1 1463 126 INFLUENCE OF YOGA-BASED PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ON PSYCHOMOTOR PERFORMANCE AND SELF-EFFICACY IN SCHOOL CHILDREN. SELECTIVE ATTENTION AND EFFICACY ARE IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF SCHOLASTIC PERFORMANCE IN SCHOOL CHILDREN. WHILE ATTEMPTS ARE BEING MADE TO INTRODUCE NEW METHODS TO IMPROVE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE EITHER AS PART OF CURRICULAR OR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES IN SCHOOLS, THE SUCCESS RATES ARE MINIMAL. HENCE, THIS STUDY ASSESSED THE EFFECT OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION ON PSYCHOMOTOR PERFORMANCE AND SELF-EFFICACY IN SCHOOL CHILDREN. TWO HUNDRED TEN SCHOOL CHILDREN WITH AGES RANGING FROM 11 TO 16 YEARS (MEAN AGE +/- SD; 13.7 +/- 0.8 YEARS) SATISFYING THE INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA WERE RECRUITED FOR THE 10-DAY YOGA PROGRAM. AN EQUAL NUMBER OF AGE-MATCHED PARTICIPANTS (N = 210; MEAN +/- SD; 13.1 +/- 0.8 YEARS) WERE SELECTED FOR THE CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED FOR ATTENTION AND PERFORMANCE AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF 10 DAYS USING TRAIL MAKING TASK (TMT) A AND B, AND SELF-EFFICACY QUESTIONNAIRE. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED HIGHER SELF-EFFICACY AND IMPROVED PERFORMANCE AFTER 10 DAYS OF YOGA INTERVENTION. THE PERFORMANCE IN TMT-A AND -B OF THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER NUMBER OF ATTEMPTS WITH A REDUCTION IN TIME TAKEN TO COMPLETE THE TASK AND A NUMBER OF WRONG ATTEMPTS COMPARED WITH CONTROL GROUP. RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE ENHANCES SELF-EFFICACY AND PROCESSING SPEED WITH FINE MOTOR COORDINATION, VISUAL-MOTOR INTEGRATION, VISUAL PERCEPTION, PLANNING ABILITY, AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. 2016 2 778 24 EFFECT OF YOGA AND WORKING MEMORY TRAINING ON COGNITIVE COMMUNICATIVE ABILITIES AMONG MIDDLE AGED ADULTS. SEVERAL STUDIES HAVE REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN COGNITIVE COMMUNICATIVE ABILITIES WITH WORKING MEMORY TRAINING AND ALTERNATIVE THERAPEUTIC METHODS CONDUCTED SEPARATELY. THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF COMBINING YOGA AND WORKING MEMORY TRAINING AMONG HEALTHY MIDDLE AGED ADULTS. A TOTAL OF 45 PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO THREE GROUPS. GROUP 1 RECEIVED BOTH YOGA AND WORKING MEMORY TRAINING, GROUP 2 RECEIVED ONLY WORKING MEMORY TRAINING AND GROUP 3 SERVED AS THE CONTROL GROUP. WORKING MEMORY TRAINING WAS PROVIDED ON SIX TASKS. YOGA TRAINING INVOLVED PRANAYAMAS AND MUDRAS. EFFECTS OF TRAINING WERE ASSESSED ALONG WITH THE SELF-PERCEPTUAL RATING OF THE PARTICIPANTS TOWARDS TRAINING. RESULTS REVEAL GREATER TRAINING EFFECTS AMONG GROUP 1 PARTICIPANTS, FOLLOWED BY GROUP 2 AND GROUP 3. GROUP 1 ALSO REPORTED BETTER PERCEPTION OF TRAINING (P < 0.05) THAN GROUP 2. THE STUDY HIGHLIGHTS THAT YOGA IS NOT ONLY AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH, BUT ALSO AUGMENTATIVE IN IMPROVING COGNITIVE COMMUNICATIVE ABILITIES. 2017 3 2871 42 YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE FACILITATES SUSTAINED ATTENTION IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN: A PILOT STUDY. CONTEXT: THE EXPERIENCE OF PAIN STRONGLY INFLUENCES SUSTAINED ATTENTION, WHICH IS IMPORTANT FOR NEUROCOGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING SUSTAINED ATTENTION BY ATTENUATING PAIN IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN. HENCE, WE AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF A YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE ON SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND SELF-REPORTED PAIN DISABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 22 MEN AGED 30 TO 50 YEARS WITH LOW BACK PAIN WERE RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY. THEY WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE YOGA (N = 11) OR CONTROL (N = 11) GROUPS. THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED A YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE (YBRT) 1 HOUR A DAY FOR 4 WEEKS AND THE CONTROL GROUP MAINTAINED THEIR USUAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY REGIMEN. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED THE SUSTAINED ATTENTION TO RESPONSE TASK (SART) AND THE OSWESTRY LOW BACK PAIN DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (OLBPDQ) MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER THE 4-WEEK INTERVENTION. RESULTS: THE STUDY SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN ALL SELF-REPORTED OLBPDQ DOMAINS AND IMPROVEMENT IN SUSTAINED ATTENTION IN A BEFORE AND AFTER COMPARISON 4 WEEKS FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION. PEARSON'S CORRELATION ALSO SHOWED A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND PAIN REDUCTION FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: THE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT YOGA PRACTICE REDUCES PAIN AND SIMULTANEOUSLY IMPROVES INFORMATION PROCESSING SPEED WITH IMPULSE CONTROL DURING THE PERFORMANCE OF A SUSTAINED ATTENTION TASK. 2020 4 1616 27 MINDFUL AWARENESS FOR FEMALE DENTAL STUDENTS THROUGH YOGA, MOTIVATIONAL VIDEO, AND A COMBINATION OF TWO ON STRESS REDUCTION. OBJECTIVE: ASSESSMENT OF THE POTENTIAL EFFECT OF YOGA, MOTIVATIONAL VIDEOS, AND A COMBINATION OF TWO ON STRESS REDUCTION IN FEMALE DENTAL STUDENTS. METHODS: THE CURRENT STUDY DESIGN IS A NONRANDOMIZED TRIAL CARRIED OUT AMONG FEMALE DENTAL STUDENTS (N = 120). THE SELECTED SUBJECTS WERE ALLOCATED INTO THREE GROUPS, NAMELY, GROUP A: YOGA GROUP ASSIGNED UNDER A PROFESSIONAL YOGA INSTRUCTOR, GROUP B: MOTIVATIONAL VIDEO GROUP, AND GROUP C: A COMBINATION OF TWO (A AND B) INVOLVING YOGA SESSIONS AND MOTIVATIONAL VIDEOS; FOLLOWING WHICH FORMATIVE EXAMINATIONS WERE CARRIED OUT AT 6 WEEKS WHICH WERE REFERRED TO AS STRESSOR 1 AND THOSE CARRIED OUT AT 12 WEEKS WERE REFERRED TO AS STRESSOR 2. USING SPIELBERGER'S STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY FOR ADULTS (STAI-A) RECORDINGS WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE, STRESSOR 1, AND STRESSOR 2. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN TRAIT ANXIETY SCORES AT BOTH STRESSORS IN ALL THE GROUPS WITH A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION SCORE FROM STRESSOR 1 TO 2 IN GROUP 1 AND GROUP 3 SUBJECTS. THE SIGNIFICANT DECREASE OCCURRED IN STAI-A SCORES IN GROUP 1 AND GROUP 3 SUBJECTS AT BOTH STRESSORS (P < 0.001) WITH NO CHANGE OBSERVED IN GROUP 2 SUBJECTS. CONCLUSION: THE PRESENT STUDY IS ONE OF A KIND AND POSITIVELY CORRELATES YOGA AND MOTIVATIONAL VIDEOS WITH STRESS REDUCTION. BOTH OF THESE INTERVENTIONS PROVED TO BE BENEFICIARY FOR PHYSICAL AS WELL AS MENTAL HEALTH OF STUDY SUBJECTS. 2020 5 1700 43 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 6 970 38 EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM ON SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND DISCRIMINATION FUNCTION IN CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED WHETHER A YOGA EXERCISE INTERVENTION INFLUENCED THE SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND DISCRIMINATION FUNCTION IN CHILDREN WITH ADHD. FORTY-NINE PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE = 10.50 YEARS) WERE ASSIGNED TO EITHER A YOGA EXERCISE OR A CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS WERE GIVEN THE VISUAL PURSUIT TEST AND DETERMINATION TEST PRIOR TO AND AFTER AN EIGHT-WEEK EXERCISE INTERVENTION (TWICE PER WEEK, 40 MIN PER SESSION) OR A CONTROL INTERVENTION. