1 1314 94 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 2 1264 21 FLEXIBILITY, FUNCTIONAL AUTONOMY AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) IN ELDERLY YOGA PRACTITIONERS. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE LEVELS OF FLEXIBILITY, FUNCTIONAL AUTONOMY AND QOL IN ELDERLY YOGA PRACTITIONERS. THE SUBJECTS WERE DIVIDED INTO A YOGA GROUP (YG; N = 52; AGE = 66.79 +/- 3.30 YEARS; BMI = 24.77 +/- 3.18) AND CONTROL GROUP (CG; N = 31; AGE = 69.33 +/- 4.84 YEARS; BMI = 24.32 +/- 3.71) AND SUBMITTED TO FLEXIBILITY TESTS THROUGH GONIOMETRY, THE LADEG AUTONOMY PROTOCOL AND QOL, USING THE WHOQOL-OLD QUESTIONNAIRE. REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA SHOWED INCREASES IN ARTICULAR RANGE OF MOTION IN SHOULDER ABDUCTION (DELTA%SA = 14.11%; P = 0.0001), HORIZONTAL SHOULDER EXTENSION (DELTA%HSE = 33.90%; P = 0.0001), LUMBAR SPINE FLEXION (DELTA%LSF = 50.74%; P = 0.0001), HIP FLEXION (DELTA%HF = 35.75%; P = 0.0001), HIP EXTENSION (DELTA%HE = 10.93%; P = 0.021) AND KNEE FLEXION (DELTA%KF = 3.90%; P = 0.001) AND IN THE GDLAM AUTONOMY INDEX (DELTA%AI = -13.67%; P = 0.0001) IN THE YG COMPARED TO THE CG. THE MANN-WHITNEY TEST REVEALED INCREASES IN QOL SCORES IN FACET 1 (DELTA%FAC1 = 9.04%; P=0.043), FACET 5 (DELTA%FAC5 = 51.06%; P = 0.0001) AND IN OVERALL QOL (DELTA%OQOL = 8.13%; P = 0.046) IN THE YG COMPARED TO THE CG. THE REMAINING VARIABLES SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT INTERGROUP MODIFICATIONS. THUS, THE STUDY SUGGESTS THAT THE REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGA MAY LEAD TO IMPROVED RANGE OF MOTION IN THE PERFORMANCE OF ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING IN ELDERLY WOMEN. 2011 3 1013 24 EFFECTS OF ONLINE YOGA AND TAI CHI ON PHYSICAL HEALTH OUTCOME MEASURES OF ADULT INFORMAL CAREGIVERS. AIMS: THIS STUDY AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF ONLINE VINYASA YOGA (VY) AND TAIJIFIT (12 WEEKS) IN INFORMAL CAREGIVERS (>/=18 YEARS OF AGE). METHODS: TWENTY-NINE PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO TWO GROUPS: VY (N = 16, 55.87 +/- 12.31 YEARS) OR TAIJIFIT (N = 13, 55.07 +/- 12.65 YEARS). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: PRIOR TO AND FOLLOWING THE STUDY, ASSESSMENTS WERE MADE FOR MUSCLE STRENGTH (1-RM LEG PRESS, CHEST PRESS, AND HANDGRIP), MUSCLE ENDURANCE (LEG PRESS AND CHEST PRESS; MAXIMAL NUMBER OF REPETITIONS PERFORMED TO FATIGUE AT 80% AND 70% BASELINE 1-RM, RESPECTIVELY), ABDOMINAL ENDURANCE (MAXIMUM NUMBER OF CONSECUTIVE CURL-UPS TO FATIGUE), TASKS OF FUNCTIONALITY (DYNAMIC BALANCE AND WALKING SPEED), AND FLEXIBILITY (SIT AND REACH). RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OVER TIME FOR MUSCLE STRENGTH, MUSCLE ENDURANCE, TASKS OF FUNCTIONALITY, AND FLEXIBILITY (P = 0.001). THE VY GROUP EXPERIENCED A GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN CHEST PRESS ENDURANCE (VY: PRE 19.25 +/- 5.90, POST 28.06 +/- 7.60 REPS; TAIJIFIT PRE 15.69 +/- 4.49, POST 21.07 +/- 5.85 REPS; P = 0.019) AND ABDOMINAL ENDURANCE (VY: PRE 37.12 +/- 31.26, POST 68.43 +/- 55.07 REPS; TAIJIFIT PRE 19.23 +/- 19.00, POST 32.07 +/- 20.87 REPS; P = 0.034) COMPARED TO THE TAIJIFIT GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: VY AND TAIJIFIT ARE EFFECTIVE FOR IMPROVING MUSCLE STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE, TASKS OF FUNCTIONALITY, AND FLEXIBILITY IN INFORMAL CAREGIVERS. VY LED TO GREATER GAINS IN CHEST PRESS ENDURANCE AND ABDOMINAL CURL-UPS. 2019 4 1229 32 FEASIBILITY AND IMPACT OF AN 8-WEEK INTEGRATIVE YOGA PROGRAM IN PEOPLE WITH MODERATE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS-RELATED DISABILITY: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: THIS PILOT STUDY DETERMINED THE FEASIBILITY OF A SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE WITH MODERATE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS)-RELATED DISABILITY. WE EXPLORED THE PROGRAM'S EFFECT ON QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PERFORMANCE. METHODS: WE USED A SINGLE-GROUP DESIGN WITH REPEATED MEASUREMENTS AT BASELINE, POSTINTERVENTION, AND 8-WEEK FOLLOW-UP. FEASIBILITY WAS EXAMINED THROUGH COST, RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, ATTENDANCE, AND SAFETY. OUTCOMES INCLUDED THE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS QUALITY OF LIFE INVENTORY (MSQLI), 12-ITEM MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS WALKING SCALE (MSWS-12), TIMED 25-FOOT WALK TEST (T25FW), 6-MINUTE WALK TEST (6MWT), NINE-HOLE PEG TEST (NHPT), FIVE-TIMES SIT-TO-STAND TEST (FTSTS), MULTIDIRECTIONAL REACH TEST (MDRT), MAXIMUM EXPIRATORY PRESSURE, AND PACED AUDITORY SERIAL ADDITION TEST-3'' (PASAT-3''). RESULTS: FOURTEEN PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE PROGRAM WAS FEASIBLE. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECTS ON THE 36-ITEM SHORT FORM HEALTH STATUS SURVEY MENTAL COMPONENT SUMMARY (SF-36 MCS), MODIFIED FATIGUE IMPACT SCALE (MFIS), BLADDER CONTROL SCALE (BLCS), PERCEIVED DEFICITS QUESTIONNAIRE (PDQ), MENTAL HEALTH INVENTORY (MHI), MSWS-12, T25FW, NHPT, PASAT-3'', 6MWT, FTSTS, AND MDRT-BACK. IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND ON THE SF-36 MCS, MFIS, BLCS, PDQ, MHI, AND MSWS-12 BETWEEN BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION. THE EFFECT ON PDQ PERSISTED AT FOLLOW-UP. IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND ON THE T25FW, NHPT, 6MWT, FTSTS, AND MDRT-BACK BETWEEN BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION THAT PERSISTED AT FOLLOW-UP. THE PASAT-3'' DID NOT CHANGE BETWEEN BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION BUT DID BETWEEN POSTINTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP. CONCLUSIONS: THE YOGA PROGRAM WAS SAFE AND FEASIBLE. IMPROVEMENTS IN CERTAIN MEASURES OF QOL AND PERFORMANCE WERE SEEN AT POSTINTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP. 2017 5 1607 28 MERGING YOGA AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE: A FEASIBILITY AND PILOT PROGRAM. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS FEASIBILITY AND CHANGES IN OUTCOME MEASURES FOLLOWING THE MERGING YOGA AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE (MY-OT FOR PD) PROGRAM: A 14-SESSION PROGRAM WHICH COMBINED COMMUNITY-BASED YOGA FOR PD, AND FALL-RISK FOCUSED GROUP OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY SESSIONS. SEVENTEEN PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED AN 8-WEEK CONTROL PERIOD CONSISTING OF THEIR NORMAL PARTICIPATION, AND AN 8-WEEK INTERVENTION PERIOD (14 MY-OT FOR PD SESSIONS). THERE WERE FEWER SELF-REPORTED FALLS IN THE INTERVENTION (6) VS. CONTROL PERIODS (10). ONE FALL RISK FACTOR MANAGEMENT SCALE (THE FALL PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE, P=.02), AND BALANCE (P<.01) SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT BETWEEN THE CONTROL AND INTERVENTION. THE MY-OT FOR PD PROGRAM IS AN ENCOURAGING OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST-LED PROGRAM, WHICH MAY IMPROVE BALANCE AND REDUCE SELF-REPORTED FALLS. 2020 6 1358 21 IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF YOGA EXERCISES FOR EYES ON THE MACULAR THICKNESS. BACKGROUND: YOGA EXERCISES FOR EYES HAVE BEEN ADVOCATED AS BENEFICIAL TO EYE HEALTH. IN A PREVIOUS STUDY, WE EVALUATED THE EFFECT OF YOGA EXERCISES FOR EYES ON THE INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE (IOP). THE OTHER ASPECTS OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISES FOR EYES TO OCULAR STRUCTURE HAVE NOT BEEN INVESTIGATED YET. AIM: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA EXERCISES FOR EYES ON THE MACULAR STRUCTURE USING THE OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY (OCT) AND OCT ANGIOGRAPHY (OCTA) PARAMETERS. METHODS: TWENTY-NINE PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED IN THIS MASKED WITHIN PARTICIPANT COMPARISON OF HEALTHY CONTROLS. BASIC OPHTHALMIC EXAMINATION WAS PERFORMED, AFTER WHICH PATIENTS WERE EVALUATED FOR IOP, OCT, AND OCTA BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA EXERCISES FOR EYES. OCT/A PARAMETERS THAT WERE EVALUATED WERE: AVERAGE MACULAR THICKNESS (AMT) (MUM), CENTRAL MACULAR THICKNESS (MUM), CENTRAL CHOROIDAL THICKNESS (MUM) VESSEL DENSITY (%) IN THE SUPERFICIAL, DEEP VASCULAR LAYERS, AND IN THE CHORIOCAPILLARIS. RESULTS: IOP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED (POSTEXERCISE IOP = 13.02 MMHG +/- 2.82 MMHG) FROM THE INITIAL VALUE (PREEXERCISE IOP = 13.86 MMHG +/- 2.85 MMHG, P = 0.02). AMT SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED (POSTEXERCISE AMT = 275.40 MUM +/- 10.85 MUM) FROM THE PREEXERCISE MEASUREMENT (PREEXERCISE AMT = 274.41 MUM +/- 10.89 MUM; P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: AFTER YOGA OCULAR EXERCISES, IOP SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED AND AMT SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN HEALTHY CONTROLS, SUGGESTING AN EFFECT OF THESE EXERCISES ON THE MACULAR THICKNESS. 