1 2869 183 YOGA-BASED PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUPS FOR BOYS EXPOSED TO TRAUMA IN URBAN SETTINGS. BACKGROUND: CHILDREN WHO EXPERIENCE ABUSE AND NEGLECT AND ARE EXPOSED TO ADVERSE LIFE EVENTS ARE AT RISK OF DEVELOPING EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS. THEY MAY DISPLAY VARIABLE INTERNALIZING AND EXTERNALIZING SYMPTOMS, SUCH AS POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, LOW SELF-ESTEEM, AND AGGRESSION. YOGA MAY BE ABLE TO REGULATE BODY-BRAIN PATHWAYS THAT CAUSE STRESS FOLLOWING TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES, THEREBY REDUCING ADVERSE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL SEQUELAE. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PRELIMINARY STUDY IS TO EXAMINE CHANGES IN FUNCTIONING FOLLOWING MEETINGS OF A YOGA-BASED PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUP (YBPG) FOR BOYS WITH A HISTORY OF INTERPERSONAL TRAUMA EXPOSURE. METHODS/DESIGN: THE STUDY WAS A PROSPECTIVE, INTERVENTION COHORT STUDY. SETTING: THE STUDY OCCURRED AT AN URBAN-BASED MENTAL HEALTH CENTER FOCUSING ON TREATMENT OF CHILDREN EXPOSED TO INTERPERSONAL TRAUMA IN THEIR COMMUNITIES AND FAMILIES. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS WERE 10 BOYS, AGED 8-12 Y, WHO PRIMARILY WERE AFRICAN-AMERICANS (70%) AND WHO HAD A HISTORY OF TRAUMA. INTERVENTION: THE YBPG WAS A 12-WK, YOGA-BASED, GROUP THERAPY, INTEGRATED WITH MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT THAT WAS TRAUMA INFORMED AND EVIDENCE-BASED. OUTCOME MEASURES: MEASURES OF ATTENDANCE AND INTERPERSONAL FUNCTIONING-THE BEHAVIORAL AND EMOTIONAL RATING SCALE 2 (BERS-2) AND PATIENT SATISFACTION SURVEYS-WERE COLLECTED. THE PRE- AND POST-YBPG, PAIRED T TEST; WILCOXON'S SIGNED RANK TEST; AND EFFECT SIZES WERE CALCULATED TO ASSESS CHANGE IN INTERPERSONAL FUNCTIONING FOLLOWING THE YBPG, AS REPORTED BY THE PARENTS AND CHILDREN. RESULTS: THE BERS-2 SCORES YIELDED CLINICALLY AND STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT MEAN IMPROVEMENTS ON THE PARENTS' RATINGS OF PARTICIPANTS' (1) INTERPERSONAL STRENGTH, INTRAPERSONAL STRENGTH, AND FAMILY INVOLVEMENT SCORES, WITH MEAN IMPROVEMENTS ON THOSE SUBSCALES BEING 1.4 (P=.007), 1.9 (P=.012), AND 1.4 (P=.045) POINTS, RESPECTIVELY; AND (2) STRENGTH INDEX SCORES, WITH A MEAN IMPROVEMENT OF 8.7 (P=.004). THE EFFECT SIZE WAS IN THE LARGE RANGE. IN ADDITION TO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS POSTTREATMENT, THE PARENTS' MEAN RATING SCORE OF THEIR CHILDREN'S FUNCTIONING WAS CLOSER BUT STILL LOWER THAN THE CHILDREN'S SELF-REPORTS ON ALL SUBSCALES. THE ATTENDANCE RATE FOR THE YBPG WAS AMONG THE HIGHEST FOR GROUP THERAPIES AT THE CENTER. CONCLUSIONS: THE STUDY PROVIDED PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE FOR THE FEASIBILITY OF YBPG AS AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR BOYS EXPOSED TO TRAUMA IN URBAN SETTINGS. 2016 2 1753 46 PILOTING YOGA AND ASSESSING OUTCOMES IN A RESIDENTIAL BEHAVIOURAL HEALTH UNIT. THIS STUDY EXAMINED IF ADOLESCENTS ON A RESIDENTIAL BEHAVIOURAL HEALTH UNIT WOULD PARTICIPATE IN A YOGA INTERVENTION. YOGA HAS BEEN USED AS A MIND-BODY PRACTICE FOR MORE THAN 2000 YEARS; HOWEVER, STUDIES ARE LIMITED REGARDING ITS EFFECTS ON ADOLESCENTS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS ON AN INPATIENT UNIT. YOGA WAS ADDED, TWICE WEEKLY, TO THE PROGRAM SCHEDULE. TRAIT EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE QUESTIONNAIRE-ADOLESCENT SHORT FORM (TEIQUE-ASF) SCORES WERE MEASURED OVER 8 WEEKS. ADDITIONAL MEASURES INCLUDED DAILY NUMBERS OF QUIET TIMES, TIME OUTS, AND POINT CARD SCORES. TWENTY-TWO ADOLESCENTS COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE TEIQUE-ASF ASSESSMENT WAS ABLE TO DETECT CHANGES IN TOTAL SCORES OVER 8 WEEKS. INCREASED YOGA PARTICIPATION WAS RELATED TO HIGHER VALUES OF THE TEIQUE-ASF SUBDOMAIN OF SOCIABILITY, INCREASE IN WEEKLY POINT CARD TOTALS, A DECREASE IN BEHAVIOURAL TIME OUTS, AND A