1 323 122 ANTHROPOMETRIC AND PHYSIOLOGIC PROFILES OF FEMALE PROFESSIONAL YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND ENERGY EXPENDITURE DURING ASANAS EXECUTION. AIM: THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED TO: 1) DEFINE THE ANTHROPOMETRIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL PROFILES OF FEMALE PROFESSIONAL YOGA PRACTITIONER COMPARED TO THAT OF OTHER ATHLETES; 2) EVALUATE THE ENERGY EXPENDITURE (EE) DURING A YOGA SESSION. METHODS: THE PERCENTAGE FAT MASS (FM%) AND FAT FREE MASS (FFM%), THE MAXIMAL AEROBIC POWER (VO2MAX), THE MAXIMAL VOLUNTARY CONTRACTION (MVC) OF KNEE EXTENSOR MUSCLES AND THE MAXIMAL ANAEROBIC ALACTACID POWER (WMAX) WERE ASSESSED IN A GROUP OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS (YO), LONG DISTANCE RUNNERS (LDR), SPRINTERS (SPR), KARATE PRACTITIONERS (KA) AND SEDENTARY CONTROL SUBJECTS (CON). EE WAS EVALUATED IN YO DURING A YOGA SESSION (EXECUTION OF A SEQUENCE OF SIX YOGA POSTURES, CALLED ASANAS). RESULTS: FM% WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN CON (24.2+/-2.6%) THAN IN OTHER GROUPS (18+/-1.9%, POOLED DATA, P<0.05). FFM% DID NOT DIFFER AMONG GROUPS. VO2MAX WAS HIGHER IN LDR (55.6+/-1.8 ML MIN-1 KG-1) COMPARED TO OTHER GROUPS (41.7+/-3 ML MIN-1 KG-1, POOLED DATA, P<0.05). MVC AND WMAX WERE HIGHER IN YO, SPR AND KA THAN IN LDR AND CON (P<0.05). IN YO, EE INCREASED IN COMPARISON TO BASELINE, DURING SIRASANA EXECUTION ONLY (+59%, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: THESE DATA SUGGEST THAT CHRONIC YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH 1) VALUES OF FM%, FFM%, MVC AND WMAX SIMILAR TO THOSE INDUCED BY SPORTS REQUIRING HIGH DEGREE OF FORCE AND POWER OF LOWER LIMB MUSCLES, WITH MAXIMAL AEROBIC PERFORMANCE SIMILAR TO CONTROL SUBJECTS; 2) LOW EE DURING MOST ASANAS EXECUTION. 2015 2 804 16 EFFECT OF YOGA ON AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC POWER OF MUSCLES. AEROBIC POWER (VO2 MAX) AND ANAEROBIC POWER WERE ESTIMATED IN MEDICAL STUDENTS BEFORE AND AFTER SIX WEEKS OF YOGIC TRAINING. A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN AEROBIC POWER AND A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ANAEROBIC POWER WAS OBSERVED. THIS MAY BE DUE TO CONVERSION OF SOME OF THE FAST TWITCH (F.T.) MUSCLE FIBRES INTO SLOW TWITCH FIBRES (S.T.) DURING YOGIC TRAINING. 1991 3 1612 31 METABOLIC ENERGY CONTRIBUTIONS DURING HIGH-INTENSITY HATHA YOGA AND PHYSIOLOGICAL COMPARISONS BETWEEN ACTIVE AND PASSIVE (SAVASANA) RECOVERY. PURPOSE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE METABOLIC ENERGY CONTRIBUTIONS DURING HIGH-INTENSITY HATHA YOGA (HIHY) AND TO COMPARE CHANGES IN PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES BETWEEN ACTIVE AND PASSIVE RECOVERY METHODS. METHODS: THE STUDY INVOLVED 20 WOMEN YOGA INSTRUCTORS (N = 20) WHO PERFORMED 10 MIN OF HIHY (VIGOROUS SUN SALUTATION). UPON COMPLETION, THEY WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER ACTIVE (WALKING; N = 10) OR PASSIVE (SAVASANA; N = 10) RECOVERY GROUPS FOR A PERIOD OF 10 MIN. DURING HIHY, PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES SUCH AS HEART RATE (HRPEAK AND HRMEAN), OXYGEN UPTAKE (VO2PEAK AND VO2MEAN), AND BLOOD LACTATE CONCENTRATIONS (PEAK LA(-)) WERE MEASURED. ENERGETIC CONTRIBUTIONS (PHOSPHAGEN; WPCR, GLYCOLYTIC; WGLY, AND OXIDATIVE; WOXI) IN KJ AND % WERE ESTIMATED USING VO2 AND LA(-) DATA. FURTHERMORE, THE METABOLIC EQUIVALENTS (METS) OF VO2PEAK AND VO2MEAN WERE CALCULATED. TO COMPARE DIFFERENT RECOVERY MODES, HRPOST, DELTAHR, VO2POST, DELTAVO2, RECOVERY LA(-), AND RECOVERY DELTALA(-) WERE ANALYZED. RESULTS: THE RESULTS REVEALED THAT HRPEAK, VO2PEAK, AND PEAK LA(-) DURING HIHY SHOWED NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS (P > 0.05). VALUES OF HRPEAK, HRMEAN, METS OF VO2PEAK AND VO2MEAN, AND LA(-) DURING HIHY WERE 95.6% OF HRMAX, 88.7% OF HRMAX, 10.54 +/- 1.18, 8.67 +/-.98 METS, AND 8.31 +/- 2.18 MMOL.L(-1), RESPECTIVELY. FURTHERMORE, WOXI WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER COMPARED WITH WPCR, WGLY, AND ANAEROBIC CONTRIBUTION (WPCR + WGLY), IN KJ AND % (P < 0.0001). VO2POST AND RECOVERY DELTALA(-) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN THE ACTIVE RECOVERY GROUP (P < 0.0001, P = 0.0369, RESPECTIVELY). VALUES OF DELTAVO2 AND RECOVERY LA(-) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE ACTIVE GROUP COMPARED WITH THE PASSIVE GROUP (P = 0.0115, P = 0.0291, RESPECTIVELY). CONCLUSIONS: THE STUDY CONCLUDED THAT HIGH-INTENSITY HATHA YOGA WHICH WAS PERFORMED FOR 10 MIN IS A SUITABLE OPTION FOR RELATIVELY HEALTHY PEOPLE IN THE MODERN WORKPLACE WHO MAY HAVE HATHA YOGA EXPERIENCE BUT DO NOT HAVE TIME TO PERFORM A PROLONGED EXERCISE. FOLLOWING ACTIVE RECOVERY, THEY CAN PARTICIPATE IN FURTHER HIHY SESSIONS DURING SHORT BREAKS. FURTHERMORE, A FASTER RETURN TO WORK CAN BE SUPPORTED BY PHYSIOLOGICAL RECOVERY. 