1 1988 155 SPECTRAL PARAMETERS OF HRV IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS, ATHLETES AND SEDENTARY MALES. PHYSICAL INACTIVITY IS AN IMPORTANT RISK FACTOR FOR CARDIOVASCULAR MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY. EXERCISE IS CONSIDERED AN ACCEPTABLE METHOD FOR IMPROVING AND MAINTAINING PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH. ALTHOUGH YOGA IS HISTORICALLY A SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE, A GROWING BODY OF EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THE BELIEF THAT YOGA BENEFITS PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE HEART RATE VARIABILITY WHICH REFLECTS AUTONOMIC CONTROL OF HEART AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS, ATHLETES AND INDIVIDUALS WITH SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE. THE STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT IN THE DEPARTMENTS OF PHYSIOLOGY AT MAMC AGROHA, HISAR AND PT. BD SHARMA PGIMS ROHTAK, HARYANA. THE STUDY GROUP COMPRISED OF 1200 HEALTHY MALE VOLUNTEERS OF 16 TO 55 YEARS OF AGE. THE STUDY GROUP WAS DIVIDED INTO FOUR AGE GROUPS: GROUP A OF AGE 16 TO 25 YEARS; GROUP B OF AGE 26 TO 35 YEARS; GROUP C OF AGE 36 TO 45 YEARS AND GROUP D OF AGE 46 TO 55 YEARS. ALL AGE GROUPS WERE FURTHER DIVIDED INTO THREE CATEGORIES I.E ATHLETE (RUNNER), YOGA (YOGA PRACTITIONERS) AND SEDENTARY IN WHICH INDIVIDUALS WITH SEDENTARY LIFE STYLE WERE INCLUDED. THE BASAL RECORDING OF ECG IN LEAD II WAS DONE FOR 5 MINUTES. THE POLYRITE-D ECG DATA WAS USED FOR ANALYSIS OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY BY FREQUENCY DOMAIN METHOD. TWO SPECTRAL COMPONENTS WERE RECORDED NAMELY HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) COMPONENT (0.15-0.4 HZ), AN INDICATOR OF VAGAL EFFERENT ACTIVITY AND LOW FREQUENCY (LF) COMPONENT (0.04-.15 HZ), REPLICATOR OF COMPOSITE SYMPATHO-VAGAL INTERPLAY. HF COMPONENT IN NORMALIZED UNIT WAS FOUND SIGNIFICANTLY HIGH IN AGE GROUP B AND C IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND ATHLETES AS COMPARED TO SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS AND IN AGE GROUP D SIGNIFICANTLY HIGH IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS AS COMPARED TO ATHLETES AND SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS. SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED LF/HF RATIO WAS FOUND IN AGE GROUP B AND C IN YOGA AND ATHLETE SUBJECTS AS COMPARED TO SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS AND IN AGE GROUP D IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS AS COMPARED TO ATHLETES AND SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS. THIS INDICATES THAT PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY IS SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS. 2015 2 850 43 EFFECT OF YOGA ON SHORT-TERM HEART RATE VARIABILITY MEASURE AS A STRESS INDEX IN SUBJUNIOR CYCLISTS: A PILOT STUDY. SUBJUNIOR ATHLETES EXPERIENCE MENTAL STRESS DUE TO PRESSURE FROM THE COACH, TEACHERS AND PARENTS FOR BETTER PERFORMANCE. STRESS, IF REMAINS FOR LONGER PERIOD AND NOT MANAGED APPROPRIATELY CAN LEADS TO NEGATIVE PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND COGNITIVE IMPACT ON CHILDREN. THE PRESENT STUDY WAS AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA MODULE ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) MEASURE AS A STRESS INDEX IN SUBJUNIOR CYCLISTS. FAST FURRIER TRANSFORM TECHNIQUE OF FREQUENCY DOMAIN METHOD WAS USED FOR THE ANALYSIS OF HRV. WE HAVE FOUND A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) COMPONENT BY 14.64% (P < 0.05) AND DECREASE IN THE LOW FREQUENCY COMPONENT (LF) OF HRV SPECTRUM BY 5.52% (P < 0.05) AND A DECREASE IN LF/HF RATIO BY 19.63% (P < 0.01) IN YOGA GROUP. IN THE CONTROL GROUP, THERE WAS DECREASE IN THE HF COMPONENT AND, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE LF COMPONENT OF HRV SPECTRUM AND LF/HF RATIO. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT YOGA PRACTICE DECREASES SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY AND CAUSES A SHIFT IN THE AUTONOMIC BALANCE TOWARDS PARASYMPATHETIC DOMINANCE INDICATING A REDUCTION IN STRESS. IN CONCLUSION, YOGA PRACTICE HELPS TO REDUCE STRESS BY OPTIMIZING THE AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS. SO, IT IS SUGGESTED TO INCORPORATE YOGA MODULE AS A REGULAR FEATURE TO KEEP SUBJUNIOR ATHLETES BOTH MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY FIT. 2013 3 1027 36 EFFECTS OF YOGA BREATHING PRACTICE ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN HEALTHY ADOLESCENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AMONG HEALTHY ADOLESCENTS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA BREATHING PRACTICE (BHRAMARI PRANAYAMA, BHR.P) TOWARDS CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION USING HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) PARAMETERS. METHODS: OF THE 730 ELIGIBLE SUBJECTS SCREENED, 520 HEALTHY ADOLESCENTS WHO MET THE INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER YOGA BREATHING GROUP (N=260) OR CONTROL GROUP (N=260). THE YOGA BREATHING GROUP PRACTICED BHR.P. FIVE DAYS A WEEK FOR A DURATION OF SIX MONTHS WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP CONTINUED WITH THEIR DAILY ROUTINE WITHOUT ANY INTERVENTION. OUTCOME MEASURES WERE TIME AND FREQUENCY DOMAIN OF HRV IN BOTH GROUPS WHICH WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION USING LEAD II ECG. LINEAR MODELS WERE USED IN THE ANALYSIS OF SHORT TERM HRV. RESULTS: AFTER 6 MONTHS OF YOGA BREATHING, THE TIME DOMAIN PARAMETERS OF SHORT TERM HRV SHOWED SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05) IMPROVEMENT TOWARDS THE PARASYMPATHETIC DOMAIN. FREQUENCY DOMAIN PARAMETERS ALSO SHOWED THE SAME DIRECTION OF CHANGES. IN CONTRAST, CONTROL GROUP SUBJECTS SHOWED A TREND TOWARDS A SYMPATHETIC DOMAIN. CONCLUSION: THE PRESENT STUDY SHOWED A POSITIVE SHIFT IN CARDIAC AUTONOMIC MODULATION TOWARDS PARASYMPATHETIC PREDOMINANCE AFTER 6 MONTHS OF YOGA BREATHING PRACTICE AMONG APPARENTLY HEALTHY ADOLESCENTS. 2020 4 2085 32 THE EFFECT OF LONG TERM COMBINED YOGA PRACTICE ON THE BASAL METABOLIC RATE OF HEALTHY ADULTS. BACKGROUND: DIFFERENT PROCEDURES PRACTICED IN YOGA HAVE STIMULATORY OR INHIBITORY EFFECTS ON THE BASAL METABOLIC RATE WHEN STUDIED ACUTELY. IN DAILY LIFE HOWEVER, THESE PROCEDURES ARE USUALLY PRACTICED IN COMBINATION. THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE NET CHANGE IN THE BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR) OF INDIVIDUALS ACTIVELY ENGAGING IN A COMBINATION OF YOGA PRACTICES (ASANA OR YOGIC POSTURES, MEDITATION AND PRANAYAMA OR BREATHING EXERCISES) FOR A MINIMUM PERIOD OF SIX MONTHS, AT A RESIDENTIAL YOGA EDUCATION AND RESEARCH CENTER AT BANGALORE. METHODS: THE MEASURED BMR OF INDIVIDUALS PRACTICING YOGA THROUGH A COMBINATION OF PRACTICES WAS COMPARED WITH THAT OF CONTROL SUBJECTS WHO DID NOT PRACTICE YOGA BUT LED SIMILAR LIFESTYLES. RESULTS: THE BMR OF THE YOGA PRACTITIONERS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THAT OF THE NON-YOGA GROUP, AND WAS LOWER BY ABOUT 13 % WHEN ADJUSTED FOR BODY WEIGHT (P < 0.001). THIS DIFFERENCE PERSISTED WHEN THE GROUPS WERE STRATIFIED BY GENDER; HOWEVER, THE DIFFERENCE IN BMR ADJUSTED FOR BODY WEIGHT WAS GREATER IN WOMEN THAN MEN (ABOUT 8 AND 18% RESPECTIVELY). IN ADDITION, THE MEAN BMR OF THE YOGA GROUP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THEIR PREDICTED VALUES, WHILE THE MEAN BMR OF NON-YOGA GROUP WAS COMPARABLE WITH THEIR PREDICTED VALUES DERIVED FROM 1985 WHO/FAO/UNU PREDICTIVE EQUATIONS. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY SHOWS THAT THERE IS A SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BMR, PROBABLY LINKED TO REDUCED AROUSAL, WITH THE LONG TERM PRACTICE OF YOGA USING A COMBINATION OF STIMULATORY AND INHIBITORY YOGIC PRACTICES. 2006 5 890 47 EFFECT OF YOGA-BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL IN PATIENTS POST-MI. AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION IS AN INDEPENDENT PREDICTOR OF CARDIOVASCULAR AND ALL-CAUSE MORTALITY AFTER MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION (MI). WE TESTED THE EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK YOGA-BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAM ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) IN 80 PATIENTS POST-MI. THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH TWO PARALLEL GROUPS WAS CARRIED OUT IN A TERTIARY CARE INSTITUTION IN INDIA. THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED 13 HOSPITAL-BASED STRUCTURED YOGA SESSIONS AS AN ADJUNCT TO STANDARD CARE. CONTROL GROUP PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED ENHANCED STANDARD CARE INVOLVING THREE BRIEF EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS WITH A LEAFLET ON THE IMPORTANCE OF DIET AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. HRV WAS MEASURED IN ALL PARTICIPANTS WITH LEAD II ELECTROCARDIOGRAM (ECG) SIGNALS. ONE YOGA GROUP PATIENT'S DATA WERE EXCLUDED DUE TO ECG ABNORMALITIES. BASELINE MEASUREMENT WAS DONE 3 WEEKS POST-MI, AND POSTINTERVENTION ASSESSMENT TOOK PLACE AT THE 13TH WEEK. HRV FREQUENCY AND TIME DOMAIN INDICES WERE ANALYZED. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES IN THE HRV TIME DOMAIN INDICES. FREQUENCY DOMAIN INDICES SHOWED SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES IN HF POWER (ABSOLUTE) (YOGA VS. CONTROL: 114.42 [-794.80-7,993.78] VS. -38.14 [-4,843.50-1,617.87], P = 0.005) AND TOTAL POWER (NU) (YOGA VS. CONTROL: 44.96 [21.94] VS. -19.55 [15.42], P = 0.01) WITH HIGHER HF POWER AND TOTAL POWER (NU) IN THE YOGA GROUP. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THESE RESULTS CANNOT BE GENERALIZED TO HIGH RISK PATIENTS. RESPIRATORY FREQUENCY CONTROL TO CHECK FOR INFLUENCE OF RESPIRATORY RATE ON RR INTERVAL WAS NOT EVALUATED. THIS SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAM HAD ADDITIVE EFFECTS IN SHIFTING SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE TOWARD PARASYMPATHETIC PREDOMINANCE WHILE INCREASING OVERALL HRV IN OPTIMALLY MEDICATED POST-MI PATIENTS. 2019 6 492 37 COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR EVALUATION BASED ON PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AMONG YOUNG HEALTHY SUBJECTS WITH YOGA AS INTERVENTION. OBJECTIVE: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE ON COGNITIVE SKILLS, AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM, AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY BY ANALYZING PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS. METHODS: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED ON 30 NORMAL YOUNG HEALTHY ENGINEERING STUDENTS. THEY WERE RANDOMLY SELECTED INTO TWO GROUPS: YOGA GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED YOGA ONE AND HALF HOUR PER DAY FOR SIX DAYS IN A WEEK, FOR A PERIOD OF FIVE MONTHS. RESULTS: THE YOGA PRACTISING GROUP SHOWED INCREASED ALPHA, BETA, AND DELTA EEG BAND POWERS AND SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THETA AND GAMMA BAND POWERS. THE INCREASED ALPHA AND BETA POWER CAN REPRESENT ENHANCED COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS SUCH AS MEMORY AND CONCENTRATION, AND THAT OF DELTA SIGNIFIES SYNCHRONIZATION OF BRAIN ACTIVITY. THE HEART RATE INDEX THETA/ALPHA DECREASED, NEURAL ACTIVITY BETA/THETA INCREASED, ATTENTION RESOURCE INDEX BETA/(ALPHA + THETA) INCREASED, EXECUTIVE LOAD INDEX (DELTA + THETA)/ALPHA DECREASED, AND THE RATIO (DELTA + THETA)/(ALPHA + BETA) DECREASED. THE YOGA PRACTICE GROUP SHOWED IMPROVEMENT IN HEART RATE VARIABILITY, INCREASED SDNN/RMSSD, AND REDUCTION IN LF/HF RATIO. CONCLUSION: YOGA PRACTISING GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN VARIOUS COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS, SUCH AS PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT, NEURAL ACTIVITY, ATTENTION, AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTION. IT ALSO RESULTED IN INCREASE IN THE HEART RATE VARIABILITY, PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM ACTIVITY, AND BALANCED AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM REACTIVITY. 2015 7 1473 28 INSULIN SENSITIVITY AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION IN YOUNG MALE PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA. BACKGROUND: WHILE YOGA IS THOUGHT TO REDUCE THE RISK OF CHRONIC NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES SUCH AS DIABETES, THERE ARE NO STUDIES ON INSULIN SENSITIVITY IN LONG TERM PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA. WE ASSESSED INSULIN SENSITIVITY AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION IN LONG TERM PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA. METHODS: FIFTEEN HEALTHY, YOUNG, MALE PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA WERE COMPARED WITH 15 YOUNG, HEALTHY MALES WHO DID NOT PRACTICE YOGA MATCHED FOR BODY-MASS INDEX. FASTING INSULIN SENSITIVITY WAS MEASURED IN THE FASTING STATE BY THE HYPERINSULINAEMIC-EUGLYCAEMIC CLAMP. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS IN THEIR ANTHROPOMETRY OR BODY COMPOSITION. HOWEVER, THE FASTING PLASMA INSULIN WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP WAS ALSO MORE INSULIN SENSITIVE (YOGA 7.82 [2.29] V. CONTROL 4.86 [11.97] (MG/[KG.MIN])/(MICROU/ML), P < 0.001). WHILE THE BODY WEIGHT AND WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE WERE NEGATIVELY CORRELATED WITH GLUCOSE DISPOSAL RATE IN THE CONTROLS, THERE WERE NO SIMILAR CORRELATIONS IN THE YOGA GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER LOW-FREQUENCY POWER AND LOWER NORMALIZED HIGH-FREQUENCY POWER. CONCLUSION: LONG TERM YOGA PRACTICE (FOR 1 YEAR OR MORE) IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED INSULIN SENSITIVITY AND ATTENUATES THE NEGATIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BODY WEIGHT OR WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE AND INSULIN SENSITIVITY. 