1 1511 112 IS THE PRACTICE OF YOGA OR MEDITATION ASSOCIATED WITH A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE? RESULTS OF A NATIONAL CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY OF 28,695 AUSTRALIAN WOMEN. OBJECTIVES: TO EXAMINE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA/MEDITATION PRACTICE AND HEALTH BEHAVIOR IN AUSTRALIAN WOMEN. METHODS: WOMEN AGED 19-25YEARS, 31-36YEARS, AND 62-67YEARS FROM THE AUSTRALIAN LONGITUDINAL STUDY ON WOMEN'S HEALTH (ALSWH) WERE SURVEYED REGARDING SMOKING, ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND DIETARY BEHAVIOR; AND WHETHER THEY PRACTICED YOGA/MEDITATION ON A REGULAR BASIS. ASSOCIATIONS OF HEALTH BEHAVIORS WITH YOGA/MEDITATION PRACTICE WERE ANALYZED USING MULTIPLE LOGISTIC REGRESSION MODELLING. RESULTS: 11,344, 8200, AND 9151 WOMEN AGED 19-25YEARS, 31-36YEARS, AND 62-67YEARS, RESPECTIVELY, WERE INCLUDED OF WHICH 29.0%, 21.7%, AND 20.7%, RESPECTIVELY, PRACTICED YOGA/MEDITATION. WOMEN PRACTICING YOGA/MEDITATION WERE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE LIKELY TO REPORT AT LEAST MODERATE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS (OR=1.50-2.79), TO FOLLOW A VEGETARIAN (OR=1.67-3.22) OR VEGAN (OR=2.26-3.68) DIET, AND TO REPORT THE USE OF MARIJUANA (OR=1.28-1.89) AND ILLICIT DRUGS IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS (OR=1.23-1.98). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA/MEDITATION PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS, A HIGHER LIKELIHOOD OF VEGETARIAN OR VEGAN DIET USE, AND A HIGHER LIKELIHOOD OF DRUG USE. WHILE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS SHOULD KEEP THE POTENTIAL VULNERABILITY OF YOGA/MEDITATION PRACTITIONERS TO DRUG USE IN MIND, THE POSITIVE ASSOCIATIONS OF YOGA/MEDITATION WITH A VARIETY OF POSITIVE HEALTH BEHAVIORS WARRANT ITS CONSIDERATION IN PREVENTIVE MEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
2 2052  45 THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN REGULAR YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTICE AND FALLS AND INJURIES: RESULTS OF A NATIONAL CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY AMONG AUSTRALIAN WOMEN. INTRODUCTION: FALLS ARE THE LEADING CAUSE OF INJURIES IN WOMEN ACROSS ALL AGES. WHILE YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO INCREASE BALANCE, IT HAS ALSO BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH INJURIES DUE TO FALLS DURING PRACTICE. THIS STUDY AIMED TO ANALYSE WHETHER REGULAR YOGA OR MEDITATION PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FREQUENCY OF FALLS AND FALL-RELATED INJURIES IN UPPER MIDDLE-AGED AUSTRALIAN WOMEN. METHODS: WOMEN AGED 59-64 YEARS FROM THE AUSTRALIAN LONGITUDINAL STUDY ON WOMEN'S HEALTH (ALSWH) WERE QUERIED REGARDING FALLS AND FALLS-RELATED INJURIES; AND WHETHER THEY REGULARLY PRACTICED YOGA OR MEDITATION. ASSOCIATIONS OF FALLS AND FALLS-RELATED INJURIES WITH YOGA OR MEDITATION PRACTICE WERE ANALYSED USING CHI-SQUARED TESTS AND MULTIPLE LOGISTIC REGRESSION MODELLING. RESULTS: OF 10,011 WOMEN, 4413 (44.1%) HAD SLIPPED, TRIPPED OR STUMBLED, 2770 (27.7%) HAD FALLEN TO THE GROUND, 1398 (14.0%) HAD BEEN INJURED AS A RESULT OF FALLING, AND 901 (9.0%) WOMEN HAD SOUGHT MEDICAL ATTENTION FOR A FALL-RELATED INJURY WITHIN THE PREVIOUS 12 MONTHS. YOGA OR MEDITATION WAS PRACTICED REGULARLY BY 746 (7.5%) WOMEN. NO ASSOCIATIONS OF FALLS, FALL-RELATED INJURIES AND TREATMENT DUE TO FALLS-RELATED INJURY WITH YOGA OR MEDITATION PRACTICE WERE FOUND. DISCUSSION: NO ASSOCIATION BETWEEN YOGA OR MEDITATION PRACTICE AND FALLS OR FALL-RELATED INJURIES HAVE BEEN FOUND. FURTHER STUDIES ARE WARRANTED FOR CONCLUSIVE JUDGEMENT OF BENEFITS AND SAFETY OF YOGA AND MEDITATION IN RELATION TO BALANCE, FALLS AND FALL-RELATED INJURIES.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
