1 1148 116 ENERGY EXPENDITURE IN VINYASA YOGA VERSUS WALKING. BACKGROUND: WHETHER THE ENERGY COST OF VINYASA YOGA MEETS THE CRITERIA FOR MODERATE-TO-VIGOROUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAS NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED. PURPOSE: TO COMPARE ENERGY EXPENDITURE DURING ACUTE BOUTS OF VINYASA YOGA AND 2 WALKING PROTOCOLS. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS (20 MALES, 18 FEMALES) PERFORMED 60-MINUTE SESSIONS OF VINYASA YOGA (YOGA), TREADMILL WALKING AT A SELF-SELECTED BRISK PACE (SELF), AND TREADMILL WALKING AT A PACE THAT MATCHED THE HEART RATE OF THE YOGA SESSION (HR-MATCH). ENERGY EXPENDITURE WAS ASSESSED VIA INDIRECT CALORIMETRY. RESULTS: ENERGY EXPENDITURE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN YOGA COMPARED WITH HR-MATCH (DIFFERENCE = 79.5 +/- 44.3 KCAL; P < .001) AND SELF (DIFFERENCE = 51.7 +/- 62.6 KCAL; P < .001), BUT NOT IN SELF COMPARED WITH HR-MATCH (DIFFERENCE = 27.8 +/- 72.6 KCAL; P = .054). A SIMILAR PATTERN WAS OBSERVED FOR METABOLIC EQUIVALENTS (HR-MATCH = 4.7 +/- 0.8, SELF = 4.4 +/- 0.7, YOGA = 3.6 +/- 0.6; P < .001). ANALYSES USING ONLY THE INITIAL 45 MINUTES FROM EACH OF THE SESSIONS, WHICH EXCLUDED THE RESTORATIVE COMPONENT OF YOGA, SHOWED ENERGY EXPENDITURE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN YOGA COMPARED WITH HR-MATCH (DIFFERENCE = 68.0 +/- 40.1 KCAL; P < .001) BUT NOT COMPARED WITH SELF (DIFFERENCE = 15.1 +/- 48.7 KCAL; P = .189). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA MEETS THE CRITERIA FOR MODERATE-INTENSITY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. THUS, YOGA MAY BE A VIABLE FORM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO ACHIEVE PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDELINES AND TO ELICIT HEALTH BENEFITS. 2017 2 1305 22 HATHA YOGA PRACTICES: ENERGY EXPENDITURE, RESPIRATORY CHANGES AND INTENSITY OF EXERCISE. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO CRITICALLY OBSERVE THE ENERGY EXPENDITURE, EXERCISE INTENSITY AND RESPIRATORY CHANGES DURING A FULL YOGA PRACTICE SESSION. OXYGEN CONSUMPTION ([FORMULA: SEE TEXT]), CARBON DIOXIDE OUTPUT ([FORMULA: SEE TEXT]), PULMONARY VENTILATION ([FORMULA: SEE TEXT]E), RESPIRATORY RATE (FR) AND TIDAL VOLUME (VT), WERE MEASURED IN 16 PHYSICAL POSTURE (ASANAS), FIVE YOGA BREATHING MANEUVERS (BM) AND TWO TYPES OF MEDITATION. TWENTY MALE (AGE 27.3 +/- 3.5 YEARS, HEIGHT 166.6 +/- 5.4 CM AND BODY WEIGHT 58.8 +/- 9.6 KG) YOGA INSTRUCTORS WERE STUDIED. THEIR MAXIMAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION ([FORMULA: SEE TEXT]) WAS RECORDED. THE EXERCISE INTENSITY IN ASANAS WAS EXPRESSED IN PERCENTAGE [FORMULA: SEE TEXT] . IN ASANAS, EXERCISE INTENSITY VARIED FROM 9.9 TO 26.5% OF [FORMULA: SEE TEXT] . HIGHEST ENERGY COST WAS 3.02 KCAL MIN(-1). IN BM HIGHEST [FORMULA: SEE TEXT]E WAS 53.7 +/- 15.5 L MIN(-1). VT WAS 0.97 +/- 0.59, 1.41 +/- 1.27 AND 1.28 +/- L/BREATH WITH CORRESPONDING FR OF 14.0 +/- 5.3, 10.0 +/- 6.35, 10.0 +/- 5.8 BREATHS/MIN. AVERAGE ENERGY EXPENDITURE IN ASANAS, BM AND MEDITATION WERE 2.29, 1.91 AND 1.37 KCAL MIN(-1), RESPECTIVELY. METABOLIC RATE WAS GENERALLY IN THE RANGE OF 1-2 METABOLIC EQUIVALENTS (MET) EXCEPT IN THREE ASANAS WHERE IT WAS >2 MET. [FORMULA: SEE TEXT] WAS 0.27 +/- 0.05 AND 0.24 +/- 0.04 L MIN(-1) IN MEDITATION AND SHAVASANA, RESPECTIVELY. ALTHOUGH YOGIC PRACTICES ARE LOW INTENSITY EXERCISES WITHIN LACTATE THRESHOLD, PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT IS POSSIBLE OWING TO BOTH BETTER ECONOMY OF BREATHING BY BM AND ALSO BY IMPROVEMENT IN CARDIOVASCULAR RESERVE. OTHER FACTORS SUCH AS PSYCHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BETTER RELAXATION MAY CONTRIBUTE TO IT. 2011 3 630 26 DIFFERENCES IN ENERGY EXPENDITURE DURING HIGH-SPEED VERSUS STANDARD-SPEED YOGA: A RANDOMIZED SEQUENCE CROSSOVER TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: TO COMPARE ENERGY EXPENDITURE AND VOLUME OF OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND CARBON DIOXIDE PRODUCTION DURING A HIGH-SPEED YOGA AND A STANDARD-SPEED YOGA PROGRAM. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED REPEATED MEASURES CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: A LABORATORY OF NEUROMUSCULAR RESEARCH AND ACTIVE AGING. INTERVENTIONS: SUN-SALUTATION B WAS PERFORMED, FOR EIGHT MINUTES, AT A HIGH SPEED VERSUS AND A STANDARD-SPEED SEPARATELY WHILE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION WAS RECORDED. CALORIC EXPENDITURE WAS CALCULATED USING VOLUME OF OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND CARBON DIOXIDE PRODUCTION. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: DIFFERENCE IN ENERGY EXPENDITURE (KCAL) OF HSY AND SSY. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED IN ENERGY EXPENDITURE BETWEEN YOGA SPEEDS WITH HIGH-SPEED YOGA PRODUCING SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER ENERGY EXPENDITURE THAN STANDARD-SPEED YOGA (MD=18.55, SE=1.86, P<0.01). SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE ALSO SEEN BETWEEN HIGH-SPEED AND STANDARD-SPEED YOGA FOR VOLUME OF OXYGEN CONSUMED AND CARBON DIOXIDE PRODUCED. CONCLUSIONS: HIGH-SPEED YOGA RESULTS IN A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER CALORIC EXPENDITURE THAN STANDARD-SPEED YOGA. HIGH-SPEED YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM FOR THOSE TARGETING CARDIOMETABOLIC MARKERS. 2016 4 642 47 DOES PRACTICING HATHA YOGA SATISFY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INTENSITY OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WHICH IMPROVES AND MAINTAINS HEALTH AND CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS? BACKGROUND: LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE METABOLIC AND HEART RATE RESPONSES TO A TYPICAL HATHA YOGA SESSION. THE PURPOSES OF THIS STUDY WERE 1) TO DETERMINE WHETHER A TYPICAL YOGA PRACTICE USING VARIOUS POSTURES MEETS THE CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY REQUIRED TO IMPROVE AND MAINTAIN HEALTH AND CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS; 2) TO DETERMINE THE RELIABILITY OF METABOLIC COSTS OF YOGA ACROSS SESSIONS; 3) TO COMPARE THE METABOLIC COSTS OF YOGA PRACTICE TO THOSE OF TREADMILL WALKING. METHODS: IN THIS OBSERVATIONAL STUDY, 20 INTERMEDIATE-TO-ADVANCED LEVEL YOGA PRACTITIONERS, AGE 31.4 +/- 8.3 YEARS, PERFORMED AN EXERCISE ROUTINE INSIDE A HUMAN RESPIRATORY CHAMBER (INDIRECT CALORIMETER) WHILE WEARING HEART RATE MONITORS. THE EXERCISE ROUTINE CONSISTED OF 30 MINUTES OF SITTING, 56 MINUTES OF BEGINNER-LEVEL HATHA YOGA ADMINISTERED BY VIDEO, AND 10 MINUTES OF TREADMILL WALKING AT 3.2 AND 4.8 KPH EACH. MEASURES WERE MEAN OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (VO2), HEART RATE (HR), PERCENTAGE PREDICTED MAXIMAL HEART RATE (%MHR), METABOLIC EQUIVALENTS (METS), AND ENERGY EXPENDITURE (KCAL). SEVEN SUBJECTS REPEATED THE PROTOCOL SO THAT MEASUREMENT RELIABILITY COULD BE ESTABLISHED. RESULTS: MEAN VALUES ACROSS THE ENTIRE YOGA SESSION FOR VO2, HR, %MHR, METS, AND ENERGY/MIN WERE 0.6 L/KG/MIN; 93.2 BEATS/MIN; 49.4%; 2.5; AND 3.2 KCAL/MIN; RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS OF THE ICCS (2,1) FOR MEAN VALUES ACROSS THE ENTIRE YOGA SESSION FOR KCAL, METS, AND %MHR WERE 0.979 AND 0.973, AND 0.865, RESPECTIVELY. CONCLUSION: METABOLIC COSTS OF YOGA AVERAGED ACROSS THE ENTIRE SESSION REPRESENT LOW LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, ARE SIMILAR TO WALKING ON A TREADMILL AT 3.2 KPH, AND DO NOT MEET RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR IMPROVING OR MAINTAINING HEALTH OR CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS. YOGA PRACTICE INCORPORATING SUN SALUTATION POSTURES EXCEEDING THE MINIMUM BOUT OF 10 MINUTES MAY CONTRIBUTE SOME PORTION OF SUFFICIENTLY INTENSE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO IMPROVE CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS IN UNFIT OR SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS. THE MEASUREMENT OF ENERGY EXPENDITURE ACROSS YOGA SESSIONS IS HIGHLY RELIABLE. 