1 647 112 DOWNWARD DOG BECOMES FIT BODY, INC.: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF 40 YEARS OF FEMALE COVER IMAGES OF YOGA JOURNAL. THE PRESENT ANALYSIS INVESTIGATED TEMPORAL TRENDS IN PHYSICAL APPEARANCE ATTRIBUTES AND ATTIRE WORN BY FEMALE COVER MODELS OF YOGA JOURNAL MAGAZINE BETWEEN THE YEARS 1975-2015. COVERS FEATURING A SINGLE FEMALE MODEL (N=168) WERE CODED FOR: POSE ACTIVITY, AMOUNT OF BODY VISIBILITY, PERCEIVED BODY SIZE, BODY SHAPE, BREAST SIZE, SKIN EXPOSURE, AND REVEALING OR FORM-FITTING ATTIRE. WHEN COLLAPSED ACROSS ALL DECADES, THE MAJORITY OF COVER MODELS WAS ACTIVELY POSED WITH HIGH BODY VISIBILITY, RATED AS AT MOST LOW NORMAL WEIGHT, POSSESSED EITHER A "THIN/LEAN" OR "SKINNY/BONEY" BODY SHAPE, AND WERE "FLAT-CHESTED" OR "SMALL-BREASTED". GREATER BODY VISIBILITY, POSE ACTIVITY, THINNESS/LEANNESS, SKIN EXPOSURE, AND FORM-FITTING ATTIRE WERE FEATURED ON MORE RECENT YEARS' COVERS. FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT THE FEMALE "YOGA BODY" CONFORMS TO THE CONTEMPORARY THIN- AND-TONED MEDIA FITNESS IDEAL, PARTICULARLY RECENTLY, WHICH MAY PROMOTE OBJECTIFIED BODY COMPETENCE, AN UNHEALTHY DRIVE FOR LEANNESS, AND DISSUADE HIGHER WEIGHT WOMEN FROM CONSIDERING YOGA PRACTICE. 2017 2 1510 41 IS THE "YOGA BOD" THE NEW SKINNY?: A COMPARATIVE CONTENT ANALYSIS OF MAINSTREAM YOGA LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE COVERS. AS YOGA HAS GAINED POPULARITY IN WESTERN CULTURE, CONCERNS HAVE BEEN RAISED ABOUT ITS INCREASED COMMERCIALIZATION AND ASSIMILATION INTO THE PREDOMINANTLY APPEARANCE-FOCUSED EXERCISE AND FITNESS CULTURE. IN THIS CONTEXT, THE PRESENT STUDY EXAMINED THE PHYSICAL APPEARANCE-RELATED CHARACTERISTICS (E.G., RACE/ETHNICITY, BODY SIZE, SHAPE, OBJECTIFYING APPAREL) OF 142 FEMALE MODELS AND THE MEDIA FRAMES OF 567 CAPTIONS (E.G., COMMERCIALISM, BODY COMPETENCE, HEALTH, WEIGHT/PHYSICAL APPEARANCE) FEATURED ON THE COVERS OF THREE WESTERNIZED YOGA LIFESTYLE MAGAZINES PUBLISHED BETWEEN 2010-2015. RESULTS INDICATED THAT MOST MODELS WERE WHITE, EMBODYING THE CONTEMPORARY "THIN-AND-LEAN" MEDIA FITNESS AESTHETIC. MODELS WERE ACTIVELY POSED WITH HIGH BODY VISIBILITY; AN APPRECIABLE MINORITY WAS PARTIALLY-CLAD IN SKIN-REVEALING OR FORM-FITTING UPPER-BODY ATTIRE. MEDIA FRAMES CONVEYING COMMERCIALISM AND BODY COMPETENCE WERE EQUALLY PRESENT. THE PATTERN OF EFFECTS TENDED TO REFLECT THE STRENGTH OF THE MAGAZINE TITLE'S ENDORSEMENT OF EXERCISE AND FITNESS CULTURAL VALUES. CLINICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS ALONG WITH FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS ARE DISCUSSED. 2017 3 1284 37 GOT YOGA?: A LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS OF THEMATIC CONTENT AND MODELS' APPEARANCE-RELATED ATTRIBUTES IN ADVERTISEMENTS SPANNING FOUR DECADES OF YOGA JOURNAL. YOGA HAS BECOME AN INCREASINGLY COMMON HEALTH PRACTICE AMONG U.S. ADULTS OVER THE PAST DECADE. WITH THIS GROWTH IN POPULARITY, YOGA-RELATED PRINT MEDIA HAVE BEEN CRITICIZED FOR SHIFTING AWAY FROM YOGA'S TRADITIONAL PHILOSOPHIES AND PROMOTING A THIN, LEAN IDEAL PHYSIQUE REPRESENTING THE "YOGA BODY." THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO (A) ANALYZE THE PRESENCE AND CONTENT OF ADVERTISEMENTS OVER THE 40-YEAR PUBLICATION HISTORY OF