1 396 94 BETWEEN INHALE AND EXHALE: YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION IN SMOKING CESSATION. THE CURRENT STUDY PROVIDED A REVIEW OF EVIDENCE-BASED YOGA INTERVENTIONS' IMPACT ON SMOKING CESSATION. THE RESEARCHERS REVIEWED ARTICLES OBTAINED FROM MEDLINE (PUBMED), EBSCOHOST, PROQUEST, MEDINDIA, CINAHL, ALT HEALTHWATCH, AND AMED DATABASES. INCLUSION CRITERIA WERE AS FOLLOWS: (A) STUDY PUBLISHED BETWEEN 2004 AND 2013, (B) STUDY PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE, (C) STUDY USED YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS, (D) STUDY INVOLVED SMOKERS WITH VARYING LEVEL OF SMOKING, (E) STUDY USED ANY QUANTITATIVE DESIGN, AND (F) STUDY HAD PHYSIOLOGICAL AND/OR PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES. A TOTAL OF 10 STUDIES MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. DESIGNS WERE 2 PRE-POST TESTS AND 8 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. MAJORITY OF THE INTERVENTIONS WERE ABLE TO ENHANCE QUITTING SMOKING RATES IN THE PARTICIPANTS UNDER STUDY. YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS HOLD PROMISE FOR SMOKING CESSATION. SOME OF THE LIMITATIONS INCLUDE SHORT FOLLOW-UP MEASUREMENTS AND SHORT DURATION OF INTERVENTION. 2014 2 1896 24 RESPIRATORY, PHYSICAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF BREATH-FOCUSED YOGA FOR ADULTS WITH SEVERE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (TBI): A BRIEF PILOT STUDY REPORT. OBJECTIVE: THIS PILOT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO IDENTIFY THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF BREATH-FOCUSED YOGA ON RESPIRATORY, PHYSICAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING FOR ADULTS WITH SEVERE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (TBI). PARTICIPANTS: TEN INDIVIDUALS WITH SEVERE TBI WHO SELF-SELECTED TO ATTEND WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES AND 4 NO-TREATMENT CONTROLS WERE EVALUATED. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED AT PRETREATMENT BASELINE AND AT 3-MONTH INTERVALS FOR A TOTAL OF 4 TIME POINTS OVER 40 WEEKS. OUTCOMES OF INTEREST INCLUDED OBSERVED EXHALE STRENGTH, ABILITY TO HOLD A BREATH OR A TONE, BREATHING RATE, COUNTED BREATHS (INHALE AND EXHALE), AND HEART RATE, AS WELL AS SELF-REPORTED PHYSICAL AND PSYCHO-LOGICAL WELL-BEING. RESULTS: REPEATED WITHIN-GROUP ANALYSES OF VARIANCE REVEALED THAT THE YOGA GROUP DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT LONGITUDINAL CHANGE ON SEVERAL MEASURES OF OBSERVED RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONING AND SELF-REPORTED PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING OVER A 40-WEEK PERIOD. THOSE IN THE CONTROL GROUP SHOWED MARGINAL IMPROVEMENT ON 2 OF THE 6 MEASURES OF RESPIRATORY HEALTH, PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING, EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING, AND GENERAL HEALTH. THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZES PRECLUDED THE ANALYSIS OF BETWEEN GROUP DIFFERENCES. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY PROVIDES PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE THAT BREATH-FOCUSED YOGA MAY IMPROVE RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONING AND SELF-PERCEIVED PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING OF ADULTS WITH SEVERE TBI. 2012 3 1229 21 FEASIBILITY AND IMPACT OF AN 8-WEEK INTEGRATIVE YOGA PROGRAM IN PEOPLE WITH MODERATE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS-RELATED DISABILITY: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: THIS PILOT STUDY DETERMINED THE FEASIBILITY OF A SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE WITH MODERATE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS)-RELATED DISABILITY. WE EXPLORED THE PROGRAM'S EFFECT ON QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PERFORMANCE. METHODS: WE USED A SINGLE-GROUP DESIGN WITH REPEATED MEASUREMENTS AT BASELINE, POSTINTERVENTION, AND 8-WEEK FOLLOW-UP. FEASIBILITY WAS EXAMINED THROUGH COST, RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, ATTENDANCE, AND SAFETY. OUTCOMES INCLUDED THE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS QUALITY OF LIFE INVENTORY (MSQLI), 12-ITEM MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS WALKING SCALE (MSWS-12), TIMED 25-FOOT WALK TEST (T25FW), 6-MINUTE WALK TEST (6MWT), NINE-HOLE PEG TEST (NHPT), FIVE-TIMES SIT-TO-STAND TEST (FTSTS), MULTIDIRECTIONAL REACH TEST (MDRT), MAXIMUM EXPIRATORY PRESSURE, AND PACED AUDITORY SERIAL ADDITION TEST-3'' (PASAT-3''). RESULTS: FOURTEEN PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE PROGRAM WAS FEASIBLE. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECTS ON THE 36-ITEM SHORT FORM HEALTH STATUS SURVEY MENTAL COMPONENT SUMMARY (SF-36 MCS), MODIFIED FATIGUE IMPACT SCALE (MFIS), BLADDER CONTROL SCALE (BLCS), PERCEIVED DEFICITS QUESTIONNAIRE (PDQ), MENTAL HEALTH INVENTORY (MHI), MSWS-12, T25FW, NHPT, PASAT-3'', 6MWT, FTSTS, AND MDRT-BACK. IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND ON THE SF-36 MCS, MFIS, BLCS, PDQ, MHI, AND MSWS-12 BETWEEN BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION. THE EFFECT ON PDQ PERSISTED AT FOLLOW-UP. IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND ON THE T25FW, NHPT, 6MWT, FTSTS, AND MDRT-BACK BETWEEN BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION THAT PERSISTED AT FOLLOW-UP. THE PASAT-3'' DID NOT CHANGE BETWEEN BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION BUT DID BETWEEN POSTINTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP. CONCLUSIONS: THE YOGA PROGRAM WAS SAFE AND FEASIBLE. IMPROVEMENTS IN CERTAIN MEASURES OF QOL AND PERFORMANCE WERE SEEN AT POSTINTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP. 2017 4 1629 18 MINDFULNESS-BASED YOGA FOR YOUTH WITH PERSISTENT CONCUSSION: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVE: WE EXPLORED THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF MINDFULNESS-BASED YOGA (MBY) FOR YOUTH WITH PERSISTENT CONCUSSION BY EXAMINING OCCUPATION-BASED AND NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL OUTCOMES. METHOD: IN THIS CASE SERIES DESIGN STUDY, 6 YOUTHS AGES 13-17 YR WITH CONCUSSION SYMPTOMS FOR >4 WK PARTICIPATED IN AN 8-WK MBY INTERVENTION, 1X/WK FOR 45 MIN. PARTICIPATION, SELF-EFFICACY, AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY (24 HR) WERE COLLECTED BEFORE, AFTER, AND 3 MO AFTER THE INTERVENTION. HEART RATE VARIABILITY WAS ALSO MEASURED DURING EACH SESSION. RESULTS: TRENDS OF INCREASED SELF-EFFICACY IN ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL DOMAINS WERE FOUND AFTER MBY AND MAINTAINED AT 3-MO FOLLOW-UP. TRENDS OF INCREASING HEART RATE VARIABILITY WERE ALSO FOUND PRE- TO POSTINTERVENTION AND WITHIN THE EIGHT MBY SESSIONS. CONCLUSION: PRELIMINARY RESULTS REVEAL POSITIVE TRENDS AFTER A NOVEL, SAFE INTERVENTION FOR YOUTH WITH PERSISTENT CONCUSSION SYMPTOMS AND THE VALUE OF EXPLORING BOTH OCCUPATION-BASED AND NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES. FUTURE RESEARCH WITH A LARGER SAMPLE AND CONTROL GROUP IS WARRANTED. 