1 424 76 BUILDING BRIDGES FOR YOGA THERAPY RESEARCH: THE AETNA, INC. MIND-BODY PILOT STUDY ON CHRONIC AND HIGH STRESS. IN 2009, AETNA, INC., INVITED GARY KRAFTSOW AND THE AMERICAN VINIYOGA INSTITUTE (AVI) TO CONTRIBUTE TO A RESEARCH STUDY ON MODULATING STRESS. THIS PARTNERSHIP REPRESENTED THE FIRST FORMAL RECOGNITION OF THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF YOGA THERAPY IN MODERN HEALTHCARE BY AN INSURANCE COMPANY. THIS PROJECT EXEMPLIFIED THE POWER AND VALUE OF A COLLABORATION IN WHICH YOGA THERAPISTS MADE THE ANCIENT YOGA TEACHINGS RELEVANT TO HEALTHCARE RESEARCH. WE MUST UNDER-STAND OUR OWN ANCIENT TRADITIONS, LEARN THE LANGUAGE OF WESTERN MEDICINE, AND RECOGNIZE OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD BRIDGES TO MEDICAL DISCIPLINES, ACADEMIC PARTNERS, INSURERS, FUNDERS, AND POLICY MAKERS. 2012 2 1089 15 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM, GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC-ACID, AND ALLOSTASIS IN EPILEPSY, DEPRESSION, AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. A THEORY IS PROPOSED TO EXPLAIN THE BENEFITS OF YOGA PRACTICES IN DIVERSE, FREQUENTLY COMORBID MEDICAL CONDITIONS BASED ON THE CONCEPT THAT YOGA PRACTICES REDUCE ALLOSTATIC LOAD IN STRESS RESPONSE SYSTEMS SUCH THAT OPTIMAL HOMEOSTASIS IS RESTORED. IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT STRESS INDUCES (1) IMBALANCE OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (ANS) WITH DECREASED PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (PNS) AND INCREASED SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (SNS) ACTIVITY, (2) UNDERACTIVITY OF THE GAMMA AMINO-BUTYRIC ACID (GABA) SYSTEM, THE PRIMARY INHIBITORY NEUROTRANSMITTER SYSTEM, AND (3) INCREASED ALLOSTATIC LOAD. IT IS FURTHER HYPOTHESIZED THAT YOGA-BASED PRACTICES (4) CORRECT UNDERACTIVITY OF THE PNS AND GABA SYSTEMS IN PART THROUGH STIMULATION OF THE VAGUS NERVES, THE MAIN PERIPHERAL PATHWAY OF THE PNS, AND (5) REDUCE ALLOSTATIC LOAD. DEPRESSION, EPILEPSY, POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD), AND CHRONIC PAIN EXEMPLIFY MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT ARE EXACERBATED BY STRESS, HAVE LOW HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) AND LOW GABAERGIC ACTIVITY, RESPOND TO PHARMACOLOGIC AGENTS THAT INCREASE ACTIVITY OF THE GABA SYSTEM, AND SHOW SYMPTOM IMPROVEMENT IN RESPONSE TO YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS. THE OBSERVATION THAT TREATMENT RESISTANT CASES OF EPILEPSY AND DEPRESSION RESPOND TO VAGAL NERVE STIMULATION CORROBORATES THE NEED TO CORRECT PNS UNDERACTIVITY AS PART OF A SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT PLAN IN SOME CASES. ACCORDING TO THE PROPOSED THEORY, THE DECREASED PNS AND GABAERGIC ACTIVITY THAT UNDERLIES STRESS-RELATED DISORDERS CAN BE CORRECTED BY YOGA PRACTICES RESULTING IN AMELIORATION OF DISEASE SYMPTOMS. THIS HAS FAR-REACHING IMPLICATIONS FOR THE INTEGRATION OF YOGA-BASED PRACTICES IN THE TREATMENT OF A BROAD ARRAY OF DISORDERS EXACERBATED BY STRESS. 2012 3 1955 8 SELF - REALIZATION THROUGH THROUGH VEDANTA AND YOGA. THE SEEKER OF ULTIMATE TRUTH NEEDS THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRACTICAL SIDE OF VEDANTA PHILOSOPHY, THE FIVE KOSHAS OR SHEATHS BEYOND WHICH THE ATMAN, THE SELF REMAINS. THROUGH VEDANTA AND YOGA ONE CAN TRANSCEND THESE LAYERS IN A SYSTEMATIC MANNER TO ATTAIN SELF REALIZATION - ULTIMATE REALITY. 1983 4 1952 14 SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER AND THE YOGA PARADIGM: A RECONSIDERATION OF THE ROLE OF THE PINEAL GLAND. SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER IS A PSYCHIATRIC DISORDER WHOSE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND CLINICAL PRESENTATION ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD. BY APPLYING THE ANCIENT PARADIGM OF YOGA PSYCHOLOGY TO THIS SUBJECT, NEW UNDERSTANDINGS OF THE SYNDROME EMERGE REGARDING THE POSSIBLE ROLE OF THE PINEAL GLAND, THE CLINICAL PRESENTATION OF THE SYNDROME, AND THE POSSIBLE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF PHOTOTHERAPY. THE ENERGY DEPLETION MODEL PRESENTED HERE TIES TOGETHER SUCH DIVERSE ELEMENTS AS: DOSE-RESPONSE ASPECTS OF PHOTOTHERAPY, ANERGIA AS A PRIMARY SYMPTOM OF SAD, 'SPRING FEVER', MYOFASCIAL PAIN DISORDER, THE ANTI-GONADOTROPHIC EFFECT OF MELATONIN, AND PINEAL SUPERSENSITIVITY IN BIPOLAR PATIENTS. CLINICAL PREDICTIONS ARE MADE, AND SIMPLE RESEARCH PROTOCOLS ARE SUGGESTED WHICH CAN DIRECTLY TEST THE HYPOTHESES GENERATED BY THIS PARADIGM. 1990 5 1775 10 PRACTICE OF YOGA MAY CAUSE DAMAGE OF BOTH SCIATIC NERVES: A CASE REPORT. SCIATIC NERVE TRAUMATIC DAMAGE VERY RARELY OCCURS BILATERALLY. WE DESCRIBE THE CASE OF A 67-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WHO REPORTED A BILATERAL TRAUMATIC LESION OF THE SCIATIC NERVE DURING PRACTICE OF YOGA. NERVE CONDUCTION STUDIES SHOWED A BILATERAL SCIATIC NERVE NEUROPATHY, MOSTLY AFFECTING THE PERONEAL COMPONENT. LUMBAR PLEXUS MRI DOCUMENTED REGULAR ANATOMICAL FEATURES OF THE MAIN PRINCIPAL NERVE ROOTS WITH BILATERAL T2 SIGNAL ALTERATION OF ROOTS L4, L5 AND S1 THAT EXTENDED INTO THE SCIATIC NERVES SHOWING BOTH INCREASE IN SIZE, PROBABLY RELATED TO CHRONIC INJURY OF NERVES, AND AN ALTERATION IN DIFFUSION SIGNAL THAT SUGGESTED A RECENT ACUTE OVERLAPPED PROCESS. 