1 1032 155 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 2 550 27 CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF POWER YOGA IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE. OBJECTIVES: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A SPECIALLY DESIGNED POWER YOGA PROGRAM (YOGA) ON BRADYKINESIA, RIGIDITY, MUSCULAR PERFORMANCE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN OLDER PATIENTS WITH PD. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: UNIVERSITY LABORATORY, US. INTERVENTION: TWENTY-SIX PATIENTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE PD WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP (CON). THE YOGA PROGRAM WAS THREE MONTHS, INCORPORATING TWO SESSIONS/WK OF YOGA CLASSES. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: UPPER AND LOWER LIMB BRADYKINESIA AND RIGIDITY SCORES FROM THE UNIFIED PARKINSON'S DISEASE RATING SCALE, ONE REPETITION MAXIMUMS (1RM) AND PEAK POWERS ON BICEPS CURL, CHEST PRESS, LEG PRESS, HIP ABDUCTION AND SEATED CALF, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (PDQ-39). RESULTS: THE YOGA GROUP PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BOTH UPPER AND LOWER LIMBS BRADYKINESIA SCORES, RIGIDITY SCORE, 1RM FOR ALL 5 MACHINES AND LEG PRESS POWER (P<.05). SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE SEEN IN THE PDQ-39 OVERALL SCORE, MOBILITY AND ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING DOMAIN FOR THE YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE 3-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BRADYKINESIA AND RIGIDITY, AND INCREASED MUSCLE STRENGTH AND POWER IN OLDER PATIENTS WITH PD. POWER TRAINING IS AN EFFECTIVE TRAINING MODALITY TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PD. 2016 3 2916 23 [THE EFFECT OF HATHA YOGA ON POOR POSTURE IN CHILDREN AND THE PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGIC CONDITION IN ADULTS]. HATHA YOGA'S EFFECTS ON THE POSTURE OF 15 TEN YEAR-OLD CHILDREN AND ALSO ITS EFFECTS ON THE PSYCHOPHYSICAL CONDITION OF 15 GROWN-UPS WAS STUDIED. AS SYMPTOMS, DURING THE FIRST EXAMINATION, 12 OF THE 15 CHILDREN HAD HEAD PROTRUSION, 14 HAD SHORTENED BACK EXTENSORS, ALL 15 HAD BENT SHOULDERS, RELAXATION OF THE FRONTAL ABDOMINAL WALL AND SHORTENED FLEXORS OF BOTH THE CALF AND THIGH. THE CONDITION OF ALL THE CHILDREN WAS REMARKABLY BETTER AFTER SIX MONTHS OF PRACTICE, SOME OF THE SYMPTOMS HAVING COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED (HEAD PROTRUSION, ASYMMETRY OF THE SHOULDERS, MAMILLAS AND HIPS, SHORTENING OF THE PECTORALIS AND BACK EXTENSORS), 9 CHILDREN STILL HAD SLIGHT TO MEDIUM RELAXATION OF THE FRONTAL ABDOMINAL WALL, 8 CHILDREN STILL HAD BENT SHOULDERS, AND 1 CHILD STILL HAD SHORTENED CALF AND THIGH EXTENSORS. THE ADULTS WERE IN A WEAK OR VERY WEAK PSYCHOPHYSICAL CONDITION, THEY TIRED EASILY, THEY COMPLAINED OF SLEEP DISTURBANCES, FLUCTUATION OF EMOTIONAL STATE AND IRRITABILITY. AFTER 3 MONTHS OF PRACTICE, THE VITAL CAPACITY OF 8 OF THE ADULTS TESTED (53.3%) HAD INCREASED BY 435 ML. THE TIME DURATION OF APNOEA HAD LENGTHENED FOR ALL OF THE PRACTICING ADULTS, BUT WITH A TRULY LARGE VARIATION AMONG THEM (A MEDIAN OF 14%). THE DEEP WAIST-BEND LENGTH OF ALL THE PRACTICING ADULTS HAD LENGTHENED BY AN AVERAGE OF 9.5 CM, AND THE AVERAGE LENGTH INCREASE FOR THE 3-MINUTE RUNNING TEST WAS 42 M. ALL THOSE WHO PRACTICED, HAD EXPERIENCED AN ALLEVIATION OF PSYCHIC DIFFICULTIES. 