YOGA JOURNAL MAGAZINE AND (B) EXPLORE FEMALE ADVERTISEMENT MODELS' SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC AND APPEARANCE-RELATED ATTRIBUTES OVER TIME. RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT YOGA JOURNAL NOW CONTAINS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE ADVERTISEMENTS FOR FOOD, NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS, AND APPAREL AND FEWER ADVERTISEMENTS FOR MEDITATION AND NUTRITIONAL PRACTICES THAN IN ITS EARLY YEARS OF PUBLICATION. MODELS WERE MORE FREQUENTLY RATED AS WHITE AND IN THEIR 20S AND 30S IN RECENT YEARS OF PUBLICATION. TRENDS IN MODEL BODY SIZE MATCHED SHIFTS IN CULTURALLY DOMINANT BODY IDEALS OVER TIME. IMPLICATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS ARE CONSIDERED. 2017 4 1776 38 PRACTICE OR PERFORMANCE? A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF YOGA-RELATED VIDEOS ON INSTAGRAM. REPRESENTATIONS OF YOGA WITHIN MEDIA HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY IDEALISED, DEPICTING TYPICAL PRACTITIONERS AS YOUNG, THIN, AND PHYSICALLY COMPETENT. WHILE PREVIOUS CONTENT ANALYSES OF YOGA HAVE FOCUSED ON STILL IMAGES, SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS SUCH AS INSTAGRAM ENCOURAGE THE USE OF VIDEO TO ENHANCE VIEWER ENGAGEMENT. VIDEO MAY CONTAIN FEATURES WHICH REFLECT A MORE NUANCED VIEW OF THE BODY, AND THEREFORE THE CURRENT STUDY ANALYSED 400 WOMEN IN YOGA-RELATED VIDEOS ON INSTAGRAM FOR APPEARANCE CHARACTERISTICS, BODY CONCEPTUALISATION, YOGA POSE TYPE, RISK, AND PERCEIVED INTENTION. THE VAST MAJORITY OF WOMEN WERE PERCEIVED TO BE IN THEIR 20S AND THIN OR ATHLETIC. ONLY 13.2 % OF WOMEN SHOWED AVERAGE VISIBLE LEVELS OF BODY FAT, WHILE MORE THAN A THIRD DISPLAYED VISIBLE MUSCULARITY ACROSS MULTIPLE MUSCLE GROUPS. THERE WAS LITTLE PRESENCE OF OBJECTIFICATION WITH THE MAJORITY OF WOMEN IN ACTIVE POSES, THOUGH MORE THAN 60 % OF POSES/SEQUENCES WERE ADVANCED AND POTENTIALLY RISKY. THE VAST MAJORITY OF VIDEOS APPEARED TO BE FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEMONSTRATING SKILL RATHER THAN INSTRUCTING THE VIEWER. THE FINDINGS SHOW THAT VIDEOS ON INSTAGRAM PERPETUATE UNREALISTIC APPEARANCE IDEALS IN YOGA AND ALSO PROVIDE A PLATFORM FOR CONTENT CREATORS TO ENGAGE VIEWERS BY REPRESENTING YOGA AS A HIGHLY PERFORMATIVE, PREDOMINANTLY ADVANCED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. 2021 5 1513 37 IS THIS WHAT A FEMALE YOGI LOOKS LIKE? A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF YOGA IMAGES ON INSTAGRAM. AS YOGA CONTINUES TO INCREASE IN GLOBAL POPULARITY, IDEALIZED REPRESENTATIONS OF A THIN, ATHLETIC 'YOGA BODY' HAVE ALSO BECOME MORE PROMINENT ACROSS COMMERCIAL MEDIA. TO EXAMINE HOW YOGA IS TYPICALLY REPRESENTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA, A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE POSTS OF FEMALE YOGA PRACTITIONERS ON INSTAGRAM WAS UNDERTAKEN. IMAGES WERE SOURCED USING HASHTAGS #YOGA, #YOGABODY, #YOGAPRACTICE, AND #YOGAWOMAN, AND 200 FEMALES PER HASHTAG WERE THEN CODED ON DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS, BODY SHAPE, ACTIVITY, OBJECTIFICATION, AND PRACTICE OF YOGA. RESULTS SHOWED THAT OVER 90 % OF WOMEN IN THE IMAGES WERE CODED AS BEING UNDER 40 YEARS OF AGE WITH THE VAST MAJORITY