1 2823 117 YOGA VERSUS AEROBIC ACTIVITY: EFFECTS ON SPIROMETRY RESULTS AND MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE. OBJECTIVE: TO CLARIFY WHETHER, IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS, PRACTICING YOGA CAN MODIFY MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE AND SPIROMETRIC INDICES WHEN COMPARED WITH THE PRACTICE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE. MEYHODS: A CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL. A TOTAL OF 31 HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS WERE ALLOCATED TO PRACTICE AEROBIC EXERCISE (N = 15) OR TO PRACTICE YOGA (N = 16). THOSE IN THE FIRST GROUP SERVED AS CONTROLS AND ENGAGED IN AEROBIC EXERCISE FOR 45-60 MINUTES, TWICE A WEEK FOR THREE MONTHS. THOSE IN THE SECOND GROUP PRACTICED SELECTED YOGIC TECHNIQUES, ALSO IN SESSIONS OF 45-60 MINUTES, TWICE A WEEK FOR THREE MONTHS. FORCED VITAL CAPACITY, FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN ONE SECOND AND MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER THE THREE MONTHS OF TRAINING. RESULTS: NO SIGNIFICANT ALTERATIONS WERE SEEN IN THE SPIROMETRIC INDICES. A SLIGHT, ALTHOUGH NOT SIGNIFICANT, IMPROVEMENT IN MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE WAS SEEN IN BOTH GROUPS. HOWEVER, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE, SEEN IN BOTH GENDERS, BETWEEN THE ABSOLUTE DELTA (FINAL VALUE MINUS BASELINE VALUE) OF MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE FOR THE GROUP PRACTICING YOGA AND THAT OBTAINED FOR THE GROUP ENGAGING IN AEROBIC EXERCISE (MALES: 19.5 CM H2O VERSUS 2.8 CM H2O, P = 0.05; FEMALES: 20 CM H2O VERSUS 3.9 CM H2O, P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: NEITHER YOGA NOR AEROBIC EXERCISE PROVIDED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE AFTER THREE MONTHS. HOWEVER, THE ABSOLUTE VARIATION IN MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE WAS GREATER AMONG THOSE PRACTICING YOGA. 2006 2 967 29 EFFECTS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING AND YOGA ON THE BAROREFLEX IN HEALTHY ELDERLY PERSONS. IT IS UNCLEAR WHETHER THE AGE-ASSOCIATED REDUCTION IN BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY IS MODIFIABLE BY EXERCISE TRAINING. THE EFFECTS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING AND YOGA, A NON-AEROBIC CONTROL INTERVENTION, ON THE BAROREFLEX OF ELDERLY PERSONS WAS DETERMINED. BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY WAS QUANTIFIED BY THE ALPHA-INDEX, AT HIGH FREQUENCY (HF; 0.15-0.35 HZ, REFLECTING PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY) AND MID-FREQUENCY (MF; 0.05-0.15 HZ, REFLECTING SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY AS WELL), DERIVED FROM SPECTRAL AND CROSS-SPECTRAL ANALYSIS OF SPONTANEOUS FLUCTUATIONS IN HEART RATE AND BLOOD PRESSURE. TWENTY-SIX (10 WOMEN) SEDENTARY, HEALTHY, NORMOTENSIVE ELDERLY (MEAN 68 YEARS, RANGE 62-81 YEARS) SUBJECTS WERE STUDIED. FOURTEEN (4 WOMEN) OF THE SEDENTARY ELDERLY SUBJECTS COMPLETED 6 WEEKS OF AEROBIC TRAINING, WHILE THE OTHER 12 (6 WOMEN) SUBJECTS COMPLETED 6 WEEKS OF YOGA. HEART RATE DECREASED FOLLOWING YOGA (69 +/- 8 VS. 61 +/- 7 MIN-1, P < 0.05) BUT NOT AEROBIC TRAINING (66 +/- 8 VS. 63 +/- 9 MIN-1, P = 0.29). VO2 MAX INCREASED BY 11% FOLLOWING YOGA (P < 0.01) AND BY 24% FOLLOWING AEROBIC TRAINING (P < 0.01). NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN ALPHA MF (6.5 +/- 3.5 VS. 6.2 +/- 3.0 MS MMHG-1, P = 0.69) OR ALPHA HF (8.5 +/- 4.7 VS. 8.9 +/- 3.5 MS MMHG-1, P = 0.65) OCCURRED AFTER AEROBIC TRAINING. FOLLOWING YOGA, ALPHA HF (8.0 +/- 3.6 VS. 11.5 +/- 5.2 MS MMHG-1, P < 0.01) BUT NOT ALPHA MF (6.5 +/- 3.0 VS. 7.6 +/- 2.8 MS MMHG-1, P = 0.29) INCREASED. SHORT-DURATION AEROBIC TRAINING DOES NOT MODIFY THE ALPHA-INDEX AT ALPHA MF OR ALPHA HF IN HEALTHY NORMOTENSIVE ELDERLY SUBJECTS. ALPHA HF BUT NOT ALPHA MF INCREASED FOLLOWING YOGA, SUGGESTING THAT THESE PARAMETERS ARE MEASURING DISTINCT ASPECTS OF THE BAROREFLEX THAT ARE SEPARATELY MODIFIABLE. 