3  468  37 CHARACTERISTICS OF WOMEN WHO PRACTICE YOGA IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS DURING PREGNANCY. OBJECTIVES: YOGA PRACTICE DURING PREGNANCY IS GAINING INCREASING POPULARITY. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PREGNANT WOMEN WHO PRACTICED YOGA IN REGARD TO THE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS (AT HOME, IN YOGA CLASSES, OR BOTH). DESIGN: THE STUDY SAMPLE WAS DRAWN FROM THE AUSTRALIAN LONGITUDINAL STUDY ON WOMEN'S HEALTH (ALSWH), A NATIONAL LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF WOMEN TO INVESTIGATE MULTIPLE FACTORS AFFECTING HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF WOMEN OVER A 20-YEAR PERIOD. SETTING: POSTAL SURVEY. PARTICIPANTS: WOMEN BORN BETWEEN 1973 AND 1978, WHO WERE RANDOMLY SELECTED FROM THE NATIONAL MEDICARE DATABASE AND IDENTIFIED AS BEING PREGNANT OR HAVING RECENTLY GIVEN BIRTH (N=2316). OUTCOME MEASURES: RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN YOGA USE (ATTENDING YOGA CLASSES AND/OR PRACTISING YOGA AT HOME) AND WOMEN'S CHARACTERISTICS (DEMOGRAPHIC MEASURES, PREGNANCY-RELATED HEALTH CONCERNS, HEALTH SERVICE UTILISATION, ATTITUDES TO COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE). RESULTS: PRACTISING YOGA BOTH AT HOME AND IN CLASSES WAS ASSOCIATED WITH PERCEIVING COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM) AS PREVENTATIVE (ODDS RATIO (OR)=1.62); PERCEIVING CAM AS AFFORDING HEALTH CONTROL (OR=1.50); EXPERIENCING SADNESS (OR=1.72); PREPARING FOR LABOUR (OR=2.31); BIRTHING IN A BIRTH CENTRE (OR=7.97); AND EXPERIENCING LESS VOMITING (OR=0.38). PRACTISING AT HOME ONLY WAS ASSOCIATED WITH PERCEIVING CAM AS AFFORDING HEALTH CONTROL (OR=1.76); PERCEIVING CAM AS PROMOTING A HOLISTIC HEALTH APPROACH (OR=1.65); AND BIRTHING IN A BIRTH CENTRE (OR=3.54). PRACTISING IN CLASSES ONLY WAS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPERIENCING STRESS (OR=1.97); AND BIRTHING IN A BIRTH CENTRE (OR=4.85) (ALL P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT THE LOCATION IN WHICH A WOMAN PRACTICES YOGA IS ASSOCIATED WITH ATTITUDINAL, HEALTH-RELATED AND BIRTH ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
4 1802  40 PREVALENCE AND PREDICTORS OF YOGIC BREATHING AND MEDITATION USE - A NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE SURVEY OF US ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS. INTRODUCTION: YOGA PRACTICE IN COMMON USAGE IS OFTEN CONFINED TO THE PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PRACTICE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE USE OF TWO ADDITIONAL ASPECTS OF YOGA AS PART OF YOGA PRACTICE, I.E. YOGIC BREATHING AND MEDITATION (YOBAM). PREVALENCE AND PREDICTORS OF YOBAM USE AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS IN THE US GENERAL POPULATION WERE ANALYZED. METHOD: CROSS-SECTIONAL DATA FROM THE 2012 AND 2017 NATIONAL HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY (NHIS) (N = 61,267) WAS USED. 12-MONTH PREVALENCE OF YOGA USE AND YOBAM USE AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE ANALYZED DESCRIPTIVELY FOR THE TWO COHORTS RESPECTIVELY. LOGISTIC REGRESSION ANALYSES WERE USED TO ANALYZE SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH-RELATED PREDICTORS OF YOBAM USE AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS. RESULTS: 12-MONTH PREVALENCE OF YOGA USE AND YOBAM USE WERE 8.9 % AND 4.8 % RESPECTIVELY IN 2012. IN 2017, 13.3 % HAD PRACTICED YOGA IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS AND 7.0 % HAD USED YOBAM. YOGA PRACTITIONERS AGED BETWEEN 50 AND 64 COMPARED TO BEING 29 OR YOUNGER, FEMALES, HISPANICS AND THOSE EXPERIENCING MILD TO SEVERE FORMS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS WERE MORE LIKELY TO USE YOBAM AS PART OF THEIR YOGA PRACTICE. YOGA PRACTITIONERS LIVING IN THE MIDWEST OR IN A RELATIONSHIP WERE LESS LIKELY TO USE YOBAM. CONCLUSION: IN RECENT YEARS, THE NUMBER OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS IN THE US GENERAL POPULATION HAS CONSIDERABLY INCREASED AND YOBAM USE IS COMMON AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS. YOBAM USE SEEMS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH AGE, GENDER, ETHNICITY, REGION, MARITAL STATUS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS DIMENSIONS.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
5 2263  40 THE PREVALENCE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUNG AND MID-AGE WOMEN WHO USE YOGA AND MEDITATION: RESULTS OF A NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE SURVEY OF 19,209 AUSTRALIAN WOMEN. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF YOGA AND MEDITATION USERS AND NON-USERS AMONGST YOUNG AND MID-AGED AUSTRALIAN WOMEN. DESIGN AND SETTING: THE RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED AS PART OF THE AUSTRALIAN LONGITUDINAL STUDY ON WOMEN'S HEALTH (ALSWH) WHICH WAS DESIGNED TO INVESTIGATE MULTIPLE FACTORS AFFECTING THE HEALTH AND WELL BEING OF WOMEN OVER A 20-YEAR PERIOD. PARTICIPANTS: THE YOUNGER (28-33 YEARS) (N=8885) AND MID-AGED (56-61 YEARS) (N=10,324) COHORTS OF THE ALSWH WHO COMPLETED SURVEY 5 IN 2006 AND 2007 RESPECTIVELY. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: USE OF YOGA. RESULTS: THIS STUDY ESTIMATES THAT 35% OF AUSTRALIAN WOMEN AGED 28-33 AND 27% OF AUSTRALIAN WOMEN AGED 56-61 USE YOGA OR MEDITATION. YOUNGER WOMEN WITH BACK PAIN (OR=1.28; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.52) AND ALLERGIES (OR=1.25; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.49) WERE MORE LIKELY TO USE YOGA OR MEDITATION, WHILE YOUNGER WOMEN WITH MIGRAINES OR HEADACHES (OR=0.73; 95% CI: 0.62, 0.87) WERE LESS LIKELY TO USE YOGA OR MEDITATION. MID-AGE WOMEN WITH LOW IRON (OR=1.68; 95% CI: 1.29, 2.19) AND BOWEL PROBLEMS (OR=1.37; 95% CI: 1.13, 1.65) WERE MORE LIKELY TO USE YOGA OR MEDITATION, WHILE MID AGE WOMEN WITH HYPERTENSION (OR=0.62; 95% CI: 0.52, 0.76) WERE LESS LIKELY TO USE YOGA OR MEDITATION. CONCLUSION: A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE FEMALE POPULATION ARE USING YOGA OR MEDITATION. GIVEN THAT WOMEN WHO REGULARLY USE YOGA OR MEDITATION POSITIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH MEASURES OF MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH, THERE IS A NEED FOR FURTHER RESEARCH TO EXAMINE THE EXPERIENCES AND POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF THESE MIND-BODY PRACTICES FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH.	2011	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
6 2748  34 YOGA PRACTICE IN ENGLAND 1997-2008: PREVALENCE, TEMPORAL TRENDS, AND CORRELATES OF PARTICIPATION. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A HOLISTIC PRACTICE THAT MAY OFFER SEVERAL HEALTH BENEFITS. NO STUDY HAS EXAMINED THE PREVALENCE, TEMPORAL TRENDS, OR CORRELATES OF YOGA PRACTICE AT THE POPULATION LEVEL IN A EUROPEAN COUNTRY AND VERY FEW SUCH STUDIES EXIST WORLDWIDE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY IS TO EXAMINE THE PREVALENCE, TRENDS AND CORRELATES OF YOGA PRACTICE IN ENGLAND BETWEEN 1997 AND 2008. FINDINGS: ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED IN EARLY 2013 USING HEALTH SURVEY FOR ENGLAND DATA. INDEPENDENT COHORTS, REPRESENTATIVE OF ADULTS LIVING IN ENGLAND, WERE SURVEYED IN ANNUAL CYCLES IN 1997-1999, 2003-2004, AND 2006/2008. PREVALENCE OF YOGA PRACTICE (DEFINED AS ANY PRACTICE IN THE PAST FOUR WEEKS) WAS DETERMINED AT EACH TIME POINT AND MULTIPLE LOGISTIC REGRESSION WAS USED TO EXAMINE TEMPORAL TRENDS (USING 1997-1999 AS REFERENCE TIME POINT) AND THE CORRELATES OF YOGA PRACTICE. THE PREVALENCE OF YOGA PRACTICE WAS 0.46% (95% CI: 0.39%-0.52%) IN 1997-1999, 0.94% (0.83%-1.06%) IN 2003-2004, AND 1.11% (0.95%-1.28%) IN 2006/2008. YOGA PARTICIPANTS IN ENGLAND WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE OLDER, FEMALE, DEGREE EDUCATED, OF NON-MANUAL SOCIAL CLASS, LOWER BMI, BETTER SELF-RATED GENERAL HEALTH, INACTIVE OCCUPATION, AND HIGHER MODERATE-TO-VIGOROUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. ADJUSTED FOR AGE, SEX, SOCIAL CLASS, AND LONG STANDING ILLNESSES, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASING TREND OF YOGA PRACTICE FROM 1997 TO 2008 (2003/04 OR = 1.93, 95% CI: 1.59-2.34; 2006/08 OR = 2.19, 95% CI: 1.77-2.71). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PRACTICE HAS INCREASED IN POPULARITY, THOUGH THE ABSOLUTE RATES ARE STILL RELATIVELY LOW. FUTURE POPULATION STUDIES SHOULD MORE COMPREHENSIVELY EXAMINE THE CONTEXTS, SETTINGS, STYLES, CORRELATES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF YOGA PRACTICE.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
7  363  52 ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN YOGA/MEDITATION USE, BODY SATISFACTION, AND WEIGHT MANAGEMENT METHODS: RESULTS OF A NATIONAL CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY OF 8009 AUSTRALIAN WOMEN. OBJECTIVES: TO ANALYZE WHETHER YOGA OR MEDITATION USE IS ASSOCIATED WITH BODY (DIS)SATISFACTION AND WEIGHT CONTROL METHODS IN AUSTRALIAN WOMEN. METHODS: WOMEN AGES 34 TO 39 Y FROM THE AUSTRALIAN LONGITUDINAL STUDY ON WOMEN'S HEALTH WERE SURVEYED REGARDING BODY SATISFACTION, WEIGHT CONTROL BEHAVIORS, AND YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTICE. ASSOCIATIONS OF BODY SATISFACTION AND WEIGHT CONTROL METHODS WITH YOGA/MEDITATION PRACTICE WERE ANALYZED USING CHI-SQUARED TESTS AND MULTIPLE LOGISTIC REGRESSION MODELLING. RESULTS: OF THE 8009 WOMEN, 49% WERE OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE. SIXTY-FIVE