IN THEIR 20 S. ALMOST THREE-QUARTERS OF WOMEN WERE PERCEIVED TO BE WHITE, 100 % APPEARED ABLE BODIED. MORE THAN 80 % WERE CLASSED AS THIN AND/OR ATHLETIC, WHILE LESS THAN 15 % DISPLAYED AVERAGE LEVELS OF VISIBLE BODY FAT. MORE THAN 50 % OF YOGA POSES WERE ADVANCED WHILE A QUARTER DISPLAYED POTENTIALLY UNSAFE ALIGNMENT. THE FINDINGS DEMONSTRATE THAT THE TYPICAL 'YOGA BODY' ON INSTAGRAM WAS PERCEIVED TO CONFORM TO THE YOUNG, THIN/ATHLETIC IDEAL AND THAT OVERALL YOGA IS NOT BEING REPRESENTED AS AN INCLUSIVE PHYSICAL PRACTICE THAT CAN BE ADAPTED FOR WOMEN OF DIVERSE AGES, BODY TYPES, AND ABILITIES. 2021 6 1878 24 REALIZING YOGA'S ALL-ACCESS PASS: A SOCIAL JUSTICE CRITIQUE OF WESTERNIZED YOGA AND INCLUSIVE EMBODIMENT. IN THE 21(ST) CENTURY, THE ANCIENT MIND-BODY PRACTICE OF YOGA HAS SURGED IN POPULARITY AMONG WESTERN ENTHUSIASTS FOR ITS NUMEROUS HEALTH BENEFITS. PARTICULARLY, A GROWING EVIDENCE BASE SUPPORTS YOGA FOR CULTIVATING POSITIVE EMBODIMENT AND REDUCING RISK FOR DISORDERED EATING. NEVERTHELESS, AMIDST ITS RISE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT YOGA'S DEPARTURE FROM ITS SPIRITUAL FOUNDATIONS AND INCREASING ASSIMILATION INTO THE APPEARANCE- AND COMMERCIAL-DRIVEN EXERCISE AND FITNESS CULTURE. CONSEQUENTLY, AN EXCLUSIONARY IDENTITY HAS BEEN PERPETUATED IN SHAPING NORMS SURROUNDING WHO CAN AND DOES PRACTICE YOGA, WHICH CONTRADICTS EARLIER EGALITARIAN VISIONS OF A YOGA FOR ALL. THEREFORE, WE ADOPT A SOCIAL JUSTICE LENS IN OFFERING A FOCUSED ANALYSIS OF THE INTERSECTION OF YOGA, EMBODIMENT, AND INCLUSION FOR SELECT MARGINALIZED SOCIAL IDENTITIES TYPICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND IN YOGA SCHOLARSHIP. DATA ARE SYNTHESIZED FROM BOTH QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE SOURCES AND INTEGRATE AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW CONFINED MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS OF "THE YOGA BODY" AND OTHER PRACTICAL CONSTRAINTS MAY UNDERMINE THE PERCEIVED ACCESS TO THE PRACTICE FOR MEMBERS OF DIVERSE GROUPS. WE CONCLUDE WITH INVITING FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS TOWARDS FOSTERING MORE INTERDISCIPLINARY COMMUNITY-BASED RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS AMONG THE VARIETY OF STAKEHOLDERS INVESTED IN ADVANCING THE ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION OF YOGA AND POSITIVE EMBODIMENT FOR ALL BODIES. 2020 7 2709 34 YOGA IS FOR EVERY (ABLE) BODY: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF DISABILITY THEMES WITHIN MAINSTREAM YOGA MEDIA. YOGA IS INCREASINGLY BEING RECOMMENDED AS A HEALTH SELF-MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR PEOPLE WITH A RANGE OF DISABILITIES. MAINSTREAM YOGA MEDIA HAVE BEEN CRITICIZED FOR LIMITED REPRESENTATION OF RACIAL/ETHNIC, GENDER, AGE, AND BODY SIZE DIVERSITY WITHIN THEIR PUBLICATIONS; HOWEVER, IT IS NOT KNOWN HOW THESE MEDIA OUTLETS INCLUDE VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS OF OR TEXTUAL INFORMATION RELEVANT FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES (PWDS). THE PURPOSE OF THIS RESEARCH WAS TO UNDERSTAND IF AND HOW MAINSTREAM YOGA MEDIA VISUALLY REPRESENT AND INCLUDE INFORMATION FOR PWDS. WE CONDUCTED A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE "YOGAPEDIA" SECTION OF EACH YOGA JOURNAL MAGAZINE PUBLISHED IN 2015 AND 2016 (N = 17). TWO INDEPENDENT CODERS RATED ALL OF THE IMAGES AND TEXT IN THESE SECTIONS. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING A THEMATIC APPROACH INFORMED BY A PROMINENT THEORETICAL MODEL OF DISABLEMENT. RESULTS SUGGEST THAT IMAGES CONTAINED NO REPRESENTATION OF DISABILITY. IN CONTRAST, MAGAZINE TEXT INCLUDED AN ABUNDANCE OF REFERENCES TO DISABILITY; HOWEVER, THESE MENTIONS PREDOMINATELY ALIGNED WITH CONSTRUCTS FOUND EARLY IN THE DISABLEMENT PROCESS AND STRONGLY FOCUSED ON PHYSICAL AND MOBILITY LIMITATIONS. THESE FINDINGS EXPAND UPON PREVIOUS RESEARCH EXAMINING THE UNDERREPRESENTATION OF MARGINALIZED GROUPS WITHIN YOGA MEDIA AND ILLUMINATE A PAUCITY OF RELEVANT INFORMATION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES WHO ARE INTERESTED IN AND MAY BENEFIT FROM YOGA PRACTICE. 2019 8 65 25 A CONCEPTUAL MODEL DESCRIBING MECHANISMS FOR HOW YOGA PRACTICE MAY SUPPORT POSITIVE EMBODIMENT. YOGA PRACTICE HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH VARIOUS INDICES OF POSITIVE EMBODIMENT IN CORRELATIONAL AND INTERVENTION STUDIES. YET, SYSTEMATIC, THEORETICALLY-GROUNDED MODELS DETAILING SPECIFIC MECHANISMS BY WHICH YOGA SUPPORTS POSITIVE EMBODIMENT ARE LACKING. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE PRESENT A CONCEPTUAL MODEL THAT DESCRIBES MECHANISMS (I.E., MEDIATORS AND MODERATORS) THAT CAN BE USED TO GUIDE RESEARCH TO HELP ANSWER HOW, FOR WHOM, AND UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS YOGA PRACTICE MAY PROMOTE POSITIVE EMBODIMENT. BASED ON EXISTING THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS AND EMPIRICAL FINDINGS, THIS MODEL SUGGESTS THAT (A) YOGA PRACTICE MAY CULTIVATE EMBODYING EXPERIENCES DURING YOGA (E.G., STATE MINDFULNESS), (B) THESE EMBODYING EXPERIENCES MAY BUILD STABLE EMBODYING EXPERIENCES THAT GENERALIZE BEYOND THE YOGA CONTEXT (E.G., TRAIT MINDFULNESS), AND (C) THESE STABLE EMBODYING EXPERIENCES MAY THEN PROMOTE EMBODYING PRACTICES (E.G., MINDFUL SELF-CARE). THIS MEDIATIONAL CHAIN IS LIKELY MODERATED BY THE YOGA CONTEXT (E.G., INSTRUCTIONAL FOCUS, PRESENCE OF MIRRORS, DIVERSITY OF BODIES REPRESENTED) AND YOGA PRACTITIONERS' SOCIAL IDENTITIES (E.G., BODY SIZE, PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS), SOCIAL AND PERSONAL HISTORIES (E.G., EXPERIENCES WITH WEIGHT STIGMA AND TRAUMA), AND PERSONALITY TRAITS AND MOTIVES (E.G., BODY COMPARISON, APPEARANCE-FOCUSED MOTIVES TO PRACTICE YOGA). USING THE STRUCTURE OF THIS CONCEPTUAL MODEL, WE OFFER RESEARCHERS IDEAS FOR TESTABLE MODELS AND STUDY DESIGNS THAT CAN SUPPORT THEM. 2020 9 1614 17 MIND AND CONSCIOUSNESS IN YOGA - VEDANTA: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS WITH WESTERN PSYCHOLOGICAL CONCEPTS. STUDY OF MIND AND CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH ESTABLISHED SCIENTIFIC METHODS IS OFTEN DIFFICULT DUE TO THE OBSERVED-OBSERVER DICHOTOMY. CARTESIAN APPROACH OF DUALISM CONSIDERING THE MIND AND MATTER AS TWO DIVERSE AND UNCONNECTED ENTITIES HAS BEEN QUESTIONED BY ORIENTAL SCHOOLS OF YOGA AND VEDANTA AS WELL AS THE RECENT QUANTUM THEORIES OF MODERN PHYSICS. FREUDIAN AND NEO-FREUDIAN SCHOOLS BASED ON THE CARTESIAN MODEL HAVE BEEN CRITICIZED BY THE HUMANISTIC SCHOOLS WHICH COME MUCH CLOSER TO THE VEDANTIC APPROACH OF UNITARINESS. A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE TWO APPROACHES IS DISCUSSED. 