1 1453 117 INFLUENCE OF PRANAYAMAS AND YOGA-ASANAS ON SERUM INSULIN, BLOOD GLUCOSE AND LIPID PROFILE IN TYPE 2 DIABETES. A DISTINGUISHABLE FEATURE OF TYPE 2 DIABETES BESIDES HYPERGLYCEMIA AND DERANGED LIPID PROFILE IS AN IMPAIRED INSULIN SECRETION, PERIPHERAL INSULIN RESISTANCE AND OBESITY WHICH HAS BECOME A MAJOR HEALTH CONCERN WORLDWIDE. INDIA WITH AN ESTIMATED 31MILLION DIABETICS IN 2000 AND 79MLLIONS BY THE YR 2030 HAS THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF TYPE 2 DIABETICS IN THE WORLD. IN THIS STUDY, WE AIMED TO SEE IF YOGA-ASANAS AND PRANAYAMAS HAVE ANY INFLUENCE IN MODIFYING CERTAIN BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS. SIXTY PATIENTS OF UNCOMPLICATED TYPE 2 DIABETES (AGE 35-60 YRS OF 1-10 YRS DURATION) WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: GROUP 1 (N=30): PERFORMED YOGA ALONG WITH THE CONVENTIONAL HYPOGLYCEMIC MEDICINES AND GROUP 2 (N=30): PATIENTS WHO ONLY RECEIVED CONVENTIONAL MEDICINES. DURATION OF THE STUDY WAS 45 DAYS. BASAL RECORDINGS OF BLOOD GLUCOSE (FASTING AND POST-PRANDIAL), LIPID PROFILE AND SERUM INSULIN WERE TAKEN AT THE TIME OF RECRUITMENT AND THE SECOND READING AFTER FORTY FIVE DAYS. RESULTS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ALL THE BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS IN GROUP 1 WHILE GROUP 2 SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ONLY FEW PARAMETERS, THUS SUGGESTING A BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF YOGA REGIMEN ON THESE PARAMETERS IN DIABETIC PATIENTS. 2008 2 94 27 A NARRATIVE REVIEW ON ROLE OF YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF RISK FACTOR, DISEASE PROGRESSION AND THE COMPLICATIONS OF TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS. TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (T2DM) IS ONE OF THE MAJOR HEALTH PROBLEMS IN THE WORLD AS WELL AS IN INDIA THAT GREATLY AFFECTS THE HEALTH CARE SECTOR AND ECONOMY. USE OF DRUGS HAS ITS OWN DRAWBACKS AND IN RECENT DAYS THE USE OF NON-MEDICAL MEASURES WERE REPORTED NOT ONLY TO MANAGE T2DM, BUT ALSO TO PREVENT ITS COMPLICATIONS. THROUGH THERE ARE VARIOUS REVIEW ARTICLES THAT ARE DEALING WITH THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON RISK PROFILES, MANAGEMENT ALONG WITH THE MECHANISMS OF ACTION OF YOGA IN T2DM SEPARATELY, THERE IS A LACK OF COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA IN COMBINATION WITH ALL THE ABOVE MENTIONED INCLUDING THE EFFECT OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF T2DM COMPLICATIONS. HENCE, WE PERFORMED A NARRATIVE REVIEW IN MEDLINE/PUBMED USING KEYWORD "YOGA AND DIABETES". ALL THE RELEVANT ARTICLES PUBLISHED TILL 08TH NOVEMBER 2016 WERE INCLUDED. BASED ON THE AVAILABLE LITERATURE, IT COULD BE CONCLUDED THAT YOGA PLAYS A VITAL ROLE AS AN ADJUVANT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF RISK FACTORS, DISEASE PROGRESSION AND THE COMPLICATIONS OF THE T2DM. FURTHER STUDIES ARE WARRANTED USING STANDARD RESEARCH DESIGNS AND VARIABLES TO FIND OUT THE VARIOUS MECHANISMS OF EFFECTS OF YOGA IN DETAIL. 2017 3 705 32 EFFECT OF INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY ON AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY (IAYT) HAD SHOWN BENEFICIAL EFFECTS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (DM). AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION IS ONE OF THE MAJOR COMPLICATIONS OF TYPE 2 DM. RESEARCH STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT YOGA CAN MODULATE AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS. HENCE, THE CURRENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF IAYT ON AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS IN TYPE 2 DIABETICS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 15 PATIENTS OF TYPE 2 DM WITH AGES RANGING FROM 35 TO 60 YEARS WERE RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY. THEY WERE DIAGNOSED WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES FROM 1-YEAR TO 15 YEARS. ASSESSMENTS WERE MADE ON DAY 1 (BEFORE YOGA) AND DAY 7 (AFTER 1-WEEK OF YOGA PRACTICE). HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV), BLOOD PRESSURE (BP) RESPONSE TO THE ISOMETRIC HANDGRIP AND HEART RATE RESPONSE TO DEEP BREATHING WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER 1-WEEK OF IAYT. