1 2040 158 THAI YOGA IMPROVES PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND WELL-BEING IN OLDER ADULTS: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: COMPARE TWO 12-WEEK LOW-INTENSITY EXERCISE REGIMENS ON COMPONENTS OF PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN COMMUNITY-DWELLING HEALTHY YET SEDENTARY ADULTS AGED OVER 60. DESIGN: THIS STUDY USED A RANDOMISED, MULTI-ARM, CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGN. METHODS: THIRTY-NINE SEDENTARY PARTICIPANTS (29 WOMEN), AGED 67.7+/-6.7 YEARS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO EITHER A 12-WEEK THAI YOGA (TY) OR TAI CHI (TC) FOR 90MIN TWICE PER WEEK, OR TELEPHONE COUNSELLING CONTROL (C). A SENIOR FITNESS TEST (CHAIR-STAND, ARM-CURL, SIT-&-REACH, BACK-SCRATCH, 8-FOOT UP-&-GO AND 6-MIN WALK) AND SHORT-FORM 36 HEALTH SURVEY, CENTRE FOR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF DEPRESSION, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY SCALE FOR THE ELDERLY AND THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ENJOYMENT SCALE WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, SIX, 12 WEEKS, AND THREE MONTHS AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE REGIMEN. RESULTS: AFTER 12 WEEKS, CHAIR-STAND (MEAN DIFFERENCE, 2.69; 95% CI, 0.97-4.41; P<0.001), ARM-CURL (2.23; 95% CI, 0.06-4.52; P=0.009), SIT-&-REACH (1.25; 95% CI, 0.03-2.53; P=0.013), BACK-SCRATCH (2.00; 95% CI, 0.44-3.56; P=0.005), 8-FOOT UP-&-GO (-0.43; 95% CI, -0.85 TO 0.01; P=0.013), 6-MIN WALK (57.5; 95% CI, 20.93-94.07; P<0.001), VITALITY (13.27; 95% CI, 2.88-23.66; P=0.050) AND ENJOYMENT (7.96; 95% CI, 3.70-12.23; P=0.001) SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED IN TY COMPARED TO C, HOWEVER NO CHANGE WAS OBSERVED IN TC COMPARED TO C. TY IMPROVED IN CHAIR-STAND (2.31; 95% CI, 0.59-4.03; P=0.007), SIT-&-REACH (1.38; 95% CI, 0.10-2.66; P=0.007), 6-MIN WALK (32.31; 95% CI, -4.26-68.88; P=0.015), VITALITY (12.88; 95% CI, 2.50-23.27; P=0.040) AND ENJOYMENT (5.65; 95% CI, 1.39-9.92; P=0.010) COMPARED TO TC AFTER 12 WEEKS. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT OLDER ADULTS CAN MAKE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN THEIR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING BY ENGAGING IN LOW INTENSITY THAI YOGA EXERCISE. 2017 2 2655 32 YOGA IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE AND FALL RISK-FACTORS IN A SAMPLE OF PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC PAIN AND TYPE 2 DIABETES. OBJECTIVE: ASSESS PRE TO-POST OUTCOMES FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC PAIN AND TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (T2DM) RANDOMIZED TO AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION OR USUAL CARE. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED IF THEY SELF-REPORTED: CHRONIC PAIN; T2DM; >18 YEARS OLD; NO EXERCISE RESTRICTIONS OR CONSISTENT YOGA; AND CONSENTED TO THE STUDY. RESULTS: AFTER YOGA, THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN: BRIEF PAIN INVENTORY PAIN INTERFERENCE (49+/-15.00 VS. 41.25+/-19.46, P=.034); FULLERTON ADVANCED BALANCE SCALE (14.2+/-14.1 VS. 20.4+/-13.5, P=.03); UPPER EXTREMITY STRENGTH (7.7+/-6.3 VS.10.8+/-6.5, P=.02); LOWER EXTREMITY STRENGTH (4.1+/-3.8 VS. 6.7+/-4.8, P=.02); AND RAND 36-ITEM HEALTH SURVEY QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES (81.1+/-7.7 VS. 91.9+/-8.9, P=.04). BALANCE SCORES BECAME SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE DURING THE 8 WEEKS FOR PEOPLE RANDOMIZED TO THE CONTROL (27.1+/-9.9 VS. 21.7+/-13.4,=P.01). CONCLUSION: DATA FROM THIS SMALL RCT INDICATES YOGA MAY BE THERAPEUTIC AND MAY IMPROVE MULTIPLE OUTCOMES IN THIS SEEMINGLY AT-RISK POPULATION. CLINICAL TRIALS NUMBER: NCT03010878. 2018 3 2164 36 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND SELF-ESTEEM ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS-A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: PREVIOUS RESEARCH HAS FOUND THAT YOGA CAN ENHANCE QUALITY OF LIFE AND EASE MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. THE STUDY EXAMINED WHETHER SELF-ESTEEM MEDIATED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE, FATIGUE AND MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS, UTILIZING VALIDATED OUTCOME MEASURES. STUDY DESIGN: THIS IS A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA WITH THOSE OF USUAL CARE IN 40 BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WHO SUFFERED FROM MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED ALL 3 ASSESSMENTS (WEEK 0, WEEK 12, AND WEEK 24) AND PROVIDED FULL DATA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: OUTCOMES WERE MEASURED USING SELF-RATING INSTRUMENTS. MEDIATION ANALYSES WERE PERFORMED USING SPSS. RESULTS: SELF-ESTEEM MEDIATED THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (B=-2.11, 