2013 10 433 17 CAN YOGA THERAPY STIMULATE STEM CELL TRAFFICKING FROM BONE MARROW? IT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED THAT MESENCHYMAL STROMAL CELLS (MSCS) FROM BONE MARROW ENTER THE PERIPHERAL CIRCULATION INTERMITTENTLY FOR POSSIBLE TISSUE REGENERATION, REPAIR AND TO TAKE CARE OF DAILY WEAR AND TEAR. THIS IS EVIDENT FROM THE DETECTION OF MSCS FROM PERIPHERAL BLOOD. THE FACTORS GOVERNING THIS MIGRATION REMAIN ELUSIVE. THESE MSCS CARRY OUT THE WORK OF POLICING AND ARE SUPPOSED TO REPAIR THE INJURED TISSUES. THUS, THESE CELLS HELP IN MAINTAINING THE TISSUE AND ORGAN HOMEOSTASIS. YOGA AND PRANAYAMA ORIGINATED IN INDIA AND IS NOW BEING PRACTICED ALL OVER THE WORLD FOR POSITIVE HEALTH. SO FAR, THE CHEMICAL STIMULATION OF BONE MARROW HAS BEEN WIDELY USED EMPLOYING INJECTION OF COLONY STIMULATING FACTOR. HOWEVER, THE ROLE OF PHYSICAL FACTORS SUCH AS MECHANICAL STIMULATION AND STRETCHING HAS NOT BEEN SUBSTANTIATED. IT IS CLAIMED THAT PRACTICING YOGA DELAYS SENESCENCE, IMPROVES THE PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF HEART AND LUNG AND YOGA POSTURES MAKE THE BODY ELASTIC. IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHETHER THE YOGA THERAPY PROMOTES TRAFFICKING OF THE STEM CELLS FROM BONE MARROW FOR POSSIBLE REPAIR AND REGENERATION OF WORN OUT AND DEGENERATING TISSUES. WE COVER IN THIS SHORT REVIEW, MAINLY THE ROLE OF PHYSICAL FACTORS ESPECIALLY THE YOGA THERAPY ON STEM CELLS TRAFFICKING FROM BONE MARROW. 2016 11 623 13 DHARMA, YOGA, TANTRA. IN THE MID-20TH CENTURY, SELVARARAJAN YESUDIAN (1916-1998), WHO WAS BORN IN INDIA TO A CHRISTIAN FATHER, A PHYSICIAN, AND SPENT MOST OF HIS LIFE IN SWITZERLAND, COAUTHORED (WITH ELISABETH HAICH) A BOOK ENTITLED YOGA AND HEALTH; SINCE THEN, THE COUPLING OF THESE TWO WORDS HAS LARGELY DEFINED THE MEANING OF YOGA IN THE WEST, ESPECIALLY IN PROMOTIONAL LITERATURE FOR URBAN YOGA SCHOOLS AND HEALTH-CLUB PROGRAMS. AUTHENTIC INDIAN TRADITIONS HAVE INDEED AFFIRMED THE THERAPEUTIC BENEFIT OF YOGA, BUT THEY HAVE CONSISTENTLY SEEN YOGA AS A "THERAPY OF THE SOUL," A WAY OF "QUIETING THE AGITATIONS OF THE HEART," TO THE END OF PERCEIVING THE ULTIMATE WITHIN THE SOUL AND, IN RELIGIOUS TERMS, OF REALIZING UNION WITH GOD. THIS PAPER WILL EXAMINE SOME CLASSICAL YOGA TEXTS IN RELATION TO SPIRITUAL REMEDIES FOR SUBSTANCE MISUSE AND OTHER FORMS OF ADDICTION AND CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY. 2013 12 2016 18 SUPPLE BODIES, HEALTHY MINDS: YOGA, PSYCHEDELICS AND AMERICAN MENTAL HEALTH. MUCH DISCUSSION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH HAS REVOLVED AROUND TREATMENT MODELS. AS INTERDISCIPLINARY SCHOLARSHIP HAS SHOWN, MENTAL HEALTH KNOWLEDGE, FAR FROM BEING A NEUTRAL PRODUCT DETACHED FROM THE SOCIETY THAT GENERATED IT, WAS SHAPED BY POLITICS, ECONOMICS AND CULTURE. BY DRAWING ON CASE STUDIES OF YOGA, RELIGION AND FITNESS, THIS ARTICLE WILL EXAMINE THE WAYS IN WHICH MENTAL HEALTH PRACTICES-SOMETIMES SCIENTIFIC, SOMETIMES SPIRITUAL-HAVE BEEN CONCEIVED, DEBATED AND APPLIED BY RESEARCHERS AND THE PUBLIC. MORE SPECIFICALLY, IT WILL INTERROGATE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA, PSYCHEDELICS, SOUTH ASIAN AND EASTERN RELIGION (AS UNDERSTOOD AND PRACTICED IN THE USA) AND MENTAL HEALTH. 