1 2067 182 THE CONSCIOUSNESS STATE OF TRADITIONAL NIDRA YOGA/MODERN YOGA NIDRA: PHENOMENOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND PRELIMINARY INSIGHTS FROM AN EEG STUDY. NIDRA YOGA IS AN ANCIENT YOGIC PRACTICE CAPABLE OF INDUCING ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS CHARACTERIZED BY DEEP RELAXATION, STRONG CONCENTRATION, ACUTE SELF-AWARENESS, AND JOY. IN MODERN CONTEMPLATIVE NEUROSCIENCE LANGUAGE, IT IS KNOWN BY THE NAME YOGA NIDRA, AND FEW STUDIES HAVE INVESTIGATED ITS PHENOMENOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS. SIX HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (FOUR FEMALES AGED 31-74) PERFORMED 12 YOGA NIDRA SESSIONS GUIDED BY AN EXPERT DURING A 6-DAY RETREAT. EACH SESSION CONSISTED OF 10 MINUTES IN A RESTING STATE (BASELINE) FOLLOWED BY 2 HOURS OF YOGA NIDRA. PSYCHOMETRIC DATA REGARDING DISSOCIATIVE EXPERIENCES (CLINICIAN ADMINISTERED DISSOCIATIVE STATES SCALE) AND THE STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS (PHENOMENOLOGY OF CONSCIOUSNESS INVENTORY) WERE COLLECTED AFTER BASELINE AND YOGA NIDRA, WHILE HIGH-DENSITY EEG WAS RECORDED DURING THE ENTIRE SESSION. DURING NIDRA SESSIONS, NO SLEEP HALLMARKS (I.E., K-COMPLEXES AND SLEEP SPINDLES) WERE DETECTED BY THE EEG IN ANY SUBJECT. PSYCHOMETRIC DATA WE RE ANALYZED USING A WILCOXON SIGNED-RANK TEST CORRECTED WITH THE FALSE DISCOVERY RATE APPROACH FOR MULTIPLE COMPARISONS. COMPARED TO BASELINE, YOGA NIDRA PRACTICE WAS RELATED TO: (1) INCREASED DISSOCIATIVE EFFECTS (P = 0.022); (2) PERCEPTION OF BEING IN AN ALTERED STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS (P = 0.026); (3) ALTERATIONS IN PERCEIVED BODY IMAGE (P = 0.022); (4) INCREASED "MEANINGFULNESS" ATTRIBUTED TO THE EXPERIENCE (P = 0.026); (5) REDUCED RATIONAL THINKING (P = 0.029); AND (6) REDUCED VOLITIONAL THOUGHT CONTROL (P = 0.026). FIRST-PERSON EXPERIENCE IS DISCUSSED IN RELATION TO DESCRIPTIVE EEG POWER SPECTRAL DENSITY ANALYSIS, WHICH WAS PERFORMED IN ONE SUBJECT BECAUSE OF SEVERE EEG ARTIFACTS IN THE OTHER RECORDINGS; THAT SUBJECT SHOWED, COMPARED TO BASELINE: (1) EARLY INCREASE OF ALPHA AND BETA POWER, FOLLOWED BY A PROGRESSIVE WIDESPREAD REDUCTION; (2) WIDESPREAD EARLY INCREASE OF THETA POWER, FOLLOWED BY A PROGRESSIVE REDUCTION; AND (3) WIDESPREAD INCREASE OF GAMMA POWER IN THE LATEST STAGES. THE PRESENT PRELIMINARY RESULTS ENRICH THE KNOWLEDGE OF YOGA NIDRA, ELUCIDATING ITS PHENOMENOLOGY AND SUGGESTING SOME PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES THAT FUTURE STUDIES MAY ADDRESS. 2021 2 1822 29 PROTOCOL TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF YOGA SUPPLEMENTATION ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: SCHIZOPHRENIA (SZ) IS A CHRONIC ILLNESS THAT IS TREATED SYMPTOMATICALLY. COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IS A CORE FEATURE OF SZ THAT IS RELATIVELY INTRACTABLE TO PHARMACOTHERAPY. YOGA CAN IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. A RECENT OPEN TRIAL INDICATED SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS OF YOGA TRAINING (YT) IN CONJUNCTION WITH CONVENTIONAL PHARMACOTHERAPY AMONG PATIENTS WITH SZ. AIMS: TO DESCRIBE THE PROTOCOL FOR AN ONGOING RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGNED TO TEST WHETHER THE REPORTED BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YT ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG SZ PATIENTS CAN BE REPLICATED. SECONDARILY, THE EFFECTS OF YT ON DAILY FUNCTIONING LIVING SKILLS ARE EVALUATED. METHODS: CONSENTING PATIENTS WITH SZ RECEIVE ROUTINE CLINICAL TREATMENT AND ARE RANDOMISED TO ADJUNCTIVE YT, ADJUNCTIVE PHYSICAL EXERCISE (PE) OR TREATMENT AS USUAL (PROPOSED N = 234 TOTAL, N = 78 IN EACH GROUP). THE TRIAL INVOLVES YT OR PE 5 DAYS A WEEK AND LASTS 3 WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS ARE EVALUATED THRICE OVER 6 MONTHS. COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS MEASURED BY TRAIL MAKING TEST, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA NEUROCOGNITIVE COMPUTERISED BATTERY WERE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WHILE CLINICAL SEVERITY AND DAILY FUNCTIONING MEASURED BY INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS SURVEY WERE SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 309 PARTICIPANTS HAVE BEEN RANDOMISED AS OF 31 AUGUST 2013, WHICH EXCEEDED BEYOND 294 PROPOSED AFTER ATTRITION. ONCE PARTICIPANTS BEGIN YT OR PE THEY GENERALLY COMPLETE THE PROTOCOL. NO INJURIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: SHORT TERM YT IS FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE TO INDIAN SZ PATIENTS. IF BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YT ARE DETECTED, IT WILL PROVIDE A NOVEL ADJUNCTIVE COGNITIVE REMEDIATION STRATEGY FOR SZ PATIENTS. 