1 835 98 EFFECT OF YOGA ON PAIN, BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR, AND SEROTONIN IN PREMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. BACKGROUND. SEROTONIN AND BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF) ARE KNOWN TO BE MODULATORS OF NOCICEPTION. HOWEVER, PAIN-RELATED CONNECTION BETWEEN YOGA AND THOSE NEUROMODULATORS HAS NOT BEEN INVESTIGATED. THEREFORE, WE AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON PAIN, BDNF, AND SEROTONIN. METHODS. PREMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN PRACTICED YOGA THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. AT BASELINE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS, BACK PAIN INTENSITY WAS MEASURED USING VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE (VAS), AND SERUM BDNF AND SEROTONIN LEVELS WERE EVALUATED. ADDITIONALLY, BACK FLEXIBILITY AND LEVEL OF DEPRESSION WERE ASSESSED. RESULTS. AFTER 12-WEEK YOGA, VAS DECREASED IN THE YOGA GROUP (P < 0.001), WHEREAS IT INCREASED (P < 0.05) IN THE CONTROL GROUP. BACK FLEXIBILITY WAS IMPROVED IN THE YOGA GROUP (P < 0.01). SERUM BDNF INCREASED IN THE YOGA GROUP (P < 0.01), WHEREAS IT TENDED TO DECREASE IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P = 0.05). SERUM SEROTONIN MAINTAINED IN THE YOGA GROUP, WHILE IT REDUCED (P < 0.01) IN THE CONTROL GROUP. THE DEPRESSION LEVEL MAINTAINED IN THE YOGA GROUP, WHEREAS IT TENDED TO INCREASE IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS. WE PROPOSE THAT BDNF MAY BE ONE OF THE KEY FACTORS MEDIATING BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. 2014 2 165 36 A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL OF THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON VERBAL AGGRESSIVENESS IN NORMAL HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON VERBAL AGGRESSIVENESS IN NORMAL HEALTHY ADULTS. METHODS: OF THE 1228 PERSONS WHO ATTENDED INTRODUCTORY LECTURES, 226 SUBJECTS OF BOTH SEXES WHO SATISFIED THE INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA AND WHO CONSENTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED INTO TWO GROUPS. THESE 226 SUBJECTS WERE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 17 AND 62 YEARS AND 173/226 COMPLETED THE EIGHT WEEKS OF INTERVENTION. THE YOGA (Y) GROUP PRACTISED AN INTEGRATED YOGA MODULE THAT INCLUDED ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, MEDITATION, NOTIONAL CORRECTION, AND DEVOTIONAL SESSIONS. THE CONTROL GROUP PRACTISED MILD TO MODERATE PHYSICAL EXERCISES (PE). BOTH GROUPS HAD SUPERVISED PRACTICES (BY TRAINED EXPERTS) FOR ONE HOUR DAILY, SIX DAYS A WEEK FOR EIGHT WEEKS. VERBAL AGGRESSIVENESS WAS ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER EIGHT WEEKS USING THE SELF-ADMINISTERED VERBAL AGGRESSIVE SCALE. RESULTS: THE BASELINE SCORE OF THE TWO GROUPS DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY (P = 0.66). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN VERBAL AGGRESSIVENESS IN THE YOGA GROUP (P = 0.01 PAIRED SAMPLES T-TEST) WITH A NONSIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE PE GROUP. ANCOVA USING PRE- VALUES AS COVARIATES SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GROUPS (P = 0.013). RMANOVA FOR INTERACTION BETWEEN THE SEXES OR AGE GROUPS IN CHANGE SCORES WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT AN EIGHT WEEK INTERVENTION OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA MODULE DECREASED VERBAL AGGRESSIVENESS IN THE YOGA GROUP (IN MALES AND THOSE BELOW 25 YEARS OF AGE), WITH A NONSIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE PE GROUP. 2008 3 1102 35 EFFECTS OF YOGA TRAINING ON BODY COMPOSITION AND OXIDANT-ANTIOXIDANT STATUS AMONG HEALTHY MALE. BACKGROUND: THE STRESSFUL CONDITION MAY CAUSE OXIDATIVE STRESS, WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR VARIOUS DISEASES. AIMS: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO FIND OUT WHETHER YOGA HAS IMPACT ON THE REDUCTION OF OXIDATIVE STRESS. METHODS: FOR THE PRESENT STUDY, 95 (N = 95) HEALTHY MALE VOLUNTEERS WITHIN THE AGE GROUP OF 18-24 YEARS WERE INCLUDED, 35 (N = 35) VOLUNTEERS WERE EXCLUDED. THE REMAINING 60 (N = 60) VOLUNTEERS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: (A) YOGA GROUP (N = 30) AND (B) CONTROL GROUP (N = 30). YOGA TRAINING WAS GIVEN FOR 60 MIN PER DAY, 6 DAYS PER WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS IN THE YOGA GROUP, WITH NO YOGA TRAINING IN CONTROL GROUP. ASSESSMENT OF BODY COMPOSITION AND OXIDANT-ANTIOXIDANT STATUS WERE PERFORMED IN BOTH THE GROUPS AT BASELINE, BEFORE YOGA TRAINING (0 WEEK) AND AFTER (12 WEEKS) OF THE TRAINING. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION (P < 0.001) IN THE PERCENTAGE OF BODY FAT AND MALONDIALDEHYDE; SIGNIFICANT ELEVATION (P < 0.001) IN SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE, CATALASE, REDUCED GLUTATHIONE AND ASCORBIC ACID LEVELS WERE NOTED IN THE YOGA GROUP AFTER 12 WEEKS WHEN COMPARED TO BASELINE DATA (0 WEEK). HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN HEIGHT, WEIGHT, BODY MASS INDEX, BODY SURFACE AREA AND LEAN BODY MASS AMONG THE YOGA GROUP AFTER 12 WEEKS WHEN COMPARED TO BASELINE DATA. THESE CHANGES MIGHT BE DUE TO YOGA TRAINING. CONCLUSIONS: REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE REDUCES BODY FAT AND OXIDATIVE STRESS. YOGA TRAINING MAY BE HELPFUL TO REDUCE THE CHANCE OF OCCURRENCE OF VARIOUS DISEASES AND HELPS TO MAINTAIN NORMAL HEALTHY LIFESTYLE. 2018 4 358 22 ASSOCIATION BETWEEN YOGA, PHYSIOLOGIC AND PSYCHOLOGIC HEALTH: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY. PURPOSE: TO COMPARE MARKERS OF HEALTH ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC DISEASES BETWEEN YOGA AND NON-YOGA PARTICIPANTS. METHODS: 30 PARTICIPANTS WERE CATEGORIZED AS EITHER: 1) "YOGA" ENGAGING IN YOGA >/=2 TIMES/WEEK FOR >/=6 MONTHS, OR 2) "NON-YOGA" NOT ENGAGING IN YOGA. RESULTS: PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS) AND BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY-II (BDI-II) SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE YOGA AND NON-YOGA GROUPS (PSS: 8.0 VS. 17.5, RESPECTIVELY, P < 0.05; BDI-II: 1.0 VS. 5.5, RESPECTIVELY, P < 0.05). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE EVIDENT BETWEEN GROUPS FOR INFLAMMATORY MARKERS NOR COMPLEX V OF THE MITOCHONDRIAL ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN. THE ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE VALUES DIFFERED BETWEEN GROUPS BASED ON CLINICAL CUTOFFS, WITH YOGA PARTICIPANTS CATEGORIZED AS NORMAL (11.0 MM) AND NON-YOGA ABOVE NORMAL (21.5 MM). CONCLUSION: THIS RESEARCH SUPPORTS THAT YOGA PARTICIPATION IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER PSS AND BDI-II SCORES BUT DOES NOT SUPPORT A RELATIONSHIP WITH MARKERS OF INFLAMMATION. FURTHER RESEARCH IS WARRANTED. 2021 5 2660 35 YOGA IN ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION. BACKGROUND: YOGA SEEMS TO EXERT ITS EFFECT AGAINST ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION MAINLY THROUGH THE ASSOCIATED BREATHING AND MEDITATION TECHNIQUES, AND LESS SO THROUGH YOGA POSTURES. THE GOAL OF THIS TRIAL WAS TO COMPARE THE BLOOD PRESSURE-LOWERING EFFECT OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS WITH AND WITHOUT YOGA POSTURES IN PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION. METHODS: 75 PATIENTS TAKING MEDICATIONS FOR ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION (72% WOMEN, MEAN AGE 58.7 +/- 9.5 YEARS) WERE RANDOMIZED INTO THREE GROUPS: A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP WITH YOGA POSTURES (25 PATIENTS, OF WHOM 5 DROPPED OUT OF THE TRIAL BEFORE ITS END), A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP WITHOUT YOGA POSTURES (25 PATIENTS, 3 DROPOUTS), AND A WAIT LIST CONTROL GROUP (25 PATIENTS, ONE DROPOUT). THE INTERVENTIONS CONSISTED OF 90 MINUTES OF YOGA PRACTICE PER WEEK FOR TWELVE WEEKS. THE DATA COLLECTORS, WHO WERE BLINDED TO THE INTERVENTION RECEIVED, ASSESSED THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES "SYSTOLIC 24-HOUR BLOOD PRESSURE" AND "DIASTOLIC 24-HOUR BLOOD PRESSURE" BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. IN THIS REPORT, WE ALSO PRESENT THE FINDINGS ON SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES, INCLUDING FOLLOW-UP DATA. RESULTS: AFTER THE INTERVENTION, THE SYSTOLIC 24-HOUR BLOOD PRESSURE IN THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP WITHOUT YOGA POSTURES WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP (GROUP DIFFERENCE [DELTA]= -3.8 MMHG; [95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI): (-0.3; -7.4) P = 0.035]); IT WAS ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN IN THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP WITH YOGA POSTURES (DELTA = -3.2 MMHG; 95% CI: [-6.3; -0.8]; P = 0.045). DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS GROUPS. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE ENCOUNTERED IN THE COURSE OF THE TRIAL. CONCLUSION: IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FINDINGS OF EARLIER STUDIES, WE FOUND THAT ONLY YOGA WITHOUT YOGA POSTURES INDUCED A SHORT-TERM LOWERING OF AMBULATORY SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE. YOGA IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE IN PATIENTS TAKING MEDICATIONS FOR ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION AND THUS CAN BE RECOMMENDED AS AN ADDITIONAL TREATMENT OPTION FOR PERSONS IN THIS CATEGORY. 2018 6 1423 34 IMPROVEMENT IN NEUROCOGNITIVE FUNCTIONS AND SERUM BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSION TREATED WITH ANTIDEPRESSANTS AND YOGA. CONTEXT AND AIMS: IMPAIRMENT IN COGNITION IS WELL-KNOWN IN PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY WITH OR WITHOUT ANTIDEPRESSANTS AND ANTIDEPRESSANTS ALONE ON CERTAIN NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSION. CORRELATION BETWEEN CHANGES IN NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TEST PERFORMANCE AND SERUM BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF) LEVELS WAS ALSO EXPLORED. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ANTIDEPRESSANT-NAIVE/ANTIDEPRESSANT-FREE OUTPATIENTS WITH DEPRESSION RECEIVED ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION ALONE (N = 23) OR YOGA THERAPY WITH (N = 26) OR WITHOUT (N = 16) ANTIDEPRESSANTS. DEPRESSION WAS ASSESSED USING THE HAMILTON DEPRESSION RATING SCALE. NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS INCLUDED DIGIT-SPAN FORWARD AND BACKWARD, REY AUDITORY VERBAL LEARNING TEST, AND TRAIL MAKING TESTS (TMT-A AND B). THESE TESTS WERE ADMINISTERED BEFORE AND 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TREATMENT IN PATIENTS, AND ONCE IN HEALTHY COMPARISON SUBJECTS (N = 19). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: BASELINE DIFFERENCES WERE ANALYZED USING INDEPENDENT SAMPLE T-TEST, CHI-SQUARE, AND ONE-WAY ANOVA. PAIRED T-TEST WAS USED TO ANALYZE THE CHANGE FROM BASELINE TO FOLLOW-UP. PEARSON'S CORRELATION WAS USED TO EXPLORE THE ASSOCIATION OF CHANGE BETWEEN 2 VARIABLES. RESULTS: PATIENTS HAD IMPAIRED PERFORMANCE ON MOST NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS. AFTER 3 MONTHS, THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT - PATIENTS' PERFORMANCE WAS COMPARABLE TO THAT OF HEALTHY CONTROLS ON MAJORITY OF THE TESTS. SIGNIFICANT INVERSE CORRELATION WAS OBSERVED BETWEEN INCREASE IN BDNF LEVELS AND IMPROVEMENT IN TMT "A" DURATION IN YOGA-ALONE GROUP (R = -0.647; P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: TO CONCLUDE THAT, YOGA THERAPY, ALONE OR IN COMBINATION WITH MEDICATIONS, IS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS AND NEUROPLASTIC EFFECTS IN PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSION. 2018 7 1318 41 HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN PATIENTS RANDOMIZED TO YOGA OR STANDARD CARE. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC PAIN CAN ALTER THE AUTONOMIC BALANCE WITH INCREASED SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY REFLECTED IN ALTERED HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV). IT HAS BEEN PROPOSED THAT YOGA CAN BE USEFUL TO CORRECT THE AUTONOMIC IMBALANCE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN WHO HAVE REDUCED HRV. METHODS AND DESIGNS: IN THE PRESENT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL 62 PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERED ALIGNMENT OF INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS (AGED BETWEEN 20 AND 45 YEARS, 32 MALES) WERE RANDOMIZED TO 2 GROUPS. ONE GROUP RECEIVED YOGA FOR 3 MONTHS WHILE THE OTHER GROUP CARRIED OUT STANDARD MEDICAL CARE BASED ON THE PHYSICIAN'S ADVICE. THE DURATION WAS THE SAME, I.E., 3 MONTHS. THE HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND RATE OF RESPIRATION WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 3 MONTHS. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE BASELINE (PRE) VALUES BETWEEN GROUPS (P = 0.008) FOR RESPIRATION RATE WHICH WAS HIGHER IN THE YOGA GROUP. THE CHANGES REPORTED BELOW ARE PRE-POST COMPARISONS WITHIN EACH GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05; REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA, POST-HOC ANALYSES) DECREASE IN THE LF POWER OF HRV, RATE OF RESPIRATION AND A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE HF POWER OF HRV AND IN THE PNN50. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE CAN SHIFT THE AUTONOMIC BALANCE TOWARDS VAGAL DOMINANCE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERED ALIGNMENT OF INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: THE STUDY IS REGISTERED WITH THE CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY OF INDIA ( CTRI/2012/11/003094 ) AND CAN BE ACCESSED AT. 2016 8 174 22 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA WITH AN ACTIVE CONTROL ON AMBULATORY BLOOD PRESSURE IN INDIVIDUALS WITH PREHYPERTENSION AND STAGE 1 HYPERTENSION. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA WITH AN ACTIVE CONTROL (NONAEROBIC EXERCISE) IN INDIVIDUALS WITH PREHYPERTENSION AND STAGE 1 HYPERTENSION. A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL WAS PERFORMED USING TWO ARMS: (1) YOGA AND (2) ACTIVE CONTROL. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE 24-HOUR DAY AND NIGHT AMBULATORY SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES. WITHIN-GROUP AND BETWEEN-GROUP ANALYSES WERE PERFORMED USING PAIRED T TESTS AND REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (TIME X GROUP), RESPECTIVELY. EIGHTY-FOUR PARTICIPANTS ENROLLED, WITH 68 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETING THE TRIAL. WITHIN-GROUP ANALYSES FOUND 24-HOUR DIASTOLIC, NIGHT DIASTOLIC, AND MEAN ARTERIAL PRESSURE ALL SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED IN THE YOGA GROUP (-3.93, -4.7, -4.23 MM HG, RESPECTIVELY) BUT NO SIGNIFICANT WITHIN-GROUP CHANGES IN THE ACTIVE CONTROL GROUP. DIRECT COMPARISONS OF THE YOGA INTERVENTION WITH THE CONTROL GROUP FOUND A SINGLE BLOOD PRESSURE VARIABLE (DIASTOLIC NIGHT) TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT (P=.038). THIS STUDY HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT A YOGA INTERVENTION CAN LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE IN PATIENTS WITH MILD HYPERTENSION. ALTHOUGH THIS STUDY WAS NOT ADEQUATELY POWERED TO SHOW BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES, THE SIZE OF THE YOGA-INDUCED BLOOD PRESSURE REDUCTION APPEARS TO JUSTIFY PERFORMING A DEFINITIVE TRIAL OF THIS INTERVENTION TO TEST WHETHER IT CAN PROVIDE MEANINGFUL THERAPEUTIC VALUE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF HYPERTENSION. 