1997 3 404 30 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 4 2828 42 YOGA VERSUS PHYSICAL EXERCISE FOR CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS IN ADOLESCENT SCHOOL CHILDREN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND YOGA IS VERY EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING HEALTH ESPECIALLY CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS AND ALSO OVERALL PERFORMANCE IN ADOLESCENTS. THERE ARE NO LARGE NUMBERS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDIES CONDUCTED ON COMPARING YOGA WITH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS IN ADOLESCENT SCHOOL CHILDREN WITH LARGE SAMPLE SIZE. OBJECTIVE AEROBIC TRAINING IS KNOWN TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL AND CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS IN CHILDREN. CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS IS AN IMPORTANT INDICATOR OF HEALTH IN CHILDREN. IN THIS STUDY WE EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA VERSUS PHYSICAL EXERCISE TRAINING ON CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS IN ADOLESCENT SCHOOL CHILDREN. SUBJECTS EIGHT HUNDRED TWO SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM 10 SCHOOLS ACROSS FOUR DISTRICTS WERE RECRUITED FOR THIS STUDY. METHODS IN THIS PROSPECTIVE TWO ARM RCT AROUND 802 STUDENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE DAILY ONE HOUR YOGA TRAINING (N = 411) OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE (N = 391) OVER A PERIOD OF TWO MONTHS. VO2 MAX WAS ESTIMATED USING 20 M SHUTTLE RUN TEST. HOWEVER, YOGA (N = 377) AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE (N = 371) STUDENTS CONTRIBUTED DATA TO THE ANALYSES. DATA WAS ANALYSED USING STUDENTS T TEST. RESULTS THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN VO2 MAX USING 20 M SHUTTLE RUN TEST IN BOTH YOGA (P < 0.001) AND EXERCISE (P < 0.001) GROUP FOLLOWING INTERVENTION. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN VO2 MAX BETWEEN YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP FOLLOWING INTERVENTION. HOWEVER, IN THE SUBGROUP WITH AN ABOVE MEDIAN CUT-OFF OF VO2 MAX; THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP FOLLOWING INTERVENTION (P = 0.03). CONCLUSION THE RESULTS SUGGEST YOGA CAN IMPROVE CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS AND AEROBIC CAPACITY AS PHYSICAL EXERCISE INTERVENTION IN ADOLESCENT SCHOOL CHILDREN. 2018 5 2045 29 THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTION. BACKGROUND: DESPITE AN INCREASE IN THE PREVALENCE OF YOGA EXERCISE, RESEARCH FOCUSING ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA EXERCISE AND COGNITION IS LIMITED. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN ACUTE YOGA EXERCISE SESSION, RELATIVE TO AEROBIC EXERCISE, ON COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. METHODS: A REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN WAS EMPLOYED WHERE 30 FEMALE COLLEGE-AGED PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE = 20.07, SD = 1.95) COMPLETED 3 COUNTERBALANCED TESTING SESSIONS: A YOGA EXERCISE SESSION, AN AEROBIC EXERCISE SESSION, AND A BASELINE ASSESSMENT. THE FLANKER AND N-BACK TASKS WERE USED TO MEASURE COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. RESULTS: RESULTS SHOWED THAT COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE AFTER THE YOGA EXERCISE BOUT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY SUPERIOR (IE, SHORTER REACTION TIMES, INCREASED ACCURACY) AS COMPARED WITH THE AEROBIC AND BASELINE CONDITIONS FOR BOTH INHIBITION AND WORKING MEMORY TASKS. THE AEROBIC AND BASELINE PERFORMANCE WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT, CONTRADICTING SOME OF THE PREVIOUS FINDINGS IN THE ACUTE AEROBIC EXERCISE AND COGNITION LITERATURE. CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS ARE DISCUSSED RELATIVE TO THE NEED TO EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF OTHER NONTRADITIONAL MODES OF EXERCISE SUCH AS YOGA ON COGNITION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF TIME ELAPSED BETWEEN THE CESSATION OF THE EXERCISE BOUT AND THE INITIATION OF COGNITIVE ASSESSMENTS IN IMPROVING TASK PERFORMANCE. 2013 6 1028 27 EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISE ON MAXIMUM OXYGEN UPTAKE, CORTISOL LEVEL, AND CREATINE KINASE MYOCARDIAL BOND ACTIVITY IN FEMALE PATIENTS WITH SKELETAL MUSCLE PAIN SYNDROME. [PURPOSE] THIS STUDY ANALYZED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISE ON MAXIMUM OXYGEN UPTAKE, CORTISOL LEVEL, AND CREATINE KINASE MYOCARDIAL BOND ACTIVITY IN FEMALE PATIENTS WITH SKELETAL MUSCLE PAIN SYNDROME. [SUBJECTS] THE SUBJECTS WERE 24 FEMALE PATIENTS WITH SKELETAL MUSCLE PAIN SYNDROME. [METHODS] THE SUBJECTS WERE DIVIDED INTO 2 GROUPS: A YOGA EXERCISE GROUP (N = 12) AND A NON-EXERCISE CONTROL GROUP (N = 12). BODY COMPOSITION, MAXIMUM OXYGEN UPTAKE, CORTISOL LEVEL, AND CREATINE KINASE MYOCARDIAL BOND ACTIVITY WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER A 12-WEEK YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM. [RESULTS] AFTER THE 12-WEEK YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM, THE EXERCISE GROUP EXHIBITED SLIGHTLY HIGHER MAXIMUM OXYGEN UPTAKE AND CREATINE KINASE MYOCARDIAL BOND ACTIVITY THAN THE CONTROL GROUP, BUT THE DIFFERENCES WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. IN ADDITION, THE EXERCISE GROUP EXHIBITED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN CORTISOL LEVEL. [CONCLUSION] REGULAR AND CONTINUOUS AEROBIC EXERCISE SUCH AS YOGA IMPROVES BODY COMPOSITION, MAXIMUM OXYGEN UPTAKE, CORTISOL LEVEL, AND CREATINE KINASE MYOCARDIAL BOND ACTIVITY IN FEMALE PATIENTS WITH SKELETAL MUSCLE PAIN SYNDROME. 