2008 8 277 22 ADDITIONAL PRACTICE OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING ENHANCES PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: THE PRACTICE OF YOGA IS ASSOCIATED WITH ENHANCED PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING. THE CURRENT STUDY ASSESSED THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE WITH STATE MINDFULNESS, MIND-WANDERING AND STATE ANXIETY. ALSO, WE EXAMINED IF AN ADDITIONAL 20 MIN OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING (EXPERIMENTAL GROUP) FOR 8 WEEKS WOULD AFFECT THESE PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES MORE THAN REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE (CONTROL GROUP) ALONE. METHODS: ONE HUNDRED SIXTEEN SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EXPERIMENTAL (N = 60) AND CONTROL (N = 56) GROUPS. STATE MINDFULNESS ATTENTION AWARENESS SCALE (SMAAS), MIND-WANDERING QUESTIONNAIRE (MWQ) AND STATE ANXIETY INVENTORY WERE ADMINISTERED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 8 WEEKS. RESULTS: BASELINE ASSESSMENT REVEALED A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE WITH SMAAS SCORES AND NEGATIVE CORRELATION WITH MWQ AND STATE ANXIETY SCORES. AT THE END OF 8 WEEKS, BOTH GROUPS DEMONSTRATED ENHANCED PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS, BUT THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP RECEIVING ADDITIONAL YOGA BREATHING PERFORMED BETTER THAN THE GROUP PRACTICING YOGA ALONE. CONCLUSION: AN ADDITIONAL PRACTICE OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING WAS FOUND TO ENHANCE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS IN YOUNG ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS. 2018 9 2745 32 YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVES THE BODY MASS INDEX AND BLOOD PRESSURE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: YOGA, AN ANCIENT INDIAN SYSTEM OF EXERCISE AND THERAPY IS AN ART OF GOOD LIVING OR AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE BODY, MIND, AND INNER SPIRIT. REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGA CAN HELP TO INCREASE BLOOD FLOW TO THE BRAIN, REDUCE STRESS, HAVE A CALMING EFFECT ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, AND GREATLY HELP IN REDUCING HYPERTENSION. AIM: AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY IS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF 1-MONTH YOGA PRACTICE ON BODY MASS INDEX (BMI), AND BLOOD PRESSURE (BP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE ON 64 PARTICIPANTS (AGE 53.6 +/- 13.1 YEARS) (EXPERIMENTAL GROUP) WHEREAS THE RESULTS WERE COMPARED WITH 26 HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (CONTROL GROUP). WE EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN A 1-MONTH PILOT STUDY. MOST OF THE PARTICIPANTS WERE LEARNER AND PRACTICED YOGA FOR 1 H DAILY IN THE MORNING FOR 1 MONTH. BMI AND BP (SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC) WERE STUDIED BEFORE AND AFTER 1 MONTH OF YOGA PRACTICE. RESULTS: YOGA PRACTICE CAUSES DECREASED BMI (26.4 +/- 2.5-25.22 +/- 2.4), SYSTOLIC BP (136.9 +/- 22.18 MMHG TO 133 +/- 21.38 MMHG), AND DIASTOLIC BP (84.7 +/- 6.5 MMHG TO 82.34 +/- 7.6 MMHG). ON THE OTHER HAND, NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE OBSERVED IN BMI AND BP OF CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY CONCLUDES THAT YOGA PRACTICE HAS POTENTIAL TO CONTROL BMI AND BP WITHOUT TAKING ANY MEDICATION. 2017 10 553 41 CORRELATION OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY WITH CAROTID INTIMA MEDIA THICKNESS AFTER 6 MONTH OF YOGA INTERVENTION IN PREDIABETICS. INTRODUCTION: ATHEROSCLEROTIC CAROTID INTIMAMEDIA THICKNESS (CIMT) MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERATIONS IN THE AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF 6-MONTH YOGA INTERVENTION ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) AND CIMT IN ELDERLY SUBJECTS AND THE CORRELATION BETWEEN HRV AND CIMT. METHODOLOGY: THIS WAS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY, IN WHICH A TOTAL OF 250 SUBJECTS WERE ENROLLED. RANDOMIZATION AND ALLOCATION IN YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS WERE PERFORMED USING COMPUTER-GENERATED RANDOM NUMBERS. THE CIMT WAS DETERMINED BY B-MODE ULTRASONOGRAPHY, AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION WAS DETERMINED THROUGH FREQUENCY DOMAIN PARAMETER OF HRV MEASURES AT BASELINE AND AFTER 6 MONTHS OF YOGA INTERVENTION. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS HAD A MEAN AGE OF 45.4 +/- 6.4 YEARS, AND A MEAN CIMT IN CONTROL (0.70 +/- 0.05) AND STUDY GROUP (0.69 +/- 0.073), AND LOW FREQUENCY/HIGH FREQUENCY (LF/HF) RATIO IN CONTROL (2.20 +/- 1.05) AND STUDY GROUP (0.57 +/- 0.54). YOGA GROUP HAD EVIDENCE OF INCREASED VAGAL ACTIVITY IN THE FREQUENCY DOMAIN (HF AND LF/HF RATIO, P < 0.001) WITH RESPECT TO CONTROL GROUP. MOREOVER, A STUDY GROUP SHOWED LOWER INTIMAMEDIA THICKNESS (IMT) THAN CONTROL SUBJECTS (P < 0.01). IN THE WHOLE POPULATION, LF/HF RATIO POSITIVELY AND SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATED (R = 0.665, P < 0.01) TO IMT. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATED THAT, AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION, LF/HF RATIO IS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH CIMT, A PUTATIVE INDEX OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS, CONFIRMING CARDIAC AUTONOMIC NEUROPATHY AS A PART OF THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL PATHWAY FOR ATHEROSCLEROSIS. IT CONFIRMS THAT THE REGULAR YOGA REPRESENTS A VALUABLE STRATEGY TO COUNTER IMPAIRMENTS OF CARDIAC AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY AND ARTERY STRUCTURAL CHANGES. 2021 11 1637 31 MODULATION OF CARDIAC AUTONOMIC BALANCE WITH ADJUVANT YOGA THERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH REFRACTORY EPILEPSY. THE PRACTICE OF YOGA REGULATES BODY PHYSIOLOGY THROUGH CONTROL OF POSTURE, BREATHING, AND MEDITATION. EFFECTS OF YOGA ON AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS OF PATIENTS WITH REFRACTORY EPILEPSY, AS QUANTIFIED BY STANDARDIZED AUTONOMIC FUNCTION TESTS (AFTS), WERE DETERMINED. THE YOGA GROUP (N=18) RECEIVED SUPERVISED TRAINING IN YOGA, AND THE EXERCISE GROUP (N=16) PRACTICED SIMPLE ROUTINE EXERCISES. AFTS WERE REPEATED AFTER 10 WEEKS OF DAILY SESSIONS. DATA WERE COMPARED WITH THOSE OF HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (N=142). THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PARASYMPATHETIC PARAMETERS AND A DECREASE IN SEIZURE FREQUENCY SCORES. THERE WAS NO IMPROVEMENT IN BLOOD PRESSURE PARAMETERS IN EITHER GROUP. TWO PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP ACHIEVED NORMAL AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS AT THE END OF 10 WEEKS OF THERAPY, WHEREAS THERE WERE NO CHANGES IN THE EXERCISE GROUP. THE DATA SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY HAVE A ROLE AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH REFRACTORY EPILEPSY. 2008 12 1301 39 HATHA YOGA ON BODY BALANCE. BACKGROUND: A GOOD BODY BALANCE REQUIRES A PROPER FUNCTION OF VESTIBULAR, VISUAL, AND SOMATOSENSORY SYSTEMS WHICH CAN BE REACH WITH EXERCISE PRACTICE AND/OR YOGA. AIM: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF A 5-MONTH HATHA YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM ON BODY BALANCE IN YOUNG ADULTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS STUDY USED A CONTROLLED, NONRANDOMIZED DESIGN, WHERE THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP UNDERWENT A 5-MONTH TRAINING PROGRAM AND WERE THEN COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP THAT HAD A SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE. A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF 34 OUT OF 40 MEN AGED 25-55 YEARS OLD (34.0 +/- 0.9) WERE DEEMED ELIGIBLE FOR THIS STUDY. THEY WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS. SUBJECTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WERE ENGAGED IN 60 MIN SESSIONS OF HATHA YOGA THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR 5 MONTHS. WE EVALUATED POSTURAL CONTROL BY MEASURING THE LIMIT OF STABILITY AND VELOCITY OF OSCILLATION (VOS) IN THREE CONDITIONS OF THE BALANCE REHABILITATION UNIT (BRU) AND THROUGH FIELD PROCEDURES (FOUR POSITION, PLANE, FLAMINGO, HOPSCOTCH, AND DYNAMIC TEST). RESULTS: WE OBSERVED DIFFERENCES (P < 0.05) IN POSTINTERVENTION SCORES BETWEEN THE GROUPS REGARDLESS OF BRU PARAMETERS AND FIELD PROCEDURES (EXCEPT FOR FLAMINGO) EVEN AFTER ADJUSTING FOR PREINTERVENTION SCORES, SUGGESTING THAT THESE CHANGES WERE INDUCED BY HATHA YOGA TRAINING. THE PARTIAL ETA SQUARED ON BRU PARAMETERS RANGED FROM 0.78 (VOS1)-0.97 (COP2), AND FROM 0.00 (FLAMINGO)-0.94 (FOUR POSITION) FOR THE FIELD PROCEDURES. CONCLUSIONS: OUR RESULTS PROVIDE SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE THAT POSTURAL CONTROL IN HEALTHY YOUNG ADULTS CAN BE IMPROVED THROUGH PRACTICING HATHA YOGA. 2014 13 760 33 EFFECT OF SUDARSANKRIYA YOGA PRACTICES ON P300 AMPLITUDE AND LATENCY. THE COGNITIVE ABILITY WHICH WAS PERCEIVED AS A CONSTANT TRAIT, IS NOW UNDERSTOOD TO BE UPGRADED BY ADAPTIVE AND EXTENDED TRAINING. YOGA PRACTICES ARE KNOWN TO SHARPEN THE INTELLECT AND ENHANCE CONCENTRATION. IN THE INITIAL PERIOD OF PRACTICING YOGA AS AN ALTERNATIVE/SUPPORTING TOOL TO MEDICAL LINE OF TREATMENT, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO INVESTIGATE EFFECT OF YOGA ON COGNITIVE ABILITY USING OBJECTIVE METHOD, IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH EVIDENCES. HENCE, AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXPLORE THE EFFECT OF REGULAR PRACTICE OF SUDARSANKRIYA YOGA ON AUDITORY EVENT RELATED POTENTIAL (P300) BY RECORDING AND COMPARING PEAK LATENCY AND AMPLITUDE. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS WITH GROUP I AND GROUP II PARTICIPANTS PRACTICING SUDARSANKRIYA YOGA FOR MORE THAN 36 MONTHS AND LESS THAN 36 MONTHS RESPECTIVELY. GROUP III WERE NON-PRACTITIONERS WITH NO PRIOR PRACTICE OF ANY FORM OF YOGA. TWENTY PARTICIPANTS IN EACH GROUP WITH A TOTAL OF 60 PARTICIPANTS BETWEEN 40 TO 65 YEARS OF AGE WERE RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY. RESULTS REVEALED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE FOR MEAN LATENCY AND AMPLITUDE BETWEEN THREE GROUPS. FINDINGS OF THE CURRENT STUDY SUGGEST THAT SUDARSANKRIYA YOGA PRACTICES SLOWS DOWN THE PROCESS OF AGING EFFECT OR MAINTAINS ON COGNITIVE ABILITY IN ADULTS. 