2018 13 407 17 BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PIEZOELECTRICITY IN RELATION TO ACUPUNCTURE, HATHA YOGA, OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE AND ACTION OF AIR IONS. PIEZOELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES SUCH AS PROTEINS, NUCLEIC ACIDS AND MUCOPOLYSACCHARIDES ARE REVIEWED IN THIS PAPER. IT IS INDICATED THAT THE STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS OF THE HUMAN BODY COMPOSED OF THESE PIEZOELECTRIC SUBSTANCES ARE CAPABLE OF TRANSDUCING A MECHANICAL ENERGY INTO AN ELECTRIC CURRENT. SUCH A TRANSDUCTION MAY BE BROUGHT ABOUT BY MOVEMENTS OF AN ACUPUNCTURE NEEDLE, OSTEOPATHIC MANIPULATIONS; HATHA YOGA POSTURES OR ACTION OF NEGATIVELY CHARGED AIR IRONS. IT IS POSTULATED THAT ELECTRIC CURRENT INDUCED BY STIMULATION OF THE SPECIFIC SITES ON THE SURFACE OF HUMAN BODY FLOWS TOWARDS THE INTERNAL ORGANS ALONG THE SEMICONDUCTIVE CHANNELS OF BIOLOGIC MACROMOLECULES. ELECTRIC CURRENT INDUCED EITHER BY THE PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCTION OR DIRECTLY APPLIED FROM AN EXTERNAL SOURCE MAY IN TURN STIMULATE INDIVIDUAL CELLS IN THE TARGET ORGAN. INVOLVEMENT OF ELECTRICAL PHENOMENA IN REGULATORY MECHANISMS ON CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LEVELS IS DISCUSSED. 1977 14 1955 10 SELF - REALIZATION THROUGH THROUGH VEDANTA AND YOGA. THE SEEKER OF ULTIMATE TRUTH NEEDS THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRACTICAL SIDE OF VEDANTA PHILOSOPHY, THE FIVE KOSHAS OR SHEATHS BEYOND WHICH THE ATMAN, THE SELF REMAINS. THROUGH VEDANTA AND YOGA ONE CAN TRANSCEND THESE LAYERS IN A SYSTEMATIC MANNER TO ATTAIN SELF REALIZATION - ULTIMATE REALITY. 1983 15 486 22 CLINICAL HYPNOSIS AND PATANJALI YOGA SUTRAS. THE TRANCE STATES IN YOGA AND HYPNOSIS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH SIMILAR PHENOMENA LIKE RELAXATION, DISINCLINATION TO TALK, UNREALITY, MISREPRESENTATION, ALTERATIONS IN PERCEPTION, INCREASED CONCENTRATION, SUSPENSION OF NORMAL REALITY TESTING, AND THE TEMPORARY NATURE OF THE PHENOMENA. WHILE SOME RESEARCHERS CONSIDER YOGA TO BE A FORM OF HYPNOSIS, OTHERS NOTE THAT THERE ARE MANY SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE TRANCE IN YOGA AND THE HYPNOTIC TRANCE. THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED TO FIND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE TRANCE STATES OF HYPNOSIS AND PATANJALI'S YOGA SUTRAS. THE TRANCE STATES WERE COMPARED WITH THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE PHENOMENA OF TRANCE, AND THE THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES AND BENEFITS OF BOTH. AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONCEPT OF TRANCE IN PATANJALI'S YOGA SUTRAS WAS GAINED THROUGH A THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK FOUR CHAPTERS ON FREEDOM BY SWAMI SATYANANDA SARASWATI. THIS LED TO AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONCEPT OF TRANCE IN THE YOGA SUTRAS. THE OBTAINED CONCEPTS WERE COMPARED TO THE CONCEPTS OF TRANCE IN HYPNOSIS (OBTAINED THROUGH THE LITERATURE ON HYPNOSIS) TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER OR NOT THERE EXIST SIMILARITIES. THE FINDINGS OF THE STUDY SHOW THAT THERE ARE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE TRANCE IN HYPNOSIS AND THE TRANCE IN PATANJALI'S YOGA SUTRAS IN THE INDUCTION AND DEEPENING OF THE TRANCE STATES IN HYPNOSIS AND THAT OF SAMADHI, THE PHENOMENA PRESENT IN HYPNOSIS AND THE KINDS OF SIDDHIS THAT ARE OBTAINED THROUGH SAMADHI, AND THE THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES AND THE THERAPEUTIC PROCESS IN PATANJALI'S YOGA SUTRA AND HYPNOSIS. 2013 16 1416 12 IMPORTANCE OF MANAS TATTVA: A SEARCHLIGHT IN YOGA DARSHANA. SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL 'MANAS' HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF CURIOSITY FOR SCHOLARS, SCIENTISTS AND PHILOSOPHERS. THE REASON BEHIND THIS CURIOSITY IS ITS IMPORTANCE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MANKIND. HUMAN BEING IS SUPERIOR TO OTHER CREATURES IN THE SERIES OF DEVELOPMENT. THIS SUPREMACY OF MAN REMAINS IN HIS QUALITY TO WORK AFTER THINKING, WHICH IS THE FUNCTION OF 'MANAS'. NO OTHER ANIMAL IS CAPABLE TO THINK LOGICALLY. THIS IS THE ONLY REASON WHICH LEADS THE MANKIND TO THE CREST OF DEVELOPMENT IN EVERY ASPECT. TO HIGHLIGHT THE CONCEPT OF MANAS IN YOGA DARSHANA, INFORMATION EXTRACTED FROM YOGA LITERATURES AND AYURVEDIC SAMHITAS. IN INDIAN CULTURE MIND HAS BEEN DESCRIBED FROM VARIOUS ANGLES. VEDIC, PHILOSOPHICAL AND AYURVEDIC LITERATURES HAVE A VAST AND EXCLUSIVE DESCRIPTION OF MANAS. PHILOSOPHERS EITHER ASTIKA OR NASTIKA HAVE DESCRIBED MANAS SIDDHANTA VIVIDLY. THOUGH MANY KINDS OF DIFFERENCE OF OPINIONS ARE THERE, YOGA DARSHANA ACCEPT THE IMPORTANCE OF MIND IN THE PROCESS OF PERCEPTION AND EVEN FOR THE BIRTH OF ANY INDIVIDUAL. 2014 17 401 11 BEYOND THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO TEACHING ANATOMY FOR YOGA. CONTEXT: THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO TEACHING ANATOMY FOR YOGA, WHILE SYSTEMATIC, IS OFTEN INEFFECTIVE. METHODS: A UNIQUE APPROACH TO TEACHING ANATOMY FOR A YOGA TEACHER TRAINING SEMINAR IS PRESENTED, FOUNDED ON THE PRINCIPLES OF THOMAS MYERS' ANATOMY TRAINS. LAB ACTIVITIES ARE DETAILED AND BLOOM'S TAXONOMY IS APPLIED TO ENSURE STUDENTS ARE ENGAGED IN HIGHER LEVEL THINKING AND APPLICATION. CONCLUSION: GOING BEYOND THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO TEACHING ANATOMY FOR YOGA CAN BE EXTREMELY REWARDING FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS ALIKE. 2015 18 2724 9 YOGA NEUROPATHY. A SNOOZER. SCIATIC NERVE COMPRESSION VERY RARELY OCCURS BILATERALLY. THE AUTHORS PRESENT A WOMAN WITH PROFOUND LOWER EXTREMITY WEAKNESS AND SENSORY ABNORMALITY AFTER FALLING ASLEEP IN THE HEAD-TO-KNEES YOGA POSITION (ALSO CALLED "PASCHIMOTTANASANA"). CLINICAL AND ELECTRODIAGNOSTIC FINDINGS ARE DISCUSSED IN DETAIL AND A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE IS PRESENTED. 