1 2769 103 YOGA REDUCES PERCEIVED STRESS AND EXHAUSTION LEVELS IN HEALTHY ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS. UNLABELLED: THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED WHETHER A 7-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION COULD IMPROVE PHYSICAL FUNCTION, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND MENTAL/EMOTIONAL WELLNESS IN ELDERLY PARTICIPANTS. METHODS: 8 PARTICIPANTS (66.5 +/- 0.3 YEARS) ATTENDED 2 60-MIN HATHA YOGA SESSIONS/WEEK FOR 7 WEEKS, AND PERFORMED PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTION ASSESSMENTS. BALANCE WAS ASSESSED USING A 5-TEST BATTERY. FLEXIBILITY WAS MEASURED BY SIT-AND-REACH AND SHOULDER FLEXIBILITY TESTS. FUNCTIONAL MOBILITY TESTS INCLUDED 8-FT UP-AND-GO, 5 CHAIR STANDS, AND 4-M WALK. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED SF-12, EXHAUSTION LEVEL, AND PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS) QUESTIONNAIRES. RESULTS: SF-12 MENTAL COMPONENT SUMMARY SCORES, EXHAUSTION LEVELS, AND PSS SCORES IMPROVED POST-INTERVENTION. NO DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND FOR PHYSICAL FUNCTION MEASURES. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PARTICIPATION CAN IMPROVE MENTAL/EMOTIONAL WELLNESS, EXHAUSTION LEVELS, AND STRESS LEVELS IN ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS, EVEN WITHOUT MEASURABLE IMPROVEMENTS IN PHYSICAL FUNCTION. CLINICIANS AND HEALTH PRACTITIONERS WHO WORK WITH THE ELDERLY SHOULD CONSIDER YOGA AS A POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC MODALITY FOR IMPROVING IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN THIS POPULATION. 2016 2 936 29 EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA VERSUS EXERCISE FOR REDUCING FALLING RISK IN OLDER ADULTS: PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL INDICES. OUR PURPOSE IN THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA TO ADDRESS MULTIPLE RISK FACTORS OF FALLING IN ACTIVE AND LOW ACTIVE OLDER ADULTS. COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS (N = 35) OVER THE AGE OF 65 ACTIVELY PARTICIPATED IN EITHER A YOGA PROGRAM, AN EXERCISE PROGRAM, OR A NO-PROGRAM CONTROL. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED MEASURES ASSOCIATED WITH FALLING RISKS. PHYSICAL MEASURES INCLUDED LOWER BODY STRENGTH, STATIC BALANCE, AND LOWER BODY FLEXIBILITY. PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES INCLUDED PERCEIVED SELF-EFFICACY WITH RESPECT TO FALLS AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE. WE DETERMINED BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES USING PLANNED COMPARISONS, EFFECT SIZE, CONFIDENCE INTERVALS, AND PROBABILITY OF SUPERIORITY. RESULTS OF PLANNED COMPARISONS AND PRACTICAL SIGNIFICANCE TESTING INDICATED THAT YOGA PARTICIPANTS SCORED HIGHER THAN THE EXERCISE AND CONTROL PARTICIPANTS ON BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT LOWER BODY FLEXIBILITY TESTS. YOGA PARTICIPANTS ALSO SCORED HIGHER THAN THE CONTROL PARTICIPANTS ON RIGHT LEG STATIC BALANCE, AND THE RIGHT AND LEFT LOWER BODY FLEXIBILITY TESTS. THE EXERCISE PARTICIPANTS SCORED HIGHER THAN YOGA PARTICIPANTS ON THE RAND-36 QUALITY OF LIFE SUBSCALES OF ENERGY/FATIGUE, PAIN, AND GENERAL HEALTH. THE PROBABILITY OF SUPERIORITY RESULTS INDICATED THAT THE NO-PROGRAM OLDER ADULT PARTICIPANTS WOULD BENEFIT BY ENROLLING IN THE YOGA RATHER THAN THE EXERCISE PROGRAM TO REDUCE PHYSICAL RISKS OF FALLING. THESE FINDINGS WERE DISCUSSED IN RELATION TO PROMOTING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAMS TO REDUCE RISKS OF FALLING, AND THE ROLES OF THE PROTOCOL, PRACTICAL SIGNIFICANCE, AND MEASURES EMPLOYED WHEN DETERMINING PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS. 2022 3 2090 17 THE EFFECT OF SIT 'N' FIT CHAIR YOGA AMONG COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS. THE STUDY MEASURED EFFECTS OF SIT 'N' FIT CHAIR YOGA ON PAIN AND PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING. A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH DESIGN INCLUDED A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP AND AN ATTENTION CONTROL GROUP. THERE WAS GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN DEPRESSION AND LIFE SATISFACTION IN THE YOGA GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. 