTUM DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS THAN CONTROL GROUP PARTICIPANTS. FINDINGS INDICATE THAT PRENATAL HATHA YOGA MAY IMPROVE CURRENT MOOD AND MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING POSTPARTUM DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. 2014 15 636 26 DISTRESS TOLERANCE AS A PREDICTOR OF ADHERENCE TO A YOGA INTERVENTION: MODERATING ROLES OF BMI AND BODY IMAGE. THIS STUDY TESTED WHETHER DISTRESS TOLERANCE, BODY IMAGE, AND BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) PREDICTED ADHERENCE TO A YOGA INTERVENTION. PARTICIPANTS WERE 27 WOMEN WHO PARTICIPATED IN A YOGA INTERVENTION AS PART OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. ATTENDANCE AND DISTRESS TOLERANCE WERE ASSESSED WEEKLY, AND BODY IMAGE AND BMI WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE. MULTILEVEL MODELING REVEALED A THREE-WAY INTERACTION OF DISTRESS TOLERANCE, BMI, AND BODY IMAGE (P < .001). FOR PARTICIPANTS WITH FEW BODY IMAGE CONCERNS, DISTRESS TOLERANCE WAS POSITIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH ADHERENCE REGARDLESS OF BMI (P = .009). HOWEVER, FOR THOSE WITH POOR BODY IMAGE, INCREASES IN DISTRESS TOLERANCE WERE ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASES IN ADHERENCE AMONG OVERWEIGHT PARTICIPANTS (P < .001) BUT LOWER ADHERENCE AMONG OBESE PARTICIPANTS (P = .007). DISTRESS TOLERANCE MAY BE IMPLICATED IN ADHERENCE TO A YOGA INTERVENTION, ALTHOUGH ITS EFFECTS MAY BE DEPENDENT ON BODY IMAGE CONCERNS, BMI, AND THEIR INTERACTION. RESEARCH AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS ARE DISCUSSED. 2016 16 893 21 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 17 177 38 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF MINDFULNESS VERSUS YOGA: EFFECTS ON DEPRESSION AND/OR ANXIETY IN COLLEGE STUDENTS. BACKGROUND: DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY DISORDERS ARE TWO OF THE MOST COMMON MENTAL DISORDERS IN THE UNITED STATES. THESE DISORDERS ARE PREVALENT AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS. OBJECTIVE: THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF INTERVENTION PRACTICES (MINDFULNESS VS. YOGA) AND A NONINTERVENTIONAL CONTROL GROUP IN MITIGATING THE EFFECTS OF DEPRESSION AND/OR ANXIETY IN COLLEGE STUDENTS. METHOD: A SAMPLE OF 90 STUDENTS (BOTH GENDERS) OVER AGE 18 WHO HAD A DIAGNOSIS OF ANXIETY AND/OR DEPRESSION WAS RECRUITED FROM 11,500 UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE STUDENTS IN A MID-SIZE UNIVERSITY. THE STUDY'S DESIGN INCLUDED STRATIFIED-RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED REPEATED MEASURES WITH THREE GROUPS: A MINDFULNESS INTERVENTION GROUP, A YOGA-ONLY INTERVENTION GROUP, AND A NONINTERVENTIONAL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO THE AFOREMENTIONED THREE GROUPS. PARTICIPANTS IN THE INTERVENTION GROUPS RECEIVED AN 8-WEEK TRAINING EITHER IN MINDFULNESS OR YOGA. DEPRESSIVE, ANXIETY, STRESS SYMPTOMS, SELF-COMPASSION, AND MINDFULNESS WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE, WEEK 4, WEEK 8, AND WEEK 12. RESULTS: DEPRESSIVE, ANXIETY, AND STRESS SYMPTOMS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < .01) FROM BASELINE TO FOLLOW-UP CONDITIONS IN BOTH THE MINDFULNESS AND YOGA INTERVENTION GROUPS. THE CHANGES IN MINDFULNESS SCORES WERE ALSO SIGNIFICANT IN BOTH GROUPS. HOWEVER, THE CHANGES IN SELF-COMPASSION SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANT ONLY IN THE MINDFULNESS INTERVENTION GROUP. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE CONTROL GROUP WERE DEMONSTRATED. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS FROM THIS STUDY CAN PROVIDE USEFUL INFORMATION TO NURSES AND OTHER HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS. THIS STUDY MAY HAVE IMPLICATIONS FOR A COST-EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. 2016 18 2187 42 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 19 110 29 A PILOT STUDY MEASURING THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON THE TRAIT OF MINDFULNESS. BACKGROUND: THE CURRENT STUDY EXAMINED WHETHER YOGA WOULD INCREASE LEVELS OF MINDFULNESS IN A HEALTHY POPULATION. METHOD: FORTY-SIX PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP OR A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. MINDFULNESS WAS ASSESSED PRE AND POST YOGA, USING THE FREIBURG MINDFULNESS INVENTORY (FMI). RESULTS: RESULTS INDICATE THAT THE YOGA GROUP EXPERIENCED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN OVERALL MINDFULNESS, AND IN THREE MINDFULNESS SUBSCALES; ATTENTION TO THE PRESENT MOMENT, ACCEPTING AND OPEN ATTITUDES TOWARD EXPERIENCE, AND INSIGHTFUL UNDERSTANDING (P < .01). THE CONTROL GROUP EXPERIENCED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN OVERALL MINDFULNESS (P < .02) AND INSIGHTFUL UNDERSTANDING (P < .01). FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT A YOGA INTERVENTION MAY BE A VIABLE METHOD FOR INCREASING LEVELS OF TRAIT MINDFULNESS IN A HEALTHY POPULATION, POTENTIALLY IMPLICATING YOGA AS A PREVENTIVE METHOD FOR THE LATER DEVELOPMENT OF NEGATIVE EMOTIONAL MOOD STATES (I.E. ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION). THE CONTROL GROUP ALSO EXPERIENCED MODERATE ELEVATIONS OF MINDFULNESS AT THE SECOND ASSESSMENT. 2009 20 2469 34 YOGA AS A TREATMENT FOR BINGE EATING DISORDER: A PRELIMINARY STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFICACY OF A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM AIMED AT REDUCING BINGE EATING SEVERITY. DESIGN: A RANDOMISED TRIAL WAS UNDERTAKEN ASSIGNING PARTICIPANTS TO YOGA (N=45) OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL (N=45) GROUPS. OF THESE, 25 IN EACH GROUP WERE ANALYSED. PARTICIPANTS: A COMMUNITY-BASED SAMPLE OF WOMEN BETWEEN 25 AND 63 YEARS OF AGE WHO IDENTIFIED WITH DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR BINGE EATING DISORDER (BED) AND A BMI>25 WERE RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: PRIMARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED THE BINGE EATING SCALE (BES) AND INTERNATIONAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY QUESTIONNAIRE (IPAQ). SECONDARY OUTCOMES COMPRISED MEASURES FOR BMI, HIPS AND WAIST. RESULTS: FOR THE YOGA GROUP, SELF-REPORTED REDUCTIONS IN BINGE EATING AND INCREASES IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. SMALL YET STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS FOR BMI, HIPS AND WAIST MEASUREMENT WERE OBTAINED. THE WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP DID NOT IMPROVE SIGNIFICANTLY ON ANY MEASURES. CONCLUSION: IN CONJUNCTION WITH FORMAL WEEKLY SESSIONS, HOME-BASED YOGA PROGRAMS ARE POTENTIALLY EFFICACIOUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF BINGE EATING. 2009