1 1676 127 OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE MEASURES OF EXERCISE INTENSITY DURING THERMO-NEUTRAL AND HOT YOGA. WHILE HOT YOGA HAS GAINED ENORMOUS POPULARITY IN RECENT YEARS, OWING IN PART TO INCREASED ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGE ASSOCIATED WITH EXERCISE IN THE HEAT, IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER HOT YOGA IS MORE VIGOROUS THAN THERMO-NEUTRAL YOGA. THEREFORE, THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE MEASURES OF EXERCISE INTENSITY DURING CONSTANT INTENSITY YOGA IN A HOT AND THERMO-NEUTRAL ENVIRONMENT. USING A RANDOMIZED, CROSSOVER DESIGN, 14 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED 2 IDENTICAL APPROXIMATELY 20-MIN YOGA SESSIONS IN A HOT (35.3 +/- 0.8 DEGREES C; HUMIDITY: 20.5% +/- 1.4%) AND THERMO-NEUTRAL (22.1 +/- 0.2 DEGREES C; HUMIDITY: 27.8% +/- 1.6%) ENVIRONMENT. OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND HEART RATE (HR) WERE RECORDED AS OBJECTIVE MEASURES (PERCENTAGE OF MAXIMAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND PERCENTAGE OF MAXIMAL HR (%HRMAX)) AND RATING OF PERCEIVED EXERTION (RPE) WAS RECORDED AS A SUBJECTIVE MEASURE OF EXERCISE INTENSITY. THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE IN EXERCISE INTENSITY BASED ON PERCENTAGE OF MAXIMAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION DURING HOT VERSUS THERMO-NEUTRAL YOGA (30.9% +/- 2.3% VS. 30.5% +/- 1.8%, P = 0.68). HOWEVER, EXERCISE INTENSITY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER DURING HOT VERSUS THERMO-NEUTRAL YOGA BASED ON %HRMAX (67.0% +/- 2.3% VS. 60.8% +/- 1.9%, P = 0.01) AND RPE (12 +/- 1 VS. 11 +/- 1, P = 0.04). ACCORDING TO ESTABLISHED EXERCISE INTENSITIES, HOT YOGA WAS CLASSIFIED AS LIGHT-INTENSITY EXERCISE BASED ON PERCENTAGE OF MAXIMAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION BUT MODERATE-INTENSITY EXERCISE BASED ON %HRMAX AND RPE WHILE THERMO-NEUTRAL YOGA WAS CLASSIFIED AS LIGHT-INTENSITY EXERCISE BASED ON PERCENTAGE OF MAXIMAL OXYGEN UPTAKE, %HRMAX, AND RPE. DESPITE THE ADDED HEMODYNAMIC STRESS AND PERCEPTION THAT YOGA IS MORE STRENUOUS IN A HOT ENVIRONMENT, WE OBSERVED SIMILAR OXYGEN CONSUMPTION DURING HOT VERSUS THERMO-NEUTRAL YOGA, CLASSIFYING BOTH EXERCISE MODALITIES AS LIGHT-INTENSITY EXERCISE.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
2 1451  29 INFLUENCE OF INTENSIVE YOGA TRAINING ON PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES IN 6 ADULT WOMEN: A CASE REPORT. THE SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF 4 WEEKS OF INTENSIVE YOGA PRACTICE ON PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES IN SIX HEALTHY ADULT FEMALE VOLUNTEERS WERE MEASURED USING THE MAXIMAL EXERCISE TREADMILL TEST. YOGA PRACTICE INVOLVED DAILY MORNING AND EVENING SESSIONS OF 90 MINUTES EACH. PRE- AND POST-YOGA EXERCISE PERFORMANCE WAS COMPARED. MAXIMAL WORK OUTPUT (WMAX) FOR THE GROUP INCREASED BY 21%, WITH A SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED LEVEL OF OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK BUT WITHOUT A CONCOMITANT SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN HEART RATE. AFTER INTENSIVE YOGA TRAINING, AT 154 WMIN(-1) (CORRESPONDING TO WMAX OF THE PRE-YOGA MAXIMAL EXERCISE TEST) PARTICIPANTS COULD EXERCISE MORE COMFORTABLY, WITH A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER HEART RATE (P < 0.05), REDUCED MINUTE VENTILATION (P < 0.05), REDUCED OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK (P < 0.05), AND A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER RESPIRATORY QUOTIENT (P < 0.05). THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE EFFECT OF INTENSIVE YOGA ON CARDIORESPIRATORY EFFICIENCY ARE DISCUSSED, WITH THE SUGGESTION THAT YOGA HAS SOME TRANSPARENTLY DIFFERENT QUANTIFIABLE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS TO OTHER EXERCISES.	1997	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
3  404  32 BIKRAM YOGA TRAINING AND PHYSICAL FITNESS IN HEALTHY YOUNG ADULTS. THERE HAS BEEN RELATIVELY LITTLE LONGITUDINAL CONTROLLED INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON GENERAL PHYSICAL FITNESS, DESPITE THE WIDESPREAD PARTICIPATION IN THIS FORM OF EXERCISE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS EXPLORATORY STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF SHORT-TERM BIKRAM YOGA TRAINING ON GENERAL PHYSICAL FITNESS. YOUNG HEALTHY ADULTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA TRAINING (N = 10, 29 +/- 6 YEARS, 24 SESSIONS IN 8 WEEKS) OR A CONTROL GROUP (N = 11, 26 +/- 7 YEARS). EACH YOGA TRAINING SESSION CONSISTED OF 90-MINUTE STANDARDIZED SUPERVISED POSTURES PERFORMED IN A HEATED AND HUMIDIFIED STUDIO. ISOMETRIC DEADLIFT STRENGTH, HANDGRIP STRENGTH, LOWER BACK/HAMSTRING AND SHOULDER FLEXIBILITY, RESTING HEART RATE AND BLOOD PRESSURE, MAXIMAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (TREADMILL), AND LEAN AND FAT MASS (DUAL-ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY) WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER TRAINING. YOGA SUBJECTS EXHIBITED INCREASED DEADLIFT STRENGTH, SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED LOWER BACK/HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY, INCREASED SHOULDER FLEXIBILITY, AND MODESTLY DECREASED BODY FAT COMPARED WITH CONTROL GROUP. THERE WERE NO CHANGES IN HANDGRIP STRENGTH, CARDIOVASCULAR MEASURES, OR MAXIMAL AEROBIC FITNESS. IN SUMMARY, THIS SHORT-TERM YOGA TRAINING PROTOCOL PRODUCED BENEFICIAL CHANGES IN MUSCULOSKELETAL FITNESS THAT WERE SPECIFIC TO THE TRAINING STIMULUS.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