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN FASTING PLASMA GLUCOSE FROM 154.67-130.27 MG/DL (WILCOXON SIGNED RANK TEST, P = 0.029) FOLLOWING 1-WEEK OF IAYT. BP RESPONSE TO ISOMETRIC HAND GRIP IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY (WILCOXON SIGNED RANK TEST, P = 0.01). THERE WAS NO STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN HRV COMPONENTS AND HEART RATE RESPONSE TO DEEP BREATHING TEST. HOWEVER, THERE WAS A TREND OF INCREASE IN THE LOW FREQUENCY POWER (41.07%), HIGH FREQUENCY POWER (6.29%), TOTAL POWER (5.38%), AND STANDARD DEVIATION OF ALL NN INTERVALS (SDNN) (6.29%). CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT, IAYT IMPROVED AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS IN TYPE 2 DIABETES PATIENTS. 2015 4 1928 32 ROLE OF YOGA IN DIABETES. THE SCIENCE OF YOGA IS AN ANCIENT ONE. IT IS A RICH HERITAGE OF OUR CULTURE. SEVERAL OLDER BOOKS MAKE A MENTION OF THE USEFULNESS OF YOGA IN THE TREATMENT OF CERTAIN DISEASES AND PRESERVATION OF HEALTH IN NORMAL INDIVIDUALS. THE EFFECT OF YOGIC PRACTICES ON THE MANAGEMENT OF DIABETES HAS NOT BEEN INVESTIGATED WELL. WE CARRIED OUT WELL DESIGNED STUDIES IN NORMAL INDIVIDUALS AND THOSE WITH DIABETES TO ASSESS THE ROLE OF YOGIC PRACTICES ON GLYCAEMIC CONTROL, INSULIN KINETICS, BODY COMPOSITION EXERCISE TOLERANCE AND VARIOUS CO-MORBIDITIES LIKE HYPERTENSION AND DYSLIPIDEMIA. THESE STUDIES WERE BOTH SHORT TERM AND LONG-TERM. THESE STUDIES HAVE CONFIRMED THE USEFUL ROLE OF YOGA IN THE CONTROL OF DIABETES MELLITUS. FASTING AND POSTPRANDIAL BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS CAME DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY. GOOD GLYCAEMIC STATUS CAN BE MAINTAINED FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. THERE WAS A LOWERING OF DRUG REQUIREMENT AND THE INCIDENCE OF ACUTE COMPLICATIONS LIKE INFECTION AND KETOSIS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE INSULIN KINETICS AND THOSE OF COUNTER-REGULATORY HORMONES LIKE CORTISOL. THERE WAS A DECREASE IN FREE FATTY ACIDS. THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN LEAN BODY MASS AND DECREASE IN BODY FAT PERCENTAGE. THE NUMBER OF INSULIN RECEPTORS WAS ALSO INCREASED. THERE WAS AN IMPROVEMENT IN INSULIN SENSITIVITY AND DECLINE IN INSULIN RESISTANCE. ALL THESE SUGGEST THAT YOGIC PRACTICES HAVE A ROLE EVEN IN THE PREVENTION OF DIABETES. THERE IS A BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON THE CO-MORBID CONDITIONS LIKE HYPERTENSION AND DYSLIPIDEMIA. 2007 5 810 39 EFFECT OF YOGA ON BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS. INTRODUCTION: IN VIEW OF PEOPLE EMBRACING SEDENTARY LIFE STYLE, AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TREATMENT BECOMING LESS, THE ROLE OF REGULAR EXERCISE ESPECIALLY 'YOGA' SEEMS TO BE A BENEFICIAL AND ECONOMICAL ADJUVANT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF THE TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (T2DM). OBJECTIVES: TO ASSESS THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA ON BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS IN NORMAL AND T2DM VOLUNTEERS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A PROSPECTIVE CASE-CONTROL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGY AND DIABETIC CLINIC OF A TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL OVER PERIOD OF TWO YEARS. THE STUDY SUBJECTS CONSISTED OF 30 MALE DIABETIC PATIENTS ATTENDING DIABETIC CLINIC AND 30 NON-DIABETIC MALE VOLUNTEERS CONSTITUTED CONTROL GROUP. THE PATIENTS IN THE AGE GROUP OF 36 TO 55 YEARS WITH T2DM OF AT LEAST ONE YEAR DURATION AND THOSE ON DIABETIC DIET AND ORAL HYPOGLYCEMIC AGENTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY GROUP. THE AGE MATCHED HEALTHY MALE VOLUNTEERS WHO HAD COME TO JOIN YOGA TRAINING AT YOGA CENTRE WERE INCLUDED IN THE CONTROL GROUP. ALL THE PARTICIPANTS WERE TRAINED BY YOGA EXPERTS AND SUBJECTED TO REGULAR PRACTICE UNDER SUPERVISION FOR SIX MONTHS. IN ALL THE PARTICIPANTS FASTING (FBS) AND POST-PRANDIAL BLOOD SUGAR (PPBS) WAS ESTIMATED BEFORE, DURING (AT THREE MONTHS) AND AFTER (SIX MONTHS) YOGA TRAINING. PAIRED STUDENT T-TEST WAS USED TO ESTIMATE DIFFERENCE IN MEANS CALCULATED BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA TRAINING IN A SAME GROUP. A P-VALUE OF <0.05 WAS CONSIDERED AS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. RESULTS: THE DISTRIBUTION OF AGE, MEAN HEIGHT AND MEAN WEIGHT AMONG BOTH THE GROUPS WERE COMPARABLE. THE REDUCTION IN MEAN VALUES OF FBS AND PPBS AT THE END OF SIX MONTHS WAS HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT (P <0.001) IN BOTH THE GROUPS WHEN COMPARED WITH THE MEAN VALUES BEFORE AND DURING (THREE MONTHS) YOGA PRACTICE. THE REDUCTION IN THESE VALUES AT THREE MONTHS DURING YOGA WAS HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT IN T2DM GROUP WHEN COMPARED WITH MEAN VALUES BEFORE YOGA (P <0.001), BUT IT WAS INSIGNIFICANT (P<0.05) IN CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS OF THE PRESENT STUDY DEMONSTRATED THAT THE YOGA IS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING THE BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH T2DM. 2015 6 1353 21 IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF SPECIFIC NOSTRIL MANIPULATING YOGA BREATHING PRACTICES ON AUTONOMIC AND RESPIRATORY VARIABLES. THE EFFECT OF RIGHT, LEFT, AND ALTERNATE NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING (I.E., RNYB, LNYB, AND ANYB, RESPECTIVELY) WERE COMPARED WITH BREATH AWARENESS (BAW) AND NORMAL BREATHING (CTL). AUTONOMIC AND RESPIRATORY VARIABLES WERE STUDIED IN 21 MALE VOLUNTEERS WITH AGES BETWEEN 18 AND 45 YEARS AND EXPERIENCE IN THE YOGA BREATHING PRACTICES BETWEEN 3 AND 48 MONTHS. SUBJECTS WERE ASSESSED IN FIVE EXPERIMENTAL SESSIONS ON FIVE SEPARATE DAYS. THE SESSIONS WERE IN FIXED POSSIBLE SEQUENCES AND SUBJECTS WERE ASSIGNED TO A SEQUENCE RANDOMLY. EACH SESSION WAS FOR 40 MIN; 30 MIN FOR THE BREATHING PRACTICE, PRECEDED AND FOLLOWED BY 5 MIN OF QUIET SITTING. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED HEART RATE VARIABILITY, SKIN CONDUCTANCE, FINGER PLETHYSMOGRAM AMPLITUDE, BREATH RATE, AND BLOOD PRESSURE. FOLLOWING RNYB THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN SYSTOLIC, DIASTOLIC AND MEAN PRESSURE. IN CONTRAST, THE SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC PRESSURE DECREASED AFTER ANYB AND THE SYSTOLIC AND MEAN PRESSURE WERE LOWER AFTER LNYB. HENCE, UNILATERAL NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING PRACTICES APPEAR TO INFLUENCE THE BLOOD PRESSURE IN DIFFERENT WAYS. THESE EFFECTS SUGGEST POSSIBLE THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS. 2008 7 1929 26 ROLE OF YOGA IN MANAGEMENT OF ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION. TWENTY FIVE PATIENTS OF ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION WERE STUDIED. OF THESE, 20 PATIENTS WERE NOT GIVEN ANY ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUG TREATMENT (GROUP A); OTHER 5 HAD TO BE PUT ON ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS BEFORE INCLUDING THEM IN THE STUDY (GROUP B). THESE PATIENTS WERE DEMONSTRATED "SHAVASANA" AND TRAINED TO PERFORM IT CORRECTLY. SHAVASANA THERAPY WAS CONTINUED FOR SIX MONTHS. THERE WAS A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT FALL IN BOTH MEAN SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC PRESSURE OF BOTH GROUPS. FURTHER, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DOSES OF ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS, BEING GIVEN TO PATIENTS OF GROUP B. IN 65% PATIENTS OF GROUP A, BLOOD PRESSURE COULD BE CONTROLLED WITH SHAVASANA ONLY AND NO DRUG WAS NEEDED IN THEM AT ALL. BLOOD PRESSURE ROSE SIGNIFICANTLY TO PRE-SHAVASANA LEVELS IN PATIENTS WHO LEFT PRACTISING YOGA. THUS, WITH USE OF YOGA (SHAVASANA) IN THERAPY OF HYPERTENSION, REQUIREMENT OF ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS MAY BE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED AND IN SOME CASES MAY BE TOTALLY DISPENSED WITH AND IT MAY BE AN USEFUL ADJUNCT IN TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION. 1984 8 1422 28 IMPROVEMENT IN HAND GRIP STRENGTH IN NORMAL VOLUNTEERS AND RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS PATIENTS FOLLOWING YOGA TRAINING. THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED AT ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF A SET OF YOGA PRACTICES ON NORMAL ADULTS (N = 37), CHILDREN (N = 86), AND PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (N = 20). AN EQUAL NUMBER OF NORMAL ADULTS, CHILDREN, AND PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS WHO DID NOT PRACTICE YOGA WERE STUDIED UNDER EACH CATEGORY, FORMING RESPECTIVE CONTROL GROUPS. YOGA AND CONTROL GROUP SUBJECTS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER VARYING INTERVALS, AS FOLLOWS, ADULTS AFTER 30 DAYS, CHILDREN AFTER 10 DAYS AND PATIENTS AFTER 15 DAYS, BASED ON THE DURATION OF THE YOGA PROGRAM, WHICH THEY ATTENDED, WHICH WAS ALREADY FIXED. HAND GRIP STRENGTH OF BOTH HANDS, MEASURED WITH A GRIP DYNAMOMETER, INCREASED IN NORMAL ADULTS AND CHILDREN, AND IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS PATIENTS, FOLLOWING YOGA, BUT NOT IN THE CORRESPONDING CONTROL GROUPS, SHOWING NO RE-TEST EFFECT. ADULT FEMALE VOLUNTEERS AND PATIENTS SHOWED A GREATER PERCENTAGE IMPROVEMENT THAN CORRESPONDING ADULT MALES. THIS GENDER-BASED DIFFERENCE WAS NOT OBSERVED IN CHILDREN. HENCE YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVES HAND GRIP STRENGTH IN NORMAL PERSONS AND IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, THOUGH THE MAGNITUDE OF IMPROVEMENT VARIES WITH FACTORS SUCH AS GENDER AND AGE. 2001 9 178 35 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF THE EFFECT OF YOGA AND PEER SUPPORT ON GLYCAEMIC OUTCOMES IN WOMEN WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS: A FEASIBILITY STUDY. BACKGROUND: TYPE TWO DIABETES IS A COMPLEX AND DEMANDING CHRONIC DISEASE AND ITS IMPACT IN A STATE (KERALA) WHICH LEADS INDIA IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WITH DIABETES IS PROFOUND. THOUGH THE MALE TO FEMALE RATIO AMONG THE PEOPLE WITH DIABETES IS ROUGHLY EQUAL, WOMEN ARE UNIQUELY AND MORE SEVERELY AFFECTED. MANAGEMENT OF TYPE TWO DIABETES REQUIRES CONSIDERABLE DEXTERITY ON THE PART OF THE PATIENT TO MANAGE DRUGS, DIET AND EXERCISE. THEREFORE, IN A LOW MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRY LIKE INDIA IT IS NECESSARY TO LOOK AT LOW COST INTERVENTIONS THAT CAN EMPOWER THE PATIENT AND BUILD ON AVAILABLE RESOURCES TO HELP MANAGE DIABETES. HENCE, WE STUDIED THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECT OF TWO LOW COST INTERVENTIONS; YOGA AND PEER SUPPORT ON GLYCAEMIC AND OTHER OUTCOMES AMONG WOMEN WITH TYPE TWO DIABETES. METHODS: AN OPEN LABEL PARALLEL THREE ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED AMONG 124 RECRUITED WOMEN WITH DIABETES FOR THREE MONTHS. BLOCK RANDOMIZATION WITH A BLOCK LENGTH OF SIX WAS CARRIED OUT WITH EACH GROUP HAVING AT LEAST 41 WOMEN. IN THE YOGA ARM, SESSIONS BY AN INSTRUCTOR, CONSISTING OF A GROUP OF POSTURES COORDINATED WITH BREATHING WERE CONDUCTED FOR AN HOUR, TWO DAYS A WEEK. IN THE PEER SUPPORT ARM EACH PEER MENTOR AFTER TRAINING VISITED 13-14 WOMEN WITH DIABETES EVERY WEEK FOLLOWED BY A PHONE CALL. THE MEETING WAS ABOUT APPLYING DISEASE MANAGEMENT OR PREVENTION PLANS IN DAILY LIFE. RESULTS: THERE WAS A TREND IN DECLINE OF FASTING PLASMA GLUCOSE IN THE PEER AND YOGA GROUP AND OF GLYCOSYLATED HAEMOGLOBIN (HBA1C) IN THE YOGA GROUP ONLY, THOUGH NOT SIGNIFICANT. A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE WAS OBSERVED IN DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE AND HIP CIRCUMFERENCE IN THE YOGA GROUP. THE PROCESS INDICATED THAT MOST (80%) OF THE WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP ATTENDED CLASSES REGULARLY AND 90% OF THE WOMEN IN THE PEER GROUP REPORTED THAT PEER MENTORING WAS USEFUL. CONCLUSION: THE EFFECT OF YOGA AND PEER SUPPORT ON GLYCAEMIC OUTCOMES WAS INCREMENTAL. LONGER TERM STUDIES ARE NECESSARY TO ASCERTAIN THE BENEFITS SHOWN BY THIS FEASIBILITY STUDY. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CTRI/2011/12/002227 DATED 14/12/2011. 2017 10 904 34 EFFECTIVENESS OF ADJUVANT YOGA THERAPY IN DIABETIC LUNG: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. CONTEXT: RECENT STUDIES PROVIDE AMPLE EVIDENCE OF THE BENEFITS OF YOGA IN VARIOUS CHRONIC DISORDERS. DIABETES MELLITUS IS A GROUP OF METABOLIC DISEASES CHARACTERIZED BY CHRONIC HYPERGLYCEMIA AND SANDLER COINED THE TERM "DIABETIC LUNG" FOR THE ABNORMAL PULMONARY FUNCTION DETECTED IN DIABETIC PATIENTS DUE UNDERLYING PULMONARY DYSFUNCTION. YOGA THERAPY MAY HELP IN ACHIEVING BETTER PULMONARY FUNCTION ALONG WITH ENHANCED GLYCAEMIC CONTROL AND OVERALL HEALTH BENEFITS. AIM: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF ADJUVANT YOGA THERAPY IN DIABETIC LUNG THROUGH SPIROMETRY. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL WAS MADE AS INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATIVE WORK BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS OF YOGA THERAPY, PULMONARY MEDICINE AND ENDOCRINOLOGY, OF MGMC & RI, SRI BALAJI VIDYAPEETH PUDUCHERRY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 72 PATIENTS OF DIABETIC LUNG AS CONFIRMED BY SPIROMETRY (<70% OF EXPECTED) WERE RANDOMIZED INTO CONTROL GROUP (N=36) WHO RECEIVED ONLY STANDARD MEDICAL TREATMENT AND YOGA GROUP (N=36) WHO RECEIVED YOGA TRAINING THRICE WEEKLY FOR 4 MONTHS ALONG WITH STANDARD MEDICAL MANAGEMENT. YOGA THERAPY PROTOCOL INCLUDED YOGIC COUNSELING, PREPARATORY PRACTICES, ASANAS OR STATIC POSTURES, PRANAYAMA OR BREATHING TECHNIQUES AND RELAXATION TECHNIQUES. HATHENAS OF THE GITANANDA YOGA TRADITION WERE THE MAIN PRACTICES USED. SPIROMETRY WAS DONE AT THE END OF THE STUDY PERIOD. DATA WAS ANALYZED BY STUDENT'S PAIRED AND UNPAIRED 'T' TEST AS IT PASSED NORMALITY. RESULTS: THERE WAS A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05) REDUCTION IN WEIGHT, AND BMI ALONG WITH A SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.01) IMPROVEMENT IN PULMONARY FUNCTION (FEV1, FVC) IN YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP WHERE PARAMETERS WORSENED OVER STUDY PERIOD. CONCLUSION: IT IS CONCLUDED FROM THE PRESENT RCT THAT YOGA HAS A DEFINITE ROLE AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY AS IT ENHANCES STANDARD MEDICAL CARE AND HENCE IS EVEN MORE SIGNIFICANT IN ROUTINE CLINICAL MANAGEMENT OF DIABETES, IMPROVING PHYSICAL CONDITION AND PULMONARY FUNCTION. 