1 2778 68 YOGA STRETCHING FOR IMPROVING SALIVARY IMMUNE FUNCTION AND MENTAL STRESS IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER ADULTS. PROTECTION AGAINST AGE-RELATED IMMUNE SUPPRESSION IS IMPORTANT IN ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS. THIS STUDY DETERMINED THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON MUCOSAL IMMUNE FUNCTION AND MENTAL STRESS. SALIVA SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED FROM 23 ADULT WOMEN (AGE: 60.4 +/- 10.4 YEARS) BEFORE AND AFTER 90 MINUTES OF YOGA STRETCHING OR REST TO MEASURE SECRETORY IMMUNOGLOBULIN A (SIGA), CORTISOL, AND TESTOSTERONE. THE SIGA CONCENTRATION AND SECRETION RATE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER AFTER YOGA THAN BEFORE (P < .05). THE CORTISOL CONCENTRATION AND SECRETION RATE WERE LOWER AND TESTOSTERONE SECRETION RATE HIGHER AFTER YOGA (P < .05). YOGA STRETCHING CAN REDUCE STRESS AND ENHANCE MUCOSAL IMMUNE FUNCTION IN ELDERLY WOMEN. 2018 2 385 38 BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA STRETCHING ON SALIVARY STRESS HORMONES AND PARASYMPATHETIC NERVE ACTIVITY. THIS STUDY AIMED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA STRETCHING ON SALIVARY STRESS HORMONES AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM. TO OUR KNOWLEDGE, THIS STUDY IS THE FIRST TO INVESTIGATE CHANGES IN CARDIAC AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AFTER YOGA STRETCHING. IN THIS CROSSOVER DESIGN STUDY, 10 ADULT MEN (AGE, 26.3 +/- 2.5 YEARS) WITHOUT YOGA EXPERIENCE PARTICIPATED IN THE REST AND YOGA TRIALS FOR 90 MIN. MEASUREMENTS WERE CARRIED OUT BEFORE (PRE), IMMEDIATELY (POST), 60 MIN, AND 120 MIN AFTER REST OR YOGA STRETCHING. SALIVA SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED BY CHEWING A STERILE COTTON BALL AT A FREQUENCY OF 60 CYCLES PER MINUTE. SALIVARY CORTISOL AND TESTOSTERONE CONCENTRATIONS WERE MEASURED USING AN ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY. WITH THE SUBJECTS IN THE SITTING POSITION, HEART RATE VARIABILITY WAS MEASURED USING PULSE ANALYZER PLUS FOR 150 SECONDS. AS REGARDS RATE CHANGES, SALIVARY TESTOSTERONE LEVEL TENDED TO INCREASE (P = 0.088), TESTOSTERONE/CORTISOL RATIO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED (P < 0.05), AND CORTISOL LEVEL SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED (P < 0.05) AT 120 MIN AFTER YOGA STRETCHING. THE SQUARE ROOT OF THE MEAN-SQUARED DIFFERENCES OF SUCCESSIVE NORMAL-TO-NORMAL INTERVALS AND NATURAL LOGARITHM HIGH-FREQUENCY COMPONENT, WHICH ARE INDICATORS OF PARASYMPATHETIC NERVE ACTIVITY, INCREASED AT 60 MIN (P < 0.05) AND 120 MIN (P < 0.05) IN THE YOGA TRIAL, RESPECTIVELY. IN CONCLUSION, YOGA STRETCHING CAN ENHANCE PARASYMPATHETIC NERVE ACTIVITY AND IMPROVE STRESS HORMONES. THEREFORE, YOGA STRETCHING MAY BE USEFUL TO COMPENSATE FOR PHYSICAL INACTIVITY AND INCREASE LIFE EXPECTANCY IN THE GENERAL POPULATION. 2020 3 2043 21 THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF VINYASA FLOW YOGA ON VASCULAR FUNCTION, LIPID AND GLUCOSE CONCENTRATIONS, AND MOOD. WHILE THE CHRONIC EFFECTS OF CERTAIN STYLES OF YOGA ON CARDIOMETABOLIC FACTORS HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF A SINGLE YOGA SESSION ON THESE OUTCOMES. MOREOVER, VINYASA YOGA'S POTENTIAL TO MODULATE CARDIOMETABOLIC OUTCOMES HAS NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY IS TO DETERMINE THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF A VINYASA YOGA SESSION ON ARTERIAL STIFFNESS, WAVE REFLECTION, LIPID AND GLUCOSE CONCENTRATIONS, AND MOOD IN ADULTS WITH PRIOR YOGA EXPERIENCE. THIRTY YOGA PRACTITIONERS WITH A MINIMUM OF 3 MONTHS OF PRACTICE EXPERIENCE WERE ENROLLED INTO THE STUDY. CAROTID-FEMORAL PULSE WAVE VELOCITY (CF-PWV), AUGMENTATION INDEX (AIX), LIPID PROFILE, GLUCOSE CONCENTRATIONS, AND MOOD (POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE AFFECT SCALE) WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING A 1 -H VINYASA YOGA SESSION. AFTER THE YOGA SESSION, PARTICIPANTS HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER AIX (P < 0.001), NON-HDL CHOLESTEROL (P < 0.05), AND NEGATIVE AFFECT (P < 0.01) COMPARED TO BASELINE. THESE RESULTS HIGHLIGHT THE EFFICACY OF A SINGLE BOUT OF YOGA IN ALTERING WAVE REFLECTION WHILE IMPROVING MOOD AND LIPID CONCENTRATIONS IN HEALTHY ADULTS WITH A HISTORY OF YOGA PRACTICE. 