2007 5 1693 32 OXYGEN CONSUMPTION DURING VINIYOGA PRACTICE IN ADULTS. CONTEXT: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO MEASURE THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (VO2) DURING VINIYOGA YOGA MOVEMENTS (ASANAS) AND TO COMPARE VO2 WALKING AMONG ADULTS. METHODS: YOGA PRACTITIONERS (N = 10) WERE RECRUITED TO MEASURE VO2 WHILE AT REST (30 MIN), PRACTICING YOGA (16 MOVEMENTS WITH DIFFERENT VARIATIONS), AND TREADMILL WALKING AT 2 MPH (10 MIN) AND 3 MPH (10 MIN). VO2 WAS MEASURED USING A WHOLE-ROOM INDIRECT CALORIMETRY. EACH YOGA MOVEMENT WAS CATEGORIZED BY BODY ORIENTATION AS STANDING, LYING, AND SITTING. THE DIFFERENCES IN VO2 BETWEEN YOGA AND WALKING WERE EXAMINED USING PEARSON'S CORRELATIONS. DIFFERENCES IN VO2 BETWEEN POSES (STANDING, SITTING, AND LYING) WERE EXAMINED USING LINEAR REGRESSION MODELS. VO2. RESULTS: MEAN YOGA-VO2 FOR THE ENTIRE YOGA SESSION WAS 3.7 (STANDARD DEVIATION [SD] 0.43, RANGE: 4.4-8.9) ML/KG/MIN. YOGA-VO2 VARIED BY BODY ORIENTATION: STANDING = 7.5 (SD = 1.5) ML/KG/MIN, LYING = 5.3 (SD = 1.0) ML/KG/MIN, AND SITTING = 5.4 (SD = 1.1) ML/KG/MIN. AFTER ADJUSTING FOR BODY MASS, FREQUENCY OF YOGA PRACTICE, AND RESTING ENERGY EXPENDITURE, FEMALE GENDER WAS NEGATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH MEAN YOGA VO2 FOR STANDING (B = -112.19, P < 0.05), LYING (B = -141.87, P < 0.05), AND SITTING (B = -129.96, P < 0.05). MEAN VO2 FOR WALKING 2 MPH WAS COMPARABLE WITH SITTING (R = 0.836, P < 0.05) AND LYING (R = 0.735, P < 0.05) WHEREAS WALKING AT 3 MPH WAS COMPARABLE WITH STANDING (R = 0.718, P < 0.05) AND SITTING (R = 0.760, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: WE CONCLUDE THAT VO2 DURING YOGA PRACTICE IS COMPARABLE TO VO2 DURING SLOW TREADMILL WALKING AND MAY VARY BASED ON GENDER AND BODY ORIENTATION. 2018 6 2258 36 THE PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO BIKRAM YOGA IN NOVICE AND EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS. CONTEXT: BIKRAM YOGA HAS GAINED A LARGE FOLLOWING, POSSIBLY BECAUSE OF WIDESPREAD CLAIMS BOASTING ENERGY EXPENDITURE OF UP TO 1000 CALORIES PER SESSION. HOWEVER, THESE CLAIMS ARE UNFOUNDED BECAUSE NO SCIENTIFIC STUDY HAS INVESTIGATED THE METABOLIC RESPONSE TO A COMPLETE, STANDARDIZED BIKRAM YOGA CLASS. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY INTENDS TO DETERMINE ENERGY EXPENDITURE, HEART RATE, AND SWEAT RATE IN NOVICE AND EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS FROM A STANDARDIZED BIKRAM YOGA CLASS. SETTING: DATA WERE COLLECTED IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHAMBER OF THE EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY AT SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY IN CALIFORNIA, USA. PARTICIPANTS: MALE (N = 5) AND FEMALE (N = 19) PARTICIPANTS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 57 Y WERE RECRUITED THROUGH FLYERS IN YOGA STUDIOS THROUGHOUT SAN DIEGO. PARTICIPANTS WERE CLASSIFIED AS EXPERIENCED OR NOVICE PRACTITIONERS, HAVING COMPLETED >/=20 OR <20 SESSIONS, RESPECTIVELY. INTERVENTIONS: PARTICIPANTS WERE GUIDED THROUGH A STANDARDIZED 90-MIN YOGA CLASS PERFORMED IN A HOT ENVIRONMENT USING BIKRAM'S STANDARD BEGINNING DIALOGUE, WHILE EXPIRED GAS WAS COLLECTED AND HEART RATE WAS RECORDED. OUTCOME MEASURES: ENERGY EXPENDITURE, CALCULATED VIA OXYGEN UPTAKE, AND HEART RATE WERE DETERMINED FOR EACH POSTURE AND TRANSITION PERIOD. IN ADDITION, SWEAT RATE AND CORE TEMPERATURE WERE RECORDED FOR EACH PARTICIPANT. RESULTS: MEAN (+/-SD) RELATIVE VO2 FOR THE ENTIRE 90-MIN SESSION WAS 9.5 +/- 1.9 ML X KG-1 X MIN-1, RANGING FROM 6.0 TO 12.9 ML X KG-1 X MIN-1. MEAN ABSOLUTE ENERGY EXPENDITURE WAS 286 +/- 72 KCALS, RANGING FROM 179 TO 478 KCALS. INDEPENDENT SAMPLE T TESTS REVEALED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES (P < .05) IN RELATIVE ENERGY EXPENDITURE, HEART RATE, ENDING CORE TEMPERATURE, AND SWEAT RATE BETWEEN EXPERIENCE LEVELS. MEAN RELATIVE ENERGY EXPENDITURE WAS 3.7 +/- 0.5 KCAL/KG IN NOVICE PRACTITIONERS AND 4.7 +/- 0.8 KCAL/KG IN EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS. PERCENTAGE OF PREDICTED MAXIMUM HEART RATE AND SWEAT RATE WERE 72.3% +/- 10.6% AND 0.6 +/- 0.2 KG/H IN NOVICE PRACTITIONERS AND 86.4% +/- 5.2% AND 1.1 +/- 0.5 KG/H IN EXPERIENCED PARTICIPANTS. ALL POSTURES WERE CLASSIFIED AS LIGHT-TO-MODERATE INTENSITY ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SPORTS MEDICINE (ACSM) STANDARDS. CONCLUSIONS: BIKRAM YOGA MEETS REQUIREMENTS FOR EXERCISE OF LIGHT-TO-MODERATE INTENSITY AND, THEORETICALLY, COULD BE USED FOR WEIGHT MAINTENANCE OR WEIGHT LOSS IF PRACTICED SEVERAL TIMES PER WEEK. 2014 7 1147 43 ENERGY EXPENDITURE DURING A VINYASA YOGA SESSION. BACKGROUND: VINYASA YOGA HAS BEEN RECENTLY PROMOTED AS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR MINDFUL EXERCISES TO IMPROVE OVERALL HEALTH, INCLUDING BODY WEIGHT MANAGEMENT. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE METABOLIC RESPONSE OF 24 MODERATELY TRAINED INDIVIDUALS DURING A 90-MIN GROUP VINYASA YOGA ROUTINE. METHODS: HEART RATE (HR) TIME COURSE OF 12 MALES AND 12 FEMALES (AGE: 39+/-7.33 YEARS) WAS RECORDED DURING TWO GROUP VINYASA YOGA SESSIONS CONSISTED OF FOUR SECTIONS (WARM-UP, HIGH-INTENSITY SURYA NAMASKAR (HSN), NO SURYA NAMASKAR POSTURES, AND COOL-DOWN). MAXIMAL OXYGEN UPTAKE (VO2PEAK) AND MAXIMUM HR HAD BEEN ESTIMATED EARLIER AFTER A MAXIMAL TREADMILL TEST. VO2 DURING VINYASA YOGA SESSIONS WAS ESTIMATED FROM INDIVIDUAL REGRESSION EQUATIONS USING THE RELATIONSHIP OF VO2 AND HR VALUES DERIVED FROM VO2PEAK TEST, WHILE THE METABOLIC RATE (KCAL/MIN) WAS CALCULATED FROM THE RELATIONSHIP OF HR AND KCAL/MIN. TOTAL SESSION ENERGY CONSUMPTION WAS THE AVERAGE VALUE OF THE TWO YOGA SESSIONS. RESULTS: THE 2 (GENDER) X 4 (SECTIONS) MIXED ANOVA REVEALED NO SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION BETWEEN THE TWO FACTORS (P=0.101) FOR THE MEAN METABOLIC RATE (7.1+/-2.6 KCAL/MIN). MEAN METABOLIC RATE THOUGHT WAS HIGHER (P=0.015) IN MALES COMPARED TO FEMALES AT EACH SECTION. ALSO, SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND AMONG THE FOUR VINYASA YOGA SECTIONS (P<0.001) IN THE RATE OF ENERGY EXPENDITURE, WITH HSN PRESENTING THE HIGHEST MEAN VALUES (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: IT SEEMS THAT SYSTEMATIC PARTICIPATION IN VINYASA YOGA MAY EFFECTIVELY IMPROVE CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS AND PROMOTE BODY WEIGHT LOSS, AS AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD TO TRADITIONAL AEROBIC EXERCISE. 2020 8 2252 30 THE METABOLIC COST OF HATHA YOGA. TO DETERMINE THE METABOLIC AND HEART RATE (HR) RESPONSES OF HATHA YOGA, 26 WOMEN (19-40 YEARS OLD) PERFORMED A 30-MINUTE HATHA YOGA ROUTINE OF SUPINE LYING, SITTING, AND STANDING ASANAS (I.E., POSTURES). SUBJECTS FOLLOWED IDENTICAL VIDEOTAPED SEQUENCES OF HATHA YOGA ASANAS. MEAN PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES WERE COMPARED TO THE PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF RESTING IN A CHAIR AND WALKING ON A TREADMILL AT 93.86 M.MIN(-1) [3.5 MILES PER HOUR (MPH)]. DURING THE 30-MINUTE HATHA YOGA ROUTINE, MEAN ABSOLUTE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (VO(2)), RELATIVE VO(2), PERCENTAGE MAXIMAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (%VO(2)R), METABOLIC EQUIVALENTS (METS), ENERGY EXPENDITURE, HR, AND PERCENTAGE MAXIMAL HEART RATE (%MHR) WERE 0.45 L.MIN(-1), 7.59 ML.KG(-1).MIN(-1), 14.50%, 2.17 METS, 2.23 KCAL.MIN(-1), 105.29 B.MIN(-1), AND 56.89%, RESPECTIVELY. WHEN COMPARED TO RESTING IN A CHAIR, HATHA YOGA REQUIRED 114% GREATER O(2) (L.MIN(-1)), 111% GREATER O(2)(ML.KG(-1).MIN(-1)), 4,294% GREATER %VO(2)R, 111% GREATER METS, 108% GREATER KCAL.MIN(-1), 24% GREATER HR, AND 24% GREATER %MHR. WHEN COMPARED TO WALKING AT 93.86 M.MIN(-1), HATHA YOGA REQUIRED 54% LOWER O(2)(L.MIN(-1)), 53% LOWER O(2)(ML.KG(-1).MIN(-1)), 68% LOWER %VO(2)R, 53% LOWER METS, 53% LOWER KCAL.MIN(-1), 21% LOWER HR, AND 21% LOWER %MHR. THE HATHA YOGA ROUTINE IN THIS STUDY REQUIRED 14.50% VO(2)R, WHICH CAN BE CONSIDERED A VERY LIGHT INTENSITY AND SIGNIFICANTLY LIGHTER THAN 44.8% VO(2)R FOR WALKING AT 93.86 M.MIN(-1) (3.5 MPH). THE INTENSITY OF HATHA YOGA MAY BE TOO LOW TO PROVIDE A TRAINING STIMULUS FOR IMPROVING CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS. ALTHOUGH PREVIOUS RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT HATHA YOGA IS AN ACCEPTABLE FORM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR ENHANCING MUSCULAR FITNESS AND FLEXIBILITY, THESE DATA DEMONSTRATE THAT HATHA YOGA MAY HAVE LITTLE, IF ANY, CARDIOVASCULAR BENEFIT. 