2019 11 796 32 EFFECT OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON BIOCHEMICAL, OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS AND SLEEP QUALITY AMONG SUBJECTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES IN SOUTH INDIA: RESULTS FROM THE SATYAM PROJECT. AIMS: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON THE BIOCHEMICAL, OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS AND INFLAMMATORY MARKERS AND SLEEP QUALITY AMONG SUBJECTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES. METHODS: SUBJECTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES ATTENDING A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE FOR DIABETES DURING FEB 2017 TO OCT 2019 IN CHENNAI, INDIA WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS. GROUP1(NON-YOGA) (N = 150) WAS ADVISED ON SIMPLE PHYSICAL EXERCISES WHEREAS GROUP2(YOGA) (N = 150) WAS TRAINED AND ADVISED TO DO YOGASANAS WITH STATIC LOOSENING EXERCISES FOR 50 MIN FOR 5 DAYS IN A WEEK. BOTH THE GROUPS WERE FOLLOWED UP FOR A PERIOD OF 3 MONTHS. ANTHROPOMETRIC, BIOCHEMICAL, OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS AND SLEEP QUALITY WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER FOLLOW UP. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN BMI, BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS, HBA1C, LIPID LEVELS, IL6, TNFALPHA AND TBARS IN YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO NON-YOGA GROUP. THERE WAS MARKED IMPROVEMENT IN THE LEVELS OF ADIPONECTIN, PTGIS AND SLEEP QUALITY AMONG SUBJECTS PRACTISING YOGASANAS. CONCLUSION: REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGASANAS IMPROVED GLYCAEMIC CONTROL, OXIDATIVE STRESS, INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE AND SLEEP QUALITY AMONG SUBJECTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES. HENCE, YOGASANAS CAN BE USED AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY FOR MANAGING TYPE 2 DIABETES. 2021 12 959 33 EFFECTS OF A YOGA INTERVENTION ON LIPID PROFILES OF DIABETES PATIENTS WITH DYSLIPIDEMIA. OBJECTIVE: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF DYSLIPIDEMIA IN PATIENTS OF TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS. METHODS: THIS RANDOMIZED PARALLEL STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT IN MEDICAL COLLEGE TRIVANDRUM, KERALA, INDIA. HUNDRED TYPE 2 DIABETICS WITH DYSLIPIDEMIA WERE RANDOMIZED INTO CONTROL AND YOGA GROUPS. THE CONTROL GROUP WAS PRESCRIBED ORAL HYPOGLYCEMIC DRUGS. THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED YOGA DAILY FOR 1 H DURATION ALONG WITH ORAL HYPOGLYCEMIC DRUGS FOR 3 MONTHS. THE LIPID PROFILES OF BOTH THE GROUPS WERE COMPARED AT THE START AND AT THE END OF 3 MONTHS. RESULTS: AFTER INTERVENTION WITH YOGA FOR A PERIOD OF 3 MONTHS THE STUDY GROUP SHOWED A DECREASE IN TOTAL CHOLESTEROL, TRIGLYCERIDES AND LDL, WITH AN IMPROVEMENT IN HDL. CONCLUSION: YOGA, BEING A LIFESTYLE INCORPORATING EXERCISE AND STRESS MANAGEMENT TRAINING, TARGETS THE ELEVATED LIPID LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETES THROUGH INTEGRATED APPROACHES. 2013 13 103 30 A PILOT CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY ON AWARENESS AND PRACTICE REGARDING TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS AND ITS MANAGEMENT WITH YOGA. DIABETES MELLITUS IS A METABOLIC DISORDER OF MULTIPLE ETIOLOGY, CHARACTERIZED BY CHRONIC HYPERGLYCAEMIA WITH DISTURBANCE OF CARBOHYDRATE, FAT, AND PROTEIN METABOLISM RESULTING FROM DEFECT IN INSULIN SECRETION, INSULIN ACTION OR BOTH. IMPROPER LIFESTYLE CONTRIBUTES TO THE INCREASING NUMBER OF PEOPLE AFFECTED WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (T2DM). SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS ON THE MANAGEMENT OF T2DM IN ADULTS THROUGH YOGA REPORTED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN MULTIPLE MODIFIABLE INDICES OF DIABETES MELLITUS MANAGEMENT INCLUDING GLYCEMIC CONTROL, LIPID LEVELS, AND BODY COMPOSITION. AWARENESS LEVELS OF A CONDITION AMONG THE POPULATION PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN BEHAVIOUR CHANGE. HOWEVER, STUDIES RELATED TO ASSESSING THE AWARENESS AND PRACTICE OF YOGA FOR MANAGING DISEASES ARE LIMITED. HENCE, THIS STUDY WAS FORMULATED WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF ASSESSING THE AWARENESS LEVEL AND EXTENT OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT DIABETES MELLITUS AND ITS MANAGEMENT THROUGH YOGA. A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY WITH A SAMPLE SIZE OF 317 WAS CONDUCTED USING A STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRE AT 5 DISTRICTS IN TAMIL NADU AND KERALA. 