2021 4 716 24 EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA PRACTICES ON IMMUNE RESPONSES IN EXAMINATION STRESS - A PRELIMINARY STUDY. BACKGROUND: STRESS IS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED OCCURRENCE OF AUTONOMIC, CARDIOVASCULAR, AND IMMUNE SYSTEM PATHOLOGY. THIS STUDY WAS DONE TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF STRESS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL, PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS, AND IMMUNE SYSTEM DURING MEDICAL TERM -ACADEMIC EXAMINATION AND THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICES ON THE SAME. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT ON SIXTY FIRST-YEAR MBBS STUDENTS RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP (30 EACH). THE YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT INTEGRATED YOGA PRACTICES FOR 35 MINUTES DAILY IN THE PRESENCE OF TRAINED YOGA TEACHER FOR 12 WEEKS. CONTROL GROUP DID NOT UNDERGO ANY KIND OF YOGA PRACTICE OR STRESS MANAGEMENT. PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS LIKE HEART RATE, RESPIRATORY RATE, AND BLOOD PRESSURE WERE MEASURED. GLOBAL ASSESSMENT OF RECENT STRESS SCALE AND SPIELBERGERS STATE ANXIETY SCORE WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND DURING THE EXAMINATION. SERUM CORTISOL LEVELS, IL-4, AND IFN-GAMMA LEVELS WERE DETERMINED BY ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY TECHNIQUE. RESULT: IN THE YOGA GROUP, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS OBSERVED IN PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS DURING THE EXAMINATION STRESS, WHEREAS IN THE CONTROL GROUP, A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE WAS OBSERVED. LIKEWISE, THE INDICATORS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS SHOWED HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN CONTROL GROUP COMPARED WITH SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN YOGA GROUP. DURING THE EXAMINATION, THE INCREASE IN SERUM CORTICAL AND DECREASE IN SERUM IFN-GAMMA IN YOGA GROUP WAS LESS SIGNIFICANT (P<0.01) THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P<0.001). BOTH THE GROUPS DEMONSTRATED AN INCREASE IN SERUM IL-4 LEVELS, THE CHANGES BEING INSIGNIFICANT FOR THE DURATION OF THE STUDY. CONCLUSION: YOGA RESISTS THE AUTONOMIC CHANGES AND IMPAIRMENT OF CELLULAR IMMUNITY SEEN IN EXAMINATION STRESS. 2011 5 404 19 BIKRAM YOGA TRAINING AND PHYSICAL FITNESS IN HEALTHY YOUNG ADULTS. THERE HAS BEEN RELATIVELY LITTLE LONGITUDINAL CONTROLLED INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON GENERAL PHYSICAL FITNESS, DESPITE THE WIDESPREAD PARTICIPATION IN THIS FORM OF EXERCISE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS EXPLORATORY STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF SHORT-TERM BIKRAM YOGA TRAINING ON GENERAL PHYSICAL FITNESS. YOUNG HEALTHY ADULTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA TRAINING (N = 10, 29 +/- 6 YEARS, 24 SESSIONS IN 8 WEEKS) OR A CONTROL GROUP (N = 11, 26 +/- 7 YEARS). EACH YOGA TRAINING SESSION CONSISTED OF 90-MINUTE STANDARDIZED SUPERVISED POSTURES PERFORMED IN A HEATED AND HUMIDIFIED STUDIO. ISOMETRIC DEADLIFT STRENGTH, HANDGRIP STRENGTH, LOWER BACK/HAMSTRING AND SHOULDER