2005 9 268 36 ACUTE PHYSIOLOGIC EFFECTS OF PERFORMING YOGA IN THE HEAT ON ENERGY EXPENDITURE, RANGE OF MOTION, AND INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS. PERFORMING YOGA IN A HEATED ENVIRONMENT (HY) IS A POPULAR EXERCISE MODE PURPORTED TO IMPROVE RANGE OF MOTION (ROM), BODY COMPOSITION, AND AEROBIC FITNESS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS INVESTIGATION WAS TO COMPARE A SESSION OF HY TO ROOM TEMPERATURE YOGA (RTY) WITH REGARDS TO ROM, OXYGEN CONSUMPTION, CALORIC EXPENDITURE, AND BIOMARKERS OF ACUTE STRESS AND INFLAMMATION. SIXTEEN EXPERIENCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS (F14, M2; 40 +/- 11YR; 22.6 +/- 1.8 KG/M(2)) COMPLETED A 1-HOUR STANDARDIZED BIKRAM SEQUENCE IN HY (105 DEGREES F, 40 DEGREES C) AND RTY (74 DEGREES F, 23.3 DEGREES C) CONDITIONS (ORDER OF CONDITIONS RANDOMIZED, HUMIDITY STANDARDIZED AT 40%). INTRA-EXERCISE METABOLIC GAS EXCHANGE AND HEART RATE (HR) WAS MONITORED USING A METABOLIC CART. ROM MEASURES WERE TAKEN PRE AND POST-EXERCISE AT THE ELBOW, SHOULDER, HIP, AND KNEE. CYTOKINES INTERLEUKIN 6,10 (IL-6, IL-10) AND TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR ALPHA (TNF-ALPHA) WERE ANALYZED FROM BLOOD SAMPLES COLLECTED PRE- AND 30-MINUTES POST-EXERCISE. INTRA-EXERCISE METABOLIC GAS EXCHANGE AND HEART RATE (HR) WAS MONITORED USING A METABOLIC CART. BOTH BOUTS ELICITED SIMILAR ACUTE CHANGES IN ROM ALTHOUGH HY ELICITED A GREATER INCREASE IN HIP ABDUCTION (RTYDELTA DEGREES = 2.3 +/- 1.3|HYDELTA DEGREES = 6.6 +/- 1.5; P < 0.05). MEAN VO2, PEAK VO2, %VO2MAX, HR, AND KCAL EXPENDITURE DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN CONDITIONS. RER WAS LOWER DURING THE HY (RTY = 0.95 +/- 0.02| HY = 0.89 +/- 0.02; P < 0.05) WITH A CONCOMITANT ELEVATION IN FAT OXIDATION (RTY = 0.05 +/- 0.01|HY = 0.09 +/- 0.01, G.MIN(-1); P < 0.05) AND DECREASE IN CARBOHYDRATE OXIDATION (RTY = 0.51 +/- 0.04|HY = 0.44 +/- 0.03, G.MIN(-1); P < 0.05). SERUM IL-6 WAS INCREASED (15.5 +/- 8.0-FOLD) FOLLOWING HY ONLY (P < 0.05). HY DOES NOT SIGNIFICANTLY ELEVATE AEROBIC ENERGY COST COMPARED TO RTY BUT MAY ACUTELY INCREASE FAT SUBSTRATE UTILIZATION AND HIP ROM. FUTURE STUDIES REMAIN NEEDED TO ESTABLISH DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS FOR INCLUDING HY OR RTY INTO WELL-ROUNDED FITNESS PROGRAMS. 2020 10 229 35 A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE ENERGY COST AND METABOLIC INTENSITY OF YOGA. PURPOSE: WITH THE INCREASING POPULARITY OF HATHA YOGA, IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE ENERGY COST AND METS OF YOGA PRACTICE WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SPORTS MEDICINE (ACSM) AND THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION (AHA) PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES. METHODS: THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW EVALUATED THE ENERGY COST AND METABOLIC INTENSITY OF YOGA PRACTICE INCLUDING YOGA ASANAS (POSES/POSTURES) AND PRANAYAMAS (BREATH EXERCISES) MEASURED BY INDIRECT CALORIMETRY. THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING LITERATURE WAS SURVEYED VIA PUBMED USING THE GENERAL TERMS "YOGA" AND "ENERGY EXPENDITURE" WITH NO DATE LIMITATIONS. RESULTS: THIRTEEN MANUSCRIPTS WERE INITIALLY IDENTIFIED WITH AN ADDITIONAL FOUR LOCATED FROM REVIEW OF MANUSCRIPT REFERENCES. OF THE 17 STUDIES, 10 EVALUATED THE ENERGY COST AND METS OF FULL YOGA SESSIONS OR FLOW THROUGH SURYA NAMASKAR (SUN SALUTATIONS), EIGHT OF INDIVIDUAL ASANAS, AND FIVE OF PRANAYAMAS. METS FOR YOGA PRACTICE AVERAGED 3.3 +/- 1.6 (RANGE = 1.83-7.4 METS) AND 2.9 +/- 0.8 METS WHEN ONE OUTLIER (I.E., 7.4 METS FOR SURYA NAMASKAR) WAS OMITTED. METS FOR INDIVIDUAL ASANAS AVERAGED 2.2 +/- 0.7 (RANGE = 1.4-4.0 METS), WHEREAS THAT OF PRANAYAMAS WAS 1.3 +/- 0.3. ON THE BASIS OF ACSM/AHA CLASSIFICATION, THE INTENSITY OF MOST ASANAS AND FULL YOGA SESSIONS RANGED FROM LIGHT (LESS THAN 3 METS) TO MODERATE AEROBIC INTENSITY (3-6 METS), WITH THE MAJORITY CLASSIFIED AS LIGHT INTENSITY. CONCLUSION: THIS REVIEW SUGGESTS THAT YOGA IS TYPICALLY CLASSIFIED AS A LIGHT-INTENSITY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. HOWEVER, A FEW SEQUENCES/POSES, INCLUDING SURYA NAMASKAR, MEET THE CRITERIA FOR MODERATE- TO VIGOROUS-INTENSITY ACTIVITY. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ACSM/AHA GUIDELINES, THE PRACTICE OF ASANA SEQUENCES WITH MET INTENSITIES HIGHER THAN THREE (I.E., >10 MIN) CAN BE ACCUMULATED THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND COUNT TOWARD DAILY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MODERATE- OR VIGOROUS-INTENSITY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. 