1 1106 114 EFFECTS OF YOGA, AEROBIC, AND STRETCHING AND TONING EXERCISES ON COGNITION IN ADULT CANCER SURVIVORS: PROTOCOL OF THE STAY FIT PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CANCER SURVIVORS EXPERIENCE COMPROMISED QUALITY OF LIFE DUE TO IMPAIRED COGNITIVE FUNCTION AS A RESULT OF CANCER DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT. ALTHOUGH EXERCISE HAS PROVEN TO BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING COGNITIVE FUNCTION ACROSS THE LIFESPAN, INTERVENTIONS COMPREHENSIVELY TESTING THE EFFECTIVENESS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS ARE LIMITED. THE STAY FIT TRIAL IS A THREE-ARMED PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGNED TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK YOGA, AEROBIC WALKING, AND STRETCH AND TONE INTERVENTION ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG ADULT CANCER SURVIVORS. METHODS: THIS PILOT STUDY AIMS TO RECRUIT 75 ADULT CANCER SURVIVORS WHO WILL COMPLETE ASSESSMENTS OF COGNITIVE FUNCTION, CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL MEASURES AT BASELINE AND AFTER THE 12-WEEK INTERVENTION. THE AIMS OF STAY FIT ARE (1) TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF YOGA TO IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG CANCER SURVIVORS, COMPARED TO AEROBIC EXERCISE AND AN ACTIVE CONTROL GROUP; (2) TO EXAMINE CHANGES IN CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS AS A RESULT OF THE INTERVENTIONS; AND (3) TO ASSESS CHANGES IN QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG OUR POPULATION AS A RESULT OF THE EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS. DISCUSSION: THE STAY FIT TRIAL WILL TEST THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA, AEROBIC EXERCISE, AND STRETCHING AND TONING EXERCISES IN IMPROVING COGNITIVE FUNCTION AND FITNESS AMONG ADULT CANCER SURVIVORS. THE RESULTS OF THIS PILOT STUDY WILL ENABLE US TO UNDERSTAND THE MOST EFFECTIVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY MODALITY TO IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN THIS POPULATION AND POTENTIALLY COMBAT CANCER-RELATED COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT03650322 . REGISTERED ON 28 AUGUST 2018. 2020 2 1958 30 SELF-MANAGEMENT AND YOGA FOR OLDER ADULTS WITH CHRONIC STROKE: A MIXED-METHODS STUDY OF PHYSICAL FITNESS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED CHANGES IN PHYSICAL FITNESS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AMONG OLDER PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC STROKE (STROKE >/= 6 MONTHS PREVIOUS) AFTER PARTICIPATION IN A YOGA INFUSED SELF-MANAGEMENT INTERVENTION. METHODS: A MIXED-METHODS SECONDARY DATA ANALYSIS EXAMINED QUANTITATIVE MEASURES OF ENDURANCE, STRENGTH, AND GAIT SPEED AND QUALITATIVE PERSPECTIVES OF INTERVENTION PARTICIPANTS. RESULTS: BASED ON WILCOXON ANALYSIS, PHYSICAL FITNESS OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDING ENDURANCE AND LOWER AND UPPER BODY STRENGTH SIGNIFICANTLY (P < .02) IMPROVED. BASED ON QUALITATIVE RESULTS OF 2 FOCUS GROUPS AND 14 INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEWS, PARTICIPANTS EXPRESSED POSITIVE CHANGES IN ENDURANCE, STRENGTH, GAIT SPEED, FLEXIBILITY, AND BALANCE. THEY ALSO REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN WALKING ABILITY AND DURATION, AND EXPRESSED A DESIRE TO CONTINUE YOGA AND INCREASE LEVELS OF EXERCISE. CONCLUSIONS: WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF IMPROVING PHYSICAL FITNESS AND EXERCISE FOR OLDER ADULTS WITH CHRONIC STROKE, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR SELF-MANAGEMENT INTERVENTIONS TO PROVIDE SPECIFIC SAFE AND FEASIBLE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY COMPONENTS, SUCH AS YOGA. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: HEALTH PROFESSIONALS MAY IMPROVE OFFERED CHRONIC STROKE SELF-MANAGEMENT INTERVENTIONS BY INCORPORATING YOGA. 2018 3 1869 40 RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, SIX-MONTH TRIAL OF YOGA IN HEALTHY SENIORS: EFFECTS ON COGNITION AND QUALITY OF LIFE. CONTEXT: THERE ARE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF MIND-BODY TECHNIQUES ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION BECAUSE THE TECHNIQUES INVOLVE AN ACTIVE ATTENTIONAL OR MINDFULNESS COMPONENT, BUT THIS HAS NOT BEEN FULLY EXPLORED. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION, FATIGUE, MOOD, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN SENIORS. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING YOGA, EXERCISE, AND WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUPS. PARTICIPANTS: ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-FIVE GENERALLY HEALTHY MEN AND WOMEN AGED 65-85 YEARS. INTERVENTION: PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO 6 MONTHS OF HATHA YOGA CLASS, WALKING EXERCISE CLASS, OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL. SUBJECTS ASSIGNED TO CLASSES ALSO WERE ASKED TO PRACTICE AT HOME. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: OUTCOME ASSESSMENTS PERFORMED AT BASELINE AND AFTER THE 6-MONTH PERIOD INCLUDED A BATTERY OF COGNITIVE MEASURES FOCUSED ON ATTENTION AND ALERTNESS, THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES BEING PERFORMANCE ON THE STROOP TEST AND A QUANTITATIVE ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM (EEG) MEASURE OF ALERTNESS; SF-36 HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE; PROFILE OF MOOD STATES; MULTI-DIMENSIONAL FATIGUE INVENTORY; AND PHYSICAL MEASURES RELATED TO THE INTERVENTIONS. RESULTS: ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-FIVE SUBJECTS WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED. SEVENTEEN SUBJECTS DID NOT FINISH THE 6-MONTH INTERVENTION. THERE WERE NO EFFECTS FROM EITHER OF THE ACTIVE INTERVENTIONS ON ANY OF THE COGNITIVE AND ALERTNESS OUTCOME MEASURES. THE YOGA INTERVENTION PRODUCED IMPROVEMENTS IN PHYSICAL MEASURES (EG, TIMED 1-LEGGED STANDING, FORWARD FLEXIBILITY) AS WELL AS A NUMBER OF QUALITY-OF-LIFE MEASURES RELATED TO SENSE OF WELL-BEING AND ENERGY AND FATIGUE COMPARED TO CONTROLS. CONCLUSIONS: THERE WERE NO RELATIVE IMPROVEMENTS OF COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG HEALTHY SENIORS IN THE YOGA OR EXERCISE GROUP COMPARED TO THE WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. THOSE IN THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY-OF-LIFE AND PHYSICAL MEASURES COMPARED TO EXERCISE AND WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUPS. 2006 4 2553 27 YOGA FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS AFTER COMPLETING CANCER TREATMENT. SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER MAY EXPERIENCE PERSISTENT SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, AND BALANCE IMPAIRMENT. YOGA IS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY THAT IMPROVES FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADULT CANCER SURVIVORS. USING A ONE GROUP, REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN, WE EVALUATED THE FEASIBILITY OF A YOGA PROGRAM AND ASSESSED IF CANCER SURVIVOR PARTICIPANTS AGES 10 TO 17 YEARS (N = 13) HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LESS FATIGUE AND ANXIETY, AND BETTER BALANCE AND SLEEP, AFTER A 6-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION COMPARED WITH A 6-WEEK PRE-INTERVENTION WAIT PERIOD. STUDY RECRUITMENT WAS CHALLENGING WITH A 32% ENROLLMENT RATE; YOGA ATTENDANCE WAS 90%. NONE OF THE SCORES FOR ANXIETY, FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND BALANCE HAD SIGNIFICANT CHANGES DURING THE WAIT PERIOD. AFTER THE 6-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM, CHILDREN (N = 7) HAD A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ANXIETY SCORE (P = .04) WHILE ADOLESCENT SCORES (N = 7) SHOWED A DECREASING TREND (P = .10). SCORES FOR FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND BALANCE REMAINED STABLE POST-INTERVENTION. FATIGUE AND BALANCE SCORES WERE BELOW NORMS FOR HEALTH CHILDREN/ADOLESCENTS WHILE SLEEP AND ANXIETY SCORES WERE SIMILAR TO HEALTHY PEERS. 2016 5 1379 35 IMPACT OF IYENGAR YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN YOUNG WOMEN WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. OBJECTIVE: RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) IS A CHRONIC, DISABLING DISEASE THAT CAN GREATLY COMPROMISE HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL). THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF A 6-WEEK TWICE/WEEK IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM ON HRQOL OF YOUNG ADULTS WITH RA COMPARED WITH A USUAL-CARE WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP. METHODS: THE PROGRAM WAS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE PRIMARY OUTCOME OF HRQOL INCLUDING PAIN AND DISABILITY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING IN PATIENTS. ASSESSMENTS WERE COLLECTED PRETREATMENT, POSTTREATMENT, AND AT 2 MONTHS AFTER TREATMENT. WEEKLY RATINGS OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, PAIN, AND SLEEP WERE ALSO RECORDED. A TOTAL OF 26 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE INTERVENTION (YOGA=11; USUAL-CARE WAITLIST=15). ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE FEMALE (MEAN AGE=28 Y). RESULTS: OVERALL ATTRITION WAS LOW AT 15%. ON AVERAGE, WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP ATTENDED 96% OF THE YOGA CLASSES. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. RELATIVE TO THE USUAL-CARE WAITLIST, WOMEN ASSIGNED TO THE YOGA PROGRAM SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT ON STANDARDIZED MEASURES OF HRQOL, PAIN DISABILITY, GENERAL HEALTH, MOOD, FATIGUE, ACCEPTANCE OF CHRONIC PAIN, AND SELF-EFFICACY REGARDING PAIN AT POSTTREATMENT. ALMOST HALF OF THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL SYMPTOM IMPROVEMENT. ANALYSIS OF THE UNCONTROLLED EFFECTS AND MAINTENANCE OF TREATMENT EFFECTS SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS IN HRQOL GENERAL HEALTH, PAIN DISABILITY, AND WEEKLY RATINGS OF PAIN, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION WERE MAINTAINED AT FOLLOW-UP. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT A BRIEF IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTION IS A FEASIBLE AND SAFE ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WITH RA, LEADING TO HRQOL, PAIN DISABILITY, FATIGUE, AND MOOD BENEFITS. MOREOVER, IMPROVEMENTS IN QUALITY OF LIFE, PAIN DISABILITY, AND MOOD PERSISTED AT THE 2-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. 2013 6 1082 37 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SLEEP QUALITY AND DEPRESSION IN ELDERS IN ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES. BACKGROUND: BEING RELOCATED TO AN ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY CAN RESULT IN SLEEP DISTURBANCES AND DEPRESSION IN ELDERS. THIS MAY BE ATTRIBUTED TO OR WORSENED BY LACK OF REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. APPROPRIATE EXERCISE PROGRAMS MAY BE AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN THIS GROUP OF TRANSITIONAL FRAIL ELDERS. PURPOSE: THIS STUDY AIMED TO TEST THE EFFECTS OF A 6-MONTH YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM IN IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY AND DECREASING DEPRESSION IN TRANSITIONAL FRAIL ELDERS LIVING IN ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES. METHODS: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL PRETEST-AND-POSTTEST DESIGN WAS USED. A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF 69 ELDERLY RESIDENTS OF ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES WAS DIVIDED RANDOMLY INTO A YOGA EXERCISE (N = 38) AND CONTROL GROUP (N = 31) BASED ON RESIDENCE LOCATION. A TOTAL OF 55 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE INTERVENTION WAS IMPLEMENTED IN THREE SMALL GROUPS, AND EACH PRACTICE GROUP WAS LED BY TWO PRETRAINED CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTORS THREE TIMES PER WEEK AT 70 MIN PER PRACTICE SESSION FOR 24 WEEKS. THE OUTCOME MEASURES OF SLEEP QUALITY (PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX) AND DEPRESSION STATE (TAIWANESE DEPRESSION QUESTIONNAIRE) WERE EXAMINED AT BASELINE, AT THE 12TH WEEK, AND AT THE 24TH WEEK OF THE STUDY. RESULTS: AFTER 6 MONTHS OF PERFORMING YOGA EXERCISES, PARTICIPANTS' OVERALL SLEEP QUALITY HAD SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED, WHEREAS DEPRESSION, SLEEP DISTURBANCES, AND DAYTIME DYSFUNCTION HAD DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < .05). IN ADDITION, PARTICIPANTS IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP HAD BETTER RESULTS ON ALL OUTCOME INDICATORS THAN THOSE OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOGA EXERCISE BE INCORPORATED AS AN ACTIVITY PROGRAM IN ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES OR IN OTHER LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES TO IMPROVE SLEEP QUALITY AND DECREASE DEPRESSION IN INSTITUTIONALIZED ELDERS. 2010 7 1864 32 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR CHRONIC POSTSTROKE HEMIPARESIS: MOTOR FUNCTION, MENTAL HEALTH, AND QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOMES. PURPOSE: TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR MOTOR FUNCTION, MENTAL HEALTH, AND QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOMES IN PERSONS WITH CHRONIC POSTSTROKE HEMIPARESIS. METHOD: TWENTY-TWO INDIVIDUALS PARTICIPATED IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL INVOLVING ASSESSMENT OF TASK-ORIENTATED FUNCTION, BALANCE, MOBILITY, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE DOMAINS BEFORE AND AFTER EITHER A 10-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION (N = 11) OR NO TREATMENT (N = 11). RESULTS: THE YOGA INTERVENTION DID NOT RESULT IN ANY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN OBJECTIVE MOTOR FUNCTION MEASURES, HOWEVER THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE ASSOCIATED WITH PERCEIVED MOTOR FUNCTION (P = .0001) AND IMPROVEMENTS IN PERCEIVED RECOVERY APPROACHED SIGNIFICANCE (P = .072). MEMORY-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION (P = .022), AND THOSE PARTICIPATING IN THE INTERVENTION EXHIBITED CLINICALLY RELEVANT DECREASES IN STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY. CONCLUSIONS: PRELIMINARY RESULTS OFFER PROMISE FOR YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION TO ADDRESS MENTAL HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PERSONS WITH STROKE-RELATED ACTIVITY LIMITATIONS. THERE IS A NEED TO MORE RIGOROUSLY EVALUATE THESE YOGA BENEFITS WITH A LARGER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, WHICH, BASED ON THIS PRELIMINARY TRIAL, IS FEASIBLE. 