1990 4 2338 20 UNIQUE AUTONOMIC RESPONSES TO PAIN IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS. OBJECTIVE: AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM ACTIVITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH NEUROBEHAVIORAL ASPECTS OF PAIN. YOGIS USE BREATHING, RELAXATION, AND MINDFULNESS TO TOLERATE PAIN, WHICH COULD INFLUENCE AUTONOMIC RESPONSES. TO EVALUATE HOW THE LINK BETWEEN AUTONOMIC RESPONSES AND PAIN IS ALTERED BY OTHER FACTORS, WE COMPARED PERCEPTUAL AND AUTONOMIC RESPONSES TO PAIN BETWEEN YOGIS AND CONTROLS. METHODS: NINETEEN YOGIS AND 15 CONTROLS RATED WARM AND PAINFULLY HOT STIMULI (1-CM THERMODE ON CALF), WITH VISUAL ANTICIPATORY CUES INDICATING CERTAINLY PAINFUL, CERTAINLY NONPAINFUL, OR UNCERTAINLY EITHER PAINFUL OR NONPAINFUL. HEART RATE, SKIN CONDUCTANCE, RESPIRATION, AND BLOOD PRESSURE WERE MEASURED. RESULTS: AT BASELINE, YOGIS BREATHED SLOWER AND DEEPER THAN DID CONTROLS, WITH NO DIFFERENCES IN OTHER AUTONOMIC MEASURES. DURING THE TASK, PERCEPTUAL RATINGS DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN GROUPS IN EITHER THE CERTAIN OR UNCERTAIN CONDITIONS. NEVERTHELESS, YOGIS HAD HIGHER PHASIC SKIN CONDUCTANCE RESPONSES IN ANTICIPATION OF AND RESPONSE TO ALL STIMULI, BUT PARTICULARLY DURING PAINFUL HEAT IN UNCERTAIN CONTEXTS (UNCERTAIN: 0.46 [0.34] MUS; CERTAIN: 0.37 [0.28] MUS; T(18) = 3.962, P = .001). FURTHERMORE, CONTROLS SHOWED A DECREASE IN HEART RATE TO WARM (-2.51 [2.17] BEATS/MIN) VERSUS PAINFUL STIMULI (0.83 [1.63] BEATS/MIN; T(13) = 5.212, P < .001) AND LOWER RESPIRATORY SINUS ARRHYTHMIA DURING PAIN COMPARED WITH WARM TRIALS, WHEREAS YOGIS HAD SIMILAR REACTIONS TO PAINFUL AND NONPAINFUL STIMULI. CONCLUSIONS: AUTONOMIC RESPONSES TO PAIN DIFFERED IN YOGIS AND HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS, DESPITE SIMILAR PAIN RATINGS. THUS, AUTONOMIC REACTIVITY TO PAIN MAY BE ALTERED BY ENVIRONMENTAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS THROUGHOUT AN INDIVIDUAL'S LIFE. 2018 5 2467 33 YOGA AS A THERAPY FOR ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS: A PILOT STUDY. RATIONALE: YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH ASTHMA BUT HAS NOT BEEN INVESTIGATED IN CYSTIC FIBROSIS (CF) PATIENTS. METHODS: THIS WAS A PROSPECTIVE PILOT STUDY TO EVALUATE THE SAFETY OF A STANDARDIZED YOGA PROGRAM AMONG CF PATIENTS AGED 12 TO 25 YEARS. PARTICIPANTS ENGAGED IN A 50-MINUTE YOGA SESSION TWICE WEEKLY FOR 8 WEEKS CONDUCTED BY A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR USING A STANDARDIZED PROGRAM DESIGNED TO BE SAFE FOR HEALTH-COMPROMISED INDIVIDUALS. YOGA SESSIONS WERE INDIVIDUAL TO AVOID TRANSMISSION OF INFECTIONS. PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS SAFETY AND TOLERABILITY. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS, THE CYSTIC FIBROSIS QUALITY OF LIFE INSTRUMENT (CFQ-R), LUNG FUNCTION, EASE OF BREATHING SCORE (MEASURE OF EXERCISE TOLERANCE), AND WEIGHT. RESULTS: ELEVEN PARTICIPANTS WERE ENROLLED, AND 10 COMPLETED THE STUDY. ADHERENCE WAS VERY GOOD; THE MEAN (SD) NUMBER OF SESSIONS COMPLETED WAS 14.2 (1.3) OUT OF 16 SESSIONS. EIGHT PATIENTS REPORTED 25 ADVERSE EVENTS. THE MOST COMMON WAS COUGH, REPORTED IN 7. TWO EVENTS WERE POSSIBLY RELATED TO STUDY PROCEDURES: CALF PAIN AND HEADACHE. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN DYSPNEA OR PAIN SCALES. THE MEAN (SD) CFQ-R RESPIRATORY DOMAIN SCORE INCREASED FROM SCREENING TO END OF STUDY: 67.9 (11.4) TO 82.1 (9.9), P=.04. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE OTHER OUTCOME MEASURES. CONCLUSIONS: IN THIS PILOT STUDY, A STANDARDIZED 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM WAS SAFE AND WELL TOLERATED AMONG ADOLESCENT AND YOUNG ADULT CF PATIENTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE LUNG DISEASE. THIS STUDY MAY BE HELPFUL TO YOGA INSTRUCTORS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH CF PATIENTS. LARGER CONTROLLED TRIALS ARE WARRANTED TO DETERMINE FURTHER BENEFITS. 2015 6 626 21 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 7 506 23 COMPARATIVE EFFECT OF POWER TRAINING AND HIGH-SPEED YOGA ON MOTOR FUNCTION IN OLDER PATIENTS WITH PARKINSON DISEASE. OBJECTIVES: TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF POWER TRAINING (PWT) AND A HIGH-SPEED YOGA PROGRAM ON PHYSICAL PERFORMANCES IN OLDER PATIENTS WITH PARKINSON DISEASE (PD), AND TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT BOTH TRAINING INTERVENTIONS WOULD ATTENUATE PD SYMPTOMS AND IMPROVE PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: A LABORATORY OF NEUROMUSCULAR RESEARCH AND ACTIVE AGING. PARTICIPANTS: PATIENTS WITH PD (N=41; MEAN AGE +/- SD, 72.2 +/- 6.5Y). INTERVENTIONS: TWO HIGH-SPEED EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS (SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED YOGA PROGRAM AND PWT) WERE GIVEN FOR 12 WEEKS (TWICE A WEEK), AND 1 NONEXERCISE CONTROL GROUP. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: UNIFIED PARKINSON DISEASE RATING SCALE MOTOR SCORE (UPDRSMS), BERG BALANCE SCALE (BBS), MINI-BALANCE EVALUATION SYSTEMS TEST (MINI-BESTEST), TIMED UP AND GO, FUNCTIONAL REACH, SINGLE LEG STANCE (SLS), POSTURAL SWAY TEST, 10-M USUAL AND MAXIMAL WALKING SPEED TESTS, 1 REPETITION MAXIMUM (RM), AND PEAK POWER (PPW) FOR LEG PRESS. RESULTS: FOR THE POSTTESTS, BOTH TRAINING GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS (P<.05) IN ALL PHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS EXCEPT FUNCTIONAL REACH ON THE MORE AFFECTED SIDE, SLS, AND POSTURAL SWAY COMPARED WITH THE PRETESTS, AND SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER SCORES FOR UPDRSMS, BBS, MINI-BESTEST, TIMED UP AND GO, FUNCTIONAL REACH ON THE LESS AFFECTED SIDE, 10-M USUAL AND MAXIMAL WALKING SPEED TESTS, 1RM, AND PPW THAN CONTROLS, WITH NO DIFFERENCES DETECTED BETWEEN THE YOGA PROGRAM AND PWT. CONCLUSIONS: BOTH THE SPECIALLY DESIGNED YOGA PROGRAM AND PWT PROGRAMS CAN SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE IN OLDER PERSONS WITH PD. 2016 8 2802 27 YOGA THERAPY IN CHILDREN WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS DECREASES IMMEDIATE ANXIETY AND JOINT PAIN. THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA MIGHT ALLEVIATE SYMPTOMS OF PAIN, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION IN CHILDREN WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS (CF). CF IS THE MOST COMMON GENETIC, LIFE-LIMITING CHRONIC DISEASE AMONG CAUCASIAN POPULATIONS. IT PRIMARILY AFFECTS THE LUNGS BUT ALSO MANY OTHER SECRETORY ORGANS AND CONSEQUENTLY LEADS TO SIGNIFICANT MORBIDITIES. RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT CHILDREN WITH CF HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND PAIN COMPARED TO THEIR HEALTHY COUNTERPARTS. SUBJECTS PARTICIPATED IN SIX ONE-ON-ONE SESSIONS OVER A 10-WEEK PERIOD WITH A CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR WHO DESIGNED EACH YOGA PRACTICE BASED ON A PREESTABLISHED LIST OF 30 YOGA ASANAS. QUESTIONNAIRES EVALUATING PAIN, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, SUSTAINED ANXIETY, IMMEDIATE ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION WERE ADMINISTERED. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PREMEASURES AND POSTMEASURES WERE EVALUATED USING A TWO-SIDED TEST. TWENTY SUBJECTS WERE ASSESSED (12 FEMALES/8 MALES), MEDIAN AGE OF 11 (7-20) YEARS. MEAN IMMEDIATE ANXIETY SCORES DECREASED (BEFORE SESSION TO AFTER SESSION 29 TO 23.6, RESPECTIVELY, P < 0.001). JOINT PAIN IMPROVED (3.25 TO 3.65, P = 0.028). CFQ-R EMOTION SUBSCALE IMPROVED FROM 79.2 TO 85 (P = 0.073), AND THE RESPIRATORY SUBSCALE IMPROVED FROM 66.7 TO 79.2 (P = 0.076). OTHER RESULTS WERE LESS NOTABLE. WE CONCLUDE THAT YOGA MAY REDUCE IMMEDIATE ANXIETY AND JOINT PAIN IN PATIENTS WITH CF. 2016 9 510 26 COMPARATIVE IMPACTS OF TAI CHI, BALANCE TRAINING, AND A SPECIALLY-DESIGNED YOGA PROGRAM ON BALANCE IN OLDER FALLERS. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF A CUSTOM-DESIGNED YOGA PROGRAM WITH 2 OTHER BALANCE TRAINING PROGRAMS. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: RESEARCH LABORATORY. PARTICIPANTS: A GROUP OF OLDER ADULTS (N=39; MEAN AGE, 74.15 +/- 6.99 Y) WITH A HISTORY OF FALLING. INTERVENTIONS: THREE DIFFERENT EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS (TAI CHI, STANDARD BALANCE TRAINING, YOGA) WERE GIVEN FOR 12 WEEKS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: BALANCE PERFORMANCE WAS EXAMINED DURING PRE- AND POSTTEST USING FIELD TESTS, INCLUDING THE 8-FOOT UP-AND-GO TEST, 1-LEG STANCE, FUNCTIONAL REACH, AND USUAL AND MAXIMAL WALKING SPEED. THE STATIC AND DYNAMIC BALANCES WERE ALSO ASSESSED BY POSTURAL SWAY AND DYNAMIC POSTUROGRAPHY, RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS: TRAINING PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN ALL FIELD TESTS (P<.005), BUT GROUP DIFFERENCE AND TIME X GROUP INTERACTION WERE NOT DETECTED. FOR POSTURAL SWAY, SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN THE AREA OF THE CENTER OF PRESSURE WITH EYES OPEN (P=.001) AND EYES CLOSED (P=.002) WERE DETECTED AFTER TRAINING. FOR EYES OPEN, MAXIMUM MEDIAL-LATERAL VELOCITY SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED FOR THE SAMPLE (P=.013). FOR EYES CLOSED, MEDIAL-LATERAL DISPLACEMENT DECREASED FOR TAI CHI (P<.01). FOR DYNAMIC POSTUROGRAPHY, SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN OVERALL SCORE (P=.001), TIME ON THE TEST (P=.006), AND 2 LINEAR MEASURES IN LATERAL (P=.001) AND ANTERIOR-POSTERIOR (P<.001) DIRECTIONS WERE SEEN FOR THE SAMPLE. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA WAS AS EFFECTIVE AS TAI CHI AND STANDARD BALANCE TRAINING FOR IMPROVING POSTURAL STABILITY AND MAY OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE TO MORE TRADITIONAL PROGRAMS. 2014 10 1654 31 MUSCLE UTILIZATION PATTERNS VARY BY SKILL LEVELS OF THE PRACTITIONERS ACROSS SPECIFIC YOGA POSES (ASANAS). OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE MUSCLE ACTIVATION PATTERNS IN 14 DOMINANT SIDE MUSCLES DURING DIFFERENT YOGA POSES ACROSS THREE SKILL LEVELS. DESIGN: MIXED REPEATED-MEASURES DESCRIPTIVE STUDY. SETTING: UNIVERSITY NEUROMUSCULAR RESEARCH LABORATORY, MIAMI, US. PARTICIPANTS: A GROUP OF 36 YOGA PRACTITIONERS (9 M/27 F; MEAN +/- SD, 31.6 +/- 12.6 YEARS) WITH AT LEAST 3 MONTHS YOGA PRACTICE EXPERIENCE. INTERVENTIONS: EACH OF THE 11 SURYA NAMASKAR POSES A AND B WAS PERFORMED SEPARATELY FOR 15S AND THE SURFACE ELECTROMYOGRAPHY FOR 14 MUSCLES WERE RECORDED. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: NORMALIZED ROOT MEAN SQUARE OF THE ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC SIGNAL (NRMSEMG) FOR 14 MUSCLES (5 UPPER BODY, 4 TRUNK, 5 LOWER BODY). RESULTS: THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECTS OF POSE FOR ALL FOURTEEN MUSCLES EXCEPT MIDDLE TRAPEZIUS (P<.02) AND OF SKILL LEVEL FOR THE VASTUS MEDIALIS; P=.027). A SIGNIFICANT SKILL LEVEL X POSE INTERACTION EXISTED FOR FIVE MUSCLES (PECTORALIS MAJOR STERNAL HEAD, ANTERIOR DELTOID, MEDIAL DELTOID, UPPER RECTUS ABDOMINIS AND GASTROCNEMIUS LATERALIS; P<.05). POST HOC ANALYSES USING BONFERRONI COMPARISONS INDICATED THAT DIFFERENT POSES ACTIVATED SPECIFIC MUSCLE GROUPS; HOWEVER, THIS VARIED BY SKILL LEVEL. CONCLUSION: OUR RESULTS INDICATE THAT DIFFERENT POSES CAN PRODUCE SPECIFIC MUSCLE ACTIVATION PATTERNS WHICH MAY VARY DUE TO PRACTITIONERS' SKILL LEVELS. THIS INFORMATION CAN BE USED IN DESIGNING REHABILITATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS AND FOR CUING DURING YOGA TRAINING. 2014 11 787 28 EFFECT OF YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES (PRANAYAMA) ON AIRWAY REACTIVITY IN SUBJECTS WITH ASTHMA. THE EFFECTS OF TWO PRANAYAMA YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES ON AIRWAY REACTIVITY, AIRWAY CALIBRE, SYMPTOM SCORES, AND MEDICATION USE IN PATIENTS WITH MILD ASTHMA WERE ASSESSED IN A RANDOMISED, DOUBLE-BLIND, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED, CROSSOVER TRIAL. AFTER BASELINE ASSESSMENT OVER 1 WEEK, 18 PATIENTS WITH MILD ASTHMA PRACTISED SLOW DEEP BREATHING FOR 15 MIN TWICE A DAY FOR TWO CONSECUTIVE 2-WEEK PERIODS. DURING THE ACTIVE PERIOD, SUBJECTS WERE ASKED TO BREATHE THROUGH A PINK CITY LUNG (PCL) EXERCISER--A DEVICE WHICH IMPOSES SLOWING OF BREATHING AND A 1:2 INSPIRATION:EXPIRATION DURATION RATIO EQUIVALENT TO PRANAYAMA