2014 9 998 33 EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP OF PREGNANT WOMEN. PURPOSE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS IN NORMAL PREGNANT WOMEN. METHODS: ONE HUNDRED AND TWO PREGNANT WOMEN BETWEEN 18 AND 20 WEEKS OF GESTATION WHO MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA WERE RECRUITED FROM THE OBSTETRIC UNITS IN BANGALORE AND WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS OF YOGA (N = 51) AND CONTROL (N = 51). WOMEN WITH MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY LEAD TO PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS AND THOSE WITH ABNORMAL FETAL PARAMETERS WERE EXCLUDED. THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED INTEGRATED YOGA WHILE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED STANDARD ANTENATAL EXERCISES, BOTH FOR 1-H THREE TIMES A WEEK FROM 20TH TO 36TH WEEK OF GESTATION. PRE AND POST ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE USING WHOQOL-100 AND FIRO-B QUESTIONNAIRES. RESULTS: OF THE SIX DOMAINS OF WHOQOL-100, BETWEEN GROUPS ANALYSIS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL IN THE PHYSICAL (P = 0.001), PSYCHOLOGICAL (P < 0.001), SOCIAL (P = 0.003), AND ENVIRONMENTAL DOMAINS (P = 0.001). IN FIRO-B, THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN 'EXPRESSED INCLUSION' (P = 0.02) AND 'WANTED CONTROL' (P = 0.009) DOMAINS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE INTEGRATED YOGA IS AN EFFICACIOUS MEANS OF IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PREGNANT WOMEN AND ENHANCING CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THEIR INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS. 2010 10 1450 33 INFLUENCE OF INTENSITY AND DURATION OF YOGA ON ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCORES ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC ILLNESS IS COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. BOTH ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION RESPOND TO YOGA. HOWEVER, THERE IS NO REPORT ON THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE INTENSITY AND DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE WITH THE BENEFITS SEEN. AIM: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS INTENDED TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE DAILY DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE AND THE DURATION OF EXPERIENCE IN MONTHS WOULD PREDICT ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION, ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: SEVEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY-THREE VOLUNTEERS WITH AGES BETWEEN 14 AND 86 YEARS (GROUP MEAN AGE STANDARD DEVIATION, 50.2 [14.2]) WHO ATTENDED A 7 DAY RESIDENTIAL YOGA CAMP IN THE NORTH OF INDIA WERE INCLUDED IN THIS CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY. ALL PARTICIPANTS HAD CHRONIC ILLNESSES, WHICH WERE UNDER CONTROL WITH TREATMENT, AND WHICH WERE CATEGORIZED AND ARE DETAILED. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED FOR STATE ANXIETY SCORES USING STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY AND FOR ANXIETY WITH HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS-A), AND DEPRESSION WAS ASSESSED USING HADS-D SCORES OF THE HADS. LINEAR MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSES WERE PERFORMED USING PASW SPSS VERSION 18.0 (ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.) TO DETERMINE HOW THE DAILY AND MONTHLY DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE COULD INFLUENCE STATE ANXIETY, HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION OF THE PARTICIPANTS. RESULTS: YOGA PRACTICE IN MONTHS AND THE TIME SPENT PRACTICING YOGA EACH DAY SIGNIFICANTLY PREDICT THE LEVEL OF STATE ANXIETY (P < 0.001, P = 0.03) AND HAD-A (P < 0.01, P < 0.01). THE DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE IN MONTHS ALONE WAS A SIGNIFICANT PREDICTOR OF THE HAD-D (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THE DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE IN MONTHS AND DAILY PRACTICE IN MINUTES PREDICT ANXIETY ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS. IN CONTRAST THE DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE IN MONTHS ALONE, PREDICTED DEPRESSION SCORES. 