DECREASE IN COMBINED BEHAVIOURAL INTERVENTIONS AT VARIOUS TIME POINTS THROUGHOUT THE PROGRAMME. THIS STUDY WAS RELEVANT BECAUSE IT WAS CONDUCTED ON AN ADOLESCENT INPATIENT UNIT. IT PROVIDES SUPPORT THAT YOGA, AS PART OF A RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMME, IS A FEASIBLE INTERVENTION FOR ADOLESCENTS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS. CHANGES IN THE VARIOUS MEASURES CANNOT BE DIRECTLY LINKED TO YOGA BECAUSE OF LACK OF A COMPARISON GROUP. ADDITIONAL STUDIES WITH A LARGER SAMPLE, AND RANDOMIZATION, ARE NEEDED TO EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA AND TO DETERMINE IF CHANGES TO THE TEIQUE-ASF CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO YOGA OR OTHER BEHAVIOURAL-BASED INTERVENTIONS. LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT HOW YOGA WILL IMPACT BEHAVIOURAL HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR ADOLESCENTS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS IN AN INPATIENT SETTING. THIS STUDY EXAMINED IF ADOLESCENTS ON A RESIDENTIAL BEHAVIOURAL HEALTH UNIT WOULD PARTICIPATE IN A YOGA INTERVENTION TO ADDRESS EMOTIONAL REGULATION. A SINGLE COHORT STUDY DESIGN WAS USED. YOGA WAS ADDED TO THE PROGRAMME SCHEDULE TWICE WEEKLY. TRAIT EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE QUESTIONNAIRE-ADOLESCENT SHORT FORM (TEIQUE-ASF) SCORES AND ADDITIONAL BEHAVIOURAL MEASURES WERE TRACKED OVER 8 WEEKS. ADOLESCENTS PARTICIPATED IN YOGA, WITH A HIGHER PARTICIPATION RATE FOR GIRLS COMPARED WITH BOYS. THE TEIQUE-ASF ASSESSMENT DETECTED CHANGES IN TOTAL SCORE OVER 8 WEEKS. INCREASED YOGA PARTICIPATION WAS RELATED TO HIGHER VALUES OF THE TEIQUE-ASF SUBDOMAIN OF SOCIABILITY, INCREASE IN WEEKLY POINT CARD TOTALS, AND A DECREASE IN COMBINED BEHAVIOURAL INTERVENTIONS AT VARIOUS TIME POINTS THROUGHOUT THE PROGRAMME. THIS STUDY WAS RELEVANT BECAUSE IT WAS CONDUCTED ON AN ADOLESCENT INPATIENT UNIT. FURTHER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO DETERMINE IF CHANGES CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO YOGA OR OTHER BEHAVIOURAL-BASED INTERVENTIONS. IF SUPPORTED BY FURTHER STUDIES, YOGA HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE A COMPLIMENTARY THERAPY THAT CAN BE INTEGRATED INTO THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY TREATMENT APPROACH FOR MENTAL HEALTH PATIENTS. 2015 3 1414 52 IMPLEMENTING YOGA THERAPY ADAPTED FOR OLDER VETERANS WHO ARE CANCER SURVIVORS. OBJECTIVES: THIS GOAL OF THIS PAPER IS TO DESCRIBE THE REACH, APPLICATION, AND EFFECTIVENESS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA THERAPY PROTOCOL WITH OLDER CANCER SURVIVORS WITHIN A VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION SETTING. METHODS: TO DOCUMENT THE REACH OF THIS INTERVENTION, RECRUITMENT EFFORTS, ATTENDANCE, AND PRACTICE RATES WERE TRACKED. TO EXPLORE THE APPLICATION OF THE PROTOCOL TO THIS POPULATION, PHYSICAL THERAPY PRE-ASSESSMENT AND OBSERVATIONS BY THE YOGA THERAPIST WERE RECORDED TO ASCERTAIN NECESSARY POSE MODIFICATIONS. EFFECTIVENESS WAS MEASURED THROUGH PRE- AND POST-COURSE STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS, TRACKING SELF-REPORTED SYMPTOMS OF COMBAT-RELATED POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, FATIGUE, INSOMNIA, AND PAIN. RESULTS: REGARDING REACH, 15% OF ELIGIBLE VETERANS (N = 14) ENROLLED, PARTICIPATED IN 3-16 CLASSES (M+/-SD = 11.64+/-3.39), AND PRACTICED AT HOME FOR 0-56 DAYS (M+/-SD = 26.36+/-17.87). PARTICIPANTS WERE PRIMARILY CAUCASIAN (N = 13), MALE (N = 13), RANGED IN AGE FROM 55 TO 78 YEARS (M+/-SD = 65.64+/-5.15), AND HAD MULTIPLE MEDICAL PROBLEMS. DURING APPLICATION, SUBSTANTIAL INDIVIDUALIZED MODIFICATIONS TO THE YOGA THERAPY PROTOCOL WERE NECESSARY. EFFECTIVENESS OF THE INTERVENTION WAS MIXED. DURING POST-COURSE INTERVIEWS, PARTICIPANTS REPORTED A VARIETY OF QUALITATIVE BENEFITS. NOTABLY, THE MAJORITY OF PARTICIPANTS REPORTED THAT BREATHING AND RELAXATION TECHNIQUES WERE THE MOST USEFUL TO LEARN. GROUP COMPARISONS OF MEAN PRE- AND POST-COURSE SCORES ON STANDARDIZED MEASURES SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES. CONCLUSIONS: A MINORITY OF OLDER VETERANS EXPRESS AN INTEREST IN YOGA, BUT THOSE WHO DO HAVE HIGH RATES OF CLASS ATTENDANCE AND HOME PRACTICE. CAREFUL PHYSICAL PRE-ASSESSMENT AND ATTENTIVE THERAPISTS ARE REQUIRED TO UNDERTAKE THE ADAPTATIONS REQUIRED BY PARTICIPANTS WITH MULTIPLE COMORBIDITIES. