1 1990 129 SPINAL CURVATURES OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS COMPARED TO CONTROL PARTICIPANTS-A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY. PURPOSE: THE ANGLES OF THORACIC KYPHOSIS AND LUMBAR LORDOSIS DETERMINE THE SPINAL ALIGNMENT IN THE SAGITTAL PLANE. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE THORACIC KYPHOSIS AND LUMBAR LORDOSIS OF MALE AND FEMALE YOGA PRACTITIONERS WITH NON-PRACTICING PARTICIPANTS AND TO DETERMINE THE POSSIBLE DEPENDENCIES BETWEEN SAGITTAL SPINAL CURVATURES AND SOMATIC PARAMETERS, TIME SPENT ON YOGA EXERCISE, AND UNDERTAKING OTHER PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS. METHODS: THE STUDY INVOLVED 576 WOMEN AND 91 MEN AGES 18-68 YEARS (MEAN = 38.5 +/- 9) WHO WERE PRACTICING YOGA, AND 402 WOMEN AND 176 MEN AGES 18-30 YEARS (MEAN = 20.2 +/- 1.3) AS A CONTROL GROUP. THE ANGLES OF THORACIC KYPHOSIS AND LUMBAR LORDOSIS WERE MEASURED USING A PLURIMETER-V GRAVITY INCLINOMETER. RESULTS: THE TWO-WAY ANOVA DEMONSTRATED THE INFLUENCE OF GROUP (P < .0001) AND SEX (P = .03) ON THE ANGLE OF THORACIC KYPHOSIS, AS WELL AS THE INFLUENCE OF GROUP (P < .0001) AND SEX (P < .0001) ON THE ANGLE OF LUMBAR LORDOSIS. IT WAS NOTED THAT YOGA PRACTITIONERS HAD LESS PRONOUNCED THORACIC KYPHOSIS AND LUMBAR LORDOSIS AND WERE MORE OFTEN CHARACTERIZED BY NORMAL OR SMALLER THORACIC KYPHOSIS AND LUMBAR LORDOSIS THAN STUDENTS FROM THE CONTROL GROUP. IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS, THE ANGLE OF THORACIC KYPHOSIS WAS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH AGE, BODY MASS, BMI, AND UNDERTAKING OTHER FORMS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. THE ANGLE OF LUMBAR LORDOSIS WAS NEGATIVELY CORRELATED WITH BODY HEIGHT AND BODY MASS. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA EXERCISES CAN AFFECT THE SHAPE OF THE ANTERIOR-POSTERIOR CURVES OF THE SPINE AND MAY BE AN EFFICIENT TRAINING METHOD FOR SHAPING PROPER POSTURE IN ADULTS. 2021 2 1032 29 EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISES ON DIABETIC MELLITUS AS VALIDATED BY MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING. CONTEXT AND AIMS: EFFECTS OF PRACTICING YOGA IN DIABETIC MELLITUS (DM) PATIENTS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED TO IMPROVE IN CONTROL OF BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS WORK IS TO EVALUATE CHANGES IN BLOOD FLOW OF CALF MUSCLES AFTER SPECIFIC YOGA POSTURES FOR PATIENTS WITH DM USING MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI) TECHNIQUES. TIME OF FLIGHT (TOF) MAGNETIC RESONANCE ANGIOGRAPHY MAXIMUM INTENSITY PROJECTION (MIP), T1 MAPS, T2 MAPS, AND DIFFUSION-WEIGHTED IMAGING ARE PERFORMED ON VOLUNTEERS AND DM PATIENTS BOTH PRE- AND POST-EXERCISE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: TOF MIP, T1 MAPS WITH VARIABLE FLIP ANGLES, AND T2-WEIGHTED SPIN-ECHO IMAGING WERE PERFORMED ON FOUR VOLUNTEERS (AGED 30 +/- 5) AND DM PATIENTS (AGED 32-68) PREEXERCISE, ON A 1.5 T SIEMENS SCANNER. THE TOTAL ACQUISITION TIME WAS 6 MIN 20 S. EACH VOLUNTEER AND DM PATIENT WERE THEN REQUESTED TO PERFORM YOGA POSTURES SUPTA PADANGUSTHASANA, UTKATASANA, AND CALF RAISE FOR 6 MIN 30 S AT MAXIMUM EFFORT, OUTSIDE THE SCANNER, AND SUBSEQUENTLY RESCANNED. TO CALCULATE SIGNIFICANT SIGNAL INCREASE, REGION OF INTERESTS WAS DRAWN ON TOF MIP CORONAL IMAGES IN ARTERIES OF CALF MUSCLES. STUDENT T-TESTS WERE PERFORMED TO DETERMINE STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. RESULTS: AMONG VOLUNTEERS, A SIGNIFICANT SIGNAL INCREASE IN ARTERIES OF CALF MUSCLES WAS NOTICED, SIGNAL INTENSITY GRAPHS WERE PLOTTED. IN DM PATIENTS, SIGNAL INCREASE IN TOF MIP, T2-WEIGHTED IMAGES WERE SEEN IN SPECIFIC ARTERIES (POSTERIOR, ANTERIOR TIBIAL, AND POSTERIOR TIBIAL) OF CALF MUSCLES POSTEXERCISE. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: THE STUDY INDICATES THAT YOGA HAS A POSITIVE SHORT-TERM EFFECT ON MULTIPLE DM-RELATED FOOT COMPLICATIONS. THIS STUDY DEPICTS THAT MRI PROVIDES POTENTIAL INSIGHT INTO THE BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR DM PATIENTS THROUGH DERIVING BIOMARKERS FOR PREVENTIVE MEDICINE RELEVANT TO YOGA INTERCEPTION. 