2016 11 1676 31 OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE MEASURES OF EXERCISE INTENSITY DURING THERMO-NEUTRAL AND HOT YOGA. WHILE HOT YOGA HAS GAINED ENORMOUS POPULARITY IN RECENT YEARS, OWING IN PART TO INCREASED ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGE ASSOCIATED WITH EXERCISE IN THE HEAT, IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER HOT YOGA IS MORE VIGOROUS THAN THERMO-NEUTRAL YOGA. THEREFORE, THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE MEASURES OF EXERCISE INTENSITY DURING CONSTANT INTENSITY YOGA IN A HOT AND THERMO-NEUTRAL ENVIRONMENT. USING A RANDOMIZED, CROSSOVER DESIGN, 14 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED 2 IDENTICAL APPROXIMATELY 20-MIN YOGA SESSIONS IN A HOT (35.3 +/- 0.8 DEGREES C; HUMIDITY: 20.5% +/- 1.4%) AND THERMO-NEUTRAL (22.1 +/- 0.2 DEGREES C; HUMIDITY: 27.8% +/- 1.6%) ENVIRONMENT. OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND HEART RATE (HR) WERE RECORDED AS OBJECTIVE MEASURES (PERCENTAGE OF MAXIMAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND PERCENTAGE OF MAXIMAL HR (%HRMAX)) AND RATING OF PERCEIVED EXERTION (RPE) WAS RECORDED AS A SUBJECTIVE MEASURE OF EXERCISE INTENSITY. THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE IN EXERCISE INTENSITY BASED ON PERCENTAGE OF MAXIMAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION DURING HOT VERSUS THERMO-NEUTRAL YOGA (30.9% +/- 2.3% VS. 30.5% +/- 1.8%, P = 0.68). HOWEVER, EXERCISE INTENSITY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER DURING HOT VERSUS THERMO-NEUTRAL YOGA BASED ON %HRMAX (67.0% +/- 2.3% VS. 60.8% +/- 1.9%, P = 0.01) AND RPE (12 +/- 1 VS. 11 +/- 1, P = 0.04). ACCORDING TO ESTABLISHED EXERCISE INTENSITIES, HOT YOGA WAS CLASSIFIED AS LIGHT-INTENSITY EXERCISE BASED ON PERCENTAGE OF MAXIMAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION BUT MODERATE-INTENSITY EXERCISE BASED ON %HRMAX AND RPE WHILE THERMO-NEUTRAL YOGA WAS CLASSIFIED AS LIGHT-INTENSITY EXERCISE BASED ON PERCENTAGE OF MAXIMAL OXYGEN UPTAKE, %HRMAX, AND RPE. DESPITE THE ADDED HEMODYNAMIC STRESS AND PERCEPTION THAT YOGA IS MORE STRENUOUS IN A HOT ENVIRONMENT, WE OBSERVED SIMILAR OXYGEN CONSUMPTION DURING HOT VERSUS THERMO-NEUTRAL YOGA, CLASSIFYING BOTH EXERCISE MODALITIES AS LIGHT-INTENSITY EXERCISE. 2018 12 1610 34 METABOLIC AND VENTILATORY CHANGES DURING AND AFTER HIGH-FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING. BACKGROUND PRACTICING HIGH-FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING (HFYB) INDUCED A HYPERMETABOLIC STATE IN A SINGLE SUBJECT DURING THE PRACTICE BUT THE EFFECT HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED IN MULTIPLE PRACTITIONERS. MATERIAL AND METHODS HEALTHY MALE VOLUNTEERS (N=47, GROUP MEAN AGE +/- S.D., 23.2 +/- 4.1 YEARS) WERE RECRUITED AS AN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AND ANOTHER TWENTY VOLUNTEERS WERE RECRUITED AS A CONTROL GROUP. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PRACTICED EITHER HFYB (BREATH RATE 1.0 HZ) OR BREATH AWARENESS (BAW) ON TWO SEPARATE DAYS. THE SEQUENCE WAS REVERSED FOR ALTERNATE PARTICIPANTS. THE CONTROL GROUP WAS ASSESSED UNDER SIMILAR CONDITIONS WHILE SITTING AT EASE. THE BREATH RATE (RR), TIDAL VOLUME (VT), VENTILATION (VE), VO2, VCO2, ARTERIAL PCO2 AND ENERGY EXPENDITURE (EE KCAL/DAY) WERE ASSESSED FOR 35 MINUTES USING AN OPEN CIRCUIT OXYGEN CONSUMPTION ANALYZER. THE ASSESSMENT PERIOD WAS DIVIDED INTO BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER CONDITIONS. REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSES OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) WERE USED TO COMPARE DATA RECORDED DURING AND AFTER THE TWO PRACTICES WITH DATA RECORDED BEFORE. BEFORE-AFTER COMPARISONS IN THE CONTROL GROUP WERE WITH PAIRED T-TESTS. RESULTS THE MOST RELEVANT SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE INCREASES IN VE, VO2, VCO2 AND EE DURING HFYB, WHILE THE SAME VARIABLES DECREASED DURING THE CONTROL PERIOD. HOWEVER AFTER HFYB THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN VO2 OR EE, ALTHOUGH VE DECREASED AS IT DID AFTER THE CONTROL PERIOD. CONCLUSIONS HFYB INDUCES A HYPERMETABOLIC STATE FOR THE DURATION OF THE PRACTICE WHICH RETURNS TO BASELINE AFTER HFYB SUGGESTING A POSSIBLE APPLICATION FOR HFYB IN HYPOMETABOLIC STATES. 2015 13 1196 23 EXAMINING THE ENERGY COST AND INTENSITY LEVEL OF PRENATAL YOGA. CONTEXT: A POPULAR FORM OF PREGNANCY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (PA) IS PRENATAL YOGA. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE INTENSITY AND ENERGY COST OF THIS PRACTICE. AIMS: TO EXAMINE THE ENERGY COST AND INTENSITY LEVEL OF PRENATAL YOGA. METHODS: PREGNANT WOMEN IN A PRENATAL YOGA CLASS (N = 19) WORE A SENSE WEAR ARMBAND DURING ELEVEN 60 MIN CLASSES EACH, AND SELF-REPORTED DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES, HEIGHT AND WEIGHT, PREPREGNANCY WEIGHT, AND PA BEHAVIORS AND BELIEFS. SENSE WEAR ARMBAND DATA INCLUDED KILOCALORIES, METABOLIC EQUIVALENT (MET) VALUES, AND TIME SPENT IN VARIOUS INTENSITIES. DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS AND FREQUENCIES WERE UTILIZED TO DESCRIBE ENERGY EXPENDITURE AND INTENSITY. RESULTS: ENERGY EXPENDITURE AVERAGED 109 +/- 8 KCALS, AND THE AVERAGE MET VALUE WAS 1.5 +/- 0.02. ON AVERAGE, 93% AND 7% OF CLASSES WERE SEDENTARY AND MODERATE INTENSITY PA, RESPECTIVELY. CONCLUSIONS: TIME SPENT IN A PRENATAL YOGA CLASS WAS CONSIDERED TO BE PRIMARILY A SEDENTARY ACTIVITY. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD UTILIZE LARGER SAMPLES, PRACTICE TYPE, AND SKILL LEVEL TO INCREASE GENERALIZABILITY. 2016 14 323 26 ANTHROPOMETRIC AND PHYSIOLOGIC PROFILES OF FEMALE PROFESSIONAL YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND ENERGY EXPENDITURE DURING ASANAS EXECUTION. AIM: THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED TO: 1) DEFINE THE ANTHROPOMETRIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL PROFILES OF FEMALE PROFESSIONAL YOGA PRACTITIONER COMPARED TO THAT OF OTHER ATHLETES; 2) EVALUATE THE ENERGY EXPENDITURE (EE) DURING A YOGA SESSION. METHODS: THE PERCENTAGE FAT MASS (FM%) AND FAT FREE MASS (FFM%), THE MAXIMAL AEROBIC POWER (VO2MAX), THE MAXIMAL VOLUNTARY CONTRACTION (MVC) OF KNEE EXTENSOR MUSCLES AND THE MAXIMAL ANAEROBIC ALACTACID POWER (WMAX) WERE ASSESSED IN A GROUP OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS (YO), LONG DISTANCE RUNNERS (LDR), SPRINTERS (SPR), KARATE PRACTITIONERS (KA) AND SEDENTARY CONTROL SUBJECTS (CON). EE WAS EVALUATED IN YO DURING A YOGA SESSION (EXECUTION OF A SEQUENCE OF SIX YOGA POSTURES, CALLED ASANAS). RESULTS: FM% WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN CON (24.2+/-2.6%) THAN IN OTHER GROUPS (18+/-1.9%, POOLED DATA, P<0.05). FFM% DID NOT DIFFER AMONG GROUPS. VO2MAX WAS HIGHER IN LDR (55.6+/-1.8 ML MIN-1 KG-1) COMPARED TO OTHER GROUPS (41.7+/-3 ML MIN-1 KG-1, POOLED DATA, P<0.05). MVC AND WMAX WERE HIGHER IN YO, SPR AND KA THAN IN LDR AND CON (P<0.05). IN YO, EE INCREASED IN COMPARISON TO BASELINE, DURING SIRASANA EXECUTION ONLY (+59%, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: THESE DATA SUGGEST THAT CHRONIC YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH 1) VALUES OF FM%, FFM%, MVC AND WMAX SIMILAR TO THOSE INDUCED BY SPORTS REQUIRING HIGH DEGREE OF FORCE AND POWER OF LOWER LIMB MUSCLES, WITH MAXIMAL AEROBIC PERFORMANCE SIMILAR TO CONTROL SUBJECTS; 2) LOW EE DURING MOST ASANAS EXECUTION. 2015 15 416 29 BODY TEMPERATURE AND ENERGY EXPENDITURE DURING AND AFTER YOGA BREATHING PRACTICES TRADITIONALLY DESCRIBED AS COOLING. BACKGROUND IN TRADITIONAL YOGA TEXTS, SHEETALI AND SITKARI PRANAYAMAS ARE DESCRIBED AS COOLING. THE PRESENT STUDY WAS AIMED AT RECORDING THE SURFACE BODY TEMPERATURE, OXYGEN CONSUMED, AND CARBON DIOXIDE ELIMINATED BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER PERFORMANCE OF SHEETALI AND SITKARI PRANAYAMAS. MATERIAL AND METHODS SEVENTEEN HEALTHY MALE VOLUNTEERS WITH AGES BETWEEN 19 TO 25 YEARS (AVERAGE AGE 20.7+/-1.8 YEARS) WERE ASSESSED IN 4 SESSIONS, VIZ. SHEETALI PRANAYAMA, SITKARI PRANAYAMA, BREATH AWARENESS AND QUIET LYING, ON 4 SEPARATE DAYS, IN RANDOM SEQUENCE. THE AXILLARY SURFACE BODY TEMPERATURE (TRUSCOPE II, SCHILLER, CHINA) AND METABOLIC VARIABLES (QUARK CPET, COSMED, ITALY) WERE RECORDED IN 3 PERIODS: BEFORE (5 MINUTES), DURING (18 MINUTES), AND AFTER (5 MINUTES), IN EACH OF THE 4 SESSIONS. THE HEAT INDEX WAS CALCULATED IN THE BEFORE AND AFTER PERIODS, BASED ON RECORDINGS OF AMBIENT TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING SPSS (VERSION 24.0). RESULTS BODY TEMPERATURE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY DURING SHEETALI AND SITKARI (P<0.05, P<0.01; RESPECTIVELY) WHILE IT DECREASED AFTER BREATH AWARENESS AND QUIET LYING DOWN (P<0.01, P<0.001; RESPECTIVELY) WHEN COMPARED WITH RESPECTIVE POST-EXERCISE STATES. OXYGEN CONSUMPTION INCREASED BY 9.0% DURING SHEETALI (P<0.05) AND BY 7.6% DURING SITKARI (P<0.01) WHILE IT DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY DURING (P<0.05) AND AFTER (P<0.01) QUIET LYING DOWN COMPARED TO RESPECTIVE PRE-EXERCISE STATES. CONCLUSIONS THE RESULTS DO NOT SUPPORT THE DESCRIPTION OF THESE YOGA BREATHING PRACTICES AS COOLING. THESE YOGA BREATHING PRACTICES MAY BE USED TO INDUCE A MILD HYPERMETABOLIC STATE. 