2020 7 1360 30 IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING ON RESPONSE INHIBITION AMONG HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS. BACKGROUND: THERE IS VERY LITTLE EVIDENCE AVAILABLE ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED BREATHING PRACTICES ON RESPONSE INHIBITION. THE CURRENT STUDY USED STOP-SIGNAL PARADIGM TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING (YBH) ON RESPONSE INHIBITION AMONG HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIRTY-SIX HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (17 MALES + 19 FEMALES), WITH MEAN AGE OF 20.31 +/- 3.48 YEARS FROM A UNIVERSITY, WERE RECRUITED IN A WITHIN-SUBJECT REPEATED MEASURES (RM) DESIGN. THE RECORDINGS FOR STOP SIGNAL TASK WERE PERFORMED ON THREE DIFFERENT DAYS FOR BASELINE, POST-YBH, AND POST YOGIC BREATH AWARENESS (YBA) SESSIONS. STOP-SIGNAL REACTION TIME (SSRT), MEAN REACTION TIME TO GO STIMULI (GO RT), AND THE PROBABILITY OF RESPONDING ON-STOP SIGNAL TRIALS (P [R/S]) WERE ANALYZED FOR 36 VOLUNTEERS USING RM ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE. RESULTS: SSRT REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY IN BOTH YBH (218.33 +/- 38.38) AND YBA (213.15 +/- 37.29) GROUPS WHEN COMPARED TO BASELINE (231.98 +/- 29.54). NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE OBSERVED IN GO RT AND P (R/S). FURTHER, THE CHANGES IN SSRT WERE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT AMONG YBH AND YBA GROUPS. CONCLUSION: BOTH YBH AND YBA GROUPS WERE FOUND TO ENHANCE RESPONSE INHIBITION IN THE STOP-SIGNAL PARADIGM. YBH COULD BE FURTHER EVALUATED IN CLINICAL SETTINGS FOR CONDITIONS WHERE RESPONSE INHIBITION IS ALTERED. 2018 8 1365 23 IMPACT OF 10-WEEKS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON FLEXIBILITY AND BALANCE OF COLLEGE ATHLETES. BACKGROUND: WITH CLEARER EVIDENCE OF ITS BENEFITS, COACHES, AND ATHLETES MAY BETTER SEE THAT YOGA HAS A ROLE IN OPTIMIZING PERFORMANCE. AIMS: TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON MALE COLLEGE ATHLETES (N = 26). METHODS: OVER A 10-WEEK PERIOD, A YOGA GROUP (YG) OF ATHLETES (N = 14) TOOK PART IN BIWEEKLY YOGA SESSIONS; WHILE A NONYOGA GROUP (NYG) OF ATHLETES (N = 12) TOOK PART IN NO ADDITIONAL YOGA ACTIVITY. PERFORMANCE MEASURES WERE OBTAINED IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER THIS PERIOD. MEASUREMENTS OF FLEXIBILITY AND BALANCE, INCLUDED: SIT-REACH (SR), SHOULDER FLEXIBILITY (SF), AND STORK STAND (SS); DYNAMIC MEASUREMENTS CONSISTED OF JOINT ANGLES (JA) MEASURED DURING THE PERFORMANCE OF THREE DISTINCT YOGA POSITIONS (DOWNWARD DOG [DD]; RIGHT FOOT LUNGE [RFL]; CHAIR [C]). RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT GAINS WERE OBSERVED IN THE YG FOR FLEXIBILITY (SR, P = 0.01; SF, P = 0.03), AND BALANCE (SS, P = 0.05). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED IN THE NYG FOR FLEXIBILITY AND BALANCE. SIGNIFICANTLY, GREATER JA WERE OBSERVED IN THE YG FOR: RFL (DORSIFLEXION, L-ANKLE; P = 0.04), DD (EXTENSION, R-KNEE, P = 0.04; R-HIP; P = 0.01; FLEXION, R-SHOULDER; P = 0.01) AND C (FLEXION, R-KNEE; P = 0.01). SIGNIFICANT JA DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED IN THE NYG FOR: DD (FLEXION, R-KNEE, P = 0.01: R-HIP, P = 0.05; R-SHOULDER, P = 0.03) AND C (FLEXION R-KNEE, P = 0.01; EXTENSION, R-SHOULDER; P = 0.05). A BETWEEN GROUP COMPARISON REVEALED THE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES FOR: RFL (L-ANKLE; P = 0.01), DD (R-KNEE, P = 0.01; R-HIP; P = 0.01), AND C (R-SHOULDER, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS SUGGEST THAT A REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE MAY INCREASE THE FLEXIBILITY AND BALANCE AS WELL AS WHOLE BODY MEASURES OF MALE COLLEGE ATHLETES AND THEREFORE, MAY ENHANCE ATHLETIC PERFORMANCES THAT REQUIRE THESE CHARACTERISTICS. 