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN ACCURACY RATE AND REACTION TIME OF THE TWO TESTS WERE OBSERVED OVER TIME IN THE EXERCISE GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES SUCH AS YOGA EXERCISES CAN BE COMPLEMENTARY TO BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS FOR CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION AND INHIBITION PROBLEMS. SCHOOLS AND PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH ADHD SHOULD CONSIDER ALTERNATIVES FOR MAXIMIZING THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT CHILDREN WITH ADHD CAN ENGAGE IN STRUCTURED YOGA EXERCISES. 2017 7 1422 31 IMPROVEMENT IN HAND GRIP STRENGTH IN NORMAL VOLUNTEERS AND RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS PATIENTS FOLLOWING YOGA TRAINING. THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED AT ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF A SET OF YOGA PRACTICES ON NORMAL ADULTS (N = 37), CHILDREN (N = 86), AND PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (N = 20). AN EQUAL NUMBER OF NORMAL ADULTS, CHILDREN, AND PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS WHO DID NOT PRACTICE YOGA WERE STUDIED UNDER EACH CATEGORY, FORMING RESPECTIVE CONTROL GROUPS. YOGA AND CONTROL GROUP SUBJECTS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER VARYING INTERVALS, AS FOLLOWS, ADULTS AFTER 30 DAYS, CHILDREN AFTER 10 DAYS AND PATIENTS AFTER 15 DAYS, BASED ON THE DURATION OF THE YOGA PROGRAM, WHICH THEY ATTENDED, WHICH WAS ALREADY FIXED. HAND GRIP STRENGTH OF BOTH HANDS, MEASURED WITH A GRIP DYNAMOMETER, INCREASED IN NORMAL ADULTS AND CHILDREN, AND IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS PATIENTS, FOLLOWING YOGA, BUT NOT IN THE CORRESPONDING CONTROL GROUPS, SHOWING NO RE-TEST EFFECT. ADULT FEMALE VOLUNTEERS AND PATIENTS SHOWED A GREATER PERCENTAGE IMPROVEMENT THAN CORRESPONDING ADULT MALES. THIS GENDER-BASED DIFFERENCE WAS NOT OBSERVED IN CHILDREN. HENCE YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVES HAND GRIP STRENGTH IN NORMAL PERSONS AND IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, THOUGH THE MAGNITUDE OF IMPROVEMENT VARIES WITH FACTORS SUCH AS GENDER AND AGE. 2001 8 1707 35 PATTERNS OF YOGA PRACTICE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOLLOWING A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR ADULTS WITH OR AT RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES. BACKGROUND: THE CURRENT STUDY DESCRIBED PATTERNS OF YOGA PRACTICE AND EXAMINED DIFFERENCES IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OVER TIME BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS WITH OR AT RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES WHO COMPLETED AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION COMPARED WITH CONTROLS. METHODS: A LONGITUDINAL COMPARATIVE DESIGN MEASURED THE EFFECT OF A YOGA INTERVENTION ON YOGA PRACTICE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, USING DATA AT BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION MONTHS 3, 6, AND 15. RESULTS: DISPARATE PATTERNS OF YOGA PRACTICE OCCURRED BETWEEN INTERVENTION AND CONTROL PARTICIPANTS OVER TIME, BUT THE SUBJECTIVE DEFINITION OF YOGA PRACTICE LIMITS INTERPRETATION. MULTILEVEL MODEL ESTIMATES INDICATED THAT TREATMENT GROUP DID NOT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCE IN THE RATE OF CHANGE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OVER THE STUDY PERIOD. WHILE AGE AND EDUCATION WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT INDIVIDUAL PREDICTORS, THE INCLUSION OF THESE VARIABLES IN THE MODEL DID IMPROVE FIT. CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS INDICATE THAT AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION HAD LITTLE EFFECT ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OVER TIME. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NECESSARY TO EXPLORE THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA ON BEHAVIORAL HEALTH OUTCOMES AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH OR AT RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES. 2012 9 1884 35 REDUCING STRESS IN SCHOOL-AGE GIRLS THROUGH MINDFUL YOGA. INTRODUCTION: SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN REPORT MUCH STRESS IN THEIR DAILY LIVES, WHICH MAY LEAD TO PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL PROBLEMS. MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION IS A PROGRAM OF AWARENESS-BASED PRACTICES EFFECTIVE WITH ADULTS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFICACY OF MINDFULNESS TRAINING THROUGH YOGA WITH SCHOOL-AGE GIRLS TO REDUCE PERCEIVED STRESS, ENHANCE COPING ABILITIES, SELF-ESTEEM, AND SELF-REGULATION, AND EXPLORE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE DOSE OF THE INTERVENTION AND OUTCOMES. METHOD: FOURTH- AND FIFTH-GRADE GIRLS WERE RECRUITED FROM TWO PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO INTERVENTION AND WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUPS. THE INTERVENTION GROUP MET 1 HOUR A WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS AND COMPLETED 10 MINUTES OF DAILY HOMEWORK. RESULTS: SELF-ESTEEM AND SELF-REGULATION INCREASED IN BOTH GROUPS. THE INTERVENTION GROUP WAS MORE LIKELY TO REPORT GREATER APPRAISAL OF STRESS (P < .01) AND GREATER FREQUENCY OF COPING (P < .05). HOMEWORK ACCOUNTED FOR 7% OF THE VARIANCE IN REPORTED STRESS. DISCUSSION: CONSISTENT WITH REPORTS OF MINDFULNESS TRAINING, GREATER AWARENESS OF THE FEELINGS ASSOCIATED WITH STRESS MAY ENHANCE COPING ABILITIES. HOWEVER, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE INCREASING AWARENESS OF STRESSORS IN ITSELF INCREASED STRESS, POSSIBLY AS PART OF THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING MINDFULNESS OR RELATED TO COGNITIVE, EMOTIONAL, OR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT. MINDFULNESS IN CHILDREN MAY DIFFER FROM MINDFULNESS IN ADULTS AND WARRANTS FURTHER INVESTIGATION. 2012 10 2000 28 STRESS MANAGEMENT: A RANDOMIZED STUDY OF COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY AND YOGA. IN THIS STUDY, A STRESS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM BASED ON COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY PRINCIPLES WAS COMPARED WITH A KUNDALINIYOGA PROGRAM. A STUDY SAMPLE OF 26 WOMEN AND 7 MEN FROM A LARGE SWEDISH COMPANY WERE DIVIDED RANDOMLY INTO 2 GROUPS FOR EACH OF THE DIFFERENT FORMS OF INTERVENTION; A TOTAL OF 4 GROUPS. THE GROUPS WERE INSTRUCTED BY TRAINED GROUP LEADERS AND 10 SESSIONS WERE HELD WITH EACH OF GROUPS, OVER A PERIOD OF 4 MONTHS. PSYCHOLOGICAL (SELF-RATED STRESS AND STRESS BEHAVIOUR, ANGER, EXHAUSTION, QUALITY OF LIFE) AND PHYSIOLOGICAL (BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART RATE, URINARY CATECHOLAMINES, SALIVARY CORTISOL) MEASUREMENTS OBTAINED BEFORE AND AFTER TREATMENT SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS ON MOST OF THE VARIABLES IN BOTH GROUPS AS WELL AS MEDIUM-TO-HIGH EFFECT SIZES. HOWEVER, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND BETWEEN THE 2 