2015 7 640 34 DO YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING HAVE IMPACT ON FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY, FATIGUE, PERIPHERAL MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS? AIM: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING AND YOGA ON THE FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY, PERIPHERAL MUSCLE STRENGTH, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), AND FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 52 PATIENTS WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF BREAST CANCER WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. THE PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO 2 GROUPS: AEROBIC EXERCISE (N = 28) AND YOGA ADDED TO AEROBIC EXERCISE (N = 24). BOTH GROUPS PARTICIPATED IN SUBMAXIMAL EXERCISE 30 MINUTES/D, 3 D/WK FOR 6 WEEKS. THE SECOND GROUP PARTICIPATED IN A 1-HOUR YOGA PROGRAM IN ADDITION TO AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING. FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY WAS ASSESSED BY THE 6-MINUTE WALK TEST (6MWT). PERIPHERAL MUSCLE STRENGTH WAS EVALUATED WITH A HAND-HELD DYNAMOMETER. THE FATIGUE SEVERITY LEVEL WAS ASSESSED WITH THE FATIGUE SEVERITY SCALE (FSS). THE QOL WAS DETERMINED BY THE EUROPEAN ORGANISATION FOR RESEARCH AND TREATMENT OF CANCER QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE. RESULTS: THERE WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN PERIPHERAL MUSCLE STRENGTH, THE 6MWT DISTANCE, AND THE PERCEPTION OF QOL IN BOTH GROUPS (P < .05). ADDITIONALLY, THE GROUP WITH AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA SHOWED MARKED IMPROVEMENT COMPARED WITH THE AEROBIC EXERCISE GROUP IN FATIGUE PERCEPTION (P < .05). CONCLUSION: ACCORDING TO THE DATA FROM THIS STUDY, AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING AND YOGA IMPROVED THE FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY AND QOL OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. AEROBIC EXERCISE PROGRAMS CAN BE SUPPORTED BY BODY MIND TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS YOGA, IN THE REHABILITATION OF CANCER PATIENTS FOR IMPROVING FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY AND PSYCHOSOCIAL WELLNESS. 2015 8 1759 32 POSITIVE EFFECT OF YOGA ON CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS: A PILOT STUDY. INTRODUCTION: CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD) IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. AN INTEGRAL PART OF PRIMARY PREVENTION IS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. ONE FORM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO BE POTENTIALLY USED IS YOGA, BUT THIS ACTIVITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER ENERGY EXPENDITURE THAN THAT RECOMMENDED FOR PREVENTION. THE STUDY AIMED AT ASSESSING THE EFFECT OF REGULAR YOGA SESSIONS ON THE AEROBIC CAPACITY OF THE PRACTITIONERS AND COMPARING IT WITH THE NORMAL POPULATION PERFORMING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY RECOMMENDED BY GUIDELINES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: FIFTY-EIGHT PERSONS (16 MALES) WITH A MEAN AGE OF 50.0 +/- 11.06 YEARS COMPRISING THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED YOGA FOR AT LEAST 1 H A DAY FOR OVER 2 YEARS. THEY UNDERWENT SPIROERGOMETRY UNDER MAXIMAL EXERCISE TESTING TO ASSESS BASIC PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS. THEIR RESULTS WERE COMPARED WITH THOSE IN 54 AGE-MATCHED CONTROLS (16 MALES MEAN AGE OF 48 +/- 11.86 YEARS PERFORMING A REGULAR AEROBIC PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR AT LEAST 7 H A WEEK. RESULTS: THE YOGA GROUP HAD STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE PER KILOGRAM (P = 0.007) AND MAXIMUM OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER KILOGRAM PER MINUTE (P = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS: DESPITE LOW ENERGY EXPENDITURE, YOGA PRACTICES ARE BETTER IN SOME CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS PARAMETERS THAN OTHER AEROBIC ACTIVITIES RECOMMENDED BY CURRENT GUIDELINES FOR CVD PREVENTION. 