2014 3 2640 26 YOGA FOR VETERANS WITH PTSD: COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING, MENTAL HEALTH, AND SALIVARY CORTISOL. OBJECTIVE: RESEARCH INDICATES THAT COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING IS NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY EXPOSURE TO CHRONIC STRESS DUE TO OVERACTIVATION OF THE STRESS RESPONSE. YOGA HAS DEMONSTRATED BENEFITS WHEN PRACTICED BY INDIVIDUALS DIAGNOSED WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD). THIS QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL PILOT STUDY EXAMINED THE IMPACT OF A YOGA INTERVENTION ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING, SYMPTOMS OF PTSD, AND THE BIOLOGICAL STRESS RESPONSE IN VETERANS DIAGNOSED WITH PTSD. METHOD: COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING, SELF-REPORT MEASURES OF MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS, AND SALIVARY CORTISOL WERE MEASURED WITHIN TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO BEGINNING AND FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF A 10-WEEK YOGA PROTOCOL. VETERANS WITH PTSD PARTICIPATED IN GENDER-SPECIFIC GROUPS OF THE YOGA INTERVENTION. PAIRED T TESTS AND CORRELATIONAL ANALYSES WERE USED TO ANALYZE QUANTITATIVE DATA. RESULTS: STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED BETWEEN BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION SCORES ON MEASURES OF RESPONSE INHIBITION, PTSD, DEPRESSION, SLEEP, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND SUBJECTIVE NEUROCOGNITIVE COMPLAINTS. POSITIVE CORRELATIONS WERE FOUND BETWEEN BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION CHANGES IN SLEEP AND DEPRESSION, AND BETWEEN CHANGE IN CORTISOL OUTPUT AND A MEASURE OF LIFE SATISFACTION. STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES (BASELINE TO POSTINTERVENTION) FOR OTHER OBJECTIVE MEASURES OF COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE AND CORTISOL WERE NOT DETECTED. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS PROVIDE PRELIMINARY SUPPORT FOR THE PRACTICE OF YOGA TO IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING (RESPONSE INHIBITION) RELATED TO SYMPTOMS OF PTSD WHILE ALSO IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS, SLEEP, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. POSITIVE CORRELATIONS AFFIRM THE ROLE OF SLEEP IN MOOD SYMPTOMS AND INDICATE THE NEED FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION OF THE ROLE OF CORTISOL IN LIFE SATISFACTION. (PSYCINFO DATABASE RECORD (C) 2020 APA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED). 2020 4 1840 37 PSYCHOSOMATIC ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN THINKING PATTERNS AND PARKINSON'S DISEASE FROM A YOGA PHILOSOPHY PERSPECTIVE: A NEW ZEALAND CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY. WHEN INVESTIGATING THE ETIOLOGY OF DISEASES, EPIDEMIOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES TRADITIONALLY DEEMPHASIZE PSYCHOSOMATIC ASSOCIATIONS. EXPLORING COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR PROVIDES AN INSIGHT INTO HOW PSYCHOSOMATIC ASSOCIATIONS AFFECT DISEASE. YOGA PHILOSOPHY IDENTIFIES THE KLESHAS (MENTAL AFFLICTIONS) OF IGNORANCE, EGO, DESIRE, HATRED, AND FEAR OF DEATH WITH DISEASE. THIS IS BECAUSE INDIVIDUALS' PERCEPTIONS AND BELIEFS GENERATE AND REFLECT STREAMS OF THOUGHT THAT MAY SHAPE THEIR BEHAVIOR AND MANIFEST AS, OR PREDISPOSE THEM TO, PARTICULAR DISEASE(S). THE PRESENT STUDY TAKES A YOGIC PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE TO HELP ELUCIDATE UNEXPLORED ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN THINKING ABOUT DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF LIFE AND THE SEVERITY OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE (PD). THE STUDY INVOLVED A CROSS-SECTIONAL SAMPLE SURVEY. PARKINSON'S NEW ZEALAND SELECTED A RANDOM SAMPLE OF 990 OF ITS MEMBERS. A SELF-COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE WAS SENT TO THEM. IT ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW OFTEN, OVER THE PREVIOUS 4 WEEKS, THEY HAD THOUGHT ABOUT 18 ASPECTS OF LIFE COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE KLESHAS. A COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE WAS RETURNED BY 319 PEOPLE (32%). RESPONDENTS THOUGHT MOST ABOUT FAMILY (87%), HEALTH (64%), REST AND SLEEP (57%), FOOD (53%), AND THE FUTURE (52%). THEY REPORTED THINKING LEAST ABOUT WORK (48%), SEX (45%), DEATH (42%), AND BEING VIRTUOUS (39%). A WEAK, BUT HYPOTHESIZED POSITIVE, ASSOCIATION (R = 0.2, P < 0.000) WAS DETECTED BETWEEN PD SEVERITY AND THINKING ABOUT DEATH. THE STUDY COULD NOT DETERMINE WHETHER THINKING ABOUT DEATH WAS (1) A CAUSE OR CONSEQUENCE OF PD SEVERITY, AND (2) A PREMORBID BEHAVIOR. HOWEVER, THE POSSIBILITY THAT STRESS ASSOCIATED WITH THINKING ABOUT DEATH ACCELERATES PD PROGRESSION IS CONSISTENT WITH YOGA PHILOSOPHY AND WITH NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PSYCHOSOMATIC CONNECTIONS. THE FINDINGS ARE WORTHY OF FUTURE TESTING. A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH COULD DEEPEN UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE ROLE OF KLESHAS IN PD. 2019 5 1179 30 EVALUATION OF THE BENEFITS OF A KRIPALU YOGA PROGRAM FOR POLICE ACADEMY TRAINEES: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: LAW ENFORCEMENT RANKS AS ONE OF THE MOST STRESSFUL OCCUPATIONS IN THE WORLD. YOGA IS A MIND-BODY PRACTICE COMPOSED OF POSTURES, BREATHING, AND MEDITATION TECHNIQUES, AND IS KNOWN FOR ITS BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON STRESS AND MOOD DISTURBANCE. OBJECTIVES: THIS PILOT STUDY EVALUATED THE EFFECTS OF KRIPALU YOGA ON PERCEIVED STRESS, MOOD, AND MINDFULNESS DURING POLICE ACADEMY TRAINING. METHOD: FORTY-TWO RECRUITS PARTICIPATED IN A 6-CLASS YOGA INTERVENTION. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES-SHORT FORM, PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE, AND THE FIVE FACET MINDFULNESS QUESTIONNAIRE PRIOR TO AND IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF THE YOGA PROGRAM, AS WELL AS AN EXIT SURVEY. RESULTS: PAIRED SAMPLES T-TESTS REVEALED SIGNIFICANT POSTINTERVENTION CHANGES IN PERCEIVED STRESS AND MOOD, REDUCTIONS IN TENSION AND FATIGUE, AND A TREND TOWARD REDUCED ANGER. CHANGES IN MINDFULNESS WERE NOT DETECTED. THE EXIT SURVEY INDICATED PERCEIVED BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR SOME PARTICIPANTS. CONCLUSIONS: THIS PRELIMINARY STUDY SUGGESTS THAT YOGA MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR REDUCING STRESS, TENSION, AND FATIGUE AMONG POLICE ACADEMY TRAINEES. FUTURE LONGITUDINAL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS ARE NEEDED TO EVALUATE ITS FULL POTENTIAL AS A PERMANENT COMPONENT OF POLICE ACADEMY TRAINING. 2013 6 1505 29 IREST YOGA-NIDRA ON THE COLLEGE CAMPUS: CHANGES IN STRESS, DEPRESSION, WORRY, AND MINDFULNESS. OBJECTIVES: THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASED STRESS, WORRY, AND DEPRESSION, AND WITH IMPROVED MINDFULNESS-BASED SKILLS. THESE FINDINGS HAD NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLY REPLICATED FOR A SAMPLE OF COLLEGE STUDENTS. THIS STUDY EVALUATED WHETHER IREST YOGA-NIDRA PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED PERCEIVED STRESS, WORRY, AND DEPRESSION, AND INCREASED MINDFULNESS IN A SAMPLE OF COLLEGE STUDENT S. METHODS: SIXTY-SIX STUDENTS AGE 18-56 COMPLETED AN 8-WEEK IREST YOGA-NIDRA INTERVENTION THAT WAS OFFERED FOR 8 SEMESTERS. ASSESSMENT OCCURRED 1 WEEK PRIOR TO INTERVENTION ONSET AND DURING THE CLASS PERIOD FOLLOWING THE INTERVENTION. QUALITATIVE DATA WERE COLLECTED AT WEEKS 4 AND 8. RESULTS: STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT PRE- TO POSTTEST IMPROVEMENTS IN PERCEIVED STRESS, WORRY, AND DEPRESSION WERE FOUND. PRE-EXISTING DEPRESSION ACCOUNTED FOR MOST OF THE CHANGE IN WORRY AND PERCEIVED STRESS SCORES. PRE- TO POST TEST IMPROVEMENTS IN MINDFULNESS-BASED SKILLS WERE ALSO DETECTED. CONCLUSIONS: IREST YOGA-NIDRA PRACTICE MAY REDUCE SYMPTOMS OF PERCEIVED STRESS, WORRY, AND DEPRESSION AND INCREASE MINDFULNESS-BASED SKILLS. 2013 7 733 36 EFFECT OF MULA BANDHA YOGA IN MILD GRADE PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE IS THE GROWING HEALTH ISSUE RELATED TO WOMEN OF THE REPRODUCTIVE AND POSTMENOPAUSAL AGE GROUP IN INDIA AND ACROSS THE GLOBE. TREATMENT OPTION FOR PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE INCLUDES BOTH SURGICAL AND NON-SURGICAL INTERVENTION. THE DEVELOPMENT OF PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE IS AN INDICATION FOR MAJOR SURGERY AMONG 20% OF ALL WOMEN. NEVERTHELESS, THE RECURRENCE OF PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE IS DETECTED AMONG 58% OF THE PATIENT AFTER SURGERY. THIS HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED FOR PREVENTIVE MEASURES FOR REDUCING THE IMPACT OF PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE. AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF 3 MONTHS YOGA THERAPY IN FEMALE PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM MILD PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 50 PARTICIPANTS WERE ALLOCATED INTO TWO GROUPS (25 IN EACH GROUP) BY GENERATING RANDOM ALLOCATION SEQUENCE. WOMEN AGED 20-60 WITH SYMPTOMATIC MILD PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE IN THE YOGA GROUP WERE OFFERED MULABANDHA YOGA THERAPY ALONG WITH OTHER CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT MODALITIES, WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP WAS ONLY ON CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT. ALL PARTICIPANTS GAVE WRITTEN INFORMED CONSENT. AN ASSESSMENT WAS DONE BY IMPROVEMENT IN CHIEF COMPLAINTS AND PELVIC FLOOR DISTRESS INVENTORY-20 (PFDI-20) & PELVIC FLOOR IMPACT QUESTIONNAIRE-7 (PFIQ-7) AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 4, 8 & 12 WEEKS. RESULTS AT THE END OF 12 WEEKS, POST-STUDY COMPARISON BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN CHIEF COMPLAINTS LIKE PERENNIAL PAIN, P/V