2021 3 1741 23 PHYSICAL DEMAND PROFILES OF HATHA YOGA POSTURES PERFORMED BY OLDER ADULTS. UNDERSTANDING THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS PLACED UPON THE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM BY INDIVIDUAL POSTURES MAY ALLOW EXPERIENCED INSTRUCTORS AND THERAPISTS TO DEVELOP SAFE AND EFFECTIVE YOGA PROGRAMS WHICH REDUCE UNDESIRABLE SIDE EFFECTS. THUS, WE USED BIOMECHANICAL METHODS TO QUANTIFY THE LOWER EXTREMITY JOINT ANGLES, JOINT MOMENTS OF FORCE, AND MUSCLE ACTIVITIES OF 21 HATHA YOGA POSTURES, COMMONLY USED IN SENIOR YOGA PROGRAMS. TWENTY OLDER ADULTS, 70.7 YEARS +/- 3.8 YEARS, PARTICIPATED IN A 32-WK YOGA CLASS (2 D/WK) WHERE THEY LEARNED INTRODUCTORY AND INTERMEDIATE POSTURES (ASANAS). THEY THEN PERFORMED THE ASANAS IN A MOTION ANALYSIS LABORATORY. KINEMATIC, KINETIC, AND ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC DATA WAS COLLECTED OVER THREE SECONDS WHILE THE PARTICIPANTS HELD THE POSES STATICALLY. PROFILES ILLUSTRATING THE POSTURES AND INCLUDING THE BIOMECHANICAL DATA WERE THEN GENERATED FOR EACH ASANA. OUR FINDINGS DEMONSTRATED THAT HATHA YOGA POSTURES ENGENDERED A RANGE OF APPRECIABLE JOINT ANGLES, JMOFS, AND MUSCLE ACTIVITIES ABOUT THE ANKLE, KNEE, AND HIP, AND THAT DEMANDS ASSOCIATED WITH SOME POSTURES AND POSTURE MODIFICATIONS WERE NOT ALWAYS INTUITIVE. THEY ALSO DEMONSTRATED THAT ALL OF THE POSTURES ELICITED APPRECIABLE RECTUS ABDOMINIS ACTIVITY, WHICH WAS UP TO 70% OF THAT INDUCED DURING WALKING. 2013 4 1524 28 ISOMETRIC YOGA-LIKE MANEUVERS IMPROVE ADOLESCENT IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS-A NONRANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: ASSESS THERAPEUTIC VALUE OF SPECIFIC YOGA POSES FOR THORACIC AND LUMBAR ADOLESCENT IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS (AIS) TAUGHT IN OFFICE OR INTERNET. STUDY DESIGN: NONRANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL: FIFTY-SIX ADOLESCENTS (MEAN AGE 14.0 YEARS; MEAN RISSER 3.0) WERE RECRUITED FROM OUR CLINIC; 41 DID THE SIDE-PLANK, THE HALF-MOON AND ELEVATED SIDE PLANK POSES AS APPROPRIATE (TREATMENT GROUP) AND 15 DID NOT (CONTROLS). THIRTY CURVES WERE TREATED IN OFFICE, 30 VIA INTERNET. CURVE CHANGE WAS EVALUATED BY BLINDED SERIAL COBB ANGLES, AND ANALYZED USING MANN-WHITNEY U, PAIRED T-TESTS AND CHI(2). RESULTS: MEAN LUMBAR AND THORACOLUMBAR COBB ANGLE CHANGE WAS -9.2 (95% CI = -11.8, -6.6) IN THE TREATMENT GROUP AND 5.4 (95% CI = 1.7, 9.0) IN CONTROLS. BOTH TREATMENT GROUP IMPROVEMENT AND DETERIORATION IN CONTROLS WERE SIGNIFICANT (TREATMENT GROUP: PAIRED T-TEST T = -7.1, DF = 40, P = .000; CONTROLS: T = 3.2, DF = 12, P = .008). MEAN THORACIC COBB ANGLE CHANGE WAS -7.1 (95% CI = -13.1, -1.2) IN THE TREATMENT GROUP AND 9.3 (95% CI = 4.5, 14.6) IN CONTROLS. BOTH CHANGES WERE SIGNIFICANT (PAIRED T-TEST T = -3.3, DF = 21, P = .022 FOR TREATMENT GROUP; T = 4.5, DF = 5, P = .006 FOR CONTROLS). NINE INTERNET PATIENTS WERE NON-COMPLIANT VS. 6 OFFICE PATIENTS. OFFICE PATIENTS IMPROVED 1.6 DEGREES/MONTH OR 5.5%/MONTH; INTERNET PATIENTS IMPROVED .72 DEGREES/MONTH OR 3.3%/MONTH. CONCLUSION: THESE YOGA POSES SHOW PROMISE FOR REVERSING ADOLESCENT IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS. TELEMEDICINE HAD GREATER NON-COMPLIANCE AND LOWER EFFICACY BUT STILL PRODUCED PATIENT IMPROVEMENT. 2021 5 322 22 ANKLE MOTION IN COMMON YOGA POSES. BACKGROUND: MOTION OF THE ANKLE IS ESSENTIAL FOR MANY YOGA POSES. AN UNDERSTANDING OF RANGE OF ANKLE MOTION DURING TYPICAL YOGA POSES MAY HELP THE CLINICIAN TO UNDERSTAND EXPECTED OUTCOMES OF PATIENTS WHEN RETURNING FROM ANKLE SURGERY OR INJURY TO YOGA. METHODS: THE BIOMECHANICS OF TWENTY HEALTHY ACTIVE YOGIS WERE COLLECTED DURING SEVEN YOGA POSES THAT ARE COMMON WITHIN THEIR PRACTICES. MOTION CAPTURE AND FORCE PLATES WERE USED TO ASSESS THE RANGE OF MOTION AND JOINT MOMENTS OF THE ANKLE FOR EACH POSE. RESULTS: ALL POSES RESULTED IN PLANTARFLEXION AND EXTERNAL ROTATION MOMENTS AT THE ANKLE JOINTS. JOINT LOADING WAS HIGHEST IN SINGLE LEG POSES. THE ARC OF MOTION USED BY THE STUDY PARTICIPANTS IN THE POSES WAS 29 DEGREES OF SAGITTAL MOTION, 20 DEGREES OF FRONTAL MOTION AND 35 DEGREES OF TRANSVERSE MOTION. DISCUSSION: ANKLE MOTION WAS EVALUATED WHEN HEALTHY YOGIS PERFORM STANDARD POSES. THESE RESULTS MAY HELP IN DISCUSSION WITH PATIENTS REGARDING EXPECTED OUTCOMES AFTER ANKLE INJURY OR SURGERY. 