2021 4 1059 27 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON EXERCISE CAPACITY IN PATIENTS WITH LYMPHANGIOLEIOMYOMATOSIS: A NONRANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON EXERCISE CAPACITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH LYMPHANGIOLEIOMYOMATOSIS (LAM), A RARE CYSTIC LUNG DISEASE IN WOMEN. PATIENTS AND METHODS: THIS WAS A NONRANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED STUDY CONDUCTED IN BEIJING, CHINA (AUGUST 27, 2017 - APRIL 26, 2018). TWENTY-SIX PARTICIPANTS WERE ALLOCATED TO THE INTERVENTION (YOGA) GROUP (N = 13) OR CONTROL GROUP (N = 13). THE YOGA INTERVENTION INVOLVED A 24-WEEK PROGRAM OF YOGA CLASS TRAINING FOR 90 MIN ONCE A WEEK AND NO FEWER THAN 2 AT-HOME SESSIONS PER WEEK (AT LEAST 15 MIN PER SESSION). THE 6-MIN WALKING DISTANCE (6MWD), LUNG FUNCTION, SERUM VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR-D (VEGF-D) LEVELS, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE, 12-WEEK AND 24-WEEK FOLLOW-UP. AN INCREMENTAL CARDIOPULMONARY EXERCISE TEST WAS CONDUCTED AT BASELINE AND THE 24-WEEK FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS: ELEVEN PATIENTS COMPLETED THE YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM. THE YOGA GROUP EXHIBITED IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FOLLOWING OUTCOMES VERSUS THOSE OF THE CONTROL GROUP: 6MWD (+ 55 +/- 29 M VS + 18 +/- 49 M, P = 0.04), ANAEROBIC THRESHOLD (3.4 +/- 2.4 ML/MIN/KG VS 1.6 +/- 1.4 ML/MIN/KG, P = 0.035) AND PEAK WORK LOAD (11.7 +/- 14.6 W VS 0.2 +/- 9.1 W, P = 0.027). THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN PEAK OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (VO2PEAK), LUNG FUNCTION, VEGF-D LEVEL, AND QUALITY OF LIFE BETWEEN THE YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS. NO ADVERSE EFFECTS WERE FOUND IN THE YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSION: YOGA IS A FEASIBLE AND SAFE INTERVENTION FOR PULMONARY REHABILITATION AND POTENTIALLY IMPROVES EXERCISE CAPACITY IN PATIENTS WITH LAM. TRIAL REGISTRATION: (CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER AT WWW.CHICTR.ORG.CN: CHICTR-OON-1701274). 2020 5 1676 27 OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE MEASURES OF EXERCISE INTENSITY DURING THERMO-NEUTRAL AND HOT YOGA. WHILE HOT YOGA HAS GAINED ENORMOUS POPULARITY IN RECENT YEARS, OWING IN PART TO INCREASED ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGE ASSOCIATED WITH EXERCISE IN THE HEAT, IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER HOT YOGA IS MORE VIGOROUS THAN THERMO-NEUTRAL YOGA. THEREFORE, THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE MEASURES OF EXERCISE INTENSITY DURING CONSTANT INTENSITY YOGA IN A HOT AND THERMO-NEUTRAL ENVIRONMENT. USING A RANDOMIZED, CROSSOVER DESIGN, 14 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED 2 IDENTICAL APPROXIMATELY 20-MIN YOGA SESSIONS IN A HOT (35.3 +/- 0.8 DEGREES C; HUMIDITY: 20.5% +/- 1.4%) AND THERMO-NEUTRAL (22.1 +/- 0.2 DEGREES C; HUMIDITY: 27.8% +/- 1.6%) ENVIRONMENT. OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND HEART RATE (HR) WERE RECORDED AS OBJECTIVE MEASURES (PERCENTAGE OF MAXIMAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND PERCENTAGE OF MAXIMAL HR (%HRMAX)) AND RATING OF PERCEIVED EXERTION (RPE) WAS RECORDED AS A SUBJECTIVE MEASURE OF EXERCISE INTENSITY. THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE IN EXERCISE INTENSITY BASED ON PERCENTAGE OF MAXIMAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION DURING HOT VERSUS THERMO-NEUTRAL YOGA (30.9% +/- 2.3% VS. 30.5% +/- 1.8%, P = 0.68). HOWEVER, EXERCISE INTENSITY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER DURING HOT VERSUS THERMO-NEUTRAL YOGA BASED ON %HRMAX (67.0% +/- 2.3% VS. 60.8% +/- 1.9%, P = 0.01) AND RPE (12 +/- 1 VS. 11 +/- 1, P = 0.04). ACCORDING TO ESTABLISHED EXERCISE INTENSITIES, HOT YOGA WAS CLASSIFIED AS LIGHT-INTENSITY EXERCISE BASED ON PERCENTAGE OF MAXIMAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION BUT MODERATE-INTENSITY EXERCISE BASED ON %HRMAX AND RPE WHILE THERMO-NEUTRAL YOGA WAS CLASSIFIED AS LIGHT-INTENSITY EXERCISE BASED ON PERCENTAGE OF MAXIMAL OXYGEN UPTAKE, %HRMAX, AND RPE. DESPITE THE ADDED HEMODYNAMIC STRESS AND PERCEPTION THAT YOGA IS MORE STRENUOUS IN A HOT ENVIRONMENT, WE OBSERVED SIMILAR OXYGEN CONSUMPTION DURING HOT VERSUS THERMO-NEUTRAL YOGA, CLASSIFYING BOTH EXERCISE MODALITIES AS LIGHT-INTENSITY EXERCISE. 