4  642  36 DOES PRACTICING HATHA YOGA SATISFY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INTENSITY OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WHICH IMPROVES AND MAINTAINS HEALTH AND CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS? BACKGROUND: LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE METABOLIC AND HEART RATE RESPONSES TO A TYPICAL HATHA YOGA SESSION. THE PURPOSES OF THIS STUDY WERE 1) TO DETERMINE WHETHER A TYPICAL YOGA PRACTICE USING VARIOUS POSTURES MEETS THE CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY REQUIRED TO IMPROVE AND MAINTAIN HEALTH AND CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS; 2) TO DETERMINE THE RELIABILITY OF METABOLIC COSTS OF YOGA ACROSS SESSIONS; 3) TO COMPARE THE METABOLIC COSTS OF YOGA PRACTICE TO THOSE OF TREADMILL WALKING. METHODS: IN THIS OBSERVATIONAL STUDY, 20 INTERMEDIATE-TO-ADVANCED LEVEL YOGA PRACTITIONERS, AGE 31.4 +/- 8.3 YEARS, PERFORMED AN EXERCISE ROUTINE INSIDE A HUMAN RESPIRATORY CHAMBER (INDIRECT CALORIMETER) WHILE WEARING HEART RATE MONITORS. THE EXERCISE ROUTINE CONSISTED OF 30 MINUTES OF SITTING, 56 MINUTES OF BEGINNER-LEVEL HATHA YOGA ADMINISTERED BY VIDEO, AND 10 MINUTES OF TREADMILL WALKING AT 3.2 AND 4.8 KPH EACH. MEASURES WERE MEAN OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (VO2), HEART RATE (HR), PERCENTAGE PREDICTED MAXIMAL HEART RATE (%MHR), METABOLIC EQUIVALENTS (METS), AND ENERGY EXPENDITURE (KCAL). SEVEN SUBJECTS REPEATED THE PROTOCOL SO THAT MEASUREMENT RELIABILITY COULD BE ESTABLISHED. RESULTS: MEAN VALUES ACROSS THE ENTIRE YOGA SESSION FOR VO2, HR, %MHR, METS, AND ENERGY/MIN WERE 0.6 L/KG/MIN; 93.2 BEATS/MIN; 49.4%; 2.5; AND 3.2 KCAL/MIN; RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS OF THE ICCS (2,1) FOR MEAN VALUES ACROSS THE ENTIRE YOGA SESSION FOR KCAL, METS, AND %MHR WERE 0.979 AND 0.973, AND 0.865, RESPECTIVELY. CONCLUSION: METABOLIC COSTS OF YOGA AVERAGED ACROSS THE ENTIRE SESSION REPRESENT LOW LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, ARE SIMILAR TO WALKING ON A TREADMILL AT 3.2 KPH, AND DO NOT MEET RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR IMPROVING OR MAINTAINING HEALTH OR CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS. YOGA PRACTICE INCORPORATING SUN SALUTATION POSTURES EXCEEDING THE MINIMUM BOUT OF 10 MINUTES MAY CONTRIBUTE SOME PORTION OF SUFFICIENTLY INTENSE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO IMPROVE CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS IN UNFIT OR SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS. THE MEASUREMENT OF ENERGY EXPENDITURE ACROSS YOGA SESSIONS IS HIGHLY RELIABLE.	2007	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
5 1316  30 HEART RATE AND THERMAL RESPONSES TO POWER YOGA. BACKGROUND: AND PURPOSE: YOGA HAS GROWN IN POPULARITY AND MAY OFFER A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE FORM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE HEART RATE, HYDRATION, AND THERMAL RESPONSES TO A POWER YOGA SEQUENCE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: TWENTY-SEVEN MEN AND WOMEN (N=4/23; MEAN+/-SD AGE=23.3+/-3.3 YEARS; BMI=23+/-3KGM(-2)) UNDERWENT APPROXIMATELY 45MIN OF POWER YOGA. HEART RATE AND SKIN TEMPERATURE WERE RECORDED. MASS WAS MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER EXERCISE TO ESTIMATE FLUID LOSS. TIME SPENT IN LIGHT, MODERATE, AND VIGOROUS HEART RATE ZONES WAS CALCULATED. RESULTS: HEART RATE AND SKIN TEMPERATURE INCREASED (P<0.0001). PARTICIPANTS SPENT MORE TIME IN MODERATE AND VIGOROUS HEART RATE ZONES THAN IN LIGHT INTENSITY (P<0.0001). THERE WAS A REDUCTION IN BODY MASS (-0.28+/-0.13KG, P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: POWER YOGA MAY BE CONSIDERED MODERATE-VIGOROUS INTENSITY EXERCISE, BASED ON HEART-RATE.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
6 1147  39 ENERGY EXPENDITURE DURING A VINYASA YOGA SESSION. BACKGROUND: VINYASA YOGA HAS BEEN RECENTLY PROMOTED AS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR MINDFUL EXERCISES TO IMPROVE OVERALL HEALTH, INCLUDING BODY WEIGHT MANAGEMENT. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE METABOLIC RESPONSE OF 24 MODERATELY TRAINED INDIVIDUALS DURING A 90-MIN GROUP VINYASA YOGA ROUTINE. METHODS: HEART RATE (HR) TIME COURSE OF 12 MALES AND 12 FEMALES (AGE: 39+/-7.33 YEARS) WAS RECORDED DURING TWO GROUP VINYASA YOGA SESSIONS CONSISTED OF FOUR SECTIONS (WARM-UP, HIGH-INTENSITY SURYA NAMASKAR (HSN), NO SURYA NAMASKAR POSTURES, AND COOL-DOWN). MAXIMAL OXYGEN UPTAKE (VO<INF>2PEAK</INF>) AND MAXIMUM HR HAD BEEN ESTIMATED EARLIER AFTER A MAXIMAL TREADMILL TEST. VO<INF>2</INF> DURING VINYASA YOGA SESSIONS WAS ESTIMATED FROM INDIVIDUAL REGRESSION EQUATIONS USING THE RELATIONSHIP OF VO<INF>2</INF> AND HR VALUES DERIVED FROM VO<INF>2PEAK</INF> TEST, WHILE THE METABOLIC RATE (KCAL/MIN) WAS CALCULATED FROM THE RELATIONSHIP OF HR AND KCAL/MIN. TOTAL