2016 9 481 22 CLINICAL EFFICACY OF APAMARGA KSHARA YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SHVITRA (VITILIGO). INTRODUCTION: VITILIGO IS A PROGRESSIVE, IDIOPATHIC, PIGMENTATION DISORDER OF THE SKIN, CHARACTERIZED BY HYPOPIGMENTED PATCHES. THIS CONDITION IS COMPARED WITH SHVITRA IN AYURVEDA. MANY AYURVEDIC DRUGS ARE BENEFICIAL IN SUCH CASES AND APAMARGA KSHARA YOGA IS ONE AMONG THEM. AIM: TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF APAMARGA KSHARA YOGA IN LEPA AND OINTMENT FORMS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SHVITRA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: TOTAL 50 PATIENTS OF SHVITRA WERE RANDOMLY GROUPED INTO TWO. PATIENTS REGISTERED IN GROUP A (N = 25) WERE TREATED WITH APAMARGA KSHARA YOGA LEPA AND GROUP B (N = 25) WITH APAMARGA KSHARA YOGA OINTMENT FOR 2 MONTHS. RASAYANA CHURNA (3G) ALONG WITH HONEY AND GHEE WAS GIVEN TWICE DAILY INTERNALLY IN THE BOTH GROUPS. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WAS FOUND IN THE SYMPTOMS OF SHVITRA WITH TREATMENT IN BOTH THE GROUPS. THE DIFFERENCE IN BETWEEN THE GROUPS WAS STATISTICALLY INSIGNIFICANT. CONCLUSION: BOTH FORMS OF APAMRAGA KSHARA YOGA ARE EFFECTIVE IN CASES OF SHVITRA AND CAN BE GOOD ALTERNATIVES FOR CONTEMPORARY MEDICINES. 2015 10 244 24 A YOGA AND COMPASSION MEDITATION PROGRAM REDUCES STRESS IN FAMILIAL CAREGIVERS OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE PATIENTS. FAMILIAL CAREGIVERS OF PATIENTS WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE EXHIBIT REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE AND INCREASED STRESS LEVELS. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA AND COMPASSION MEDITATION PROGRAM ON THE PERCEIVED STRESS, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS IN FAMILIAL CAREGIVERS. A TOTAL OF 46 VOLUNTEERS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO PARTICIPATE IN A STRESS-REDUCTION PROGRAM FOR A 2-MONTH PERIOD (YOGA AND COMPASSION MEDITATION PROGRAM-YCMP GROUP) (N = 25) OR AN UNTREATED GROUP FOR THE SAME PERIOD OF TIME (CONTROL GROUP) (N = 21). THE LEVELS OF STRESS, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND MORNING SALIVARY CORTISOL OF THE PARTICIPANTS WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. THE GROUPS WERE INITIALLY HOMOGENEOUS; HOWEVER, AFTER INTERVENTION, THE GROUPS DIVERGED SIGNIFICANTLY. THE YCMP GROUP EXHIBITED A REDUCTION OF THE STRESS (P < 0.05), ANXIETY (P < 0.000001), AND DEPRESSION (P < 0.00001) LEVELS, AS WELL AS A REDUCTION IN THE CONCENTRATION OF SALIVARY CORTISOL (P < 0.05). OUR STUDY SUGGESTS THAT AN 8-WEEK YOGA AND COMPASSION MEDITATION PROGRAM MAY OFFER AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR REDUCING PERCEIVED STRESS, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND SALIVARY CORTISOL IN FAMILIAL CAREGIVERS. 2013 11 885 19 EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON REACTION TIME, RESPIRATORY ENDURANCE AND MUSCLE STRENGTH. THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT THE PRACTICE OF YOGA IMPROVES PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PERFORMANCE. THE PRESENT INVESTIGATION WAS UNDERTAKEN TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON VISUAL AND AUDITORY REACTION TIMES (RTS), MAXIMUM EXPIRATORY PRESSURE (MEP), MAXIMUM INSPIRATORY PRESSURE (MIP), 40 MMHG TEST, BREATH HOLDING TIME AFTER EXPIRATION (BHTEXP), BREATH HOLDING TIME AFTER INSPIRATION (BHTINSP), AND HAND GRIP STRENGTH (HGS). TWENTY SEVEN STUDENT VOLUNTEERS WERE GIVEN YOGA TRAINING FOR 12 WEEKS. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.001) DECREASE IN VISUAL RT (FROM 270.0 +/- 6.20 (SE) TO 224.81 +/- 5.76 MS) AS WELL AS AUDITORY RT (FROM 194.18 +/- 6.00 TO 157.33 +/- 4.85 MS). MEP INCREASED FROM 92.61 +/- 9.04 TO 126.46 +/- 10.75 MMHG, WHILE MIP INCREASED FROM 72.23 +/- 6.45 TO 90.92 +/- 6.03 MMHG, BOTH THESE CHANGES BEING STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05). 