2014 8 2651 30 YOGA IMPROVES BALANCE, MOBILITY, AND PERCEIVED OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN ADULTS WITH CHRONIC BRAIN INJURY: A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: THIS WAS A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION TO INVESTIGATE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF GROUP YOGA, AS PAST WORK HAS INDICATED THAT ONE-ON-ONE YOGA CAN IMPROVE FUNCTIONAL DEFICITS IN ADULTS WITH BRAIN INJURY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PARTICIPANTS SERVED AS THEIR OWN CONTROLS. NINE PARTICIPANTS WITH CHRONIC BRAIN INJURY WERE RECRUITED, AND SEVEN (FOUR FEMALE) COMPLETED THE STUDY. PERFORMANCE MEASURES OF BALANCE AND MOBILITY AND SELF-REPORTED MEASURES OF BALANCE CONFIDENCE, PAIN, AND OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE AND SATISFACTION WERE USED. DATA WERE COLLECTED 3 TIMES: BASELINE (STUDY ONSET), PRE-YOGA (AFTER AN 8-WEEK NO-CONTACT PERIOD), AND POST-YOGA (AFTER 8 WEEKS OF YOGA). GROUP YOGA WAS LED BY A YOGA INSTRUCTOR/OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST, AND SESSIONS LASTED 1 H AND OCCURRED TWICE A WEEK. RESULTS: NO PARTICIPANTS WITHDREW DUE TO ADVERSE EFFECTS FROM YOGA. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES BETWEEN BASELINE AND PRE-YOGA. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WAS OBSERVED POST-YOGA IN BALANCE (P = 0.05), MOBILITY (P = 0.03), AND SELF-REPORTED OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: WE OBSERVED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN BALANCE, MOBILITY, AND SELF-REPORTED OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN ADULTS WITH CHRONIC BRAIN INJURY. 2020 9 171 39 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY OF THE THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF YOGA IN PEOPLE WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE. BACKGROUND: EXERCISE CAN BE BENEFICIAL FOR CARDIOPULMONARY, MUSCULOSKELETAL OR NEUROLOGICAL SYSTEMS, AND OTHER FACTORS INCLUDING MOOD, AND MAY BE BENEFICIAL IN REDUCING FALL RISKS, DEMENTIA AND VARIABLES ASSOCIATED WITH QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). PARKINSON'S DISEASE (PD) PRODUCES PROGRESSIVE MOTOR AND COGNITIVE DETERIORATION THAT MAY LEAVE THOSE INFLICTED UNABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN STANDARD EXERCISE PROGRAMS. ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF EXERCISE SUCH AS YOGA MAY BE SUCCESSFUL IN IMPROVING PHYSICAL FUNCTION, QOL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES FOR OVERALL WELL-BEING. AIM: THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON PHYSIOLOGICAL AND HEALTH-RELATED QOL MEASURES IN PEOPLE WITH PD. METHODS AND MATERIALS: THIRTEEN PEOPLE WITH STAGE 1-2 PD WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER A YOGA (N = 8) OR A CONTROL GROUP (N = 5). THE YOGA GROUP PARTICIPATED IN TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA SESSIONS FOR 12 WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS WERE TESTED AT BASELINE, AND AT 6 AND 12 WEEKS USING THE UNIFIED PARKINSON'S DISEASE RATING SCALE (UPDRS), CLINICAL MEASURES OF HEALTH-RELATED QOL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN UPDRS SCORES (P = .006), DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (P = 0.036) AND AVERAGE FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (P = 0.03) WAS NOTED IN THE YOGA GROUP OVER TIME. CHANGES BETWEEN GROUPS WERE ALSO NOTED IN TWO SF-36 SUBSCALES. POSITIVE TRENDS OF IMPROVEMENT WERE NOTED IN DEPRESSION SCORES (P = 0.056), BODY WEIGHT (P = 0.056) AND FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME (P = 0.059). YOGA PARTICIPANTS REPORTED MORE POSITIVE SYMPTOM CHANGES INCLUDING IMMEDIATE TREMOR REDUCTION. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY IMPROVE ASPECTS OF QOL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS IN STAGES 1-2 PD. FUTURE LARGER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM AND EXTEND OUR FINDINGS OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN PD. 2015 10 2883 22 YOGA: A TOOL FOR IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN CHRONIC PANCREATITIS. AIM: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA ON IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS OF CHRONIC PANCREATITIS. METHODS: THE PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO TWO GROUPS. THE CONTROL GROUP CONTINUED THEIR USUAL CARE AS DIRECTED BY THEIR PHYSICIANS. PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP, IN ADDITION, RECEIVED BIWEEKLY YOGA SESSIONS FOR 12 WK. THE PATIENTS' DEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH BEHAVIOUR VARIABLES WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER THE YOGA PROGRAMME USING MEDICAL OUTCOMES SHORT FORM (SF-36) FOR QUALITY OF LIFE, PROFILE OF MOOD STATES FOR ASSESSING MOOD AND SYMPTOMS OF STRESS INVENTORY FOR MEASURING STRESS. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 60 PATIENTS WERE ENROLLED, WITH 8 DROP-OUTS. THIRTY PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO THE YOGA GROUP AND 30 TO THE CONTROL GROUP. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE SEEN IN OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE, SYMPTOMS OF STRESS, MOOD CHANGES, ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE AND APPETITE AFTER THE 12 WK PERIOD APART FROM THE GENERAL FEELING OF WELL-BEING AND DESIRE TO CONTINUE WITH THE PROGRAMME IN FUTURE IN THE YOGA GROUP, WHILE THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: YOGA IS EFFECTIVE ON IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS OF CHRONIC PANCREATITIS. 