2021 14 410 32 BLOOD LIPIDS AND ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS IN HEALTHY SUBJECTS PRACTICING YOGA OR RESISTANCE TRAINING IN LEISURE TIME. WHAT MATTERS: TYPE OR INTENSITY OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY? AIM: THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO ASSESS EFFECTS OF YOGA AND RESISTANCE TRAININGS ON BLOOD LIPIDS AND ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS IN PEOPLE WITHOUT CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY, WHICH INCLUDED 167 SUBJECTS, WAS CONDUCTED. SUBJECTS REGULARLY PRACTICING YOGA OR RESISTANCE TRAINING NOT LESS THAN 2 TIMES A WEEK FOR A PERIOD MORE THAN ONE YEAR WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. YOGA TRAININGS WERE DEFINED AS YOGA ASANAS AND RESISTANCE TRAININGS WERE DEFINED AS ANY EXERCISE THAT CAUSES THE MUSCLES TO CONTRACT AGAINST AN EXTERNAL RESISTANCE. ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS, BLOOD LIPIDS AND GLUCOSE, URIC ACID WERE ASSESSED. WE USED INTERNATIONAL QUESTIONNAIRE ON LONG PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO ASSESS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SEDENTARY TIME. SPSS 17.0 WAS USED TO PERFORM STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN "YOGA TRAINING" AND "RESISTANCE TRAINING" GROUPS IN GENERAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, MODERATE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SITTING TIME IN THE WHOLE GROUP. HDL-CHOLESTEROL WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN "YOGA TRAINING" COMPARED TO "RESISTANCE TRAINING" GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP (1,65+/-0,37 MMOL/L; 1,43+/-0,21 MMOL/L AND 1,34+/-0,22, PYOGA-RESISTANCE TRAINING=0,001; PYOGA-CONTROL=0,0001; PRESISTANCE TRAINING-CONTROL= P2-3=0,037). LDL CHOLESTEROL WAS THE LOWEST IN SUBJECTS THAT HAD THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF VIGOROUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. CONCLUSIONS: PEOPLE PRACTICING YOGA AND RESISTANCE TRAINING HAD MORE FAVORABLE BLOOD LIPID PROFILE AND ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS THAN CONTROL GROUP. "YOGA TRAINING" HAD MORE PRONOUNCED POSITIVE EFFECT ON HDL CHOLESTEROL. LEVEL OF LDL CHOLESTEROL WAS MORE LIKELY TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH INTENSITY OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THAN WITH TYPE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. 2021 15 2103 28 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY LEVEL IN SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS. PURPOSE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY LEVEL IN SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN WITH PRETEST-POSTTEST CONTROL GROUP. THE POPULATION OF THE STUDY CONSISTED OF SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS WITH REGISTERED IN MALATYA AND ELAZIG COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTERS AND REGULARLY GOING TO THESE CENTERS. THE SAMPLE GROUP OF THE STUDY CONSISTED OF TOTALLY 100 PATIENTS INCLUDING 50 PATIENTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AND 50 PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP WHO WERE SPECIFIED THROUGH POWER ANALYSIS AND CHOSEN BY USING RANDOM SAMPLING METHOD FROM THIS POPULATION. THE DATA WERE COLLECTED BETWEEN APRIL 2015 AND AUGUST 2015. 'PATIENT DESCRIPTION FORM' AND 'FROGS' WERE USED TO COLLECT THE DATA. YOGA WAS APPLIED TO PATIENTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. ANY INTERVENTION WAS NOT MADE TO PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION, ARITHMETIC MEAN, STANDARD DEVIATION, CHI-SQUARE, INDEPENDENT SAMPLES T TEST, AND PAIRED T TEST WERE USED TO ASSESS THE DATA. RESULTS: PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PRETEST SUBSCALE AND THE TOTAL MEANS SCORES OF FROGS WAS FOUND TO BE LOW. IN THE POSTTEST SUBSCALE AND TOTAL MEANS SCORES OF FROGS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WERE HIGHER THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEM WERE FOUND TO BE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05). IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PRETEST AND POSTTEST SUBSCALE AND TOTAL MEANS SCORES OF FR0GS WAS DETERMINED TO BE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: YOGA THAT APPLIED TO SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS IT WAS DETERMINED TO INCREASED THE LEVEL OF FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY. IT CAN BE SUGGESTED THAT YOGA SHOULD BE USED AS AN COMPLEMENTARY METHOD IN NURSING PRACTISE IN ORDER TO INCREASE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE TREATMENT. 