40 MMHG TEST AND HGS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < 0.001) FROM 36.57 +/- 2.04 TO 53.36 +/- 3.95 S AND 13.78 +/- 0.58 TO 16.67 +/- 0.49 KG RESPECTIVELY. BHTEXP INCREASED FROM 32.15 +/- 1.41 TO 44.53 +/- 3.78S (P < 0.01) AND BHTINSP INCREASED FROM 63.69 +/- 5.38 TO 89.07 +/- 9.61 S (P < 0.05). OUR RESULTS SHOW THAT YOGA PRACTICE FOR 12 WEEKS RESULTS IN SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN VISUAL AND AUDITORY RTS AND SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN RESPIRATORY PRESSURES, BREATH HOLDING TIMES AND HGS. 1992 12 808 26 EFFECT OF YOGA ON ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IN ELDERLY SUBJECTS WITH INCREASED PULSE PRESSURE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. OBJECTIVE: WE AIMED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON ARTERIAL FUNCTION IN ELDERLY WITH INCREASED PULSE PRESSURE (PP). DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY WITH TWO PARALLEL GROUPS. PARTICIPANTS: ELDERLY SUBJECTS WITH PP>/=60 MMHG (N=60). INTERVENTIONS: YOGA GROUP (N=30) WAS ASSIGNED FOR YOGA TRAINING AND BRISK-WALKING (BW) GROUP (N=30) FOR BRISK-WALK WITH STRETCHING EXERCISE FOR 1H IN THE MORNING FOR 6 DAYS IN A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ARTERIAL STIFFNESS MEASURES: BRACHIAL-ANKLE PULSE WAVE VELOCITY (BAPWV), CAROTID-FEMORAL PULSE WAVE VELOCITY (C-F PWV), AORTIC AUGMENTATION INDEX (AIX@75), ARTERIAL STIFFNESS INDEX AT BRACHIAL (BASI) AND TIBIAL ARTERIES (AASI). TOTAL SERUM NITRIC OXIDE CONCENTRATION (NOX) AS AN INDEX OF ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION. HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) MEASURES: LOW FREQUENCY AND HIGH FREQUENCY IN NORMALIZED UNITS (LFNU, HFNU) AND LF/HF RATIO. RESULTS: THE MEAN BETWEEN-GROUP CHANGE (WITH 95% CI) IN ARTERIAL STIFFNESS: C-F PWV(M/S) [1.25(0.59-1.89); P<0.001], BAPWV(M/S) [1.96(0.76-3.16), P<0.01], AIX@75 [3.07(0.24-5.89), P=0.066], AASI [8.3(4.06-12.53), P<0.001]; ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION INDEX: NO(MUMOL/L) [-9.03(-14.57 TO -3.47), P<0.001]; SBP(MMHG) [14.23(12.03-16.44), P<0.001], DBP(MMHG) [0.1(-1.95-2.15), P=0.38], PP(MMHG) [14.07(11.2-16.92), P<0.001], MAP(MMHG) [4.7(3.08-6.32), P<0.001]; AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION: LF(NU) [4.81(1.54-8.08), P<0.01], HF(NU) [-4.13(-7.57 TO -0.69), P<0.01], LF/HF RATIO [0.84(0.3-1.37), P<0.001], INDICATE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN EFFECTS OF TWO INTERVENTION ON ARTERIAL STIFFNESS, ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION, BP AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT CHANGE WITHIN-YOGA GROUP IN VASCULAR FUNCTION, BP AND AUTONOMIC FUNCTION, WHILE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE WITHIN-BW GROUP WAS OBSERVED. CONCLUSION: OUR FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA PROGRAM OFFERED WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN BRISK-WALK IN REDUCING ARTERIAL STIFFNESS ALONG WITH BP IN ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS WITH INCREASED PP. YOGA CAN ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY AND IMPROVE ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION WITH ENHANCEMENT IN BIOAVAILABILITY OF NO. 2015 13 534 22 COMPARISON OF YOGA AND WALKING-EXERCISE ON CARDIAC TIME INTERVALS AS A MEASURE OF CARDIAC FUNCTION IN ELDERLY WITH INCREASED PULSE PRESSURE. OBJECTIVE: ARTERIAL AGING ALONG WITH INCREASED BLOOD PRESSURE(BP) HAS BECOME THE MAJOR CARDIOVASCULAR(CV) RISK IN ELDERLY. THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA PROGRAM AND WALKING-EXERCISE ON CARDIAC FUNCTION IN ELDERLY WITH INCREASED PULSE PRESSURE (PP). METHODS: AN OPEN LABEL, PARALLEL-GROUP RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY DESIGN WAS ADOPTED. ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS AGED >/=60 YEARS WITH PP>/=60MMHG WERE RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY. YOGA (STUDY) GROUP (N=30) WAS ASSIGNED FOR YOGA TRAINING AND WALKING (EXERCISE) GROUP (N=30) FOR WALKING WITH LOOSENING PRACTICES FOR ONE HOUR IN THE MORNING FOR 6DAYS IN A WEEK FOR 3 MONTHS. THE OUTCOME MEASURES WERE CARDIAC TIME INTERVALS DERIVED FROM PULSE WAVE ANALYSIS AND ECG: RESTING HEART RATE (RHR), DIASTOLIC TIME(DT), VENTRICULAR EJECTION TIME(LVET), UPSTROKE TIME(UT), EJECTION DURATION INDEX (ED%), PRE-EJECTION PERIOD (PEP), RATE PRESSURE PRODUCT (RPP) AND PERCENTAGE OF MEAN ARTERIAL