2015 11 306 30 AN EVALUATION OF THE ABILITY TO VOLUNTARILY REDUCE THE HEART RATE AFTER A MONTH OF YOGA PRACTICE. THE STUDY AIMED AT DETERMINING WHETHER NOVICES TO YOGA WOULD BE ABLE TO REDUCE THEIR HEART RATE VOLUNTARILY AND WHETHER THE MAGNITUDE OF REDUCTION WOULD BE MORE AFTER 30 DAYS OF YOGA TRAINING. TWO GROUPS (YOGA AND CONTROL, N = 12 EACH) WERE ASSESSED ON DAY 1 AND ON DAY 30. DURING THE INTERVENING 30 DAYS, THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED TRAINING IN YOGA TECHNIQUES WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP CARRIED ON WITH THEIR ROUTINE. AT EACH ASSESSMENT THE BASELINE HEART RATE WAS RECORDED FOR ONE MINUTE, THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY A SIX-MINUTE PERIOD DURING WHICH PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO ATTEMPT TO VOLUNTARILY REDUCE THEIR HEART RATE, USING ANY STRATEGY. BOTH THE BASELINE HEART RATE AND THE LOWEST HEART RATE ACHIEVED VOLUNTARILY DURING THE SIX-MINUTE PERIOD WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP ON DAY 30 COMPARED TO DAY 1 BY A GROUP AVERAGE OF 10.7 BEATS PER MINUTE (I.E., BPM) AND 6.8 BPM, RESPECTIVELY (P < .05, WILCOXON PAIRED SIGNED RANKS TEST). IN CONTRAST, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN EITHER THE BASELINE HEART RATE OR THE LOWEST HEART RATE ACHIEVED VOLUNTARILY IN THE CONTROL GROUP ON DAY 30 COMPARED TO DAY 1. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA TRAINING CAN ENABLE PRACTITIONERS TO USE THEIR OWN STRATEGIES TO REDUCE THE HEART RATE, WHICH HAS POSSIBLE THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS. 2004 12 990 30 EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA ON STRESS IN MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN. BACKGROUND: STRESS IS CONSIDERED A CRUCIAL TRIGGER FOR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ILLNESS. STRESS REDUCTION IS A KNOWN LONG-TERM BENEFIT OF REGULAR HATHA YOGA PRACTICE. THE EFFICACY OF A SINGLE-SESSION HATHA YOGA CLASS ON STRESS REDUCTION IS NOT CURRENTLY KNOWN. PURPOSE: THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF A SINGLE 90-MINUTE HATHA YOGA CLASS AND AN 8-WEEK, 90-MINUTE-CLASS-PER-WEEK COURSE. METHODS: WE USED A QUASIEXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND RECRUITED 63 FEMALE COMMUNITY RESIDENTS IN NEW TAIPEI CITY AGED 40-60 YEARS. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO AN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (N = 30) AND A CONTROL GROUP (N = 33). THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP RECEIVED THE 8-WEEK HATHA YOGA COURSE. THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED NO INTERVENTION. THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS) AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) ASSESSED STRESS REDUCTION EFFECTIVENESS. CHI-SQUARE, INDEPENDENT T TEST, PAIRED T TEST, AND GENERALIZED ESTIMATING EQUATIONS WERE USED FOR DATA ANALYSIS. RESULTS: AFTER A SINGLE 90-MINUTE CLASS OF HATHA YOGA, EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PSS SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN THOSE OF THE CONTROL GROUP (P = .001). ALTHOUGH EXPERIMENTAL GROUP HRV (LOW-FREQUENCY NORM AND HIGH-FREQUENCY NORM) HAD IMPROVED, THESE CHANGES WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P = .059). PSS SCORES FOR THE SINGLE 90-MINUTE CLASS AND 8-WEEK COURSE DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFER (P = .157) AND HRV OF STATISTICS IS SIGNIFICANT (P = .005). GENERALIZED ESTIMATING EQUATIONS ANALYZED CHANGES IN THE EFFECTIVENESS OVER TIME OF STRESS REDUCTION (HRV AND PSS) AFTER THE HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION. RESULTS SHOWED THE POSTINTERVENTION HRV AND PSS OF THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < .001) MORE THAN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: OUR FINDINGS SUPPORT THE POSITION THAT REGULAR, LONG-TERM PRACTICE OF HATHA YOGA PROVIDES CLEAR AND SIGNIFICANT HEALTH BENEFITS. PARTICIPATION IN A SINGLE 90-MINUTE HATHA YOGA CLASS CAN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE PERCEIVED STRESS. DOING HATHA YOGA REGULARLY CAN REDUCE PERCEIVED STRESS EVEN MORE SIGNIFICANTLY. 2013 13 2189 38 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND DEPRESSION IN ELDERLY BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH CANCER. DESIGN: TWENTY PATIENTS (10 WERE IN YOGA PROGRAM, 10 WERE IN EXERCISE GROUP) BETWEEN 65 AND 70 YEARS OF AGE UNDER GOING TREATMENT FOR CANCER WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PATIENTS WERE RECORDED AND GENERAL PHYSIOTHERAPY ASSESSMENTS PERFORMED. EIGHT SESSIONS OF A CLASSICAL YOGA PROGRAM INCLUDING WARMING AND BREATHING EXERCISES, ASANAS, RELAXATION IN SUPINE POSITION, AND MEDITATION AND 8 SESSIONS OF CLASSICAL EXERCISE PROGRAM WERE APPLIED TO PARTICIPANTS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA AND EXERCISE PROGRAM, QUALITY OF LIFE ASSESSMENTS FOR THE PATIENTS WERE CONDUCTED USING THE NOTTINGHAM HEALTH PROFILE (NHP). PATIENTS' DEPRESSION