2016 16 2461 31 YOGA AS A NOVEL ADJUVANT THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH IDIOPATHIC INFLAMMATORY MYOPATHIES. CONTEXT: RECENT STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS WELL TOLERATED BY PATIENTS WITH IDIOPATHIC INFLAMMATORY MYOPATHIES (IIMS) AND CAN HAVE ADDITIONAL BENEFITS AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY TO PHARMACOLOGIC AGENTS, ESPECIALLY IF STARTED EARLY. TO DATE, NO STUDIES HAVE EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PATIENTS WITH IIMS. AIMS: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SELF-REPORTED DIFFICULTY IN PERFORMING ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING (ADL) AND MUSCLE STRENGTH IN PATIENTS WITH MILD-TO-MODERATE IIMS. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A LONGITUDINAL COHORT STUDY IN WHICH PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED USING THE MYOSITIS ACTIVITIES PROFILE (MAP) AND MANUAL MUSCLE TESTING (MMT) BEFORE AND AFTER THE COMPLETION OF AN 8-WEEK INSTRUCTOR-GUIDED YOGA COURSE WAS PERFORMED. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: WILCOXON SIGNED-RANKED TEST WAS PERFORMED FOR STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. RESULTS: THE AVERAGE POSTTREATMENT MAP SCORES OF SIX PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED AN INCREASE OF 2.51 POINTS, WHILE THE AVERAGE MMT SCORE OF FOUR PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED AN INCREASE OF 11 POINTS. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY IS THE FIRST STUDY TO DATE TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH IIM. CONTINUED RESEARCH SHOULD BE DONE ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY, FOR IN ADDITION TO INCREASE IN MUSCLE STRENGTH AND ABILITY TO PERFORM ADL, YOGA MAY OFFER POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS IN MOOD, MENTAL HEALTH, AND SLEEP. 2021 17 1760 34 POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSICAL AND RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS IN HEALTHY INACTIVE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE. CONTEXT: YOGA IMPROVES PHYSICAL AND RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS IN HEALTHY INACTIVE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE. AIM: THIS STUDY AIMED TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF 8 WEEKS OF ASANA AND ASANA WITH PRANAYAMA LESSONS IN ORDER TO CLARIFY THE INFLUENCE OF TWO DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON PHYSICAL AND RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS IN HEALTHY INACTIVE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 28 PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE: 52.7 YEARS) WERE DIVIDED INTO A YOGA ASANA (YA) GROUP AND YA WITH PRANAYAMA (YAP) GROUP. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED A 70-MIN SESSION ONCE A WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS. THE YA GROUP PRACTICED BASIC ASANA WITHOUT SPECIFIC BREATHING INSTRUCTIONS, WHILE THE YAP GROUP PRACTICED BASIC ASANA WITH SPECIFIC BREATHING INSTRUCTIONS (PRANAYAMA). RESPIRATORY FUNCTION WAS MEASURED WITH AN AUTOSPIROMETER. PHYSICAL FUNCTION ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED THE 30-S CHAIR STAND TEST AND UPPER AND LOWER EXTREMITY FLEXIBILITY. ALL TESTS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 8 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: CHANGES IN SCORES WERE ANALYZED WITH THE PAIRED T-TEST FOR EACH GROUP. PRE-POST RESULTS WERE COMPARED FOR ALL THE MEASURED VALUES. P < 0.05 WAS CONSIDERED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. RESULTS: BOTH GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PHYSICAL AND OVERALL RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS AFTER THE 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION. HOWEVER, THE MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE AND LOWER EXTREMITY FLEXIBILITY IMPROVED ONLY IN THE YAP GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THE 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION FOR HEALTHY INACTIVE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE IMPROVED THE OVERALL RESPIRATORY AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONS, AND THE INCLUSION OF PRANAYAMA HAD THE ADDED BENEFIT OF IMPROVING INSPIRATORY MUSCLE STRENGTH AND GLOBAL BODY FLEXIBILITY. 