PERCENT OF WOMEN WITH NORMAL BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) AND APPROXIMATELY 95% OF WOMEN WITH OVERWEIGHT/OBESITY WANTED TO LOSE WEIGHT. AT LEAST ONE IN FOUR WOMEN WITH NORMAL BMI WAS DISSATISFIED WITH BODY WEIGHT AND SHAPE, AS WERE MORE THAN TWO IN THREE WOMEN WITH OVERWEIGHT/OBESITY. THE MOST COMMON WEIGHT CONTROL METHODS INCLUDED EXERCISING (82.7%), CUTTING DOWN MEAL SIZES (76.8%), AND CUTTING DOWN SUGARS OR FATS (71.9%). YOGA/MEDITATION WAS PRACTICED FREQUENTLY BY 688 WOMEN (8.6%) AND OCCASIONALLY BY 1176 WOMEN (14.7%). YOGA/MEDITATION USERS WITH NORMAL BMI WERE LESS LIKELY DISSATISFIED WITH BODY WEIGHT AND SHAPE. ALL YOGA/MEDITATION USERS MORE LIKELY EXERCISED AND FOLLOWED A LOW GLYCEMIC DIET OR DIET BOOKS; AND WOMEN WITH OBESITY OCCASIONALLY USING YOGA/MEDITATION ALSO MORE LIKELY USED FASTING OR SMOKING TO LOSE WEIGHT. CONCLUSION: YOGA/MEDITATION USERS WITH NORMAL BMI APPEAR TO BE MORE SATISFIED WITH THEIR BODY WEIGHT AND SHAPE THAN NON-YOGA/MEDITATION USERS. WHILE WOMEN WITH NORMAL BMI OR OVERWEIGHT TEND TO RELY ON HEALTHY WEIGHT CONTROL METHODS, WOMEN WITH OBESITY OCCASIONAL USING YOGA/MEDITATION MAY MORE LIKELY UTILIZE UNHEALTHY WEIGHT CONTROL METHODS.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
8 1806  31 PREVALENCE, PATTERNS, AND PREDICTORS OF YOGA PRACTICE AMONG ADULTS IN AN URBAN POPULATION IN EASTERN INDIA. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE PREVALENCE AND PREDICTORS OF YOGA PRACTICE. THIS CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AS A PART OF A LARGER STUDY THAT INCLUDED YOGA AS A FORM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. DATA WERE COLLECTED DURING APRIL AND AUGUST 2019 FROM THE ADULT URBAN POPULATION OF BHUBANESWAR, INDIA. THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED USING A CLUSTER RANDOM SAMPLING METHOD. A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE (N = 1,203) OF ADULTS AGED 18-59 YEARS, IRRESPECTIVE OF GENDER, WAS INTERVIEWED USING A QUESTIONNAIRE ADAPTED FROM THE 2012 U.S. NATIONAL HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY, WITH THE EPICOLLECT5 HANDHELD DATA-COLLECTION TOOL. PREDICTORS OF YOGA PRACTICE WERE EXPLORED USING MULTIVARIABLE LOGISTIC REGRESSION. THE MEAN AGE OF THE PARTICIPANTS WAS 35.19 +/- 10.67 YEARS, WITH 55.3% MALES. THE MAJORITY WERE HINDU (93.62%) AND BELONGED TO THE UNRE S E RVED CATEGORY (65.60%), PEOPLE GENERALLY OF HIGHER RELATIVE SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS. THE LIFETIME PREVALENCE OF YOGA WAS 16.9%. PREVALENCE OF ANY FORM OF YOGA (YOGA, PRANAYAMA, OR MEDITATION), ALL FORMS OF YOGA (YOGA, PRANAYAMA, AND MEDITATION), PRANAYAMA, AND MEDITATION WAS 17.0%, 10.7%, 14.3%, AND 11.4%, RESPECTIVELY. AFTER ADJUSTING FOR CONFOUNDERS, FEMALE GENDER, HINDU RELIGION, MINIMUM OF HIGHER-SECONDARY OR GRADUATE-LEVEL EDUCATION, AND HAVING RECEIVED ADVICE FROM PROFESSIONALS FOR YOGA PRACTICE HAD SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER ODDS OF PRACTICING YOGA, AND THOSE OF HIGHER SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER ODDS OF PRACTICING YOGA. WE FOUND A LOW PREVALENCE OF YOGA. SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS LIKE GENDER, RELIGION, EDUCATION, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, AND OTHER FACTORS LIKE LEARNING YOGA FROM PROFESSIONALS MAY BE IMPORTANT PREDICTORS OF CONTINUED YOGA PRACTICE.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
9 1657  25 MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN AND INTEREST IN MEDITATION AND YOGA IN HOME HEALTH AIDES: EVIDENCE FROM THE HOME HEALTH OCCUPATIONS MUSCULOSKELETAL EXAMINATIONS (HHOME) STUDY. HOME HEALTHCARE AIDES (HHAS) ARE A GROWING U.S. WORKFORCE HIGHLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO WORKPLACE STRESSORS AND MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN. IN THE PRESENT STUDY WE: 1) EXAMINE THE ASSOCIATION OF MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN TO LIFE SATISFACTION AND EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION; AND 2) CHARACTERIZE INTEREST IN MEDITATION AND YOGA IN A SAMPLE OF HHAS. A NONPROBABILISTIC SAMPLE OF HHAS EMPLOYED AT HOME HEALTHCARE AGENCIES IN FLORIDA, MASSACHUSETTS, AND OREGON (N = 285 TOTAL) COMPLETED A SELF-ADMINISTERED QUESTIONNAIRE WITH STANDARD SURVEY MEASURES ON MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN LOCATION, DURATION, AND SEVERITY; LIFE