95% BCI [-5.40 TO -0.37]), PSYCHOLOGICAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (B=-0.94, 95% BCI [-2.30 TO -0.01]), AND UROGENITAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (B=-0.66, 95% BCI [-1.65 TO -0.15]), QUALITY OF LIFE (B=8.04, 95% BCI [3.15-17.03]), SOCIAL WELL-BEING (B=1.80, 95% BCI [0.54-4.21]), EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING (B=1.62, 95% BCI [0.70-3.34]), FUNCTIONAL WELL-BEING (B=1.84, 95% BCI [0.59-4.13]), AND FATIGUE (B=4.34, 95% BCI [1.28-9.55]). SELF-ESTEEM HAD NO EFFECT ON SOMATOVEGETATIVE MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (B=-0.50, 95% BCI N.S.) OR ON PHYSICAL WELL-BEING (B=0.79, 95% BCI N.S.). CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS SUPPORT THE ASSUMPTION THAT SELF-ESTEEM PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN THE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF YOGA AND THAT YOGA CAN HAVE LONG-TERM BENEFITS FOR WOMEN DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER AND UNDERGOING MENOPAUSAL TRANSITION. 2017 4 37 32 A 2X2 RANDOMISED FACTORIAL SWAT OF THE USE OF A PEN AND SMALL, FINANCIAL INCENTIVE TO IMPROVE RECRUITMENT IN A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR OLDER ADULTS WITH MULTIMORBIDITY. BACKGROUND: MONETARY AND OTHER INCENTIVES MAY INCREASE RECRUITMENT TO RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS. METHODS: 2X2 FACTORIAL 'STUDY WITHIN A TRIAL' OF INCLUDING A PEN AND/OR POUND5 (GBP) IN CASH WITH A POSTAL RECRUITMENT PACK TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS RANDOMISED INTO THE HOST TRIAL ('GENTLE YEARS YOGA') FOR OLDER ADULTS WITH MULTIMORBIDITY. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: RETURN, AND TIME TO RETURN, OF SCREENING FORM, AND THE COST PER ADDITIONAL PARTICIPANT RANDOMISED. BINARY DATA WERE ANALYSED USING LOGISTIC REGRESSION AND TIME TO RETURN USING COX PROPORTIONAL HAZARDS REGRESSION. RESULTS: 818 POTENTIAL HOST TRIAL PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED. BETWEEN THOSE SENT A PEN (N=409) AND NOT SENT A PEN (N=409), THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF A DIFFERENCE IN THE PROPORTION OF PARTICIPANTS RANDOMISED (15 (3.7%) VERSUS 11 (2.7%); OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.63-3.04), IN RETURNING A SCREENING FORM (66 (16.1%) VERSUS 61 (14.9%); OR 1.10, 95% CI 0.75-1.61) NOR IN TIME TO RETURN THE SCREENING FORM (HR 1.09, 95% CI 0.77-1.55). BETWEEN THOSE SENT POUND5 (N=409) AND NOT SENT POUND5 (N=409), THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF INCREASED RANDOMISATION (14 (3.4%) VERSUS 12 (2.9%); OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.54-2.57), BUT MORE SCREENING FORMS WERE RETURNED (77 (18.8%) VERSUS 50 (12.2%); OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.13-2.45) AND THERE WAS DECREASED TIME TO RETURN SCREENING FORM (HR 1.56, 95% CI 1.09-2.22). NO SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION BETWEEN THE INTERVENTIONS WAS OBSERVED. THE COST PER ADDITIONAL PARTICIPANT RANDOMISED WAS POUND32 AND POUND1000 FOR THE PEN AND POUND5, RESPECTIVELY. CONCLUSION: A SMALL, MONETARY INCENTIVE DID NOT RESULT IN MORE PARTICIPANTS BEING RANDOMISED INTO THE HOST TRIAL BUT DID ENCOURAGE INCREASED AND FASTER RESPONSE TO THE RECRUITMENT INVITATION. SINCE IT IS RELATIVELY COSTLY, WE DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS INTERVENTION FOR USE TO INCREASE RECRUITMENT IN THIS POPULATION. PENS WERE CHEAPER BUT DID NOT PROVIDE EVIDENCE OF BENEFIT. 2021 5 2561 41 YOGA FOR CHRONIC NECK PAIN: A 12-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. OBJECTIVES: TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF A 9-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION ON CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC NECK PAIN 12 MONTHS AFTER COMPLETION. DESIGN: TWELVE-MONTH FOLLOW-UP OF THE POOLED DATA OF BOTH ARMS OF A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL AND INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE AT AN ACADEMIC TEACHING HOSPITAL. SUBJECTS: FIFTY-ONE PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC NECK PAIN (MEAN AGE 47.8 YEARS; 82.4% FEMALE). INTERVENTIONS: A 9-WEEK YOGA GROUP INTERVENTION. OUTCOME MEASURES: NECK PAIN INTENSITY (100-MM VISUAL ANALOG SCALE), FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY (NECK DISABILITY INDEX), HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (SHORT-FORM 36 QUESTIONNAIRE, SF-36), GENERIC DISABILITY (DAYS WITH RESTRICTED ACTIVITIES), AND GLOBAL IMPROVEMENT. RESULTS: FROM BASELINE TO 12-MONTH FOLLOW-UP, PAIN INTENSITY IMPROVED FROM 48.81 +/- 17.71 TO 32.31 +/- 20.68 (P < 0.001), NECK-RELATED DISABILITY DECREASED FROM 25.26 +/- 9.02 TO 19.49 +/- 11.52 (P = 0.001), AND BODILY PAIN IN THE SF-36 IMPROVED FROM 49.37 +/- 12.40 TO 59.26 +/- 17.57 (P = 0.005). IMPROVEMENTS IN PAIN INTENSITY WERE PREDICTED BY WEEKLY MINUTES OF YOGA PRACTICE DURING THE PAST 4 WEEKS (R(2) = 0.12, P = 0.028); IMPROVED NECK-RELATED DISABILITY (R(2) = 0.24, P = 0.001) AND BODILY PAIN (R(2) = 0.26, P = 0.006) WERE PREDICTED BY REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE DURING THE PAST 12 MONTHS. GENERIC DISABILITY DID NOT DECREASE SIGNIFICANTLY. TWENTY-FOUR PATIENTS (68.6%) RATED THEIR HEALTH AS AT LEAST SOMEWHAT IMPROVED. CONCLUSIONS: A 9-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION IMPROVED PAIN AND NECK-RELATED DISABILITY FOR AT LEAST 12 MONTHS AFTER COMPLETION. SUSTAINED YOGA PRACTICE SEEMS TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT PREDICTOR OF LONG-TERM EFFECTIVENESS. 2013 6 2143 48 THE EFFECTS OF M2M AND ADAPTED YOGA ON PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES IN PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. OBJECTIVE: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF TWO 12-WEEK EXERCISE TRAINING INTERVENTIONS, MOVEMENT-TO-MUSIC (M2M) AND ADAPTED YOGA (AY), ON PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES IN PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS). DESIGN: THREE-ARM RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PROOF-OF-CONCEPT TRIAL. SETTING: A COMMUNITY-BASED FITNESS FACILITY. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS (N=81) WITH MS (PATIENT DETERMINED DISEASE STEPS [PDDS] SELF-REPORTED DISEASE STATUS SCORES: 0-6) BETWEEN AGES OF 18 AND 65 YEARS WERE RANDOMIZED TO M2M (N=27), AY (N=26), OR WAITLIST CONTROL (N=28). INTERVENTIONS: BOTH M2M AND AY COMPLETED THREE 60-MINUTE EXERCISE SESSIONS PER WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. WAITLIST CONTROLS RECEIVED BIWEEKLY NEWSLETTERS VIA MAIL THAT CONTAINED EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION ON LIVING WITH MS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: PRIMARY MEASURES WERE TIMED UP AND GO (TUG, S) TEST, 6-MINUTE WALK TEST (6MWT, M), AND 5 TIMES SIT-TO-STAND TEST (FTSST, S). SECONDARY MEASURES WERE SELF-REPORTED OUTCOMES ASSESSED USING PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES MEASUREMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM FATIGUE AND PAIN INTERFERENCE SHORT FORM 8A. PARTICIPANTS WERE EVALUATED AT BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION. PRIMARY ANALYSES WERE PERFORMED USING AN INTENT-TO-TREAT MIXED MODEL ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE. RESULTS: COMPARISONS ACROSS ALL 3 GROUPS REVEALED SIGNIFICANT GROUP DIFFERENCES IN TUG AND 6MWT. POST HOC ANALYSES INDICATED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN TUG (LEAST SQUARE MEAN DIFFERENCE [95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL] = -1.9S [-3.3 TO -0.5], P=.01, D=0.7) AND 6MWT (41.0M [2.2-80.0], P=.04, D=0.6; CONTROLLED FOR PDDS) IN M2M COMPARED TO CONTROLS, WHILE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED WHEN COMPARED AY TO CONTROLS. NO SIGNIFICANT GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND IN FTSST, FATIGUE, AND PAIN INTERFERENCE. CONCLUSIONS: M2M MAY BE A USEFUL AND ENJOYABLE EXERCISE FORM FOR PEOPLE WITH MS IN IMPROVING MOBILITY AND WALKING ENDURANCE AND MERITS LONG-TERM STUDY IN LARGER STUDY POPULATIONS. 2019 7 2049 37 THE APPLICATION OF "UPPER-BODY YOGA" IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH ACUTE HIP FRACTURE: A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, AND SINGLE-BLIND STUDY. PURPOSES: HIP FRACTURE LEADS TO DECREASED ACTIVITY AND AN INCREASED RISK OF PULMONARY COMPLICATIONS. THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO OBSERVE THE LUNG CAPACITY, COUGH CAPACITY OF THE ELDERLY PATIENT WITH ACUTE HIP FRACTURE, AND ASSESS THE EFFECTS AND THE FEASIBILITY OF USING A SPECIAL-DESIGNED "UPPER-BODY YOGA" TRAINING TO TREAT ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH HIP FRACTURE. METHODS: THIS WAS A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, AND SINGLE-BLIND STUDY. EIGHTY-FOUR SUBJECTS AGED OVER 65 YEARS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO EITHER A CONTROL GROUP OR A YOGA GROUP TO UNDERGO AN ABDOMINAL BREATHING PROGRAM OR AN "UPPER-BODY YOGA" PROGRAM UNTIL 4 WEEKS AFTER SURGERY. THE PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE FORCED VITAL CAPACITY/PREDICTED VALUE (FVC%), PEAK COUGH FLOW (PCF), BARTHEL INDEX (BI), AND THE INCIDENCE OF PNEUMONIA. THE SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE THE RATES OF RIGHT SKILLS AND INCLINATION. RESULTS: THIRTY-NINE SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP AND 40 SUBJECTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP COMPLETED THIS STUDY. AT THE END OF THE FIRST TRAINING WEEK, FVC% (74.14% +/- 13.11% VS. 70.87% +/- 10.46%, P = 0.231) SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS, WHILE THE VALUE OF PCF (204.80 +/- 33.45 L/MIN VS. 189.06 +/- 34.80 L/MIN, P = 0.048) AND BI (38.59 +/- 8.66 VS. 33.00 +/- 9.32, P = 0.009) IN THE YOGA GROUP WAS HIGHER. AFTER 4 WEEKS OF TREATMENT, FVC%, PCF, AND BI WERE HIGHER IN THE YOGA GROUP (78.83% +/- 13.31 % VS. 72.20% +/- 10.53%, P = 0.016; 216.16 +/- 39.29 L/MIN VS. 194.95 +/- 31.14 L/MIN, P = 0.008; 70.77 +/- 10.23 VS. 65.75 +/- 11.30, P = 0.019). ONE IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND NOBODY IN THE YOGA GROUP WAS DIAGNOSED WITH PNEUMONIA. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS IN TERMS OF THE RATES OF RIGHT SKILLS, WHEREAS MORE ELDERLY PEOPLE PREFERRED THE TRAINING PROGRAM OF THE "UPPER-BODY YOGA." CONCLUSION: ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH ACUTE HIP FRACTURES ARE AT RISK OF IMPAIRED LUNG CAPACITY AND INADEQUATE COUGH. "UPPER-BODY YOGA" TRAINING MAY IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF DAILY LIFE, VITAL CAPACITY, AND COUGH FLOW IN ELDERLY PATIENTS, MAKING IT A BETTER CHOICE FOR BEDRIDDEN PATIENTS WITH HIP FRACTURE. 2019 8 2160 40 THE EFFECTS OF WEIGHT BEARING YOGA TRAINING ON THE BONE RESORPTION MARKERS OF THE POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. THIS STUDY WAS A PRELIMINARY REPORT TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF THE WEIGHT BEARING YOGA TRAINING ON BOTH BONE RESORPTION MARKER AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. THE SAMPLES WERE RECRUITED BY THE PURPOSIVE SAMPLING FROM THE FEMALE CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY STAFF AGED BETWEEN 50-60 YEARS. THE SUBJECTS WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP. THE BASELINE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA, THE BONE RESORPTION MARKER (BETA-CROSSLAPS), THE BONE FORMATION MARKER (P1NP) AND QUALITY OF LIFE (SF-36) DATA WERE COLLECTED. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP ATTENDED THE 12-WEEK WEIGHT-BEARING YOGA TRAINING 3 DAYS A WEEK, 50 MINUTES A DAY WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP LIVED THEIR NORMAL LIVES. AFTER 12TH WEEK, THE DATA COLLECTIONS WERE REPEATED IN BOTH GROUPS. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (19 SUBJECTS, THE MEAN AGE 54.320 YRS) AND THE CONTROL GROUP (14 SUBJECTS, THE MEAN AGE 54.430 YRS) WERE RECRUITED. THE MEAN ULTRASOUND BMD OF BOTH HEELS IN BOTH GROUPS SHOWED NO OSTEOPENIA OR OSTEOPOROSIS. AFTER THE 12-WEEK TRAINING, THE MEAN BONE RESORPTION MARKER (BETA-CROSSLAPS) OF THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP REDUCED FROM 0.464 TO 0.339 NG/ML (-26.939%) WHEREAS THE CONTROL GROUP REDUCED FROM 0.389 TO 0.386 NG/ML (-0.771%). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE (P < 0.05). THE MEAN OF THE BONE FORMATION MARKERS (PINP) IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP REDUCED FROM 55.393 TO 42.401 NG/ML (-23.454%) AND THE BONE FORMATION MARKERS (PINP) IN THE CONTROL GROUP REDUCED FROM 61.903 TO 44.832 NG/ML (-27.577%). IN THE AREA OF THE LIFE QUALITY MEASUREMENT OF BOTH GROUPS, THE DATA OBTAINED FROM THE MEDICAL OUTCOMES STUDY SHORT-FORM SURVEY (SF-36) SHOWED THAT THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AT 0.05 LEVELS FOR THE PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING, BODILY PAIN, GENERAL HEALTH, AND VITALITY. THE VARIANCE OF PERCENTAGE CHANGE VALUE OF THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP INCREASED TO +25.299, +16.565, +15.309, AND +21.056. THE VARIANCE OF PERCENTAGE CHANGE VALUE OF THE CONTROL GROUP INCREASED TO +12.946, -1.221, -9.303 AND +2.291. THE WEIGH-BEARING YOGA TRAINING HAD A POSITIVE EFFECT ON BONE BY SLOWING DOWN BONE RESORPTION WHICH WAS A VERY ESSENTIAL INDICATOR FOR HUMAN HEALTH BECAUSE IT REDUCED THE OSTEOPOROSIS RISKS IN THE POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. ADDITIONALLY, YOGA TRAINING PROMOTED BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. 2009 9 1019 36 EFFECTS OF WEEKLY ONE-HOUR HATHA YOGA THERAPY ON RESILIENCE AND STRESS LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA-SPECTRUM DISORDERS: AN EIGHT-WEEK RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA THERAPY ON RESILIENCE, BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF) LEVELS, AND SALIVARY ALPHA AMYLASE (SAA) ACTIVITY IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA-SPECTRUM DISORDERS. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: SINGLE-BLINDED, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY IN WHICH OUTPATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA OR RELATED PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS (ACCORDING TO INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF DISEASES, 10TH REVISION) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A YOGA OR A CONTROL GROUP. SETTING: NOVEMBER 2012-APRIL 2013 AT YAMANASHI PREFECTURAL KITA HOSPITAL, JAPAN. INTERVENTIONS: IN THE YOGA GROUP, PATIENTS RECEIVED WEEKLY 1-HOUR HATHA YOGA SESSIONS, IN ADDITION TO REGULAR TREATMENT, FOR 8 WEEKS. THOSE IN THE CONTROL GROUP UNDERWENT REGULAR TREATMENT, WHICH INCLUDED A DAYCARE REHABILITATION PROGRAM. OUTCOME MEASURES: ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED THE 25-ITEM RESILIENCE SCALE (RS), POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYNDROME SCALE (PANSS), PLASMA AND SALIVARY BDNF LEVEL, AND SAA ACTIVITY. RESULTS: FIFTY PATIENTS PARTICIPATED (25 IN EACH GROUP; MEAN AGE+/-STANDARD DEVIATION, 50.9+/-11.3 YEARS; MEAN DURATION OF ILLNESS, 25.0+/-10.3 YEARS; MEAN TOTAL PANSS SCORE, 78.2+/-17.3). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN CHANGES IN ANY VARIABLE FROM BASELINE TO WEEK 8 WERE FOUND BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS (CHANGES IN THE YOGA GROUP VERSUS THE CONTROL GROUP: RS SCORE, -1.6+/-19.9 VERSUS 0.3+/-17.2; PANSS SCORE, 0.5+/-12.0 VERSUS 5.0+/-15.6; PLASMA BDNF, 41.6+/-377.0 PG/DL VERSUS 73.4+/-346.0 PG/DL; SAA, -26.2+/-72.6 KU/L VERSUS -13.8+/-68.0 KU/L, RESPECTIVELY). CONCLUSIONS: ADJUNCT YOGA THERAPY SHOWED NO POSITIVE CHANGES IN RESILIENCE LEVEL OR STRESS MARKERS. DURATION AND INTENSITY OF YOGA SESSIONS AND THE FOCUS ON PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS MAY EXPLAIN THE NEGATIVE OBSERVATIONS IN LIGHT OF PAST POSITIVE EVIDENCE REGARDING YOGA THERAPY. 2014 10 1947 42 SAUNA YOGA SUPERIORLY IMPROVES FLEXIBILITY, STRENGTH, AND BALANCE: A TWO-ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL IN HEALTHY OLDER ADULTS. BESIDES STRENGTH AND BALANCE, FLEXIBILITY IS AN IMPORTANT INDICATOR OF HEALTH-RELATED PHYSICAL FITNESS. THUS, THE AIM OF THIS TWO-ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL WAS TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER SAUNA YOGA AT A MODERATE TEMPERATURE (50 DEGREES C) BENEFICIALLY AFFECTS FLEXIBILITY, STRENGTH, BALANCE, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) IN HEALTHY ELDERLY COMMUNITY DWELLERS. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO AN INTERVENTION GROUP (INT, N = 11, AGE: 68.7 +/- 5.9) OR CONTROL GROUP (CON, N = 12, AGE: 69.3 +/- 4.9), USING THE MINIMIZATION METHOD. AGE, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, GENDER, AND THE PRIMARY OUTCOME FLEXIBILITY WERE USED AS STRATA FOR GROUP ALLOCATION. BOTH GROUPS COMPLETED SIMILAR EXERCISES IN THE SAUNA OVER EIGHT WEEKS. ONLY THE INT GROUP WAS EXPOSED TO MODERATE TEMPERATURES OF 50 DEGREES C. LARGE AND STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN FAVOR OF THE SAUNA GROUP (INT) WAS OBSERVED FOR THE CHAIR SIT-AND-REACH TEST (INT: +83%, CON +3%, P = 0.028, NSMALL ER, CYRILLIC(2) = 0.24). THE SHOULDER AND LATERAL SPINE FLEXIBILITY WERE NOT RELEVANTLY AFFECTED. STRENGTH IN THE LOWER EXTREMITIES MERELY SHOWED A TENDENCY TO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES (INT: 16%, CON: 3%, P = 0.061, NSMALL ER, CYRILLIC(2) = 0.181). ADDITIONALLY, BALANCE ABILITIES, WITH EYES CLOSED, IMPROVED (INT: 187%, CON +58%, P = 0.056, NSMALL ER, CYRILLIC(2) = 0.189) IN FAVOR OF THE INT GROUP. QOL ONLY IMPROVED IN FAVOR OF THE INT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DIMENSION (INT: +7%, CON: 0%, P = 0.034, NSMALL ER, CYRILLIC(2) = 0.227). THESE FIRST BUT PRELIMINARY FINDINGS INDICATE THAT SAUNA YOGA MAY SERVE AS A PROMISING AND FEASIBLE MEANS TO IMPROVE FLEXIBILITY IN ELDERLY PEOPLE. STRENGTH AND BALANCE DO NOT MEANINGFULLY BENEFIT FROM A SAUNA ENVIRONMENT, ALTHOUGH STRENGTH IMPROVED TO A SLIGHTLY HIGHER EXTENT IN THE SAUNA GROUP. FUTURE LARGE-SCALE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO ELUCIDATE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS AND CORROBORATE THESE FINDINGS. 2019 11 2833 38 YOGA'S EFFECT ON FALLS IN RURAL, OLDER ADULTS. BACKGROUND: UNINTENTIONAL FALLS AFFECT 30% OF PEOPLE OVER AGE 65 YEARS. YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE BALANCE. WE DESIGNED THIS STUDY TO EXAMINE IF YOGA REDUCES FALLS. METHODS: WE CONDUCTED 16 SESSIONS OF HATHA YOGA OVER 8 WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO PRACTICE 10MIN OF YOGA DAILY AT HOME IN ADDITION TO 5-MIN RELAXATION EXERCISES OR RELAXATION EXERCISES ONLY (CONTROL GROUP). RESULTS: OF THE 38 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETING THE INTERVENTION, 15 PARTICIPANTS REPORTED A TOTAL OF 27 FALLS IN THE 6-MONTHS BEFORE THE STUDY, COMPARED TO 13 PARTICIPANTS SUSTAINING 14 FALLS IN THE 6 MONTHS FROM THE START OF THE STUDY (P<0.047), WITHOUT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOGA HOME-EXERCISE AND HOME RELAXATION-ONLY GROUPS. COMPARED TO BASELINE SCORES, ALL PARTICIPANTS IMPROVED ON THE BERG BALANCE SCALE (53-54 OUT OF 56, P=0.002), THE FUNCTIONAL GAIT