2018 6 1693 30 OXYGEN CONSUMPTION DURING VINIYOGA PRACTICE IN ADULTS. CONTEXT: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO MEASURE THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (VO2) DURING VINIYOGA YOGA MOVEMENTS (ASANAS) AND TO COMPARE VO2 WALKING AMONG ADULTS. METHODS: YOGA PRACTITIONERS (N = 10) WERE RECRUITED TO MEASURE VO2 WHILE AT REST (30 MIN), PRACTICING YOGA (16 MOVEMENTS WITH DIFFERENT VARIATIONS), AND TREADMILL WALKING AT 2 MPH (10 MIN) AND 3 MPH (10 MIN). VO2 WAS MEASURED USING A WHOLE-ROOM INDIRECT CALORIMETRY. EACH YOGA MOVEMENT WAS CATEGORIZED BY BODY ORIENTATION AS STANDING, LYING, AND SITTING. THE DIFFERENCES IN VO2 BETWEEN YOGA AND WALKING WERE EXAMINED USING PEARSON'S CORRELATIONS. DIFFERENCES IN VO2 BETWEEN POSES (STANDING, SITTING, AND LYING) WERE EXAMINED USING LINEAR REGRESSION MODELS. VO2. RESULTS: MEAN YOGA-VO2 FOR THE ENTIRE YOGA SESSION WAS 3.7 (STANDARD DEVIATION [SD] 0.43, RANGE: 4.4-8.9) ML/KG/MIN. YOGA-VO2 VARIED BY BODY ORIENTATION: STANDING = 7.5 (SD = 1.5) ML/KG/MIN, LYING = 5.3 (SD = 1.0) ML/KG/MIN, AND SITTING = 5.4 (SD = 1.1) ML/KG/MIN. AFTER ADJUSTING FOR BODY MASS, FREQUENCY OF YOGA PRACTICE, AND RESTING ENERGY EXPENDITURE, FEMALE GENDER WAS NEGATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH MEAN YOGA VO2 FOR STANDING (B = -112.19, P < 0.05), LYING (B = -141.87, P < 0.05), AND SITTING (B = -129.96, P < 0.05). MEAN VO2 FOR WALKING 2 MPH WAS COMPARABLE WITH SITTING (R = 0.836, P < 0.05) AND LYING (R = 0.735, P < 0.05) WHEREAS WALKING AT 3 MPH WAS COMPARABLE WITH STANDING (R = 0.718, P < 0.05) AND SITTING (R = 0.760, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: WE CONCLUDE THAT VO2 DURING YOGA PRACTICE IS COMPARABLE TO VO2 DURING SLOW TREADMILL WALKING AND MAY VARY BASED ON GENDER AND BODY ORIENTATION. 2018 7 268 33 ACUTE PHYSIOLOGIC EFFECTS OF PERFORMING YOGA IN THE HEAT ON ENERGY EXPENDITURE, RANGE OF MOTION, AND INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS. PERFORMING YOGA IN A HEATED ENVIRONMENT (HY) IS A POPULAR EXERCISE MODE PURPORTED TO IMPROVE RANGE OF MOTION (ROM), BODY COMPOSITION, AND AEROBIC FITNESS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS INVESTIGATION WAS TO COMPARE A SESSION OF HY TO ROOM TEMPERATURE YOGA (RTY) WITH REGARDS TO ROM, OXYGEN CONSUMPTION, CALORIC EXPENDITURE, AND BIOMARKERS OF ACUTE STRESS AND INFLAMMATION. SIXTEEN EXPERIENCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS (F14, M2; 40 +/- 11YR; 22.6 +/- 1.8 KG/M(2)) COMPLETED A 1-HOUR STANDARDIZED BIKRAM SEQUENCE IN HY (105 DEGREES F, 40 DEGREES C) AND RTY (74 DEGREES F, 23.3 DEGREES C) CONDITIONS (ORDER OF CONDITIONS RANDOMIZED, HUMIDITY STANDARDIZED AT 40%). INTRA-EXERCISE METABOLIC GAS EXCHANGE AND HEART RATE (HR) WAS MONITORED USING A METABOLIC CART. ROM MEASURES WERE TAKEN PRE AND POST-EXERCISE AT THE ELBOW, SHOULDER, HIP, AND KNEE. CYTOKINES INTERLEUKIN 6,10 (IL-6, IL-10) AND TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR ALPHA (TNF-ALPHA) WERE ANALYZED FROM BLOOD SAMPLES COLLECTED PRE- AND 30-MINUTES POST-EXERCISE. INTRA-EXERCISE METABOLIC GAS EXCHANGE AND HEART RATE (HR) WAS MONITORED USING A METABOLIC CART. BOTH BOUTS ELICITED SIMILAR ACUTE CHANGES IN ROM ALTHOUGH HY ELICITED A GREATER INCREASE IN HIP ABDUCTION (RTYDELTA DEGREES = 2.3 +/- 1.3|HYDELTA DEGREES = 6.6 +/- 1.5; P < 0.05). MEAN VO2, PEAK VO2, %VO2MAX, HR, AND KCAL EXPENDITURE DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN CONDITIONS. RER WAS LOWER DURING THE HY (RTY = 0.95 +/- 0.02| HY = 0.89 +/- 0.02; P < 0.05) WITH A CONCOMITANT ELEVATION IN FAT OXIDATION (RTY = 0.05 +/- 0.01|HY = 0.09 +/- 0.01, G.MIN(-1); P < 0.05) AND DECREASE IN CARBOHYDRATE OXIDATION (RTY = 0.51 +/- 0.04|HY = 0.44 +/- 0.03, G.MIN(-1); P < 0.05). SERUM IL-6 WAS INCREASED (15.5 +/- 8.0-FOLD) FOLLOWING HY ONLY (P < 0.05). HY DOES NOT SIGNIFICANTLY ELEVATE AEROBIC ENERGY COST COMPARED TO RTY BUT MAY ACUTELY INCREASE FAT SUBSTRATE UTILIZATION AND HIP ROM. FUTURE STUDIES REMAIN NEEDED TO ESTABLISH DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS FOR INCLUDING HY OR RTY INTO WELL-ROUNDED FITNESS PROGRAMS. 