LEVELS WERE ASSESSED USING THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY. THEIR LEVEL OF PAIN, FATIGUE AND SLEEP QUALITY WAS EVALUATED USING THE VISUAL ANALOG SCALE (VAS). RESULTS: IT WAS FOUND THAT ALL PATIENTS' QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES AFTER THE YOGA AND EXERCISE PROGRAM WERE BETTER THAN SCORES OBTAINED BEFORE THE YOGA AND EXERCISE PROGRAM (P < 0.05). WHEN THE POST TREATMENT DATA OF THE GROUPS WERE COMPARED IN TERMS OF NHP AND SUBCATEGORIES, ER, SI, S, PA AND THE TOTAL SCORES OF NHP WERE FOUND SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT IN FAVOR OF GROUP I (P < 0.05). HOWEVER EL AND P SCORES OF THE NHP WERE NOT DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE GROUPS (P > 0.05). WHEN THE GROUPS WERE COMPARED IN TERMS OF DEPRESSION, PAIN, FATIGUE, AND SLEEP QUALITY, STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND IN ALL PARAMETERS BETWEEN PRE AND POST TREATMENT VALUES FOR BOTH GROUPS (P < 0.05). WHEN THE POST-TREATMENT VALUES OF THE GROUPS WERE COMPARED, FATIGUE AND SLEEP QUALITY WERE FOUND STATISTICALLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE GROUPS IN FAVOR OF GROUP I (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT YOGA IS VALUABLE IN HELPING TO DIMINISH DEPRESSION, PAIN, FATIGUE AND HELPS CANCER PATIENTS TO PERFORM DAILY AND ROUTINE ACTIVITIES, AND INCREASES THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. 2015 14 1076 32 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES, ANXIETY AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) AS A CHRONIC DISEASE COULD AFFECT PATIENTS' VARIOUS DOMAINS OF LIFE. AIM: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES, ANXIETY AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING OF PATIENTS WITH MS IN SOUTHWEST, IRAN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THIS CLINICAL TRIAL STUDY, 60 MS PATIENTS WERE ENROLLED ACCORDING TO INCLUSION CRITERIA AND RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS OF 30 EACH. PRIOR TO AND AFTER INTERVENTION, THE PATIENTS' VITAL SIGNS WERE MEASURED. FOR CASE GROUP YOGA EXERCISES WERE PERFORMED THREE SESSIONS A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS WHILE CONTROL GROUP PERFORMED NO EXERCISE. THE DATA WERE GATHERED BY QUESTIONNAIRE AND ANALYSED BY DESCRIPTIVE AND ANALYTICAL STATISTICS IN SPSS. RESULTS: PRIOR TO INTERVENTION, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN FATIGUE SEVERITY AND PAIN BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS BUT THE MEAN FATIGUE SEVERITY AND PAIN IN CASE GROUP DECREASED COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP AFTER THE INTERVENTION. PRIOR TO INTERVENTION, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN MEAN PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS BUT THE MEAN PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES IN CASE GROUP DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER THE INTERVENTION (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: YOGA IS LIKELY TO INCREASE SELF-EFFICACY OF MS PATIENTS THROUGH ENHANCING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, INCREASING THE STRENGTH OF LOWER LIMBS AND BALANCE, AND DECREASING FATIGUE AND PAIN, AND FINALLY TO PROMOTE SOCIAL FUNCTIONING AND TO RELIEVE STRESS AND ANXIETY IN THESE PATIENTS. 2016 15 817 26 EFFECT OF YOGA ON COGNITIVE ABILITIES IN SCHOOLCHILDREN FROM A SOCIOECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUND: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA, COMPARED TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON THE COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN 7-9 YEAR-OLD SCHOOLCHILDREN FROM A SOCIOECONOMIC DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUND. DESIGN: TWO HUNDRED (200) SCHOOLCHILDREN FROM BANGALORE, INDIA, AFTER BASELINE ASSESSMENT OF COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO EITHER A YOGA OR A PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY GROUP. COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS (ATTENTION AND CONCENTRATION, VISUO-SPATIAL ABILITIES, VERBAL ABILITY, AND ABSTRACT THINKING) WERE ASSESSED USING AN INDIAN ADAPTATION OF THE WECHSLER INTELLIGENCE SCALE FOR CHILDREN AT BASELINE, AFTER 3 MONTHS OF INTERVENTION, AND LATER AT A 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS: OF THE 200 SUBJECTS, 193 WERE ASSESSED AT 3 MONTHS AFTER THE STUDY, AND THEN 180 WERE ASSESSED AT THE 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE BETWEEN THE TWO STUDY GROUPS (YOGA VERSUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY) AT POSTINTERVENTION, AFTER CONTROLLING FOR GRADE LEVELS. IMPROVEMENT IN THE MEAN SCORES OF COGNITIVE TESTS FOLLOWING INTERVENTION VARIED FROM 0.5 (ARITHMETIC) TO 1.4 (CODING) FOR THE YOGA GROUP AND 0.7 (ARITHMETIC) TO 1.6 (VOCABULARY) IN THE PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA WAS AS EFFECTIVE AS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN IMPROVING COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN 7-9 YEAR OLD SCHOOLCHILDREN. FURTHER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO EXAMINE THE DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. 