DISCHARGE, PERINEAL MUSCLE LAXITY AND FEELING OF SOMETHING COMING OUT P/V (P < 0.001). PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA GROUP IMPROVED BY (ON AVERAGE) 5.7 (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL 3.1 TO 14.7) POINTS MORE ON THE PFDI-20 THAN DID PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P = 0.1) AND A MEAN SCORE OF PFIQ-7 WAS ALSO IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY. CONCLUSIONS: ALTHOUGH MULABANDHA (ROOT LOCK) YOGA THERAPY LED TO A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN PFDI-20 & PFIQ-7 SCORES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GROUPS WAS BELOW THE PRESUMED LEVEL OF CLINICAL RELEVANCE (15 POINTS). MORE STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO IDENTIFY FACTORS RELATED TO THE SUCCESS OF MULABANDHA (ROOT LOCK) YOGA THERAPY AND TO INVESTIGATE LONG-TERM EFFECTS. 2018 8 1782 22 PREDICTORS OF FUNCTIONAL IMPROVEMENTS AFTER THERAPEUTIC YOGA INTERVENTION FOR PEOPLE WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE. PARKINSON'S DISEASE (PD) AFFECTS NEARLY 10 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE, LEADING TO DECREASED MOBILITY AND BALANCE AND POTENTIAL LOSS OF INDEPENDENCE. YOGA HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED FUNCTION FOR PEOPLE WITH PD, BUT THE PREDICTIVE FACTORS FOR IMPROVED FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES AS A RESULT OF YOGA PARTICIPATION REMAIN UNEXAMINED. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS SECONDARY DATA ANALYSIS WAS TO IDENTIFY PREDICTIVE FACTORS OF FUNCTIONAL IMPROVEMENT FOR PEOPLE WITH PD AFTER AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION. STEPWISE MULTIPLE LINEAR REGRESSION WAS USED TO IDENTIFY SIGNIFICANT PREDICTORS OF IMPROVEMENT IN BALANCE, FALL CONTROL, PD SYMPTOMS, AND ACTIVITY CONSTRAINTS. LOWER COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING WAS PREDICTIVE OF IMPROVEMENT IN PERCEIVED CONTROL OVER FALLS, BODY RESPONSIVENESS WAS PREDICTIVE OF IMPROVEMENT IN PD-SPECIFIC SYMPTOMS, AND GAIT VELOCITY WAS PREDICTIVE OF IMPROVEMENT IN BALANCE AND ACTIVITY CONSTRAINTS. FUTURE RESEARCH IS WARRANTED TO EVALUATE THE USE OF SCREENERS TO PREDICT WHO IS THE BEST FIT FOR YOGA THERAPY. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO EVALUATE THE NEED TO INCLUDE COGNITIVE SELF-MANAGEMENT TRAINING CONCURRENT WITH YOGA THERAPY. 2020 9 1303 27 HATHA YOGA PRACTICE FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS PATIENTS: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO EXAMINE THE IMPACT OF HATHA YOGA ON GLYCEMIC CONTROL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS, AND SELF-CARE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (T2DM). METHODS: TEN SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS WITH T2DM WHO WERE NON-INSULIN DEPENDENT, FREE OF DIABETES-RELATED COMPLICATIONS, AND HAD NO PREVIOUS YOGA EXPERIENCE COMPLETED THERAPEUTIC YOGA CLASSES FOR 6 WEEKS, 3 TIMES PER WEEK . GLYCEMIC CONTROL MEASURES INCLUDED FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE, GLYCATED HEMOGLOBIN, AND FASTING INSULIN. THE STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY, PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE, AND SALIVARY CORTISOL WERE USED TO ASSESS LEVELS OF STRESS, AND THE SUMMARY OF DIABETES SELF-CARE ACTIVITIES QUESTIONNAIRE WAS USED TO ASSESS REGIMEN ADHERENCE. RESULTS: NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN GLUCOSE CONTROL OR PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS WERE FOUND; HOWEVER, SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN PERCEIVED STRESS, STATE ANXIETY, AND SELF-CARE BEHAVIORS WERE DETECTED. CONCLUSIONS: PRELIMINARY FINDINGS SUPPORT FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF THE BENEFITS OF HATHA YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY FOR THOSE WITH T2DM. 2013 10 1753 36 PILOTING YOGA AND ASSESSING OUTCOMES IN A RESIDENTIAL BEHAVIOURAL HEALTH UNIT. THIS STUDY EXAMINED IF ADOLESCENTS ON A RESIDENTIAL BEHAVIOURAL HEALTH UNIT WOULD PARTICIPATE IN A YOGA INTERVENTION. YOGA HAS BEEN USED AS A MIND-BODY PRACTICE FOR MORE THAN 2000 YEARS; HOWEVER, STUDIES ARE LIMITED REGARDING ITS EFFECTS ON ADOLESCENTS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS ON AN INPATIENT UNIT. YOGA WAS ADDED, TWICE WEEKLY, TO THE PROGRAM SCHEDULE. TRAIT EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE QUESTIONNAIRE-ADOLESCENT SHORT FORM (TEIQUE-ASF) SCORES WERE MEASURED OVER 8 WEEKS. ADDITIONAL MEASURES INCLUDED DAILY NUMBERS OF QUIET TIMES, TIME OUTS, AND POINT CARD SCORES. TWENTY-TWO ADOLESCENTS COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE TEIQUE-ASF ASSESSMENT WAS ABLE TO DETECT CHANGES IN TOTAL SCORES OVER 8 WEEKS. INCREASED YOGA PARTICIPATION WAS RELATED TO HIGHER VALUES OF THE TEIQUE-ASF SUBDOMAIN OF SOCIABILITY, INCREASE IN WEEKLY POINT CARD TOTALS, A DECREASE IN BEHAVIOURAL TIME