2019 5 744 16 EFFECT OF ROSARY PRAYER AND YOGA MANTRAS ON AUTONOMIC CARDIOVASCULAR RHYTHMS: COMPARATIVE STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO TEST WHETHER RHYTHMIC FORMULAS SUCH AS THE ROSARY AND YOGA MANTRAS CAN SYNCHRONISE AND REINFORCE INHERENT CARDIOVASCULAR RHYTHMS AND MODIFY BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY. DESIGN: COMPARISON OF EFFECTS OF RECITATION OF THE AVE MARIA (IN LATIN) OR OF A MANTRA, DURING SPONTANEOUS AND METRONOME CONTROLLED BREATHING, ON BREATHING RATE AND ON SPONTANEOUS OSCILLATIONS IN RR INTERVAL, AND ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND CEREBRAL CIRCULATION. SETTING: FLORENCE AND PAVIA, ITALY. PARTICIPANTS: 23 HEALTHY ADULTS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: BREATHING RATE, REGULARITY OF BREATHING, BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY, FREQUENCY OF CARDIOVASCULAR OSCILLATIONS. RESULTS: BOTH PRAYER AND MANTRA CAUSED STRIKING, POWERFUL, AND SYNCHRONOUS INCREASES IN EXISTING CARDIOVASCULAR RHYTHMS WHEN RECITED SIX TIMES A MINUTE. BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY ALSO INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY, FROM 9.5 (SD 4.6) TO 11.5 (4.9) MS/MM HG, P<0.05. CONCLUSION: RHYTHM FORMULAS THAT INVOLVE BREATHING AT SIX BREATHS PER MINUTE INDUCE FAVOURABLE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND POSSIBLY PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS. 2001 6 1432 18 IMPROVING PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH IN FRONTLINE MENTAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS: YOGA-BASED STRESS MANAGEMENT VERSUS COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL STRESS MANAGEMENT. THE NEED FOR BRIEF, LOW-COST, EASILY DISSEMINABLE AND EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS TO PROMOTE HEALTHY LIFESTYLES IS HIGH. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS. WE DEVELOPED TWO STUDIES TO COMPARE THE IMPACTS OF COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL STRESS MANAGEMENT (CBSM) AND YOGA BASED STRESS MANAGEMENT (YBSM) INTERVENTIONS FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS. STUDY 1 OFFERED AN 8-WEEK YBSM INTERVENTION TO 37 MENTAL HEALTHCARE PARTICIPANTS AND COLLECTED HEALTH DATA PRE AND POST. STUDY 2 OFFERED YBSM AND CBSM CLASSES TO 40 RANDOMLY ASSIGNED MENTAL HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AND COLLECTED MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH DATA AT FOUR TIME POINTS. IN STUDY 1, USING T-TESTS, THE YBSM INTERVENTION AFFECTED A NUMBER OF MENTAL AND PHYSICAL WELLBEING INDICES PRE TO POST. IN STUDY 2, USING LINEAR MIXED MODELING, BOTH YBSM AND CBSM GROUPS IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY (P <.05) IN FRUIT AND VEGETABLE INTAKE, HEART RATE, ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION, RELAXATION AND AWARENESS, PROFESSIONAL QUALITY OF LIFE, COMPASSION SATISFACTION, BURNOUT, DEPRESSION, AND STRESS LEVELS. THERE WAS A GROUP BY TIME EFFECT FOR COPING CONFIDENCE (CBSM INCREASED MORE, P<.05, F = 4.34), PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (YBSM INCREASED MORE, P<.05, F = 3.47), OVERALL MENTAL HEALTH (YBSM INCREASED MORE, P<.10, F =5.32), AND SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS (YBSM DECREASED MORE, P<.10, F = 4.89). YBSM AND CBSM APPEAR TO BE USEFUL FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS' MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH. YBSM DEMONSTRATES SOME BENEFIT ABOVE AND BEYOND THE EXTREMELY WELL-STUDIED AND EMPIRICALLY SUPPORTED CBSM, INCLUDING INCREASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, OVERALL MENTAL HEALTH, AND DECREASED SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS BENEFITS. 