SATISFACTION; EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION; AND INTEREST IN MEDITATION TECHNIQUES AND YOGA. AMONG HHAS RESPONDING, 48.4% REPORTED PAIN IN THE LAST 7 DAYS AND 46.6% REPORTED PAIN IN THE LAST 3 MONTHS. HOME HEALTHCARE AIDES WHO REPORTED CURRENT PAIN AND CHRONIC PAIN HAD A SIGNIFICANT (P < .05) DECREASE IN SATISFACTION WITH LIFE SCORE AND A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION SCORE. THE MAJORITY OF HHAS REPORTED AN INTEREST IN LEARNING ABOUT THE BENEFITS (65.6%) AND PRACTICE (66.4%) OF MEDITATION AND A WILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE IN A YOGA CLASS (59.2%) OR STRESS MANAGEMENT MEETING (59.1%). THE HHAS REPORTED BOTH ACUTE AND CHRONIC MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN THAT WAS CORRELATED WITH LOWER LIFE SATISFACTION AND GREATER EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION. MORE EFFORTS ARE NEEDED TO REDUCE THE SOURCES OF INJURY AND EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
10 2327  26 TRENDS IN YOGA, TAI CHI, AND QIGONG USE AMONG US ADULTS, 2002-2017. OBJECTIVES: TO EXAMINE THE CHARACTERISTICS AND TEMPORAL TRENDS OF YOGA, TAI CHI, AND QIGONG (YTQ) USE AMONG US ADULTS. METHODS: USING THE 2002, 2007, 2012, AND 2017 NATIONAL HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEYS, WE EXAMINED THE PREVALENCE, PATTERNS, AND PREDICTING FACTORS OF YTQ USE BY TAYLOR SERIES LINEAR REGRESSION, THE WALD F CHI(2) TEST, AND MULTIVARIABLE LOGISTIC REGRESSION MODELS (N = 116 404). RESULTS: YTQ USE INCREASED FROM 5.8% IN 2002 TO 14.5% IN 2017 (P </= .001). ONLY 6.6% OF YTQ USERS WERE REFERRED BY THEIR MEDICAL DOCTORS, AND APPROXIMATELY ONE THIRD DISCLOSED THEIR USE OF YTQ TO MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS. REASONS FOR USING YTQ INCLUDED (1) YTQ WAS BENEFICIAL, (2) YTQ FOCUSED ON THE WHOLE PERSON, AND (3) YTQ WAS NATURAL. ACUTE AND CHRONIC PAIN, ARTHRITIS, AND DEPRESSION WERE THE TOP 3 MEDICAL CONDITIONS FOR WHICH PEOPLE USED YTQ THE MOST. CONCLUSIONS: YTQ USE IS INCREASING SUBSTANTIALLY, MAINLY BECAUSE OF ITS NATURAL AND HOLISTIC HEALING APPROACH TOWARD HEALTH AND CHRONIC DISEASES. FUTURE STUDIES AIMING TO EXPLORE HOW TO BEST INTEGRATE YTQ INTO THE CURRENT HEALTH CARE SYSTEM ARE WARRANTED.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
11 1432  24 IMPROVING PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH IN FRONTLINE MENTAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS: YOGA-BASED STRESS MANAGEMENT VERSUS COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL STRESS MANAGEMENT. THE NEED FOR BRIEF, LOW-COST, EASILY DISSEMINABLE AND EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS TO PROMOTE HEALTHY LIFESTYLES IS HIGH. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS. WE DEVELOPED TWO STUDIES TO COMPARE THE IMPACTS OF COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL STRESS MANAGEMENT (CBSM) AND YOGA BASED STRESS MANAGEMENT (YBSM) INTERVENTIONS FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS. STUDY 1 OFFERED AN 8-WEEK YBSM INTERVENTION TO 37 MENTAL HEALTHCARE PARTICIPANTS AND COLLECTED HEALTH DATA PRE AND POST. STUDY 2 OFFERED YBSM AND CBSM CLASSES TO 40 RANDOMLY ASSIGNED MENTAL HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AND COLLECTED MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH DATA AT FOUR TIME POINTS. IN STUDY 1, USING T-TESTS, THE YBSM INTERVENTION AFFECTED A NUMBER OF MENTAL AND PHYSICAL WELLBEING INDICES PRE TO POST. IN STUDY 2, USING LINEAR MIXED MODELING, BOTH YBSM AND CBSM GROUPS IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY (P <.05) IN FRUIT AND VEGETABLE INTAKE, HEART RATE, ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION, RELAXATION AND AWARENESS, PROFESSIONAL QUALITY OF LIFE, COMPASSION SATISFACTION, BURNOUT, DEPRESSION, AND STRESS LEVELS. THERE WAS A GROUP BY TIME EFFECT FOR COPING CONFIDENCE (CBSM INCREASED MORE, P<.05, F = 4.34), PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (YBSM INCREASED MORE, P<.05, F = 3.47), OVERALL MENTAL HEALTH (YBSM INCREASED MORE, P<.10, F =5.32), AND SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS (YBSM DECREASED MORE, P<.10, F = 4.89). YBSM AND CBSM APPEAR TO BE USEFUL FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS' MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH. YBSM DEMONSTRATES SOME BENEFIT ABOVE AND BEYOND THE EXTREMELY WELL-STUDIED AND EMPIRICALLY SUPPORTED CBSM, INCLUDING INCREASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, OVERALL MENTAL HEALTH, AND DECREASED SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS BENEFITS.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