BREATHING METHODS; DURING THE CONTROL PERIOD, SUBJECTS BREATHED THROUGH A MATCHED PLACEBO DEVICE. MEAN FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1 S (FEV1), PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE, SYMPTOM SCORE, AND INHALER USE OVER THE LAST 3 DAYS OF EACH TREATMENT PERIOD WERE ASSESSED IN COMPARISON WITH THE BASELINE ASSESSMENT PERIOD; ALL IMPROVED MORE WITH THE PCL EXERCISER THAN WITH THE PLACEBO DEVICE, BUT THE DIFFERENCES WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT. THERE WAS A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE DOSE OF HISTAMINE NEEDED TO PROVOKE A 20% REDUCTION IN FEV1 (PD20) DURING PRANAYAMA BREATHING BUT NOT WITH THE PLACEBO DEVICE. THE USEFULNESS OF CONTROLLED VENTILATION EXERCISES IN THE CONTROL OF ASTHMA SHOULD BE FURTHER INVESTIGATED. 1990 12 2775 32 YOGA RESPIRATORY TRAINING IMPROVES RESPIRATORY FUNCTION AND CARDIAC SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE IN ELDERLY SUBJECTS: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: SINCE AGEING IS ASSOCIATED WITH A DECLINE IN PULMONARY FUNCTION, HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND SPONTANEOUS BAROREFLEX, AND RECENT STUDIES SUGGEST THAT YOGA RESPIRATORY EXERCISES MAY IMPROVE RESPIRATORY AND CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTION, WE HYPOTHESISED THAT YOGA RESPIRATORY TRAINING MAY IMPROVE RESPIRATORY FUNCTION AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC MODULATION IN HEALTHY ELDERLY SUBJECTS. DESIGN: 76 HEALTHY ELDERLY SUBJECTS WERE ENROLLED IN A RANDOMISED CONTROL TRIAL IN BRAZIL AND 29 COMPLETED THE STUDY (AGE 68 +/- 6 YEARS, 34% MALES, BODY MASS INDEX 25 +/- 3 KG/M(2)). SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMISED INTO A 4-MONTH TRAINING PROGRAM (2 CLASSES/WEEK PLUS HOME EXERCISES) OF EITHER STRETCHING (CONTROL, N=14) OR RESPIRATORY EXERCISES (YOGA, N=15). YOGA RESPIRATORY EXERCISES (BHASTRIKA) CONSISTED OF RAPID FORCED EXPIRATIONS FOLLOWED BY INSPIRATION THROUGH THE RIGHT NOSTRIL, INSPIRATORY APNOEA WITH GENERATION OF INTRATHORACIC NEGATIVE PRESSURE, AND EXPIRATION THROUGH THE LEFT NOSTRIL. PULMONARY FUNCTION, MAXIMUM EXPIRATORY AND INSPIRATORY PRESSURES (PE(MAX) AND PI(MAX), RESPECTIVELY), HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND BLOOD PRESSURE VARIABILITY FOR SPONTANEOUS BAROREFLEX DETERMINATION WERE DETERMINED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 4 MONTHS. RESULTS: SUBJECTS IN BOTH GROUPS HAD SIMILAR DEMOGRAPHIC PARAMETERS. PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES DID NOT CHANGE AFTER 4 MONTHS IN THE CONTROL GROUP. HOWEVER, IN THE YOGA GROUP, THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN PE(MAX) (34%, P<0.0001) AND PI(MAX) (26%, P<0.0001) AND A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE LOW FREQUENCY COMPONENT (A MARKER OF CARDIAC SYMPATHETIC MODULATION) AND LOW FREQUENCY/HIGH FREQUENCY RATIO (MARKER OF SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE) OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY (40%, P<0.001). SPONTANEOUS BAROREFLEX DID NOT CHANGE, AND QUALITY OF LIFE ONLY MARGINALLY INCREASED IN THE YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSION: RESPIRATORY YOGA TRAINING MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR THE ELDERLY HEALTHY POPULATION BY IMPROVING RESPIRATORY FUNCTION AND SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE. TRIAL REGISTRATION CINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT00969345; TRIAL REGISTRY NAME: EFFECTS OF RESPIRATORY YOGA TRAINING (BHASTRIKA) ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND BAROREFLEX, AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF HEALTHY ELDERLY SUBJECTS. 