2017 7 2164 23 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND SELF-ESTEEM ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS-A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: PREVIOUS RESEARCH HAS FOUND THAT YOGA CAN ENHANCE QUALITY OF LIFE AND EASE MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. THE STUDY EXAMINED WHETHER SELF-ESTEEM MEDIATED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE, FATIGUE AND MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS, UTILIZING VALIDATED OUTCOME MEASURES. STUDY DESIGN: THIS IS A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA WITH THOSE OF USUAL CARE IN 40 BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WHO SUFFERED FROM MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED ALL 3 ASSESSMENTS (WEEK 0, WEEK 12, AND WEEK 24) AND PROVIDED FULL DATA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: OUTCOMES WERE MEASURED USING SELF-RATING INSTRUMENTS. MEDIATION ANALYSES WERE PERFORMED USING SPSS. RESULTS: SELF-ESTEEM MEDIATED THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (B=-2.11, 95% BCI [-5.40 TO -0.37]), PSYCHOLOGICAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (B=-0.94, 95% BCI [-2.30 TO -0.01]), AND UROGENITAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (B=-0.66, 95% BCI [-1.65 TO -0.15]), QUALITY OF LIFE (B=8.04, 95% BCI [3.15-17.03]), SOCIAL WELL-BEING (B=1.80, 95% BCI [0.54-4.21]), EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING (B=1.62, 95% BCI [0.70-3.34]), FUNCTIONAL WELL-BEING (B=1.84, 95% BCI [0.59-4.13]), AND FATIGUE (B=4.34, 95% BCI [1.28-9.55]). SELF-ESTEEM HAD NO EFFECT ON SOMATOVEGETATIVE MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (B=-0.50, 95% BCI N.S.) OR ON PHYSICAL WELL-BEING (B=0.79, 95% BCI N.S.). CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS SUPPORT THE ASSUMPTION THAT SELF-ESTEEM PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN THE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF YOGA AND THAT YOGA CAN HAVE LONG-TERM BENEFITS FOR WOMEN DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER AND UNDERGOING MENOPAUSAL TRANSITION. 2017 8 2257 15 THE PHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF KUNDALINI YOGA MEDITATION: A STUDY OF A YOGA MASTER. THIS STUDY EXPLORES THE PHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF A HIGHLY PRACTICED KUNDALINI YOGA MEDITATOR. THORACIC AND ABDOMINAL BREATHING PATTERNS, HEART RATE (HR), OCCIPITAL PARIETAL ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPH (EEG), SKIN CONDUCTANCE LEVEL (SCL), AND BLOOD VOLUME PULSE (BVP) WERE MONITORED DURING PREBASELINE, MEDITATION, AND POSTBASELINE PERIODS. VISUAL ANALYSES OF THE DATA SHOWED A DECREASE IN RESPIRATION RATE DURING THE MEDITATION FROM A MEAN OF 11 BREATHS/MIN FOR THE PRE- AND 13 BREATHS/MIN FOR THE POSTBASELINE TO A MEAN OF 5 BREATHS/MIN DURING THE MEDITATION, WITH A PREDOMINANCE OF ABDOMINAL/DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING. THERE WAS ALSO MORE ALPHA EEG ACTIVITY DURING THE MEDITATION (M = 1.71 MICROV) COMPARED TO THE PRE- (M = .47 MICROV) AND POSTBASELINE (M = .78 MICROV) PERIODS, AND AN INCREASE IN THETA EEG ACTIVITY IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE MEDITATION (M = .62 MICROV) COMPARED TO THE PRE-BASELINE AND MEDITATIVE PERIODS (EACH WITH M = .26 MICROV). THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT A SHIFT IN BREATHING PATTERNS MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALPHA EEG, AND THOSE PATTERNS NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED FURTHER. 