12  918  23 EFFECTIVENESS OF TRAINING PROGRAM COMBINING CHAKRAYOGA AND MEDITATION. BACKGROUND THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROGRAM COMBINING CHAKRAYOGA AND MEDITATION ON THE PHYSICAL HEALTH AND DISEASE-RELATED FACTORS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS OF PEOPLE. METHODS NINETY-SEVEN SUBJECTS (32-83 YEARS OLD) WHO HAD FREE FROM PRIOR EXPERIENCES IN MEDITATION PROGRAMS OR CHAKRAYOGA TRAINING COURSES WERE ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (EXP) (45 SUBJECTS; 13 MALE SUBJECTS AND 32 FEMALE SUBJECTS; AVERAGE AGE OF 60.67 YEARS, SD=11.09 YEARS) OR THE CONTROL GROUP (CONT) OF REMAINING SUBJECTS (52 SUBJECTS; 14 MALE SUBJECTS AND 38 FEMALE SUBJECTS; AVERAGE AGE OF 61.58 YEARS, SD=9.70 YEARS). SUBJECTS IN THE EXP PARTICIPATED IN THE CHAKRAYOGA MEDITATION PROGRAM FOR TWICE A WEEK FOR 2 H DURING 6 WEEKS IN EACH SESSION CONSISTED OF 1 H OF CHAKRAYOGA AND 1 H OF MEDITATION. THE MEASUREMENTS IN THIS STUDY INCLUDED THE MINDFULNESS, STRESS RESPONSE, SUBJECTIVE QUALITY OF LIFE, MEDICAL SYMPTOM CHECKLIST, DIFFICULTY IN EMOTIONAL REGULATION AND OBJECTIVE OF LIFE AND SENSE OF CONTROL. RESULTS RESULTS REVEALED THAT PARTICIPANTS IN THE EXP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE RELIEF OF MINDFULNESS, STRESS RESPONSE, SUBJECTIVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND MEDICAL SYMPTOM CHECKLIST THAN THOSE IN THE CONT. CONCLUSIONS THESE FINDINGS PROVIDE EVIDENCE THAT THE CHAKRAYOGA MEDITATION PROGRAM CAN HELP RELIEVE THE PHYSICAL HEALTH AND DISEASE-RELATED FACTORS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
13 2349  24 USING THE MULTI-THEORY MODEL (MTM) OF HEALTH BEHAVIOR CHANGE TO EXPLAIN YOGA PRACTICE. BACKGROUND: DIVERSE GROUPS, INCLUDING COLLEGE STUDENTS, ARE BEING ENCOURAGED TO PRACTICE YOGA. RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT COLLEGE STUDENTS FAIL TO ATTAIN THE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL BENEFITS OF YOGA PRACTICE. OBJETIVE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO UTILIZE THE FOURTH-GENERATION, MULTI-THEORY MODEL (MTM) OF HEALTH BEHAVIOR CHANGE TO EXPLAIN CHANGE REGARDING YOGA PRACTICE OF ASANAS, SHAVA ASANA, PRANAYAMA, DHYANA, YAMA AND NIYAMA AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS. METHOD: THIS CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY RELIED ON A QUOTA SAMPLE OF STUDENTS 18 YEARS AND OLDER ATTENDING JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY, A HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE IN JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, UNITED STATES. MEASURES: A 36-ITEM FACE AND CONTENT VALID INSTRUMENT WAS USED TO COLLECT DATA. STEPWISE MULTIPLE REGRESSION WAS USED TO ANALYZE THE SURVEY DATA FOR IDENTIFYING THE BEST POSSIBLE PREDICTORS OF YOGA PRACTICE. A STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE LEVEL OF 0.05 WAS SET A PRIORI. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 70 PARTICIPANTS, MEAN AGE 28.62 YEARS (SD, 6.11), PREDOMINATELY FEMALE (84%) AND BLACK (87%) COMPLETED THE SURVEY. THE INITIATION MODEL CONSTRUCTS- CHANGES IN THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT (BETA = 3.99, P = .002) AND BEHAVIORAL CONFIDENCE (BETA = 0.331, P = .008)-WERE SIGNIFICANT, EXPLAINING 40% OF THE VARIABILITY IN THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE. PRACTICE CHANGE WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (F1,65 =7.569; P = .0001; ADJUSTED R2 = 0.460) FOR THE MAINTENANCE MODEL, EXPLAINING 46% OF THE VARIABILITY. CONCLUSION: THE MTM MODEL OF HEALTH BEHAVIOR CHANGE IS EFFECTIVE FOR EXPLAINING THE INTENT TO INITIATE AND MAINTAIN YOGA BEHAVIOR AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS.	2022	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
14 2396  12 YOGA AND CHEMOREFLEX RESPONSE TO HYPOXIA AND HYPERCAPNIA. WE TESTED WHETHER CHEMOREFLEX SENSITIVITY COULD BE AFFECTED BY THE PRACTICE OF YOGA, AND WHETHER THIS IS SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE OF A SLOW BREATHING RATE OBTAINED DURING YOGA OR AS A GENERAL CONSEQUENCE OF YOGA. WE FOUND THAT SLOW BREATHING RATE PER SE SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED CHEMOREFLEX SENSITIVITY, BUT LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTICE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR A GENERALISED REDUCTION IN CHEMOREFLEX.	2000	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