OUTS, AND A DECREASE IN COMBINED BEHAVIOURAL INTERVENTIONS AT VARIOUS TIME POINTS THROUGHOUT THE PROGRAMME. THIS STUDY WAS RELEVANT BECAUSE IT WAS CONDUCTED ON AN ADOLESCENT INPATIENT UNIT. IT PROVIDES SUPPORT THAT YOGA, AS PART OF A RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMME, IS A FEASIBLE INTERVENTION FOR ADOLESCENTS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS. CHANGES IN THE VARIOUS MEASURES CANNOT BE DIRECTLY LINKED TO YOGA BECAUSE OF LACK OF A COMPARISON GROUP. ADDITIONAL STUDIES WITH A LARGER SAMPLE, AND RANDOMIZATION, ARE NEEDED TO EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA AND TO DETERMINE IF CHANGES TO THE TEIQUE-ASF CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO YOGA OR OTHER BEHAVIOURAL-BASED INTERVENTIONS. LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT HOW YOGA WILL IMPACT BEHAVIOURAL HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR ADOLESCENTS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS IN AN INPATIENT SETTING. THIS STUDY EXAMINED IF ADOLESCENTS ON A RESIDENTIAL BEHAVIOURAL HEALTH UNIT WOULD PARTICIPATE IN A YOGA INTERVENTION TO ADDRESS EMOTIONAL REGULATION. A SINGLE COHORT STUDY DESIGN WAS USED. YOGA WAS ADDED TO THE PROGRAMME SCHEDULE TWICE WEEKLY. TRAIT EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE QUESTIONNAIRE-ADOLESCENT SHORT FORM (TEIQUE-ASF) SCORES AND ADDITIONAL BEHAVIOURAL MEASURES WERE TRACKED OVER 8 WEEKS. ADOLESCENTS PARTICIPATED IN YOGA, WITH A HIGHER PARTICIPATION RATE FOR GIRLS COMPARED WITH BOYS. THE TEIQUE-ASF ASSESSMENT DETECTED CHANGES IN TOTAL SCORE OVER 8 WEEKS. INCREASED YOGA PARTICIPATION WAS RELATED TO HIGHER VALUES OF THE TEIQUE-ASF SUBDOMAIN OF SOCIABILITY, INCREASE IN WEEKLY POINT CARD TOTALS, AND A DECREASE IN COMBINED BEHAVIOURAL INTERVENTIONS AT VARIOUS TIME POINTS THROUGHOUT THE PROGRAMME. THIS STUDY WAS RELEVANT BECAUSE IT WAS CONDUCTED ON AN ADOLESCENT INPATIENT UNIT. FURTHER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO DETERMINE IF CHANGES CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO YOGA OR OTHER BEHAVIOURAL-BASED INTERVENTIONS. IF SUPPORTED BY FURTHER STUDIES, YOGA HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE A COMPLIMENTARY THERAPY THAT CAN BE INTEGRATED INTO THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY TREATMENT APPROACH FOR MENTAL HEALTH PATIENTS. 2015 11 1049 29 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON BALANCE AND GAIT PROPERTIES IN WOMEN WITH MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT STUDY IS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON BALANCE AND GAIT PROPERTIES IN WOMEN WITH MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS. DESIGN: TWENTY-SEVEN WOMEN (30-45 YEARS OLD) WITH MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS, SUCH AS OSTEOARTHRITIS AND LOW-BACK PAIN, WERE INCLUDED IN THE PRESENT STUDY. THE PATIENTS PARTICIPATED IN 8 SESSIONS (TWICE WEEKLY FOR 4 WEEKS) OF A YOGA PROGRAM WHICH INCLUDED ASANAS, STRETCHING EXERCISES, AND BREATHING TECHNIQUES. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: PATIENTS' STATIC BALANCE MEASUREMENTS AND GAIT PARAMETERS WERE DETERMINED BEFORE AND AFTER THE STUDY USING A STABILOMETER AND A GAIT TRAINER, RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS: POST-STUDY VALUES OF PATIENTS' GAIT PARAMETERS WERE FOUND TO BE STATISTICALLY HIGHER THAN THEIR PRE-STUDY VALUES (P < 0.05) THE VALUES OF PATIENTS' BALANCE ADDRESSED ANTERIOR AND RIGHT POSITIONS WITH PATIENTS' EYES OPEN AND SUBSEQUENTLY CLOSED PRE-TREATMENT. HOWEVER, IT WAS NOTABLE THAT BALANCE POST-TREATMENT WAS MINIMAL WHEN SUBJECTS EYES WERE OPEN OR CLOSED. ANTERIOR-POSTERIOR VALUES AND RIGHT-LEFT VALUES WERE ALMOST EQUAL AFTER TREATMENT. DISCUSSION: THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT YOGA HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON BALANCE AND GAIT PARAMETERS OF WOMEN WITH GAIT AND BALANCE DISTURBANCES THAT ARE CAUSED BY MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS. IT IS FEASIBLE TO CONCLUDE THAT ASANAS AND STRETCHING EXERCISES INCLUDED IN THE YOGA PROGRAM BROUGHT ABOUT SUCH A POSITIVE EFFECT, AND THEREFORE IT IS POSSIBLE TO USE YOGA PROGRAMS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS CAUSED BY MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS. 2011 12 2783 31 YOGA THERAPY AS AN ADJUNCT TO CONVENTIONAL MANAGEMENT OF SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS: A CASE SERIES. SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS (SSC) IS AN AUTOIMMUNE DISORDER LEADING TO SIGNIFICANT DISABILITY AND LOSS OF QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). YOGA HAS BECOME POPULAR IN RECENT TIMES FOR ITS POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS. SINCE THERE ARE NO SCIENTIFIC REPORTS ON THE USE OF YOGA FOR SSC, WE PRESENT TWO FEMALE CASES (AGED 49 AND 29 RESPECTIVELY) OF LIMITED SSC (DURATION OF ILLNESS 4 AND 3 YEARS RESPECTIVELY) WHO UNDERWENT YOGA THERAPY AS AN ADJUNCT TO CONVENTIONAL MANAGEMENT IN A RESIDENTIAL SETTING FOR A PERIOD OF FIVE AND FOUR WEEKS, RESPECTIVELY. DURING THEIR STAY, THEY UNDERWENT A SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED YOGA MODULE. AFTER THEIR DISCHARGE, THEY WERE FOLLOWED-UP FOR FOUR WEEKS, DURING WHICH THEY WERE ASKED TO CONTINUE PRACTICING YOGA FOR 1 H EVERY DAY. BOTH OF THEM REPORTED A REDUCTION IN PAIN, STIFFNESS, SYMPTOM SCORES, AND IMPROVED QOL ON DISCHARGE AND AT THE FOLLOW-UP COMPARED TO THE VALUES ON ADMISSION. ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE (ESR) AND C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (CRP), AS BIOMARKERS OF INFLAMMATION, REDUCED ON THE DISCHARGE WHEN COMPARED TO THE BASELINE. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE NOTED DURING THE STAY AND THE FOLLOW-UP. THUS, THE PRESENT CASE SERIES INDICATE A POSSIBLE BENEFICIAL ROLE OF YOGA AS AN ADJUNCT THERAPY TO CONVENTIONAL MANAGEMENT OF SSC. FURTHER STUDIES IN THE AREA ARE WARRANTED TO ASCERTAIN THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR SSC. 2021 13 1411 25 IMPACT OF YOGA WAY OF LIFE ON ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE. BACKGROUND: ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO A NUMBER OF FACTORS. HOWEVER, THERE ARE CERTAIN ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS, THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF WHICH CAN DETERMINE THE SUCCESS OR FAILURE OF THE ORGANIZATION. THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS IN WHICH ORGANIZATIONS TRY TO IMPROVE THEIR PERFORMANCE BY WORKING ON SUCH FACTORS. IN THE RESEARCH PRESENTED IN THIS ARTICLE, AN ATTEMPT IS MADE TO FIND OUT WHETHER ADOPTION OF THE YOGA WAY OF LIFE BY MANAGERS CAN HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON SUCH ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS. AIMS: TO MEASURE EFFECT OF YOGA WAY OF LIFE ON FIVE DIFFERENT INDICATORS THROUGH AN EMPIRICAL STUDY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE FIVE INDICATORS ARE JOB SATISFACTION, JOB INVOLVEMENT, GOAL ORIENTATION, AFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR. STATISTICS ANALYSIS: PRE- AND POST-DATA WAS MEASURED USING SELF-REPORTED QUESTIONNAIRE. INDEPENDENT T-TEST (PAIRED) AND PEARSON'S CORRELATION TEST WERE CONDUCTED USING SPSS. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY SHOW THAT YOGA HAS A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE IMPACT ON FOUR OUT OF FIVE OF THESE INDICATORS. ONLY JOB INVOLVEMENT DOES NOT SHOW SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT. THE CONSTRUCT USED FOR MEASURING JOB INVOLVEMENT HAD A CHRONBACH ALPHA OF 0.613, WHICH IS AN INDICATOR OF MODERATE RELIABILITY, WHICH COULD BE THE MAIN REASON FOR NOT GETTING POSITIVE RESULT. 2010 14 2020 34 SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN PEOPLE WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE. PURPOSE: YOGA MAY BE A BENEFICIAL TREATMENT FOR PEOPLE WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE (PD). HOWEVER, NO STUDIES HAVE CRITICALLY REVIEWED AND META-ANALYZED THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE FOR YOGA'S BENEFITS REGARDING MOTOR AND NON-MOTOR SYMPTOMS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO CONDUCT A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS A REHABILITATION STRATEGY FOR PD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: FOLLOWING THE PREFERRED REPORTING ITEMS FOR SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS AND META-ANALYSES GUIDELINES, A LITERATURE SEARCH WAS PERFORMED USING MEDLINE/PUBMED, PEDRO, SPORTDISCUS, AND SCOPUS. STUDIES ADDRESSING ANY CONCEPTS ON THE IMPACT OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES IN PEOPLE WITH PD WERE INCLUDED. RESULTS: FOURTEEN RCTS WERE SELECTED, WITH HETEROGENEOUS PROTOCOLS AND OUTCOMES MEASURES. YOGA INTERVENTIONS WERE SAFE AND WELL-ACCEPTED FOR PATIENTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE PD. THE DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS INDICATED THAT ITS PRACTICE MIGHT PROVIDE BOTH PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS. PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE SHOWED THAT YOGA HAS COMPARABLE OR SUPERIOR EFFICACY TO EXERCISE. A SUBSEQUENT META-ANALYSIS ON FIVE RCTS DETECTED THAT YOGA WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN PASSIVE CONTROL IN AMELIORATING MOTOR SYMPTOMS. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA APPEARS TO BE A PROMISING REHABILITATIVE THERAPY FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH PD. RECOMMENDATIONS ARE PROPOSED FOR FUTURE STUDIES.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONYOGA IS A SAFE AND FEASIBLE THERAPY FOR PEOPLE WITH MILD TO MODERATE PD.YOGA PRACTICE POSITIVELY IMPACTS PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH IN THIS POPULATION.WHEN COMPARED TO EXERCISE, YOGA SHOWED TO HAVE SIMILAR OR EVEN GREATER EFFECTS. 