2001 9 1360 20 IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING ON RESPONSE INHIBITION AMONG HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS. BACKGROUND: THERE IS VERY LITTLE EVIDENCE AVAILABLE ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED BREATHING PRACTICES ON RESPONSE INHIBITION. THE CURRENT STUDY USED STOP-SIGNAL PARADIGM TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING (YBH) ON RESPONSE INHIBITION AMONG HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIRTY-SIX HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (17 MALES + 19 FEMALES), WITH MEAN AGE OF 20.31 +/- 3.48 YEARS FROM A UNIVERSITY, WERE RECRUITED IN A WITHIN-SUBJECT REPEATED MEASURES (RM) DESIGN. THE RECORDINGS FOR STOP SIGNAL TASK WERE PERFORMED ON THREE DIFFERENT DAYS FOR BASELINE, POST-YBH, AND POST YOGIC BREATH AWARENESS (YBA) SESSIONS. STOP-SIGNAL REACTION TIME (SSRT), MEAN REACTION TIME TO GO STIMULI (GO RT), AND THE PROBABILITY OF RESPONDING ON-STOP SIGNAL TRIALS (P [R/S]) WERE ANALYZED FOR 36 VOLUNTEERS USING RM ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE. RESULTS: SSRT REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY IN BOTH YBH (218.33 +/- 38.38) AND YBA (213.15 +/- 37.29) GROUPS WHEN COMPARED TO BASELINE (231.98 +/- 29.54). NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE OBSERVED IN GO RT AND P (R/S). FURTHER, THE CHANGES IN SSRT WERE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT AMONG YBH AND YBA GROUPS. CONCLUSION: BOTH YBH AND YBA GROUPS WERE FOUND TO ENHANCE RESPONSE INHIBITION IN THE STOP-SIGNAL PARADIGM. YBH COULD BE FURTHER EVALUATED IN CLINICAL SETTINGS FOR CONDITIONS WHERE RESPONSE INHIBITION IS ALTERED. 2018 10 1277 17 FUNCTIONAL STATUS IN ADHESIVE CAPSULITIS - YOGA VS. PHYSIOTHERAPY: A QUASI EXPERIMENTAL STUDY. OBJECTIVES: ADHESIVE CAPSULITIS RESULTS IN A MULTIDIMENSIONAL DISABILITY WHICH DEMANDS A POLYGONAL APPROACH. ALTHOUGH PHYSIOTHERAPY PROVES AN ESSENTIAL FOR A COMPLETE AND COMPREHENSIVE RECOVERY IN ADHESIVE CAPSULITIS, EVIDENCE ALSO SUGGEST THE ROLE OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT, HENCE THIS STUDY INVESTIGATE THEIR EFFECTIVENESS. METHODS: THIS IS A QUASI-RANDOMISED CONTROL STUDY. A PRE-DIAGNOSED SUBACUTE AND CHRONIC ADHESIVE CAPSULITIS OF SHOULDER, BETWEEN THE AGE GROUP OF 35-60 YEARS OF BOTH GENDERS OF TOTAL 40 PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO GROUP 'A' (YOGASANA) AND GROUP 'B' (PHYSIOTHERAPY). THE PARAMETERS OF PAIN, JOINT MOBILITY AND FUNCTIONAL DISABILITIES WERE MEASURED AT THE BASELINE AND AFTER FOUR-WEEKS. RESULTS: THE MEAN AGE OF GROUP 'A' WAS 45.4 +/- 7.78 YEARS WHEREAS 50.05 +/- 5.98 YEARS WAS IN GROUP 'B'. INTRAGROUP ANALYSIS FOR BOTH THE GROUPS SHOWED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ALL THE STUDY VARIABLES. WHEREAS IN INTERGROUP ANALYSIS YOGASANA WAS FOUND TO BE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IN IMPROVING SHOULDER ABDUCTION MOBILITY, P=0.03, EFFECT SIZE R=0.35 AND ALSO IN SHOULDER FLEXION (P=0.15, R=0.23) AND SHOULDER INTERNAL ROTATION (P=0.07, R=0.3), THOUGH STATISTICALLY NOT SIGNIFICANT, IN VIEW OF SMALL EFFECT SIZE RESPONSE. CONCLUSIONS: BOTH TECHNIQUES IMPROVED THE FUNCTIONAL STATUS IN ADHESIVE CAPSULITIS, HOWEVER ADDITIONAL EFFECTS ON JOINT MOBILITY WAS DEMONSTRATED BY YOGASANA. 