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN THIS SETTING REQUIRES ADDITIONAL STUDY. 2014 4 342 38 ASHTANGA YOGA FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS FOR WEIGHT MANAGEMENT AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL BEING: AN UNCONTROLLED OPEN PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON WEIGHT IN YOUTH AT RISK FOR DEVELOPING TYPE 2 DIABETES. SECONDARILY, THE IMPACT OF PARTICIPATION IN YOGA ON SELF-CONCEPT AND PSYCHIATRIC SYMPTOMS WAS MEASURED. METHODS: A 12-WEEK PROSPECTIVE PILOT ASHTANGA YOGA PROGRAM ENROLLED TWENTY CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS. WEIGHT WAS MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER THE PROGRAM. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED SELF-CONCEPT, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION INVENTORIES AT THE INITIATION AND COMPLETION OF THE PROGRAM. RESULTS: FOURTEEN PREDOMINATELY HISPANIC CHILDREN, AGES 8-15, COMPLETED THE PROGRAM. THE AVERAGE WEIGHT LOSS WAS 2KG. WEIGHT DECREASED FROM 61.2+/-20.2KG TO 59.2+/-19.2KG (P=0.01). FOUR OF FIVE CHILDREN WITH LOW SELF-ESTEEM IMPROVED, ALTHOUGH TWO HAD DECREASES IN SELF-ESTEEM. ANXIETY SYMPTOMS IMPROVED IN THE STUDY. CONCLUSION: ASHTANGA YOGA MAY BE BENEFICIAL AS A WEIGHT LOSS STRATEGY IN A PREDOMINATELY HISPANIC POPULATION. 2009 5 1751 26 PILOT STUDY: USE OF MINDFULNESS, SELF-COMPASSION, AND YOGA PRACTICES WITH LOW-INCOME AND/OR UNINSURED PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSION AND/OR ANXIETY. PURPOSE: THIS PILOT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MINDFULNESS PRACTICES, INCLUDING SELF-COMPASSION AND YOGA, ON DEPRESSION AND/OR ANXIETY IN UNINSURED AND/OR LOW-INCOME PATIENTS. DESIGN: THE DESIGN WAS REPEATED MEASURES WITH ONE GROUP. METHOD: PATIENTS RECEIVED 8 WEEKS OF MINDFULNESS TRAINING INCLUDING SELF-COMPASSION AND YOGA. DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS, SELF-COMPASSION, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING WERE MEASURED FOUR TIMES. FINDINGS: INTERVENTIONS WERE EFFECTIVE IN HELPING UNINSURED AND LOW-INCOME PATIENTS REDUCE DEPRESSION AND/OR ANXIETY SYMPTOMS. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY MAY HAVE IMPLICATIONS FOR A COST-EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR THESE DISORDERS. THE FINDINGS FROM THIS STUDY CAN PROVIDE USEFUL INFORMATION TO HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS. 2015 6 1230 42 FEASIBILITY AND OUTCOME OF AN ONLINE STREAMED YOGA INTERVENTION ON STRESS AND WELLBEING OF PEOPLE WORKING FROM HOME DURING COVID-19. BACKGROUND: THE OUTBREAK OF COVID-19 AND ITS ASSOCIATED MEASURES HAS RESULTED IN A SIZEABLE WORKING POPULATION TRANSITIONING TO WORKING FROM HOME (WFH), BRINGING ADDITIONAL CHALLENGES, AND INCREASING WORK-RELATED STRESS. RESEARCH HAS INDICATED THAT YOGA HAS PROMISING POTENTIAL IN REDUCING STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE. HOWEVER, THERE ARE VERY FEW STUDIES EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF ONLINE STREAMED YOGA ON STRESS MANAGEMENT FOR PEOPLE-WFH. OBJECTIVE: TO INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY AND OUTCOME OF AN ONLINE STREAMED YOGA INTERVENTION ON STRESS AND WELLBEING OF PEOPLE-WFH DURING COVID-19. METHODS: A SIX-WEEK PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) YOGA INTERVENTION WAS DESIGNED WITH YOGA (N = 26) AND A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 26). A MIXED TWO-WAY ANOVA WAS USED TO ASSESS CHANGES IN STANDARDISED OUTCOME MEASURES AT BASELINE AND