15 1807  39 PREVALENCE, PATTERNS, AND PREDICTORS OF YOGA USE: RESULTS OF A U.S. NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE SURVEY. INTRODUCTION: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE PREVALENCE, PATTERNS, AND PREDICTORS OF YOGA USE IN THE U.S. GENERAL POPULATION. METHODS: USING CROSS-SECTIONAL DATA FROM THE 2012 NATIONAL HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY FAMILY CORE, SAMPLE ADULT CORE, AND ADULT COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE QUESTIONNAIRES (N=34,525), WEIGHTED FREQUENCIES FOR LIFETIME AND 12-MONTH PREVALENCE OF YOGA USE AND PATTERNS OF YOGA PRACTICE WERE ANALYZED. USING LOGISTIC REGRESSION ANALYSES, SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC PREDICTORS OF LIFETIME YOGA USE WERE ANALYZED. ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED IN 2015. RESULTS: LIFETIME AND 12-MONTH PREVALENCE OF YOGA USE WERE 13.2% AND 8.9%, RESPECTIVELY. COMPARED WITH NONPRACTITIONERS, LIFETIME YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE MORE LIKELY FEMALE, YOUNGER, NON-HISPANIC WHITE, COLLEGE EDUCATED, HIGHER EARNERS, LIVING IN THE WEST, AND OF BETTER HEALTH STATUS. AMONG THOSE WHO HAD PRACTICED IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS, 51.2% ATTENDED YOGA CLASSES, 89.9% USED BREATHING EXERCISES, AND 54.9% USED MEDITATION. YOGA WAS PRACTICED FOR GENERAL WELLNESS OR DISEASE PREVENTION (78.4%), TO IMPROVE ENERGY (66.1%), OR TO IMPROVE IMMUNE FUNCTION (49.7%). BACK PAIN (19.7%), STRESS (6.4%), AND ARTHRITIS (6.4%) WERE THE MAIN SPECIFIC HEALTH PROBLEMS FOR WHICH PEOPLE PRACTICED YOGA. CONCLUSIONS: ABOUT 31 MILLION U.S. ADULTS HAVE EVER USED YOGA, AND ABOUT 21 MILLION PRACTICED YOGA IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS. DISEASE PREVENTION AND BACK PAIN RELIEF WERE THE MOST IMPORTANT HEALTH REASONS FOR YOGA PRACTICE. YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH AGE, GENDER, ETHNICITY, SES, AND HEALTH STATUS.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
16 2296  12 THERAPEUTIC PROCESSES IN A YOGA ASHRAM. ALTHOUGH COMMUNAL AND NEW RELIGIOUS GROUPS ARE SAID TO PROVIDE QUASI-THERAPEUTIC EXPERIENCES FOR RELATIVELY HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS IN OUR SOCIETY, THERE IS LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THIS OCCURS. THIS STUDY EXAMINES THE LIFESTYLE AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF A YOGA ASHRAM AND DESCRIBES HOW THEY FACILITATE PROCESSES WHERE RESIDENTS LEARN TO RELEASE AND PREVENT STRESS IN THEIR LIVES.	1985	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
17 2890  22 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
18 1804  31 PREVALENCE OF ORTHOREXIA NERVOSA AMONG ASHTANGA YOGA PRACTITIONERS: A PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: ORTHOREXIA NERVOSA (ON, I.E., FIXATION ON RIGHTEOUS EATING) IS A POORLY DEFINED DISORDERED EATING BEHAVIOR THAT RESULTS FROM A PATHOLOGICAL OBSESSION WITH FOOD, ITS PURPORTED NUTRITIONAL VALUE, COMPOSITION, ORIGIN, ETC. METHODS: WE INVESTIGATED THE PREVALENCE OF ON IN A LOCAL ASHTANGA YOGA COMMUNITY, BY USING A VALIDATED QUESTIONNAIRE (ORTO-15) THAT SETS A THRESHOLD OF ON DIAGNOSIS AT </=40. RESULTS: AMONG THE 136 RESPONDENTS, THE MEAN ORTO-15 SCORE (WHICH WAS NORMALLY DISTRIBUTED) WAS 35.27 +/- 3.69, I.E., 86 % OF RESPONDENTS HAD AN ORTO-15 SCORE LOWER THAN 40 AND NO SIGNIFICANT ASSOCIATION WITH AGE OR BMI WAS RECORDED. WHEN WE ANALYZED THE DIFFERENTIAL DISTRIBUTION OF ORTHOREXIA IN OUR COHORT, WE RECORDED AN ASSOCIATION OF ORTO-15 SCORE AND VEGETARIANISM, I.E., THE ORTO-15 SCORE WAS LOWER AMONG VEGETARIANS. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS OF THIS PILOT STUDY SHOULD SUGGEST ASHTANGA YOGA TEACHERS TO AVOID EXCESSIVE REFERENCE TO A HEALTHY DIET, WHICH IS NATURAL COMPONENT OF YOGA PRACTICE.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