2011 13 2662 36 YOGA IN BURN: ROLE OF PRANAYAMA BREATHING EXERCISE ON PULMONARY FUNCTION, RESPIRATORY MUSCLE ACTIVITY AND EXERCISE TOLERANCE IN FULL-THICKNESS CIRCUMFERENTIAL BURNS OF THE CHEST. BACKGROUND: CIRCUMFERENTIAL BURN OF CHEST (CBC) IS A SIGNIFICANT TYPE OF BURN AND CONSIDERS AS A MAJOR CAUSE OF RESTRICTIVE LUNG DISEASE (RLD). PATIENT WHO HAS CBC WITH RLD LEADS TO RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS SUCH AS BREATHING DIFFICULTY, AIRWAY OBSTRUCTION, REDUCED EXERCISE CAPACITY AND ALTERED PULMONARY FUNCTIONS. HOWEVER, STUDIES EXAMINING THE ROLE OF PRANAYAMA BREATHING EXERCISE ON PULMONARY FUNCTION, RESPIRATORY MUSCLE ACTIVITY AND EXERCISE TOLERANCE IN FULL THICKNESS CIRCUMFERENTIAL BURN OF CHEST ARE LACKING. OBJECTIVE: TO FIND THE SHORT TERM EFFECTS OF PRANAYAMA BREATHING EXERCISE ON PULMONARY FUNCTION, RESPIRATORY MUSCLE ACTIVITY AND EXERCISE TOLERANCE IN FULL THICKNESS CIRCUMFERENTIAL BURNS OF CHEST. METHODS: THROUGH SIMPLE RANDOM SAMPLING METHOD THIRTY SUBJECTS (N = 30) WITH RLD FOLLOWING CBC WERE ALLOCATED TO PRANAYAMA BREATHING EXERCISE GROUP (PBE-G; N = 15) AND CONVENTIONAL BREATHING EXERCISE GROUP (CBE-G; N = 15). THEY RECEIVED PRANAYAMA BREATHING EXERCISE AND CONVENTIONAL BREATHING EXERCISE FOR 4 WEEKS RESPECTIVELY. ALL THE SUBJECTS RECEIVED CHEST MOBILITY EXERCISE AS COMMON TREATMENT. PRIMARY (NUMERIC PAIN RATING SCALE - NPRS, FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME (FEV1), FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (FVC) AND MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY VENTILATION (MVV) AND SECONDARY (ELECTROMYOGRAM OF STERNOCLEIDOMASTOID, SCALENE, EXTERNAL INTERCOSTAL AND DIAPHRAGM MUSCLE, 6 MIN WALK TEST & GLOBAL RATING OF CHANGE - GRC) OUTCOME MEASURES WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE, AFTER FOUR WEEKS AND AFTER THREE MONTHS FOLLOW UP. RESULTS: BASELINE DEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL VARIABLES SHOW HOMOGENOUS DISTRIBUTION BETWEEN THE GROUPS (P > 0.05). FOUR WEEKS FOLLOWING DIFFERENT BREATHING EXERCISES, PBE-G GROUP SHOWS MORE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN PAIN INTENSITY, PULMONARY FUNCTION, RESPIRATORY MUSCLE ACTIVITY, EXERCISE TOLERANCE AND GLOBAL RATING OF CHANGE THAN CBE-G GROUP (P 0.05). ALSO, THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT (P > 0.05) GROUP, TIME, OR GROUP X TIME INTERACTION EFFECTS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR VARIABLES. YE GROUP SIGNIFICANTLY (P < 0.01) IMPROVED LEG PRESS MUSCLE STRENGTH COMPARED TO CON (11.4% VS. -6.5%). EIGHT MONTHS OF ASHTANGA YOGA TRAINING WAS BENEFICIAL FOR IMPROVING LEG PRESS STRENGTH, BUT NOT ARTERIAL COMPLIANCE IN PREMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. KEY POINTSTHE 8 MONTH YOGA TRAINING DID NOT AFFECT ARTERIAL COMPLIANCE OF THE LARGE AND SMALL ARTERIES.NONE OF THE CARDIOVASCULAR VARIABLES WERE CHANGED BY THE YOGA INTERVENTION.ISOTONIC MUSCLE STRENGTH WAS NOT ALTERED BY THE YOGA INTERVENTION, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF LEG PRESS. 2012 15 552 25 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 16 867 42 EFFECT OF YOGA REGIMEN ON LUNG FUNCTIONS INCLUDING DIFFUSION CAPACITY IN CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: LUNG FUNCTIONS ARE FOUND TO BE IMPAIRED IN CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE (CAD), CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE, LEFT VENTRICULAR DYSFUNCTION, AND AFTER CARDIAC SURGERY. DIFFUSION CAPACITY PROGRESSIVELY WORSENS AS THE SEVERITY OF CAD INCREASES DUE TO REDUCTION IN LUNG TISSUE PARTICIPATING IN GAS EXCHANGE. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: PRANAYAMA BREATHING EXERCISES AND YOGIC POSTURES MAY PLAY AN IMPRESSIVE ROLE IN IMPROVING CARDIO-RESPIRATORY EFFICIENCY AND FACILITATING GAS DIFFUSION AT THE ALVEOLO-CAPILLARY MEMBRANE. THIS STUDY WAS DONE TO SEE THE EFFECT OF YOGA REGIMEN ON LUNG FUNCTIONS PARTICULARLY DIFFUSION CAPACITY IN CAD PATIENTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 80 STABLE CAD PATIENTS BELOW 65 YEARS OF AGE OF BOTH SEXES WERE SELECTED AND RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS OF 40 EACH. GROUP I CAD PATIENTS WERE GIVEN YOGA REGIMEN FOR 3 MONTHS WHICH CONSISTED OF YOGIC POSTURES, PRANAYAMA BREATHING EXERCISES, DIETARY MODIFICATION, AND HOLISTIC TEACHING ALONG WITH THEIR CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE WHILE GROUP II CAD PATIENTS WERE PUT ONLY ON CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE. LUNG FUNCTIONS INCLUDING DIFFUSION CAPACITY WERE RECORDED THRICE IN BOTH THE GROUPS: 0 DAY AS BASELINE, 22(ND) DAY AND ON 90(TH) DAY BY USING COMPUTERIZED MS MEDISOFT CARDIO-RESPIRATORY INSTRUMENT, HYP'AIR COMPACT MODEL OF CARDIO-RESPIRATORY TESTING MACHINE WAS MANUFACTURED BY P K MORGAN, INDIA. THE RECORDED PARAMETERS WERE STATISTICALLY ANALYZED BY REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA FOLLOWED BY TUKEY'S TEST IN BOTH THE GROUPS. CARDIOVASCULAR PARAMETERS WERE ALSO COMPARED BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION IN BOTH THE GROUPS. RESULTS: STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE SEEN IN SLOW VITAL CAPACITY, FORCED VITAL CAPACITY, PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE, MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY VENTILATION, AND DIFFUSION FACTOR/ TRANSFER FACTOR OF LUNG FOR CARBON MONOXIDE AFTER 3 MONTHS OF YOGA REGIMEN IN GROUP I. FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1(ST) SEC (FEV1), AND FEV1 % ALSO SHOWED A TREND TOWARD IMPROVEMENT ALTHOUGH NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. HR, SBP AND DBP ALSO SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN GROUP-I PATIENTS WHO FOLLOWED YOGA REGIMEN. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA REGIMEN WAS FOUND TO IMPROVE LUNG FUNCTIONS AND DIFFUSION CAPACITY IN CAD PATIENTS BESIDES IMPROVING CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTIONS. THUS, IT CAN BE USED AS A COMPLIMENTARY OR ADJUNCT THERAPY ALONG WITH THE CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE FOR THEIR TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION. 2015 17 2712 20 YOGA LEADS TO MULTIPLE PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS AFTER STROKE, A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS CHANGE IN PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING (PAIN, RANGE OF MOTION (ROM), STRENGTH, AND ENDURANCE) AFTER 8 WEEKS OF THERAPEUTIC-YOGA. DESIGN: PLANNED ANALYSES OF DATA FROM A RANDOMIZED PILOT STUDY OF YOGA AFTER STROKE. SETTING: UNIVERSITY-BASED RESEARCH LABORATORY. PARTICIPANTS: PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC STROKE (N=47) RANDOMIZED TO THERAPEUTIC-YOGA (N=37) OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL (N=10). INTERVENTIONS: 16 SESSIONS OF THERAPEUTIC YOGA (TWICE A WEEK/8 WEEKS). YOGA WAS DELIVERED IN A STANDARDIZED AND PROGRESSIVE FORMAT WITH POSTURES, BREATHING, AND MEDITATION, AND RELAXATION IN SITTING, STANDING, AND SUPINE. MAIN MEASURES: PAIN WAS ASSESSED WITH THE PEG, A 3-ITEM FUNCTIONAL MEASURE OF THE INTERFERENCE OF PAIN. ROM INCLUDED NECK AND HIP ACTIVE AND PASSIVE ROM MEASUREMENTS). UPPER AND LOWER EXTREMITY STRENGTH WERE ASSESSED WITH THE ARM CURL TEST AND CHAIR-TO-STAND TEST, RESPECTIVELY. ENDURANCE WAS ASSESSED WITH THE 6-MINUTE WALK AND MODIFIED 2-MIN STEP TEST. RESULTS: AFTER A BONFERRONI CORRECTION, PAIN, NECK ROM, HIP PASSIVE ROM, UPPER EXTREMITY STRENGTH, AND THE 6-MIN WALK SCORES ALL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED AFTER 8 WEEKS OF ENGAGING IN YOGA. NO CHANGES OCCURRED IN THE WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: A GROUP THERAPEUTIC-YOGA INTERVENTION MAY IMPROVE MULTIPLE ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AFTER STROKE. SUCH AN INTERVENTION MAY BE COMPLEMENTARY TO TRADITIONAL REHABILITATION. 2014 18 2400 27 YOGA AND DISC DEGENERATIVE DISEASE IN CERVICAL AND LUMBAR SPINE: AN MR IMAGING-BASED CASE CONTROL STUDY. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE CURRENT STUDY WAS TO FIND OUT WHETHER YOGA PRACTICE WAS BENEFICIAL TO THE SPINE BY COMPARING DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE IN THE SPINES OF LONG-TIME YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND NON-YOGA PRACTICING CONTROLS, USING AN OBJECTIVE MEASUREMENT TOOL, MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING. THIS MATCHED CASE-CONTROL STUDY COMPRISED 18 YOGA INSTRUCTORS WITH TEACHING EXPERIENCE OF MORE THAN 10 YEARS AND 18 NON-YOGA PRACTICING ASYMPTOMATIC INDIVIDUALS RANDOMLY SELECTED FROM A HEALTH CHECKUP DATABASE. A VALIDATED GRADING SCALE WAS USED TO GRADE THE CONDITION OF CERVICAL AND LUMBAR DISCS SEEN IN MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING OF THE SPINE, AND THE RESULTING DATA ANALYZED STATISTICALLY. THE MEAN NUMBER OF YEARS OF YOGA PRACTICE FOR THE YOGA GROUP WAS 12.9 +/- 7.5. THE OVERALL (CERVICAL + LUMBAR) DISC SCORES OF THE YOGA GROUP WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER (INDICATING LESS DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE) THAN THOSE OF THE CONTROL GROUP (P < 0.001). THE SCORES FOR THE CERVICAL VERTEBRAL DISCS OF THE YOGA GROUP WERE ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THOSE OF THE CONTROL GROUP (P < 0.001), WHILE THE LOWER SCORES FOR THE YOGA GROUP IN THE LUMBAR GROUP APPROACHED, BUT DID NOT REACH, STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE (P = 0.055). THE SCORES FOR INDIVIDUAL DISCS OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY LESS DEGENERATIVE DISEASE AT THREE DISC LEVELS, C3/C4, L2/L3 AND L3/L4 (P < 0.05). MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING SHOWED THAT THE GROUP OF LONG-TERM PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA STUDIED HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LESS DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE THAN A MATCHED CONTROL GROUP. 2011 19 1555 31 LONG-TERM ASHTANGA YOGA PRACTICE DECREASES MEDIAL TEMPORAL AND BRAINSTEM GLUCOSE METABOLISM IN RELATION TO YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS INCREASINGLY POPULAR WORLDWIDE WITH SEVERAL PHYSICAL AND MENTAL BENEFITS, BUT THE UNDERLYING NEUROBIOLOGY REMAINS UNCLEAR. WHEREAS MANY STUDIES HAVE FOCUSED ON PURE MEDITATIONAL ASPECTS, THE TRIAD OF YOGA INCLUDES MEDITATION, POSTURES, AND BREATHING. WE CONDUCTED A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY COMPARING EXPERIENCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS TO YOGA-NAIVE HEALTHY SUBJECTS USING A MULTIPARAMETRIC 2 X 2 DESIGN WITH SIMULTANEOUS POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY/MAGNETIC RESONANCE (PET/MR) IMAGING. METHODS: (18)F-FDG PET, MORPHOMETRIC AND DIFFUSION TENSOR IMAGING, RESTING STATE FMRI, AND MR SPECTROSCOPY WERE ACQUIRED IN 10 EXPERIENCED (4.8 +/- 2.3 YEARS OF REGULAR YOGA EXPERIENCE) YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND 15 MATCHED CONTROLS IN REST AND AFTER A SINGLE PRACTICE (YOGA PRACTICE AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE, RESPECTIVELY). RESULTS: IN REST, DECREASED REGIONAL GLUCOSE METABOLISM IN THE MEDIAL TEMPORAL CORTEX, STRIATUM, AND BRAINSTEM WAS OBSERVED IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS COMPARED TO CONTROLS (P < 0.0001), WITH A SIGNIFICANT INVERSE CORRELATION OF RESTING PARAHIPPOCAMPAL AND BRAINSTEM METABOLISM WITH YEARS OF REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE (RHO < - 0.63, P < 0.05). A SINGLE YOGA PRACTICE RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT HYPERMETABOLISM IN THE CEREBELLUM (P < 0.0001). NONE OF THE MR MEASURES DIFFERED, BOTH AT REST AND AFTER INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: EXPERIENCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS SHOW REGIONAL LONG-TERM DECREASES IN GLUCOSE METABOLISM RELATED TO YEARS OF PRACTICE. TO ELUCIDATE A POTENTIAL CAUSALITY, A PROSPECTIVE LONGITUDINAL STUDY IN YOGA-NAIVE INDIVIDUALS IS WARRANTED. 2020 20 992 22 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