2019 6 2735 32 YOGA POSE ESTIMATION AND FEEDBACK GENERATION USING DEEP LEARNING. YOGA IS A 5000-YEAR-OLD PRACTICE DEVELOPED IN ANCIENT INDIA BY THE INDUS-SARASVATI CIVILIZATION. THE WORD YOGA MEANS DEEP ASSOCIATION AND UNION OF MIND WITH THE BODY. IT IS USED TO KEEP BOTH MIND AND BODY IN EQUILIBRATION IN ALL FLIP-FLOPS OF LIFE BY MEANS OF ASANA, MEDITATION, AND SEVERAL OTHER TECHNIQUES. NOWADAYS, YOGA HAS GAINED WORLDWIDE ATTENTION DUE TO INCREASED STRESS LEVELS IN THE MODERN LIFESTYLE, AND THERE ARE NUMEROUS METHODS OR RESOURCES FOR LEARNING YOGA. YOGA CAN BE PRACTICED IN YOGA CENTERS, THROUGH PERSONAL TUTORS, AND CAN ALSO BE LEARNED ON ONE'S OWN WITH THE HELP OF THE INTERNET, BOOKS, RECORDED CLIPS, ETC. IN FAST-PACED LIFESTYLES, MANY PEOPLE PREFER SELF-LEARNING BECAUSE THE ABOVEMENTIONED RESOURCES MIGHT NOT BE AVAILABLE ALL THE TIME. BUT IN SELF-LEARNING, ONE MAY NOT FIND AN INCORRECT POSE. INCORRECT POSTURE CAN BE HARMFUL TO ONE'S HEALTH, RESULTING IN ACUTE PAIN AND LONG-TERM CHRONIC CONCERNS. IN THIS PAPER, DEEP LEARNING-BASED TECHNIQUES ARE DEVELOPED TO DETECT INCORRECT YOGA POSTURE. WITH THIS METHOD, THE USERS CAN SELECT THE DESIRED POSE FOR PRACTICE AND CAN UPLOAD RECORDED VIDEOS OF THEIR YOGA PRACTICE POSE. THE USER POSE IS SENT TO TRAIN MODELS THAT OUTPUT THE ABNORMAL ANGLES DETECTED BETWEEN THE ACTUAL POSE AND THE USER POSE. WITH THESE OUTPUTS, THE SYSTEM ADVISES THE USER TO IMPROVE THE POSE BY SPECIFYING WHERE THE YOGA POSE IS GOING WRONG. THE PROPOSED METHOD WAS COMPARED TO SEVERAL STATE-OF-THE-ART METHODS, AND IT ACHIEVED OUTSTANDING ACCURACY OF 0.9958 WHILE REQUIRING LESS COMPUTATIONAL COMPLEXITY. 2022 7 408 30 BIOMECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS ON THE LOWER EXTREMITY OF THREE TYPICAL YOGA MANOEUVRES. THIS STUDY WAS AIMED AT EXPLORING THE BIOMECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LOWER EXTREMITY AMONGST THREE TYPICAL YOGA MANOEUVRES. A TOTAL OF THIRTEEN EXPERIENCED FEMALE YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE RECRUITED IN THE CURRENT STUDY; THEY WERE ALL CERTIFIED WITH THE YOGA ALLIANCE. A THREE-DIMENSIONAL MOTION CAPTURE SYSTEM WITH 10 CAMERAS COMBINED WITH FOUR SYNCHRONISED FORCE PLATES WAS USED TO COLLECT KINEMATICS OF THE LOWER EXTREMITY AND GROUND REACTIVE FORCE WHILST THE PARTICIPANTS PERFORMED THE CRESCENT LUNGE POSE, WARRIOR II POSE, AND TRIANGLE POSE. ONE-WAY REPEATED ANOVA WAS USED IN EXPLORING THE DIFFERENCES AMONGST THE THREE YOGA MOVEMENTS, AND THE SIGNIFICANCE WAS SET TO ALPHA < 0.05. THE TRIANGLE POSE PERFORMED THE LARGEST RANGE OF MOTION (ROM) OF THE HIP (90.5 DEGREES +/- 22.9 DEGREES ), KNEE (68.8 DEGREES +/- 23.1 DEGREES ), AND ANKLE (46.4 DEGREES +/- 11.3 DEGREES ) IN THE SAGITTAL PLANE AND THE HIP (54.8 DEGREES +/- 6.5 DEGREES ), KNEE (42.4 DEGREES +/- 12.8 DEGREES ), AND ANKLE (4.8 DEGREES +/- 1.7 DEGREES ) IN THE FRONTAL PLANE AMONGST THE THREE MANOEUVRES (P < 0.05). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND FOR THE HIP AND ANKLE JOINT MOMENT AMONGST THE THREE MANOEUVRES (P > 0.05). KNEE JOINT TRAVELLED INTO 9.5 DEGREES OF EXTENSION AND SLIGHT ADDUCTION OF 1.94 DEGREES WHILST EXPRESSING THE LARGEST KNEE JOINT ADDUCTION MOMENTS (0.30 +/- 0.22 NM/KG) IN THE TRIANGLE POSE. THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE ANGULAR IMPULSE OF THE LOWER LIMB JOINTS INDICATED THAT THE HIP JOINT CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY THE MOST IN THE SAGITTAL AND FRONTAL PLANES OF THE THREE YOGA MANOEUVRES (P < 0.05), RANGING FROM 51.67% TO 70.56%. RESULTS INDICATED THAT TRIANGLE POSE MAY BE SUPERIOR TO THE OTHER TWO MANOEUVRES, WHICH IMPROVED HIP JOINT ROM, STRENGTH, AND DYNAMIC STABILITY. HOWEVER, KNEE INJURIES SUCH AS OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA) SHOULD BE CONSIDERED BECAUSE OF THE LARGE KNEE EXTENSOR ANGLE AND ADDUCTOR MOMENTS. 2021 8 2306 30 TRAINING BENEFITS AND INJURY RISKS OF STANDING YOGA APPLIED IN MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS: LOWER LIMB BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS. STANDING YOGA POSES STRENGTHEN A PERSON'S LEGS AND HELPS TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL OF MUSCULOSKELETAL REHABILITATION, BUT INADEQUATE EXERCISE PLANNING CAN CAUSE INJURIES. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED CHANGES IN THE ELECTROMYOGRAM AND JOINT MOMENTS OF FORCE (JMOFS) OF LOWER EXTREMITIES DURING COMMON STANDING YOGA POSES IN ORDER TO EXPLORE THE FEASIBILITY AND POSSIBLE INJURY RISK IN DEALING WITH MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS. ELEVEN YOGA INSTRUCTORS WERE RECRUITED TO EXECUTE FIVE YOGA POSES (CHAIR, TREE, WARRIOR 1, 2, AND 3). THE RESULTS REVEALED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN HIP, KNEE, AND ANKLE JMOFS AND VARYING DEGREES OF MUSCLE ACTIVATION AMONG THE POSES. AMONG THESE POSES, RECTUS FEMORIS MUSCLE ACTIVATION DURING THE CHAIR POSE WAS THE HIGHEST, WARRIOR 2 PRODUCED THE HIGHEST MUSCLE ACTIVATION IN THE VASTUS LATERALIS OF THE FRONT LIMB, WHILE WARRIOR 1 HAD THE HIGHEST MUSCLE ACTIVATION IN THE VASTUS MEDIALIS OF THE BACK LIMB. THEREFORE, ALL THREE POSES CAN POSSIBLY BE SUGGESTED AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION FOR QUADRICEPS STRENGTHENING. WARRIOR 1 WAS POSSIBLY SUGGESTED AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION IN ORDER TO REDUCE EXCESSIVE LATERAL OVERLOAD OF THE PATELLA, BUT THE POSSIBLE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF WARRIOR 2 WITH THE HIGHEST KNEE ADDUCTOR JMOF IN THE BACK LIMB COULD RAISE JOINT REACTION FORCES ACROSS THE MEDIAL CONDYLES. IN SINGLE-LEG BALANCE POSTURES, WARRIOR 3 HAD UNIQUE TRAINING EFFECTS ON THE HAMSTRING, AND IS THEREFORE SUGGESTED AS A PART OF HAMSTRING REHABILITATION EXERCISES. THE TREE POSE INDUCED LOW LOWER-EXTREMITY JMOFS AND A LOW LEVEL OF THIGH MUSCLE ACTIVATIONS WHEN IT WAS PERFORMED BY SENIOR INSTRUCTORS WITH EXCELLENT BALANCE CONTROL; HOWEVER, FOR YOGA BEGINNERS WITH INSUFFICIENT STABILITY, IT WILL BE A USEFUL TRAINING MODE FOR STRENGTHENING THE MUSCLES THAT HELP TO KEEP ONE UPRIGHT. THIS STUDY QUANTIFIED THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF YOGA POSES USING BIOMECHANICAL DATA AND ELUCIDATED THE STRUCTURES AND PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING EACH YOGA MOVEMENT. THIS IS CRUCIAL FOR YOGA PRACTITIONERS. 2021 9 2064 29 THE BIOMECHANICAL DEMANDS OF STANDING YOGA POSES IN SENIORS: THE YOGA EMPOWERS SENIORS STUDY (YESS). BACKGROUND: THE NUMBER OF OLDER ADULTS PARTICIPATING IN YOGA HAS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY IN RECENT YEARS; YET, THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA PERFORMANCE HAVE NOT BEEN REPORTED. THE PRIMARY AIM OF THE YOGA EMPOWERS SENIORS STUDY (YESS) WAS TO USE BIOMECHANICAL METHODS TO QUANTIFY THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF 7 COMMONLY-PRACTICED STANDING YOGA POSES IN OLDER ADULTS. METHODS: 20 AMBULATORY OLDER ADULTS (70.7+-3.8 YRS) ATTENDED 2 WEEKLY 60-MINUTE HATHA YOGA CLASSES FOR 32 WEEKS. THE LOWER-EXTREMITY NET JOINT MOMENTS OF FORCE (JMOFS), WERE OBTAINED DURING THE PERFORMANCE OF THE FOLLOWING POSES: CHAIR, WALL PLANK, TREE, WARRIOR II, SIDE STRETCH, CRESCENT, AND ONE-LEGGED BALANCE. REPEATED-MEASURE ANOVA AND TUKEY'S POST-HOC TESTS WERE USED TO IDENTIFY DIFFERENCES IN JMOFS AMONG THE POSES. ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS WAS USED TO SUPPORT THE JMOF FINDINGS. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECT FOR POSE, AT THE ANKLE, KNEE AND HIP, IN THE FRONTAL AND SAGITTAL PLANES (P=0.00-0.03). THE CRESCENT, CHAIR, WARRIOR II, AND ONE-LEGGED BALANCE POSES GENERATED THE GREATEST AVERAGE SUPPORT MOMENTS. SIDE STRETCH GENERATED THE GREATEST AVERAGE HIP EXTENSOR AND KNEE FLEXOR JMOFS. CRESCENT PLACED THE HIGHEST DEMANDS ON THE HIP FLEXORS AND KNEE EXTENSORS. ALL OF THE POSES PRODUCED ANKLE PLANTAR-FLEXOR JMOFS. IN THE FRONTAL PLANE, THE TREE GENERATED THE GREATEST AVERAGE HIP AND KNEE ABDUCTOR JMOFS; WHEREAS WARRIOR II GENERATED THE GREATEST AVERAGE HIP AND KNEE ADDUCTOR JMOFS. WARRIOR II AND ONE-LEGGED BALANCE INDUCED THE LARGEST AVERAGE ANKLE EVERTOR AND INVERTOR JMOFS, RESPECTIVELY. THE ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC FINDINGS WERE CONSISTENT WITH THE JMOF RESULTS. CONCLUSIONS: MUSCULOSKELETAL DEMAND VARIED SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS THE DIFFERENT POSES. THESE FINDINGS MAY BE USED TO GUIDE THE DESIGN OF EVIDENCE-BASED YOGA INTERVENTIONS THAT ADDRESS INDIVIDUAL-SPECIFIC TRAINING AND REHABILITATION GOALS IN SENIORS. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: THIS STUDY IS REGISTERED WITH NIH CLINICALTRIALS.GOV #NCT 01411059. 2013 10 374 32 AYURVEDA BODY-MIND CONSTITUTIONAL TYPES AND ROLE OF YOGA INTERVENTION AMONG TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS POPULATION OF CHANDIGARH AND PANCHKULA REGIONS. BACKGROUND: TYPE 2 DIABETES NEEDS A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF ETIOLOGICAL FACTORS AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES BASED ON LIFESTYLE AND CONSTITUTIONAL FACTORS, GIVEN ITS HIGH ASSOCIATION RATE WITH MANY CARDIOVASCULAR, NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS, AND COVID-19 INFECTION. PURPOSE: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF DIABETES-SPECIFIC INTEGRATED YOGA LIFESTYLE PROTOCOL (DYP) ON GLYCEMIC CONTROL AND LIPID