2013 6 2694 11 YOGA INDUCED ACUTE ULNAR NERVE COMPRESSION BY A GANGLION CYST IN GUYON'S CANAL. ACUTE ULNAR NEUROPATHY AT THE WRIST CAN BE DIFFICULT TO DIAGNOSE, AS IT IS AN UNCOMMON NEUROPATHY WITH VARIABLE CLINICAL PRESENTATIONS AND NUMEROUS ETIOLOGIES. WE PRESENT A CASE OF ACUTE ULNAR NEUROPATHY OF THE DEEP MOTOR BRANCH CAUSED BY A GANGLION CYST IN GUYON'S CANAL. INTERESTINGLY, THIS CASE OF ACUTE LOSS OF MOTOR FUNCTION OCCURRED AFTER THE PATIENT PARTICIPATED IN YOGA (SPECIFICALLY THE DOWNWARD DOG POSITION), AND RESOLVED SPONTANEOUSLY OVER TIME AFTER STOPPING YOGA, WITHOUT SURGICAL EXCISION OF THE GANGLION, SUGGESTING EXACERBATION OR PROTRUSION OF AN OCCULT GANGLION CYST DUE TO INCREASED ACTIVITY AND COMPRESSION OF THE HYPOTHENAR EMINENCE. 2013 7 2809 13 YOGA THERAPY: BUILDING A HOLDING ENVIRONMENT FOR SOMATIC AND PSYCHE CHANGE. DRAWING ON IDEAS FROM D.W. WINNICOTT AND THE WORK OF QUAKER THEOLOGIAN PARKER PALMER, THIS ARTICLE DISCUSSES THE CONCEPT OF A HOLDING ENVIRONMENT, ITS REFINED UNDERSTANDING IN THE LITERATURE OVER THE YEARS, AND HOW IT CAN BE OPTIMALLY USED IN YOGA THERAPY. THE EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT EFFECTIVELY ESTABLISHING A HOLDING ENVIRONMENT CAN FACILITATE BOTH SOMATIC AND DEEP STRUCTURAL CHANGE IN A CLIENT, FACILITATING HEALING FROM PRIMAL WOUNDING AS WELL AS THE POTENTIAL RECONNECTION TO THE TRUE SELF. 2015 8 42 9 A CASE OF RECTUS SHEATH HEMATOMA CAUSED BY YOGA EXERCISE. RECTUS SHEATH HEMATOMA IS A RELATIVELY RARE CONDITION BUT A SIGNIFICANT CAUSE OF ACUTE ABDOMINAL PAIN. THE ACUTE ABDOMINAL PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH RECTUS SHEATH HEMATOMA CAN MIMIC SEVERAL CONDITIONS, SUCH AS APPENDICITIS, INTESTINAL PROBLEMS (OBSTRUCTION, PERFORATION, HERNIA, MALIGNANCY), AND GYNECOLOGIC DISEASE (OVARIAN CYST, TORSION, TUBO-OVARIAN ABSCESS, ECTOPIC PREGNANCY). CORRECT DIAGNOSIS AND SUBSEQUENT TREATMENT DEPENDS ON CAREFUL HISTORY TAKING AND APPROPRIATE USE OF DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS TO AVOID UNNECESSARY LAPAROTOMY. WE REPORT A CASE OF RECTUS SHEATH HEMATOMA DUE TO NONCONTACT STRENUOUS EXERCISE, YOGA, THAT MIMICKED GYNECOLOGIC DISEASES. 2009 9 1674 16 NURTURING THE FEMALE BODY: NOTIONS OF WELLBEING IN WOMB YOGA. ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES WHICH AIM TO ENHANCE WOMEN'S WELLBEING HAVE BEEN ACCUSED OF CONTRIBUTING TO HEALTHIST AND POSTFEMINIST AGENDAS WHICH REST UPON A NEOLIBERAL LOGIC. I CRITICALLY ENGAGE WITH THIS ISSUE HERE THROUGH AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY OF WOMB YOGA, A WOMEN'S ALTERNATIVE THERAPY DEVELOPED IN THE UK. I ARGUE THAT WHILE BEING COMMERCIAL AND EMPHASIZING PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, WOMB YOGA LARGELY WORKS AGAINST THE CURRENT NEOLIBERAL OPTIMIZATION IDEAL. WOMB YOGA PRACTITIONERS DISMISS GOAL-ORIENTED SELF-MANAGEMENT AND DISCIPLINE, AND AVOID A SIMPLE REPRODUCTION OF GENDER STEREOTYPES BY DEFLECTING CARE AWAY FROM OTHER-DIRECTEDNESS AND OPENING THE INTERPRETATION OF FEMININITY TO THE IMAGINATIVE AND EXPERIENTIAL REALMS. 2021 10 2239 15 THE IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH LITERACY FOR YOGA THERAPISTS. EVIDENCE-INFORMED PRACTICE (EIP) UTILIZES THE THREE COMPONENTS OF EXPERT OPINION, RESEARCH EVIDENCE, AND CLIENT VALUES. IT IS A RECOMMENDED TRAINING COMPETENCY FOR INTEGRATIVE HEALTH PRACTITIONERS IN DIVERSE FIELDS, SUCH AS ACUPUNCTURE AND MASSAGE THERAPY. RESEARCH LITERACY (RL) IS A NECESSARY PRE-REQUISITE TO EIP. MANY YOGA THERAPISTS HAVE LIMITED TRAINING IN THESE SKILLS, WHICH NEGATIVELY IMPACTS INTER-PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION, AS WELL AS FURTHER ADVANCEMENT OF YOGA THERAPY RESEARCH AND PRACTICE. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE PROPOSE INCLUSION OF RL AND EIP IN THE TRAINING OF YOGA THERAPISTS. BENEFITS FOR CLIENT CARE, COLLABORATIVE CARE, AND THE FIELD OF YOGA THERAPY ARE DISCUSSED. 2017 11 2309 11 TRANSFORMING CARE WITH YOGA THERAPY. VERONICA RIERA-GILLEY PARTNERS WITH CERTIFIED YOGA THERAPIST ANGEL BROWNLEE TO DISCUSS THE ADAPTABILITY OF A YOGA PRACTICE TO AN OLDER PERSON'S UNIQUE MOVEMENT NEEDS AS THEY PROGRESS THROUGH LATE-LIFE TO END-OF-LIFE. THE AUTHORS DISCUSS THE BENEFITS OF AND PROVIDE RESOURCES FOR YOGA THERAPY. 2021 12 407 12 BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PIEZOELECTRICITY IN RELATION TO ACUPUNCTURE, HATHA YOGA, OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE AND ACTION OF AIR IONS. PIEZOELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES SUCH AS PROTEINS, NUCLEIC ACIDS AND MUCOPOLYSACCHARIDES ARE REVIEWED IN THIS PAPER. IT IS INDICATED THAT THE STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS OF THE HUMAN BODY COMPOSED OF THESE PIEZOELECTRIC SUBSTANCES ARE CAPABLE OF TRANSDUCING A MECHANICAL ENERGY INTO AN ELECTRIC CURRENT. SUCH A TRANSDUCTION MAY BE BROUGHT ABOUT BY MOVEMENTS OF AN ACUPUNCTURE NEEDLE, OSTEOPATHIC MANIPULATIONS; HATHA YOGA POSTURES OR ACTION OF NEGATIVELY CHARGED AIR IRONS. IT IS POSTULATED THAT ELECTRIC CURRENT INDUCED BY STIMULATION OF THE SPECIFIC SITES ON THE SURFACE OF HUMAN BODY FLOWS TOWARDS THE INTERNAL ORGANS ALONG THE SEMICONDUCTIVE CHANNELS OF BIOLOGIC MACROMOLECULES. ELECTRIC CURRENT INDUCED EITHER BY THE PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCTION OR DIRECTLY APPLIED FROM AN EXTERNAL SOURCE MAY IN TURN STIMULATE INDIVIDUAL CELLS IN THE TARGET ORGAN. INVOLVEMENT OF ELECTRICAL PHENOMENA IN REGULATORY MECHANISMS ON CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LEVELS IS DISCUSSED. 