POST-INTERVENTION. LIKERT AND OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS ASSESSED ENJOYMENT, ACCEPTABILITY AND PERCEIVED BENEFITS OF THE PROGRAM, WHICH WERE ANALYSED THEMATICALLY. RESULTS: COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL, THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PERCEIVED STRESS, MENTAL WELLBEING, DEPRESSION AND COPING SELF-EFFICACY, BUT NOT STRESS AND ANXIETY. PARTICIPANTS EXPERIENCED PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS AND REPORTED HIGH ACCEPTABILITY AND ENJOYMENT OF THE INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: AN ONLINE YOGA INTERVENTION CAN HELP PEOPLE WFH MANAGE STRESS AND ENHANCE WELLBEING AND COPING ABILITIES. 2021 7 1830 37 PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY AND SET-SHIFTING AMONG VETERANS PARTICIPATING IN A YOGA PROGRAM: A PILOT STUDY. INTRODUCTION: TRAUMA-FOCUSED PSYCHOTHERAPIES DO NOT MEET THE NEEDS OF ALL VETERANS. YOGA SHOWS SOME POTENTIAL IN REDUCING STRESS AND PERHAPS EVEN PTSD IN VETERANS, ALTHOUGH LITTLE IS UNDERSTOOD ABOUT THE MECHANISMS OF ACTION. THIS STUDY IDENTIFIES PRELIMINARY CORRELATES OF CHANGE IN PTSD AND PERCEIVED STRESS FOR VETERANS PARTICIPATING IN YOGA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: NINE VETERANS (SEVEN MALES AND TWO FEMALES) WERE RECRUITED FROM AN EXISTING CLINICAL YOGA PROGRAM AND OBSERVED OVER 16 WK. SEVERITY OF PTSD SYMPTOMS (PCL-5) AND PERCEIVED STRESS (PSS-10) WERE COLLECTED AT BASELINE AND WEEKS 4, 6, 8, AND 16. PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY (AAQ-II) AND SET-SHIFTING (RATIO OF TRAIL MAKING TEST A TO B) WERE COLLECTED AT BASELINE AND AT WEEK 6. SUBJECTS ATTENDED YOGA SESSIONS FREELY, RANGING FROM 1 TO 23 CLASSES OVER THE 16 WEEKS. THE STANFORD UNIVERSITY INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD APPROVED THIS RESEARCH PROTOCOL. RESULTS: SELF-REPORTED PTSD SYMPTOMS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED WHILE PERCEIVED STRESS DID NOT. LOWER BASELINE SET-SHIFTING PREDICTED GREATER IMPROVEMENTS IN PTSD BETWEEN BASELINE AND 4 WEEKS; EARLY IMPROVEMENTS IN SET-SHIFTING PREDICTED OVERALL REDUCTION IN PTSD. GREATER PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY WAS ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER PTSD AND PERCEIVED STRESS; MORE YOGA PRACTICE, BEFORE AND DURING THE STUDY, WAS ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY. OTHER PREDICTORS WERE NOT SUPPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: IN A SMALL UNCONTROLLED SAMPLE, PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY AND SET-SHIFTING PREDICTED CHANGES IN PTSD SYMPTOMS IN VETERANS PARTICIPATING IN A CLINICAL YOGA PROGRAM, WHICH SUPPORTS FINDINGS FROM PRIOR RESEARCH. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD INCLUDE AN ACTIVE COMPARISON GROUP AND RECORD FREQUENCY OF YOGA PRACTICED OUTSIDE FORMAL SESSIONS. 2018 8 719 49 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 9 2810 44 YOGA TO ENHANCE SELF EFFICACY: AN INTERVENTION FOR AT-RISK YOUTH. OBJECTIVE: YOGA HAS DEMONSTRATED EFFECTIVENESS IN IMPROVING SELF-MANAGEMENT IN A VARIETY OF DISEASE STATES HOWEVER LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE IMPACT OF YOGA AS A HEALTH PROMOTION INTERVENTION FOR ADOLESCENT FEMALES IN AN URBAN SCHOOL BASED ENVIRONMENT. THIS PILOT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE IF YOGA COULD IMPROVE THE SELF-EFFICACY AND BODY CORE TONE IN AT-RISK ADOLESCENT FEMALE PARTICIPANTS. METHOD: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN WAS EMPLOYED, WITH DATA COLLECTION AT BASELINE, END OF PROGRAM, AND 1MONTH POST-PROGRAM. FIFTEEN PARTICIPANTS AGES 11-14 WERE RECRUITED. YOGA WAS PRACTICED TWICE WEEKLY FOR EIGHT WEEKS. SELF-EFFICACY WAS MEASURED USING A STANDARDIZED TOOL, THE SELF-EFFICACY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR CHILDREN (SEQ-C). IMPROVEMENTS IN FLEXIBILITY AND CORE BODY TONE WERE ALSO EXAMINED. THE RESEARCHERS COLLECTED DATA ON ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EVENTS USING THE ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EVENT (ACES) SCALE. RESULTS: FIFTEEN PARTICIPANTS WERE SUCCESSFULLY RECRUITED AND 14 (87%) WERE RETAINED THROUGH THE DURATION OF THE PROJECT. BASED ON THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE, NON-PARAMETRIC TESTS WERE USED (FREIDMAN'S TEST). ALTHOUGH THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN TOTAL SEQ-C, THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN SEQ-C SOCIAL SUBSCALE (P=0.028). SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE ALSO IDENTIFIED IN WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE (P=0.001) AND IN FLEXIBILITY (P=0.034). CONCLUSIONS: PARTICIPANT ATTENDANCE/DOSE DID NOT CORRELATE TO ANY OF THE OUTCOMES, HOWEVER WITH THE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL IMPROVEMENTS NOTED, IT IS ASSUMED THAT ANY LEVEL OF ATTENDANCE WAS BENEFICIAL. IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SOCIAL SUBSCALE OF THE SEQ-C COULD BE THE RESULT OF BELONGING TO A GROUP AND STRENGTHENING HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS. 2018 10 1701 43 PARTICIPATION IN A YOGA STUDY DECREASES STRESS AND DEPRESSION SCORES FOR INCARCERATED WOMEN. INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS EXHIBIT A HIGH INCIDENCE OF STRESS-RELATED DISORDERS, INCLUDING ADDICTION AND POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD), AS WELL AS THE ADDED STRESS OF CAPTIVITY. ACCESS TO STRESS-REDUCTION TOOLS IS LIMITED FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS. ONE POSSIBLE APPROACH MAY BE REGULAR STRUCTURED YOGA CLASSES. USING TWO APPROACHES, WE TESTED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A BRIEF, INTENSIVE YOGA INTERVENTION IN A POPULATION OF INCARCERATED WOMEN IN A COUNTY JAIL. THE FIRST APPROACH WAS AN EXAMINATION OF ARCHIVAL DATA COLLECTED AS PART OF A PROGRAM ANALYSIS. INDIVIDUALS SHOWED CONSIDERABLE REDUCTION IN SELF-REPORTED STRESS FOLLOWING A SINGLE YOGA SESSION. THE SECOND APPROACH WAS AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY USING A WEEK-LONG YOGA INTERVENTION. THIRTY-FOUR PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP FOR THE FIRST WEEK. IN THE SECOND WEEK, THE CONDITIONS WERE REVERSED. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED WEEKLY, BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. BASELINE SCORES REVEALED HIGH RATES OF DEPRESSION, STRESS, AND EXPOSURE TO TRAUMATIC LIFE EVENTS COMPARED TO NORMATIVE DATA. STRESS AND DEPRESSION WERE ASSESSED USING THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE AND BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, RESPECTIVELY. COMPARED TO CONTROLS, PARTICIPANTS REPORTED LESS DEPRESSION AFTER A WEEK OF DAILY YOGA SESSIONS. PERCEIVED STRESS DECLINED UNDER BOTH CONTROL AND YOGA CONDITIONS. DUE TO THE TRANSIENT NATURE OF THE JAIL INSTITUTION, IT IS IMPORTANT TO EXAMINE INTERVENTIONS THAT CAN BE PROVIDED ON A SHORT-TERM BASIS. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE LIMITATIONS IN THIS STUDY, THE RESULTS SUPPORT THE CONCLUSION THAT THE BRIEF YOGA INTERVENTION HAD A POSITIVE EFFECT ON PARTICIPANTS' WELL-BEING. 2021 11 2183 63 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 12 1512 35 IS THERE MORE TO YOGA THAN EXERCISE? CONTEXT: YOGA IS INCREASING IN POPULARITY, WITH AN ESTIMATED 15 MILLION PRACTITIONERS IN THE UNITED STATES, YET THERE IS A DEARTH OF EMPIRICAL DATA ADDRESSING THE HOLISTIC BENEFITS OF YOGA. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL BENEFITS OF AN EXERCISE-BASED YOGA PRACTICE TO THAT OF A MORE COMPREHENSIVE YOGA PRACTICE (ONE WITH AN ETHICAL/SPIRITUAL COMPONENT). DESIGN: STUDENTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, OR STRESS AND WHO AGREED TO PARTICIPATE WERE ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THREE GROUPS: INTEGRATED YOGA, YOGA AS EXERCISE, CONTROL. PARTICIPANTS: A TOTAL OF 81 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS 18 YEARS AND OLDER AT A UNIVERSITY IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, STRESS, HOPE, AND SALIVARY CORTISOL. RESULTS: OVER TIME, PARTICIPANTS IN BOTH THE INTEGRATED AND EXERCISE YOGA GROUPS EXPERIENCED DECREASED DEPRESSION AND STRESS, AN INCREASED SENSE OF HOPEFULNESS, AND INCREASED FLEXIBILITY COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. HOWEVER, ONLY THE INTEGRATED YOGA GROUP EXPERIENCED DECREASED ANXIETY-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND DECREASED SALIVARY CORTISOL FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END OF THE STUDY. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA, PRACTICED IN A MORE INTEGRATED FORM, IE, WITH AN ETHICAL AND SPIRITUAL COMPONENT, MAY PROVIDE ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OVER YOGA PRACTICED AS AN EXERCISE REGIMEN. 2011 13 2812 53 YOGA TO REDUCE TRAUMA-RELATED DISTRESS AND EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL DIFFICULTIES AMONG CHILDREN LIVING IN ORPHANAGES IN HAITI: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: TO MEASURE TRAUMA-RELATED DISTRESS AND EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION (YI) IN REDUCING TRAUMA-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL DIFFICULTIES (EBD) AMONG CHILDREN LIVING IN ORPHANAGES IN HAITI. DESIGN: CASE COMPARISON WITH RANDOM ASSIGNMENT TO YI OR AEROBIC DANCE CONTROL (DC) PLUS A NONRANDOMIZED WAIT-LIST CONTROL (WLC) GROUP. SETTING: TWO ORPHANAGES FOR CHILDREN IN HAITI. PARTICIPANTS: 76 CHILDREN AGE 7 TO 17 YEARS. INTERVENTION: THE YI INCLUDED YOGA POSTURES, BREATHING EXERCISES, AND MEDITATION. THE DC GROUP LEARNED A SERIES OF DANCE ROUTINES. THE WLC GROUP RECEIVED SERVICES AS USUAL IN THE INSTITUTIONAL SETTING. AFTER COMPLETION OF DATA COLLECTION, THE WLC GROUP RECEIVED BOTH YOGA AND DANCE CLASSES FOR 8 WEEKS. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE UCLA PTSD REACTION INDEX AND THE STRENGTHS AND DIFFICULTIES QUESTIONNAIRE WERE USED TO INDICATE TRAUMA-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND EBD, RESPECTIVELY. A WITHIN-SUBJECT ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED TO COMPARE PRE- AND POST-TREATMENT SCORES. A POST-TREATMENT YOGA EXPERIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE EVALUATED ACCEPTABILITY OF THE YI. RESULTS: ANALYSES OF VARIANCE REVEALED A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT (F[2,28]=3.30; P=0.05) OF THE YI ON THE TRAUMA-RELATED SYMPTOM SCORES. REGRESSION ANALYSES SHOWED THAT PARTICIPATION IN EITHER 8 WEEKS OF YOGA OR DANCE CLASSES SUGGESTED A REDUCTION IN TRAUMA-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND EBD, ALTHOUGH THIS FINDING WAS NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P>0.05). RESPONDENTS REPORTED SATISFACTION WITH THE YOGA PROGRAM AND IMPROVED WELL-BEING. CONCLUSIONS: CHILDREN WITH TRAUMA-RELATED DISTRESS SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS IN SYMPTOMS AFTER PARTICIPATION IN AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM COMPARED TO CONTROLS. YOGA IS A FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE ACTIVITY WITH SELF-REPORTED BENEFITS TO CHILD MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO FURTHER EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA TO RELIEVE TRAUMA-RELATED DISTRESS AND PROMOTE WELL-BEING AMONG CHILDREN. 2015 14 893 29 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 15 2112 32 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 16 2461 41 YOGA AS A NOVEL ADJUVANT THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH IDIOPATHIC INFLAMMATORY MYOPATHIES. CONTEXT: RECENT STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS WELL TOLERATED BY PATIENTS WITH IDIOPATHIC INFLAMMATORY MYOPATHIES (IIMS) AND CAN HAVE ADDITIONAL BENEFITS AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY TO PHARMACOLOGIC AGENTS, ESPECIALLY IF STARTED EARLY. TO DATE, NO STUDIES HAVE EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PATIENTS WITH IIMS. AIMS: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SELF-REPORTED DIFFICULTY IN PERFORMING ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING (ADL) AND MUSCLE STRENGTH IN PATIENTS WITH MILD-TO-MODERATE IIMS. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A LONGITUDINAL COHORT STUDY IN WHICH PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED USING THE MYOSITIS ACTIVITIES PROFILE (MAP) AND MANUAL MUSCLE TESTING (MMT) BEFORE AND AFTER THE COMPLETION OF AN 8-WEEK INSTRUCTOR-GUIDED YOGA COURSE WAS PERFORMED. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: WILCOXON SIGNED-RANKED TEST WAS PERFORMED FOR STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. RESULTS: THE AVERAGE POSTTREATMENT MAP SCORES OF SIX PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED AN INCREASE OF 2.51 POINTS, WHILE THE AVERAGE MMT SCORE OF FOUR PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED AN INCREASE OF 11 POINTS. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY IS THE FIRST STUDY TO DATE TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH IIM. CONTINUED RESEARCH SHOULD BE DONE ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY, FOR IN ADDITION TO INCREASE IN MUSCLE STRENGTH AND ABILITY TO PERFORM ADL, YOGA MAY OFFER POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS IN MOOD, MENTAL HEALTH, AND SLEEP. 2021 17 2871 38 YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE FACILITATES SUSTAINED ATTENTION IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN: A PILOT STUDY. CONTEXT: THE EXPERIENCE OF PAIN STRONGLY INFLUENCES SUSTAINED ATTENTION, WHICH IS IMPORTANT FOR NEUROCOGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING SUSTAINED ATTENTION BY ATTENUATING PAIN IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN. HENCE, WE AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF A YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE ON SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND SELF-REPORTED PAIN DISABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 22 MEN AGED 30 TO 50 YEARS WITH LOW BACK PAIN WERE RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY. THEY WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE YOGA (N = 11) OR CONTROL (N = 11) GROUPS. THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED A YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE (YBRT) 1 HOUR A DAY FOR 4 WEEKS AND THE CONTROL GROUP MAINTAINED THEIR USUAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY REGIMEN. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED THE SUSTAINED ATTENTION TO RESPONSE TASK (SART) AND THE OSWESTRY LOW BACK PAIN DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (OLBPDQ) MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER THE 4-WEEK INTERVENTION. RESULTS: THE STUDY SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN ALL SELF-REPORTED OLBPDQ DOMAINS AND IMPROVEMENT IN SUSTAINED ATTENTION IN A BEFORE AND AFTER COMPARISON 4 WEEKS FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION. PEARSON'S CORRELATION ALSO SHOWED A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND PAIN REDUCTION FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: THE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT YOGA PRACTICE REDUCES PAIN AND SIMULTANEOUSLY IMPROVES INFORMATION PROCESSING SPEED WITH IMPULSE CONTROL DURING THE PERFORMANCE OF A SUSTAINED ATTENTION TASK. 2020 18 2237 46 THE IMPACTS OF PILATES AND YOGA ON HEALTH-PROMOTING BEHAVIORS AND SUBJECTIVE HEALTH STATUS. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATES WHETHER PILATES AND YOGA LEAD PEOPLE TO ADOPT GENERALLY HEALTH-PROMOTING LIFESTYLE ELEMENTS AND FEEL BETTER ABOUT THEIR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL FITNESS. TO THIS END, WE DESIGNED AN 8 WEEK EXERCISE PROGRAM OF PILATES AND YOGA REVIEWED BY VETERAN PRACTITIONERS AND CONDUCTED AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY THROUGH WHICH WE COLLECTED THE DATA FROM 90 VOLUNTEERED ADULT SUBJECTS BETWEEN AGES 30 AND 49 (MEAN AGE = 35.47), EQUALLY REPRESENTED BY WOMEN AND MEN WITHOUT PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITH PILATES OR YOGA. IN THE 8 WEEK LONG EXPERIMENT, WE ASSIGNED THE SUBJECTS TO THREE GROUPS, WHERE SUBJECTS IN THE TWO EXERCISE GROUPS REGULARLY TOOK PART IN EITHER PILATES OR YOGA CLASSES, AND THE CONTROL GROUP PARTICIPATED IN NEITHER EXERCISE CLASSES. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED TWO SURVEYS, THE HEALTH-PROMOTING LIFESTYLE PROFILE (HPLP II) AND THE HEALTH SELF-RATING SCALE (HSRS), BEFORE AND AFTER THEIR ASSIGNED PROGRAM. IN OUR ANALYSIS OF PRE- AND POST-TREATMENT DIFFERENCES ACROSS THE THREE GROUPS, WE RAN ANOVA, ANCOVA, AND SHEFFE TEST, IMPLEMENTED USING SPSS PASW STATISTICS 18.00. OUR RESULTS INDICATE THAT PILATES AND YOGA GROUPS EXHIBITED A HIGHER ENGAGEMENT IN HEALTH-PROMOTING BEHAVIORS THAN THE CONTROL GROUP AFTER THE PROGRAM. SUBJECTIVE HEALTH STATUS, MEASURED WITH HSRS, ALSO IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY AMONG PILATES AND YOGA PARTICIPANTS COMPARED TO THOSE IN THE CONTROL GROUP AFTER THE PROGRAM. THE SUPPLEMENTARY ANALYSIS FINDS NO SIGNIFICANT GENDER-BASED DIFFERENCE IN THESE IMPACTS. OVERALL, OUR RESULTS CONFIRM THAT PILATES AND YOGA HELP RECRUIT HEALTH-PROMOTING BEHAVIORS IN PARTICIPANTS AND ENGENDER POSITIVE BELIEFS ABOUT THEIR SUBJECTIVE HEALTH STATUS, THEREBY SETTING A POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT CYCLE IN MOTION. BY PROVIDING CLEAR EVIDENCE THAT THE PROMOTION OF PILATES OR YOGA CAN SERVE AS AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION STRATEGY THAT HELPS INDIVIDUALS CHANGE BEHAVIORS ADVERSE TO THEIR HEALTH, THIS STUDY OFFERS PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS AND PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS ALIKE. 2021 19 1369 27 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 20 2207 46 THE FEASIBILITY AND BENEFITS OF A 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION FOR PEDIATRIC CANCER OUT-PATIENTS. BACKGROUND: INCREASING RATES OF SURVIVAL PRESENT A NEW SET OF PSYCHOSOCIAL AND PHYSICAL CHALLENGES FOR CHILDREN UNDERGOING TREATMENT FOR CANCER. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (PA) HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE STRATEGY TO MITIGATE THE SIGNIFICANT BURDEN OF CANCER AND ITS TREATMENTS, WITH YOGA INCREASINGLY GAINING RECOGNITION AS A GENTLE ALTERNATIVE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND BENEFITS OF A 12-WEEK COMMUNITY-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQL), SELECT PHYSICAL FITNESS OUTCOMES AND PA LEVELS (PAL). PROCEDURE: EIGHT PEDIATRIC CANCER OUT-PATIENTS (4 MALE; 4 FEMALE; MAGE = 11.88, SD = 4.26) PARTICIPATED IN THE 12-WEEK INTERVENTION CONSISTING OF SUPERVISED YOGA SESSIONS 2 TIMES/WEEK. PARTICIPANTS (PATIENTS AND PARENT PROXIES) COMPLETED MEASURES ASSESSING HRQL, PHYSICAL FITNESS AND PAL AT BASELINE AND POST-INTERVENTION. RESULTS: RATES OF RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, ATTENDANCE AND ADVERSE EVENTS INDICATED THE PROGRAM WAS FEASIBLE. WILCOXON SIGNED RANK TESTS INDICATED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS FOR PATIENT (P = 0.02) AND PARENT REPORTED HRQL (P = 0.03), FUNCTIONAL MOBILITY (P = 0.01), HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY (LEFT, P = 0.01 AND RIGHT P = 0.02), AND TOTAL PAL (P = 0.02) PRE TO POST INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: THIS 12-WEEK COMMUNITY-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION WAS FEASIBLE AND PROVIDES PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE FOR THE BENEFITS OF YOGA ON HRQL, PHYSICAL FITNESS AND PAL IN PEDIATRIC CANCER OUT-PATIENTS. IN A POPULATION WHERE SEDENTARY BEHAVIOR AND THE ASSOCIATED CO-MORBIDITIES ARE A GROWING CONCERN, THESE RESULTS PROMOTE THE CONTINUED EXPLORATION OF YOGA PROGRAMMING. 2014