PROFILES OF DIABETIC ADULTS. ALONG WITH THE DYP INTERVENTION, THE INDIVIDUALS RESIDING IN CHANDIGARH AND PANCHKULA UNION TERRITORIES IN THE NORTHERN PART OF INDIA WERE ASSESSED FOR AYURVEDA-BASED BODY-MIND CONSTITUTIONAL TYPE. AYURVEDA DESCRIBES BODY-MIND CONSTITUTION AS "PRAKRITI," WHICH HAS BEEN DISCUSSED FROM TWO ANGLES, NAMELY PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL AS BODY AND MIND ARE CORRELATED. METHODS: CLUSTER SAMPLING OF WAITLIST CONTROL STUDY SUBJECTS WAS USED AS THE SAMPLING METHOD FOR THE STUDY. A TOTAL OF 1,215 REGISTERED SUBJECTS (81 DIABETIC) RESPONDED IN RANDOMLY SELECTED CLUSTERS IN CHANDIGARH AND PANCHKULA. AYURVEDA PHYSICIANS DID AYURVEDA BODY-MIND CONSTITUTIONAL ASSESSMENT CALLED PRAKRITI ASSESSMENT (PHYSIOLOGICAL BODY-MIND CONSTITUTION ASSESSMENT) IN 35 PARTICIPANTS (23 DIABETIC, 12 PREDIABETIC) AS A PART OF THE STUDY. RESULTS: A GROUP OF 50 SUBJECTS WAS RANDOMLY SELECTED FOR YOGA INTERVENTION OUT OF 81 DIABETES MELLITUS ADULTS, AND 31 SUBJECTS WERE ENROLLED AS WAITLIST CONTROLS. A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE GLYCOSYLATED HEMOGLOBIN LEVELS FROM 8.49 +/- 1.94% TO 7.97 +/- 2.20% IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP WAS NOTICED. THE LIPID PROFILES OF THE DYP INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS WERE MONITORED. THREE-MONTH FOLLOW-UP RESULTS OF LIPID PROFILE DIAGNOSTIC TESTS IN INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS (P < 0.05). MOST DIABETIC AND PREDIABETIC INDIVIDUALS WERE FOUND TO HAVE PITTA DOSHA (PITTA CONTROLS ALL HEAT, METABOLISM, AND TRANSFORMATION IN THE MIND AND BODY) AS DOMINANT CONSTITUTION TYPE. CONCLUSION: THE STUDY RESULTS DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN DIABETIC INDIVIDUALS. THIS STUDY HAS INDICATED THE EVIDENCE FOR THE SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF THE VALIDATED DYP FOR COMMUNITY-LEVEL INTERVENTIONS TO PREVENT MALADIES LIKE BRAIN DAMAGE AND STROKE. 2020 11 1464 34 INFLUENCES OF A YOGA INTERVENTION ON THE POSTURAL SKILLS OF THE ITALIAN SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING TEAM. INTRODUCTION: IN PREPARATION FOR A SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING SEASON, EIGHT MEN AND SEVEN WOMEN WERE GIVEN YOGA SESSIONS DURING AN 8-WEEK HIGH VOLUME TRAINING CYCLE. THE SESSIONS WERE PLANNED ACCORDING TO THE POSTURAL ASPECTS SPECIFIC TO SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS. THREE SPECIFIC GOALS WERE SELECTED FOR THE INTERVENTION: 1) TO OBSERVE WHETHER THE PRACTICE OF YOGA AS POSTURAL TRAINING COULD IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY AND THE ATHLETE'S REPERTOIRE ALONG THE MUSCULAR SYNERGIES SOLICITED IN THE SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING SPECIFIC TECHNIQUE; 2) TO ENHANCE AND DIVERSIFY THE MOTOR TIME-ON-TASK OF ATHLETES WITHOUT CHANGING THE PRESCRIPTION OF OTHER TRAINING STIMULUS; AND 3) TO LOWER THE RISK OF INJURY DURING PERIODS WITH HIGH VOLUMES OF TRAINING. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 36 SESSIONS OF YOGA WERE GIVEN. THREE POSTURAL TESTS WERE ADMINISTERED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION WITH 14 ANGLES ANALYZED. NON-PARAMETRIC WILCOXON TEST WAS USED TO COMPARE ANGLES' VARIATIONS. RESULTS: THE 36 YOGA SESSIONS TOTALIZED 986 MINUTES OF MOTOR TIME-ON-TASK, REGISTERING A PROPORTION OF 30% OF THE GLOBAL MOTOR TIME-ON-TASK OF THE TRAINING CYCLE. IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN ELEVEN OF THE 14 ANGLES MEASURED WHEN COMPARING PRE- AND POST-POSTURAL TESTS (P-VALUE FROM 0.01 TO 0.005). DURING THE 8 WEEKS, EXCEPTING TRAUMATIC INJURIES DUE TO SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING ACCIDENTS, NO SKATERS SUFFERED INJURIES LINKED TO THE HIGH VOLUME OF TRAINING. FOLLOWING THE INTERVENTION, COACHES NOTICED, FOLLOWING THEIR ON-ICE FEEDBACKS, AN ADJUSTMENT IN THE EFFICIENCY OF THE SKATING TECHNIQUE, IN PARTICULAR REGARDING HIP DISSOCIATION. CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA COULD BE INSERTED INTO OUT-OF-SEASON TRAINING CYCLES, EVEN IN A HIGH VOLUME TRAINING CYCLE. PLANNED WITH THE DECISION TRAINING TOOLS, IT ALLOWS ATHLETES TO DIVERSIFY THEIR MOTOR TIME-ON-TASK BY INTEGRATING A NEW FUNCTIONAL RANGE OF GENERIC MOVEMENTS WITH THE SOLICITATION OF NEUROMUSCULAR SYNERGIES RELATED TO THE SPECIFICITY OF THEIR SPORT. 