2015 9 1995 27 STATE ANXIETY, PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AND POSITIVE WELL-BEING RESPONSES TO YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISE IN PEOPLE WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA: A PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: WORSENING OF SCHIZOPHRENIA SYMPTOMS IS RELATED TO STRESS AND ANXIETY. PEOPLE WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA OFTEN EXPERIENCE DIFFICULTIES IN COPING WITH STRESS AND POSSESS A LIMITED REPERTOIRE OF COPING STRATEGIES. A RANDOMISED COMPARATIVE TRIAL WAS UNDERTAKEN IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA TO EVALUATE CHANGES IN STATE ANXIETY, PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING AFTER SINGLE SESSIONS OF YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISE COMPARED WITH A CONTROL CONDITION. METHOD: FORTY PARTICIPANTS PERFORMED A SINGLE 30-MIN YOGA SESSION, 20-MIN OF AEROBIC EXERCISE ON A BICYCLE ERGOMETRE AT SELF-SELECTED INTENSITY AND A 20-MIN NO EXERCISE CONTROL CONDITION IN RANDOM ORDER. RESULTS: AFTER SINGLE SESSIONS OF YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISE INDIVIDUALS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA OR SCHIZOAFFECTIVE DISORDER SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED STATE ANXIETY (P < 0.0001), DECREASED PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS (P < 0.0001) AND INCREASED SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING (P < 0.0001) COMPARED TO A NO EXERCISE CONTROL CONDITION. EFFECT SIZES RANGED FROM 0.82 FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AFTER AEROBIC EXERCISE TO 1.01 FOR STATE ANXIETY AFTER YOGA. THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CHANGES DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY BETWEEN YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISE. CONCLUSION: PEOPLE WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA AND PHYSIOTHERAPISTS CAN CHOOSE EITHER YOGA OR AEROBIC EXERCISE IN REDUCING ACUTE STRESS AND ANXIETY TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE PERSONAL PREFERENCE OF EACH INDIVIDUAL. 2011 10 1147 34 ENERGY EXPENDITURE DURING A VINYASA YOGA SESSION. BACKGROUND: VINYASA YOGA HAS BEEN RECENTLY PROMOTED AS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR MINDFUL EXERCISES TO IMPROVE OVERALL HEALTH, INCLUDING BODY WEIGHT MANAGEMENT. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE METABOLIC RESPONSE OF 24 MODERATELY TRAINED INDIVIDUALS DURING A 90-MIN GROUP VINYASA YOGA ROUTINE. METHODS: HEART RATE (HR) TIME COURSE OF 12 MALES AND 12 FEMALES (AGE: 39+/-7.33 YEARS) WAS RECORDED DURING TWO GROUP VINYASA YOGA SESSIONS CONSISTED OF FOUR SECTIONS (WARM-UP, HIGH-INTENSITY SURYA NAMASKAR (HSN), NO SURYA NAMASKAR POSTURES, AND COOL-DOWN). MAXIMAL OXYGEN UPTAKE (VO2PEAK) AND MAXIMUM HR HAD BEEN ESTIMATED EARLIER AFTER A MAXIMAL TREADMILL TEST. VO2 DURING VINYASA YOGA SESSIONS WAS ESTIMATED FROM INDIVIDUAL REGRESSION EQUATIONS USING THE RELATIONSHIP OF VO2 AND HR VALUES DERIVED FROM VO2PEAK TEST, WHILE THE METABOLIC RATE (KCAL/MIN) WAS CALCULATED FROM THE RELATIONSHIP OF HR AND KCAL/MIN. TOTAL SESSION ENERGY CONSUMPTION WAS THE AVERAGE VALUE OF THE TWO YOGA SESSIONS. RESULTS: THE 2 (GENDER) X 4 (SECTIONS) MIXED ANOVA REVEALED NO SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION BETWEEN THE TWO FACTORS (P=0.101) FOR THE MEAN METABOLIC RATE (7.1+/-2.6 KCAL/MIN). MEAN METABOLIC RATE THOUGHT WAS HIGHER (P=0.015) IN MALES COMPARED TO FEMALES AT EACH SECTION. ALSO, SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND AMONG THE FOUR VINYASA YOGA SECTIONS (P<0.001) IN THE RATE OF ENERGY EXPENDITURE, WITH HSN PRESENTING THE HIGHEST MEAN VALUES (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: IT SEEMS THAT SYSTEMATIC PARTICIPATION IN VINYASA YOGA MAY EFFECTIVELY IMPROVE CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS AND PROMOTE BODY WEIGHT LOSS, AS AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD TO TRADITIONAL AEROBIC EXERCISE. 2020 11 439 30 CARDIOVASCULAR, CELLULAR, AND NEURAL ADAPTATIONS TO HOT YOGA VERSUS NORMAL-TEMPERATURE YOGA. CONTEXT: CHRONIC HEAT EXPOSURE PROMOTES CARDIOVASCULAR AND CELLULAR ADAPTATIONS, IMPROVING AN ORGANISM'S ABILITY TO TOLERATE SUBSEQUENT STRESSORS. HEAT EXPOSURE MAY ALSO PROMOTE NEURAL ADAPTATIONS AND ALTER THE NEURAL-HORMONAL STRESS RESPONSE. HOT-TEMPERATURE YOGA (HY) COMBINES MIND-BODY EXERCISE WITH HEAT EXPOSURE. THE ADDED HEAT COMPONENT IN HY MAY INDUCE CARDIOVASCULAR AND CELLULAR CHANGES, ALONG WITH NEURAL BENEFITS AND MODULATION OF STRESS HORMONES. AIMS: THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT STUDY IS TO COMPARE THE CARDIOVASCULAR, CELLULAR HEAT SHOCK PROTEIN 70 (HSP70), NEURAL, AND HORMONAL ADAPTATIONS OF HY VERSUS NORMAL-TEMPERATURE YOGA (NY). SETTINGS AND DESIGN: TWENTY-TWO SUBJECTS (MALES = 11 AND FEMALES = 11, 26 +/- 6 YEARS) COMPLETED 4 WEEKS OF NY (N = 11) OR HY (N = 11, 41 DEGREES C, 40% HUMIDITY). YOGA SESSIONS WERE PERFORMED 3 TIMES/WEEK FOLLOWING A MODIFIED BIKRAM PROTOCOL. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: PRE- AND POSTTESTING INCLUDED (1) HEMODYNAMIC MEASURES DURING A HEAT TOLERANCE TEST AND MAXIMAL AEROBIC FITNESS TEST; (2) NEURAL AND HORMONAL ADAPTATIONS USING SERUM BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF) AND ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE (ACTH), ALONG WITH A MENTAL STRESS QUESTIONNAIRE; AND (3) CELLULAR ADAPTATIONS (HSP70) IN PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS (PBMCS). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: WITHIN- AND BETWEEN-GROUP STUDENT'S T-TEST ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED TO COMPARE PRE- AND POST-VO2 MAX, PERCEIVED STRESS, BDNF, HSP70, AND ACTH IN HY AND NY GROUPS. RESULTS: MAXIMAL AEROBIC FITNESS INCREASED IN THE HY GROUP ONLY. NO EVIDENCE OF HEAT ACCLIMATION OR CHANGE IN MENTAL STRESS WAS OBSERVED. SERUM BDNF SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN YOGA GROUPS COMBINED. ANALYSIS OF HSP70 SUGGESTED HIGHER EXPRESSION OF HSP70 IN THE HY GROUP ONLY. CONCLUSIONS: TWELVE SESSIONS OF HY PROMOTED CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS AND CELLULAR THERMOTOLERANCE ADAPTATIONS. SERUM BDNF INCREASED IN RESPONSE TO YOGA (NY + HY) AND APPEARED TO NOT BE TEMPERATURE DEPENDENT. 2021 12 771 35 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 13 2242 31 THE INFLUENCE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND YOGA ON CENTRAL ARTERIAL STIFFNESS. PURPOSE: CENTRAL ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IS AN ACCEPTED RISK FACTOR FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. WHILE AEROBIC ACTIVITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED STIFFNESS THE INFLUENCE OF PRACTICING YOGA IS UNKNOWN. THE AIMS OF THIS STUDY WERE TO: 1) EVALUATE ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IN MIDDLE-AGED ADULTS WHO REGULARLY PRACTICED YOGA, PERFORMED REGULAR EXERCISE, OR WERE INACTIVE, 2) EVALUATE THE REPRODUCIBILITY OF ARTERIAL STIFFNESS MEASURED IN THE LEFT AND RIGHT CAROTID ARTERY AND BY PULSE WAVE VELOCITY (PWV). METHODS: TWENTY SIX HEALTHY SUBJECTS (MALE AND FEMALE, 40-65 YRS OLD) WERE TESTED ON TWO SEPARATE DAYS. CAROTID ARTERY DISTENSIBILITY (DC) WAS MEASURED WITH ULTRASOUND. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WAS DETERMINED BY QUESTIONNAIRE. RESULTS: YOGA AND AEROBIC SUBJECTS HAD SIMILAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS. YOGA AND AEROBIC GROUPS WERE NOT DIFFERENT IN EITHER DC (P = 0.26) OR PWV (P = 0.21). THE SEDENTARY GROUP HAD LOWER DC AND HIGHER PWV COMPARED TO THE AEROBIC AND YOGA GROUPS (BOTH, P < 0.001). STIFFNESS MEASURES WERE RELIABLE DAY TO DAY (COEFFICIENTS OF VARIATION APPROXIMATELY 2.5%) AND SIMILAR BETWEEN LEFT AND RIGHT ARTERIES (CV = 2.2%). CONCLUSION: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WAS A STRONG PREDICTOR OF BOTH MEASURES OF ARTERIAL STIFFNESS, ALTHOUGH OTHER FACTORS SUCH AS NUTRITIONAL STATUS NEED TO BE ACCOUNTED FOR. AN INDEPENDENT EFFECT OF PRACTICING YOGA COULD NOT BE DETECTED. STIFFNESS MEASURES WERE REPRODUCIBLE AND LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES WERE CONSISTENT WITH EACH OTHER. 2008 14 727 31 EFFECT OF LONG-TERM REGULAR YOGA ON PHYSICAL HEALTH OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE. THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON MENTAL HEALTH HAS BEEN STUDIED EXTENSIVELY IN INDIA BUT LESS IN THE CONTEXT OF PHYSICAL HEALTH. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE WAS TO EXPLORE THE EFFECT OF LONG-TERM REGULAR YOGA ON PHYSICAL HEALTH OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IT WAS AN INTERVENTIONAL STUDY. INCLUSION CRITERIA WERE STUDENTS WHO ENROLLED FOR 1-YEAR DIPLOMA COURSE AT THE YOGA CENTER. EXCLUSION CRITERIA WERE NONREGULAR YOGA PRACTITIONERS DURING THE COURSE. PHYSICAL HEALTH PARAMETERS CONSIDERED FOR ASSESSMENT BEFORE AND AFTER THE YOGA COURSE WERE PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS, MAXIMUM OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (VO2 MAX) USING BRUCE TREADMILL TEST, FLEXIBILITY, BODY COMPOSITION ANALYSIS, AND HEMOGLOBIN LEVEL. PAIRED SAMPLE T-TEST AND CHI-SQUARE TEST WERE USED FOR STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. RESULTS: THE AEROBIC