95% OF THE STUDY POPULATION WERE AWARE OF DIABETES MELLITUS WHILE 61.2% RESPONDED THAT DIABETES CAN BE PREVENTED BY REGULAR EXERCISE AND HEALTHY DIET. 62.4% PEOPLE PERCEIVED THAT YOGA PRACTICES CAN PREVENT DIABETES MELLITUS AND 59% MENTIONED THAT REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE CAN HELP IN CONTROLLING DIABETES AND PREVENT FURTHER COMPLICATIONS. ONLY 13% REPORTED TO PRACTICE YOGA REGULARLY AT LEAST THREE DAYS A WEEK. IDENTIFYING A QUALIFIED YOGA TRAINER WAS REPORTED TO BE A LIMITING FACTOR FOR REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE. THE STUDY SUGGESTED THAT THERE IS A NEED TO INCREASE THE ACCESS TO QUALIFIED YOGA PROFESSIONALS AT COMMUNITY LEVEL. FURTHER LARGE SCALE STUDIES WITH RANDOM SAMPLING METHOD TO ASSESS THE AWARENESS LEVEL AND PRACTICE OF YOGA IN DIFFERENT SETTINGS IS INDICATED. 2020 14 463 29 CHANGES IN SHAPE AND SIZE DISCRIMINATION AND STATE ANXIETY AFTER ALTERNATE-NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING AND BREATH AWARENESS IN ONE SESSION EACH. BACKGROUND YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUES LIKE HIGH-FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING (HFYB) AND BREATH AWARENESS (BAW) HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED PERFORMANCE IN THE SHAPE AND SIZE DISCRIMINATION TASK. A PUBMED SEARCH OF THE LITERATURE REVEALED THAT ALTERNATE-NOSTRIL BREATHING HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE IN ATTENTION TASKS, BUT THE EFFECT ON TACTILE PERCEPTION HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED. HENCE, THE PRESENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO ASSESS THE IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF ALTERNATE-NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING (ANYB) COMPARED TO BREATH AWARENESS ON SHAPE AND SIZE DISCRIMINATION AND STATE ANXIETY. MATERIAL AND METHODS FIFTY HEALTHY MALE VOLUNTEERS AGES 20-50 YEARS (GROUP MEAN +/-S.D., 28.4+/-8.2 YEARS) WERE RECRUITED. EACH PARTICIPANT WAS ASSESSED IN 3 SESSIONS CONDUCTED ON 3 SEPARATE DAYS AT THE SAME TIME OF DAY. THE 3 SESSIONS WERE (I) ALTERNATE-NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING (ANYB), (II) BREATH AWARENESS (BAW), AND (III) QUIET SITTING (QS), AND THE SEQUENCE OF THE SESSIONS WAS RANDOMLY ALLOCATED. THE SHAPE AND SIZE DISCRIMINATION TASK AND STATE ANXIETY WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER ALL 3 SESSIONS. REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (RM-ANOVA) FOLLOWED BY POST HOC TESTS FOR MULTIPLE COMPARISONS, WHICH WERE BONFERRONI-ADJUSTED, WERE PERFORMED TO COMPARE DATA BEFORE AND AFTER ALL 3 SESSIONS USING SPSS VERSION 18.0. RESULTS THE ERRORS SCORES IN THE SHAPE AND SIZE DISCRIMINATION TASK SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION AFTER THE ANYB SESSION (P<0.001). A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION WAS FOUND IN THE LEVEL OF STATE ANXIETY AFTER BREATH AWARENESS (P<0.05) AND QUIET SITTING SESSIONS (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS THE PRESENT RESULTS SUGGEST THAT ANYB: (I) IMPROVES PERFORMANCE IN A TASK WHICH REQUIRES PERCEPTUAL SENSITIVITY AND FOCUSED ATTENTION, BUT (II) DOES NOT REDUCE STATE ANXIETY FOLLOWING THIS TASK. 2019 15 2364 21 VOLUNTARY HEART RATE REDUCTION FOLLOWING YOGA USING DIFFERENT STRATEGIES. BACKGROUND/AIMS: ONE MONTH OF YOGA TRAINING HAS BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE THE PULSE RATE VOLUNTARILY WITHOUT USING EXTERNAL CUES. HENCE, THE PRESENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO UNDERSTAND THE STRATEGIES USED BY YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND AUTONOMIC CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH VOLUNTARY HEART RATE REDUCTION. MATERIALS AND METHODS: FIFTY VOLUNTEERS (GROUP MEAN AGE +/- S.D., 25.4 +/- 4.8 YEARS; 25 MALES) WERE ASSESSED IN TWO TRIALS ON SEPARATE DAYS. EACH TRIAL WAS FOR 12 MINUTES, WITH A 'PRE' STATE AND 'DURING' STATE OF 6 MINUTES EACH. FOR BOTH TRIALS THE 'PRE' STATE WAS RELAXATION WITH EYES CLOSED. IN THE 'DURING' STATE OF TRIAL I, SUBJECTS WERE ASKED TO VOLUNTARILY REDUCE THEIR HEART RATE USING A STRATEGY OF THEIR CHOICE. FROM THEIR RESPONSES TO SPECIFIC QUESTIONS IT WAS DETERMINED THAT 22 OUT OF 50 PERSONS USED BREATH REGULATION AS A STRATEGY. HENCE, IN THE 'DURING' STATE OF TRIAL II, SUBJECTS WERE ASKED TO VOLUNTARILY REDUCE THEIR HEART RATE BY BREATH REGULATION. RESULTS: IN THE FIRST TRIAL, THE HEART RATE WAS REDUCED BY AN AVERAGE OF 19.6 BEATS PER MINUTE AND IN THE SECOND TRIAL (WITH BREATH REGULATION EXCLUSIVELY) AN AVERAGE DECREASE OF 22.2 BEATS PER MINUTE WAS ACHIEVED. CONCLUSIONS: HENCE, THE STRATEGY USED DID NOT MARKEDLY ALTER THE OUTCOME. 