2015 12 81 21 A MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF EFFECTS ON SPECIFIC JOINTS DURING PRACTICE OF THE SUN SALUTATION--A SEQUENCE OF YOGA POSTURES. THE 'SUN SALUTATION' CONSISTS OF A SEQUENCE OF TEN YOGA POSTURES, EACH POSTURE COUNTERACTING THE PRECEDING ONE PRODUCING A BALANCE BETWEEN FLEXION AND EXTENSION, PERFORMED WITH SYNCHRONIZED BREATHING AND AEROBIC ACTIVITY. AS THIS SEQUENCE IS OFTEN PERFORMED AND RECOMMENDED BY MANY YOGA PRACTITIONERS, THERE IS A NEED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A BIOMECHANICAL MODEL TO SUPPORT ITS REPORTED CLINICAL BENEFITS. THIS REQUIRES A DETAILED KNOWLEDGE OF THE NATURE OF THE FORCES AND MOMENTS AT THE VARIOUS JOINTS INVOLVED. A SIMPLE MATHEMATICAL MODEL BASED ON RIGID BODY MECHANICS IS DEVELOPED FOR EACH OF THE SUN SALUTATION POSTURES. DYNAMIC MOMENTS WITH HIGH MAGNITUDES AND RATES, APPLIED WITH UNUSUAL DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS, OPTIMAL FOR OSTEOGENESIS, ARE FOUND TO OCCUR. ALSO, THE JOINTS ARE SUBJECTED TO SUBMAXIMAL LOADINGS THUS ENSURING THAT NONE OF THE JOINTS ARE OVERSTRESSED. 2011 13 552 26 CORE MUSCLE FUNCTION DURING SPECIFIC YOGA POSES. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS THE POTENTIAL USE OF 11 YOGA POSES IN SPECIFIC TRAINING AND REHABILITATION PROGRAMS VIA EXAMINATION OF THE MUSCLE ACTIVATION PATTERNS IN SELECTED TRUNK AND HIP MUSCLES. DESIGN: REPEATED-MEASURES DESCRIPTIVE STUDY. SETTING: UNIVERSITY LABORATORY, US. PARTICIPANTS: THIRTY HEALTHY YOGA PRACTITIONERS WITH MORE THAN 3 MONTHS YOGA PRACTICE EXPERIENCE (MEAN AGE+/-SD, 32.0+/-12.3 Y; 8 M/22 F) PARTICIPATED. INTERVENTIONS: SURFACE ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC SIGNALS OF UPPER RECTUS ABDOMINIS, LOWER RECTUS ABDOMINIS, LONGISSIMUS THORACIS, EXTERNAL OBLIQUE ABDOMINIS AND GLUTEUS MAXIMUM MUSCLE WERE RECORDED IN 11 YOGA POSES: HALFWAY LIFT, FORWARD FOLD, DOWNWARD FACING DOG, UPWARD FACING DOG, HIGH PLANK, LOW PLANK, CHAIR, MOUNTAIN WITH ARMS DOWN, MOUNTAIN WITH ARMS UP, WARRIOR 1 (BOTH SIDES). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ROOT MEAN SQUARE VALUES OF EACH MUSCLE DURING EACH POSE, NORMALIZED BY THE MAXIMAL VOLUNTARY CONTRACTION. RESULTS: THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECTS OF POSE (P<.001) AND MUSCLE (P<.001), AND A SIGNIFICANT POSEXMUSCLE INTERACTION (P=.001). THE POST HOC ANALYSIS REVEALED UNIQUE PATTERNS FOR THE FIVE MUSCLES OF INTEREST FOR EACH OF THE 11 POSES (P<.024). CONCLUSIONS: VARIATIONS IN CORE MUSCLE FIRING PATTERNS DEPEND ON THE TRUNK AND PELVIC POSITIONS DURING THESE POSES. TRAINING PROGRAMS CAN BE DEVELOPED BY CHOOSING PARTICULAR POSES TO TARGET SPECIFIC CORE MUSCLES FOR ADDRESSING LOW BACK PAIN AND DECLINES IN PERFORMANCE. THE HIGH PLANK, LOW PLANK AND DOWNWARD FACING DOG POSES ARE EFFECTIVE FOR STRENGTHENING EXTERNAL OBLIQUE ABDOMINIS, CHAIR AND WARRIOR 1 POSES FOR TARGETING GLUTEUS MAXIMUM, AND CHAIR AND HALFWAY LIFT POSES FOR STRENGTHENING LONGISSIMUS THORACIS. AND THESE THREE MUSCLES COULD BE STRENGTHENED BY THE UPWARD FACING DOG POSE. 2014 14 2329 29 TRUNK AND HIP MUSCLE ACTIVATION DURING YOGA POSES: IMPLICATIONS FOR PHYSICAL THERAPY PRACTICE. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE AND COMPARE ACTIVATION OF CORE MUSCLES DURING YOGA TO TRADITIONAL BACK EXERCISES. METHODS: SURFACE ELECTROMYOGRAPHY WAS USED TO QUANTIFY ACTIVATION OF THE RECTUS ABDOMINIS (RA), ABDOMINAL OBLIQUES (AO), LUMBAR EXTENSORS (LE), AND GLUTEUS MAXIMUS (GMX) DURING FOUR YOGA POSES. DATA WERE EXPRESSED AS 100% OF A MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY ISOMETRIC CONTRACTION. SEPARATE ANALYSES OF VARIANCE WITH REPEATED MEASURES WERE USED TO COMPARE MUSCLE ACTIVITY ACROSS EACH EXERCISE. RESULTS: SUBJECTS GENERATED GREATER RA (P < 0.0001) AND AO (P < 0.0001) ACTIVITY DURING THE PLANK. THEY GENERATED GREATER AO ACTIVITY (P < 0.0001) DURING THE UPWARD-FACING DOG THAN THE CHAIR AND DOMINANT-SIDE WARRIOR 1. LE ACTIVITY WAS GREATEST (P < 0.0001) DURING THE CHAIR. GMX ACTIVITY WAS SIMILAR (P = 0.09) DURING ALL EXERCISES. CONCLUSION: YOGA POSES MAY HELP IMPROVE CORE ENDURANCE AND STRENGTH. CLINICIANS MAY USE THESE DATA WHEN DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING AN EVIDENCE-BASED CORE EXERCISE PROGRAM FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO PREFER A YOGA TREATMENT STRATEGY. 2017 15 2780 29 YOGA THERAPY AND AMBULATORY MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS ASSESSMENT OF GAIT ANALYSIS PARAMETERS, FATIGUE AND BALANCE. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: GAIT IMPAIRMENT, FALLS DUE TO BALANCE PROBLEMS AND FATIGUE ARE AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPLAINTS IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) AND CAUSE SIGNIFICANT FUNCTIONAL LIMITATION. USE OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM) TO HELP SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT AND TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE IS GROWING AMONG MS PATIENTS. YOGA IS WIDELY USED AS ONE OF THESE CAM INTERVENTIONS, HOWEVER, THE NUMBER OF STUDIES THAT SHOW THE EFFICACY OF YOGA TRAINING IN MS IS INADEQUATE. IN THIS STUDY, WE AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A SHORT TERM YOGA PROGRAM ON FATIGUE, BALANCE AND GAIT IN PATIENTS WITH MS. METHOD: EIGHT VOLUNTEER AMBULATORY MS PATIENTS WITH CLINICALLY DEFINITE RELAPSING REMITTING MS WHOSE EXPANDED DISABILITY STATUS SCORE (EDSS) IS LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 6.0, AND EIGHT HEALTHY SUBJECTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. PATIENTS PARTICIPATED IN 12 WEEKS OF A BI-WEEKLY YOGA PROGRAM UNDER SUPERVISION. AT THEIR BASELINE AND AFTER YOGA THERAPY, THE FATIGUE SEVERITY SCALE (FSS) AND BERG BALANCE SCALE (BBS) ARE USED TO ASSESS FATIGUE AND BALANCE. THREE DIMENSIONAL GAIT ANALYSIS IS DONE USING THE VICON 612 SYSTEM WITH SIX CAMERAS AND TWO BERTEC FORCE PLATES, BEFORE AND AFTER THERAPY. RESULTS: AFTER SHORT TERM YOGA THERAPY, STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS WERE OBTAINED IN FATIGUE, BALANCE, STEP LENGTH AND WALKING SPEED. ALTHOUGH SAGITTAL PLANE PELVIS AND HIP ANGLES, ANKLE PLANTAR FLEXOR MOMENT, POWERS GENERATED AT THE HIP AND ANKLE JOINTS AT THE PRE-SWING WERE IMPROVED, THE IMPROVEMENTS WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. CONCLUSION: YOGA THERAPY IS A SAFE AND BENEFICIAL INTERVENTION FOR IMPROVING FATIGUE, BALANCE AND SPATIOTEMPORAL GAIT PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH MS. FURTHER STUDIES WITH A LARGER SAMPLE SIZE AND LONGER FOLLOW-UP WILL BE NEEDED TO EVALUATE THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA THERAPY. 2015 16 642 33 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 17 626 24 DIFFERENCE IN MUSCLE ACTIVATION PATTERNS DURING HIGH-SPEED VERSUS STANDARD-SPEED YOGA: A RANDOMIZED SEQUENCE CROSSOVER STUDY. OBJECTIVES: TO COMPARE THE DIFFERENCE IN MUSCLE ACTIVATION BETWEEN HIGH-SPEED YOGA AND STANDARD-SPEED YOGA AND TO COMPARE MUSCLE ACTIVATION OF THE TRANSITIONS BETWEEN POSES AND THE HELD PHASES OF A YOGA POSE. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED SEQUENCE CROSSOVER TRIAL SETTING: A LABORATORY OF NEUROMUSCULAR RESEARCH AND ACTIVE AGING INTERVENTIONS: EIGHT MINUTES OF CONTINUOUS SUN SALUTATION B WAS PERFORMED, AT A HIGH SPEED VERSUS A STANDARD-SPEED, SEPARATELY. ELECTROMYOGRAPHY WAS USED TO QUANTIFY NORMALIZED MUSCLE ACTIVATION PATTERNS OF EIGHT UPPER AND LOWER BODY MUSCLES (PECTORALIS MAJOR, MEDIAL DELTOIDS, LATERAL HEAD OF THE TRICEPS, MIDDLE FIBERS OF THE TRAPEZIUS, VASTUS MEDIALIS, MEDIAL GASTROCNEMIUS, THORACIC EXTENSOR SPINAE, AND EXTERNAL OBLIQUES) DURING THE HIGH-SPEED AND STANDARD-SPEED YOGA PROTOCOLS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: DIFFERENCE IN NORMALIZED MUSCLE ACTIVATION BETWEEN HIGH-SPEED YOGA AND STANDARD-SPEED YOGA. RESULTS: NORMALIZED MUSCLE ACTIVITY SIGNALS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN ALL EIGHT MUSCLES DURING THE TRANSITION PHASES OF POSES COMPARED TO THE HELD PHASES (P<0.01). THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION BETWEEN SPEEDXPHASE; HOWEVER, GREATER NORMALIZED MUSCLE ACTIVITY WAS SEEN FOR HIGHSPEED YOGA ACROSS THE ENTIRE SESSION. CONCLUSIONS: OUR RESULTS SHOW THAT TRANSITIONS FROM ONE HELD PHASE OF A POSE TO ANOTHER PRODUCES HIGHER NORMALIZED MUSCLE ACTIVITY THAN THE HELD PHASES OF THE POSES AND THAT OVERALL ACTIVITY IS GREATER DURING HIGHSPEED YOGA THAN STANDARD-SPEED YOGA. THEREFORE, THE TRANSITION SPEED AND ASSOCIATED NUMBER OF POSES SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WHEN TARGETING SPECIFIC IMPROVEMENTS IN PERFORMANCE. 