ASSESSMENT (22.9-25.8 OUT OF 30 POINTS, P<0.001), AND THE DYNAMIC GAIT INDEX (20.6-22.4 OUT OF 24 POINTS, P<0.001). RIGHT LEG STAND TIME IMPROVED FROM A MEAN OF 13.3S TO 17.1S (P=0.020) AND STANDING FORWARD REACH DISTANCE FROM 26.0CM TO 29.6CM (P<0.001). WITHOUT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS. CONFIDENCE, WITH THE ACTIVITIES-SPECIFIC BALANCE CONFIDENCE SCALE, INCREASED IN THE YOGA HOME-EXERCISE GROUP (88%-93%, P=0.037) COMPARED TO 90% UNCHANGED FROM PRE-INTERVENTION IN THE HOME RELAXATION-ONLY GROUP. CONCLUSION: YOGA CLASSES REDUCE SELF-REPORTED FALLS AND IMPROVE BALANCE MEASURES. THE ADDITION OF HOME YOGA EXERCISES DID NOT ENHANCE BENEFIT OVER RELAXATION EXERCISE ONLY. 2017 12 717 29 EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA THERAPY ON PAIN, MORNING STIFFNESS AND ANXIETY IN OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE KNEE JOINT: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL STUDY. AIM: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON PAIN, MORNING STIFFNESS AND ANXIETY IN OSTEOARTHRITIS OF KNEES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY PARTICIPANTS WITH OA KNEES (35-80 YEARS) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP. BOTH GROUPS HAD TRANSCUTANEOUS ELECTRICAL STIMULATION AND ULTRASOUND TREATMENT FOLLOWED BY INTERVENTION (40 MIN) FOR TWO WEEKS WITH FOLLOW UP FOR THREE MONTHS. THE INTEGRATED YOGA CONSISTED OF YOGIC LOOSENING AND STRENGTHENING PRACTICES, ASANAS, RELAXATION, PRANAYAMA AND MEDITATION. THE CONTROL GROUP HAD PHYSIOTHERAPY EXERCISES. ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE ON 15(TH) (POST 1) AND 90(TH) DAY (POST 2). RESULTS: RESTING PAIN (NUMERICAL RATING SCALE) REDUCED BETTER (P<0.001, MANN-WHITNEY U TEST) IN YOGA GROUP (POST 1=33.6% AND POST 2=71.8%) THAN CONTROL GROUP (POST 1=13.4% AND POST 2=37.5%). MORNING STIFFNESS DECREASED MORE (P<0.001) IN YOGA (POST 1=68.6% AND POST 2=98.1%) THAN CONTROL GROUP (POST 1=38.6% AND POST 2=71.6%). STATE ANXIETY (STAI-1) REDUCED (P<0.001) BY 35.5% (POST 1) AND 58.4% (POST 2) IN THE YOGA GROUP AND 15.6% (POST 1) AND 38.8% (POST 2) IN THE CONTROL GROUP; TRAIT ANXIETY (STAI 2) REDUCED (P<0.001) BETTER (POST 1=34.6% AND POST 2=57.10%) IN YOGA THAN CONTROL GROUP (POST 1=14.12% AND POST 2=34.73%). SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE REDUCED (P<0.001) BETTER IN YOGA GROUP (POST 1=-7.93% AND POST 2=-15.7%) THAN THE CONTROL GROUP (POST 1=-1.8% AND POST 2=-3.8%). DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE REDUCED (P<0.001) BETTER IN YOGA GROUP (POST 1=-7.6% AND POST 2=-16.4%) THAN THE CONTROL GROUP (POST 1=-2.1% AND POST 2=-5.0%). PULSE RATE REDUCED (P<0.001) BETTER IN YOGA GROUP (POST 1=-8.41% AND POST 2=-12.4%) THAN THE CONTROL GROUP (POST 1=-5.1% AND POST 2=-7.1%). CONCLUSION: INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY IS BETTER THAN PHYSIOTHERAPY EXERCISES AS AN ADJUNCT TO TRANSCUTANEOUS ELECTRICAL STIMULATION AND ULTRASOUND TREATMENT IN REDUCING PAIN, MORNING STIFFNESS, STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY, BLOOD PRESSURE AND PULSE RATE IN PATIENTS WITH OA KNEES. 2012 13 1365 28 IMPACT OF 10-WEEKS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON FLEXIBILITY AND BALANCE OF COLLEGE ATHLETES. BACKGROUND: WITH CLEARER EVIDENCE OF ITS BENEFITS, COACHES, AND ATHLETES MAY BETTER SEE THAT YOGA HAS A ROLE IN OPTIMIZING PERFORMANCE. AIMS: TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON MALE COLLEGE ATHLETES (N = 26). METHODS: OVER A 10-WEEK PERIOD, A YOGA GROUP (YG) OF ATHLETES (N = 14) TOOK PART IN BIWEEKLY YOGA SESSIONS; WHILE A NONYOGA GROUP (NYG) OF ATHLETES (N = 12) TOOK PART IN NO ADDITIONAL YOGA ACTIVITY. PERFORMANCE MEASURES WERE OBTAINED IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER THIS PERIOD. MEASUREMENTS OF FLEXIBILITY AND BALANCE, INCLUDED: SIT-REACH (SR), SHOULDER FLEXIBILITY (SF), AND STORK STAND (SS); DYNAMIC MEASUREMENTS CONSISTED OF JOINT ANGLES (JA) MEASURED DURING THE PERFORMANCE OF THREE DISTINCT YOGA POSITIONS (DOWNWARD DOG [DD]; RIGHT FOOT LUNGE [RFL]; CHAIR [C]). RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT GAINS WERE OBSERVED IN THE YG FOR FLEXIBILITY (SR, P = 0.01; SF, P = 0.03), AND BALANCE (SS, P = 0.05). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED IN THE NYG FOR FLEXIBILITY AND BALANCE. SIGNIFICANTLY, GREATER JA WERE OBSERVED IN THE YG FOR: RFL (DORSIFLEXION, L-ANKLE; P = 0.04), DD (EXTENSION, R-KNEE, P = 0.04; R-HIP; P = 0.01; FLEXION, R-SHOULDER; P = 0.01) AND C (FLEXION, R-KNEE; P = 0.01). SIGNIFICANT JA DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED IN THE NYG FOR: DD (FLEXION, R-KNEE, P = 0.01: R-HIP, P = 0.05; R-SHOULDER, P = 0.03) AND C (FLEXION R-KNEE, P = 0.01; EXTENSION, R-SHOULDER; P = 0.05). A BETWEEN GROUP COMPARISON REVEALED THE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES FOR: RFL (L-ANKLE; P = 0.01), DD (R-KNEE, P = 0.01; R-HIP; P = 0.01), AND C (R-SHOULDER, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS SUGGEST THAT A REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE MAY INCREASE THE FLEXIBILITY AND BALANCE AS WELL AS WHOLE BODY MEASURES OF MALE COLLEGE ATHLETES AND THEREFORE, MAY ENHANCE ATHLETIC PERFORMANCES THAT REQUIRE THESE CHARACTERISTICS. 