2014 4 1242 34 FEASIBILITY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION TO DECREASE PAIN IN OLDER WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: A SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION OF OLDER WOMEN SUFFER FROM CHRONIC PAIN, WHICH CAN DECREASE QUALITY OF LIFE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PILOT RANDOMIZED STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF A FLOW-RESTORATIVE YOGA INTERVENTION DESIGNED TO DECREASE PAIN AND RELATED OUTCOMES AMONG WOMEN AGED 60 OR OLDER. METHODS: FLOW-RESTORATIVE YOGA CLASSES WERE HELD TWICE WEEKLY FOR 1 HOUR AND LED BY A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR. PARTICIPANTS RANDOMIZED TO THE INTERVENTION GROUP ATTENDED THE YOGA CLASSES FOR 12 WEEKS AND RECEIVED SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS FOR AT-HOME PRACTICE. THOSE RANDOMIZED TO THE CONTROL GROUP WERE ASKED TO MAINTAIN THEIR NORMAL DAILY ROUTINE. FEASIBILITY WAS EVALUATED USING RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION RATES, CLASS AND HOME PRACTICE ADHERENCE RATES, AND PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION SURVEYS. OUTCOME MEASURES (SELF-REPORTED PAIN, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, FUNCTIONAL FITNESS, QUALITY OF LIFE, RESILIENCE, AND SELF-REPORTED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY) WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND POST-INTERVENTION. PAIRED T-TESTS OR WILCOXON SIGNED-RANK TESTS WERE USED TO EXAMINE CHANGES IN OUTCOME MEASURES WITHIN TREATMENT GROUPS. RESULTS: THIRTY-EIGHT PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED. PARTICIPANTS WERE PRIMARILY WHITE, COLLEGE-EDUCATED, AND HIGHER FUNCTIONING, DESPITE EXPERIENCING VARIOUS FORMS OF CHRONIC PAIN. ATTENDANCE AND RETENTION RATES WERE HIGH (91 AND 97%, RESPECTIVELY) AND THE MAJORITY OF PARTICIPANTS WERE SATISFIED WITH THE YOGA PROGRAM (89%) AND WOULD RECOMMEND IT TO OTHERS (87%). INTERVENTION PARTICIPANTS ALSO EXPERIENCED REDUCTIONS IN PAIN INTERFERENCE AND IMPROVEMENTS IN ENERGY AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING. CONCLUSIONS: THIS PILOT STUDY PROVIDES ESSENTIAL DATA TO INFORM A FULL SCALE RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF FLOW-RESTORATIVE YOGA FOR OLDER WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PAIN. FUTURE STUDIES SHOULD EMPHASIZE STRATEGIES TO RECRUIT A MORE DIVERSE STUDY POPULATION, PARTICULARLY OLDER WOMEN AT HIGHER RISK OF DISABILITY AND FUNCTIONAL DECLINE. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV , NCT03790098 . REGISTERED 31 DECEMBER 2018 - RETROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED. 2020 5 893 22 EFFECT OF YOGA-BASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON PERCEIVED STRESS, ANXIETY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN YOUNG ADULTS. PURPOSE: THIS STUDY, CONDUCTED AT A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN TURKEY, SOUGHT TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON PERCEIVED STRESS, ANXIETY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN YOUNG ADULTS. DESIGN AND METHODS: THIS STUDY WAS PLANNED AS A SEMIEXPERIMENTAL NONRANDOMIZED STUDY WITH A CONTROL GROUP. FINDINGS: YOGA-BASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DECREASED THE PERCEIVED STRESS AND STATE ANXIETY LEVELS, BUT HAD NO EFFECT ON TRAIT ANXIETY LEVELS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOGA-BASED TREATMENT CAN BE INCLUDED IN NURSING INTERVENTIONS FOR REDUCING STRESS AND ANXIETY LEVELS IN YOUNG ADULTS. 2020 6 2217 33 THE IMPACT OF A SHORT-TERM IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM ON THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF PHYSICALLY INACTIVE OLDER ADULTS. BACKGROUND: WITH THE CURRENT CHALLENGE OF RAPIDLY AGING POPULATIONS, PRACTICES SUCH AS YOGA MAY HELP OLDER ADULTS STAY PHYSICALLY ACTIVE, HEALTHY, AND FULFILLED. METHODS: THE IMPACT OF AN 8-WEEK IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM ON THE HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF PHYSICALLY INACTIVE PEOPLE AGED 55 YEARS AND OVER WAS ASSESSED. THIRTY-EIGHT OLDER ADULTS (MEAN AGE 73.21+/-8.38 YEARS; 19 INTERVENTION, 19 CONTROL) ENGAGED IN EITHER TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES OR CONTINUED THEIR USUAL DAILY ROUTINES. PHYSICAL HEALTH MEASURES WERE MUSCLE STRENGTH, ACTIVE RANGE OF MOTION, RESPIRATORY FUNCTION (FEV1), RESTING BLOOD PRESSURE, AND IMMUNE FUNCTION (SALIVARY IGA AND LYSOZYME). SELF-PERCEIVED GENERAL, PHYSICAL, MENTAL, SPIRITUAL, AND SOCIAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING WERE ASSESSED WITH THE LIFE'S ODYSSEY QUESTIONNAIRE AND THE SF12V2 HEALTH SURVEY. RESULTS: MUSCLE STRENGTH, ACTIVE RANGE OF MOTION, PHYSICAL WELL-BEING, AND ASPECTS OF MENTAL WELL-BEING (EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AND SELF-CARE) IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE YOGA GROUP (P<.05). MEDIAN CHANGES IN MOST OF THESE VARIABLES WERE ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM THOSE IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: PARTICIPATION IN IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAMS BY OLDER PEOPLE IS BENEFICIAL FOR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, AND GREATER AVAILABILITY OF SUCH PROGRAMS COULD IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE. 2011 7 60 32 A COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN SEDENTARY ADULTS: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON PEOPLE'S MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISES ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN SEDENTARY ADULTS. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. METHODS: FIFTY-ONE PARTICIPANTS AGED MEAN (SD) 25.6 (5.7) YEARS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS: HATHA YOGA GROUP, RESISTANCE EXERCISE GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP. THE HATHA YOGA GROUP AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE GROUP PARTICIPATED IN SESSIONS THREE DAYS PER WEEK FOR 7 WEEKS AND THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY SESSIONS. ALL THE SUBJECTS WERE EVALUATED THROUGH THE ROSENBERG SELF-ESTEEM SCALE, BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, BODY CATHEXIS SCALE, NOTTINGHAM HEALTH PROFILE AND VISUAL ANALOG SCALE FOR FATIGUE PRE-AND POST-SESSION. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN TERMS OF ALL OUTCOME MEASURES IN THE HATHA YOGA GROUP AND THE RESISTANCE EXERCISE GROUP. NO IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN THE CONTROL GROUP. HATHA YOGA MORE IMPROVED THE DIMENSIONS FATIGUE, SELF-ESTEEM, AND QUALITY OF LIFE, WHILST RESISTANCE EXERCISE TRAINING MORE IMPROVED BODY IMAGE. HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE DECREASED DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AT A SIMILAR LEVEL. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS INDICATED THAT HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE HAD POSITIVE EFFECTS ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN SEDENTARY ADULTS. HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE MAY AFFECT DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. 2014 8 444 24 CHAIR YOGA: BENEFITS FOR COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS. THE AIM OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE WHETHER CHAIR YOGA WAS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING PAIN LEVEL AND IMPROVING PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING IN A SAMPLE OF COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS. ONE-WAY REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE WAS PERFORMED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CHAIR YOGA AT BASELINE, MIDPOINT (4 WEEKS), AND END OF THE INTERVENTION (8 WEEKS). ALTHOUGH CHAIR YOGA WAS EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND REDUCING STIFFNESS IN OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS, IT WAS NOT EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING PAIN LEVEL OR IMPROVING DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. FUTURE RESEARCH PLANNED BY THIS TEAM WILL USE RIGOROUS STUDY METHODS, INCLUDING LARGER SAMPLES, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS, AND FOLLOW UP FOR MONITORING HOME PRACTICE AFTER THE INTERVENTIONS. 2012 9 719 31 EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA ON MENTAL HEALTH OF INCARCERATED WOMEN: A FEASIBILITY STUDY. BACKGROUND: INCARCERATED WOMEN SHARE A DISPROPORTIONATE BURDEN OF MENTAL ILLNESS. ALTHOUGH PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE TO WOMEN IN PRISON, ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT MODALITIES, SUCH AS IYENGAR YOGA, MAY INCREASE PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING. OBJECTIVES: THE PURPOSES OF THIS STUDY WERE (A) TO ADDRESS THE FEASIBILITY OF PROVIDING A GENDER-RESPONSIVE EXERCISE INTERVENTION WITHIN A CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION AND (B) TO OBSERVE THE EFFECT OF A GROUP-FORMAT IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM THAT MET TWO SESSIONS A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS ON LEVELS OF DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS, ANXIETY SYMPTOMS, AND PERCEIVED STRESS AMONG INCARCERATED WOMEN. METHODS: A REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN, IN WHICH EACH PARTICIPANT SERVED AS HER OWN CONTROL, WAS USED. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THREE SELF-ADMINISTERED INSTRUMENTS: THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, THE BECK ANXIETY INVENTORY, AND THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE BEFORE TREATMENT (BASELINE) AND DURING TREATMENT (WEEKS 4, 8, AND 12). LINEAR MIXED EFFECTS MODELS WERE USED TO EXAMINE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN MENTAL HEALTH MEASURES OVER TIME, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF ALL AVAILABLE DATA. RESULTS: ALTHOUGH 21 WOMEN INITIALLY PARTICIPATED IN THE INTERVENTION, 6 WOMEN COMPLETED THE 12-WEEK INTERVENTION. A SIGNIFICANT LINEAR DECREASE WAS DEMONSTRATED IN SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION OVER TIME, WITH MEAN VALUES CHANGING FROM 24.90 AT BASELINE TO 5.67 AT WEEK 12. THERE WAS A MARGINALLY SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ANXIETY OVER TIME (12.00 AT BASELINE TO 7.33 AT WEEK 12) AND A NONLINEAR CHANGE IN STRESS OVER TIME, WITH DECREASES FROM BASELINE TO WEEK 4 AND SUBSEQUENT INCREASES TO WEEK 12. DISCUSSION: WOMEN WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS PROGRAM EXPERIENCED FEWER SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY OVER TIME. FINDINGS FROM THIS STUDY MAY BE USED TO IMPROVE FUTURE INTERVENTIONS FOCUSING ON THE HEALTH OUTCOMES OF INCARCERATED WOMEN. 2010 10 1082 32 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SLEEP QUALITY AND DEPRESSION IN ELDERS IN ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES. BACKGROUND: BEING RELOCATED TO AN ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY CAN RESULT IN SLEEP DISTURBANCES AND DEPRESSION IN ELDERS. THIS MAY BE ATTRIBUTED TO OR WORSENED BY LACK OF REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. APPROPRIATE EXERCISE PROGRAMS MAY BE AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN THIS GROUP OF TRANSITIONAL FRAIL ELDERS. PURPOSE: THIS STUDY AIMED TO TEST THE EFFECTS OF A 6-MONTH YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM IN IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY AND DECREASING DEPRESSION IN TRANSITIONAL FRAIL ELDERS LIVING IN ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES. METHODS: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL PRETEST-AND-POSTTEST DESIGN WAS USED. A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF 69 ELDERLY RESIDENTS OF ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES WAS DIVIDED RANDOMLY INTO A YOGA EXERCISE (N = 38) AND CONTROL GROUP (N = 31) BASED ON RESIDENCE LOCATION. A TOTAL OF 55 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE INTERVENTION WAS IMPLEMENTED IN THREE SMALL GROUPS, AND EACH PRACTICE GROUP WAS LED BY TWO PRETRAINED CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTORS THREE TIMES PER WEEK AT 70 MIN PER PRACTICE SESSION FOR 24 WEEKS. THE OUTCOME MEASURES OF SLEEP QUALITY (PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX) AND DEPRESSION STATE (TAIWANESE DEPRESSION QUESTIONNAIRE) WERE EXAMINED AT BASELINE, AT THE 12TH WEEK, AND AT THE 24TH WEEK OF THE STUDY. RESULTS: AFTER 6 MONTHS OF PERFORMING YOGA EXERCISES, PARTICIPANTS' OVERALL SLEEP QUALITY HAD SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED, WHEREAS DEPRESSION, SLEEP DISTURBANCES, AND DAYTIME DYSFUNCTION HAD DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < .05). IN ADDITION, PARTICIPANTS IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP HAD BETTER RESULTS ON ALL OUTCOME INDICATORS THAN THOSE OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOGA EXERCISE BE INCORPORATED AS AN ACTIVITY PROGRAM IN ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES OR IN OTHER LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES TO IMPROVE SLEEP QUALITY AND DECREASE DEPRESSION IN INSTITUTIONALIZED ELDERS. 2010 11 2651 34 YOGA IMPROVES BALANCE, MOBILITY, AND PERCEIVED OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN ADULTS WITH CHRONIC BRAIN INJURY: A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: THIS WAS A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION TO INVESTIGATE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF GROUP YOGA, AS PAST WORK HAS INDICATED THAT ONE-ON-ONE YOGA CAN IMPROVE FUNCTIONAL DEFICITS IN ADULTS WITH BRAIN INJURY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PARTICIPANTS SERVED AS THEIR OWN CONTROLS. NINE PARTICIPANTS WITH CHRONIC BRAIN INJURY WERE RECRUITED, AND SEVEN (FOUR FEMALE) COMPLETED THE STUDY. PERFORMANCE MEASURES OF BALANCE AND MOBILITY AND SELF-REPORTED MEASURES OF BALANCE CONFIDENCE, PAIN, AND OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE AND SATISFACTION WERE USED. DATA WERE COLLECTED 3 TIMES: BASELINE (STUDY ONSET), PRE-YOGA (AFTER AN 8-WEEK NO-CONTACT PERIOD), AND POST-YOGA (AFTER 8 WEEKS OF YOGA). GROUP YOGA WAS LED BY A YOGA INSTRUCTOR/OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST, AND SESSIONS LASTED 1 H AND OCCURRED TWICE A WEEK. RESULTS: NO PARTICIPANTS WITHDREW DUE TO ADVERSE EFFECTS FROM YOGA. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES BETWEEN BASELINE AND PRE-YOGA. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WAS OBSERVED POST-YOGA IN BALANCE (P = 0.05), MOBILITY (P = 0.03), AND SELF-REPORTED OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: WE OBSERVED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN BALANCE, MOBILITY, AND SELF-REPORTED OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN ADULTS WITH CHRONIC BRAIN INJURY. 2020 12 1428 36 IMPROVEMENTS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL WELL-BEING FOLLOWING A BRIEF YOGA-BASED PROGRAM FOR EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS. OBJECTIVE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE CHANGES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL WELL-BEING IN EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS WHO ATTENDED A YOGA-BASED PROGRAM. METHODS: EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS WHO ATTENDED A 3-DAY YOGA-BASED RISE (RESILIENCE, INTEGRATION, SELF-AWARENESS, ENGAGEMENT) PROGRAM WERE RECRUITED TO PARTICIPATE. RISE WAS ADMINISTERED AT THE KRIPALU CENTER FOR YOGA & HEALTH. MEASURES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL WELL-BEING, AND HEALTH-RELATED BEHAVIORS WERE COMPLETED BEFORE (BASELINE), AFTER (POST), AND 2 MONTHS AFTER RISE (FOLLOW-UP). FORTY-FOUR PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED BASELINE AND POST AND WERE INCLUDED IN THE ANALYSIS. OF THOSE, 33 PARTICIPANTS ALSO COMPLETED THE FOLLOW-UP. PAIRED SAMPLES T TESTS WERE USED TO COMPARE SCORES BETWEEN TIME POINTS. RESULTS: COMPARED TO BASELINE, AT POST, PARTICIPANTS SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS IN PERCEIVED STRESS, MINDFULNESS, EMPOWERMENT, POSITIVE AFFECT, NEGATIVE AFFECT, SELF-COMPASSION, TOTAL WORK ENGAGEMENT, VIGOR, SLEEP QUALITY (ALL P VALUES < .001), RESILIENCE, SATISFACTION WITH LIFE, AS WELL AS EXHAUSTION AND PROFESSIONAL EFFICACY WHICH ARE DIMENSIONS OF BURNOUT (ALL P VALUES < .01). AT THE FOLLOW-UP, SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE MAINTAINED FOR MINDFULNESS, EMPOWERMENT, SELF-COMPASSION, SLEEP QUALITY (ALL P VALUES < .001), RESILIENCE, VIGOR, AND EXHAUSTION (ALL P VALUES < .01) AND POSITIVE AFFECT, SATISFACTION WITH LIFE, AND WORK ENGAGEMENT (ALL P VALUES < .05). CONCLUSIONS: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT THE YOGA-BASED RISE PROGRAM IMPROVES PSYCHOLOGICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL WELL-BEING IN EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS. IN ADDITION, PARTICIPANTS REPORTED THAT ATTENDING RISE WAS FEASIBLE, THEY COULD CONTINUE USING RISE PRACTICES LONG-TERM, SHARED THEM WITH WORK COLLEAGUES, AND REPORTED THAT RISE POSITIVELY IMPACTED BOTH THEIR DAILY LIVES AND WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT. WITH THESE PROMISING RESULTS, ADDITIONAL CONTROLLED RESEARCH IS WARRANTED. 2019 13 2673 22 YOGA IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY TO ACCESS THE EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. BACKGROUND: AND PURPOSE: YOGA IS GROWING IN POPULARITY, BUT ITS BENEFITS AND INTEGRATION INTO PRIMARY CARE REMAIN UNCERTAIN. HERE, WE DETERMINE YOGA EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, AND EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF INTRODUCING YOGA AT PRIMARY CARE LEVEL. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS IS A PROSPECTIVE, LONGITUDINAL, QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY, WITH AN INTERVENTION (N=49) AND A CONTROL GROUP (N=37). YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT 24-WEEKS PROGRAM OF ONE-HOUR SESSIONS. OUR PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS QUALITY OF LIFE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, AS WELL AS SATISFACTION LEVEL AND ADHERENCE RATE. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS REPORTED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ALL DOMAINS OF QUALITY OF LIFE AND A REDUCTION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT YOGA SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES PSYCHOLOGICAL QUALITY OF LIFE (P=0.046). CONCLUSION: YOGA IN PRIMARY CARE IS FEASIBLE, SAFE AND HAS A SATISFACTORY ADHERENCE, AS WELL AS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON PSYCHOLOGICAL QUALITY OF LIFE OF PARTICIPANTS. 