PRESSURE (%MAP). RESULTS: THE MEAN WITHIN-YOGA GROUP CHANGE IN RHR(BPM) WAS 4.41 (P=0.031), PD(MS): -50.29 (P=0.042), DT(MS): -49.04 (P=0.017), ED%: 2.107 (P=0.001), ES(MMHG/MS): 14.62 (P=0.118), ET(MS): -0.66 (P=0.903), UT(MS): -2.54 (P=0.676), PEP(MS): -1.25 (P=0.11) AND %MAP: 2.08 (P=0.04). THE MEAN WITHIN-CONTROL GROUP CHANGE IN HR (BPM) WAS 0.35 (P=0.887), PD (MS): 11.15(P=0.717), DT (MS): 11.3 (P=0.706), ED%: -0.101 (P=0.936), ES (MMHG/MS): 0.75 (P=0.926), ET(MS): 2.2 (P=0.721), UT(MS):4.7(P=455), PEP (MS): 2.1(P=0.11), %MAP: 0.65 (P=0.451). A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN-GROUP WAS FOUND IN RHR (P=0.036), PD (P=0.02), ED% (P=0.049), LVET (P=0.048), DT (P=0.02) AND RPP (P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PRACTICE FOR 3 MONTHS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN DIASTOLIC FUNCTION WITH A MINIMAL CHANGE IN SYSTOLIC FUNCTION. YOGA IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN WALKING IN IMPROVING CARDIAC FUNCTION IN ELDERLY WITH HIGH PP. 2017 14 1947 26 SAUNA YOGA SUPERIORLY IMPROVES FLEXIBILITY, STRENGTH, AND BALANCE: A TWO-ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL IN HEALTHY OLDER ADULTS. BESIDES STRENGTH AND BALANCE, FLEXIBILITY IS AN IMPORTANT INDICATOR OF HEALTH-RELATED PHYSICAL FITNESS. THUS, THE AIM OF THIS TWO-ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL WAS TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER SAUNA YOGA AT A MODERATE TEMPERATURE (50 DEGREES C) BENEFICIALLY AFFECTS FLEXIBILITY, STRENGTH, BALANCE, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) IN HEALTHY ELDERLY COMMUNITY DWELLERS. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO AN INTERVENTION GROUP (INT, N = 11, AGE: 68.7 +/- 5.9) OR CONTROL GROUP (CON, N = 12, AGE: 69.3 +/- 4.9), USING THE MINIMIZATION METHOD. AGE, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, GENDER, AND THE PRIMARY OUTCOME FLEXIBILITY WERE USED AS STRATA FOR GROUP ALLOCATION. BOTH GROUPS COMPLETED SIMILAR EXERCISES IN THE SAUNA OVER EIGHT WEEKS. ONLY THE INT GROUP WAS EXPOSED TO MODERATE TEMPERATURES OF 50 DEGREES C. LARGE AND STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN FAVOR OF THE SAUNA GROUP (INT) WAS OBSERVED FOR THE CHAIR SIT-AND-REACH TEST (INT: +83%, CON +3%, P = 0.028, NSMALL ER, CYRILLIC(2) = 0.24). THE SHOULDER AND LATERAL SPINE FLEXIBILITY WERE NOT RELEVANTLY AFFECTED. STRENGTH IN THE LOWER EXTREMITIES MERELY SHOWED A TENDENCY TO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES (INT: 16%, CON: 3%, P = 0.061, NSMALL ER, CYRILLIC(2) = 0.181). ADDITIONALLY, BALANCE ABILITIES, WITH EYES CLOSED, IMPROVED (INT: 187%, CON +58%, P = 0.056, NSMALL ER, CYRILLIC(2) = 0.189) IN FAVOR OF THE INT GROUP. QOL ONLY IMPROVED IN FAVOR OF THE INT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DIMENSION (INT: +7%, CON: 0%, P = 0.034, NSMALL ER, CYRILLIC(2) = 0.227). THESE FIRST BUT PRELIMINARY FINDINGS INDICATE THAT SAUNA YOGA MAY SERVE AS A PROMISING AND FEASIBLE MEANS TO IMPROVE FLEXIBILITY IN ELDERLY PEOPLE. STRENGTH AND BALANCE DO NOT MEANINGFULLY BENEFIT FROM A SAUNA ENVIRONMENT, ALTHOUGH STRENGTH IMPROVED TO A SLIGHTLY HIGHER EXTENT IN THE SAUNA GROUP. FUTURE LARGE-SCALE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO ELUCIDATE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS AND CORROBORATE THESE FINDINGS. 2019 15 2108 15 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON PUBORECTALIS PARADOX. NINE PATIENTS WITH SEVERE DEFAECATION DIFFICULTIES PRIMARILY CONSIDERED TO BE DUE TO PUBORECTALIS DYSFUNCTION (PUBORECTALIS PARADOX), VERIFIED BY ELECTROMYOGRAPHY (EMG) OF THE STRIATED ANAL SPHINCTER MUSCLES, WERE OFFERED TRAINING IN YOGIC TECHNIQUES OF RELAXATION AND MUSCLE CONTROL IN ORDER TO CHANGE THE ACTIVITY OF THE PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLES DURING ATTEMPTED DEFAECATION. FIVE PATIENTS COMPLETED THE TRAINING PROGRAM OF 20 2-HOUR SESSIONS AND WERE RE-EXAMINED CLINICALLY AND WITH EMG. ONE PATIENT REGAINED A NORMAL EMG PATTERN BUT NONE OF THE PATIENTS IMPROVED CLINICALLY. 