1 693 139 EFFECT OF CONTROLLED BREATHING EXERCISES ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL STATUS AND THE CARDIAC AUTONOMIC TONE: SUDARSHAN KRIYA AND PRANA-YOGA. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY WAS TO OBSERVE THE EFFECT OF CONTROLLED BREATHING EXERCISES INCLUDING SUDARSHAN KRIYA (SK) AND PRANA-YOGA (PY) ON THE PSYCHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL STATUS. METHODS: THE STUDY GROUP INCLUDED 60 HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (M:30, F:30) IN THE AGE GROUP OF 18 TO 30 YEARS (21.3 +/- 3.2 YRS), RANDOMLY DIVIDED IN TO THREE GROUPS OF 20 SUBJECTS EACH--(1) THE SK GROUP (2) THE PY GROUP AND THE (3) CONTROL GROUP. THE PSYCHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL DATA WAS COLLECTED AT THE FOLLOWING FOUR TIME INTERVENTIONS: BASELINE, 6TH, 60TH AND THE 150TH DAY. PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT WAS DONE USING QUESTIONNAIRES AND FOR THE AUTONOMIC TONE QUANTIFICATION HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) ANALYSIS WAS DONE USING THE STANDARD LEAD II ELECTROCARDIOGRAM RECORDINGS. IN A POST-HOC ANALYSIS EACH GROUP WAS FURTHER SUB DIVIDED IN TO THE FOLLOWING TWO PATTERNS, BASED ON THE BASELINE VALUES OF NORMALIZED LOW FREQUENCY (LF) POWER (CUTOFF 64 MS2): (I) PATTERN A-SUBJECTS WITH LOW LEVEL LF POWER, AND (II) PATTERN B- SUBJECTS WITH HIGH LEVEL LF POWER. RESULTS: THE STRESS MANAGEMENT SKILLS HAVE SHOWN SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN SK GROUP BUT NOT IN PY AND CONTROL GROUP. SUBJECTS OF SK, PY, AND CONTROL GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN LF VALUE AND LF:HF RATIO FOR PATTERN A AND SIGNIFICANT DECREASE FOR PATTERN B. PLOTTED LF VALUE FOR PATTERN A & B IN SK AND PY PRACTITIONERS SHOWED CONVERGENCE, COMING TO A MEAN VALUE OVER THE PERIOD OF 150 DAYS. THE LF:HF RATIO CURVE PLOTTED OVER TIME FOR PATTERN A & B SHOWED CONVERGENCE IN SK GROUP ONLY. NO SUCH CONVERGENCE IN LF VALUE & LF/HF RATIO FOR PATTERN A & B WAS SEEN IN CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: IN CONCLUSION, SUDARSHAN KRIYA POSITIVELY MODIFIES STRESS COPING BEHAVIOR AND INITIATES APPROPRIATE BALANCE IN CARDIAC AUTONOMIC TONE. 2014 2 894 30 EFFECT OF YOGA-NIDRA ON ADOLESCENTS WELL-BEING: A MIXED METHOD STUDY. CONTEXT: ADOLESCENT WELL-BEING IS A PRIORITY AREA FOR HEALTH-CARE INTERVENTIONS IN THE 21(ST) CENTURY. YOGA-NIDRA IS AN ANCIENT INDIAN METHOD OF ENABLING INDIVIDUALS TO ATTAIN A POSITIVE STATE OF DEEP PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND EMOTIONAL RELAXATION. THE PRACTICE PRODUCES A STATE OF SIMULTANEOUS RELAXATION AND DETACHMENT RESULTING IN INNER AWARENESS AND RELEASE OF STRESS ON ALL PLANES OF ONE'S BEING. AIM: THIS MIXED METHOD STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT IN ADOLESCENT STUDENTS AGED 13-15 YEARS WITH AN AIM TO ASSESS EFFECTS OF YOGA-NIDRA ON VARIOUS DIMENSIONS OF WELL-BEING. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIRTY-SIX STUDENTS RECEIVED YOGA-NIDRA SESSIONS 30 MIN DAILY FOR 3 DAYS IN A WEEK FOR 1 MONTH. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE HAPPINESS, PERCEIVED STRESS, OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL GENERAL WELL-BEING. THESE AND OTHER EXPERIENTIAL DIMENSIONS OF WELL-BEING COMPRISING OF ENTHUSIASM, ALERTNESS, QUIETUDE, CLARITY OF THOUGHT, CONTROL OVER ANGER, SELF-CONFIDENCE, AND SELF-AWARENESS WERE EVALUATED BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. QUALITATIVE OBSERVATIONS WERE RECORDED FROM PARTICIPANTS, THEIR TEACHERS, AND PARENTS. RESULTS OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE METHODS WERE ANALYZED AND COMPARED. RESULTS: YOGA-NIDRA INTERVENTION RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ALL PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES. PARTICIPANTS REPORTED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE FEELINGS OF HAPPINESS, ENTHUSIASM, QUIETUDE, BEING MORE INSPIRED AND ALERT, ACTIVE, HAVING CLARITY OF THOUGHT, CONTROL OVER ANGER, AND SELF-CONFIDENCE AT THE END OF THE STUDY PERIOD. MIXED METHOD DESIGN OF THE STUDY PROVIDED CROSS-VALIDATION AND CONVERGENCE OF RESULTS OBTAINED FROM QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT TOOLS. CONCLUSION: YOGA-NIDRA IS BENEFICIAL IN IMPROVING MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS OF ADOLESCENT WELL-BEING. 2018 3 1260 23 FINDINGS FROM A PROVIDER-LED, MINDFULNESS-BASED, INTERNET-STREAMED YOGA VIDEO ADDRESSING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXPLORE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES OF A MINDFULNESS-BASED INTERNET-STREAMED YOGA VIDEO IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. A ONE-GROUP, REPEATED-MEASURES, PURPOSIVE SAMPLE USING A DIRECTED QUALITATIVE DESCRIPTIVE AND CONVERGENT MIXED-METHODS APPROACH WAS USED. PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED FROM BREAST ONCOLOGY PRACTICES ACROSS 2 SETTINGS IN THE NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES IN APRIL 2019. EDUCATION ABOUT THE VIDEO WAS PROVIDED, AND THE LINK TO THE VIDEO WAS SENT TO PARTICIPANTS. DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION, KNOWING PARTICIPATION IN CHANGE SHORT FORM (KPCSF), SHORT WARWICK-EDINBURGH MENTAL WELL-BEING SCALE (WEMWBS), AND THE GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISTRESS SCALE (GAD-7) WERE OBTAINED AT BASELINE AND AT 2 AND 4 WEEKS. A SEMISTRUCTURED INTERVIEW WAS CONDUCTED AT 4 