PROGRAMS. THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT BOTH COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY AND YOGA ARE PROMISING STRESS MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES. 2006 11 1424 25 IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AFTER 6 MONTHS OF YOGA PRACTICE. YOGA IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON COGNITION, ATTENUATION OF EMOTIONAL INTENSITY AND STRESS REDUCTION. PREVIOUS STUDIES WERE MAINLY PERFORMED ON EASTERN EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS OR UNHEALTHY SUBJECTS UNDERGOING CONCOMITANT CONVENTIONAL THERAPIES. FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS NEEDED ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA PER SE, AS WELL AS ITS POSSIBLE PREVENTIVE BENEFITS ON HEALTHY SUBJECTS. WE INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MEMORY AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS RELATED TO STRESS, COMPARING YOGA PRACTICE AND CONVENTIONAL PHYSICAL EXERCISES IN HEALTHY MEN (PREVIOUSLY YOGA-NAIVE). MEMORY TESTS, SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS AND STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION INVENTORIES WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER 6 MONTHS OF PRACTICE. YOGA PRACTITIONERS SHOWED IMPROVEMENT OF THE MEMORY PERFORMANCE, AS WELL AS IMPROVEMENTS IN PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS. THE PRESENT RESULTS SUGGEST THAT REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE CAN IMPROVE ASPECTS OF COGNITION AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. AN INDIRECT INFLUENCE OF EMOTIONAL STATE ON COGNITIVE IMPROVEMENT PROMOTED BY YOGA PRACTICE CAN BE PROPOSED. 2012 12 2675 29 YOGA IN PUBLIC SCHOOL IMPROVES ADOLESCENT MOOD AND AFFECT. THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO DIRECTLY COMPARE THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF PARTICIPATING IN A SINGLE YOGA CLASS VERSUS A SINGLE STANDARD PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE) CLASS ON STUDENT MOOD. FORTY-SEVEN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS COMPLETED SELF-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES ASSESSING MOOD AND AFFECT IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER PARTICIPATING IN A SINGLE YOGA CLASS AND A SINGLE PE CLASS ONE WEEK LATER. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING PAIRED-SAMPLES T TESTS AND WILCOXON-SIGNED RANKS TESTS AND BY COMPARING EFFECT SIZES BETWEEN THE TWO CONDITIONS. PARTICIPANTS REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER DECREASES IN ANGER, DEPRESSION, AND FATIGUE FROM BEFORE TO AFTER PARTICIPATING IN YOGA COMPARED TO PE. SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN NEGATIVE AFFECT OCCURRED AFTER YOGA BUT NOT AFTER PE; HOWEVER, THE CHANGES WERE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN CONDITIONS. IN ADDITION, AFTER PARTICIPATING IN BOTH YOGA AND PE, PARTICIPANTS REPORTED SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN CONFUSION AND TENSION, WITH NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS. RESULTS SUGGEST THAT SCHOOL-BASED YOGA MAY PROVIDE UNIQUE BENEFITS FOR STUDENTS ABOVE AND BEYOND PARTICIPATION IN PE. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD CONTINUE TO ELUCIDATE THE DISTINCT PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF PARTICIPATING IN YOGA COMPARED TO PE ACTIVITIES. 