1991 16 1433 13 IMPROVING THE DEGREE OF PUBIC ARCH POST-YOGA EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY. YOGA EXERCISES UNDERTAKEN DURING THE MATERNITY PERIOD MAY REDUCE UNPLEASANT SYMPTOMS DURING PREGNANCY AND REDUCE DELIVERY PAIN. FLEXIBILITY OF THE HIP JOINT IMPROVES THE DEGREE OF PUBIC ARCH CREATED IN AN OPEN-LEG POSTURE AND WIDENS THE PELVIC OUTLET REGION, SHORTENING THE TIME REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY AND FACILITATING EASY DELIVERY. THE DEGREE OF PUBIC ARCH IS RELATED TO THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE HIP JOINT. ALTHOUGH MANY STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THE EFFECT OF YOGA EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY, THE EFFECT ON THE DEGREE OF THE PUBIC ARCH HAS NOT BEEN ELUCIDATED. TO ELUCIDATE WHETHER THE DEGREE OF THE PUBIC ARCH IS IMPROVED BY YOGA EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY, THIS STUDY ENROLLED 177 PREGNANT SUBJECTS. THE DEGREE OF PUBIC ARCH PRE- AND POST-YOGA EXERCISE WAS MEASURED USING INSTRUMENTS IN AN OPEN-LEG POSTURE (SEATED WITH FEMURS ABDUCTED). THE MEAN PUBIC ARCH PRE- AND POST-YOGA WAS 122.61 AND 127.93 DEGREES, RESPECTIVELY. THE DEGREE OF PUBIC ARCH POST-YOGA SESSIONS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED COMPARED WITH PRE-YOGA SESSIONS (P < 0.01). THIS STUDY SHOWED THAT YOGA EXERCISES DURING THE PREGNANCY PERIOD APPEAR TO IMPROVE THE DEGREE OF PUBIC ARCH. 2021 17 2049 31 THE APPLICATION OF "UPPER-BODY YOGA" IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH ACUTE HIP FRACTURE: A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, AND SINGLE-BLIND STUDY. PURPOSES: HIP FRACTURE LEADS TO DECREASED ACTIVITY AND AN INCREASED RISK OF PULMONARY COMPLICATIONS. THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO OBSERVE THE LUNG CAPACITY, COUGH CAPACITY OF THE ELDERLY PATIENT WITH ACUTE HIP FRACTURE, AND ASSESS THE EFFECTS AND THE FEASIBILITY OF USING A SPECIAL-DESIGNED "UPPER-BODY YOGA" TRAINING TO TREAT ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH HIP FRACTURE. METHODS: THIS WAS A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, AND SINGLE-BLIND STUDY. EIGHTY-FOUR SUBJECTS AGED OVER 65 YEARS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO EITHER A CONTROL GROUP OR A YOGA GROUP TO UNDERGO AN ABDOMINAL BREATHING PROGRAM OR AN "UPPER-BODY YOGA" PROGRAM UNTIL 4 WEEKS AFTER SURGERY. THE PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE FORCED VITAL CAPACITY/PREDICTED VALUE (FVC%), PEAK COUGH FLOW (PCF), BARTHEL INDEX (BI), AND THE INCIDENCE OF PNEUMONIA. THE SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE THE RATES OF RIGHT SKILLS AND INCLINATION. RESULTS: THIRTY-NINE SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP AND 40 SUBJECTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP COMPLETED THIS STUDY. AT THE END OF THE FIRST TRAINING WEEK, FVC% (74.14% +/- 13.11% VS. 70.87% +/- 10.46%, P = 0.231) SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS, WHILE THE VALUE OF PCF (204.80 +/- 33.45 L/MIN VS. 189.06 +/- 34.80 L/MIN, P = 0.048) AND BI (38.59 +/- 8.66 VS. 33.00 +/- 9.32, P = 0.009) IN THE YOGA GROUP WAS HIGHER. AFTER 4 WEEKS OF TREATMENT, FVC%, PCF, AND BI WERE HIGHER IN THE YOGA GROUP (78.83% +/- 13.31 % VS. 72.20% +/- 10.53%, P = 0.016; 216.16 +/- 39.29 L/MIN VS. 194.95 +/- 31.14 L/MIN, P = 0.008; 70.77 +/- 10.23 VS. 65.75 +/- 11.30, P = 0.019). ONE IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND NOBODY IN THE YOGA GROUP WAS DIAGNOSED WITH PNEUMONIA. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS IN TERMS OF THE RATES OF RIGHT SKILLS, WHEREAS MORE ELDERLY PEOPLE PREFERRED THE TRAINING PROGRAM OF THE "UPPER-BODY YOGA." CONCLUSION: ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH ACUTE HIP FRACTURES ARE AT RISK OF IMPAIRED LUNG CAPACITY AND INADEQUATE COUGH. "UPPER-BODY YOGA" TRAINING MAY IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF DAILY LIFE, VITAL CAPACITY, AND COUGH FLOW IN ELDERLY PATIENTS, MAKING IT A BETTER CHOICE FOR BEDRIDDEN PATIENTS WITH HIP FRACTURE. 