2019 18 819 29 EFFECT OF YOGA ON DEPRESSION IN HYPOTHYROIDISM: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: THE PREVALENCE OF HYPOTHYROIDISM AMONG INDIAN WOMEN IS 15.8%. DEPRESSION IS FREQUENTLY REPORTED IN HYPOTHYROIDISM. YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR DEPRESSION. HOWEVER, THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA ON DEPRESSION IN PATIENTS WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED. AIM: THE PRESENT STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECT OF A 3-MONTH INTEGRATED YOGA INTERVENTION (3-IY) ON DEPRESSION, LIPID INDICES, AND SERUM THYROID-STIMULATING HORMONE (STSH) LEVELS AMONG FEMALE PATIENTS HAVING HYPOTHYROIDISM, AND MILD-TO-MODERATE DEPRESSION. METHOD: THE PRESENT SINGLE-ARM PRE-POST DESIGN STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN THIRTY-EIGHT WOMEN (AVERAGE AGE 34.2 +/- 4.7 YEARS). PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED A 3-IY COMPRISING ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, AND RELAXATION TECHNIQUES FOR 60 MIN DAILY (5 DAYS A WEEK). DEPRESSION, STSH, LIPID PROFILE INDICES, BODY MASS INDEX (BMI), FATIGUE, ANXIETY, AND STRESS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS. THYROID MEDICATION WAS KEPT CONSTANT DURING THE STUDY PERIOD. DATA WERE ANALYSED USING R STUDIO SOFTWARE. RESULT: A SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05) REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION (58%), STSH (37%), BMI (6%), FATIGUE (64%), ANXIETY (57%), LIPID PROFILE INDICES (HLD INCREASED SIGNIFICANTY), AND STRESS (55%) LEVELS WAS OBSERVED AFTER 3 MONTHS, COMPARED WITH THE CORRESPONDING BASELINE LEVELS. CONCLUSION: THE 3-IY IS USEFUL FOR REDUCING DEPRESSION, DYSLIPIDEMIA, AND STSH IN WOMEN WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM AND DEPRESSION. FURTHER STUDIES WITH A LARGER SAMPLE SIZE AND A ROBUST RESEARCH DESIGN USING OBJECTIVE VARIABLES MUST BE CONDUCTED TO STRENGTHEN THE STUDY FINDINGS. 2021 19 1388 42 IMPACT OF SHORT-TERM PRACTICE OF YOGA ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A SCIENCE THAT FACILITATES HOMEOSTASIS, AN ANCIENT WAY OF LIFE INTENDED TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF AN INDIVIDUAL. PRACTICE OF YOGA IS PROPOSED TO ALTER THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AND AFFECT THE CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTIONING. THIS STUDY WAS INTENDED TO ASSESS THE INFLUENCE OF SHORT-TERM PRACTICE OF YOGA FOR A MONTH ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV). MATERIALS AND METHODS: TOTALLY, 40 HEALTHY MALE VOLUNTEERS IN THE AGE GROUP OF 30-60 YEARS WILLING TO PRACTICE YOGA FOR A MONTH WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. HRV WAS ASSESSED USING HRV DEVICE (RMS VAGUS, INDIA). PREINTERVENTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF HRV WAS DONE IN THESE SUBJECTS. PRACTICE OF YOGA THAT INCLUDED A SET OF PHYSICAL POSTURES (ASANAS), BREATHING TECHNIQUES (PRANAYAMA), AND MEDITATION (DHYANA) WERE PERFORMED FOR AN HOUR DAILY FOR 1 MONTH UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR. POSTINTERVENTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF HRV WAS DONE. THE VALUES WERE EXPRESSED IN MEDIAN AND THEIR INTERQUARTILE RANGE, AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS WAS DONE TO COMPARE THE CHANGES USING WILCOXON SIGNED RANK TEST. RESULTS: THIRTY-TWO OF 40 SUBJECTS RECRUITED FOR YOGA PRACTICE COMPLETED THE STUDY PROTOCOL. ANALYSIS OF HRV REVEALED THAT IN TIME DOMAIN PARAMETERS, SDNN INCREASED FROM 33.60 (31.41-44.82) TO 42.11 (34.43-57.51), RMSSD INCREASED FROM 22.00 (16.00-33.80) TO 25.6 (17.0-34.8), AND PNN50 INCREASED FROM 2.45 (0.80-15.38) TO 7.35 (1.40-18.57) AFTER INTERVENTION. IN THE FREQUENCY DOMAIN PARAMETERS, THE LOW-FREQUENCY (LF) POWER SPECTRUM REDUCED FROM 39.30 (25.1-46.25) TO 30.40 (22.75-40.62) AND LF/HIGH-FREQUENCY RATIO WAS REDUCED FROM 2.62 (1.91-4.07) TO 2.28 (1.4-3.07) AFTER 1 MONTH PRACTICE OF YOGA. P < 0.05 WAS CONSIDERED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. CONCLUSION: AUTONOMIC BALANCE TILTS TOWARD PARASYMPATHETIC PREDOMINANCE AFTER 1 MONTH PRACTICE OF YOGA. 2016 20 678 22 EFFECT OF A YOGA PRACTICE SESSION AND A YOGA THEORY SESSION ON STATE ANXIETY. YOGA TECHNIQUES PRACTICED FOR VARYING DURATIONS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE STATE ANXIETY. IN THIS STUDY, THERE WERE 300 NAIVE-TO-YOGA PERSONS OF BOTH SEXES WHO WERE ATTENDING A YOGA THERAPY CENTER IN NORTH INDIA FOR STRESS RELIEF AS DAY VISITORS AND WERE NOT RESIDING AT THE CENTER. THEY WERE ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS, YOGA PRACTICE AND YOGA THEORY, AND THEIR STATE ANXIETY WAS ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER A 2-HR. YOGA SESSION. A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN SCORES ON STATE ANXIETY WAS FOUND IN THE YOGA PRACTICE GROUP (14.7% DECREASE), AS WELL AS IN THE YOGA THEORY GROUP (3.4% DECREASE). THE DIFFERENCE IN SCORES FOLLOWING THE SESSIONS WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. HENCE, YOGA PRACTICE AS WELL AS LEARNING ABOUT THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF YOGA APPEAR TO REDUCE STATE ANXIETY, WITH A GREATER REDUCTION FOLLOWING YOGA PRACTICE. 2009