WEEKS. THIRTY-FIVE WOMEN (MEAN AGE = 56 YEARS) PARTICIPATED. A ONE-GROUP, REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE INDICATED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES OCCURRED IN ALL MEASURES BETWEEN WEEK 0 AND WEEK 4: DECREASED GAD (T = -2.97, P = .004), IMPROVED WEMWBS (T = 2.52, P = .008), AND INCREASED KPC (T = 2.99, P = .004). QUALITATIVE FINDINGS SUGGEST THE OVERALL EXPERIENCE OF THE VIDEO WAS POSITIVE AND THE WOMEN WOULD RECOMMEND ITS USE TO OTHERS. IMPROVEMENTS IN ALL PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES WERE ACHIEVED WITH VIDEO USE. FINDINGS INDICATE AN IMPROVEMENT IN PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES AND SUPPORT THE THEORY OF KNOWING PARTICIPATION IN CHANGE. THIS WORK FURTHER CONTRIBUTES TO ACCESSIBLE, FLEXIBLE INTERVENTIONS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE INTERNET AND/OR MOBILE APPLICATIONS AIMED AT IMPROVING BREAST CANCER SURVIVORSHIP. 2021 4 2082 23 THE EFFECT OF HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION ON STUDENTS' CREATIVE ABILITY. THERE IS INCREASING DEMAND FOR INDIVIDUAL CREATIVITY AS ORGANIZATIONS SEEK INNOVATIVE WAYS TO REMAIN RELEVANT. HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS, PARTICULARLY BUSINESS SCHOOLS, ARE SENSITIVE TO THIS DEMAND AND ARE CONSTANTLY IN SEARCH FOR INNOVATIVE WAYS TO ENHANCE THE CREATIVE ABILITY OF THEIR STUDENTS. PRIOR STUDIES HAVE SHOWN ENCOURAGING RESULTS FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY-ORIENTED INTERVENTIONS. BUILDING ON THIS RESEARCH, THIS STUDY USES RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) TO UNDERSTAND IF AN ACUTE COMBINATORY INTERVENTION, INVOLVING BOTH PHYSICAL AND MENTAL EXERCISES EMBODIED IN HATHA YOGA CAN IMPROVE INDIVIDUAL CREATIVITY. THIS STUDY USES 92 MBA STUDENT PARTICIPANTS TO INVESTIGATE THE IMPACT OF A 20-MINUTE HATHA YOGA SESSION INTERVENTION AGAINST A SHORT 20-MINUTE CASE STUDY SESSION FOR THE CONTROL GROUP. CREATIVE ABILITY OF THE PARTICIPANTS IS OPERATIONALIZED THROUGH DIVERGENT AND CONVERGENT THINKING, WHICH ARE THEN ASSESSED THROUGH COUNTER-BALANCED FORMS OF GUILFORD ALTERNATE USES TASKS AND REMOTE ASSOCIATE TEST, RESPECTIVELY. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT WHILE HATHA YOGA SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES DIVERGENT THINKING, THE CONTROL GROUP SHOWS DETERIORATION IN DIVERGENT THINKING. THERE IS NO EFFECT ON CONVERGENT THINKING. THESE FINDINGS LEND SOME SUPPORT TO THE EXECUTIVE FUNCTION HYPOTHESIS. THE STUDY ALSO FINDS THAT PRODDING A PERSON TO BE MORE CREATIVE ON A ROUTINE ACADEMIC TASK MAY NOT ENHANCE THEIR CREATIVE ABILITY. 2020 5 1314 23 HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE CHANGES AFTER THE MERGING YOGA AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE PROGRAM: A MIXED-METHODS STUDY. BACKGROUND: TO UNDERSTAND CHANGES IN HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) AFTER THE MERGING YOGA AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE (MY-OT FOR PD) PROGRAM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: WE USED A MIXED-METHODS CONVERGENT DESIGN AND ADMINISTERED THE PARKINSON'S DISEASE QUESTIONNAIRE-8 (PDQ-8), A MEASURE OF HRQOL, WITH 17 PARTICIPANTS. WE CONSIDERED SCORES 8 WEEKS BEFORE MY-OT FOR PD, JUST BEFORE, AND UPON COMPLETION. ADDITIONALLY, WE COMPLETED TWO FOCUS GROUPS FOLLOWING THE PROGRAM WITH 16 PARTICIPANTS TO ASSESS QUALITATIVE CHANGES IN HRQOL. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN PDQ-8 SCORES BETWEEN TIME POINTS, F(2,32) = 1.60, P = 0.22, PARTIAL ETA(2) = 0.09. PARTICIPANTS DID DISCUSS IMPROVEMENTS IN ALL 8 HRQOL DOMAINS, FREQUENTLY REGARDING MOBILITY AND ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING. CONCLUSION: RESULTS DIVERGED, WITH QUANTITATIVE RESULTS SHOWING NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN HRQOL AND QUALITATIVE RESULTS INDICATING PARTICIPANT PERCEIVED IMPROVEMENTS IN ALL DOMAINS OF THE PDQ-8. THE PROGRAM SHOULD BE EXPLORED FURTHER, AND LONGITUDINAL FOLLOW-UP COMPLETED. 2020 6 2781 17 YOGA THERAPY AND POLYVAGAL THEORY: THE CONVERGENCE OF TRADITIONAL WISDOM AND CONTEMPORARY NEUROSCIENCE FOR SELF-REGULATION AND RESILIENCE. YOGA THERAPY IS A NEWLY EMERGING, SELF-REGULATING COMPLEMENTARY AND INTEGRATIVE HEALTHCARE (CIH) PRACTICE. IT IS GROWING IN ITS PROFESSIONALIZATION, RECOGNITION AND UTILIZATION WITH A DEMONSTRATED COMMITMENT TO SETTING PRACTICE STANDARDS, EDUCATIONAL AND ACCREDITATION STANDARDS, AND PROMOTING RESEARCH TO SUPPORT ITS EFFICACY FOR VARIOUS POPULATIONS AND CONDITIONS. HOWEVER, HETEROGENEITY OF PRACTICE, POOR REPORTING STANDARDS, AND LACK OF A BROADLY ACCEPTED UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN YOGA THERAPY LIMITS THE STRUCTURING OF TESTABLE HYPOTHESES AND CLINICAL APPLICATIONS. CURRENT PROPOSED FRAMEWORKS OF YOGA-BASED PRACTICES FOCUS ON THE INTEGRATION OF BOTTOM-UP NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL AND TOP-DOWN NEUROCOGNITIVE MECHANISMS. IN ADDITION, IT HAS BEEN PROPOSED THAT PHENOMENOLOGY AND FIRST PERSON ETHICAL INQUIRY CAN PROVIDE A LENS THROUGH WHICH YOGA THERAPY IS VIEWED AS A PROCESS THAT CONTRIBUTES TOWARDS EUDAIMONIC WELL-BEING IN THE EXPERIENCE OF PAIN, ILLNESS OR DISABILITY. IN THIS ARTICLE WE BUILD ON THESE FRAMEWORKS, AND PROPOSE A MODEL OF YOGA THERAPY THAT CONVERGES WITH POLYVAGAL THEORY (PVT). PVT LINKS THE EVOLUTION OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM TO THE EMERGENCE OF PROSOCIAL