2005 19 1987 18 SPATIAL-TEMPORAL GRAPH CONVOLUTIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR YOGA ACTION RECOGNITION AND GRADING. THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF THE INTERNET HAS CHANGED OUR LIVES. MANY PEOPLE GRADUALLY LIKE ONLINE VIDEO YOGA TEACHING. HOWEVER, YOGA BEGINNERS CANNOT MASTER THE STANDARD YOGA POSES JUST BY LEARNING THROUGH VIDEOS, AND HIGH YOGA POSES CAN BRING GREAT DAMAGE OR EVEN DISABILITY TO THE BODY IF THEY ARE NOT STANDARD. TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM, WE PROPOSE A YOGA ACTION RECOGNITION AND GRADING SYSTEM BASED ON SPATIAL-TEMPORAL GRAPH CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORK. FIRSTLY, WE CAPTURE YOGA MOVEMENT DATA USING A DEPTH CAMERA. THEN WE LABEL THE YOGA EXERCISE VIDEOS FRAME BY FRAME USING LONG SHORT-TERM MEMORY NETWORK; THEN WE EXTRACT THE SKELETAL JOINT POINT FEATURES SEQUENTIALLY USING GRAPH CONVOLUTION; THEN WE ARRANGE EACH VIDEO FRAME FROM SPATIAL-TEMPORAL DIMENSION AND CORRELATE THE JOINT POINTS IN EACH FRAME AND NEIGHBORING FRAMES WITH SPATIAL-TEMPORAL INFORMATION TO OBTAIN THE CONNECTION BETWEEN JOINTS. FINALLY, THE IDENTIFIED YOGA MOVEMENTS ARE PREDICTED AND GRADED. EXPERIMENT PROVES THAT OUR METHOD CAN ACCURATELY IDENTIFY AND CLASSIFY YOGA POSES; IT ALSO CAN IDENTIFY WHETHER YOGA POSES ARE STANDARD OR NOT AND GIVE FEEDBACK TO YOGIS IN TIME TO PREVENT BODY DAMAGE CAUSED BY NONSTANDARD POSES. 2022 20 409 26 BLENDING MARTIAL ARTS AND YOGA FOR HEALTH: FROM THE LAST SAMURAI TO THE FIRST ODAKA YOGA WARRIOR. THIS PAPER INTRODUCES THE CASE STUDY OF ODAKA YOGA, AN INNOVATIVE STYLE OF POSTURAL YOGA BLENDED WITH MARTIAL ARTS ELEMENTS WHICH EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF PRACTITIONERS' HEALTH AND PROCESSES OF SELF-TRANSFORMATION AS PIVOTAL TO THE SCHOOL'S ETHOS. MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE PAPER EXPLORES HOW ODAKA YOGA'S PHILOSOPHICAL BACKDROPS AND PRACTICAL REPERTOIRE, COMPOSED BY A MIXTURE OF "EXOTIC" RESOURCES SUCH AS BUSHIDO, ZEN, YOGA, AND A CONSTANT REFERENCE TO THE OCEAN WAVES AND BIOMECHANICS, CONSTITUTE A VERY SPECIFIC VISION OF HEALTH AT THE INTERSECTION OF WESTERN SCIENCE AND ESOTERIC KNOWLEDGE. THEORETICALLY, THE PAPER BORROWS FROM JENNINGS' THEORY OF MARTIAL CREATION AND ENRICHES IT WITH SOME OF THE CENTRAL ANALYTICAL TOOLS PROPOSED BY THEORISTS SUCH AS BOURDIEU AND FOUCAULT. METHODOLOGICALLY, IT RELIES ON A MULTIMODAL APPROACH INCLUDING DISCURSIVE ANALYSIS OF THE SCHOOL'S PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS, INTERVIEWS WITH THE FOUNDERS AND OTHER KEY TEACHERS, AND OBSERVANT PARTICIPATION OF PRACTITIONERS' APPRENTICESHIP PROCESSES. MORE SPECIFICALLY, THIS PAPER DISCUSSES THE BIRTH OF ODAKA YOGA AS OCCURRING AT THE INTERSECTION OF ASIAN MARTIAL ARTS AND YOGA, AS WELL AS THE FOUNDERS' BIOGRAPHICAL TRAJECTORIES FROM THE WORLD OF COMPETITIVE MARTIAL ARTS AND FITNESS, TO YOGA; IT THEN TURNS TO AN EXAMINATION OF ODAKA YOGA'S CONCEPTION OF HEALTH AS A MIXTURE OF THE WESTERN BIOMEDICAL MODEL AND THE SUBTLE BODY MODEL OF ASIAN TRADITIONS SUCH AS YOGA AND MARTIAL ARTS. IT ARGUES THAT THE CONCEPTION OF HEALTH PROMOTED BY THIS SCHOOL GIVES RISE TO THE ODAKA YOGA WARRIOR, THE IDEAL-TYPICAL PRACTITIONER WHOSE BODY IS SIMULTANEOUSLY EXPOSED TO THE MEDICAL GAZE AND ITS IMPERATIVES OF CONTROL, KNOWLEDGE, AND MANIPULATION; WHILE IT ALSO DEIFIES IT, AS IT IS ANIMATED BY THE ELUSIVE FLOWS OF ENERGY (QI OR PRANA) THAT PROLONGED PRACTICE AIMS TO MASTER. THE PAPER CONCLUDES WITH A REFLECTION ON HYBRID CONCEPTIONS OF HEALTH AND THE UBIQUITOUS ROLE OF HEALTH DISCOURSES AND NARRATIVES ACROSS SOCIOCULTURAL DOMAINS. 2020