2013 16 2153 21 THE EFFECTS OF SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA ON SOME PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS IN MILD HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS. AN OPEN LABEL INTERVENTION STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN ON 26 MILD HYPERTENSIVES AND 26 APPARENTLY HEALTHY ADULTS (30-60 Y), FOR THE EFFECT OF SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA PRACTICE FOR TWO MONTHS AS COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY. IN THE HYPERTENSIVES, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (P < 0.01), SERUM UREA (P < 0.01) AND PLASMA MDA (MALONDIALDEHYDE ADDUCTS) AS OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKER (P < 0.05). OTHER PARAMETERS; VIZ.; PLASMA LEVELS OF CHOLESTEROL, TRIGLYCERIDES, GLUCOSE, DID NOT CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY (P > 0.1). THE PATTERN OF CHANGE IN MOST OF THE STUDY PARAMETERS WAS SUCH THAT VALUES ABOVE NORMAL RANGE WERE LOWERED BUT VALUES WITHIN NORMAL RANGE WERE UNALTERED. THE ACTION OF YOGA ON DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, MALONDIALDEHYDE ADDUCTS AND KIDNEY FUNCTION IN HYPERTENSIVES WAS OF COUNTERACTIVE NATURE AND FELT TO BE DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT THAN THE EFFECT OF DRUGS. 2011 17 1261 31 FINGER DEXTERITY AND VISUAL DISCRIMINATION FOLLOWING TWO YOGA BREATHING PRACTICES. BACKGROUND: PRACTICING YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE MOTOR FUNCTIONS AND ATTENTION. THOUGH ATTENTION IS REQUIRED FOR FINE MOTOR AND DISCRIMINATION TASKS, THE EFFECT OF YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUES ON FINE MOTOR SKILLS AND VISUAL DISCRIMINATION HAS NOT BEEN ASSESSED. AIM: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUES ON FINGER DEXTERITY AND VISUAL DISCRIMINATION. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE PRESENT STUDY CONSISTED OF ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY SUBJECTS WHO HAD ENROLLED FOR STRESS MANAGEMENT. THEY WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS, ONE GROUP PRACTICED HIGH FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING WHILE THE OTHER GROUP PRACTICED BREATH AWARENESS. HIGH FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING (KAPALABHATI, BREATH RATE 1.0 HZ) AND BREATH AWARENESS ARE TWO YOGA PRACTICES WHICH IMPROVE ATTENTION. THE IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF HIGH FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING AND BREATH AWARENESS (I) WERE ASSESSED ON THE PERFORMANCE ON THE O'CONNOR FINGER DEXTERITY TASK AND (II) (IN) A SHAPE AND SIZE DISCRIMINATION TASK. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE FINGER DEXTERITY TASK BY 19% AFTER KAPALABHATI AND 9% AFTER BREATH AWARENESS (P<0.001 IN BOTH CASES, REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA AND POST-HOC ANALYSES). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION (P<0.001) IN ERROR (41% AFTER KAPALABHATI AND 21% AFTER BREATH AWARENESS) AS WELL AS TIME TAKEN TO COMPLETE THE SHAPE AND SIZE DISCRIMINATION TEST (15% AFTER KAPALABHATI AND 15% AFTER BREATH AWARENESS; P<0.001) WAS ALSO OBSERVED. CONCLUSION: BOTH KAPALABAHATI AND BREATH AWARENESS CAN IMPROVE FINE MOTOR SKILLS AND VISUAL DISCRIMINATION, WITH A GREATER MAGNITUDE OF CHANGE AFTER KAPALABHATI. 2012 18 300 27 AN ASSESSMENT OF A SEQUENCE OF YOGA EXERCISES TO PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION. THIS QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY DESCRIBES THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA SEQUENCE FOLLOWING HEMODYNAMIC AND BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION. THIRTY-THREE VOLUNTEERS PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY (CONTROL = 16 AND YOGA = 17) FOR FOUR MONTHS. BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS, CARDIAC AND RESPIRATORY RATE WERE COLLECTED MONTHLY, WHILE THE BIOCHEMICAL PROFILE WAS TAKEN AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF THE PROGRAM. TO ANALYZE THE DATA, STUDENT'S T TEST AND REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSES WERE PERFORMED. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OF SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART AND RESPIRATORY RATE (P < 0.05). AS FOR THE BIOCHEMICAL PROFILE, THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED CORRELATION COEFFICIENTS BETWEEN INITIAL VALUES AND FINAL RESPONSES GREATER THAN THE CONTROL OF FASTING GLUCOSE, TOTAL CHOLESTEROL, LDL-CHOLESTEROL AND TRIGLYCERIDES. THE ELABORATED SEQUENCE PRACTICE PROMOTED SIGNIFICANT CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC BENEFITS. THE YOGA EXERCISES PERFORMED IN THE PROPOSED SEQUENCE CONSTITUTE COMPLEMENTARY NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL CONTROL OF BLOOD PRESSURE IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION. 2013 19 1938 33 ROLE OF YOGA ON CARDIC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION TESTS AND COGNITION IN TYPE 2 DIABETES. ACCORDING TO INTERNATIONAL DIABETIC FEDERATION, TYPE 2 DIABETIC POPULATION IS ON THE RISE GLOBALLY AND COGNITIVE DECLINE IS ONE OF THE COMPLICATIONS SEEN IN TYPE 2 DIABETES. THE PRESENT STUDY IS AIMED AT EXPLORING THE ROLE OF REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGA ON COGNITION IN TYPE 2 DIABETES AND ALSO TO STUDY THE RELATION BETWEEN THE COGNITION AND FUNCTIONAL STATUS OF AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM BY CONSIDERING THE CARDIAC AUTONOMIC (CAN) FUNCTION TESTS. TEN TYPE 2 DIABETIC SUBJECTS OF BOTH THE SEX, AGED BETWEEN 35-55 YEARS, WHO PRACTICED YOGA FOR A PERIOD OF SIX MONTHS AT YOGI VEMANA YOGA RESEARCH INSTITUTE WERE RECRUITED AS TEST GROUP. AGE AND SEX MATCHED TEN TYPE 2 DIABETIC SUBJECTS WERE RECRUITED AS CONTROL GROUP; BOTH THE GROUP SUBJECTS ARE ON ORAL HYPOGLYCEMIC AGENTS. GLYCOSYLATED HEMOGLOBIN CONCENTRATION WAS ESTIMATED WITH BIO-RAD INSTRUMENT, COGNITION WAS ASSESSED WITH ADDENBROOKE'S COGNITIVE EXAMINATION REVISED BATTERY AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION TESTS WERE ALSO CONDUCTED. UNPAIRED STUDENT T TEST WAS PERFORMED AND P<0.05 IS CONSIDERED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. THE MEAN HBA1C CONCENTRATION IN CONTROL AND TEST GROUP SUBJECTS IS 7.8+/-1.84 AND 6.9+/-0.4% (P=0.03) RESPECTIVELY. MEAN COGNITIVE SCORES IN TEST AND CONTROL GROUP SUBJECTS ARE 93+/-4.5 AND 85+/-4.0 (P=0.008) RESPECTIVELY. CAN TEST RESULTS DIDN'T SHOWED ANY SIGNIFICANCE BETWEEN THE TEST AND CONTROL GROUP. BUT CAN FUNCTIONS ARE AFFECTED IN BOTH THE GROUPS. REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGA IN COMBINATION WITH ORAL HYPOGLYCEMIC AGENTS HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON COGNITION IN TYPE 2 DIABETES. 2015 20 880 28 EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON HANDGRIP, RESPIRATORY PRESSURES AND PULMONARY FUNCTION. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE A NUMBER OF REPORTS ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON PULMONARY FUNCTIONS, VERY FEW STUDIES HAVE BEEN UNDERTAKEN ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON RESPIRATORY PRESSURES AND HANDGRIP ENDURANCE. HENCE THE PRESENT WORK WAS PLANNED TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON HAND GRIP STRENGTH (HGS), HAND GRIP ENDURANCE (HGE), MAXIMUM EXPIRATORY PRESSURE (MEP), MAXIMUM INSPIRATORY PRESSURE (MIP), FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME (FEV), FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN FIRST SECOND (FEV1) AND PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (PEFR). 20 SCHOOL CHILDREN IN THE AGE GROUP OF 12 TO 15 YEARS WERE GIVEN YOGA TRAINING (ASANS AND PRANAYAMS) FOR 6 MONTHS. 20 AGE AND GENDER-MATCHED STUDENTS FORMED THE CONTROL GROUP. YOGA TRAINING PRODUCED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05) INCREASE IN HGS AND HGE. MEP, MIP, FEV, FEV1 AND PEFR ALSO INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < 0.001) AFTER THE YOGA TRAINING. IN CONTRAST, THE INCREASE IN THESE PARAMETERS IN THE CONTROL GROUP WAS STATISTICALLY INSIGNIFICANT. OUR STUDY SHOWS THAT YOGA TRAINING FOR 6 MONTHS IMPROVES LUNG FUNCTION, STRENGTH OF INSPIRATORY AND EXPIRATORY MUSCLES AS WELL AS SKELETAL MUSCLE STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT YOGA BE INTRODUCED AT SCHOOL LEVEL IN ORDER TO IMPROVE PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS, OVERALL HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS. 2003