2019 18 512 30 COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF SAPTAMRITA LAUHA AND YOGA THERAPY IN MYOPIA. BACKGROUND: MYOPIA IS VERY COMMON OPHTHALMIC DISEASE ESPECIALLY IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENCE. IN AYURVEDIC TEXTS, ONLY BY THE MAIN FEATURE IMPAIRMENT OF DISTANT VISION MYOPIA CAN BE CORRELATED WITH DRISHTIGATA ROGAS (2(ND) PATALGATA TIMIRA). AIM: TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF SAPTAMRUTA LAUHA AND YOGA THERAPY IN MYOPIA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN PRESENT STUDY, A TOTAL 60 PATIENTS WITH AGE GROUP BETWEEN 8 TO 30 YEARS WERE SELECTED RANDOMLY FROM THE OUT-PATIENT DEPARTMENT OF SWASTHAVRITTA AND SHALAKYATANTRA DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT AYURVEDA COLLEGE, TRIVANDRUM, AND WERE DIVIDED IN TWO GROUPS. IN GROUP A, SAPTAMRITA LAUHA 250 MG TWICE DAILY WITH UNEQUAL QUANTITY OF HONEY AND GHRITA WAS ADMINISTERED WHILE IN GROUP B, PATIENTS SUBJECTED TO YOGA THERAPY (JALA NETI, NADI SHODHANA, SHITALI PRANAYAMA AND POINT TRATAK) FOR 3 MONTHS DURATION WITH 1 MONTH FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: THE RESULT OBTAINED FROM THE STUDY REVEALS THAT THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE VISUAL ACUITY AND CLINICAL REFRACTION, BUT ASSOCIATED CHANGES WERE OBSERVED AS REDUCED IN GROUP B WHEN COMPARED TO GROUP A. HOWEVER, RELIEF FROM HEADACHE WAS FOUND TO BE EQUALLY EFFECTIVE IN BOTH THE GROUPS. 2014 19 1420 19 IMPROVED PERFORMANCE IN THE TOWER OF LONDON TEST FOLLOWING YOGA. TWENTY GIRLS BETWEEN 10 AND 13 YEARS OF AGE, STUDYING AT A RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS. ONE GROUP PRACTICED YOGA FOR ONE HOUR FIFTEEN MINUTES PER DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK, WHILE THE OTHER GROUP WAS GIVEN PHYSICAL TRAINING FOR THE SAME TIME. TIME FOR PLANNING AND FOR EXECUTION AND THE NUMBER OF MOVES REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE TOWER OF LONDON TASK WERE ASSESSED FOR BOTH GROUPS AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF A MONTH. THESE THREE ASSESSMENTS WERE SEPARATELY TESTED IN INCREASINGLY COMPLEX TASKS REQUIRING 2-MOVES, 4-MOVES AND 5-MOVES. THE PRE-POST DATA WERE COMPARED USING THE WILCOXON PAIRED SIGNED RANKS TEST. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PLANNING TIME FOR BOTH 2-MOVES AND 4-MOVES TASKS (53.9 AND 59.1 PERCENT RESPECTIVELY), EXECUTION TIME IN BOTH 4-MOVES AND 5-MOVES TASKS (63.7 AND 60.3 PERCENT RESPECTIVELY), AND IN THE NUMBER OF MOVES IN THE 4-MOVES TASKS (20.9 PERCENT). THE PHYSICAL TRAINING GROUP SHOWED NO CHANGE. HENCE YOGA TRAINING FOR A MONTH REDUCED THE PLANNING AND EXECUTION TIME IN SIMPLE (2-MOVES) AS WELL AS COMPLEX TASKS (4, 5-MOVES) AND FACILITATED REACHING THE TARGET WITH A SMALLER NUMBER OF MOVES IN A COMPLEX TASK (4-MOVES). 2001 20 1029 21 EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISE ON SALIVARY BETA-DEFENSIN 2. PURPOSE: YOGA STRETCHING CAN BE DONE COMFORTABLY AND EASILY BY BEGINNERS AND OLDER ADULTS TO COMPENSATE FOR LACK OF EXERCISE OR POOR HEALTH MAINTENANCE. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA STRETCHING ON MUCOSAL IMMUNE FUNCTIONS, PRIMARILY HUMAN BETA-DEFENSIN 2 (HBD-2) IN SALIVA. METHODS: FIFTEEN HEALTHY ADULTS (AGE, 60.4 +/- 8.0 YEARS) PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. PARTICIPANTS RESTED FOR 90 MIN ON THE FIRST DAY AND PERFORMED YOGA FOR 90 MIN ON THE SECOND DAY. MEASUREMENTS WERE CARRIED OUT BEFORE AND AFTER REST OR YOGA. SALIVA SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED BY CHEWING A STERILE COTTON AT A FREQUENCY OF 60 CYCLES PER MIN. SALIVARY HBD-2 CONCENTRATION WAS MEASURED USING AN ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY. RESULTS: HBD-2 CONCENTRATION AFTER YOGA STRETCHING (165.4 +/- 127.1 PG/ML) WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THAT BEFORE YOGA STRETCHING (84.1 +/- 63.4 PG/ML; P < 0.01). HBD-2 EXPRESSION RATE AFTER YOGA STRETCHING (232.8 +/- 192.9 PG/MIN) WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THAT BEFORE YOGA STRETCHING (110.7 +/- 96.8 PG/MIN; P < 0.01). HBD-2 CONCENTRATION (P < 0.05) AND HBD-2 EXPRESSION RATE (P < 0.01) AT POST ON THE SECOND DAY (YOGA) WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THAT ON THE FIRST DAY (REST). POMS SCORE OF ANGER-HOSTILITY WAS LOWER AFTER YOGA THAN BEFORE. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA STRETCHING FOR 90 MIN CAN INCREASE SALIVARY HBD-2 EXPRESSION IN OLDER ADULTS. THEREFORE, YOGA STRETCHING MIGHT BE USEFUL FOR OLDER ADULTS AND ATHLETES TO MAINTAIN THEIR HEALTH. 2013