19 1539  26 KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PRACTICE OF YOGA IN MEDICAL STUDENTS: ASSESSMENT OF ANTHROPOMETRY AND LIFESTYLE FACTORS. MEDICAL STUDENTS OFTEN EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT STRESS DURING THEIR UNDERGRADUATE TRAINING. EVIDENCE HAS SHOWN SHORT-TERM YOGA TO BE EFFECTIVE IN DECREASING STRESS IN STUDENTS. THIS STUDY AIMED TO ASSESS KNOWLEDGE ABOUT, ATTITUDE TOWARD, AND PRACTICE OF (KAP) YOGA AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS. A SECONDARY OBJECTIVE WAS TO ANALYZE THEIR DIETARY HABITS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. PARTICIPANTS CONSISTED OF 224 MEDICAL STUDENTS AGED 18-23 YEARS IN PRE- AND PARACLINICAL GROUPS. A CLOSED-ENDED KAP QUESTIONNAIRE WAS USED TO COLLECT DATA. ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS WERE TAKEN. RESULTS SHOWED THAT PARACLINICAL STUDENTS (70.5%) FAVORABLY PERCEIVED THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF YOGA. NEARLY THREE-FOURTHS OF STUDY SUBJECTS HAD PREVIOUSLY PRACTICED YOGA; GREATER NUMBERS INTENDED TO PRACTICE YOGA IN THE FUTURE. ABOUT 95.5% OF THE PRECLINICAL STUDENTS WHO HAD DONE YOGA HAD DISCONTINUED THE PRACTICE. PERCEIVED BARRIERS TO THE PRACTICE OF YOGA WERE LACK OF TIME, INSUFFICIENT FACILITIES, LACK OF COMPANY, AND LACK OF INTEREST. CONSIDERATION OF THE UNDERGRADUATES' LIFESTYLE REVEALED THAT 50.4% OF PRECLINICAL STUDENTS DID NOT EXERCISE, AND THEY ROUTINELY CONSUMED MORE JUNK FOOD WITH FEWER SERVINGS OF FRESH FRUITS/SALADS. PRECLINICAL STUDENTS EXHIBITED HIGHER BMI AND WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE COMPARED TO PARACLINICAL STUDENTS. FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT KNOWLEDGE OF AND ATTITUDE REGARDING YOGA WERE GOOD AMONG MEDICAL UNDERGRADUATES.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
20 1468  25 INNER ENGINEERING PRACTICES AND ADVANCED 4-DAY ISHA YOGA RETREAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH CANNABIMIMETIC EFFECTS WITH INCREASED ENDOCANNABINOIDS AND SHORT-TERM AND SUSTAINED IMPROVEMENT IN MENTAL HEALTH: A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF MEDITATORS. BACKGROUND: ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION ARE COMMON IN THE MODERN WORLD, AND THERE IS GROWING DEMAND FOR ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES SUCH AS MEDITATION. MEDITATION CAN DECREASE PERCEIVED STRESS AND INCREASE GENERAL WELL-BEING, ALTHOUGH THE PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISM IS NOT WELL-CHARACTERIZED. ENDOCANNABINOIDS (ECBS), LIPID MEDIATORS ASSOCIATED WITH ENHANCED MOOD AND REDUCED ANXIETY/DEPRESSION, HAVE NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLY STUDIED AS BIOMARKERS OF MEDITATION EFFECTS. OUR AIM WAS TO ASSESS BIOMARKERS (ECBS AND BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR [BDNF]) AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AFTER A MEDITATION RETREAT. METHODS: THIS WAS AN OBSERVATIONAL PILOT STUDY OF ADULTS BEFORE AND AFTER THE 4-DAY ISHA YOGA BHAVA SPANDANA PROGRAM RETREAT. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED ONLINE SURVEYS (BEFORE AND AFTER RETREAT, AND 1 MONTH LATER) TO ASSESS ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, FOCUS, WELL-BEING, AND HAPPINESS THROUGH VALIDATED PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. VOLUNTARY BLOOD SAMPLING FOR BIOMARKER STUDIES WAS DONE BEFORE AND WITHIN A DAY AFTER THE RETREAT. THE BIOMARKERS ANANDAMIDE, 2-ARACHIDONOYLGLYCEROL (2-AG), 1-ARACHIDONOYLGLYCEROL (1-AG), DOCOSATETRAENOYLETHANOLAMIDE (DEA), OLEOYLETHANOLAMIDE (OLA), AND BDNF WERE EVALUATED. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE CHANGES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, AS WELL AS CHANGES IN ECBS AND BDNF. RESULTS: DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SCORES DECREASED WHILE FOCUS, HAPPINESS, AND POSITIVE WELL-BEING SCORES INCREASED IMMEDIATELY AFTER RETREAT FROM THEIR BASELINE VALUES (P < 0.001). ALL IMPROVEMENTS WERE SUSTAINED 1 MONTH AFTER BSP. ALL MAJOR ECBS INCLUDING ANANDAMIDE, 2-AG, 1-AG, DEA, AND BDNF INCREASED AFTER MEDITATION BY > 70% (P < 0.001). INCREASES OF >/=20% IN ANANDAMIDE, 2-AG, 1-AG, AND TOTAL AG LEVELS AFTER MEDITATION FROM THE BASELINE HAD WEAK CORRELATIONS WITH CHANGES IN HAPPINESS AND WELL-BEING. CONCLUSIONS: A SHORT MEDITATION EXPERIENCE IMPROVED FOCUS, HAPPINESS, AND POSITIVE WELL-BEING AND REDUCED DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN PARTICIPANTS FOR AT LEAST 1 MONTH. PARTICIPANTS HAD INCREASED BLOOD ECBS AND BDNF, SUGGESTING A ROLE FOR THESE BIOMARKERS IN THE UNDERLYING MECHANISM OF MEDITATION. MEDITATION IS A SIMPLE, ORGANIC, AND EFFECTIVE WAY TO IMPROVE WELL-BEING AND REDUCE DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY.	2020