CAPACITY IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN TERMS OF MEAN (STANDARD DEVIATION [SD]) FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (P < 0.001), FORCED EXPIRATION VOLUME AT THE END OF THE FIRST SECOND (P < 0.001) AS WELL AS PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (P = 0.04). THE MEAN (SD) FLEXIBILITY SCORE IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < 0.001). SIMILARLY, THE ENDURANCE IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN TERMS OF MEAN (SD) VO2 MAX (< 0.001) AND TREADMILL TIME (P < 0.001). THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN BODY COMPOSITION AND HEMOGLOBIN LEVEL. CONCLUSIONS: REGULAR YOGA PRACTITIONERS DEMONSTRATED THE IMPROVEMENT IN PULMONARY FUNCTIONS, CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS, ENDURANCE, AND FLEXIBILITY. 2021 15 2303 37 TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA ON PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME. BACKGROUND: EIGHTY PERCENT OF WOMEN DURING THEIR REPRODUCTIVE AGE EXPERIENCE SOME SYMPTOMS ATTRIBUTED TO PREMENSTRUAL PHASE OF THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE. PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME (PMS) IS CHARACTERIZED BY EMOTIONAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS THAT OCCUR DURING LATE LUTEAL PHASE OF MENSTRUAL CYCLE AND ARE RELIEVED AFTER THE ONSET OF MENSTRUATION. AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA ARE ONE OF THE WAYS TO REDUCE THESE SYMPTOMS. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA ON PMS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 72 PARTICIPANTS OF PMS, REFERRED FOR PHYSIOTHERAPY TREATMENT (MEAN AGE 28 YEARS), WERE ENROLLED AND ALLOCATED INTO TWO GROUPS (GROUP A AND B) BY SIMPLE COMPUTERIZED RANDOMIZATION. PATIENTS IN GROUP A RECEIVED AEROBIC EXERCISE AND IN GROUP B RECEIVED YOGA MOVEMENTS FOR 40 MIN, 3 TIMES A WEEK FOR 1 MONTH. THE PAIN INTENSITY (VISUAL ANALOG SCALE) AND PMS SCALE WERE MEASURED BEFORE, AT THE END OF 15 DAYS, AND 1 MONTH OF TREATMENT PROGRAM. RESULTS: DATA WERE ANALYZED BY PAIRED T-TEST, UNPAIRED T-TEST, AND ONE-WAY ANOVA; AND THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT BOTH AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA MOVEMENTS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED PAIN INTENSITY AND PMS SYMPTOMS. SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PMS SYMPTOMS WAS FOUND IN PATIENTS TREATED WITH YOGA COMPARED TO AEROBIC EXERCISE; HOWEVER, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND IN PAIN INTENSITY BETWEEN THESE TWO GROUPS (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: IT IS CONCLUDED THAT BOTH AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA MOVEMENTS ARE EFFECTIVE IN TREATING PMS; HOWEVER, YOGA IS MORE EFFECTIVE IN RELIEVING THE SYMPTOMS OF PMS THAN AEROBIC EXERCISE. 2019 16 788 35 EFFECT OF YOGA COMBINED WITH AEROBIC EXERCISE INTERVENTION ON MORPHOLOGICAL AND BLOOD LIPID INDICATORS IN FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS. BACKGROUND: REGULAR AEROBIC EXERCISE CAN EFFECTIVELY INCREASE MICROVASCULAR FUNCTION IN SKELETAL MUSCLE AND PROMOTE THE OXIDATION OF FATTY ACIDS. HOWEVER, WHETHER THE EFFECT OF AEROBIC EXERCISE INTERVENTION IS AFFECTED BY FAT CONTENT IS WORTH OF FURTHER EXPLORATION. IN THIS STUDY, BY MEANS OF YOGA COMBINED WITH EXERCISE, THE AUTHORS EXPLORED THE EFFECT OF AEROBIC EXERCISE ON MORPHOLOGY AND BLOOD LIPIDS IN FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 81 FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO VOLUNTARILY PARTICIPATED IN THIS STUDY WERE ENROLLED BY BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) OBTAINED FROM THE PHYSICAL EXAMINATION WHEN ENTERING THE SCHOOL. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSIGNED TO NORMAL (BMI: 20.98+/-1.52 KG/M2, N.=29), OVERWEIGHT (BMI: 25.57+/-1.34 KG/M2, N.=27), AND OBESITY (BMI: 28.46+/-2.36 KG/M2, N.=25) GROUPS BY BMI, AND ALL OF THEM COMPLETED A 12-WEEK YOGA COMBINED WITH AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING PROGRAM. RELEVANT MORPHOLOGICAL SUCH AS BODY WEIGHT, BODY HEIGHT, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, HIP CIRCUMFERENCE, ETC. AND BLOOD LIPID INDICATORS SUCH AS LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (LDL-C), HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (HDL-C), TOTAL CHOLESTEROL (TC) AND TRIGLYCERIDE (TG) WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER TRAINING. ONE-WAY ANVOA, PAIRED-SAMPLE T-TEST WERE USED IN THIS STUDY. RESULTS: AFTER TRAINING PROGRAM, THE RESULTS INDICATED THAT: 1) THE HIP, BODY WEIGHT, BMI