BEHAVIORS AND POSITS THAT THE NEURAL PLATFORMS SUPPORTING SOCIAL BEHAVIOR ARE INVOLVED IN MAINTAINING HEALTH, GROWTH AND RESTORATION. THIS EXPLANATORY MODEL WHICH CONNECTS NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL PATTERNS OF AUTONOMIC REGULATION AND EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR, IS INCREASINGLY UTILIZED AS A FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING HUMAN BEHAVIOR, STRESS AND ILLNESS. SPECIFICALLY, WE DESCRIBE HOW PVT CAN BE CONCEPTUALIZED AS A NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL COUNTERPART TO THE YOGIC CONCEPT OF THE GUNAS, OR QUALITIES OF NATURE. SIMILAR TO THE NEURAL PLATFORMS DESCRIBED IN PVT, THE GUNAS PROVIDE THE FOUNDATION FROM WHICH BEHAVIORAL, EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES EMERGE. WE DESCRIBE HOW THESE TWO DIFFERENT YET ANALOGOUS FRAMEWORKS-ONE BASED IN NEUROPHYSIOLOGY AND THE OTHER IN AN ANCIENT WISDOM TRADITION-HIGHLIGHT YOGA THERAPY'S PROMOTION OF PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SOCIAL WELLBEING FOR SELF-REGULATION AND RESILIENCE. THIS PARALLEL BETWEEN THE NEURAL PLATFORMS OF PVT AND THE GUNAS OF YOGA IS INSTRUMENTAL IN CREATING A TRANSLATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR YOGA THERAPY TO ALIGN WITH ITS PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS. CONSEQUENTLY, YOGA THERAPY CAN OPERATE AS A DISTINCT PRACTICE RATHER THAN FITTING INTO AN OUTSIDE MODEL FOR ITS UTILIZATION IN RESEARCH AND CLINICAL CONTEXTS. 2018 7 1649 27 MULTI-OMICS INTEGRATION AND INTERACTOMICS REVEALS MOLECULAR NETWORKS AND REGULATORS OF THE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF YOGA AND EXERCISE. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A MULTIFACETED SPIRITUAL TOOL THAT HELPS IN MAINTAINING HEALTH, PEACE OF MIND, AND POSITIVE THOUGHTS. IN THE CONTEXT OF ASANA, YOGA IS SIMILAR TO PHYSICAL EXERCISE. THIS STUDY AIMS TO CONSTRUCT A MOLECULAR NETWORK TO FIND HUB GENES THAT PLAY IMPORTANT ROLES IN PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND YOGA. METHODOLOGY: WE COMBINED DIFFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED GENES (DEGS) IN YOGA AND EXERCISE USING COMPUTATIONAL BIOINFORMATICS FROM PUBLICLY AVAILABLE GENE EXPRESSION OMNIBUS (GEO) DATASETS AND IDENTIFIED THE CODIFFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED MRNAS WITH GEO2R. THE CO-DEGS WERE DIVIDED INTO FOUR DIFFERENT GROUPS AND EACH GROUP WAS SUBJECTED TO PROTEIN-PROTEIN INTERACTION (PPI) NETWORK, PATHWAYS ANALYSIS, AND GENE ONTOLOGY. RESULTS: OUR STUDY IDENTIFIED IMMUNOLOGICAL MODULATION AS A DOMINANT TARGET OF DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION IN YOGA AND EXERCISE. YOGA PREDOMINANTLY MODULATED GENES AFFECTING THE TH1 AND NK CELLS, WHEREAS CYTOKINES, MACROPHAGE ACTIVATION, AND OXIDATIVE STRESS WERE AFFECTED BY EXERCISE. WE ALSO OBSERVED THAT WHILE YOGA REGULATED GENES FOR TWO MAIN PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF THE BODY, NAMELY CIRCADIAN RHYTHM (BHLHE40) AND IMMUNITY (LBP, T-BOX TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR 21, CEACAM1), EXERCISE-REGULATED GENES INVOLVED IN APOPTOSIS (BAG3, PROTEIN KINASE C ALPHA), ANGIOGENESIS, AND CELLULAR ADHESION (EPH RECEPTOR A1). CONCLUSION: THE DISSIMILARITY IN THE GENETIC EXPRESSION PATTERNS IN YOGA AND EXERCISE HIGHLIGHTS THE DISCRETE EFFECT OF EACH IN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS. THE INTEGRATION AND CONVERGENCES OF MULTI-OMICS SIGNALS CAN PROVIDE DEEPER AND COMPREHENSIVE INSIGHTS INTO THE VARIOUS BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH YOGA AND EXERCISE EXERT THEIR BENEFICIAL EFFECTS AND OPENS UP POTENTIAL NEWER RESEARCH AREAS. 2022 8 263 38 ACUTE CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES TO A SESSION OF BIKRAM YOGA: A PILOT UNCONTROLLED TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: MAIN CARDIOVASCULAR PARAMETERS SUCH AS HEART RATE (HR), BLOOD PRESSURE, AND MYOCARDIAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (MOC) ARE TIGHTLY REGULATED BY A MULTIFACTORIAL, NONLINEAR CONTROL SYSTEM. INCREASED HR BECAUSE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY AN INCREASE IN BLOOD PRESSURE. POSTURAL CHANGES HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE BARORECEPTORS, AND STRETCHING EXERCISES AND ISOMETRIC CONTRACTIONS MODULATE MUSCLE MECHANORECEPTORS ELICITING INCREASES IN BLOOD PRESSURE. HOWEVER, A HOT ENVIRONMENT INCREASES THE CORE TEMPERATURE INDUCING VASODILATION AND PLASMA VOLUME CHANGES THAT MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO A DROP IN BLOOD PRESSURE. DURING THE PRACTICE OF BIKRAM YOGA, ALL THESE FACTORS CONVERGE AND LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE RESULTING CHANGES IN BLOOD PRESSURE AND MOC. METHODS: SIXTEEN APPARENTLY HEALTHY FEMALE VOLUNTEERS, REGULAR PRACTITIONERS OF BIKRAM YOGA, WERE EVALUATED DURING A 90 MIN SESSION. SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (SBP) AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (DBP) WERE MEASURED IMMEDIATELY AFTER EACH POSTURE AND HR WAS MEASURED CONTINUOUSLY DURING THE PRACTICE. RESULTS: HR AND ESTIMATED MOC INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER BASELINE DURING THE EXERCISE (+62.3% AND +63.6%, RESPECTIVELY). HR MEAN VALUE ACROSS THE ENTIRE BIKRAM YOGA SESSION WAS 126.6 +/- 14.3 BPM REACHING A MAXIMUM OF 168.1 +/- 20.2 BPM. SBP WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED OVER