SESSION ENERGY CONSUMPTION WAS THE AVERAGE VALUE OF THE TWO YOGA SESSIONS. RESULTS: THE 2 (GENDER) X 4 (SECTIONS) MIXED ANOVA REVEALED NO SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION BETWEEN THE TWO FACTORS (P=0.101) FOR THE MEAN METABOLIC RATE (7.1+/-2.6 KCAL/MIN). MEAN METABOLIC RATE THOUGHT WAS HIGHER (P=0.015) IN MALES COMPARED TO FEMALES AT EACH SECTION. ALSO, SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND AMONG THE FOUR VINYASA YOGA SECTIONS (P<0.001) IN THE RATE OF ENERGY EXPENDITURE, WITH HSN PRESENTING THE HIGHEST MEAN VALUES (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: IT SEEMS THAT SYSTEMATIC PARTICIPATION IN VINYASA YOGA MAY EFFECTIVELY IMPROVE CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS AND PROMOTE BODY WEIGHT LOSS, AS AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD TO TRADITIONAL AEROBIC EXERCISE.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
7  727  27 EFFECT OF LONG-TERM REGULAR YOGA ON PHYSICAL HEALTH OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE. THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON MENTAL HEALTH HAS BEEN STUDIED EXTENSIVELY IN INDIA BUT LESS IN THE CONTEXT OF PHYSICAL HEALTH. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE WAS TO EXPLORE THE EFFECT OF LONG-TERM REGULAR YOGA ON PHYSICAL HEALTH OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IT WAS AN INTERVENTIONAL STUDY. INCLUSION CRITERIA WERE STUDENTS WHO ENROLLED FOR 1-YEAR DIPLOMA COURSE AT THE YOGA CENTER. EXCLUSION CRITERIA WERE NONREGULAR YOGA PRACTITIONERS DURING THE COURSE. PHYSICAL HEALTH PARAMETERS CONSIDERED FOR ASSESSMENT BEFORE AND AFTER THE YOGA COURSE WERE PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS, MAXIMUM OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (VO2 MAX) USING BRUCE TREADMILL TEST, FLEXIBILITY, BODY COMPOSITION ANALYSIS, AND HEMOGLOBIN LEVEL. PAIRED SAMPLE T-TEST AND CHI-SQUARE TEST WERE USED FOR STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. RESULTS: THE AEROBIC CAPACITY IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN TERMS OF MEAN (STANDARD DEVIATION [SD]) FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (P < 0.001), FORCED EXPIRATION VOLUME AT THE END OF THE FIRST SECOND (P < 0.001) AS WELL AS PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (P = 0.04). THE MEAN (SD) FLEXIBILITY SCORE IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < 0.001). SIMILARLY, THE ENDURANCE IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN TERMS OF MEAN (SD) VO2 MAX (< 0.001) AND TREADMILL TIME (P < 0.001). THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN BODY COMPOSITION AND HEMOGLOBIN LEVEL. CONCLUSIONS: REGULAR YOGA PRACTITIONERS DEMONSTRATED THE IMPROVEMENT IN PULMONARY FUNCTIONS, CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS, ENDURANCE, AND FLEXIBILITY.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
8 2258  43 THE PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO BIKRAM YOGA IN NOVICE AND EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS. CONTEXT: BIKRAM YOGA HAS GAINED A LARGE FOLLOWING, POSSIBLY BECAUSE OF WIDESPREAD CLAIMS BOASTING ENERGY EXPENDITURE OF UP TO 1000 CALORIES PER SESSION. HOWEVER, THESE CLAIMS ARE UNFOUNDED BECAUSE NO SCIENTIFIC STUDY HAS INVESTIGATED THE METABOLIC RESPONSE TO A COMPLETE, STANDARDIZED BIKRAM YOGA CLASS. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY INTENDS TO DETERMINE ENERGY EXPENDITURE, HEART RATE, AND SWEAT RATE IN NOVICE AND EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS FROM A STANDARDIZED BIKRAM YOGA CLASS. SETTING: DATA WERE COLLECTED IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHAMBER OF THE EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY AT SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY IN CALIFORNIA, USA. PARTICIPANTS: MALE (N = 5) AND FEMALE (N = 19) PARTICIPANTS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 57 Y WERE RECRUITED THROUGH FLYERS IN YOGA STUDIOS THROUGHOUT SAN DIEGO. PARTICIPANTS WERE CLASSIFIED AS EXPERIENCED OR NOVICE PRACTITIONERS, HAVING COMPLETED >/=20 OR <20 SESSIONS, RESPECTIVELY. INTERVENTIONS: PARTICIPANTS WERE GUIDED THROUGH A STANDARDIZED 90-MIN YOGA CLASS PERFORMED IN A HOT ENVIRONMENT USING BIKRAM'S STANDARD BEGINNING DIALOGUE, WHILE EXPIRED GAS WAS COLLECTED AND HEART RATE WAS RECORDED. OUTCOME MEASURES: ENERGY EXPENDITURE, CALCULATED VIA OXYGEN UPTAKE, AND HEART RATE WERE DETERMINED FOR EACH POSTURE AND TRANSITION PERIOD. IN ADDITION, SWEAT RATE AND CORE TEMPERATURE WERE RECORDED FOR EACH PARTICIPANT. RESULTS: MEAN (+/-SD) RELATIVE VO2 FOR THE ENTIRE 90-MIN SESSION WAS 9.5 +/- 1.9 ML X KG-1 X MIN-1, RANGING FROM 6.0 TO 12.9 ML X KG-1 X MIN-1. MEAN ABSOLUTE ENERGY EXPENDITURE WAS 286 +/- 72 KCALS, RANGING FROM 179 TO 478 KCALS. INDEPENDENT SAMPLE T TESTS REVEALED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES (P < .05) IN RELATIVE ENERGY EXPENDITURE, HEART RATE, ENDING CORE TEMPERATURE, AND SWEAT RATE BETWEEN EXPERIENCE LEVELS. MEAN RELATIVE ENERGY EXPENDITURE WAS 3.7 +/- 0.5 KCAL/KG IN NOVICE PRACTITIONERS AND 4.7 +/- 0.8 KCAL/KG IN EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS. PERCENTAGE OF PREDICTED MAXIMUM HEART RATE AND SWEAT RATE WERE 72.3% +/- 10.6% AND 0.6 +/- 0.2 KG/H IN NOVICE PRACTITIONERS AND 86.4% +/- 5.2% AND 1.1 +/- 0.5 KG/H IN EXPERIENCED PARTICIPANTS. ALL POSTURES WERE CLASSIFIED AS LIGHT-TO-MODERATE INTENSITY ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SPORTS MEDICINE (ACSM) STANDARDS. CONCLUSIONS: BIKRAM YOGA MEETS REQUIREMENTS FOR EXERCISE OF LIGHT-TO-MODERATE INTENSITY AND, THEORETICALLY, COULD BE USED FOR WEIGHT MAINTENANCE OR WEIGHT LOSS IF PRACTICED SEVERAL TIMES PER WEEK.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