2020 11 1468 22 INNER ENGINEERING PRACTICES AND ADVANCED 4-DAY ISHA YOGA RETREAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH CANNABIMIMETIC EFFECTS WITH INCREASED ENDOCANNABINOIDS AND SHORT-TERM AND SUSTAINED IMPROVEMENT IN MENTAL HEALTH: A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF MEDITATORS. BACKGROUND: ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION ARE COMMON IN THE MODERN WORLD, AND THERE IS GROWING DEMAND FOR ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES SUCH AS MEDITATION. MEDITATION CAN DECREASE PERCEIVED STRESS AND INCREASE GENERAL WELL-BEING, ALTHOUGH THE PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISM IS NOT WELL-CHARACTERIZED. ENDOCANNABINOIDS (ECBS), LIPID MEDIATORS ASSOCIATED WITH ENHANCED MOOD AND REDUCED ANXIETY/DEPRESSION, HAVE NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLY STUDIED AS BIOMARKERS OF MEDITATION EFFECTS. OUR AIM WAS TO ASSESS BIOMARKERS (ECBS AND BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR [BDNF]) AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AFTER A MEDITATION RETREAT. METHODS: THIS WAS AN OBSERVATIONAL PILOT STUDY OF ADULTS BEFORE AND AFTER THE 4-DAY ISHA YOGA BHAVA SPANDANA PROGRAM RETREAT. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED ONLINE SURVEYS (BEFORE AND AFTER RETREAT, AND 1 MONTH LATER) TO ASSESS ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, FOCUS, WELL-BEING, AND HAPPINESS THROUGH VALIDATED PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. VOLUNTARY BLOOD SAMPLING FOR BIOMARKER STUDIES WAS DONE BEFORE AND WITHIN A DAY AFTER THE RETREAT. THE BIOMARKERS ANANDAMIDE, 2-ARACHIDONOYLGLYCEROL (2-AG), 1-ARACHIDONOYLGLYCEROL (1-AG), DOCOSATETRAENOYLETHANOLAMIDE (DEA), OLEOYLETHANOLAMIDE (OLA), AND BDNF WERE EVALUATED. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE CHANGES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, AS WELL AS CHANGES IN ECBS AND BDNF. RESULTS: DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SCORES DECREASED WHILE FOCUS, HAPPINESS, AND POSITIVE WELL-BEING SCORES INCREASED IMMEDIATELY AFTER RETREAT FROM THEIR BASELINE VALUES (P < 0.001). ALL IMPROVEMENTS WERE SUSTAINED 1 MONTH AFTER BSP. ALL MAJOR ECBS INCLUDING ANANDAMIDE, 2-AG, 1-AG, DEA, AND BDNF INCREASED AFTER MEDITATION BY > 70% (P < 0.001). INCREASES OF >/=20% IN ANANDAMIDE, 2-AG, 1-AG, AND TOTAL AG LEVELS AFTER MEDITATION FROM THE BASELINE HAD WEAK CORRELATIONS WITH CHANGES IN HAPPINESS AND WELL-BEING. CONCLUSIONS: A SHORT MEDITATION EXPERIENCE IMPROVED FOCUS, HAPPINESS, AND POSITIVE WELL-BEING AND REDUCED DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN PARTICIPANTS FOR AT LEAST 1 MONTH. PARTICIPANTS HAD INCREASED BLOOD ECBS AND BDNF, SUGGESTING A ROLE FOR THESE BIOMARKERS IN THE UNDERLYING MECHANISM OF MEDITATION. MEDITATION IS A SIMPLE, ORGANIC, AND EFFECTIVE WAY TO IMPROVE WELL-BEING AND REDUCE DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. 2020 12 769 16 EFFECT OF UNILATERAL LEFT NOSTRIL BREATHING (CHANDRA ANGA PRANAYAMA) ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN HEALTHY YOGA-NAIVE INDIVIDUALS: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, PILOT STUDY. INTRODUCTION: BREATHING MODULATES CORTICAL NEURONAL ACTIVITY. VARIOUS BREATHING EXERCISES ARE PURPORTED TO HAVE SPECIFIC EFFECTS ON EMOTIONAL AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF UNILATERAL LEFT NOSTRIL BREATHING (ULNB) ON NONLATERALIZED, OVERALL COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS USING COMPUTERIZED PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS. METHODS: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, PILOT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AMONG 20 HEALTHY YOGA-NAIVE MEDICAL STUDENTS. ULNB WAS PERFORMED FOR 15 MIN BY THE TEST GROUP (N = 10) AND BREATH AWARENESS BY THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 10). ATTENTION AND PROCESSING SPEED, MEMORY, AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTION WERE ASSESSED USING THE LETTER-DIGIT SUBSTITUTION TEST, STERNBERG MEMORY TASK, AND VICTORIA