2020 16 1691 19 OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND RESPIRATION DURING AND AFTER TWO YOGA RELAXATION TECHNIQUES. CYCLIC MEDITATION (CM) IS A TECHNIQUE WHICH COMBINES "STIMULATING" AND "CALMING" PRACTICES, BASED ON A STATEMENT IN ANCIENT YOGA TEXTS SUGGESTING THAT SUCH A COMBINATION MAY BE ESPECIALLY HELPFUL TO REACH A STATE OF MENTAL EQUILIBRIUM. THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION, BREATH RATE AND BREATH VOLUME OF 50 MALE VOLUNTEERS (GROUP MEAN AGE+/-SD, 27+/-6.3 YEARS) WERE ASSESSED BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER SESSIONS OF CM AND SESSIONS OF SUPINE REST IN THE CORPSE POSTURE (SHAVASANA, SH). THE SESSIONS WERE ONE DAY APART AND THE ORDER WAS ALTERNATED. THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION, BREATH RATE AND BREATH VOLUME INCREASED DURING THE "STIMULATING" PRACTICES OF CM, RETURNED TO THE BASELINE DURING THE "CALMING" PRACTICES, AND THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION DECREASED BY 19.3 PERCENT BELOW BASELINE VALUES AFTER CM. DURING THE SH SESSION THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION, BREATH RATE AND BREATH VOLUME REDUCED; HOWEVER THE DECREASE IN OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AFTER SH WAS LESS THAN AFTER CM (I.E., 4.8 PERCENT). THE RESULTS SUPPORT THE IDEA THAT A COMBINATION OF YOGA POSTURES WITH SUPINE REST (IN CM) REDUCES THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION MORE THAN RESTING SUPINE ALONE DOES. 2006 17 1451 26 INFLUENCE OF INTENSIVE YOGA TRAINING ON PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES IN 6 ADULT WOMEN: A CASE REPORT. THE SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF 4 WEEKS OF INTENSIVE YOGA PRACTICE ON PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES IN SIX HEALTHY ADULT FEMALE VOLUNTEERS WERE MEASURED USING THE MAXIMAL EXERCISE TREADMILL TEST. YOGA PRACTICE INVOLVED DAILY MORNING AND EVENING SESSIONS OF 90 MINUTES EACH. PRE- AND POST-YOGA EXERCISE PERFORMANCE WAS COMPARED. MAXIMAL WORK OUTPUT (WMAX) FOR THE GROUP INCREASED BY 21%, WITH A SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED LEVEL OF OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK BUT WITHOUT A CONCOMITANT SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN HEART RATE. AFTER INTENSIVE YOGA TRAINING, AT 154 WMIN(-1) (CORRESPONDING TO WMAX OF THE PRE-YOGA MAXIMAL EXERCISE TEST) PARTICIPANTS COULD EXERCISE MORE COMFORTABLY, WITH A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER HEART RATE (P < 0.05), REDUCED MINUTE VENTILATION (P < 0.05), REDUCED OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK (P < 0.05), AND A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER RESPIRATORY QUOTIENT (P < 0.05). THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE EFFECT OF INTENSIVE YOGA ON CARDIORESPIRATORY EFFICIENCY ARE DISCUSSED, WITH THE SUGGESTION THAT YOGA HAS SOME TRANSPARENTLY DIFFERENT QUANTIFIABLE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS TO OTHER EXERCISES. 1997 18 436 23 CARDIORESPIRATORY AND METABOLIC CHANGES DURING YOGA SESSIONS: THE EFFECTS OF RESPIRATORY EXERCISES AND MEDITATION PRACTICES. THE NOVELTY OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE CHANGES IN CARDIORESPIRATORY AND METABOLIC INTENSITY BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE PRACTICE OF PRANAYAMAS (BREATHING EXERCISES OF YOGA) AND MEDITATION DURING THE SAME HATHA-YOGA SESSION. THE TECHNIQUE APPLIED WAS THE ONE ADVOCATED BY THE HATHA-YOGA SYSTEM. NINE YOGA INSTRUCTORS-FIVE FEMALES AND FOUR MALES, MEAN AGE OF 44+/-11, 6, WERE SUBJECTED TO ANALYSIS OF THE GASES EXPIRED DURING THREE DISTINCT PERIODS OF 30 MIN: REST, RESPIRATORY EXERCISES AND MEDITATIVE PRACTICE. A METABOLIC OPEN CIRCUIT COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM WAS APPLIED (VO2000, MEDGRAPHICS-USA). THE OXYGEN UPTAKE (VO(2)) AND THE CARBON DIOXIDE OUTPUT (VCO(2)) WERE STATISTICALLY DIFFERENT (P