9 1514  30 IS WEEKLY FREQUENCY OF YOGA PRACTICE SUFFICIENT? PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AMONG HEALTHY NOVICE WOMEN. BENEFICIAL PHYSICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL HEALTH OUTCOMES OF YOGA PRACTICE ARE WELL-SUPPORTED BY EMPIRICAL DATA. HOWEVER, WHETHER WEEKLY FREQUENCY OF TRAINING IS SUFFICIENT TO EVOKE POSITIVE CHANGES, IS STILL AN OPEN QUESTION. THE PRESENT INTERVENTION STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF 10 WEEKLY SESSIONS OF BEGINNER LEVEL HATHA YOGA WITH RESPECT TO INDICATORS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MARKERS. 82 YOUNG WOMEN (MEAN AGE OF 22.0 +/- 3.83 YEARS) PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. THE YOGA GROUP (N = 49) ATTENDED A YOGA COURSE CONSISTING OF 10 SESSIONS (1.5 H EACH) ON A WEEKLY BASIS. THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 33) DID NOT RECEIVE ANY INTERVENTION. BMI, BODY FAT PERCENTAGE, BALANCE (ONE-LEG-STAND TEST WITH OPEN AND CLOSED EYES, FUNCTIONAL REACH TEST), FLEXIBILITY (SIDE BEND TEST, MODIFIED SIT AND REACH TEST) CORE MUSCLE STRENGTH (PLANK TEST) AS WELL AS RESTING HEART RATE (HR), AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) WERE ASSESSED 1 WEEK BEFORE AND AFTER THE COURSE. BOTH FREQUENTIST AND BAYESIAN ANALYSIS SHOWED AN IMPROVEMENT IN FLEXIBILITY AND BALANCE IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED ALSO INCREASED CORE MUSCLE STRENGTH. NO CHANGES WITH RESPECT TO BMI, BODY FAT PERCENTAGE, RESTING HR AND HRV WERE FOUND. NINETY MINUTE BEGINNER LEVEL HATHA YOGA CLASSES WERE CHARACTERIZED BY 93.39 HR AND 195 KCAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION ON AVERAGE. THE PRESENT FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT WEEKLY SETTING OF A 10-SESSION LONG HATHA YOGA TRAINING LEADS TO IMPROVEMENTS IN BALANCE, FLEXIBILITY AND CORE MUSCLE STRENGTH AMONG HEALTHY YOUNG WOMEN. HOWEVER, FOR CHANGES IN BMI, BODY FAT PERCENTAGE, RESTING HR AND HRV LONGER, AND/OR MORE INTENSE INTERVENTIONS ARE NEEDED.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
10  263  32 ACUTE CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES TO A SESSION OF BIKRAM YOGA: A PILOT UNCONTROLLED TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: MAIN CARDIOVASCULAR PARAMETERS SUCH AS HEART RATE (HR), BLOOD PRESSURE, AND MYOCARDIAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (MOC) ARE TIGHTLY REGULATED BY A MULTIFACTORIAL, NONLINEAR CONTROL SYSTEM. INCREASED HR BECAUSE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY AN INCREASE IN BLOOD PRESSURE. POSTURAL CHANGES HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE BARORECEPTORS, AND STRETCHING EXERCISES AND ISOMETRIC CONTRACTIONS MODULATE MUSCLE MECHANORECEPTORS ELICITING INCREASES IN BLOOD PRESSURE. HOWEVER, A HOT ENVIRONMENT INCREASES THE CORE TEMPERATURE INDUCING VASODILATION AND PLASMA VOLUME CHANGES THAT MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO A DROP IN BLOOD PRESSURE. DURING THE PRACTICE OF BIKRAM YOGA, ALL THESE FACTORS CONVERGE AND LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE RESULTING CHANGES IN BLOOD PRESSURE AND MOC. METHODS: SIXTEEN APPARENTLY HEALTHY FEMALE VOLUNTEERS, REGULAR PRACTITIONERS OF BIKRAM YOGA, WERE EVALUATED DURING A 90 MIN SESSION. SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (SBP) AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (DBP) WERE MEASURED IMMEDIATELY AFTER EACH POSTURE AND HR WAS MEASURED CONTINUOUSLY DURING THE PRACTICE. RESULTS: HR AND ESTIMATED MOC INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER BASELINE DURING THE EXERCISE (+62.3% AND +63.6%, RESPECTIVELY). HR MEAN VALUE ACROSS THE ENTIRE BIKRAM YOGA SESSION WAS 126.6 +/- 14.3 BPM REACHING A MAXIMUM OF 168.1 +/- 20.2 BPM. SBP WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED OVER BASELINE AT ANY TIME DURING THE PRACTICE WITH A MEAN VALUE OF 117.0 +/- 10.1 MMHG AND DBP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED OVER BASELINE MOST OF THE TIME (-10.1%, MEAN 71.2 +/- 7.3 MMHG) WITH PARTICULAR DECLINE TOWARD THE END OF THE PRACTICE DURING THE FLOOR POSTURES. CONCLUSIONS: DBP DURING THE PRACTICE OF BIKRAM YOGA WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM THAT PREVIOUSLY REPORTED FOR NONHEATED HATHA YOGA FOR NORMOTENSIVE SUBJECTS. FURTHER STUDIES EVALUATING THE SAME GROUP AT BOTH CONDITIONS ARE NEEDED TO BETTER CHARACTERIZE THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CHANGES IN HR, SBP, DBP, AND MOC.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