2021 15 1129 29 EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT FOR IN-PATIENTS WITH FUNCTIONAL PSYCHOTIC DISORDER. CONTEXT: THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR IN-PATIENTS WITH PSYCHOSIS IS AS YET UNKNOWN; ALTHOUGH, PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN EFFICACY IN STABILIZED OUT-PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. AIM: THIS STUDY AIMED TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE ALONG WITH STANDARD PHARMACOTHERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF IN-PATIENTS WITH PSYCHOSIS. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: THIS STUDY WAS PERFORMED IN AN IN-PATIENT SETTING USING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED SINGLE BLIND DESIGN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 88 CONSENTING IN-PATIENTS WITH PSYCHOSIS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA THERAPY GROUP (N=44) AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP (N=44). SIXTY PATIENTS COMPLETED THE STUDY PERIOD OF 1(1/2) MONTHS. PATIENTS WHO COMPLETED IN THE YOGA GROUP (N=35) AND IN THE EXERCISE GROUP (N=25) WERE SIMILAR ON THE DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE, ILLNESS PARAMETERS AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY SCORES AT BASELINE. RESULTS: THE TWO TREATMENT GROUPS WERE NOT DIFFERENT ON THE CLINICAL SYNDROME SCORES AT THE END OF 2 WEEKS. AT THE END OF 6 WEEKS, PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP HOWEVER HAD LOWER MEAN SCORES ON CLINICAL GLOBAL IMPRESSION SEVERITY (CGIS), POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYNDROME SCALE (TOTAL AND GENERAL PSYCHOPATHOLOGY SUBSCALE) AND HAMILTON DEPRESSION RATING SCALE (HDRS) (P<0.05). REPEATED MEASURE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE DETECTED AN ADVANTAGE FOR YOGA OVER EXERCISE IN REDUCING THE CLINICAL CGIS AND HDRS SCORES. CONCLUSION: ADDING YOGA INTERVENTION TO STANDARD PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT IS FEASIBLE AND MAY BE BENEFICIAL EVEN IN THE EARLY AND ACUTE STAGE OF PSYCHOSIS. 2013 16 921 32 EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS THE PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTION MODULE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF DIABETES AND DIABETES ASSOCIATED DEMENTIA IN SOUTH EAST ASIA: A NARRATIVE REVIEW. BACKGROUND: DIABETES MELLITUS (DM) IS WIDELY SPREAD IN SOUTH ASIAN (ASEAN) AND INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT. THE INCREASING HEALTHCARE COSTS OF DM CAN BE PREVENTED IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD BY IMPROVED PUBLIC HEALTHCARE INTERVENTIONS. MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS OF DM LIKE SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE, OBESITY, AND STRESSFUL CONDITIONS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ITS PROGRESSION; HOWEVER, THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DATA COLLECTED BY PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS ARE LIMITED. SUMMARY: A REVIEW OF PUBLISHED LITERATURE DESCRIBING GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF DM AND ASSOCIATED DEMENTIA IN SOUTH ASIAN REGION, PARTICULARLY INDIA, WAS CONDUCTED WITH THE PURPOSE OF ASSESSING THE FEASIBILITY AND CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH THE YOGA-BASED RISK REDUCTION. PUBMED AND GOOGLE SCHOLAR DATABASES WERE SEARCHED FOR DM AND DEMENTIA-RELATED ARTICLES BY USING A COMBINATION OF KEYWORDS: DIABETES, DIABETES RELATED DEMENTIA SOUTHEAST ASIA, PRE-DIABETES, YOGA, LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION, DEMENTIA AND EXERCISE. THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DATA GENERATED FROM THESE DISEASES HAVE NOT PROMPTED TO ANY MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH POLICIES. YOGA CAN BE A COST-EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR THE PREVENTION OF TYPE 2 DM (T2DM) AND ITS ASSOCIATED COGNITIVE DECLINE WHEN DETECTED EARLY. IF NATIONWIDE INTERVENTION OF YOGA IS BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE STATE, ITS INTEGRATION IN HEALTH CARE WILL BECOME MORE MEANINGFUL AND ACCEPTABLE. KEY MESSAGE: STUDIES SUGGEST THAT YOGA AND CHANGE IN LIFESTYLE CAN MODIFY THE HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH T2DM AND ASSOCIATED DEMENTIA IF IT IS MAINSTREAMED WITH THE PUBLIC HEALTH INITIATIVE OF AYUSHMAN BHARAT SCHEME. 