2019 14 1576 18 MANAGING OSTEOARTHRITIS: COMPARISONS OF CHAIR YOGA, REIKI, AND EDUCATION (PILOT STUDY). THE AIM OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER CHAIR YOGA AND REIKI AFFECT PAIN, DEPRESSIVE MOOD, AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION COMPARED WITH AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FOR OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS. FINDINGS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS ONLY BETWEEN PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND CHAIR YOGA. IN FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEWS, PARTICIPANTS EXPRESSED FEELINGS OF IMPROVED HEALTH AND WELL-BEING AFTER THE YOGA INTERVENTION. THE MAJOR LIMITATION OF THIS STUDY WAS THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE. 2011 15 2077 24 THE EFFECT OF CHAIR YOGA IN OLDER ADULTS WITH MODERATE AND SEVERE ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. USING A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL SINGLE-GROUP DESIGN, THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE FEASIBILITY OF OLDER ADULTS WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (AD)-TYPE DEMENTIA TO COMPLETE THE SIT 'N' FIT CHAIR YOGA PROGRAM. PHYSICAL FUNCTION OF PARTICIPANTS WHO COMPLETED THE PROGRAM WAS MEASURED. THE NINE OLDER ADULTS WITH AD (MEAN AGE = 83) PARTICIPATED IN THE 8-WEEK SIT 'N' FIT CHAIR YOGA PROGRAM. TO MEASURE PHYSICAL FUNCTION, THE SIX-MINUTE WALK TEST, THE GAIT SPEED TEST, AND THE BERG BALANCE SCALE WERE ADMINISTERED AT PRE-INTERVENTION, 4 WEEKS, 8 WEEKS, AND 1 MONTH AFTER PROGRAM COMPLETION. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE PROGRAM. POSITIVE CHANGES WERE SEEN ACROSS ALL PHYSICAL MEASURES. FURTHER STUDY, USING A LARGER SAMPLE AND INCLUDING A CONTROL GROUP, IS NEEDED TO FULLY DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF THE SIT 'N' FIT CHAIR YOGA PROGRAM ON OLDER ADULTS WITH MODERATE TO SEVERE AD. 2014 16 281 28 ADHERENCE TO AND CHANGES IN MENTAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL HEALTH DURING AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: PARTICIPATING IN YOGA MAY BE IDEAL FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS TO INCREASE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH. PURPOSE: TO INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY AND IMPACT OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION WITHIN A UNIVERSITY SETTING ON MENTAL AND PHYSIOLOGIC HEATH. METHODS: THIS 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION INCLUDED TWELVE YOGA-NAIVE ADULTS, (23.8 +/- 4.6 YEARS; 71% FEMALE). PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED TWO 60-MIN YOGA CLASSES/WEEK IN ADDITION TO BASELINE, MID- AND POST-LAB VISITS. RESULTS: 83% OF PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED >/=75% OF YOGA CLASSES. STRESS AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS DECREASED BY 11% AND 25%, RESPECTIVELY AND ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE (ESR) REDUCED BY 28%. PARTICIPANTS WHO DID NOT MEET PHYSICAL ACTIVITY RECOMMENDATIONS OBSERVED GREATER IMPROVEMENTS IN STRESS, DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS, ESR, AND C-REACTIVE PROTEIN COMPARED TO PARTICIPANTS WHO MET RECOMMENDATIONS. CONCLUSION: THE MAJORITY OF PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED >/=12 OF 16 YOGA CLASSES. EXPLORATORY ANALYSES PROVIDE PRELIMINARY SUPPORT FOR THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON REDUCING STRESS, SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION, AND ESR. PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE NOT MEETING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES PRIOR TO STARTING THE INTERVENTION RECEIVED GREATER BENEFITS. 2022 17 2183 38 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PSYCHOSOCIAL VARIABLES AND EXERCISE ADHERENCE: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: PHYSICAL INACTIVITY IS A SERIOUS ISSUE FOR THE AMERICAN PUBLIC. BECAUSE OF CONDITIONS THAT RESULT FROM INACTIVITY, INDIVIDUALS INCUR CLOSE TO $1 TRILLION USD IN HEALTH-CARE COSTS, AND APPROXIMATELY 250 000 PREMATURE DEATHS OCCUR PER YEAR. RESEARCHERS HAVE LINKED ENGAGING IN YOGA TO IMPROVED OVERALL FITNESS, INCLUDING IMPROVED MUSCULAR STRENGTH, MUSCULAR ENDURANCE, FLEXIBILITY, AND BALANCE. RESEARCHERS HAVE NOT YET INVESTIGATED THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON EXERCISE ADHERENCE. OBJECTIVE: THE RESEARCH TEAM ASSESSED THE EFFECTS OF 10 WEEKS OF YOGA CLASSES HELD TWICE A WEEK ON EXERCISE ADHERENCE IN PREVIOUSLY SEDENTARY ADULTS. DESIGN: THE RESEARCH TEAM DESIGNED A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL. THE TEAM COLLECTED DATA FROM THE INTERVENTION (YOGA) AND CONTROL GROUPS AT BASELINE, MIDPOINT, AND