2007 11 2667 29 YOGA IN HEART FAILURE PATIENTS: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES SUCH AS YOGA PRACTICE HAVE BECOME COMMONPLACE, YET THE SAFETY, PHYSICAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE (HF) ARE UNKNOWN. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM WAS SAFE AND WOULD POSITIVELY INFLUENCE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTION IN HF PATIENTS. METHODS AND RESULTS: STABLE HF PATIENTS WERE RECRUITED (N = 15) AND COMPLETED (N = 12) 8 WEEKS OF YOGA CLASSES. DATA COLLECTED WERE: SAFETY (CARDIAC AND ORTHOPEDIC ADVERSE EVENTS); PHYSICAL FUNCTION (STRENGTH, BALANCE, ENDURANCE, FLEXIBILITY); AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTION (QUALITY OF LIFE [QOL], DEPRESSION SCORES, MINDFULNESS) BEFORE AND AFTER 8 WEEKS OF YOGA CLASSES. RESULTS: MEAN AGE WAS 52.4 + OR - 11.6 WITH THREE-FOURTHS (N = 9) BEING MALE AND CAUCASIAN. NO PARTICIPANT HAD ANY ADVERSE EVENTS. ENDURANCE (P < .02) AND STRENGTH (UPPER P = .04 AND LOWER BODY P = .01) SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED. BALANCE IMPROVED BY 13.6 SECONDS (26.9 + OR - 19.7 TO 40.0 + OR - 18.5; P = .05). SYMPTOM STABILITY, A SUBSCALE OF QOL, IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY (P = .02). ALTHOUGH NO SUBJECT WAS DEPRESSED, OVERALL MOOD WAS IMPROVED. SUBJECTS SUBJECTIVELY REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN OVERALL WELL-BEING. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PRACTICE WAS SAFE, WITH PARTICIPANTS EXPERIENCING IMPROVED PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND SYMPTOM STABILITY. LARGER STUDIES ARE WARRANTED TO PROVIDE MORE NONPHARMACOLOGICAL OPTIONS FOR IMPROVED OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH HF. 2010 12 2508 38 YOGA BREATHING FOR CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE: RESULTS OF A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: MANY DEBILITATING SYMPTOMS ARISE FROM CANCER AND ITS TREATMENT THAT ARE OFTEN UNRELIEVED BY ESTABLISHED METHODS. PRANAYAMA, A SERIES OF YOGIC BREATHING TECHNIQUES, MAY IMPROVE CANCER-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE, BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED FOR THIS PURPOSE. OBJECTIVES: A PILOT STUDY WAS PERFORMED TO EVALUATE FEASIBILITY AND TO TEST THE EFFECTS OF PRANAYAMA ON CANCER-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. DESIGN: THIS WAS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL COMPARING PRANAYAMA TO USUAL CARE. SETTING: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT A UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER. SUBJECTS: PATIENTS RECEIVING CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE PRANAYAMA IMMEDIATELY OR AFTER A WAITING PERIOD (CONTROL GROUP). INTERVENTIONS: THE PRANAYAMA INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF FOUR BREATHING TECHNIQUES TAUGHT IN WEEKLY CLASSES AND PRACTICED AT HOME. THE TREATMENT GROUP RECEIVED PRANAYAMA DURING TWO CONSECUTIVE CYCLES OF CHEMOTHERAPY. THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED USUAL CARE DURING THEIR FIRST CYCLE, AND RECEIVED PRANAYAMA DURING THEIR SECOND CYCLE OF CHEMOTHERAPY. OUTCOME MEASURES: FEASIBILITY, CANCER-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS (FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, STRESS), AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE THE OUTCOMES. RESULTS: CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS NEARLY 100% IN BOTH GROUPS. SIXTEEN (16) PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSES. THE REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSES DEMONSTRATED THAT ANY INCREASE IN PRANAYAMA DOSE, WITH DOSE MEASURED IN THE NUMBER OF HOURS PRACTICED IN CLASS OR AT HOME, RESULTED IN IMPROVED SYMPTOM AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE SCORES. SEVERAL OF THESE ASSOCIATIONS--SLEEP DISTURBANCE (P=0.04), ANXIETY (P=0.04), AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE (P=0.05)--REACHED OR APPROACHED STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA BREATHING WAS A FEASIBLE INTERVENTION AMONG PATIENTS WITH CANCER RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY. PRANAYAMA MAY IMPROVE SLEEP DISTURBANCE, ANXIETY, AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE. A DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP WAS FOUND BETWEEN PRANAYAMA USE AND IMPROVEMENTS IN CHEMOTHERAPY-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. THESE FINDINGS NEED TO BE CONFIRMED IN A LARGER STUDY. 