2020 17 76 20 A HEURISTIC MODEL LINKING YOGA PHILOSOPHY AND SELF-REFLECTION TO EXAMINE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS OF ADD-ON YOGA TREATMENT IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE SUGGESTS EFFICACY OF YOGA AS ADD-ON TREATMENT FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA, BUT THE UNDERLYING MECHANISM BY WHICH YOGA IMPROVES THE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA IS NOT COMPLETELY UNDERSTOOD. YOGA IMPROVES SELF-REFLECTION IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS, AND SELF-REFLECTION ABNORMALITIES ARE TYPICALLY SEEN IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. HOWEVER, WHETHER YOGA TREATMENT IMPROVES IMPAIRMENTS IN SELF-REFLECTION TYPICALLY SEEN IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA IS NOT EXAMINED. THIS PAPER DISCUSSES THE POTENTIAL MECHANISM OF YOGA IN THE TREATMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA AND PROPOSES A TESTABLE HYPOTHESIS FOR FURTHER EMPIRICAL STUDIES. IT IS PROPOSED THAT SELF-REFLECTION ABNORMALITIES IN SCHIZOPHRENIA IMPROVE WITH YOGA AND THE NEUROBIOLOGICAL CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CAN BE EXAMINED USING EMPIRICAL BEHAVIOURAL MEASURES AND NEUROIMAGING MEASURES SUCH AS MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING. 2016 18 498 20 COMBINED PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE AND YOGA PROGRAM FOR URINARY INCONTINENCE IN MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN. AIM: URINARY INCONTINENCE IS A MAJOR HEALTH PROBLEM AMONG MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN. PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE IS ONE OF THE PRIMARY INTERVENTIONS, BUT DIFFICULTY PERFORMING THIS EXERCISE HAS LED RESEARCHERS TO SEEK ALTERNATIVE OR CONJUNCTIVE EXERCISE. THIS STUDY AIMED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF A COMBINED PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE AND YOGA INTERVENTION PROGRAM ON URINARY INCONTINENCE. METHODS: A SINGLE GROUP PRE-/POST-TEST DESIGN WAS USED. SUBJECTS WERE RECRUITED FROM A COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER IN SEOUL, KOREA, AND A QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED. FIFTY-FIVE WOMEN PARTICIPATED IN THE FIRST DAY OF THE PROGRAM, 34 OF WHOM COMPLETED THE 8 WEEK, TWICE WEEKLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM. URINARY INCONTINENCE WAS MEASURED BY FIVE DOMAINS OF URINARY TRACT SYMPTOMS: FILLING FACTOR, VOIDING FACTOR, INCONTINENCE FACTOR, SEXUAL FUNCTION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. ALSO MEASURED WERE ATTITUDE TOWARD PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE AND PELVIC MUSCLE STRENGTH. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN ATTITUDE TOWARD PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE, PELVIC MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND INCONTINENCE FACTOR. DAILY PERFORMANCE OF PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE WAS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH IMPROVED INCONTINENCE FACTOR AND WITH QUALITY OF LIFE RELATED TO URINARY TRACT SYMPTOMS. CONCLUSION: A COMBINED PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE AND YOGA PROGRAM WAS EFFECTIVE FOR IMPROVING OVERALL URINARY INCONTINENCE IN COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER ATTENDEES IN KOREA. FURTHER STUDY IS NEEDED WITH A CONTROL GROUP, DIFFERENT POPULATIONS, AND A LONGER INTERVENTION PERIOD. 2015 19 510 25 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 20 2242 31 THE INFLUENCE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND YOGA ON CENTRAL ARTERIAL STIFFNESS. PURPOSE: CENTRAL ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IS AN ACCEPTED RISK FACTOR FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. WHILE AEROBIC ACTIVITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED STIFFNESS THE INFLUENCE OF PRACTICING YOGA IS UNKNOWN. THE AIMS OF THIS STUDY WERE TO: 1) EVALUATE ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IN MIDDLE-AGED ADULTS WHO REGULARLY PRACTICED YOGA, PERFORMED REGULAR EXERCISE, OR WERE INACTIVE, 2) EVALUATE THE REPRODUCIBILITY OF ARTERIAL STIFFNESS MEASURED IN THE LEFT AND RIGHT CAROTID ARTERY AND BY PULSE WAVE VELOCITY (PWV). METHODS: TWENTY SIX HEALTHY SUBJECTS (MALE AND FEMALE, 40-65 YRS OLD) WERE TESTED ON TWO SEPARATE DAYS. CAROTID ARTERY DISTENSIBILITY (DC) WAS MEASURED WITH ULTRASOUND. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WAS DETERMINED BY QUESTIONNAIRE. RESULTS: YOGA AND AEROBIC SUBJECTS HAD SIMILAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS. YOGA AND AEROBIC GROUPS WERE NOT DIFFERENT IN EITHER DC (P = 0.26) OR PWV (P = 0.21). THE SEDENTARY GROUP HAD LOWER DC AND HIGHER PWV COMPARED TO THE AEROBIC AND YOGA GROUPS (BOTH, P < 0.001). STIFFNESS MEASURES WERE RELIABLE DAY TO DAY (COEFFICIENTS OF VARIATION APPROXIMATELY 2.5%) AND SIMILAR BETWEEN LEFT AND RIGHT ARTERIES (CV = 2.2%). CONCLUSION: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WAS A STRONG PREDICTOR OF BOTH MEASURES OF ARTERIAL STIFFNESS, ALTHOUGH OTHER FACTORS SUCH AS NUTRITIONAL STATUS NEED TO BE ACCOUNTED FOR. AN INDEPENDENT EFFECT OF PRACTICING YOGA COULD NOT BE DETECTED. STIFFNESS MEASURES WERE REPRODUCIBLE AND LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES WERE CONSISTENT WITH EACH OTHER. 2008