FLEXIBILITY, RESTING HEART RATE AND BLOOD PRESSURE, MAXIMAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (TREADMILL), AND LEAN AND FAT MASS (DUAL-ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY) WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER TRAINING. YOGA SUBJECTS EXHIBITED INCREASED DEADLIFT STRENGTH, SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED LOWER BACK/HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY, INCREASED SHOULDER FLEXIBILITY, AND MODESTLY DECREASED BODY FAT COMPARED WITH CONTROL GROUP. THERE WERE NO CHANGES IN HANDGRIP STRENGTH, CARDIOVASCULAR MEASURES, OR MAXIMAL AEROBIC FITNESS. IN SUMMARY, THIS SHORT-TERM YOGA TRAINING PROTOCOL PRODUCED BENEFICIAL CHANGES IN MUSCULOSKELETAL FITNESS THAT WERE SPECIFIC TO THE TRAINING STIMULUS. 2013 6 2149 20 THE EFFECTS OF POWER AND STRETCH YOGA ON AFFECT AND SALIVARY CORTISOL IN WOMEN. YOGA PRACTICE IS KNOWN TO IMPROVE WELL-BEING AND DECREASE STRESS. HOWEVER, ACUTE YOGA IS UNDERSTUDIED. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF YOGA ON AFFECT AND SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS IN COLLEGE WOMEN. THIRTY-THREE WOMEN AGED 18-30 YEARS EACH COMPLETED 1-HOUR SESSIONS OF POWER YOGA AND STRETCH YOGA. MEASURES OF AFFECT AND SALIVARY CORTISOL WERE ASSESSED BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER EACH SESSION. PARTICIPANTS PERCEIVED POWER YOGA TO BE MORE PLEASURABLE AND ENERGIZING. SALIVARY CORTISOL SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED AFTER BOTH YOGA SESSIONS. THUS, EVEN ONE SESSION OF YOGA MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING AFFECT AND DECREASING STRESS IN COLLEGE WOMEN. 2019 7 2085 24 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 8 1889 26 REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVES ANTIOXIDANT STATUS, IMMUNE FUNCTION, AND STRESS HORMONE RELEASES IN YOUNG HEALTHY PEOPLE: A RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY IS TO HIGHLIGHT THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON BIO-PARAMETERS, SUCH AS OXIDATIVE STRESS, ANTIOXIDANT COMPONENTS, IMMUNE FUNCTIONS, AND SECRETION OF STRESS HORMONES, IN HEALTHY YOUNG PEOPLE. STUDY DESIGN: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED ON HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS RECRUITED FROM AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS, WHO WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: A CONTROL (NO YOGA INTERVENTION, N=13) GROUP AND A YOGA (N=12) GROUP. YOGA PRACTICE WAS WITH AN INSTRUCTOR FOR 90 MINUTES ONCE A WEEK SPREAD OVER 12 WEEKS, WITH RECOMMENDATIONS TO PRACTICE DAILY AT HOME FOR 40 MINUTES WITH THE HELP OF A DVD. THE YOGA PROGRAM CONSISTED OF YOGA BODY POSES (ASANAS), EXERCISES INVOLVING AWARENESS, VOLUNTARY REGULATION OF BREATH (PRANAYAMA), AND MEDITATIONAL PRACTICES. WHOLE BLOOD SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED WHEN THE VOLUNTEERS HAD FASTED FOR 8 HOURS AT 0 AND 12 WEEKS. THE OXIDATIVE STRESS/ANTIOXIDANT COMPONENTS, IMMUNE-RELATED CYTOKINES, AND STRESS HORMONES WERE EVALUATED IN SERUM OR PLASMA. RESULTS: SERUM LEVELS OF NITRIC OXIDE, F2-ISOPROSTANE, AND LIPID PEROXIDE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED BY YOGA PRACTICE (P<0.05 OR P=0.01), WHEREAS SERUM TOTAL GLUTATHIONE (GSH) CONTENTS, ACTIVITIES OF GSH-PEROXIDASE, AND GSH-S-TRANSFERASE WERE REMARKABLY INCREASED AFTER YOGA PRACTICE COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP (P<0.05 OR P=0.01). YOGA PRACTICE ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IMMUNE-RELATED CYTOKINES, SUCH AS INTERLEUKIN-12, AND INTERFERON-GAMMA, IN SERUM (P<0.05 OR P=0.01). YOGA PRACTICE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THE PLASMA LEVELS OF ADRENALIN (P<0.05) AND INCREASED PLASMA LEVELS OF SEROTONIN COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE REMARKABLY ATTENUATED OXIDATIVE STRESS AND IMPROVED ANTIOXIDANT LEVELS OF THE BODY. MOREOVER, YOGA BENEFICIALLY AFFECTED STRESS HORMONE RELEASES AS WELL AS PARTIALLY IMPROVED IMMUNE FUNCTION. 