2015 13 160 27 A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING THE IMPACT OF YOGA AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION ON THE EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIOURAL FUNCTIONING OF MIDDLE SCHOOL CHILDREN. BACKGROUND: YOGA PROGRAMS GEARED FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN HAVE BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD, BUT RESEARCH REGARDING ITS IMPACT ON CHILDREN IS LACKING. SEVERAL STUDIES HAVE REPORTED POSITIVE OUTCOMES, THOUGH THERE IS A NEED FOR MORE RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS. OBJECTIVES: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CHILDREN'S EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIOURAL FUNCTIONING WHEN COMPARED WITH PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE) CLASSES. METHODS: THIRTY MIDDLE SCHOOL CHILDREN WERE RANDOMISED TO PARTICIPATE IN EITHER A SCHOOL-BASED ASHTANGA-INFORMED YOGA OR PE CLASS THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. EMOTIONAL (I.E. AFFECT, SELF-PERCEPTIONS) AND BEHAVIOURAL (I.E. INTERNALISING AND EXTERNALISING PROBLEMS, AGGRESSION) FUNCTIONING WERE MEASURED PRE AND POST-INTERVENTION. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES BETWEEN GROUPS IN SELF-REPORTED POSITIVE AFFECT, GLOBAL SELF-WORTH, AGGRESSION INDICES OR PARENT REPORTS OF THEIR CHILDREN'S EXTERNALISING AND INTERNALISING PROBLEMS. HOWEVER, NEGATIVE AFFECT INCREASED FOR THOSE CHILDREN PARTICIPATING IN YOGA WHEN COMPARED TO THE PE PROGRAM. CONCLUSIONS: IN GENERAL, FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA AND PE CLASSES DO NOT DIFFERENTIALLY IMPACT ON MIDDLE SCHOOL CHILDREN'S EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIOURAL FUNCTIONING. HOWEVER, CHILDREN REPORTED EXPERIENCING INCREASED NEGATIVE EMOTIONS AFTER RECEIVING YOGA WHILE CHILDREN IN THE PE GROUP REPORTED A DECREASE IN THESE FEELINGS. IMPLICATIONS OF THESE RESULTS AND POTENTIAL DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ON CHILDREN'S YOGA ARE DISCUSSED. 2014 14 2368 36 WELL-BEING AT WORKPLACE THROUGH MINDFULNESS: INFLUENCE OF YOGA PRACTICE ON POSITIVE AFFECT AND AGGRESSION. INTRODUCTION: MINDFULNESS IS ABOUT BEING AWARE OF INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL STIMULI BY WITNESSING THE ACT IN A NONJUDGMENTAL MANNER. EARLIER RESEARCHES SUGGEST THAT POSITIVE AFFECTIVITY (PA) IS NEGATIVELY RELATED TO NEGATIVE AFFECTIVITY, AGGRESSION, AND COUNTERPRODUCTIVE WORK BEHAVIOR (CWB). AIM: THE PRESENT STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECT OF MINDFULNESS DEVELOPED THROUGH YOGA PRACTICES ON AGGRESSION AND PA AMONG WORKING PROFESSIONALS INVOLVED IN CWB. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A PRE-TEST, POST-TEST RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED DESIGN WAS USED WITH A STUDY SAMPLE OF YOGA GROUP (N = 80) AND CONTROL GROUP (N = 80) FOR A DURATION OF 10 WEEKS. YOGA MODULE THAT INCLUDED ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, MEDITATION, AND YOGIC THEORIES WERE TAUGHT TO THE YOGA GROUP. MILD TO MODERATE PHYSICAL EXERCISES AND MANAGEMENT THEORIES WERE TAUGHT TO THE CONTROL GROUP. MEASUREMENTS OF AGGRESSION AND PA SCORES WERE TAKEN AT THE BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION FOR ASSESSMENT. RESULTS: AT THE BASELINE, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE VARIABLE SCORES BETWEEN BOTH THE GROUPS. POSTINTERVENTION RESULTS REVEALED THAT YOGA GROUP SHOWED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.001) REDUCTION IN AGGRESSION AND SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.001) ENHANCEMENT IN PA IN COMPARISON TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: WHEN COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION, THE YOGA GROUP SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER FOR AGGRESSION AND HIGHER FOR PA. 2015 15 621 37 DEVELOPMENT, VALIDATION, AND FEASIBILITY