AND BODY FAT PERCENTAGE IN ALL THREE GROUPS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED; 2) WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE IN NORMAL AND OBESITY GROUPS HAD A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE THAN THAT IN OVERWEIGHT GROUP, HIP CIRCUMFERENCE AND WAIST-TO-HIP RATIO (WHR) IN OVERWEIGHT GROUP WERE BETTER THAN THOSE IN NORMAL AND OVERWEIGHT GROUPS; THE DECREASE IN BMI IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY GROUPS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER THAN THAT IN NORMAL GROUP, AND THE WEIGHT LOSS AND DECREASED BODY FAT PERCENTAGE IN OBESITY GROUP WERE THE HIGHEST, FOLLOWED BY OVERWEIGHT GROUP, AND THE SMALLEST IN NORMAL GROUP; 3) IN ALL THREE GROUPS, HDL-C SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED, LDL-C, TC/HDL-C, TG/HDL-C AND LDL-C/HDL-C SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED, TC AND TG SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED IN OBESITY GROUP; AND 4) TC/HDL-C AND TG/HDL-C IN OBESITY GROUP WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THOSE IN NORMAL AND OVERWEIGHT GROUPS, WHILE CHANGE IN TC AND TG WERE THE HIGHEST IN OBESITY GROUP, THE SECOND THE OVERWEIGHT GROUP, AND THE LOWEST IN NORMAL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: TWELVE-WEEK YOGA COMBINED WITH AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING HAS A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE EFFECT ON MORPHOLOGICAL AND BLOOD LIPID INDICATORS IN FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS. THE YOGA COMBINED WITH AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING CAN BE RECOMMENDED FOR YOUNG WOMEN WITH OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY POPULATION. 2020 17 642 27 DOES PRACTICING HATHA YOGA SATISFY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INTENSITY OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WHICH IMPROVES AND MAINTAINS HEALTH AND CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS? BACKGROUND: LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE METABOLIC AND HEART RATE RESPONSES TO A TYPICAL HATHA YOGA SESSION. THE PURPOSES OF THIS STUDY WERE 1) TO DETERMINE WHETHER A TYPICAL YOGA PRACTICE USING VARIOUS POSTURES MEETS THE CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY REQUIRED TO IMPROVE AND MAINTAIN HEALTH AND CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS; 2) TO DETERMINE THE RELIABILITY OF METABOLIC COSTS OF YOGA ACROSS SESSIONS; 3) TO COMPARE THE METABOLIC COSTS OF YOGA PRACTICE TO THOSE OF TREADMILL WALKING. METHODS: IN THIS OBSERVATIONAL STUDY, 20 INTERMEDIATE-TO-ADVANCED LEVEL YOGA PRACTITIONERS, AGE 31.4 +/- 8.3 YEARS, PERFORMED AN EXERCISE ROUTINE INSIDE A HUMAN RESPIRATORY CHAMBER (INDIRECT CALORIMETER) WHILE WEARING HEART RATE MONITORS. THE EXERCISE ROUTINE CONSISTED OF 30 MINUTES OF SITTING, 56 MINUTES OF BEGINNER-LEVEL HATHA YOGA ADMINISTERED BY VIDEO, AND 10 MINUTES OF TREADMILL WALKING AT 3.2 AND 4.8 KPH EACH. MEASURES WERE MEAN OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (VO2), HEART RATE (HR), PERCENTAGE PREDICTED MAXIMAL HEART RATE (%MHR), METABOLIC EQUIVALENTS (METS), AND ENERGY EXPENDITURE (KCAL). SEVEN SUBJECTS REPEATED THE PROTOCOL SO THAT MEASUREMENT RELIABILITY COULD BE ESTABLISHED. RESULTS: MEAN VALUES ACROSS THE ENTIRE YOGA SESSION FOR VO2, HR, %MHR, METS, AND ENERGY/MIN WERE 0.6 L/KG/MIN; 93.2 BEATS/MIN; 49.4%; 2.5; AND 3.2 KCAL/MIN; RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS OF THE ICCS (2,1) FOR MEAN VALUES ACROSS THE ENTIRE YOGA SESSION FOR KCAL, METS, AND %MHR WERE 0.979 AND 0.973, AND 0.865, RESPECTIVELY. CONCLUSION: METABOLIC COSTS OF YOGA AVERAGED ACROSS THE ENTIRE SESSION REPRESENT LOW LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, ARE SIMILAR TO WALKING ON A TREADMILL AT 3.2 KPH, AND DO NOT MEET RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR IMPROVING OR MAINTAINING HEALTH OR CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS. YOGA PRACTICE INCORPORATING SUN SALUTATION POSTURES EXCEEDING THE MINIMUM BOUT OF 10 MINUTES MAY CONTRIBUTE SOME PORTION OF SUFFICIENTLY INTENSE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO IMPROVE CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS IN UNFIT OR SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS. THE MEASUREMENT OF ENERGY EXPENDITURE ACROSS YOGA SESSIONS IS HIGHLY RELIABLE. 