1977 13 2280 10 THE SEVEN SURPRISES: WHAT I'VE LEARNED ABOUT NURSING THROUGH YOGA. UPDATED SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK WITH POSTS BY A WIDE VARIETY OF AUTHORS, AJN'S BLOG OFF THE CHARTS ALLOWS US TO PROVIDE MORE TIMELY-AND OFTEN MORE PERSONAL-PERSPECTIVES ON PROFESSIONAL, POLICY, AND CLINICAL ISSUES. BEST OF THE BLOG IS A REGULAR COLUMN TO DRAW THE ATTENTION OF AJN READERS TO POSTS WE THINK DESERVE A WIDER AUDIENCE. TO READ MORE, PLEASE VISIT: WWW.AJNOFFTHECHARTS.COM. 2021 14 409 18 BLENDING MARTIAL ARTS AND YOGA FOR HEALTH: FROM THE LAST SAMURAI TO THE FIRST ODAKA YOGA WARRIOR. THIS PAPER INTRODUCES THE CASE STUDY OF ODAKA YOGA, AN INNOVATIVE STYLE OF POSTURAL YOGA BLENDED WITH MARTIAL ARTS ELEMENTS WHICH EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF PRACTITIONERS' HEALTH AND PROCESSES OF SELF-TRANSFORMATION AS PIVOTAL TO THE SCHOOL'S ETHOS. MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE PAPER EXPLORES HOW ODAKA YOGA'S PHILOSOPHICAL BACKDROPS AND PRACTICAL REPERTOIRE, COMPOSED BY A MIXTURE OF "EXOTIC" RESOURCES SUCH AS BUSHIDO, ZEN, YOGA, AND A CONSTANT REFERENCE TO THE OCEAN WAVES AND BIOMECHANICS, CONSTITUTE A VERY SPECIFIC VISION OF HEALTH AT THE INTERSECTION OF WESTERN SCIENCE AND ESOTERIC KNOWLEDGE. THEORETICALLY, THE PAPER BORROWS FROM JENNINGS' THEORY OF MARTIAL CREATION AND ENRICHES IT WITH SOME OF THE CENTRAL ANALYTICAL TOOLS PROPOSED BY THEORISTS SUCH AS BOURDIEU AND FOUCAULT. METHODOLOGICALLY, IT RELIES ON A MULTIMODAL APPROACH INCLUDING DISCURSIVE ANALYSIS OF THE SCHOOL'S PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS, INTERVIEWS WITH THE FOUNDERS AND OTHER KEY TEACHERS, AND OBSERVANT PARTICIPATION OF PRACTITIONERS' APPRENTICESHIP PROCESSES. MORE SPECIFICALLY, THIS PAPER DISCUSSES THE BIRTH OF ODAKA YOGA AS OCCURRING AT THE INTERSECTION OF ASIAN MARTIAL ARTS AND YOGA, AS WELL AS THE FOUNDERS' BIOGRAPHICAL TRAJECTORIES FROM THE WORLD OF COMPETITIVE MARTIAL ARTS AND FITNESS, TO YOGA; IT THEN TURNS TO AN EXAMINATION OF ODAKA YOGA'S CONCEPTION OF HEALTH AS A MIXTURE OF THE WESTERN BIOMEDICAL MODEL AND THE SUBTLE BODY MODEL OF ASIAN TRADITIONS SUCH AS YOGA AND MARTIAL ARTS. IT ARGUES THAT THE CONCEPTION OF HEALTH PROMOTED BY THIS SCHOOL GIVES RISE TO THE ODAKA YOGA WARRIOR, THE IDEAL-TYPICAL PRACTITIONER WHOSE BODY IS SIMULTANEOUSLY EXPOSED TO THE MEDICAL GAZE AND ITS IMPERATIVES OF CONTROL, KNOWLEDGE, AND MANIPULATION; WHILE IT ALSO DEIFIES IT, AS IT IS ANIMATED BY THE ELUSIVE FLOWS OF ENERGY (QI OR PRANA) THAT PROLONGED PRACTICE AIMS TO MASTER. THE PAPER CONCLUDES WITH A REFLECTION ON HYBRID CONCEPTIONS OF HEALTH AND THE UBIQUITOUS ROLE OF HEALTH DISCOURSES AND NARRATIVES ACROSS SOCIOCULTURAL DOMAINS. 