BASELINE AT ANY TIME DURING THE PRACTICE WITH A MEAN VALUE OF 117.0 +/- 10.1 MMHG AND DBP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED OVER BASELINE MOST OF THE TIME (-10.1%, MEAN 71.2 +/- 7.3 MMHG) WITH PARTICULAR DECLINE TOWARD THE END OF THE PRACTICE DURING THE FLOOR POSTURES. CONCLUSIONS: DBP DURING THE PRACTICE OF BIKRAM YOGA WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM THAT PREVIOUSLY REPORTED FOR NONHEATED HATHA YOGA FOR NORMOTENSIVE SUBJECTS. FURTHER STUDIES EVALUATING THE SAME GROUP AT BOTH CONDITIONS ARE NEEDED TO BETTER CHARACTERIZE THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CHANGES IN HR, SBP, DBP, AND MOC. 2019 9 1028 23 EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISE ON MAXIMUM OXYGEN UPTAKE, CORTISOL LEVEL, AND CREATINE KINASE MYOCARDIAL BOND ACTIVITY IN FEMALE PATIENTS WITH SKELETAL MUSCLE PAIN SYNDROME. [PURPOSE] THIS STUDY ANALYZED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISE ON MAXIMUM OXYGEN UPTAKE, CORTISOL LEVEL, AND CREATINE KINASE MYOCARDIAL BOND ACTIVITY IN FEMALE PATIENTS WITH SKELETAL MUSCLE PAIN SYNDROME. [SUBJECTS] THE SUBJECTS WERE 24 FEMALE PATIENTS WITH SKELETAL MUSCLE PAIN SYNDROME. [METHODS] THE SUBJECTS WERE DIVIDED INTO 2 GROUPS: A YOGA EXERCISE GROUP (N = 12) AND A NON-EXERCISE CONTROL GROUP (N = 12). BODY COMPOSITION, MAXIMUM OXYGEN UPTAKE, CORTISOL LEVEL, AND CREATINE KINASE MYOCARDIAL BOND ACTIVITY WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER A 12-WEEK YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM. [RESULTS] AFTER THE 12-WEEK YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM, THE EXERCISE GROUP EXHIBITED SLIGHTLY HIGHER MAXIMUM OXYGEN UPTAKE AND CREATINE KINASE MYOCARDIAL BOND ACTIVITY THAN THE CONTROL GROUP, BUT THE DIFFERENCES WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. IN ADDITION, THE EXERCISE GROUP EXHIBITED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN CORTISOL LEVEL. [CONCLUSION] REGULAR AND CONTINUOUS AEROBIC EXERCISE SUCH AS YOGA IMPROVES BODY COMPOSITION, MAXIMUM OXYGEN UPTAKE, CORTISOL LEVEL, AND CREATINE KINASE MYOCARDIAL BOND ACTIVITY IN FEMALE PATIENTS WITH SKELETAL MUSCLE PAIN SYNDROME. 2015 10 350 55 ASSESSMENT OF CARDIAC AUTONOMIC TONE FOLLOWING LONG SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA IN ART OF LIVING PRACTITIONERS. OBJECTIVE: THE BREATHING PROCESSES ARE KNOWN TO MODULATE CARDIAC AUTONOMIC TONE AND IMPROVE PSYCHOLOGICAL STATUS. WE INVESTIGATED CARDIAC AUTONOMIC TONE FOLLOWING LONG SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA (SKY) USING HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) AND SKIN CONDUCTANCE LEVEL (SCL). METHODS: THIRTY HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (AGE 28.3 +/- 8.4 YEARS; 23 M: 7 F) PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. ELECTROCARDIOGRAM (ECG) AND SCL WERE RECORDED FOR 5 MIN EACH, BEFORE AND AFTER LONG SKY. LONG SKY IS A COMBINATION OF PRANAYAMA AND CYCLIC RHYTHMIC BREATHING AND IS PERFORMED BY FOLLOWING THE GUIDED AUDIO INSTRUCTIONS. HRV ANALYSIS WAS USED FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF CARDIAC AUTONOMIC TONE. TIME AND FREQUENCY DOMAIN PARAMETERS OF HRV WERE CALCULATED BY USING RR INTERVAL OF ECG. SCL WAS ACQUIRED USING GALVANIC SKIN RESPONSE (GSR) AMPLIFIER OF POWERLAB IN MICROSEIMENS (MUS). RESULTS: TIME DOMAIN PARAMETERS OF HRV, INCLUDING MEAN RR INTERVAL (P = 0.000), RESPIRATORY SINUS ARRHYTHMIA (RSA) (P = 0.037), STANDARD DEVIATION OF ALL NN INTERVALS (SDNN) (P = 0.013), NN50 COUNT DIVIDED BY THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ALL NN INTERVALS (PNN50) (P = 0.004), AND SQUARE ROOT OF THE MEAN OF THE SUM OF THE SQUARES OF DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ADJACENT NN INTERVALS (RMSSD) (P = 0.002) INCREASED, AND MEAN HEART RATE DECREASED (P = 0.000) FOLLOWING LONG SKY. IN FREQUENCY DOMAIN ANALYSIS, POWER OF LOW-FREQUENCY (LF) COMPONENT (P = 0.010) AND LF/HF RATIO (P = 0.008) DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY, WHEREAS POWER OF HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED (P = 0.010). SCL DECREASED FOLLOWING LONG SKY, ALTHOUGH IT DID NOT ATTAIN STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT LONG SKY INDUCES SIGNIFICANT OSCILLATIONS IN CARDIAC AUTONOMIC TONE. PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY INCREASES AND SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY DECREASES AND SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE IMPROVES FOLLOWING LONG SKY. DECREASE IN SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY IS ALSO DEMONSTRATED BY DECREASE IN CONDUCTANCE ALTHOUGH IT DID NOT REACH STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. FROM THIS STUDY IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT LONG SKY HAS A BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON CARDIAC AUTONOMIC TONE, AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL RELAXATION. IT MAY SERVE AS A TOOL TO IMPROVE HRV, WHICH IS THE MARKER OF CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH. 2017 11 1578 47 MEASUREMENT OF THE EFFECT OF ISHA YOGA ON CARDIAC AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM USING SHORT-TERM HEART RATE VARIABILITY. BACKGROUND: BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA HAVE BEEN POSTULATED TO BE DUE TO MODULATION OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF ISHA YOGA PRACTICES ON CARDIOVASCULAR AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM THROUGH SHORT-TERM HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV). DESIGN OF THE STUDY: SHORT-TERM HRV OF LONG-TERM REGULAR HEALTHY 14 (12 MALES AND 2 FEMALES) ISHA YOGA PRACTITIONERS WAS COMPARED WITH THAT OF AGE- AND GENDER-MATCHED 14 (12 MALES AND 2 FEMALES) NON-YOGA PRACTITIONERS. METHODS AND MATERIALS: ECG LEAD II AND RESPIRATORY MOVEMENTS WERE RECORDED IN BOTH GROUPS USING POLYRITE DURING SUPINE REST FOR 5 MIN AND CONTROLLED DEEP BREATHING FOR 1 MINUTE. FREQUENCY DOMAIN ANALYSIS [RR INTERVAL IS THE MEAN OF DISTANCE BETWEEN SUBSEQUENT R WAVE PEAKS IN ECG], LOW FREQUENCY (LF) POWER, HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) POWER, LF NORMALIZED UNITS (NU), HF NU, LF/HF RATIO] AND TIME DOMAIN ANALYSIS [STANDARD DEVIATION OF NORMAL TO NORMAL INTERVAL (SDNN), SQUARE OF MEAN SQUARED DIFFERENCE OF SUCCESSIVE NORMAL TO NORMAL INTERVALS (RMSSD), NORMAL TO NORMAL INTERVALS WHICH ARE DIFFERING BY 50 MS (NN50), AND PERCENTAGE OF NN50 (PNN50)] OF HRV VARIABLES WERE ANALYZED FOR SUPINE REST. TIME DOMAIN ANALYSIS WAS RECORDED FOR DEEP BREATHING. RESULTS: RESULTS SHOWED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ISHA YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND CONTROLS IN BOTH FREQUENCY AND TIME DOMAIN ANALYSES OF HRV INDICES, WITH NO DIFFERENCE IN RESTING HEART RATE BETWEEN THE GROUPS. CONCLUSIONS: PRACTITIONERS OF ISHA YOGA SHOWED WELL-BALANCED BENEFICIAL ACTIVITY OF VAGAL EFFERENTS, AN OVERALL INCREASED HRV, AND SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE, COMPARED TO NON-YOGA PRACTITIONERS DURING SUPINE REST AND DEEP BREATHING. 2012 12 686 38 EFFECT OF AN OFFICE WORKSITE-BASED YOGA PROGRAM ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC WORK-RELATED STRESS IS A SIGNIFICANT AND INDEPENDENT RISK FACTOR FOR CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC DISEASES AND ASSOCIATED MORTALITY, PARTICULARLY WHEN COMPOUNDED BY A SEDENTARY WORK ENVIRONMENT. HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) PROVIDES AN ESTIMATE OF PARASYMPATHETIC AND SYMPATHETIC AUTONOMIC CONTROL, AND CAN SERVE AS A MARKER OF PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS. HATHA YOGA IS A PHYSICALLY DEMANDING PRACTICE THAT CAN HELP TO REDUCE STRESS; HOWEVER, TIME CONSTRAINTS INCURRED BY WORK AND FAMILY LIFE MAY LIMIT PARTICIPATION. THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT STUDY IS TO DETERMINE IF A 10-WEEK, WORKSITE-BASED YOGA PROGRAM DELIVERED DURING LUNCH HOUR CAN IMPROVE RESTING HRV AND RELATED PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN SEDENTARY OFFICE WORKERS. METHODS AND DESIGN: THIS IS A PARALLEL-ARM RCT THAT WILL COMPARE THE OUTCOMES OF PARTICIPANTS ASSIGNED TO THE EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT GROUP (YOGA) TO THOSE ASSIGNED TO A NO-TREATMENT CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS RANDOMIZED TO THE EXPERIMENTAL CONDITION WILL ENGAGE IN A 10-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM DELIVERED AT THEIR PLACE OF WORK. THE YOGA SESSIONS WILL BE GROUP-BASED, PRESCRIBED THREE TIMES PER WEEK DURING LUNCH HOUR, AND WILL BE LED BY AN EXPERIENCED YOGA INSTRUCTOR. THE PROGRAM WILL INVOLVE TEACHING BEGINNER STUDENTS SAFELY AND PROGRESSIVELY OVER 10 WEEKS A YOGA SEQUENCE THAT INCORPORATES ASANAS (POSES AND POSTURES), VINYASA (EXERCISES), PRANAYAMA (BREATHING CONTROL) AND MEDITATION. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME OF THIS STUDY IS THE HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) SPECTRAL POWER COMPONENT OF HRV (MEASURED IN ABSOLUTE UNITS; I.E. MS2), A MEASURE OF PARASYMPATHETIC AUTONOMIC CONTROL. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDE ADDITIONAL FREQUENCY AND TIME DOMAINS OF HRV, AND MEASURES OF PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH STATUS. MEASURES WILL BE COLLECTED PRIOR TO AND FOLLOWING THE INTERVENTION PERIOD, AND AT 6 MONTHS FOLLOW-UP TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF INTERVENTION WITHDRAWAL. DISCUSSION: THIS STUDY WILL DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF WORKSITE-BASED YOGA PRACTICE ON HRV AND PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH STATUS. THE FINDINGS MAY ASSIST IN IMPLEMENTING PRACTICAL INTERVENTIONS, SUCH AS YOGA, INTO THE WORKPLACE TO MITIGATE STRESS, ENHANCE HEALTH STATUS AND REDUCE THE RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC DISEASES. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN12611000536965URL: HTTP://WWW.ANZCTR.ORG.AU/ACTRN12611000536965.ASPX. 2011 13 2680 45 YOGA IN SCHOOL SPORTS IMPROVES FUNCTIONING OF AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM IN YOUNG ADULTS: A NON-RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: YOGA IN SCHOOL IS A BENEFICIAL TOOL TO PROMOTE THE GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF STUDENTS BY CHANGING THE WAY THEY REACT TO STRESS. THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA-TAUGHT IN SCHOOLS-ON CHILDREN, YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS HAVE BEEN DEMONSTRATED IN FORMER STUDIES USING MOSTLY SUBJECTIVE PSYCHOMETRIC DATA. AIM: THE PRESENT TRIAL AIMS TO EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA ON AUTONOMIC REGULATION IN YOUNG ADULTS BY ANALYZING HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV). METHODS: THIS STUDY IS A NON-RANDOMIZED, EXPLORATIVE, TWO-ARM-PILOT STUDY WITH AN ACTIVE CONTROL GROUP. FOURTEEN HEALTHY YOUNG ADULTS TOOK PART IN A 10-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM (90 MIN ONCE A WEEK) IN SCHOOL AND WERE COMPARED TO A CONTROL GROUP OF 11 STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN CONVENTIONAL SCHOOL SPORTS (90 MIN ONCE A WEEK OVER 10 WEEKS). 