OF A SCHOOL-BASED SHORT DURATION INTEGRATED CLASSROOM YOGA MODULE: A PILOT STUDY DESIGN. BACKGROUND: THE PRACTICE OF YOGA IS PROVEN TO HAVE PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE AND EMOTIONAL BENEFITS FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN. DESPITE THIS MANY SCHOOLS DO NOT INCLUDE YOGA IN THEIR DAILY SCHEDULE. THE REASONS CITED ARE LACK OF TIME AND RESOURCES. TO OVERCOME THESE PROBLEMS THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED TO DEVELOP AND VALIDATE A SHORT DURATION INTEGRATED CLASSROOM YOGA MODULE. THE DESIGN GUIDELINES WERE THAT IT SHOULD BE POSSIBLE TO PRACTICE IN THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT AND THAT IT COULD BE LED BY THE CLASS TEACHER. IN THIS WAY THE MODULE WOULD OVERCOME THE PROBLEM OF BOTH TIME AND RESOURCE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY HAD TWO MAIN PHASES. IN THE FIRST PHASE, SELECTED ICYM PRACTICES BASED ON THE LITERATURE REVIEW WERE VALIDATED BY 21 SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS USING LAWHSE'S CONTENT VALIDITY RATIO (CVR) FORMULA. IN THE SECOND PHASE, A PILOT STUDY USING A PAIRED SAMPLE PREPOST MEASUREMENT DESIGN WAS CARRIED OUT ON 49 HIGH SCHOOL CHILDREN. THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN JUNE 2019. THE INTERVENTION PERIOD WAS 1 MONTH, AND THE TEST VARIABLES WERE PHYSICAL FITNESS, COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE, SELF-ESTEEM, EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING, AND PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTIC. PAIRED SAMPLE T-TEST WAS THE ANALYSIS TOOL AND THE SOFTWARE USED WAS THE STATISTICAL PACKAGE FOR THE SOCIAL SCIENCE VERSION 26. RESULTS: IN THE LAWSHE'S CVR ANALYSIS, 17 OUT OF THE 24 PRACTICES TESTED WERE RATED BY EXPERTS AS ESSENTIAL AS WAS THE OVERALL MODULE (CVR SCORE >/=0.429). IN THE PILOT STUDY, THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE POSTMEAN SCORES COMPARED TO PREMEAN SCORES, FOR ALL THE 4 EUROFIT PHYSICAL FITNESS TESTING BATTERY TESTS (P < 0.02), ALL THE THREE SCORES OF THE STROOP COLOR-WORD NAMING TASK (P < 0.001) AND THE ROSENBERG SELF-ESTEEM SCALE (P < 0.008). CONCLUSION: ICYM WAS VALIDATED AND FOUND FEASIBLE BY THE PRESENT STUDY. IT WAS FOUND TO HAVE A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON PHYSICAL FITNESS, COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE, AND SELF-ESTEEM VARIABLES. HOWEVER, A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL WITH A LONGER INTERVENTION PERIOD IS NEEDED TO STRENGTHEN THE PRESENT STUDY. 2021 16 60 29 A COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN SEDENTARY ADULTS: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON PEOPLE'S MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISES ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN SEDENTARY ADULTS. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. METHODS: FIFTY-ONE PARTICIPANTS AGED MEAN (SD) 25.6 (5.7) YEARS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS: HATHA YOGA GROUP, RESISTANCE EXERCISE GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP. THE HATHA YOGA GROUP AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE GROUP PARTICIPATED IN SESSIONS THREE DAYS PER WEEK FOR 7 WEEKS AND THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY SESSIONS. ALL THE SUBJECTS WERE EVALUATED THROUGH THE ROSENBERG SELF-ESTEEM SCALE, BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, BODY CATHEXIS SCALE, NOTTINGHAM HEALTH PROFILE AND VISUAL ANALOG SCALE FOR FATIGUE PRE-AND POST-SESSION. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN TERMS OF ALL OUTCOME MEASURES IN THE HATHA YOGA GROUP AND THE RESISTANCE EXERCISE GROUP. NO IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN THE CONTROL GROUP. HATHA YOGA MORE IMPROVED THE DIMENSIONS FATIGUE, SELF-ESTEEM, AND QUALITY OF LIFE, WHILST RESISTANCE EXERCISE TRAINING MORE IMPROVED BODY IMAGE. HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE DECREASED DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AT A SIMILAR LEVEL. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS INDICATED THAT HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE HAD POSITIVE EFFECTS ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN SEDENTARY ADULTS. HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE MAY AFFECT DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. 2014 17 2045 34 THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTION. BACKGROUND: DESPITE AN INCREASE IN THE PREVALENCE OF YOGA EXERCISE, RESEARCH FOCUSING ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA EXERCISE AND COGNITION IS LIMITED. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN ACUTE YOGA EXERCISE SESSION, RELATIVE TO AEROBIC EXERCISE, ON COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. METHODS: A REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN WAS EMPLOYED WHERE 30 FEMALE COLLEGE-AGED PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE = 20.07, SD = 1.95) COMPLETED 3 COUNTERBALANCED TESTING SESSIONS: A YOGA EXERCISE SESSION, AN AEROBIC EXERCISE SESSION, AND A BASELINE ASSESSMENT. THE FLANKER AND N-BACK TASKS WERE USED TO MEASURE COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. RESULTS: RESULTS SHOWED THAT COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE AFTER THE YOGA EXERCISE BOUT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY SUPERIOR (IE, SHORTER REACTION TIMES, INCREASED ACCURACY) AS COMPARED WITH THE AEROBIC AND BASELINE CONDITIONS FOR BOTH INHIBITION AND WORKING MEMORY TASKS. THE AEROBIC AND BASELINE PERFORMANCE WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT, CONTRADICTING SOME OF THE PREVIOUS FINDINGS IN THE ACUTE AEROBIC EXERCISE AND COGNITION LITERATURE. CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS ARE DISCUSSED RELATIVE TO THE NEED TO EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF OTHER NONTRADITIONAL MODES OF EXERCISE SUCH AS YOGA ON COGNITION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF TIME ELAPSED BETWEEN THE CESSATION OF THE EXERCISE BOUT AND THE INITIATION OF COGNITIVE ASSESSMENTS IN IMPROVING TASK PERFORMANCE. 2013 18 1304 44 HATHA YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVES ATTENTION AND PROCESSING SPEED IN OLDER ADULTS: RESULTS FROM AN 8-WEEK RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. BACKGROUND: AGE-RELATED COGNITIVE DECLINE IS WELL DOCUMENTED ACROSS VARIOUS ASPECTS OF COGNITIVE FUNCTION, INCLUDING ATTENTION AND PROCESSING SPEED, AND LIFESTYLE BEHAVIORS SUCH AS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN PREVENTING COGNITIVE DECLINE AND MAINTAINING OR EVEN IMPROVING COGNITIVE FUNCTION. PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION ON ATTENTION AND PROCESSING SPEED AMONG OLDER ADULTS. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS (N = 118; MEAN AGE, 62 +/- 5.59) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO AN 8-WEEK HATHA YOGA GROUP OR A STRETCHING CONTROL GROUP AND COMPLETED COGNITIVE ASSESSMENTS-ATTENTION NETWORK TASK, TRAIL MAKING TEST PARTS A AND B, AND PATTERN COMPARISON TEST-AT BASELINE AND AFTER THE 8-WEEK INTERVENTION. RESULTS: ANALYSES OF COVARIANCE REVEALED SIGNIFICANTLY FASTER REACTION TIMES FOR THE YOGA GROUP ON THE ATTENTION NETWORK TASK'S NEUTRAL, CONGRUENT, AND INCONGRUENT CONDITIONS (P