2020 15 2839 14 YOGA, AHIMSA AND CONSUMING ANIMALS: UK YOGA TEACHERS' BELIEFS ABOUT FARMED ANIMALS AND ATTITUDES TO PLANT-BASED DIETS. YOGA IS A HOLISTIC DISCIPLINE ORIGINATING IN ANCIENT INDIA. YOGA HAS LINKS WITH HINDUISM, BUDDHISM AND JAINISM BASED ON A SHARED PHILOSOPHICAL FRAMEWORK OF UNITY WITH ALL BEINGS AND BELIEF IN AHIMSA, MEANING NON-HARMING. THERE IS DEBATE IN THE INTERNATIONAL YOGA COMMUNITY ABOUT THE SPIRITUAL, ETHICAL AND HEALTH-RELATED LINKS BETWEEN YOGA AND PLANT-BASED DIETS. THIS MIXED METHODOLOGY RESEARCH INVESTIGATES THE BELIEFS ABOUT THE MORAL STATUS OF FARMED ANIMALS AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS PLANT-BASED DIETS OF UK YOGA TEACHERS. A SEQUENTIAL MIXED-METHODS DESIGN EMPLOYING A QUESTIONNAIRE AND SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS IS USED. THIS PAPER FOCUSES ON THE QUESTIONNAIRE-BASED PHASE OF THE RESEARCH. KEY RESULTS ARE: (I) UK YOGA TEACHERS HAVE VERY PROGRESSIVE BELIEFS ABOUT THE MORAL STATUS OF FARMED ANIMALS; (II) 29.6% OF UK YOGA TEACHERS FOLLOW A PLANT-BASED DIET (N = 446), WHICH IS 25-FOLD THE PROPORTION IN THE WIDER UK POPULATION; (III) 73.9% DESIRE TO FOLLOW A PLANT-BASED DIET; (IV) 68.6% REGARD PLANT-BASED DIETS AS BEST ALIGNED TO THEIR YOGIC PRACTICE; AND (V) UK YOGA TEACHERS WITH MORE PROGRESSIVE BELIEFS ABOUT FARMED ANIMALS AND WITH MORE SELF-REPORTED KNOWLEDGE OF AGRICULTURE ABSTAIN FROM CONSUMING ANIMAL PRODUCTS TO A GREATER EXTENT. THE FAR HIGHER PROPORTIONS OF UK YOGA TEACHERS FOLLOWING VEGETARIAN AND PLANT-BASED DIETS, RELATIVE TO THE WIDER POPULATION, ARE LIKELY BASED ON APPLYING YOGIC TEACHINGS SUCH AS THE PRINCIPLE OF AHIMSA THROUGH ABSTAINING FROM THE CONSUMPTION OF ANIMAL PRODUCTS. 2020 16 1265 13 FLEXIBILITY-NOT JUST FOR YOGA ANYMORE! OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, NUCLEOSIDES HAVE MAINTAINED A PROMINENT ROLE AS ONE OF THE CORNERSTONES OF ANTIVIRAL AND ANTICANCER THERAPEUTICS, AND MANY APPROACHES TO NUCLEOSIDE DRUG DESIGN HAVE BEEN PURSUED. ONE SUCH APPROACH INVOLVES FLEXIBILITY IN THE SUGAR MOIETY OF NUCLEOSIDES, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL ANTI-HIV AND HBV DRUG TENOFOVIR. IN CONTRAST, INTRODUCTION OF FLEXIBILITY TO THE NUCLEOBASE SCAFFOLD HAS ONLY MORE RECENTLY GAINED SIGNIFICANCE WITH THE INVENTION OF OUR FLEXIMERS. THE HISTORY, DEVELOPMENT, AND SOME BIOLOGICAL RELEVANCE FOR THIS INNOVATIVE CLASS OF NUCLEOSIDES ARE DETAILED HEREIN. 