2016 14 2142 32 THE EFFECTS OF HOT YOGA ON KIDNEY FUNCTION: AN OBSERVATIONAL PILOT AND FEASIBILITY STUDY. YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE HEALTH BENEFITS, WHEREAS EXERCISING IN A HOT ENVIRONMENT HAS DELETERIOUS EFFECTS ON KIDNEY FUNCTION. THERE ARE NO LONG-TERM STUDIES ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF HOT YOGA. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE CHANGES IN RENAL FUNCTION ACUTELY AND OVER TIME BETWEEN PRACTITIONERS OF HOT AND NON-HOT YOGA. URINE AND CAPILLARY SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED FOR URINALYSIS, ALBUMIN-CREATININE RATIO, AND SERUM CREATININE AT YOGA STUDIOS PREAND POSTEXERCISE OVER 1 YEAR. THIRTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS IN NON-HOT YOGA AND 19 PARTICIPANTS IN HOT YOGA WERE RECRUITED. DIFFERENCE IN BLOOD CAPILLARY CREATININE (POST-YOGA MINUS PRE-YOGA) SHOWED A 7.52 MUMOL/L (SD 11.46) INCREASE FOR PRACTITIONERS OF HOT YOGA AND A 4.07 MUMOL/L (SD 9.94) INCREASE FOR PRACTITIONERS OF NON-HOT YOGA, WITH A BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCE OF 3.45 MUMOL/L (95% CI -0.42, 7.32; P = 0.08). OVER 1 YEAR, THE MEAN DIFFERENCE IN BLOOD CAPILLARY CREATININE FOR THE HOT GROUP INCREASED BY 0.91 MUMOL/L (SD 11.00) AND BY 3.08 MUMOL/L (SD 9.96) FOR THE NON-HOT GROUP, WITH A BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCE OF -2.17 MUMOL/L (95% CI -10.20, 5.86; P = 0.58). OVER 1 YEAR, THE MEAN DIFFERENCE IN ALBUMIN-CREATININE RATIO FOR THE HOT GROUP WAS -0.16 MG/MMOL CREATININE (SD = 0.74); FOR THE NON-HOT GROUP THE DIFFERENCE WAS -0.20 MG/MUMOL (SD = 0.80). THE DIFFERENCE IN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE HOT AND NON-HOT GROUPS WAS 0.04 MG/MUMOL (95% CI -0.60, 0.68; P = 0.90). URINE COLLECTED FOR URINALYSIS COULD NOT BE ANALYZED DUE TO TOO MANY 0 VALUES. THIS PRAGMATIC OBSERVATIONAL STUDY DID NOT FIND A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN RENAL FUNCTION BETWEEN PARTICIPANTS IN NON-HOT AND HOT YOGA EITHER ACUTELY OR OVER 1 YEAR. A LARGER AND LONGER STUDY FOCUSING ON BLOOD CREATININE OVER TIME WOULD HELP TO INFORM THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF HOT YOGA ON THE KIDNEYS. 2022 15 918 33 EFFECTIVENESS OF TRAINING PROGRAM COMBINING CHAKRAYOGA AND MEDITATION. BACKGROUND THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROGRAM COMBINING CHAKRAYOGA AND MEDITATION ON THE PHYSICAL HEALTH AND DISEASE-RELATED FACTORS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS OF PEOPLE. METHODS NINETY-SEVEN SUBJECTS (32-83 YEARS OLD) WHO HAD FREE FROM PRIOR EXPERIENCES IN MEDITATION PROGRAMS OR CHAKRAYOGA TRAINING COURSES WERE ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (EXP) (45 SUBJECTS; 13 MALE SUBJECTS AND 32 FEMALE SUBJECTS; AVERAGE AGE OF 60.67 YEARS, SD=11.09 YEARS) OR THE CONTROL GROUP (CONT) OF REMAINING SUBJECTS (52 SUBJECTS; 14 MALE SUBJECTS AND 38 FEMALE SUBJECTS; AVERAGE AGE OF 61.58 YEARS, SD=9.70 YEARS). SUBJECTS IN THE EXP PARTICIPATED IN THE CHAKRAYOGA MEDITATION PROGRAM FOR TWICE A WEEK FOR 2 H DURING 6 WEEKS IN EACH SESSION CONSISTED OF 1 H OF CHAKRAYOGA AND 1 H OF MEDITATION. THE MEASUREMENTS IN THIS STUDY INCLUDED THE MINDFULNESS, STRESS RESPONSE, SUBJECTIVE QUALITY OF LIFE, MEDICAL SYMPTOM CHECKLIST, DIFFICULTY IN EMOTIONAL REGULATION AND OBJECTIVE OF LIFE AND SENSE OF CONTROL. RESULTS RESULTS REVEALED THAT PARTICIPANTS IN THE EXP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE RELIEF OF MINDFULNESS, STRESS RESPONSE, SUBJECTIVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND MEDICAL SYMPTOM CHECKLIST THAN THOSE IN THE CONT. CONCLUSIONS THESE FINDINGS PROVIDE EVIDENCE THAT THE CHAKRAYOGA MEDITATION PROGRAM CAN HELP RELIEVE THE PHYSICAL HEALTH AND DISEASE-RELATED FACTORS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS. 2019 16 295 28 AGE RELATED DIFFERENCES OF SELECTED HATHA YOGA PRACTICES ON ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS, MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY OF HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. BACKGROUND: PHYSIOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF YOGA ON VOLUNTEERS OF A PARTICULAR AGE GROUP ARE AVAILABLE. HOWEVER, REPORTS ON EFFICACY OF A SPECIFIC YOGA PACKAGE ON THE POPULACE OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS FROM SIMILAR OCCUPATIONAL BACKGROUND IS STILL VERY LIMITED. THEREFORE, THE