2012 13 444 26 CHAIR YOGA: BENEFITS FOR COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS. THE AIM OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE WHETHER CHAIR YOGA WAS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING PAIN LEVEL AND IMPROVING PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING IN A SAMPLE OF COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS. ONE-WAY REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE WAS PERFORMED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CHAIR YOGA AT BASELINE, MIDPOINT (4 WEEKS), AND END OF THE INTERVENTION (8 WEEKS). ALTHOUGH CHAIR YOGA WAS EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND REDUCING STIFFNESS IN OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS, IT WAS NOT EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING PAIN LEVEL OR IMPROVING DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. FUTURE RESEARCH PLANNED BY THIS TEAM WILL USE RIGOROUS STUDY METHODS, INCLUDING LARGER SAMPLES, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS, AND FOLLOW UP FOR MONITORING HOME PRACTICE AFTER THE INTERVENTIONS. 2012 14 159 31 A RANDOMISED COMPARATIVE TRIAL OF YOGA AND RELAXATION TO REDUCE STRESS AND ANXIETY. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE YOGA AND RELAXATION AS TREATMENT MODALITIES AT 10 AND 16 WEEKS FROM STUDY BASELINE TO DETERMINE IF EITHER OF MODALITY REDUCES SUBJECT STRESS, ANXIETY, BLOOD PRESSURE AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE. DESIGN: A RANDOMISED COMPARATIVE TRIAL WAS UNDERTAKEN COMPARING YOGA WITH RELAXATION. PARTICIPANTS: ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE SUBJECTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE LEVELS OF STRESS WERE RECRUITED FROM THE COMMUNITY IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. INTERVENTIONS: TEN WEEKLY 1- H SESSIONS OF RELAXATION OR HATHA YOGA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: CHANGES IN THE STATE TRAIT PERSONALITY INVENTORY SUB-SCALE ANXIETY, GENERAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE AND THE SHORT FORM-36. RESULTS: FOLLOWING THE 10 WEEK INTERVENTION STRESS, ANXIETY AND QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES IMPROVED OVER TIME. YOGA WAS FOUND TO BE AS EFFECTIVE AS RELAXATION IN REDUCING STRESS, ANXIETY AND IMPROVING HEALTH STATUS ON SEVEN DOMAINS OF THE SF-36. YOGA WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN RELAXATION IN IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH. AT THE END OF THE 6 WEEK FOLLOW-UP PERIOD THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS IN LEVELS OF STRESS, ANXIETY AND ON FIVE DOMAINS OF THE SF-36. VITALITY, SOCIAL FUNCTION AND MENTAL HEALTH SCORES ON THE SF-36 WERE HIGHER IN THE RELAXATION GROUP DURING THE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. CONCLUSION: YOGA APPEARS TO PROVIDE A COMPARABLE IMPROVEMENT IN STRESS, ANXIETY AND HEALTH STATUS COMPARED TO RELAXATION. 2007 15 282 38 ADHERENCE TO YOGA AND EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS IN A 6-MONTH CLINICAL TRIAL. BACKGROUND: TO DETERMINE FACTORS THAT PREDICT ADHERENCE TO A MIND-BODY INTERVENTION IN A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. DESIGN: WE ANALYZED ADHERENCE DATA FROM A 3-ARM TRIAL INVOLVING 135 GENERALLY HEALTHY SENIORS 65-85 YEARS OF AGE RANDOMIZED TO A 6-MONTH INTERVENTION CONSISTING OF: AN IYENGAR YOGA CLASS WITH HOME PRACTICE, AN EXERCISE CLASS WITH HOME PRACTICE, OR A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED COGNITIVE FUNCTION, MOOD, FATIGUE, ANXIETY, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, AND PHYSICAL MEASURES. ADHERENCE TO THE INTERVENTION WAS OBTAINED BY CLASS ATTENDANCE AND BIWEEKLY HOME PRACTICE LOGS. RESULTS: THE DROP-OUT RATE WAS 13%. AMONG THE COMPLETERS OF THE TWO ACTIVE INTERVENTIONS, AVERAGE YOGA CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS 77% AND HOME PRACTICE OCCURRED 64% OF ALL DAYS. AVERAGE EXERCISE CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS 69% AND HOME EXERCISE OCCURRED 54% OF ALL DAYS. THERE WERE NO CLEAR EFFECTS OF ADHERENCE ON THE SIGNIFICANT STUDY OUTCOMES (QUALITY OF LIFE AND PHYSICAL MEASURES). CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATED WITH BASELINE MEASURES OF DEPRESSION, FATIGUE, AND PHYSICAL COMPONENTS OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN BASELINE MEASURES WERE ALSO FOUND BETWEEN STUDY COMPLETERS AND DROP-OUTS IN THE ACTIVE INTERVENTIONS. ADHERENCE WAS NOT RELATED TO AGE, GENDER, OR EDUCATION LEVEL. CONCLUSION: HEALTHY SENIORS HAVE GOOD ATTENDANCE AT CLASSES WITH A PHYSICALLY ACTIVE INTERVENTION. HOME PRACTICE TAKES PLACE OVER HALF OF THE TIME. DECREASED ADHERENCE TO A POTENTIALLY BENEFICIAL INTERVENTION HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DECREASE THE EFFECT OF THE INTERVENTION IN A CLINICAL TRIAL BECAUSE SUBJECTS WHO MIGHT SUSTAIN THE GREATEST BENEFIT WILL RECEIVE A LOWER DOSE OF THE INTERVENTION AND SUBJECTS WITH HIGHER ADHERENCE RATES MAY BE FUNCTIONING CLOSER TO MAXIMUM ABILITY BEFORE THE INTERVENTION. STRATEGIES TO MAXIMIZE ADHERENCE AMONG SUBJECTS AT GREATER RISK FOR LOW ADHERENCE WILL BE IMPORTANT FOR FUTURE TRIALS, ESPECIALLY COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENTS REQUIRING GREATER EFFORT THAN SIMPLE PILL-TAKING. 