2007 18 1642 30 MOOD ALTERATION WITH YOGA AND SWIMMING: AEROBIC EXERCISE MAY NOT BE NECESSARY. THE MOOD BENEFITS OF HATHA YOGA AND SWIMMING, TWO ACTIVITIES THAT DIFFER GREATLY IN AEROBIC TRAINING BENEFITS, WERE EXAMINED. COLLEGE STUDENTS (N = 87) IN TWO SWIMMING CLASSES, A YOGA CLASS, AND A LECTURE-CONTROL CLASS COMPLETED MOOD AND PERSONALITY INVENTORIES BEFORE AND AFTER CLASS ON THREE OCCASIONS. A MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE INDICATED THAT BOTH YOGA PARTICIPANTS (N = 22) AND SWIMMERS (N = 37) REPORTED GREATER DECREASES IN SCORES ON ANGET, CONFUSION, TENSION, AND DEPRESSION THAN DID THE CONTROL STUDENTS (N = 28). THE CONSISTENT MOOD BENEFITS OF YOGA SUPPORTED OUR EARLIER OBSERVATION THAT THE EXERCISE NEED NOT BE AEROBIC TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH MOOD ENHANCEMENT. HOWEVER, UNDERLYING AND CAUSAL MECHANISMS REMAIN UNCERTAIN. AMONG THE MEN, THE ACUTE DECREASES IN TENSION, FATIGUE, AND ANGER AFTER YOGA WERE SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER THAN THOSE AFTER SWIMMING. YOGA MAY BE EVEN MORE BENEFICIAL THAN SWIMMING FOR MEN WHO PERSONALLY SELECT TO PARTICIPATE. THE WOMEN REPORTED FAIRLY SIMILAR MOOD BENEFITS AFTER SWIMMING AND YOGA. IT SEEMS THAT AEROBIC EXERCISE MAY NOT BE NECESSARY TO FACILITATE THE MOOD BENEFITS. ALSO, STUDENTS WITH GREATER MOOD CHANGES ATTENDED CLASS MORE REGULARLY THAN THOSE WHO REPORTED FEWER PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS. MAXIMIZING THE IMMEDIATE PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF EXERCISE MIGHT BE ONE WAY TO ENCOURAGE ADULTS TO BE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE. 1992 19 1451 29 INFLUENCE OF INTENSIVE YOGA TRAINING ON PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES IN 6 ADULT WOMEN: A CASE REPORT. THE SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF 4 WEEKS OF INTENSIVE YOGA PRACTICE ON PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES IN SIX HEALTHY ADULT FEMALE VOLUNTEERS WERE MEASURED USING THE MAXIMAL EXERCISE TREADMILL TEST. YOGA PRACTICE INVOLVED DAILY MORNING AND EVENING SESSIONS OF 90 MINUTES EACH. PRE- AND POST-YOGA EXERCISE PERFORMANCE WAS COMPARED. MAXIMAL WORK OUTPUT (WMAX) FOR THE GROUP INCREASED BY 21%, WITH A SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED LEVEL OF OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK BUT WITHOUT A CONCOMITANT SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN HEART RATE. AFTER INTENSIVE YOGA TRAINING, AT 154 WMIN(-1) (CORRESPONDING TO WMAX OF THE PRE-YOGA MAXIMAL EXERCISE TEST) PARTICIPANTS COULD EXERCISE MORE COMFORTABLY, WITH A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER HEART RATE (P < 0.05), REDUCED MINUTE VENTILATION (P < 0.05), REDUCED OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK (P < 0.05), AND A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER RESPIRATORY QUOTIENT (P < 0.05). THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE EFFECT OF INTENSIVE YOGA ON CARDIORESPIRATORY EFFICIENCY ARE DISCUSSED, WITH THE SUGGESTION THAT YOGA HAS SOME TRANSPARENTLY DIFFERENT QUANTIFIABLE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS TO OTHER EXERCISES. 1997 20 530 28 COMPARISON OF REGULAR AEROBIC AND YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. BACKGROUND: THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS CHARACTERIZED BY FATIGUE, MOTOR WEAKNESS, AND SPASTICITY, TO NAME A FEW. MS SYMPTOMS MAY LEAD TO PHYSICAL INACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF SECONDARY DISEASES. THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF REGULAR AEROBIC AND YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS WITH MS. METHODS: THE PRESENT QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED ON 90 PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC MS CHOSEN RANDOMLY AND DIVIDED INTO TWO TEST AND ONE CONTROL GROUPS. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING SPSS SOFTWARE (VERSION 11.5) THROUGH PAIRED T-TEST, ANOVA, AND TUKEY'S POST HOC. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AMONG THE SCORES OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE THREE GROUPS PRIOR TO INVESTIGATION. ALTHOUGH THEY WERE SIGNIFICANT AFTER INTERVENTION. THE MEAN SCORE OF YOGA GROUP WAS HIGHER THAN THAT OF AEROBIC GROUP, AND AEROBIC GROUP SHOWED A HIGHER MEAN SCORE COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL. CONCLUSION: YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISES MAY IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH MS. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT THE GOVERNOR ALONG WITH MS SOCIETIES AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS SERVICING AND SUPPORTING PATIENTS START TO DEVELOP SPORT-REGULATED PROGRAMS TO HELP IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THESE PATIENTS. 2014