PRESENT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO APPRAISE THE EFFECT OF A SPECIFIC HATHA YOGA PACKAGE ON ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS, FLEXIBILITY AND MUSCULAR STRENGTH OF HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS FROM SIMILAR OCCUPATIONAL TRADE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 71 PARTICIPANTS (GROUP ALL) FROM INDIAN AIR FORCE GROUND PERSONNEL VOLUNTEERED AND AGE WISE DIVIDED INTO 3 GROUPS - (I) GROUP I (GR. - I) (N1 = 27, 20-29 YEARS), (II) GROUP II (GR. - II) (N2 = 21, 30-39 YEARS) AND (III) GROUP III (GR. - III) (N3 = 23, 40-49 YEARS). ALL THE PARTICIPANTS UNDERGONE SELECTED HATHA YOGA TRAINING FOR 1 H DAILY FOR A PERIOD OF 12 WEEKS. PARAMETERS WERE RECORDED BEFORE AND AFTER THE TRAINING. PRE AND POST TRAINING DIFFERENCES WERE ASSESSED BY STUDENT'S T-TEST. RESULTS: BODY WEIGHT (ALL, GR. - II AND GR. - III [ALL P < 0.05]), BODY MASS INDEX (GR. - II AND GR. - III [BOTH P < 0.01]) AND FAT% (GR. - II AND III [BOTH P < 0.05]) WERE DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. NECK CIRCUMFERENCE WAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN GR. - I (P < 0.05) BUT DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN GR. - III (P < 0.05). CHEST CIRCUMFERENCE (ALL (P < 0.001), IN GR. - I AND II [BOTH P < 0.05]), GRIP STRENGTH (ALL [LEFT: P < 0.01 AND RIGHT: P < 0.05], IN GR. - I [LEFT: P < 0.05 AND RIGHT: P < 0.01], IN GR. - II [RIGHT: P < 0.05] AND IN GR. - III [LEFT: P < 0.05 AND RIGHT: P < 0.01]), BACK LEG STRENGTH (GROUP WISE P < 0.001, P < 0.05, P < 0.01 AND P < 0.05 RESPECTIVELY) AND FLEXIBILITY (ALL P < 0.001) WERE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: HATHA YOGA CAN IMPROVE ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS, MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY AMONG VOLUNTEERS OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUP AND CAN ALSO BE HELPFUL IN PREVENTING AND ATTENUATING AGE RELATED DETERIORATION OF THESE PARAMETERS. 2015 17 2747 24 YOGA PRACTICE IN DIABETES IMPROVES PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES. BACKGROUND: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE ON CLINICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES IN SUBJECTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (T2DM). METHODS: IN A 40-DAY YOGA CAMP AT THE INSTITUTE OF YOGA AND CONSCIOUSNESS, AMBULATORY SUBJECTS WITH T2DM NOT HAVING SIGNIFICANT COMPLICATIONS (N = 35) PARTICIPATED IN A 40-DAY YOGA CAMP, WHERE YOGIC PRACTICES WERE OVERSEEN BY TRAINED YOGA TEACHERS. CLINICAL, BIOCHEMICAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING WERE STUDIED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF THE CAMP. RESULTS: AT THE END OF THE STUDY, THERE WAS A REDUCTION OF BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) (26.514 +/- 3.355 TO 25.771 +/- 3.40; P < 0.001) AND ANXIETY (6.20 +/- 3.72 TO 4.29 +/- 4.46; P < 0.05) AND AN IMPROVEMENT IN TOTAL GENERAL WELL-BEING (48.6 +/- 11.13 TO 52.66 +/- 52.66 +/- 12.87; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PARTICIPATION OF SUBJECTS WITH T2DM IN YOGA PRACTICE FOR 40 DAYS RESULTED IN REDUCED BMI, IMPROVED WELL-BEING, AND REDUCED ANXIETY. 2009 18 956 34 EFFECTS OF A PRENATAL YOGA PROGRAMME ON THE DISCOMFORTS OF PREGNANCY AND MATERNAL CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY IN TAIWAN. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE A YOGA PROGRAMME PROVIDED TO PRIMIGRAVIDAS IN THE THIRD TRIMESTER OF PREGNANCY WITH THE AIM OF DECREASING THE DISCOMFORTS ASSOCIATED WITH PREGNANCY AND INCREASING CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY. DESIGN: NON-RANDOMISED CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTAL STUDY. SETTING: A HOSPITAL IN NORTHERN TAIWAN. PARTICIPANTS: THE TARGET POPULATION WAS PRIMIGRAVIDAS AT 26-28 WEEKS OF GESTATION (NO HIGH-RISK PREGNANCIES) WHO HAD NOT ENGAGED IN REGULAR EXERCISE OR YOGA FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR. THE STUDY INCLUDED 88 INDIVIDUALS; 43 IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND 45 IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WHO TOOK PART IN THE PRENATAL YOGA PROGRAMME. INTERVENTION: THE DURATION OF THE PRENATAL YOGA PROGRAMME WAS 12-14 WEEKS, WITH AT LEAST THREE SESSIONS PER WEEK. EACH WORKOUT LASTED FOR 30 MINUTES. MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS: WOMEN WHO TOOK PART IN THE PRENATAL YOGA PROGRAMME REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER PREGNANCY DISCOMFORTS THAN THE CONTROL GROUP (38.28 VS 43.26, Z=-2.58, P=0.01) AT 38-40 WEEKS OF GESTATION. THE SUBJECTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE YOGA PROGRAMME EXHIBITED HIGHER OUTCOME AND SELF-EFFICACY EXPECTANCIES DURING THE ACTIVE STAGE OF LABOUR (104.13 VS 83.53, T=3.24, P=0.002; 99.26 VS 77.70, T=3.99, P