11 1322  31 HEMODYNAMIC AND PRESSOR RESPONSES TO COMBINATION OF YOGA AND BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION. A COMBINATION OF YOGA AND BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION, EACH OF WHICH ELICITS MARKED PRESSOR RESPONSES, MAY FURTHER INCREASE BLOOD PRESSURE AND MYOCARDIAL OXYGEN DEMAND. TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF A COMBINATION OF YOGA AND BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION ON HEMODYNAMIC RESPONSES, TWENTY YOUNG HEALTHY PARTICIPANTS PERFORMED 20 YOGA POSES WITH/WITHOUT BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION BANDS PLACED ON BOTH LEGS. AT BASELINE, THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN ANY OF THE VARIABLES BETWEEN THE BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION AND NON-BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION CONDITIONS. BLOOD PRESSURE AND HEART RATE INCREASED IN RESPONSE TO THE VARIOUS YOGA POSES (P<0.01) BUT WERE NOT DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION AND NON-BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION CONDITIONS. RATE-PRESSURE PRODUCTS, AN INDEX OF MYOCARDIAL OXYGEN DEMAND, INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY DURING YOGA EXERCISES WITH NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO CONDITIONS. RATING OF PERCEIVED EXERTION WAS NOT DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE CONDITIONS. BLOOD LACTATE CONCENTRATION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER AFTER PERFORMING YOGA WITH BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION BANDS (P=0.007). CARDIO-ANKLE VASCULAR INDEX, AN INDEX OF ARTERIAL STIFFNESS, DECREASED SIMILARLY AFTER YOGA EXERCISE IN BOTH CONDITIONS WHILE FLOW-MEDIATED DILATION REMAINED UNCHANGED. IN CONCLUSION, THE USE OF LOWER BODY BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION BANDS IN COMBINATION WITH YOGA DID NOT RESULT IN ADDITIVE OR SYNERGISTIC HEMODYNAMIC AND PRESSOR RESPONSES.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
12 2823  29 YOGA VERSUS AEROBIC ACTIVITY: EFFECTS ON SPIROMETRY RESULTS AND MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE. OBJECTIVE: TO CLARIFY WHETHER, IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS, PRACTICING YOGA CAN MODIFY MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE AND SPIROMETRIC INDICES WHEN COMPARED WITH THE PRACTICE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE. MEYHODS: A CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL. A TOTAL OF 31 HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS WERE ALLOCATED TO PRACTICE AEROBIC EXERCISE (N = 15) OR TO PRACTICE YOGA (N = 16). THOSE IN THE FIRST GROUP SERVED AS CONTROLS AND ENGAGED IN AEROBIC EXERCISE FOR 45-60 MINUTES, TWICE A WEEK FOR THREE MONTHS. THOSE IN THE SECOND GROUP PRACTICED SELECTED YOGIC TECHNIQUES, ALSO IN SESSIONS OF 45-60 MINUTES, TWICE A WEEK FOR THREE MONTHS. FORCED VITAL CAPACITY, FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN ONE SECOND AND MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER THE THREE MONTHS OF TRAINING. RESULTS: NO SIGNIFICANT ALTERATIONS WERE SEEN IN THE SPIROMETRIC INDICES. A SLIGHT, ALTHOUGH NOT SIGNIFICANT, IMPROVEMENT IN MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE WAS SEEN IN BOTH GROUPS. HOWEVER, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE, SEEN IN BOTH GENDERS, BETWEEN THE ABSOLUTE DELTA (FINAL VALUE MINUS BASELINE VALUE) OF MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE FOR THE GROUP PRACTICING YOGA AND THAT OBTAINED FOR THE GROUP ENGAGING IN AEROBIC EXERCISE (MALES: 19.5 CM H2O VERSUS 2.8 CM H2O, P = 0.05; FEMALES: 20 CM H2O VERSUS 3.9 CM H2O, P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: NEITHER YOGA NOR AEROBIC EXERCISE PROVIDED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE AFTER THREE MONTHS. HOWEVER, THE ABSOLUTE VARIATION IN MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE WAS GREATER AMONG THOSE PRACTICING YOGA.	2006	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
13  525  24 COMPARISON OF EFFECTS OF YOGA & PHYSICAL EXERCISE IN ATHLETES. THE EFFECT OF PRANAYAMA A CONTROLLED BREATHING PRACTICE, ON EXERCISE TESTS WAS STUDIED IN ATHLETES IN TWO PHASES; SUB-MAXIMAL AND MAXIMAL EXERCISE TESTS. AT THE END OF PHASE I (ONE YEAR) BOTH THE GROUPS (CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL) ACHIEVED SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER WORK RATE AND REDUCTION IN OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN BLOOD LACTATE AND AN INCREASE IN P/L RATIO IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP, AT REST. AT THE END OF PHASE II (TWO YEARS), THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK WAS FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED AND THE WORK RATE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. BLOOD LACTATE DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AT REST IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP ONLY. PYRUVATE AND PYRUVATE-LACTATE RATIO INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN BOTH THE GROUPS AFTER EXERCISE AND AT REST IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. THE RESULTS IN BOTH PHASES SHOWED THAT THE SUBJECTS WHO PRACTISED PRANAYAMA COULD ACHIEVE HIGHER WORK RATES WITH REDUCED OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK AND WITHOUT INCREASE IN BLOOD LACTATE LEVELS. THE BLOOD LACTATE LEVELS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOW AT REST.	1994	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