2017 18 2340 31 USE OF A 'POSE RATE' TO QUANTIFY YOGA. OBJECTIVE: TO DEVELOP A METHOD THAT DESCRIBES THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY COMPLETED DURING YOGA, AND TO USE THIS METHOD TO COMPARE THREE DIFFERENT YOGA VIDEO CATEGORIES: WEIGHT LOSS, BEGINNER, AND STRESS RELIEF/MEDITATION. DESIGN: THIS STUDY CONDUCTED CONTENT ANALYSIS OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE YOGA VIDEOS IN WHICH PRE-DETERMINED CHARACTERISTICS OF YOGA ROUTINES WERE RECORDED. OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED THE YOGA ROUTINE CHARACTERISTICS OF: DURATION OF EACH YOGA ROUTINE, NUMBER OF COMPLETED POSES, BODY POSITION OF EACH POSE, AND POSE RATE. RESULTS: TWENTY-TWO ROUTINES FROM YOGA VIDEOS WERE ANALYZED. DURATION OF ROUTINE BETWEEN THE THREE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE VIDEO CATEGORIES BASED ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF TOTAL NUMBER OF POSES AND THE POSE RATE, WITH WEIGHT LOSS ROUTINES HAVING THE HIGHEST VALUES COMPARE TO BEGINNER ROUTINES AND STRESS RELIEF/MEDITATION (TOTAL NUMBER OF POSES: 74.1, 34.3, 25.6 POSES, P < 0.05; POSE RATE: 2.5M 1.5, 1.1 POSES/MIN, P < 0.05, RESPECTIVELY). ADDITIONALLY, DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED BETWEEN BODY POSTURES IN POSES WITH WEIGHT LOSS VIDEOS INCLUDING MORE STANDING POSES (38.8, 17.0, 5.7 POSES, P < 0.05, RESPECTIVELY) AND A LOWER PERCENTAGE OF SEATED (9.9%, 15.8%, 39.0%, P < 0.05, RESPECTIVELY) AND SUPINE POSES (10.9%, 18.5%, 28.8%, P < 0.05, RESPECTIVELY) COMPARED TO THE BEGINNER AND STRESS/MEDITATION VIDEOS. CONCLUSIONS: THE CHARACTERISTICS OF TOTAL POSES, POSE RATE, AND TOTAL STANDING POSES SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DIFFERENT STYLES OF YOGA. FURTHER RESEARCH SHOULD BE CONDUCTED TO VALIDATE THESE CHARACTERISTICS AS AN INTENSITY MEASURES AND TO ASSESS IF THESE CHARACTERISTICS HAVE VARIATIONS BETWEEN DIFFERENT YOGA STYLES. 2019 19 992 23 EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA PRACTICE ON THE HEALTH-RELATED ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS. TEN HEALTHY, UNTRAINED VOLUNTEERS (NINE FEMALES AND ONE MALE), RANGING IN AGE FROM 18-27 YEARS, WERE STUDIED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA PRACTICE ON THE HEALTH-RELATED ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS, INCLUDING MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE, FLEXIBILITY, CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS, BODY COMPOSITION, AND PULMONARY FUNCTION. SUBJECTS WERE REQUIRED TO ATTEND A MINIMUM OF TWO YOGA CLASSES PER WEEK FOR A TOTAL OF 8 WEEKS. EACH YOGA SESSION CONSISTED OF 10 MINUTES OF PRANAYAMAS (BREATH-CONTROL EXERCISES), 15 MINUTES OF DYNAMIC WARM-UP EXERCISES, 50 MINUTES OF ASANAS (YOGA POSTURES), AND 10 MINUTES OF SUPINE RELAXATION IN SAVASANA (CORPSE POSE). THE SUBJECTS WERE EVALUATED BEFORE AND AFTER THE 8-WEEK TRAINING PROGRAM. ISOKINETIC MUSCULAR STRENGTH FOR ELBOW EXTENSION, ELBOW FLEXION, AND KNEE EXTENSION INCREASED BY 31%, 19%, AND 28% (P<0.05), RESPECTIVELY, WHEREAS ISOMETRIC MUSCULAR ENDURANCE FOR KNEE FLEXION INCREASED 57% (P<0.01). ANKLE FLEXIBILITY, SHOULDER ELEVATION, TRUNK EXTENSION, AND TRUNK FLEXION INCREASED BY 13% (P<0.01), 155% (P<0.001), 188% (P<0.001), AND 14% (P<0.05), RESPECTIVELY. ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE MAXIMAL OXYGEN UPTAKE INCREASED BY 7% AND 6%, RESPECTIVELY (P<0.01). THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT REGULAR HATHA YOGA PRACTICE CAN ELICIT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE HEALTH-RELATED ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS. (C)2001 CHF, INC. 2001 20 2328 23 TRUNK AND HIP MUSCLE ACTIVATION DURING YOGA POSES: DO SEX-DIFFERENCES EXIST? OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE CORE ACTIVATION DURING YOGA BETWEEN MALES AND FEMALES. METHODS: SURFACE ELECTROMYOGRAPHY WAS USED TO QUANTIFY RECTUS ABDOMINIS (RA), ABDOMINAL OBLIQUES (AO), LUMBAR EXTENSORS (LE), AND GLUTEUS MAXIMUS (GMX) ACTIVATION DURING FOUR YOGA POSES. DATA WERE EXPRESSED AS 100% OF A MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY ISOMETRIC CONTRACTION. MIXED-MODEL 2X2 ANALYSES OF VARIANCE WITH REPEATED MEASURES WERE USED TO DETERMINE BETWEEN-SEX DIFFERENCES IN MUSCLE ACTIVITY. RESULTS: FEMALES GENERATED GREATER RA ACTIVITY THAN MALES DURING THE HIGH PLANK (P<0.0001) AND DOMINANT-SIDE WARRIOR 1 (P=0.017). THEY GENERATED GREATER AO (P<0.0001) AND GMX (P=0.004) ACTIVITY DURING THE HIGH PLANK (P<0.0001). NO BETWEEN-SEX EMG ACTIVITY DIFFERENCES EXISTED FOR THE CHAIR AND UPWARD FACING DOG. CONCLUSION: FINDINGS HAVE PROVIDED PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE FOR BETWEEN-SEX DIFFERENCES IN MUSCLE ACTIVATION DURING YOGA POSES. CLINICIANS SHOULD CONSIDER SUCH DIFFERENCES WHEN PRESCRIBING YOGA TO IMPROVE MUSCLE STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE. 2018