2015 9 1760 21 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 10 950 20 EFFECTS OF A CHAIR-YOGA EXERCISES ON STRESS HORMONE LEVELS, DAILY LIFE ACTIVITIES, FALLS AND PHYSICAL FITNESS IN INSTITUTIONALIZED OLDER ADULTS. UNLABELLED: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE CHANGES MEDIATED BY EXERCISE ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIFE AND FALLS, PHYSICAL FITNESS, SALIVARY CORTISOL AND ALPHA AMYLASE IN OLDER ADULTS LIVING IN SOCIAL AND HEALTH CARE GIVERS CENTERS. METHODS: SAMPLE CONSISTED IN 35 WOMEN (83.81 +/- 6.6 YEARS OLD) WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: CHAIR-YOGA EXERCISES GROUP (CY, N = 20) AND CONTROL GROUP (CG, N = 15). ALL SUBJECTS WERE EVALUATED BEFORE AND AFTER 14-WEEKS. CY WAS INVOLVED IN EXERCISE CLASSES TWO TIMES PER WEEK, WHILE THE GC DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY EXERCISE. RESULTS: FEAR OF FALLING DECREASED IN BOTH GROUPS, CORTISOL INCREASED AND ALPHA-AMYLASE DECREASED IN THE CG. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES OCCURRED IN PHYSICAL FITNESS OUTCOMES. CONCLUSION: CY PRACTICE WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN THE PHYSICAL FITNESS SCORES AND STRESS HORMONE LEVELS, BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO IMPROVE THE SUBJECT'S PERCEPTION ON THE ABILITY TO PERFORM THE INSTRUMENTAL ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIFE. 2016 11 277 15 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 12 1744 16 PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF HATHA-YOGA EXERCISE IN HEALTHY WOMEN. HATHA-YOGA HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY POPULAR IN WESTERN COUNTRIES AS A METHOD FOR COPING WITH STRESS. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE. WE MEASURED HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, THE HORMONES CORTISOL, PROLACTIN AND GROWTH HORMONE AND CERTAIN PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN A YOGA PRACTICING GROUP AND A CONTROL GROUP OF YOUNG FEMALE VOLUNTEERS READING IN A COMFORTABLE POSITION DURING THE EXPERIMENTAL PERIOD. THERE WERE NO SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS CONCERNING ENDOCRINE PARAMETERS AND BLOOD PRESSURE. THE COURSE OF HEART RATE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT, THE YOGA GROUP HAD A DECREASE DURING THE YOGA PRACTICE. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BOTH GROUPS WERE FOUND IN PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS. IN THE PERSONALITY INVENTORY THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED MARKEDLY HIGHER SCORES IN LIFE SATISFACTION AND LOWER SCORES IN EXCITABILITY, AGGRESSIVENESS, OPENNESS, EMOTIONALITY AND SOMATIC COMPLAINTS. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES COULD ALSO BE OBSERVED CONCERNING COPING WITH STRESS AND THE MOOD AT THE END OF THE EXPERIMENT. THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANT HIGHER SCORES IN HIGH SPIRITS AND EXTRAVERTEDNESS. 1994 13 771 23 EFFECT OF YOGA AND AEROBICS EXERCISE ON SLEEP QUALITY IN WOMEN WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF 12 WEEKS OF YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISE (RUNNING ON A TREADMILL) ON THE SLEEP QUALITY IN WOMEN WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 39 DIABETIC WOMEN WERE SELECTED FROM SEMNAN CITY WITH THE MEAN AGE OF 46.85+/-3.35 YEARS, WEIGHT OF 69.79+/-17.18 KG, HEIGHT OF 155.03+/-5.00, BMI OF 29.64+/-5.00 KG/M(2) WHO HAD A BACKGROUND OF DIABETES FOR 6.46+/-2.69 YEARS. THEY WERE THEN RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO YOGA EXERCISE (N=15), AEROBIC EXERCISE (N=13), AND CONTROL GROUP (N=11). THE EXERCISE PROGRAM WAS PERFORMED FOR 12 WEEKS, THREE SESSIONS PER EACH WEEK. IN ORDER TO MEASURE THE SLEEP QUALITY, THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI) WAS USED. THE DATA WERE ANALYZED BY NON-PARAMETRIC WILCOXON AND KRUSKAL-WALLIS TEST AT SIGNIFICANCE LEVEL OF P<0.05. RESULTS: OVERALL SCORE OF SLEEP QUALITY IMPROVED AFTER SIX (P=0.001) AND 12 (P=0.001) WEEKS OF YOGA EXERCISE. ALSO, SIGNIFICANT EFFECT WAS OBSERVED AFTER 6 WEEKS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE (P=0.039). HOWEVER, THE POSITIVE EFFECT WAS DIMINISHED TO UNDER SIGNIFICANT LEVELS AFTER 12 WEEKS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE (P=0.154). KRUSKAL-WALLIS TEST SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOGA AND AEROBIC GROUPS AFTER 12 WEEKS OF EXERCISE (P=0.002). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED IN CONTROL GROUPS IN ALL SITUATION. CONCLUSIONS: IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT YOGA EXERCISE IS MORE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING THE SLEEP QUALITY IN COMPARISON WITH THE SAME COURSE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE IN WOMEN SUFFERING FROM DIABETES TYPE 2. THUS, YOGA EXERCISE CAN BE SUGGESTED TO THESE PATIENTS. 2017 14 2319 22 TREATING THE CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS IN INDIAN WOMEN WITH AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO YOGA THERAPY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND PERSONALITY IN PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. DESIGN: ONE HUNDRED TWENTY PARTICIPANTS (AGES 40-55 Y) WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO STUDY ARMS, IE, YOGA AND CONTROL. THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO YOGA THERAPY COMPRISING SURYA NAMASKARA (SUN SALUTATION) WITH 12 POSTURES, PRANAYAMA (BREATHING PRACTICES), AND AVARTAN DHYAN (CYCLIC MEDITATION), WHEREAS THE CONTROL GROUP PRACTICED A SET OF SIMPLE PHYSICAL EXERCISES UNDER SUPERVISION OF TRAINED TEACHERS FOR 8 WEEKS (1 H DAILY, 5 DAYS PER WEEK). THE ASSESSMENTS WERE MADE BY GREENE CLIMACTERIC SCALE, PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE, AND EYSENCK'S PERSONALITY INVENTORY BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: OF THE THREE FACTORS OF THE GREENE CLIMACTERIC SCALE, THE MANN-WHITNEY TEST SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS (P < 0.05) IN THE VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS, A MARGINALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE (P = 0.06) IN PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS BUT NOT IN THE SOMATIC COMPONENT. EFFECT SIZES WERE HIGHER IN THE YOGA GROUP FOR ALL FACTORS. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER DEGREE OF DECREASE IN PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE SCORES (P < 0.001, INDEPENDENT SAMPLES T TEST) IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED WITH CONTROLS (BETWEEN-GROUP ANALYSIS) WITH A HIGHER EFFECT SIZE IN THE YOGA GROUP (1.10) THAN THE CONTROL (0.27). ON THE EYSENCK'S PERSONALITY INVENTORY, THE DECREASE IN NEUROTICISM WAS GREATER (P < 0.05) IN THE YOGA GROUP (EFFECT SIZE = 0.43) THAN THE CONTROL GROUP (EFFECT SIZE = 0.21) WITH NO CHANGE IN EXTROVERSION IN EITHER THE YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: EIGHT WEEKS OF AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO YOGA THERAPY DECREASES CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND NEUROTICISM IN PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN BETTER THAN PHYSICAL EXERCISE. 