2020 8 1706 23 PATTERN OF BREATHING AND VENTILATORY RESPONSE TO CO2 IN SUBJECTS PRACTICING HATHA-YOGA. WE STUDIED EIGHT BELGIAN SUBJECTS WELL ADVANCED IN THE PRACTICE OF HATHA-YOGA AND COMPARED THEM WITH EIGHT SEX-, AGE-, AND HEIGHT-MATCHED CONTROL SUBJECTS. PRACTICE OF YOGA (RANGE 4-12 YR) INVOLVES CONTROL OF POSTURE AND MANIPULATION OF BREATHING, INCLUDING SLOW NEAR-VITAL CAPACITY MANEUVERS ACCOMPANIED BY APNEA AT END INSPIRATION AND END EXPIRATION. AVERAGE VALUES FOR THE YOGA AND THE CONTROL GROUP (IN PARENTHESES) ARE AS FOLLOWS: VENTILATION (VE) 5.53 1 X MIN-1 (7.07); TIDAL VOLUME (VT), 1.03 LITERS (0.56); RATE OF BREATHING, 5.5 MIN-1 (13.4); END-TIDAL PCO2, 39.0 TORR (35.3). ALL DIFFERENCES ARE SIGNIFICANT (P LESS THAN 0.05). VENTILATORY RESPONSE TO CO2 (REBREATHING TECHNIQUE) WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP (P LESS THAN 0.01). THE REGRESSION RELATING VE TO VT DURING REBREATHING OF CO2 WAS VE = 8.1 (VT - 0.23) FOR THE YOGA GROUP AND VE = 15.8 (VT - 0.16) FOR THE CONTROL GROUP (P LESS THAN 0.005). WE ATTRIBUTE THESE CHANGES TO CHRONIC MANIPULATION OF RESPIRATION. 1981 9 630 20 DIFFERENCES IN ENERGY EXPENDITURE DURING HIGH-SPEED VERSUS STANDARD-SPEED YOGA: A RANDOMIZED SEQUENCE CROSSOVER TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: TO COMPARE ENERGY EXPENDITURE AND VOLUME OF OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND CARBON DIOXIDE PRODUCTION DURING A HIGH-SPEED YOGA AND A STANDARD-SPEED YOGA PROGRAM. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED REPEATED MEASURES CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: A LABORATORY OF NEUROMUSCULAR RESEARCH AND ACTIVE AGING. INTERVENTIONS: SUN-SALUTATION B WAS PERFORMED, FOR EIGHT MINUTES, AT A HIGH SPEED VERSUS AND A STANDARD-SPEED SEPARATELY WHILE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION WAS RECORDED. CALORIC EXPENDITURE WAS CALCULATED USING VOLUME OF OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND CARBON DIOXIDE PRODUCTION. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: DIFFERENCE IN ENERGY EXPENDITURE (KCAL) OF HSY AND SSY. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED IN ENERGY EXPENDITURE BETWEEN YOGA SPEEDS WITH HIGH-SPEED YOGA PRODUCING SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER ENERGY EXPENDITURE THAN STANDARD-SPEED YOGA (MD=18.55, SE=1.86, P<0.01). SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE ALSO SEEN BETWEEN HIGH-SPEED AND STANDARD-SPEED YOGA FOR VOLUME OF OXYGEN CONSUMED AND CARBON DIOXIDE PRODUCED. CONCLUSIONS: HIGH-SPEED YOGA RESULTS IN A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER CALORIC EXPENDITURE THAN STANDARD-SPEED YOGA. HIGH-SPEED YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM FOR THOSE TARGETING CARDIOMETABOLIC MARKERS. 2016 10 741 29 EFFECT OF REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE ON RESPIRATORY REGULATION AND EXERCISE PERFORMANCE. YOGA ALTERS SPONTANEOUS RESPIRATORY REGULATION AND REDUCES HYPOXIC AND HYPERCAPNIC VENTILATORY RESPONSES. SINCE A LOWER VENTILATORY RESPONSE IS ASSOCIATED WITH AN IMPROVED ENDURANCE CAPACITY DURING WHOLE-BODY EXERCISE, WE TESTED WHETHER YOGIC SUBJECTS (YOGA) SHOW AN INCREASED ENDURANCE CAPACITY COMPARED TO MATCHED NON-YOGIC INDIVIDUALS (CON) WITH SIMILAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS. RESTING VENTILATION, THE VENTILATORY RESPONSE TO HYPERCAPNIA, PASSIVE LEG MOVEMENT AND EXERCISE, AS WELL AS ENDURANCE PERFORMANCE WERE ASSESSED. YOGA (N = 9), COMPARED TO CONTROL (N = 6), HAD A HIGHER TIDAL VOLUME AT REST (0.7+/-0.2 VS. 0.5+/-0.1 L, P = 0.034) AND A REDUCED VENTILATORY RESPONSE TO HYPERCAPNIA (33+/-15 VS. 47+/-15 L.MIN(-1), P = 0.048). A YOGA SUBGROUP (N = 6) WITH MAXIMAL PERFORMANCE SIMILAR TO CONTROL SHOWED A BLUNTED VENTILATORY RESPONSE TO PASSIVE CYCLING (11+/-2 VS. 14+/-2 L.MIN(-1), P = 0.039) AND A TENDENCY TOWARDS LOWER EXERCISE VENTILATION (33+/-2 VS. 36+/-3 L.MIN(-1), P = 0.094) WHILE CYCLING ENDURANCE (YOGA: 17.3+/-3.3; CON: 19.6+/-8.5 MIN, P = 0.276) DID NOT DIFFER. THUS, YOGA PRACTICE WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED EXERCISE CAPACITY NOR WITH SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN EXERCISE VENTILATION DESPITE A SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT RESPIRATORY REGULATION AT REST AND IN RESPONSE TO HYPERCAPNIA AND PASSIVE LEG MOVEMENT. 