24-HOUR ELECTROCARDIOGRAMS (ECGS) WERE RECORDED AT BASELINE AND FOLLOWING THE 10-WEEK INTERVENTION. FROM 20-MINUTE OF NOCTURNAL SLEEP PHASES, HRV PARAMETERS WERE CALCULATED FROM LINEAR (TIME AND FREQUENCY DOMAIN) AND NONLINEAR DYNAMICS (SUCH AS SYMBOLIC DYNAMICS AND POINCARE PLOT ANALYSIS). ANALYSES OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) FOLLOWED BY T-TESTS AS POST-HOC TESTS ESTIMATING BOTH STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND EFFECT SIZE WERE USED TO COMPARE PRE-POST-INTERVENTION FOR THE TWO GROUPS. RESULTS: THE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE INTERACTION EFFECTS DID NOT REVEAL A SIGNIFICANT GROUP AND TIME INTERACTION FOR THE INDIVIDUAL NOCTURNAL HRV INDICES. ALMOST ALL INDICES REVEALED MEDIUM AND LARGE EFFECTS REGARDING THE TIME MAIN EFFECTS. THE CHANGES IN THE HRV INDICES FOLLOWING THE INTERVENTION WERE MORE DRAMATIC FOR THE YOGA GROUP THAN FOR THE CONTROL GROUP WHICH IS REFLECTED IN PREDOMINANTLY HIGHER SIGNIFICANCES AND STRONGER EFFECT SIZES IN THE YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSION: IN THIS EXPLORATIVE PILOT TRIAL, AN INCREASE OF HRV (MORE PARASYMPATHETIC DOMINANCE AND OVERALL HIGHER HRV) AFTER TEN WEEKS OF YOGA IN SCHOOL IN COMPARISON TO REGULAR SCHOOL SPORTS WAS DEMONSTRATED, SHOWING AN IMPROVED SELF-REGULATION OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM. 2020 14 297 41 ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING AT DIFFERENT RATES AND ITS INFLUENCE ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN NON PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA. INTRODUCTION: HEART RATE VARIABILITY IS A MEASURE OF MODULATION IN AUTONOMIC INPUT TO THE HEART AND IS ONE OF THE MARKERS OF AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS. THOUGH THERE ARE MANY STUDIES ON THE LONG TERM INFLUENCE OF BREATHING ON HRV (HEART RATE VARIABILITY) THERE ARE ONLY A FEW STUDIES ON THE IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF BREATHING ESPECIALLY ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING ON HRV. THIS STUDY FOCUSES ON THE IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING AND THE INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT BREATHING RATES ON HRV. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY WAS DONE ON 25 SUBJECTS IN THE AGE GROUP OF 17-35 YEARS. ECG AND RESPIRATION WERE RECORDED BEFORE INTERVENTION AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SUBJECTS WERE ASKED TO PERFORM ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING FOR FIVE MINUTES. RESULTS: LOW FREQUENCY (LF) WHICH IS A MARKER OF SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY INCREASED, HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) WHICH IS A MARKER OF PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY DECREASED AND THEIR RATIO LF/HF WHICH IS A MARKER OF SYMPATHO/VAGAL BALANCE INCREASED IMMEDIATELY AFTER 6 AND 12 MINUTES IN COMPARISON TO BASELINE VALUES WHEREAS THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE MEANS OF THESE COMPONENTS WHEN BOTH 6 AND 12 MINUTES WERE COMPARED. CONCLUSION: IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING ON HRV IN NON PRACTITIONERS OF YOGIC BREATHING ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE LONG TERM INFLUENCE OF YOGIC BREATHING ON HRV WHICH SHOW A PREDOMINANT PARASYMPATHETIC INFLUENCE ON THE HEART. 2016 15 650 36 DYNAMICS OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF COURSE YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES ON HEALTHY YOUNG PEOPLE. OBJECTIVE: INTRODUCTION: HEART RATE VARIABILITY IS A HIGHLY INFORMATIVE NON-INVASIVE METHOD OF RESEARCH NOT ONLY FOR THE FUNCTIONAL STATE OF THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM AND ALSO FOR THE INTEGRATIVE REGULATORY ACTIVITY OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM. THE POSITIVE EFFECT OF DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING IS POSITIVE IN THE MODE OF BIOLOGICAL FEEDBACK USING PORTABLE DEVICES, BUT THERE IS LITTLE EVIDENCE OF THE USE OF YOGA BREATHING GYMNASTICS IN ORDER TO INFLUENCE THE HEART RATE VARIABILITY. THE AIM: TO COMPARE THE POSSIBILITIES OF USING COURSES OF BREATHING GYMNASTICS OF YOGIS AND DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING SESSIONS IN THE MODE OF BIOLOGICAL FEEDBACK USING A PORTABLE DEVICE. PATIENTS AND METHODS: MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY INVOLVED 70 PRACTICALLY HEALTHY FOREIGNERS, WHO WERE DIVIDED INTO 2 GROUPS OF 35 PEOPLE. PARTICIPANTS OF THE 1ST GROUP DAILY ENGAGE IN RESPIRATORY EXERCISES PRANAYAMA FOR 15 MINUTES IN 1 MONTH. PARTICIPANTS IN THE 2ND GROUP USED THE MYCALMBEAT PORTABLE DEVICE. HEART RATE VARIABILITY WAS REGISTERED BY USING THE COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC COMPLEX "CARDIOLAB" ("KHAI-MEDIKA", UKRAINE). RESULTS: RESULTS: IN BOTH GROUPS THERE WAS SIMILAR DYNAMICS OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY INDICES, BUT ITS SEVERITY WAS DIFFERENT. THE COMMON INTEGRAL EFFECT WAS A SIGNIFICANT GROWTH OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY BOTH ACCORDING TO STATISTICAL AND SPECTRAL INDICATORS - TOTAL POWER INCREASED, AS