14  436  24 CARDIORESPIRATORY AND METABOLIC CHANGES DURING YOGA SESSIONS: THE EFFECTS OF RESPIRATORY EXERCISES AND MEDITATION PRACTICES. THE NOVELTY OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE CHANGES IN CARDIORESPIRATORY AND METABOLIC INTENSITY BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE PRACTICE OF PRANAYAMAS (BREATHING EXERCISES OF YOGA) AND MEDITATION DURING THE SAME HATHA-YOGA SESSION. THE TECHNIQUE APPLIED WAS THE ONE ADVOCATED BY THE HATHA-YOGA SYSTEM. NINE YOGA INSTRUCTORS-FIVE FEMALES AND FOUR MALES, MEAN AGE OF 44+/-11, 6, WERE SUBJECTED TO ANALYSIS OF THE GASES EXPIRED DURING THREE DISTINCT PERIODS OF 30 MIN: REST, RESPIRATORY EXERCISES AND MEDITATIVE PRACTICE. A METABOLIC OPEN CIRCUIT COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM WAS APPLIED (VO2000, MEDGRAPHICS-USA). THE OXYGEN UPTAKE (VO(2)) AND THE CARBON DIOXIDE OUTPUT (VCO(2)) WERE STATISTICALLY DIFFERENT (P <OR= 0.05) DURING MEDITATION AND PRANAYAMA PRACTICES WHEN COMPARED WITH REST. THE HEART RATE ALSO SUFFERED RELEVANT REDUCTIONS WHEN RESULTS AT REST WERE COMPARED WITH THOSE DURING MEDITATION. A SMALLER PROPORTION OF LIPIDS WAS METABOLIZED DURING MEDITATION PRACTICE COMPARED WITH REST. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THE MEDITATION USED IN THIS STUDY REDUCES THE METABOLIC RATE WHEREAS THE SPECIFIC PRANAYAMA TECHNIQUE IN THIS STUDY INCREASES IT WHEN COMPARED WITH THE REST STATE.	2008	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
15  229  35 A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE ENERGY COST AND METABOLIC INTENSITY OF YOGA. PURPOSE: WITH THE INCREASING POPULARITY OF HATHA YOGA, IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE ENERGY COST AND METS OF YOGA PRACTICE WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SPORTS MEDICINE (ACSM) AND THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION (AHA) PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES. METHODS: THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW EVALUATED THE ENERGY COST AND METABOLIC INTENSITY OF YOGA PRACTICE INCLUDING YOGA ASANAS (POSES/POSTURES) AND PRANAYAMAS (BREATH EXERCISES) MEASURED BY INDIRECT CALORIMETRY. THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING LITERATURE WAS SURVEYED VIA PUBMED USING THE GENERAL TERMS "YOGA" AND "ENERGY EXPENDITURE" WITH NO DATE LIMITATIONS. RESULTS: THIRTEEN MANUSCRIPTS WERE INITIALLY IDENTIFIED WITH AN ADDITIONAL FOUR LOCATED FROM REVIEW OF MANUSCRIPT REFERENCES. OF THE 17 STUDIES, 10 EVALUATED THE ENERGY COST AND METS OF FULL YOGA SESSIONS OR FLOW THROUGH SURYA NAMASKAR (SUN SALUTATIONS), EIGHT OF INDIVIDUAL ASANAS, AND FIVE OF PRANAYAMAS. METS FOR YOGA PRACTICE AVERAGED 3.3 +/- 1.6 (RANGE = 1.83-7.4 METS) AND 2.9 +/- 0.8 METS WHEN ONE OUTLIER (I.E., 7.4 METS FOR SURYA NAMASKAR) WAS OMITTED. METS FOR INDIVIDUAL ASANAS AVERAGED 2.2 +/- 0.7 (RANGE = 1.4-4.0 METS), WHEREAS THAT OF PRANAYAMAS WAS 1.3 +/- 0.3. ON THE BASIS OF ACSM/AHA CLASSIFICATION, THE INTENSITY OF MOST ASANAS AND FULL YOGA SESSIONS RANGED FROM LIGHT (LESS THAN 3 METS) TO MODERATE AEROBIC INTENSITY (3-6 METS), WITH THE MAJORITY CLASSIFIED AS LIGHT INTENSITY. CONCLUSION: THIS REVIEW SUGGESTS THAT YOGA IS TYPICALLY CLASSIFIED AS A LIGHT-INTENSITY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. HOWEVER, A FEW SEQUENCES/POSES, INCLUDING SURYA NAMASKAR, MEET THE CRITERIA FOR MODERATE- TO VIGOROUS-INTENSITY ACTIVITY. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ACSM/AHA GUIDELINES, THE PRACTICE OF ASANA SEQUENCES WITH MET INTENSITIES HIGHER THAN THREE (I.E., >10 MIN) CAN BE ACCUMULATED THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND COUNT TOWARD DAILY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MODERATE- OR VIGOROUS-INTENSITY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
16  341  37 ARTERIAL BLOOD PRESSURE AND CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES TO YOGA PRACTICE. CONTEXT: YOGA IS QUALITATIVELY DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER MODE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN THAT IT CONSISTS OF A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF ISOMETRIC MUSCULAR CONTRACTIONS, STRETCHING EXERCISES, RELAXATION TECHNIQUES, AND BREATHING EXERCISES. IN PARTICULAR, YOGA POSTURES CONSIST OF SYSTEMIC ISOMETRIC CONTRACTIONS THAT ARE KNOWN TO ELICIT MARKED INCREASES IN MEAN BLOOD PRESSURE THAT ARE NOT OBSERVED DURING DYNAMIC EXERCISE. STRETCHING CAN ALSO INDUCE INCREASES IN BLOOD PRESSURE AND SYMPATHETIC NERVE ACTIVITY IN THE MUSCLES. CURRENTLY, NOT MUCH IS KNOWN ABOUT CHANGES IN BLOOD PRESSURE AND OTHER CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES TO YOGA PRACTICE. OBJECTIVE: THE STUDY INTENDED TO DETERMINE THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF ONE SESSION OF HATHA YOGA PRACTICE ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND OTHER CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES. TO GAIN INSIGHT INTO THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE, BOTH NOVICE (N = 19) AND ADVANCED (N = 18) YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE STUDIED. DESIGN: THE TWO GROUPS WERE MATCHED FOR