2007 16 1410 39 IMPACT OF YOGA ON PSYCHOPATHOLOGIES AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PERSONS WITH HIV: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT INDIVIDUALS WITH HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV) OFTEN EXHIBIT POOR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH, WHICH CONTRIBUTES TO A REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). YOGA IS A FORM OF ALTERNATIVE THERAPY THAT HAS POSITIVE INFLUENCES ON GENERAL HEALTH AND QOL. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON I) ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AND II) QOL AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH AN HIV POSITIVE STATUS. METHODOLOGY: SIXTY INDIVIDUALS WITH HIV-POSITIVE (AGED 30-50 YEARS) FROM REHABILITATION CENTRES ACROSS BANGALORE WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP (N=30; 11 MEN) OR THE WAIT-LISTED CONTROL GROUP (N=30; 10 MEN). PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT 8 WEEKS OF INTENSE YOGA PRACTICE PERFORMED AN HOUR A DAY FOR 5 DAYS A WEEK. THE YOGA PRACTICE CONSISTED OF PHYSICAL POSTURES, BREATHING PRACTICES, RELAXATION TECHNIQUES, AND MEDITATION. PARTICIPANTS IN THE WAIT-LISTED CONTROL GROUP FOLLOWED THEIR NORMAL ROUTINE. ANXIETY, FATIGUE, DEPRESSION, AND QOL WERE ASSESSED TWICE FOR ALL SUBJECTS IN EACH GROUP - ONCE AT THE START OF THE STUDY TO ESTABLISH A BASELINE AND ONCE MORE AT THE END OF THE 2-MONTH STUDY PERIOD TO ASSESS ANY CHANGES. DATA ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED ON THE ASSESSMENTS USING SPSS SOFTWARE VERSION 10. RESULTS: BETWEEN GROUP ANALYSIS DEMONSTRATED THAT A SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT REDUCTION IN ANXIETY (P<0.001), DEPRESSION (P<0.001), AND FATIGUE (P<0.001) WAS OBSERVED IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, AS WELL AS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN WELL-BEING (P<0.001) AND ALL DOMAINS OF QOL (P<0.001) IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY INDICATES THAT YOGA INTERVENTION APPEARS TO IMPROVE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH AND QOL OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE HIV-POSITIVE. THEREFORE, BASED ON THESE FINDINGS, YOGA MAY BE RECOMMENDED AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY TO ENHANCE CONVENTIONAL HIV CARE. 2019 17 2233 24 THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS IN CAREGIVERS FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER. PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF A SIX-WEEK VINYASA YOGA (VY) INTERVENTION ON CAREGIVERS' OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. DESIGN: A SINGLE-GROUP, PRE- AND POST-TEST PILOT STUDY. SETTING: UNIVERSITY PUBLIC RECREATIONAL FACILITY. SAMPLE: 12 INFORMAL CAREGIVERS FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER. METHODS: CAREGIVERS PARTICIPATED IN A SIX-WEEK VY INTERVENTION AND COMPLETED MEASURES OF QOL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS PRE- AND POSTINTERVENTION. PROGRAM SATISFACTION WAS MEASURED WITH OPEN-ENDED SURVEY QUESTIONS. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: QOL, PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, AND PROGRAM SATISFACTION. FINDINGS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN THE MENTAL COMPONENT SCORE OF OVERALL QOL AND IN OVERALL PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. SEVERAL SUBDOMAINS OF QOL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS WERE ALSO IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY. OPEN-ENDED SURVEY QUESTION RESPONSES REVEALED PARTICIPANTS PERCEIVED PHYSICAL AND MENTAL BENEFIT FROM THE INTERVENTION, HIGHLIGHTING IMPROVEMENTS IN FLEXIBILITY, CORE AND UPPER-BODY STRENGTH, BALANCE, BREATHING, AND ENERGY. CONCLUSIONS: INFORMAL CAREGIVERS MAY BENEFIT MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY FROM PARTICIPATING IN VY. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: CAREGIVERS OF PATIENTS WITH CANCER CHARACTERIZE A GROUP WORTHY OF ATTENTION, RESEARCH, AND INTERVENTIONS FOCUSING ON THEIR HEALTHCARE NEEDS. 2014 18 112 30 A PILOT STUDY OF A MINDFULNESS INFORMED YOGA INTERVENTION IN YOUNG PEOPLE WITH PSYCHOSIS. AIM: TO DETERMINE THE ACCEPTABILITY AND SAFETY OF A MINDFULNESS INFORMED YOGA INTERVENTION AS ADJUNCT TO USUAL CARE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WITH EARLY PSYCHOSIS. METHODS: PEOPLE AGED 16-25 YEARS ATTENDING A COMMUNITY-BASED SPECIALIST EARLY PSYCHOSIS CLINIC WERE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN A 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION. THE INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF 1-H WEEKLY CLASSES OF MINDFULNESS INFORMED YOGA. ACCEPTABILITY WAS MEASURED BY UPTAKE, ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPANTS' SATISFACTION. SAFETY WAS MEASURED BY INCIDENCE OF PHYSICAL INJURY, PARTICIPANTS' LEVEL OF COMFORT, DISTRESS AND ANXIETY DURING THE SESSIONS, AND THE FOLLOWING MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES: POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE PSYCHOTIC, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND STRESS SYMPTOMS, SLEEP QUALITY AND FUNCTIONING. RESULTS: OF THOSE WHO CONSENTED TO THE STUDY, 80% (12) PARTICIPATED AND ON AVERAGE ATTENDED 4.4 YOGA CLASSES. THERE WERE NO PHYSICAL INJURIES AND PARTICIPANTS REPORTED MINIMAL DISTRESS AND ANXIETY. POST-INTERVENTION, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN ANXIETY SYMPTOMS AND AN IMPROVEMENT IN FUNCTION. CONCLUSIONS: MINDFULNESS-BASED YOGA INTERVENTIONS ARE BOTH ACCEPTABLE AND SAFE AS AN INTERVENTION FOR YOUTH WITH EARLY PSYCHOSIS. THOUGH NUMBERS WERE SMALL, THE STUDY SHOWS PROMISE FOR YOGA AS A POTENTIALLY USEFUL INTERVENTION. IMPORTANTLY, THERE WAS NO DETERIORATION IN MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES. A LARGER TRIAL EVALUATING CLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS IS NOW TIMELY. 2022 19 640 34 DO YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING HAVE IMPACT ON FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY, FATIGUE, PERIPHERAL MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS? AIM: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING AND YOGA ON THE FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY, PERIPHERAL MUSCLE STRENGTH, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), AND FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 52 PATIENTS WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF BREAST CANCER WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. THE PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO 2 GROUPS: AEROBIC EXERCISE (N = 28) AND YOGA ADDED TO AEROBIC EXERCISE (N = 24). BOTH GROUPS PARTICIPATED IN SUBMAXIMAL EXERCISE 30 MINUTES/D, 3 D/WK FOR 6 WEEKS. THE SECOND GROUP PARTICIPATED IN A 1-HOUR YOGA PROGRAM IN ADDITION TO AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING. FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY WAS ASSESSED BY THE 6-MINUTE WALK TEST (6MWT). PERIPHERAL MUSCLE STRENGTH WAS EVALUATED WITH A HAND-HELD DYNAMOMETER. THE FATIGUE SEVERITY LEVEL WAS ASSESSED WITH THE FATIGUE SEVERITY SCALE (FSS). THE QOL WAS DETERMINED BY THE EUROPEAN ORGANISATION FOR RESEARCH AND TREATMENT OF CANCER QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE. RESULTS: THERE WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN PERIPHERAL MUSCLE STRENGTH, THE 6MWT DISTANCE, AND THE PERCEPTION OF QOL IN BOTH GROUPS (P < .05). ADDITIONALLY, THE GROUP WITH AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA SHOWED MARKED IMPROVEMENT COMPARED WITH THE AEROBIC EXERCISE GROUP IN FATIGUE PERCEPTION (P < .05). CONCLUSION: ACCORDING TO THE DATA FROM THIS STUDY, AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING AND YOGA IMPROVED THE FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY AND QOL OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. AEROBIC EXERCISE PROGRAMS CAN BE SUPPORTED BY BODY MIND TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS YOGA, IN THE REHABILITATION OF CANCER PATIENTS FOR IMPROVING FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY AND PSYCHOSOCIAL WELLNESS. 2015 20 2605 38 YOGA FOR PERSISTENT FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: RESULTS OF A PILOT STUDY. APPROXIMATELY ONE-THIRD OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS EXPERIENCES PERSISTENT FATIGUE FOR MONTHS OR YEARS AFTER SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT COMPLETION. THERE IS A LACK OF EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENTS FOR CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE, PARTICULARLY AMONG CANCER SURVIVORS. THIS SINGLE-ARM PILOT STUDY EVALUATED THE FEASIBILITY AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR FATIGUED BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS BASED ON THE IYENGAR TRADITION. IYENGAR YOGA PRESCRIBES SPECIFIC POSES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH SPECIFIC MEDICAL PROBLEMS AND CONDITIONS; THIS TRIAL EMPHASIZED POSTURES BELIEVED TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR REDUCING FATIGUE AMONG BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS, INCLUDING INVERSIONS AND BACKBENDS PERFORMED WITH THE SUPPORT OF PROPS. TWELVE WOMEN WERE ENROLLED IN THE TRIAL, AND 11 COMPLETED THE FULL 12-WEEK COURSE OF TREATMENT. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN FATIGUE SCORES FROM PRE- TO POST-INTERVENTION THAT WAS MAINTAINED AT THE 3-MONTH POST-INTERVENTION FOLLOWUP. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE ALSO OBSERVED IN MEASURES OF PHYSICAL FUNCTION, DEPRESSED MOOD, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. THESE RESULTS SUPPORT THE ACCEPTABILITY OF THIS INTERVENTION AND SUGGEST THAT IT MAY HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON PERSISTENT POST-TREATMENT FATIGUE. HOWEVER, RESULTS REQUIRE REPLICATION IN A LARGER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. 2011