POSTTEST (POSTTEST 1) AND ALSO COLLECTED DATA PERTAINING TO EXERCISE ADHERENCE FOR THE YOGA GROUP AT 5 WEEKS POSTTEST (POSTTEST 2). SETTING: THE PILOT TOOK PLACE IN A YOGA STUDIO IN CENTRAL NEW JERSEY IN THE UNITED STATES. THE PRETESTING OCCURRED AT THE YOGA STUDIO FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS. MIDPOINT TESTING AND POSTTESTING OCCURRED AT THE STUDIO FOR THE YOGA GROUP AND BY MAIL FOR THE CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS WERE 27 ADULTS (MEAN AGE 51 Y) WHO HAD BEEN PHYSICALLY INACTIVE FOR A PERIOD OF AT LEAST 6 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE STUDY. INTERVENTIONS THE INTERVENTION GROUP (YOGA GROUP) RECEIVED HOUR-LONG HATHA YOGA CLASSES THAT MET TWICE A WEEK FOR 10 WEEKS. THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN CLASSES DURING THE RESEARCH STUDY; HOWEVER, THEY WERE OFFERED COMPLIMENTARY POST RESEARCH CLASSES. OUTCOME MEASURES THE STUDY'S PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS EXERCISE ADHERENCE AS MEASURED BY THE 7-DAY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY RECALL. THE SECONDARY MEASURES INCLUDED (1) EXERCISE SELF-EFFICACY AS MEASURED BY THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL SELF-EFFICACY FOR EXERCISE SCALE, (2) GENERAL WELL-BEING AS MEASURED BY THE GENERAL WELL-BEING SCHEDULE, (3) EXERCISE-GROUP COHESION AS MEASURED BY THE GROUP ENVIRONMENT QUESTIONNAIRE (GEQ), (4) ACUTE FEELING RESPONSE AS MEASURED BY THE EXERCISE-INDUCED FEELING INVENTORY (EFI), AND (5) TWO OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS CODED FOR EMERGING THEMES AND SUBCATEGORIES. RESULTS: THE ANALYSIS REVEALED THAT THE YOGA GROUP'S MEAN HOURS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AT 10 WEEKS REFLECTED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN EXERCISE ADHERENCE FROM BASELINE (P < .012) AND A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE FROM THE CONTROL GROUP (P < .004). AT 5 WEEKS POST-INTERVENTION, NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE HAD OCCURRED IN THE YOGA GROUP'S EXERCISE ADHERENCE (P = .906). EXERCISE SELF-EFFICACY CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM BASELINE TO MIDPOINT (P < .029). THE GENERAL WELLBEING DATA DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION EFFECT (P < .001), RESULTING FROM AN INCREASE IN GENERAL WELL-BEING IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP AND A DECREASE IN GENERAL WELL-BEING IN THE CONTROL GROUP. IN ADDITION, THE YOGA GROUP'S COHESION SCORE WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE NORMS ON TWO CONSTRUCTS OF THE GEQ: ATTRACTION TO GROUP TASK AND GROUP INTEGRATION TASK. THE EFI REVEALED THAT THE YOGA PARTICIPANTS "FELT STRONGLY" THAT THEIR EXPERIENCES IN YOGA WERE PEACEFUL, HAPPY, UPBEAT, AND ENTHUSIASTIC AND THAT THEY FELT REVIVED FOLLOWING THE YOGA CLASSES. QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF DATA REVEALED SELF-REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN EXERCISE BEHAVIORS, STRESS MANAGEMENT, AND EATING HABITS. CONCLUSIONS: TEN WEEKS OF YOGA CLASSES TWICE A WEEK SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED PREVIOUSLY INACTIVE PARTICIPANTS' ADHERENCE TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. ADDITIONALLY, THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT A MIND-BODY EXERCISE PROGRAM MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION IN THE FIGHT AGAINST PHYSICAL INACTIVITY. 2012 18 1369 17 IMPACT OF A SHORT YOGA INTERVENTION ON MEDICAL STUDENTS' HEALTH: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: MEDICAL STUDENTS OFTEN EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT DISTRESS EARLY-ON IN UNDERGRADUATE TRAINING. AIMS: WE AIMED TO DEMONSTRATE THE IMPACT OF A BRIEF STRUCTURED YOGA INTERVENTION ON MEDICAL STUDENTS. METHOD: FOURTEEN FIRST-YEAR MEDICAL STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN A 16-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION PILOT STUDY. STUDENTS COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES AT BASELINE, MID-INTERVENTION AND END OF THE STUDY. RESULTS: THE STUDENTS REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN OVERALL HEALTH, PERCEIVED STRESS AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS FOLLOWING THE INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: A YOGA INTERVENTION MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN DECREASING STRESS AND IMPROVING GENERAL WELL-BEING IN MEDICAL STUDENTS. 2009 19 159 35 A RANDOMISED COMPARATIVE TRIAL OF YOGA AND RELAXATION TO REDUCE STRESS AND ANXIETY. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE YOGA AND RELAXATION AS TREATMENT MODALITIES AT 10 AND 16 WEEKS FROM STUDY BASELINE TO DETERMINE IF EITHER OF MODALITY REDUCES SUBJECT STRESS, ANXIETY, BLOOD PRESSURE AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE. DESIGN: A RANDOMISED COMPARATIVE TRIAL WAS UNDERTAKEN COMPARING YOGA WITH RELAXATION. PARTICIPANTS: ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE SUBJECTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE LEVELS OF STRESS WERE RECRUITED FROM THE COMMUNITY IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. INTERVENTIONS: TEN WEEKLY 1- H SESSIONS OF RELAXATION OR HATHA YOGA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: CHANGES IN THE STATE TRAIT PERSONALITY INVENTORY SUB-SCALE ANXIETY, GENERAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE AND THE SHORT FORM-36. RESULTS: FOLLOWING THE 10 WEEK INTERVENTION STRESS, ANXIETY AND QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES IMPROVED OVER TIME. YOGA WAS FOUND TO BE AS EFFECTIVE AS RELAXATION IN REDUCING STRESS, ANXIETY AND IMPROVING HEALTH STATUS ON SEVEN DOMAINS OF THE SF-36. YOGA WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN RELAXATION IN IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH. AT THE END OF THE 6 WEEK FOLLOW-UP PERIOD THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS IN LEVELS OF STRESS, ANXIETY AND ON FIVE DOMAINS OF THE SF-36. VITALITY, SOCIAL FUNCTION AND MENTAL HEALTH SCORES ON THE SF-36 WERE HIGHER IN THE RELAXATION GROUP DURING THE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. CONCLUSION: YOGA APPEARS TO PROVIDE A COMPARABLE IMPROVEMENT IN STRESS, ANXIETY AND HEALTH STATUS COMPARED TO RELAXATION. 2007 20 1236 33 FEASIBILITY OF A 6-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM TO IMPROVE THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STATUS OF PERSONS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. CONTEXT: TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE, THERE HAS BEEN NO STUDY ON YOGA THAT INCLUDES BOTH PERSONS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. BECAUSE YOGA HAS THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS IN BOTH PERSONS WITH MS AND HEALTHY PERSONS, WE HYPOTHESIZED THAT IT WOULD BE AN EFFECTIVE METHOD TO IMPROVE NOT ONLY THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STATUS BUT ALSO THE TIME PERSONS WITH MS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS SPEND TOGETHER. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF A 6-MONTH (LONG-TERM) YOGA PROGRAM TO IMPROVE THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STATUS OF PERSONS WITH MS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. DESIGN: UNCONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL. SETTING: THE PROTOCOL WAS DEVELOPED AT THE DEPARTMENT OF NEUROLOGY, FACULTY OF MEDICINE, AND SCHOOL OF PHYSICAL THERAPY AND REHABILITATION, DOKUZ EYLUL UNIVERSITY, IZMIR, TURKEY. PARTICIPANTS: PERSONS WITH MS AND HEALTHY FAMILY MEMBERS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: WALKING, BALANCE, FATIGUE, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, DEPRESSION, PAIN, AND KINESIOPHOBIA. INTERVENTIONS: YOGA TRAINING WAS GIVEN ONCE A WEEK (AT LEAST 1H) FOR 6 MONTHS. THE SAME ASSESSORS WHO ASSESSED AT BASELINE ALSO PERFORMED THE SAME ASSESSMENTS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE END OF THE TRAINING (I.E., AFTER 6 MONTHS). RESULTS: IN TOTAL, 44 PARTICIPANTS (27 PERSONS WITH MS AND 17 HEALTHY FAMILY MEMBERS) PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. TWELVE PERSONS WITH MS AND THREE HEALTHY FAMILY MEMBERS COMPLETED THE 6-MONTH YOGA INTERVENTION. THE COMPLETION RATE FOR PERSONS WITH MS AND HEALTHY SUBJECTS WAS 44.4% AND 17.6%, RESPECTIVELY. IN PERSONS WITH MS, THE MENTAL DIMENSION OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, WALKING SPEED, FATIGUE, AND DEPRESSION LEVELS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED AFTER THE YOGA PROGRAM (P < .05). HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE SELF-REPORTED WALKING IMPACT, BALANCE, PAIN, PHYSICAL DIMENSION OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, AND KINESIOPHOBIA LEVELS IN THE PERSONS WITH MS (P > .05). THIS STUDY SUGGESTS THAT A 6-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM CAN IMPROVE THE MENTAL DIMENSION OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, WALKING SPEED, FATIGUE, AND DEPRESSION IN THE PERSONS WITH MS. HOWEVER, THE 6-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A FEASIBLE METHOD TO INCREASE THE TIME THAT PERSONS WITH MS SPEND TOGETHER WITH THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. 2018