WELL AS HIGH-FREQUENCY COMPONENT. THE POWER OF THE VERY-LOW FREQUENCY WAVES HAS PROBABLY DECREASED ONLY IN THE GROUP WITH THE DEVICE. IN THE PERCENTAGE STRUCTURE OF THE CARDIAC RHYTHM SPECTRUM, THE SPECIFIC WEIGHT OF VERY-LOW FREQUENCY COMPONENT AND THE PERCENTAGE OF HIGH-FREQUENCY COMPONENT INCREASED. CONCLUSION: CONCLUSIONS: RESPIRATORY GYMNASTICS YOGA FOR 15 MINUTES DAILY CONTRIBUTES TO THE GROWTH OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY THROUGH THE SUPPRESSION OF THE CENTRAL LINK (VERY-LOW FREQUENCY COMPONENT) OF REGULATION OF CARDIAC RHYTHM AND INCREASED ACTIVITY OF PARASYMPATHETIC INFLUENCES (HIGH-FREQUENCY COMPONENT), AS WELL AS THE REDISTRIBUTION OF REGULATORY ACTIVITY OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM BETWEEN THE CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL LINKS OF REGULATION OF THE CARDIAC RHYTHM IN FAVOR OF THE LATTER. 2019 16 2086 18 THE EFFECT OF MOVEMENT-FOCUSED AND BREATH-FOCUSED YOGA PRACTICE ON STRESS PARAMETERS AND SUSTAINED ATTENTION: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. YOGA-BASED PRACTICES (YBP) TYPICALLY INVOLVE A COMBINATION OF MOVEMENT SEQUENCES, CONSCIOUS REGULATION OF THE BREATH, AND TECHNIQUES TO ENGAGE ATTENTION. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT WHETHER EFFECTS OF YBP RESULT FROM THE SYNERGISTIC COMBINATION OF THESE COMPONENTS, OR WHETHER A SUBSET MAY YIELD SIMILAR EFFECTS. IN THIS STUDY WE COMPARED THE EFFECT OF A MOVEMENT-FOCUSED PRACTICE AND A BREATH-FOCUSED PRACTICE ON STRESS PARAMETERS (PERCEIVED STRESS AND SALIVARY CORTISOL) AND SUSTAINED ATTENTION (RESPONSE INHIBITION) IN YOGA NAIVE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. WHILE PARTICIPANTS OF BOTH PROGRAMS SHOWED A REDUCTION IN PERCEIVED STRESS AND SALIVARY CORTISOL, ONLY THE BREATH-FOCUSED GROUP SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS IN SUSTAINED ATTENTION. IN ADDITION, IMPROVEMENT IN SUSTAINED ATTENTION WAS CORRELATED WITH REDUCTION IN PERCEIVED STRESS BUT NOT WITH REDUCTION IN SALIVARY CORTISOL. WE DISCUSS THESE FINDINGS IN THE CONTEXT OF A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OUTLINING BOTTOM-UP NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL AND TOP-DOWN NEUROCOGNITIVE MECHANISMS HYPOTHESIZED TO BE ENGAGED BY YBP. 2018 17 325 37 ANTI-ANXIETY EFFICACY OF SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA IN GENERAL ANXIETY DISORDER: A MULTICOMPONENT, YOGA BASED, BREATH INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER WITH OR WITHOUT COMORBIDITIES. BACKGROUND: SURDASHAN KRIYA YOGA (SKY) IS A PROCEDURE THAT IN VARIOUS STUDIES, HAS SHOWN EVIDENCES OF EFFICACY IN ALLEVIATING DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY DISORDERS, BUT IN EUROPE AND USA IT HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED YET ON A CAUCASIAN POPULATION AS AN ADJUNCT THERAPY FOR PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. METHODS: THE STUDY INVOLVED A SAMPLE OF CONSENTING WOMEN AND MEN (N = 69) WHO RECEIVED SKY THERAPY FOR A SIX-MONTH TIME PERIOD. THEY WERE ASSESSED AT RECRUITMENT, AFTER TWO WEEKS, AFTER THREE MONTHS AND AFTER SIX MONTHS USING HAMILTON RATING SCALE FOR ANXIETY (HRSA), HAMILTON RATING SCALE FOR DEPRESSION (HRSD), ZUNG SELF-RATING ANXIETY SCALE (ZSAS), ZUNG SELF-RATING DEPRESSION SCALE (ZSDS) AND SYMPTOM CHECKLIST-90 (SCL-90). RESULTS: ALL THE ANALYSES HAVE SHOWN THAT SKY THERAPY SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCES THE SCORES OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. THIS IS PLAIN, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE INITIAL SKY TREATMENT, WHICH IS FOLLOWED BY A LONG PLATEAU PHASE THAT SEEMS TO VERGE ON NO ANXIETY/DEPRESSION SCORES. IT WAS FOUND THAT SKY EFFECTS LEAD TO A SIGNIFICANT CONVERGENCE BETWEEN THE SELF-ASSESSMENT (ZUNG SELF-RATING SCALE) AND HETERO-ASSESSMENT (HAMILTON RATING SCALE). LIMITATIONS: THE STUDY SHOULD BE REPLICATED ON A LARGER CLINICAL SAMPLE IN A CONTROLLED TRIAL TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SKY PROTOCOL. CONCLUSIONS: PARTICIPATION IN SKY ADJUNCT THERAPY TEN DAYS INTENSE WORKSHOP AND FOLLOW-UPS, COUPLED WITH DAILY INDIVIDUAL AND INDEPENDENT PRACTICE OF A SIMPLIFIED PROTOCOL OF BREATHING TECHNIQUES (30 MIN), CAN LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN LEVELS OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. 2015 18 452 39 CHANGES IN HEART RATE VARIABILITY AFTER YOGA ARE DEPENDENT ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AT BASELINE AND DURING YOGA: A STUDY SHOWING AUTONOMIC NORMALIZATION EFFECT IN YOGA-NAIVE AND EXPERIENCED SUBJECTS. BACKGROUND: YOGA THERAPY IS WIDELY APPLIED TO THE MAINTENANCE OF HEALTH AND TO TREATMENT OF VARIOUS ILLNESSES. PREVIOUS RESEARCHES INDICATE THE INVOLVEMENT OF AUTONOMIC CONTROL IN ITS EFFECTS, ALTHOUGH THE GENERAL AGREEMENT HAS NOT BEEN REACHED REGARDING THE ACUTE MODULATION OF AUTONOMIC FUNCTION. AIM: THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED AT REVEALING THE ACUTE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY USING HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) MEASUREMENT. METHODS: TWENTY-SEVEN HEALTHY CONTROLS PARTICIPATED IN THE PRESENT STUDY. FIFTEEN OF THEM (39.5 +/- 8.5 YEARS OLD) WERE NAIVE AND 12 (45.1 +/- 7.0 YEARS OLD) WERE EXPERIENCED IN YOGA. YOGA SKILLS INCLUDED BREATH AWARENESS, TWO TYPES OF ASANA, AND TWO TYPES OF PRANAYAMA. HRV WAS MEASURED AT THE BASELINE, DURING YOGA, AND AT THE RESTING STATE AFTER YOGA. RESULTS: IN BOTH YOGA-NAIVE AND EXPERIENCED PARTICIPANTS, THE CHANGES IN LOW-FREQUENCY (LF) COMPONENT OF HRV AND ITS RATIO TO HIGH-FREQUENCY (HF) COMPONENT (LF/HF) AFTER YOGA WERE FOUND TO BE CORRELATED NEGATIVELY WITH THE BASELINE DATA. THE CHANGES IN LF AFTER YOGA WERE ALSO CORRELATED WITH LF DURING YOGA. THE CHANGES IN HF AS WELL AS THE RAW HRV DATA AFTER YOGA WERE NOT RELATED TO THE BASELINE HRV OR THE HRV DURING YOGA. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT YOGA LEADS TO AN INCREASE IN LF WHEN LF IS LOW AND LEADS TO A DECREASE IN LF WHEN IT IS HIGH AT THE BASELINE. THIS NORMALIZATION OF LF IS DEPENDENT ON THE AUTONOMIC MODULATION DURING YOGA AND MAY UNDERLIE THE CLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA THERAPY BOTH IN YOGA-NAIVE AND EXPERIENCED SUBJECTS. 2020 19 427 37 CAN YOGA BOOST ACCESS TO THE BODILY AND EMOTIONAL SELF? CHANGES IN HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND IN AFFECTIVE EVALUATION BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER A SINGLE SESSION OF YOGA EXERCISE WITH AND WITHOUT INSTRUCTIONS OF CONTROLLED BREATHING AND MINDFUL BODY AWARENESS IN YOUNG HEALTHY WOMEN. EXERCISE IS INDISPENSABLE FOR A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE. YOGA EXERCISE CAN HAVE POSITIVE EFFECTS ON WELL-BEING AND ON CARDIAC AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY MAKING IT AN IDEAL INTERVENTION FOR IMPROVING MIND-BODY INTERACTIONS AND RESILIENCE TO PHYSICAL AND MENTAL STRESSORS. EMOTIONS TRIGGER ESPECIALLY STRONG BODILY AND AFFECTIVE-COGNITIVE RESPONSES BECAUSE OF THEIR SOCIAL RELEVANCE FOR THE SELF AND THEIR BIOLOGICAL RELEVANCE OF MOBILIZING THE ORGANISM FOR ACTION. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATES WHETHER CHANGES IN EMOTION PROCESSING RELATED TO SELF-OTHER REFERENTIAL PROCESSING AND CHANGES IN CARDIAC AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY, REFLECTED BY HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV), OCCUR IMMEDIATELY AFTER ALREADY A SINGLE SESSION OF YOGA EXERCISE WHEN YOGA POSTURES ARE PRACTICED WITH OR WITHOUT BREATHING- AND MINDFUL BODY AWARENESS INSTRUCTIONS. WOMEN, ALL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS (N = 34, FINAL SAMPLE: N = 30, N = 25 NAIVE TO YOGA PRACTICE) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS WHO PERFORMED THE SAME YOGA EXERCISES WITH OR WITHOUT CONTROLLED BREATHING AND MINDFULNESS INSTRUCTIONS. EMOTIONAL, SELF-OTHER REFERENTIAL PROCESSING, AWARENESS OF BODILY SIGNALS AND HRV INDICATORS WERE INVESTIGATED BEFORE AND AFTER THE EXERCISE USING STANDARDIZED EXPERIMENTAL TASKS, STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRES, AND MOBILE RECORDING DEVICES. EXERCISING FOR 30 MINUTES CHANGED CARDIAC ACTIVITY SIGNIFICANTLY. HRV MEASURES SHOWED ADAPTABILITY OF CARDIAC ACTIVITY DURING THE EXERCISE AS WELL AS DURING THE AFFECTIVE TASK POST- TO PRE-EXERCISE. EXERCISING WITH BREATHING INSTRUCTIONS AND MINDFUL BODY AWARENESS HAD NO SUPERIOR EFFECTS ON CARDIAC, PARTICULARLY PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY, COMPARED TO PRACTICING THE SAME MOVEMENTS WITHOUT SUCH EXPLICIT INSTRUCTIONS. SELF-REFERENTIAL PROCESSING DID NOT CHANGE; HOWEVER, PARTICIPANTS WERE FASTER AND MORE ACCURATE IN THEIR AFFECTIVE JUDGMENTS OF EMOTIONAL STIMULI [REGARDLESS OF THEIR REFERENCE (SELF/OTHER)], AND SHOWED BETTER AWARENESS OF BODILY SIGNALS AFTER COMPARED TO BEFORE THE EXERCISE SESSION. THE RESULTS SUPPORT IMMEDIATE, ADAPTIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISE ON CARDIAC AND AFFECTIVE-COGNITIVE PROCESSING IN AN ALL-FEMALE HEALTHY SAMPLE. THEREFORE, YOGA EXERCISE COULD BE RECOMMENDED AS A PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR BOOSTING CARDIAC AND EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE IN THIS TARGET GROUP. 2021 20 2014 23 SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA: BREATHING FOR HEALTH. BREATHING TECHNIQUES ARE REGULARLY RECOMMENDED FOR RELAXATION, STRESS MANAGEMENT, CONTROL OF PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL STATES, AND TO IMPROVE ORGAN FUNCTION. YOGIC BREATHING, DEFINED AS A MANIPULATION OF BREATH MOVEMENT, HAS BEEN SHOWN TO POSITIVELY AFFECT IMMUNE FUNCTION, AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM IMBALANCES, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OR STRESS-RELATED DISORDERS. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS AND PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS, THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION, AND THE BENEFITS OF SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA (SKY) IN A WIDE RANGE OF CLINICAL CONDITIONS. VARIOUS ONLINE DATABASES SEARCHED WERE MEDLINE, PSYCHINFO, EMBASE, AND GOOGLE SCHOLAR. ALL THE RESULTS WERE CAREFULLY SCREENED AND ARTICLES ON SKY WERE SELECTED. THE REFERENCES FROM THESE ARTICLES WERE CHECKED TO FIND ANY OTHER POTENTIALLY RELEVANT ARTICLES. SKY, A UNIQUE YOGIC BREATHING PRACTICE, INVOLVES SEVERAL TYPES OF CYCLICAL BREATHING PATTERNS, RANGING FROM SLOW AND CALMING TO RAPID AND STIMULATING. THERE IS MOUNTING EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST THAT SKY CAN BE A BENEFICIAL, LOW-RISK, LOW-COST ADJUNCT TO THE TREATMENT OF STRESS, ANXIETY, POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, DEPRESSION, STRESS-RELATED MEDICAL ILLNESSES, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, AND REHABILITATION OF CRIMINAL OFFENDERS. 2013