2018 17 1614 13 MIND AND CONSCIOUSNESS IN YOGA - VEDANTA: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS WITH WESTERN PSYCHOLOGICAL CONCEPTS. STUDY OF MIND AND CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH ESTABLISHED SCIENTIFIC METHODS IS OFTEN DIFFICULT DUE TO THE OBSERVED-OBSERVER DICHOTOMY. CARTESIAN APPROACH OF DUALISM CONSIDERING THE MIND AND MATTER AS TWO DIVERSE AND UNCONNECTED ENTITIES HAS BEEN QUESTIONED BY ORIENTAL SCHOOLS OF YOGA AND VEDANTA AS WELL AS THE RECENT QUANTUM THEORIES OF MODERN PHYSICS. FREUDIAN AND NEO-FREUDIAN SCHOOLS BASED ON THE CARTESIAN MODEL HAVE BEEN CRITICIZED BY THE HUMANISTIC SCHOOLS WHICH COME MUCH CLOSER TO THE VEDANTIC APPROACH OF UNITARINESS. A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE TWO APPROACHES IS DISCUSSED. 2013 18 1595 15 MEDITATION AND YOGA-ASSISTED ALTERATION OF DIETARY BEHAVIOR AS A USEFUL STRATEGY FOR LIMITING ZOONOTIC PANDEMICS: A NOVEL INSIGHT. VEGETARIAN DIETS ARE KNOWN TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE EFFECTS ON PERSONAL AND PLANETARY HEALTH AND ARE LIKELY TO CURB ZOONOTIC INFECTION TRANSMISSION. WE PROPOSE THAT MINIMIZING MEAT CONSUMPTION SHOULD BECOME AN ESSENTIAL DIETARY SHIFT IN THE POST-COVID-19 ERA. TO DATE, HOWEVER, THERE IS LIMITED KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING SUITABLE METHODS THAT COULD CATALYZE THIS CHANGE ON A GLOBAL SCALE. MEDITATION AND YOGA ARE PRACTICAL AND EASY TO IMPLEMENT PSYCHOMODULATORY STRATEGIES THAT CAN NATURALLY TRIGGER VEGETARIANISM AND RELATED EATING BEHAVIORS, LOWERING OUR RELIANCE ON ANIMAL MEAT. DECREASING DEPENDENCE ON ANIMAL MEAT REDUCES THE NEED FOR ANIMAL MARKETS AND MAY SUBSTANTIALLY MINIMIZE THE LIKELIHOOD OF SPILLOVER (PASSAGE OF VIRUSES FROM ANIMAL RESERVOIRS INTO HUMAN POPULATIONS). GLOBAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THESE STRATEGIES, IN OUR OPINION, CAN ADD TO SPIRITUAL WISDOM, COMPASSION, AND COOPERATIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR, THUS REDUCING THE ENCROACHMENT OF WILD-LIFE RESERVES AND ANIMAL EXPLOITATION. THE APPLICATION OF THESE ANCIENT INDIAN APPROACHES REPRESENTS A NOVEL AND FOCUSED STRATEGY TOWARD CURBING ZOONOTIC PANDEMICS. KEYWORDS: CORONAVIRUS DISEASE-19, MEAT-EATING, MEDITATION, PANDEMICS, VIRAL SPILLOVER, YOGA. 2020 19 1416 10 IMPORTANCE OF MANAS TATTVA: A SEARCHLIGHT IN YOGA DARSHANA. SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL 'MANAS' HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF CURIOSITY