2016 11 967 22 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 12 2912 24 [RECENT MEDICAL RESEARCH ON YOGA AND STATES OF CONCENTRATION]. TRADITIONAL ORIENTAL THINKING ATTRACTS THE GROWING SCIENTIFIC INTEREST OF OCCIDENTAL PRACTITIONERS. DR. PIERRE ETEVENON, HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT OF NEURO-PSYCHO-PHARMACOLOGY AT THE FRENCH INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH AND MEDICAL RESEARCH (INSERM), HELD SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS AND SCIENTIFIC EXCHANGES WITH THE AUTHOR, AND KINDLY PROVIDED COPIES OF SOME OF HIS WORKS. THEY ARE AT THE BASIS OF THE PRESENT PAPER. M. A. DESCAMPS (PARIS) FOUND THAT ASANAS--YOGA POSTURES-- ARE GENERATORS OF DYNAMIC ACTION WHEN THERE IS AN EXTENSION OF THE SPINAL COLUMN, WHILST THEY LEAD TO QUIET STATES WHEN THERE IS A FLEXION OF IT. CLAEYS AND GONES (BELGIUM) PROVED THAT OVERALL GLOBAL RELAXATION, AS WELL AS DIFFERENTIAL RELAXATION WERE FAR MORE EFFECTIVE AND DEEP WHEN OBTAINED BY YOGIS THAN THOSE ATTEMPTED BY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS MAJORING IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION. LONSDORFER AND NUSSBAUM (FRANCE) STUDIED SEVERAL PARAMETERS CONCERNING HATHA-YOGA AND CONCLUDED THAT IT PROVIDES A REGULAR FUNCTIONING OF THE MAIN BODILY FUNCTIONS FOSTERING THUS A PSYCHO-PHYSICAL BALANCE. WALLACE AND BENSON (U.S.A.) PROVED THAT TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION INCREASES AEROBIC METABOLISM, COUNTERACTING ANAEROBIC METABOLISM WHICH IS RELATED TO MENTAL DISTRESS. ETEVENON (PARIS) INVESTIGATED NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF YOGA IN CONNECTION TO ANCIENT INDIAN CONCEPTS (UPANISHADS) ON SLEEPING, MEDITATION AND DEGREE OF CONSCIOUSNESS. DR. ETEVENON HAS STUDIED THE PHYLOGENETIC EVOLUTION OF WAKING-SLEEPING CYCLES, FOCUSING ON PHYLOGENETIC AND ONTONGENETIC APPEARANCES OF REM CYCLES (ACTIVATED SLEEP). A CORRELATION HAS BEEN MADE WITH EEG STUDIES DURING STATES OF CONCENTRATION (YOGA, TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION, ZEN). THESE STATES HAVE BEEN FOUND TO BE SPECIFIC BRAIN ACTIVITIES, AND DIFFERENT FROM DEEP SLEEP, IN SPITE OF CERTAIN SIMILARITIES IN THE EEG. SEVERAL HYPOTHESIS ARE SET FORTH TO EXPLAIN BRAIN ACTIVITIES UNDERLYING SITES OF CONCENTRATION. THE POSSIBILITIES OF DEVELOPING A CONSCIOUS MASTERING OF DREAMS ARE ALSO UNDER RESEARCH, AND SPECIAL ATTENTION IS PAID TO THE WORKS OF SAINT DENYS (1867), AND HINDU TRADITION. THIS PAPER DISCUSSES ALSO THE PSYCHOLOGICAL, THERAPEUTIC AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF RECENT DISCOVERIES IN THE FIELD. 1975 13 1120 23 EFFICACY OF HOT YOGA AS A HEAT STRESS TECHNIQUE FOR ENHANCING PLASMA VOLUME AND CARDIOVASCULAR PERFORMANCE IN ELITE FEMALE FIELD HOCKEY PLAYERS. PERROTTA, AS, WHITE, MD, KOEHLE, MS, TAUNTON, JE, AND WARBURTON, DER. EFFICACY OF HOT YOGA AS A HEAT STRESS TECHNIQUE FOR ENHANCING PLASMA VOLUME AND CARDIOVASCULAR PERFORMANCE IN ELITE FEMALE FIELD HOCKEY PLAYERS. J STRENGTH COND RES 32(10): 2878-2887, 2018-THIS INVESTIGATION EXAMINED THE EFFICACY OF HOT YOGA AS AN ALTERNATIVE HEAT STRESS TECHNIQUE FOR ENHANCING PLASMA VOLUME PERCENTAGE (PV%) AND CARDIOVASCULAR PERFORMANCE. TEN INTERNATIONAL CALIBER FEMALE FIELD HOCKEY PLAYERS COMPLETED SIX 60-MINUTE HOT YOGA SESSIONS USING PERMISSIVE DEHYDRATION OVER 6 DAYS, FOLLOWED BY A 6-DAY NATIONAL TEAM CAMP. CHANGES IN PV% WERE EXAMINED THROUGHOUT THE INTERVENTION AND POSTINTERVENTION PERIOD. A GRADED MAXIMAL EXERCISE TEST WAS PERFORMED IN A THERMONEUTRAL ENVIRONMENT (23.2 +/- 1.0 DEGREES C) 24 HOURS BEFORE AND 24 HOURS AFTER INTERVENTION. SIX DAYS OF HOT YOGA INITIATED A MODERATE STATE OF HYPOVOLEMIA (PV% = -3.5%, 90% CONFIDENCE LIMIT [CL] [-6.9 TO -0.13]), TRIVIAL IMPROVEMENTS IN MAXIMAL AEROBIC POWER (V[COMBINING DOT ABOVE]O2MAX) (EFFECT SIZE [ES] = 0.06, 90% CL [-0.16 TO 0.28]), AND RUN TIME TO EXHAUSTION (ES = 0.11, 90% CL [-0.07 TO 0.29]). SMALL MEANINGFUL IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED IN RUNNING SPEED (KM.H) AT VENTILATORY THRESHOLD (VT1) (ES = 0.34, 90% CL [-0.08 TO 0.76]), VT2 (ES = 0.53, 90% CL [-0.05 TO 1.1]), ALONG WITH ADAPTATIONS IN THE RESPIRATORY EXCHANGE RATIO DURING HIGH-INTENSITY EXERCISE (ES = -0.25, 90% CL [-0.62 TO 0.12]). A LARGE PLASMA VOLUME EXPANSION TRANSPIRED 72 HOURS AFTER INTERVENTION (PV% = 5.0%, 90% CL [1.3-8.7]) THAT CONTRACTED TO A SMALL EXPANSION AFTER 6 DAYS (PV% = 1.6%, 90% CL [-1.0 TO 4.2]). THIS INVESTIGATION PROVIDES PRACTITIONERS AN ALTERNATIVE HEAT STRESS TECHNIQUE CONDUCIVE FOR TEAM SPORT, INVOLVING MINIMAL EXERCISE STRESS THAT CAN PRESERVE MAXIMAL CARDIOVASCULAR PERFORMANCE OVER PERIODIZED REST WEEKS WITHIN THE YEARLY TRAINING PLAN. FURTHERMORE, IMPROVEMENTS IN SUBMAXIMAL PERFORMANCE AND A DELAYED HYPERVOLEMIC RESPONSE MAY PROVIDE A PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING EFFECT WHEN ENTERING A 6-DAY COMPETITION PERIOD. 2018 14 2258 28 THE PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO BIKRAM YOGA IN NOVICE AND EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS. CONTEXT: BIKRAM YOGA HAS GAINED A LARGE FOLLOWING, POSSIBLY BECAUSE OF WIDESPREAD CLAIMS BOASTING ENERGY EXPENDITURE OF UP TO 1000 CALORIES PER SESSION. HOWEVER, THESE CLAIMS ARE UNFOUNDED BECAUSE NO SCIENTIFIC STUDY HAS INVESTIGATED THE METABOLIC RESPONSE TO A COMPLETE, STANDARDIZED BIKRAM YOGA CLASS. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY INTENDS TO DETERMINE ENERGY EXPENDITURE, HEART RATE, AND SWEAT RATE IN NOVICE AND EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS FROM A STANDARDIZED BIKRAM YOGA CLASS. SETTING: DATA WERE COLLECTED IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHAMBER OF THE EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY AT SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY IN CALIFORNIA, USA. PARTICIPANTS: MALE (N = 5) AND FEMALE (N = 19) PARTICIPANTS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 57 Y WERE RECRUITED THROUGH FLYERS IN YOGA STUDIOS THROUGHOUT SAN DIEGO. PARTICIPANTS WERE CLASSIFIED AS EXPERIENCED OR NOVICE PRACTITIONERS, HAVING COMPLETED >/=20 OR <20 SESSIONS, RESPECTIVELY. INTERVENTIONS: PARTICIPANTS WERE GUIDED THROUGH A STANDARDIZED 90-MIN YOGA CLASS PERFORMED IN A HOT ENVIRONMENT USING BIKRAM'S STANDARD BEGINNING DIALOGUE, WHILE EXPIRED GAS WAS COLLECTED AND HEART RATE WAS RECORDED. OUTCOME MEASURES: ENERGY EXPENDITURE, CALCULATED VIA OXYGEN UPTAKE, AND HEART RATE WERE DETERMINED FOR EACH POSTURE AND TRANSITION PERIOD. IN ADDITION, SWEAT RATE AND CORE TEMPERATURE WERE RECORDED FOR EACH PARTICIPANT. RESULTS: MEAN (+/-SD) RELATIVE VO2 FOR THE ENTIRE 90-MIN SESSION WAS 9.5 +/- 1.9 ML X KG-1 X MIN-1, RANGING FROM 6.0 TO 12.9 ML X KG-1 X MIN-1. MEAN ABSOLUTE ENERGY EXPENDITURE WAS 286 +/- 72 KCALS, RANGING FROM 179 TO 478 KCALS. INDEPENDENT SAMPLE T TESTS REVEALED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES (P < .05) IN RELATIVE ENERGY EXPENDITURE, HEART RATE, ENDING CORE TEMPERATURE, AND SWEAT RATE BETWEEN EXPERIENCE LEVELS. MEAN RELATIVE ENERGY EXPENDITURE WAS 3.7 +/- 0.5 KCAL/KG IN NOVICE PRACTITIONERS AND 4.7 +/- 0.8 KCAL/KG IN EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS. PERCENTAGE OF PREDICTED MAXIMUM HEART RATE AND SWEAT RATE WERE 72.3% +/- 10.6% AND 0.6 +/- 0.2 KG/H IN NOVICE PRACTITIONERS AND 86.4% +/- 5.2% AND 1.1 +/- 0.5 KG/H IN EXPERIENCED PARTICIPANTS. ALL POSTURES WERE CLASSIFIED AS LIGHT-TO-MODERATE INTENSITY ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SPORTS MEDICINE (ACSM) STANDARDS. CONCLUSIONS: BIKRAM YOGA MEETS REQUIREMENTS FOR EXERCISE OF LIGHT-TO-MODERATE INTENSITY AND, THEORETICALLY, COULD BE USED FOR WEIGHT MAINTENANCE OR WEIGHT LOSS IF PRACTICED SEVERAL TIMES PER WEEK. 2014 15 425 19 CALCIUM LOSS IN SWEAT DOES NOT STIMULATE PTH RELEASE: A STUDY OF BIKRAM HOT YOGA. IT HAS BEEN HYPOTHESIZED THAT SWEAT LOSS DURING EXERCISE CAUSES A DISRUPTION IN CALCIUM HOMEOSTASIS THAT ACTIVATES BONE RESORPTION AND OVER TIME LEADS TO LOW BONE MINERAL DENSITY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS SMALL PILOT STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER DERMAL CALCIUM LOSS FROM A BOUT OF EXCESSIVE SWEATING DURING LIGHT INTENSITY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TRIGGERS AN INCREASE IN BIOMARKERS OF BONE RESORPTION. BIOCHEMICAL MARKERS RELATED TO BONE HOMEOSTASIS WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER A 90 MIN BIKRAM HOT YOGA PRACTICE PERFORMED IN A ROOM HEATED TO 105 DEGREES F WITH 40 % HUMIDITY. PARTICIPANTS WERE FIVE FEMALES WITH A MEAN AGE OF 47.4 +/- 4.7 YEARS. NUDE BODY WEIGHT, SERUM TOTAL CALCIUM (CA(2+)), FREE IONIZED CALCIUM, ALBUMIN, PARATHYROID HORMONE (PTH) AND CTX-I WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER A BIKRAM HOT YOGA PRACTICE. MEAN ESTIMATED SWEAT LOSS WAS 1.54 +/- 0.65 L, WHICH ELICITED A 1.9 +/- 0.9 % DECREASE IN PARTICIPANT'S BODY WEIGHT. MEAN CA(2+) CONCENTRATION IN SWEAT WAS 2.9 +/- 1.7 MG/DL AND THE ESTIMATED MEAN TOTAL CALCIUM LOST WAS 41.3 +/- 16.4 MG. SERUM IONIZED CA(2+) INCREASED FROM 4.76 +/- 0.29 MG/DL TO 5.35 +/- 0.36 MG/DL AFTER THE BIKRAM HOT YOGA PRACTICE (P = 0.0118). SERUM PTH DECREASED FROM PRE- 33.9 +/- 3.3 PG/ML TO POST- 29.9 +/- 2.1 PG/ML YOGA PRACTICE (P = 0.0015) WHEN ADJUSTED FOR HEMOCONCENTRATION (PTHADJ), IMPLYING A DECREASE IN PTH SECRETION. WE CONCLUDE THAT CALCIUM LOSS IN SWEAT DURING 90 MIN OF BIKRAM HOT YOGA DID NOT TRIGGER AN INCREASE IN PTH SECRETION AND DID NOT INITIATE BONE RESORPTION. 2020 16 1148 26 ENERGY EXPENDITURE IN VINYASA YOGA VERSUS WALKING. BACKGROUND: WHETHER THE ENERGY COST OF VINYASA YOGA MEETS THE CRITERIA FOR MODERATE-TO-VIGOROUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAS NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED. PURPOSE: TO COMPARE ENERGY EXPENDITURE DURING ACUTE BOUTS OF VINYASA YOGA AND 2 WALKING PROTOCOLS. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS (20 MALES, 18 FEMALES) PERFORMED 60-MINUTE SESSIONS OF VINYASA YOGA (YOGA), TREADMILL WALKING AT A SELF-SELECTED BRISK PACE (SELF), AND TREADMILL WALKING AT A PACE THAT MATCHED THE HEART RATE OF THE YOGA SESSION (HR-MATCH). ENERGY EXPENDITURE WAS ASSESSED VIA INDIRECT CALORIMETRY. RESULTS: ENERGY EXPENDITURE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN YOGA COMPARED WITH HR-MATCH (DIFFERENCE = 79.5 +/- 44.3 KCAL; P < .001) AND SELF (DIFFERENCE = 51.7 +/- 62.6 KCAL; P < .001), BUT NOT IN SELF COMPARED WITH HR-MATCH (DIFFERENCE = 27.8 +/- 72.6 KCAL; P = .054). A SIMILAR PATTERN WAS OBSERVED FOR METABOLIC EQUIVALENTS (HR-MATCH = 4.7 +/- 0.8, SELF = 4.4 +/- 0.7, YOGA = 3.6 +/- 0.6; P < .001). ANALYSES USING ONLY THE INITIAL 45 MINUTES FROM EACH OF THE SESSIONS, WHICH EXCLUDED THE RESTORATIVE COMPONENT OF YOGA, SHOWED ENERGY EXPENDITURE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN YOGA COMPARED WITH HR-MATCH (DIFFERENCE = 68.0 +/- 40.1 KCAL; P < .001) BUT NOT COMPARED WITH SELF (DIFFERENCE = 15.1 +/- 48.7 KCAL; P = .189). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA MEETS THE CRITERIA FOR MODERATE-INTENSITY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. THUS, YOGA MAY BE A VIABLE FORM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO ACHIEVE PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDELINES AND TO ELICIT HEALTH BENEFITS. 2017 17 2499 26 YOGA AS STEADINESS TRAINING: EFFECTS ON MOTOR VARIABILITY IN YOUNG ADULTS. EXERCISE TRAINING PROGRAMS CAN INCREASE STRENGTH AND IMPROVE SUBMAXIMAL FORCE CONTROL, BUT THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AS AN ALTERNATIVE FORM OF STEADINESS TRAINING ARE NOT WELL DESCRIBED. THE PURPOSE WAS TO EXPLORE THE EFFECT OF A POPULAR TYPE OF YOGA (BIKRAM) ON STRENGTH, STEADINESS, AND BALANCE. YOUNG ADULTS PERFORMED YOGA TRAINING (N = 10, 29 +/- 6 YEARS, 24 YOGA SESSIONS IN 8 WEEKS) OR SERVED AS CONTROLS (N = 11, 26 +/- 7 YEARS). YOGA SESSIONS CONSISTED OF 1.5 HOURS OF SUPERVISED, STANDARDIZED POSTURES. MEASURES BEFORE AND AFTER TRAINING INCLUDED MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY CONTRACTION (MVC) FORCE OF THE ELBOW FLEXORS (EF) AND KNEE EXTENSORS (KE), STEADINESS OF ISOMETRIC EF AND KE CONTRACTIONS, STEADINESS OF CONCENTRIC (CON) AND ECCENTRIC (ECC) KE CONTRACTIONS, AND TIMED BALANCE. THE STANDARD DEVIATION (SD) AND COEFFICIENT OF VARIATION (CV, SD/MEAN FORCE) OF ISOMETRIC FORCE AND THE SD OF ACCELERATION DURING CON AND ECC CONTRACTIONS WERE MEASURED. AFTER YOGA TRAINING, MVC FORCE INCREASED 14% FOR KE (479 +/- 175 TO 544 +/- 187 N, P < 0.05) AND WAS UNCHANGED FOR THE EF MUSCLES (219 +/- 85 TO 230 +/- 72 N, P > 0.05). THE CV OF FORCE WAS UNCHANGED FOR EF (1.68 TO 1.73%, P > 0.05) BUT WAS REDUCED IN THE KE MUSCLES SIMILARLY FOR YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS (2.04 TO 1.55%, P < 0.05). THE VARIABILITY OF CON AND ECC CONTRACTIONS WAS UNCHANGED. FOR THE YOGA GROUP, IMPROVEMENT IN KE STEADINESS WAS CORRELATED WITH PRETRAINING STEADINESS (R = -0.62 TO -0.84, P < 0.05); SUBJECTS WITH THE GREATEST KE FORCE FLUCTUATIONS BEFORE TRAINING EXPERIENCED THE GREATEST REDUCTIONS WITH TRAINING. PERCENT CHANGE IN BALANCE TIME FOR INDIVIDUAL YOGA SUBJECTS AVERAGED +228% (19.5 +/- 14 TO 34.3 +/- 18 SECONDS, P < 0.05), WITH NO CHANGE IN CONTROLS. FOR YOUNG ADULTS, A SHORT-TERM YOGA PROGRAM OF THIS TYPE CAN IMPROVE BALANCE SUBSTANTIALLY, PRODUCE MODEST IMPROVEMENTS IN LEG STRENGTH, AND IMPROVE LEG MUSCLE CONTROL FOR LESS-STEADY SUBJECTS. 2008 18 58 26 A COMPARISON OF EMG OUTPUT OF FOUR LOWER EXTREMITY MUSCLES DURING SELECTED YOGA POSTURES. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO USE SURFACE ELECTROMYOGRAPHY (EMG) ANALYSIS TO EXAMINE THE MUSCLE ACTIVATION OF THE ANTERIOR TIBIALIS (TA), GASTROCNEMIUS (GA), RECTUS FEMORIS (RF) AND BICEPS FEMORIS (BF) MUSCLES DURING SEVERAL YOGA POSES: TREE POSE (VRKSASHANA), HALF MOON POSE (ARDHA CHANDRASANA) AND WARRIOR III (VIRABADRASANA) WHEN COMPARED TO A REST POSE (MOUNTAIN POSE). TEN HEALTHY FEMALES WITH MORE THAN 3 MONTHS OF CONTINUOUS YOGA EXPERIENCE WHO PRACTICED AT LEAST 1.5H PER WEEK WERE RECRUITED. EMG ACTIVITY WAS RECORDED FROM THE AFOREMENTIONED MUSCLES DURING MOUNTAIN POSE ("REST") FOR 30S, THREE TIMES. SUBJECTS THEN PERFORMED THE FOLLOWING YOGA POSES IN A RANDOMIZED SEQUENCE WHILE SURFACE EMG ACTIVITY WAS RECORDED: TREE POSE, HALF-MOON, AND WARRIOR III. EACH POSE WAS HELD FOR 20S TO 30S AND PERFORMED THREE TIMES. EMG DATA WERE BAND PASS FILTERED AND THE ROOT MEAN SQUARE (RMS) WAS OBTAINED. THE PEAK RMS OF EACH OF THE RESTING TRIALS WAS OBTAINED AND AVERAGED TO PRODUCE AN AVERAGE PEAK RESTING RMS VALUE. THE STUDY REVEALED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER EMG ACTIVITY IN TA AND GA IN ALL THREE POSES WHEN COMPARED TO BF AND RF. BF PRODUCED GREATER EMG ACTIVITY THAN RF IN WARRIOR III. IN CONCLUSION, SINGLE LIMB YOGA POSES REQUIRE INCREASED USE OF THE ANKLE MUSCULATURE WHEN COMPARED TO THIGH MUSCULATURE. 