2012 16 909 30 EFFECTIVENESS OF GROUP VERSUS INDIVIDUAL YOGA EXERCISES ON FATIGUE OF PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. BACKGROUND: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS DISORDERS POSES HEAVY PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL EFFECT ON PATIENTS WHO ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE DISEASE. AIM: THIS STUDY AIMED TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INDIVIDUAL VERSUS GROUP EXERCISES ON FATIGUE ON PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THIS CLINICAL TRIAL, 85 PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS WERE DIVIDED IN TWO GROUPS OF INDIVIDUALIZED EXERCISE AND TEAM EXERCISE. THE INTERVENTION WAS CONDUCTED FOR 6 WEEKS AND COMPRISED OF MILD STRETCHING AND BASIC YOGA EXERCISES TWICE A DAY. THE DATA WERE COLLECTED THROUGH DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRE, STANDARD FATIGUE SCALE AND SELF-REPORTED CHECKLIST. DATA ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED BY SPSS SOFTWARE. RESULTS: THE MEAN LEVELS OF FATIGUE PERCEPTION AFTER THE INTERVENTION IN GROUP EXERCISE WAS 27.9 +/- 15.9 AND 27.1 +/- 17.2 IN INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS (P > 0.05). STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS OBSERVED IN THE MEAN LEVEL OF PERCEIVED FATIGUE IN TRIPLICATE MEASUREMENTS (P = 0.013) AMONG PATIENTS WHO COMPLETED INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE. HOWEVER, THIS DIFFERENCE WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT IN THE GROUP EXERCISE. CONCLUSION: PERFORMING MILD STRETCHING EXERCISES AND BASIC YOGA ARE RECOMMENDED AS A COST-EFFECTIVE METHOD WHICH IS EASY TO PERFORM AMONG PATIENTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE DISABILITIES. 2015 17 1063 32 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND MOOD IN WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND MOOD IN GENERALLY HEALTHY WOMEN. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. PARTICIPANTS: FIFTY-TWO HEALTHY WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A YOGA GROUP OR A CONTROL GROUP. INTERVENTIONS: PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPLETED AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM, WHICH COMPRISED A 60-MINUTE SESSION TWICE A WEEK. EACH SESSION CONSISTED OF BREATHING EXERCISES, YOGA POSE PRACTICE, AND SUPINE MEDITATION/RELAXATION. THE CONTROL GROUP WAS INSTRUCTED NOT TO ENGAGE IN ANY YOGA PRACTICE AND TO MAINTAIN THEIR USUAL LEVEL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURING THE STUDY. OUTCOME MEASURES: PARTICIPANTS' HEART RATE VARIABILITY, PERCEIVED STRESS, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AND STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE (WEEK 0) AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION (WEEK 9). RESULTS: NO MEASURES OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY IN EITHER THE YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP AFTER INTERVENTION. STATE ANXIETY WAS REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE YOGA GROUP BUT NOT IN THE CONTROL GROUP. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE NOTED IN PERCEIVED STRESS, DEPRESSION, OR TRAIT ANXIETY IN EITHER GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM WAS NOT SUFFICIENT TO IMPROVE HEART RATE VARIABILITY. HOWEVER, SUCH A PROGRAM APPEARS TO BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING STATE ANXIETY IN GENERALLY HEALTHY WOMEN. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD INVOLVE LONGER PERIODS OF YOGA TRAINING, INCLUDE HEART RATE VARIABILITY MEASURES BOTH AT REST AND DURING YOGA PRACTICE, AND ENROLL WOMEN WITH HIGHER LEVELS OF STRESS AND TRAIT ANXIETY. 2015 18 2368 26 WELL-BEING AT WORKPLACE THROUGH MINDFULNESS: INFLUENCE OF YOGA PRACTICE ON POSITIVE AFFECT AND AGGRESSION. INTRODUCTION: MINDFULNESS IS ABOUT BEING AWARE OF INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL STIMULI BY WITNESSING THE ACT IN A NONJUDGMENTAL MANNER. EARLIER RESEARCHES SUGGEST THAT POSITIVE AFFECTIVITY (PA) IS NEGATIVELY RELATED TO NEGATIVE AFFECTIVITY, AGGRESSION, AND COUNTERPRODUCTIVE WORK BEHAVIOR (CWB). AIM: THE PRESENT STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECT OF MINDFULNESS DEVELOPED THROUGH YOGA PRACTICES ON AGGRESSION AND PA AMONG WORKING PROFESSIONALS INVOLVED IN CWB. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A PRE-TEST, POST-TEST RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED DESIGN WAS USED WITH A STUDY SAMPLE OF YOGA GROUP (N = 80) AND CONTROL GROUP (N = 80) FOR A DURATION OF 10 WEEKS. YOGA MODULE THAT INCLUDED ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, MEDITATION, AND YOGIC THEORIES WERE TAUGHT TO THE YOGA GROUP. MILD TO MODERATE PHYSICAL EXERCISES AND MANAGEMENT THEORIES WERE TAUGHT TO THE CONTROL GROUP. MEASUREMENTS OF AGGRESSION AND PA SCORES WERE TAKEN AT THE BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION FOR ASSESSMENT. RESULTS: AT THE BASELINE, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE VARIABLE SCORES BETWEEN BOTH THE GROUPS. POSTINTERVENTION RESULTS REVEALED THAT YOGA GROUP SHOWED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.001) REDUCTION IN AGGRESSION AND SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.001) ENHANCEMENT IN PA IN COMPARISON TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: WHEN COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION, THE YOGA GROUP SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER FOR AGGRESSION AND HIGHER FOR PA. 2015 19 858 37 EFFECT OF YOGA OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE ON PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE AND EMOTIONAL MEASURES IN CHILDREN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SEPARATELY REPORTED THE EFFECTS OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND YOGA IN CHILDREN, SHOWING PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE AND EMOTIONAL BENEFITS. OBJECTIVES: THE PRESENT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL ASSESSED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE ON PHYSICAL FITNESS, COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE, SELF-ESTEEM, AND TEACHER-RATED BEHAVIOR AND PERFORMANCE, IN SCHOOL CHILDREN. METHODS: 98 SCHOOL CHILDREN BETWEEN 8 TO 13 YEARS WERE RANDOMIZED AS YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUPS {N = 49 EACH; (YOGA: 15 GIRLS, GROUP MEAN AGE 10.4 +/- 1.2 YEARS), (PHYSICAL EXERCISE: 23 GIRLS, GROUP MEAN AGE 10.5 +/- 1.3 YEARS)}. BOTH GROUPS WERE BLIND ASSESSED AFTER ALLOCATION, USING: (I) THE EUROFIT PHYSICAL FITNESS TEST BATTERY, (II) STROOP COLOR-WORD TASK FOR CHILDREN, (III) BATTLE'S SELF-ESTEEM INVENTORY AND (IV) THE TEACHERS' RATING OF THE CHILDREN'S OBEDIENCE, ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, ATTENTION, PUNCTUALITY, AND BEHAVIOR WITH FRIENDS AND TEACHERS. AFTER ASSESSMENTS THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED YOGA (BREATHING TECHNIQUES, POSTURES, GUIDED RELAXATION AND CHANTING), 45 MINUTES EACH DAY, 5 DAYS A WEEK. DURING THIS TIME THE PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP HAD JOGGING-IN-PLACE, RAPID REPETITIVE MOVEMENTS AND RELAY RACES OR GAMES. BOTH GROUPS WERE ASSESSED AT THE END OF 3 MONTHS. DATA WERE ANALYZED WITH RM ANOVA AND POST-HOC TESTS WERE BONFERRONI ADJUSTED. RESULTS: THERE WAS ONE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS. THIS WAS IN SOCIAL SELF-ESTEEM WHICH WAS HIGHER AFTER PHYSICAL EXERCISE COMPARED TO YOGA (P < 0.05). ALL THE CHANGES REPORTED BELOW ARE BASED ON AFTER-BEFORE COMPARISONS, WITHIN EACH GROUP. BOTH GROUPS SHOWED AN INCREASE IN BMI, AND NUMBER OF SIT-UPS (P < 0.001). BALANCE WORSENED IN THE PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP, WHILE PLATE TAPPING IMPROVED IN THE YOGA GROUP (P < 0.001). IN THE STROOP TASK BOTH GROUPS SHOWED IMPROVED COLOR, WORD- AND COLOR-WORD NAMING (P < 0.01), WHILE THE PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP SHOWED HIGHER INTERFERENCE SCORES. TOTAL, GENERAL AND PARENTAL SELF-ESTEEM IMPROVED IN THE YOGA GROUP (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE ARE USEFUL ADDITIONS TO THE SCHOOL ROUTINE, WITH PHYSICAL EXERCISE IMPROVING SOCIAL SELF-ESTEEM. TRIAL REGISTRATION: THE STUDY WAS REGISTERED IN THE CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY OF INDIA (CTRI/2012/11/003112). 2013 20 829 28 EFFECT OF YOGA ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. OBJECTIVES: TO OBSERVE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS USING A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED AND INTERVENTIONAL STUDY. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES TOTAL MENOPAUSE RATING SCALE (MRS) SCORE AND THREE SUBSCALE SCORES (SOMATOVEGETATIVE, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND UROGENITAL) WERE MEASURED ON DAY 1 AND DAY 90 IN THE STUDY GROUP WHICH PERFORMED YOGA (ASANA, PRANAYAM AND MEDITATION) UNDER SUPERVISION FOR THREE MONTHS, AND WERE COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP THAT DID NOT PERFORM YOGA. MRS HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO MEASURE HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE OF AGEING WOMEN. IT CONSISTS OF 11 SYMPTOMS AND THREE SUBSCALES. RESULTS: IT WAS OBSERVED THAT ON DAY 1 THE SCORES IN BOTH THE GROUPS WERE COMPARABLE. ON DAY 90, THE SCORES IN THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A REDUCTION IN SCORE ON ALL THE SUBSCALES, WHICH WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS NOTED IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: YOGA IS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS ALTERNATIVE THERAPY FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. 2011