AGE, GENDER, BMI, AND BLOOD PRESSURE. SETTING: THE SETTING WAS A RESEARCH LABORATORY AT A UNIVERSITY. PARTICIPANTS: THIRTY-SIX APPARENTLY HEALTHY, NONOBESE, SEDENTARY, OR RECREATIONALLY ACTIVE INDIVIDUALS FROM THE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. INTERVENTION THE INTERVENTION COMPRISED ONE SESSION OF YOGA PRACTICE, IN WHICH PARTICIPANTS FOLLOWED A CUSTOM MADE INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO PROVIDING A YOGA ROUTINE THAT CONSISTED OF A SERIES OF 23 HATHA-BASED YOGA POSTURES. OUTCOME MEASURES: PRIOR TO ARRIVING AT THE LABORATORY, EACH PARTICIPANT COMPLETED A RESEARCH HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE, A TRAINING-STATUS QUESTIONNAIRE, AND A YOGA-EXPERIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE. PRIOR TO THE YOGA PRACTICE, EACH PARTICIPANT'S HEIGHT, BODY FAT PERCENTAGE, TRUNK OR LUMBAR FLEXIBILITY, AND ARTERIAL STIFFNESS AS ASSESSED BY CAROTID FEMORAL PULSE WAVE VELOCITY (CFPWV) WERE MEASURED. FOR EACH POSTURE DURING THE YOGA PRACTICE, THE STUDY CONTINUOUSLY MEASURED SYSTOLIC, MEAN, AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES, HEART RATE, STROKE VOLUME, AND CARDIAC OUTPUT. RESULTS: SYSTOLIC, MEAN, AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY DURING THE YOGA PRACTICE. THE MAGNITUDE OF THESE INCREASES IN BLOOD PRESSURE WAS GREATEST WITH STANDING POSTURES. HEART RATE AND CARDIAC OUTPUT INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY DURING YOGA PRACTICE, ESPECIALLY WITH STANDING POSTURES. OVERALL, NO DIFFERENCES EXISTED IN CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES BETWEEN THE NOVICE AND ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS THROUGHOUT THE YOGA TESTING SESSION; CFPWV VELOCITY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY AND INVERSELY ASSOCIATED WITH LUMBAR FLEXION BUT NOT WITH SIT-AND-REACH TEST SCORES. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESEARCH TEAM CONCLUDED THAT A VARIETY OF HATHA YOGA POSTURES, ESPECIALLY STANDING POSTURES, EVOKED SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN BLOOD PRESSURE. THE ELEVATION IN BLOOD PRESSURE DUE TO YOGA PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASES IN CARDIAC OUTPUT AND HEART RATE, WHICH ARE RESPONSES SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN ISOMETRIC EXERCISE. THE LACK OF OBVIOUS DIFFERENCES IN BLOOD PRESSURE AND OTHER CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES BETWEEN NOVICE AND ADVANCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS SUGGESTS THAT LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTICE DOES NOT ATTENUATE ACUTE YOGA RESPONSES.	2013	

17 1638  27 MODULATION OF CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSE TO EXERCISE BY YOGA TRAINING. THIS STUDY REPORTS THE EFFECTS OF YOGA TRAINING ON CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSE TO EXERCISE AND THE TIME COURSE OF RECOVERY AFTER THE EXERCISE. CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSE TO EXERCISE WAS DETERMINED BY HARVARD STEP TEST USING A PLATFORM OF 45 CM HEIGHT. THE SUBJECTS WERE ASKED TO STEP UP AND DOWN THE PLATFORM AT A RATE OF 30/MIN FOR A TOTAL DURATION OF 5 MIN OR UNTIL FATIGUE, WHICHEVER WAS EARLIER. HEART RATE (HR) AND BLOOD PRESSURE RESPONSE TO EXERCISE WERE MEASURED IN SUPINE POSITION BEFORE EXERCISE AND AT 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 AND 10 MINUTES AFTER THE EXERCISE. RATE-PRESSURE PRODUCT [RPP = (HR X SP)/100] AND DOUBLE PRODUCT (DO P = HR X MP), WHICH ARE INDICES OF WORK DONE BY THE HEART WERE ALSO CALCULATED. EXERCISE PRODUCED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN HR, SYSTOLIC PRESSURE, RPP & DOP AND A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN DIASTOLIC PRESSURE. AFTER TWO MONTHS OF YOGA TRAINING, EXERCISE-INDUCED CHANGES IN THESE PARAMETERS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT AFTER YOGA TRAINING A GIVEN LEVEL OF EXERCISE LEADS TO A MILDER CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSE, SUGGESTING BETTER EXERCISE TOLERANCE.	2004	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
18 1060  35 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY AND WELL BEING. YOGA HAS PROVEN BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON VARIOUS HEALTH DOMAINS INCLUDING MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS, CARDIOPULMONARY CONDITIONS THROUGH THE PRACTICE OF ASANA AND PRANAYAMAS AS WELL AS ON MENTAL HEALTH, AS IT IS KNOWN TO ENHANCE THE BODY-AND MIND COORDINATION. THERE IS PAUCITY OF DATA ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY IN LITERATURE USING 6 MIN WALK TEST. THE PRESENT STUDY AIMS TO LOOK AT THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON 6-MIN WALKED DISTANCE, RATING OF PERCEIVED EXERTION (RPE), RECOVERY TIME FOLLOWING THE WALK AND STATE OF WELL BEING. THIS IS A HOSPITAL-BASED LONGITUDINAL STUDY WHERE 30 PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENTS OF THE AGE GROUP 18 - 22 YEARS OF EITHER SEX WERE ENROLLED. SUBJECTS HAVING MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS, CARDIO RESPIRATORY DISEASE AND THOSE WHO WERE NOT WILLING TO VOLUNTEER WERE EXCLUDED THEY RECEIVED YOGA INTERVENTION IN FORM OF YOGIC PRACTICES WHICH INCLUDED A COMBINATION OF ASANAS, PRANAYAMAS AND OMKAR