2019 19 437 26 CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC EFFECTS OF INTENSIVE HATHA YOGA TRAINING IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER WOMEN FROM NORTHERN MEXICO. BACKGROUND: HATHA YOGA (HY) CAN BE AN ALTERNATIVE TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER WOMEN. HOWEVER, CONVENTIONAL HY (CHY) EXERCISING MAY NOT RESULT IN ENOUGH TRAINING STIMULUS TO IMPROVE CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF AN INTENSIVE HY INTERVENTION (IHY) ON CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER WOMEN FROM NORTHERN MEXICO. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THIS PROSPECTIVE QUASIEXPERIMENTAL DESIGN, FOUR MIDDLE-AGED AND NINE OLDER CHY PRACTICING FEMALES (YOGINIS) WERE ENROLLED INTO AN 11-WEEK IHY PROGRAM CONSISTING OF 5 SESSIONS/WEEK FOR 90 MIN (55 SESSIONS). THE PROGRAM ADHERENCE, ASANA PERFORMANCE, AND WORK INTENSITY WERE ASSESSED ALONG THE INTERVENTION. ANTHROPOMETRIC [BODY MASS INDEX (BMI), % BODY FAT AND SIGMA SKIN FOLDS], CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS [MAXIMAL EXPIRED AIR VOLUME (VE(MAX)), MAXIMAL O(2) CONSUMPTION (VO(2MAX)), MAXIMAL HEART RATE (HR(MAX)), SYSTOLIC (BPS) AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (BPD)], BIOCHEMICAL [GLUCOSE, TRIACYLGLYCEROLS (TAG), TOTAL CHOLESTEROL (TC), HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (HDL-C), AND LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (LDL-C)], AND DIETARY PARAMETERS WERE EVALUATED BEFORE AND AFTER IHY. RESULTS: DAILY CALORIC INTAKE (~1,916 KCAL/DAY), PROGRAM ADHERENCE (~85%), AND EXERCISING SKILLS (ASANA PERFORMANCE) WERE SIMILAR IN BOTH MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER WOMEN. THE IHY PROGRAM DID NOT MODIFY ANY ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS. HOWEVER, IT INCREASED VO(2MAX) AND VE(MAX) AND HDL-C WHILE TAG AND LDL-C REMAINED STABLE IN BOTH MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER GROUPS (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: THE PROPOSED IHY PROGRAM IMPROVES DIFFERENT CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS (NAMELY VO(2MAX) AND HDL-C) IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER WOMEN. 2009 20 2252 28 THE METABOLIC COST OF HATHA YOGA. TO DETERMINE THE METABOLIC AND HEART RATE (HR) RESPONSES OF HATHA YOGA, 26 WOMEN (19-40 YEARS OLD) PERFORMED A 30-MINUTE HATHA YOGA ROUTINE OF SUPINE LYING, SITTING, AND STANDING ASANAS (I.E., POSTURES). SUBJECTS FOLLOWED IDENTICAL VIDEOTAPED SEQUENCES OF HATHA YOGA ASANAS. MEAN PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES WERE COMPARED TO THE PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF RESTING IN A CHAIR AND WALKING ON A TREADMILL AT 93.86 M.MIN(-1) [3.5 MILES PER HOUR (MPH)]. DURING THE 30-MINUTE HATHA YOGA ROUTINE, MEAN ABSOLUTE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (VO(2)), RELATIVE VO(2), PERCENTAGE MAXIMAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (%VO(2)R), METABOLIC EQUIVALENTS (METS), ENERGY EXPENDITURE, HR, AND PERCENTAGE MAXIMAL HEART RATE (%MHR) WERE 0.45 L.MIN(-1), 7.59 ML.KG(-1).MIN(-1), 14.50%, 2.17 METS, 2.23 KCAL.MIN(-1), 105.29 B.MIN(-1), AND 56.89%, RESPECTIVELY. WHEN COMPARED TO RESTING IN A CHAIR, HATHA YOGA REQUIRED 114% GREATER O(2) (L.MIN(-1)), 111% GREATER O(2)(ML.KG(-1).MIN(-1)), 4,294% GREATER %VO(2)R, 111% GREATER METS, 108% GREATER KCAL.MIN(-1), 24% GREATER HR, AND 24% GREATER %MHR. WHEN COMPARED TO WALKING AT 93.86 M.MIN(-1), HATHA YOGA REQUIRED 54% LOWER O(2)(L.MIN(-1)), 53% LOWER O(2)(ML.KG(-1).MIN(-1)), 68% LOWER %VO(2)R, 53% LOWER METS, 53% LOWER KCAL.MIN(-1), 21% LOWER HR, AND 21% LOWER %MHR. THE HATHA YOGA ROUTINE IN THIS STUDY REQUIRED 14.50% VO(2)R, WHICH CAN BE CONSIDERED A VERY LIGHT INTENSITY AND SIGNIFICANTLY LIGHTER THAN 44.8% VO(2)R FOR WALKING AT 93.86 M.MIN(-1) (3.5 MPH). THE INTENSITY OF HATHA YOGA MAY BE TOO LOW TO PROVIDE A TRAINING STIMULUS FOR IMPROVING CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS. ALTHOUGH PREVIOUS RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT HATHA YOGA IS AN ACCEPTABLE FORM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR ENHANCING MUSCULAR FITNESS AND FLEXIBILITY, THESE DATA DEMONSTRATE THAT HATHA YOGA MAY HAVE LITTLE, IF ANY, CARDIOVASCULAR BENEFIT. 2005