FOR SCHOLARS, SCIENTISTS AND PHILOSOPHERS. THE REASON BEHIND THIS CURIOSITY IS ITS IMPORTANCE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MANKIND. HUMAN BEING IS SUPERIOR TO OTHER CREATURES IN THE SERIES OF DEVELOPMENT. THIS SUPREMACY OF MAN REMAINS IN HIS QUALITY TO WORK AFTER THINKING, WHICH IS THE FUNCTION OF 'MANAS'. NO OTHER ANIMAL IS CAPABLE TO THINK LOGICALLY. THIS IS THE ONLY REASON WHICH LEADS THE MANKIND TO THE CREST OF DEVELOPMENT IN EVERY ASPECT. TO HIGHLIGHT THE CONCEPT OF MANAS IN YOGA DARSHANA, INFORMATION EXTRACTED FROM YOGA LITERATURES AND AYURVEDIC SAMHITAS. IN INDIAN CULTURE MIND HAS BEEN DESCRIBED FROM VARIOUS ANGLES. VEDIC, PHILOSOPHICAL AND AYURVEDIC LITERATURES HAVE A VAST AND EXCLUSIVE DESCRIPTION OF MANAS. PHILOSOPHERS EITHER ASTIKA OR NASTIKA HAVE DESCRIBED MANAS SIDDHANTA VIVIDLY. THOUGH MANY KINDS OF DIFFERENCE OF OPINIONS ARE THERE, YOGA DARSHANA ACCEPT THE IMPORTANCE OF MIND IN THE PROCESS OF PERCEPTION AND EVEN FOR THE BIRTH OF ANY INDIVIDUAL. 2014 20 2907 13 [ON THE METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE ELUCIDATION OF MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THERAPEUTIC EFFECTIVENESS OF CIGUN, INDIAN AND TIBETAN YOGA THERAPY]. THE METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH IS PROPOSED ALLOWING TO OBJECTIVELY CHARACTERIZE NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THERAPEUTIC EFFECTIVENESS OF CIGUN, INDIAN AND TIBETAN YOGA THERAPY. EXECUTION OF EXERCISES STIPULATED IN THESE PROGRAMS IS INTERPRETED AS A CONSCIOUSNESS-INSPIRED SPECIFIC FORM OF HUMAN BEHAVIOUR (ACTIVITY). STEP-BY-STEP ANALYSIS OF MENTALLY-ORGANIZED BODY'S FUNCTIONAL SYSTEMS AS A NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF REALIZABLE BEHAVIOUR IS PRESENTED. OPERATIONAL INTERPRETATION OF INTERNAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE SYSTEM'S FUNCTIONING PERMITS TO EVALUATE THE STEREOTYPE BRAIN CONDITION ACTUALIZED BY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS AND MOTIVATIONS THAT INITIATES SENSORY DEPRIVATION TO ENSURE PRIORITY REALIZATION OF INTERNAL GENETICALLY DETERMINED ACTIVITY OF THE HUMAN BODY. MOBILIZATION OF THIS INTERNAL ACTIVITY IS DESCRIBED AS A PROCESS OF SELECTIVE FORMATION OF MANY COMPLICATED INTERACTIONS BETWEEN VARIOUS STRUCTURES OF THE RETICULAR FORMATION, LIMBIC SYSTEM, SUBCORTICAL CENTRES, AND NEOCORTEX MAINTAINING PRIORITY FUNCTIONING OF HOMEOSTATIC MECHANISMS OF SELF-REGULATION AND INBORN HUMAN BEHAVIOUR. THESE MECHANISMS ARE BELIEVED TO UNDERLIE THE AUTORECONSTRUCTIVE POTENTIAL OF HUMAN ORGANISM BY ENSURING SYSTEMIC CORRECTION AND RESTORATION OF ITS FUNCTIONAL RESOURCES. 2010