CHANTING FOR 1 H FOR 30 SESSIONS. A BASELINE 6-MIN WALK TEST WAS CONDUCTED ON SUBJECTS AND THE 6-MIN WALKED DISTANCE, RATING OF PERCEIVED EXERTION (RPE) ON MODIFIED BORG'S SCALE WERE RECORDED. THE BASELINE STATE OF WELL-BEING WAS NOTED USING THE WARWICK- EDINBURGH MENTAL WELL-BEING SCALE AND SIMILAR RECORDING WAS DONE POST INTERVENTION AFTER 30 SESSIONS. OF THE 30 SUBJECTS, THERE WERE NO DROP OUTS AS THESE WERE COMMITTED COLLEGE STUDENTS. OF THEM, 24 WERE FEMALES AND 6 WERE MALES WITH A MEAN AGE OF 21.5 YEARS SD 2.38. STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED IN 6-MIN WALK DISTANCE (P VALUE = 0.000), RPE (P VALUE < 0.000), RECOVERY TIME (P VALUE < 0.000) AND SENSE OF WELL BEING SCORE (P VALUE < 0.000). YOGA PRACTICES ARE BENEFICIAL IN IMPROVING THE FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY IN YOUNG HEALTHY ADULTS. YOGA CAN VERY WELL BE INCORPORATED IN MEDICAL PRACTICE FOR INCREASING THE PATIENT'S FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY, FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LIMITATIONS IN PERFORMING AEROBIC TRAINING DUE TO VARIOUS HEALTH REASONS. THE IMPROVED STATE OF WELL BEING MOTIVATES THE PATIENTS TO ADHERE TO YOGIC PRACTICES.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
19 2075  31 THE EFFECT OF BIKRAM YOGA ON ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IN YOUNG AND OLDER ADULTS. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: BIKRAM YOGA IS THE MOST POPULAR FORM OF HOT YOGA, DESPITE THE LIMITED INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON ITS CARDIOVASCULAR BENEFITS. THIS STUDY SOUGHT TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF BIKRAM YOGA ON ARTERIAL STIFFNESS AND INSULIN RESISTANCE IN YOUNG AND OLDER ADULTS. METHODS: TWENTY-FOUR YOUNG (MEAN AGE+/-STANDARD DEVIATION, 30+/-1 YEARS) AND 18 MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER (MEAN AGE, 53+/-2 YEARS) ADULTS COMPLETED AN 8-WEEK BIKRAM YOGA INTERVENTION. BIKRAM YOGA CLASSES WERE PERFORMED FOR 90 MINUTES PER SESSION, THREE TIMES PER WEEK, IN A ROOM HEATED TO 40.5 DEGREES C WITH 40%--60% RELATIVE HUMIDITY. RESULTS: BODY MASS, BODY FAT PERCENTAGE, BLOOD PRESSURE, AND FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE AND TRIGLYCERIDE CONCENTRATIONS DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE AS A RESULT OF THE INTERVENTION IN EITHER THE YOUNG OR THE OLDER GROUP. TRUNK FLEXIBILITY, AS MEASURED BY THE SIT-AND-REACH TEST, INCREASED IN BOTH GROUPS (P<0.01). TOTAL (P<0.05) AND LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (P<0.05) LEVELS, PLASMA INSULIN CONCENTRATIONS (P<0.01), AND SCORES ON THE HOMEOSTATIC MODEL OF THE ASSESSMENT OF INSULIN RESISTANCE (P<0.01) DECREASED IN OLDER ADULTS, WHEREAS TOTAL AND HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL CONCENTRATIONS WERE REDUCED IN YOUNG ADULTS (ALL P<0.05). CAROTID ARTERY COMPLIANCE (P<0.05) WAS INCREASED AND BETA-STIFFNESS INDEX DECREASED IN YOUNG (P<0.05) BUT NOT IN OLDER ADULTS. CAROTID PULSE PRESSURE DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE IN EITHER GROUP. CONCLUSION: A RELATIVELY SHORT-TERM BIKRAM YOGA INTERVENTION IMPROVED ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IN YOUNG BUT NOT OLDER ADULTS AND SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED INSULIN RESISTANCE INDEX IN OLDER BUT NOT YOUNG ADULTS.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
20 1759  31 POSITIVE EFFECT OF YOGA ON CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS: A PILOT STUDY. INTRODUCTION: CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD) IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. AN INTEGRAL PART OF PRIMARY PREVENTION IS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. ONE FORM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO BE POTENTIALLY USED IS YOGA, BUT THIS ACTIVITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER ENERGY EXPENDITURE THAN THAT RECOMMENDED FOR PREVENTION. THE STUDY AIMED AT ASSESSING THE EFFECT OF REGULAR YOGA SESSIONS ON THE AEROBIC CAPACITY OF THE PRACTITIONERS AND COMPARING IT WITH THE NORMAL POPULATION PERFORMING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY RECOMMENDED BY GUIDELINES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: FIFTY-EIGHT PERSONS (16 MALES) WITH A MEAN AGE OF 50.0 +/- 11.06 YEARS COMPRISING THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED YOGA FOR AT LEAST 1 H A DAY FOR OVER 2 YEARS. THEY UNDERWENT SPIROERGOMETRY UNDER MAXIMAL EXERCISE TESTING TO ASSESS BASIC PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS. THEIR RESULTS WERE COMPARED WITH THOSE IN 54 AGE-MATCHED CONTROLS (16 MALES MEAN AGE OF 48 +/- 11.86 YEARS PERFORMING A REGULAR AEROBIC PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR AT LEAST 7 H A WEEK. RESULTS: THE YOGA GROUP HAD STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE PER KILOGRAM (P = 0.007) AND MAXIMUM OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER KILOGRAM PER MINUTE (P = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS: DESPITE LOW ENERGY EXPENDITURE, YOGA PRACTICES ARE BETTER IN SOME CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS PARAMETERS THAN OTHER AEROBIC ACTIVITIES RECOMMENDED BY CURRENT GUIDELINES FOR CVD PREVENTION.	2015