2008 15 819 20 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 16 1361 23 IMMEDIATE STRESS REDUCTION EFFECTS OF YOGA DURING PREGNANCY: ONE GROUP PRE-POST TEST. BACKGROUND: EXCESSIVE STRESS DURING PREGNANCY MAY CAUSE MENTAL DISORDERS IN PREGNANT WOMEN AND INHIBIT FETAL GROWTH. YOGA MAY ALLEVIATE STRESS DURING PREGNANCY. AIM: TO VERIFY THE IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS RESPONSE DURING PREGNANCY. METHODS: ONE GROUP PRE-POST TEST WAS CONDUCTED AT A HOSPITAL IN JAPAN. WE RECRUITED 60 HEALTHY PRIMIPARAS WITHOUT COMPLICATIONS AND ASKED THEM TO ATTEND YOGA CLASSES TWICE A MONTH AND TO PRACTICE YOGA AT THEIR HOMES USING DVD 3 TIMES A WEEK FROM 20 GESTATIONAL WEEKS UNTIL CHILDBIRTH. SALIVARY CORTISOL AND ALPHA-AMYLASE CONCENTRATION WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA CLASSES AT TIME 1 (27-32 GESTATIONAL WEEKS) AND TIME 2 (34-37 GESTATIONAL WEEKS). SUBJECTIVE MOOD WAS ASSESSED USING THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES. SALIVA VALUES AND MOOD SCORES BEFORE AND AFTER EACH YOGA CLASS WERE COMPARED USING PAIRED T-TEST AND WILCOXON RANK-SUM TEST, RESPECTIVELY. FINDINGS: WE ANALYZED 44 AND 35 WOMEN AT TIME 1 AND TIME 2, RESPECTIVELY. THE MEAN SALIVARY CORTISOL CONCENTRATION DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER EACH YOGA CLASS [TIME 1: 0.36-0.26MUG/DL (P<0.001), TIME 2: 0.32-0.26MUG/DL (P=0.001)]. THE MEAN SALIVARY ALPHA-AMYLASE CONCENTRATION ALSO DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY FOLLOWING EACH CLASS [TIME 1: 72.2-50.8KU/L (P=0.001), TIME 2: 70.6-52.7KU/L (P=0.006)]. THE SCORES FOR NEGATIVE DIMENSIONS OF MOOD (TRAIT-ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, ANGER-HOSTILITY, FATIGUE, AND CONFUSION) DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. THE SCORES OF VIGOR FOR A POSITIVE DIMENSION OF MOOD SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY INDICATED THE IMMEDIATE STRESS REDUCTION EFFECTS OF YOGA DURING PREGNANCY. 2016 17 2112 22 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION IN WOMEN. BACKGROUND: IN RECENT DECADES, SEVERAL MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC STUDIES ON YOGA PROVED IT TO BE VERY USEFUL IN THE TREATMENT OF SOME DISEASES. THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION IN WOMEN LIVING IN ILAM, IRAN. METHODS: THIS STUDY IS A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WITH PRE-POST TEST. TO COLLECT DATA, THE QUESTIONNAIRE OF DASS-21 (DEPRESSION ANXIETY STRESS SCALE-21) WAS USED. FOR ELIGIBLE SAMPLES, HATHA YOGA EXERCISES AND TRAINING SESSIONS WERE HELD FOR 4 WEEKS (3 TIME/WEEKS; 60-70 MIN EACH) BY A SPECIALIST. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING SPSS VERSION 20. RESULTS: 52 WOMEN WITH A MEAN AGE OF 33.5 +/- 6.5 WERE INCLUDED FOR ANALYSIS. DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND STRESS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN WOMEN AFTER 12 SESSIONS OF REGULAR HATHA YOGA PRACTICE (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA HAS AN EFFECTIVE ROLE IN REDUCING STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION. THUS, IT CAN BE USED AS COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE. 2018 18 1826 21 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF LAUGHTER YOGA SESSIONS IN JAPAN: A PILOT STUDY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE AND EVALUATE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF MULTIPLE SESSIONS OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON COMMUNITY MEMBERS. PARTICIPANTS TOOK PART IN A 45 MIN LAUGHTER YOGA SESSION ONCE PER MONTH FOR 6 MONTHS. BEFORE AND AFTER ALL SESSIONS, PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES-BRIEF JAPANESE VERSION (J-POMS-B) QUESTIONNAIRE TO ASSESS THEIR MOOD, AND HAD BLOOD DRAWN FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF STRESS INDICATORS AND IMMUNE FUNCTION. SERIAL CHANGES IN J-POMS-B SCORES WERE TESTED BY THREE WAY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE, AND CHANGES IN LABORATORY RESULTS PER SESSION WERE EVALUATED WITH A PAIRED T-TEST. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT REPEATED SESSIONS OF LAUGHTER YOGA HAD PSYCHOLOGICALLY BENEFICIAL EFFECTS, ESPECIALLY ON THE ASPECTS OF TENSION-ANXIETY, AND VIGOR. ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE AND CORTISOL VALUES RELATED TO THE PARTICIPANTS' STRESS LEVELS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED AFTER THE FOURTH LAUGHTER YOGA SESSION. THESE RESULTS INDICATED THAT MULTIPLE LAUGHTER YOGA SESSIONS APPEARED TO BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL STATUS OF HEALTHY ADULTS. 2018 19 244 21 A YOGA AND COMPASSION MEDITATION PROGRAM REDUCES STRESS IN FAMILIAL CAREGIVERS OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE PATIENTS. FAMILIAL CAREGIVERS OF PATIENTS WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE EXHIBIT REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE AND INCREASED STRESS LEVELS. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA AND COMPASSION MEDITATION PROGRAM ON THE PERCEIVED STRESS, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS IN FAMILIAL CAREGIVERS. A TOTAL OF 46 VOLUNTEERS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO PARTICIPATE IN A STRESS-REDUCTION PROGRAM FOR A 2-MONTH PERIOD (YOGA AND COMPASSION MEDITATION PROGRAM-YCMP GROUP) (N = 25) OR AN UNTREATED GROUP FOR THE SAME PERIOD OF TIME (CONTROL GROUP) (N = 21). THE LEVELS OF STRESS, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND MORNING SALIVARY CORTISOL OF THE PARTICIPANTS WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. THE GROUPS WERE INITIALLY HOMOGENEOUS; HOWEVER, AFTER INTERVENTION, THE GROUPS DIVERGED SIGNIFICANTLY. THE YCMP GROUP EXHIBITED A REDUCTION OF THE STRESS (P < 0.05), ANXIETY (P < 0.000001), AND DEPRESSION (P < 0.00001) LEVELS, AS WELL AS A REDUCTION IN THE CONCENTRATION OF SALIVARY CORTISOL (P < 0.05). OUR STUDY SUGGESTS THAT AN 8-WEEK YOGA AND COMPASSION MEDITATION PROGRAM MAY OFFER AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR REDUCING PERCEIVED STRESS, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND SALIVARY CORTISOL IN FAMILIAL CAREGIVERS. 2013 20 1643 18 MOOD CHANGE AND PERCEPTIONS OF VITALITY: A COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF RELAXATION, VISUALIZATION AND YOGA. THE EFFECTS OF THREE DIFFERENT PROCEDURES, RELAXATION, VISUALIZATION AND YOGIC BREATHING AND STRETCH (PRANAYAMA) ON PERCEPTIONS OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ENERGY AND ON POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE MOOD STATES HAVE BEEN ASSESSED IN A GROUP OF NORMAL VOLUNTEERS (N = 71, AGE RANGE 21-76). PRANAYAMA PRODUCED A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER INCREASE IN PERCEPTIONS OF MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ENERGY AND FEELINGS OF ALERTNESS AND ENTHUSIASM THAN THE OTHER TWO PROCEDURES (P < 0.5). RELAXATION MADE SUBJECTS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE SLEEPY AND SLUGGISH IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SESSION THAN PRANAYAMA (P < 0.05). VISUALIZATION MADE THEM MORE SLUGGISH BUT LESS CONTENT THAN PRANAYAMA (P < 0.05) AND MORE UPSET THAN RELAXATION AFTER THE SECOND SESSION (P < 0.05). THUS, A 30 MIN PROGRAMME OF YOGIC STRETCH AND BREATHING EXERCISES WHICH IS SIMPLE TO LEARN AND WHICH CAN BE PRACTISED EVEN BY THE ELDERLY HAD A MARKEDLY 'INVIGORATING' EFFECT ON PERCEPTIONS OF BOTH MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ENERGY AND INCREASED HIGH POSITIVE MOOD. A MORE EXTENSIVE INVESTIGATION IS PLANNED TO ESTABLISH WHETHER SUCH A PROGRAMME CAN READILY BE INCORPORATED INTO EVERYDAY LIFE, AND WITH WHAT LONG-TERM RESULTS. 1993