STROOP TEST, RESPECTIVELY. BASELINE, PRE- AND POSTINTERVENTION SCORES WERE RECORDED. RESULTS: THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GROUPS IN BASELINE SCORES. IN THE STERNBERG MEMORY TASK, A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN RESPONSE TIME WAS SEEN IN THE TEST (T(9) = 3.855, P = 0.004) AS WELL AS THE CONTROL GROUP (T(9) = 3.120, P = 0.012); THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GROUPS. NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECT OF UNLB WAS SEEN IN THE LETTER-DIGIT SUBSTITUTION TEST AND STROOP TEST. CONCLUSIONS: OUR STUDY SHOWED NO DIFFERENCE IN THE EFFECTS OF 15-MIN PRACTICE OF ULNB AND BREATH AWARENESS ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS; BOTH IMPROVED MEMORY BUT NOT ATTENTION OR EXECUTIVE FUNCTION. 2020 13 1579 16 MEASURES OF SPIRITUAL AND TRANSPERSONAL CONSTRUCTS FOR USE IN YOGA RESEARCH. THIS ARTICLE PRESENTS INFORMATION ON STANDARDIZED PAPER-AND-PENCIL MEASURES OF SPIRITUAL AND TRANSPERSONAL CONSTRUCTS THAT HOLD PROMISE FOR USE IN YOGA RESEARCH. NINE INSTRUMENTS ARE DISCUSSED AT LENGTH INCLUDING THE ASSESSMENT SCHEDULE FOR ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS, EGO GRASPING ORIENTATION, EXPRESSIONS OF SPIRITUALITY INVENTORY, HINDU RELIGIOUS COPING SCALE, MEASURES OF HINDU PATHWAYS, SELF-EXPANSIVENESS LEVEL FORM, SPIRITUAL ORIENTATION INVENTORY, SPIRITUAL TRANSCENDENCE SCALE, AND THE VEDIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY. AS WELL, A LISTING OF AN ADDITIONAL 14 MEASURES, ALONG WITH PRIMARY CITATIONS, IS PROVIDED. IN CONCLUSION, THE AUTHORS PROFFER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE USE OF PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS AND PROVIDE A GENERAL PROPOSAL FOR PROGRAMMATIC RESEARCH. 2009 14 2703 34 YOGA INTERVENTIONS IN PREGNANCY: A QUALITATIVE REVIEW. OBJECTIVES: EVERY SECOND 4.3 BIRTHS OCCUR IN THE WORLD, SIGNIFYING THE MAGNITUDE AND IMPORTANCE OF PREGNANCY. THIS STUDY LOOKED AT YOGA INTERVENTIONS DONE FROM 2008 TO DECEMBER 2013 AND EXAMINED WHETHER YOGA CAN BE AN EFFICACIOUS APPROACH FOR INFLUENCING MATERNAL AND BIRTH OUTCOMES IN PREGNANCY. DESIGN: A SYSTEMATIC SEARCH OF MEDLINE (PUBMED), CINAHL, ALT HEALTHWATCH, COCHRANE DATABASE OF SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS, AND ACP JOURNAL CLUB DATABASES WAS CONDUCTED FOR QUANTITATIVE ARTICLES OF PREGNANCY INVOLVING ALL SCHOOLS OF YOGA. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 15 ARTICLES MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA: 6 FROM THE UNITED STATES, 6 FROM INDIA, 2 FROM TAIWAN, AND 1 EACH FROM KOREA AND THAILAND. OF THE 15 STUDIES, 10 SHOWED POSITIVE CHANGES IN MATERNAL PSYCHOLOGICAL OR BIRTH OUTCOMES. CONCLUSIONS: THE INCLUDED STUDIES HAVE SOME LIMITATIONS. NONETHELESS, YOGA APPEARS TO BE A PROMISING INTERVENTION FOR PREGNANCY. 2015 15 956 21 EFFECTS OF A PRENATAL YOGA PROGRAMME ON THE DISCOMFORTS OF PREGNANCY AND MATERNAL CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY IN TAIWAN. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE A YOGA PROGRAMME PROVIDED TO PRIMIGRAVIDAS IN THE THIRD TRIMESTER OF PREGNANCY WITH THE AIM OF DECREASING THE DISCOMFORTS ASSOCIATED WITH PREGNANCY AND INCREASING CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY. DESIGN: NON-RANDOMISED CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTAL STUDY. SETTING: A HOSPITAL IN NORTHERN TAIWAN. PARTICIPANTS: THE TARGET POPULATION WAS PRIMIGRAVIDAS AT 26-28 WEEKS OF GESTATION (NO HIGH-RISK PREGNANCIES) WHO HAD NOT ENGAGED IN REGULAR EXERCISE OR YOGA FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR. THE STUDY INCLUDED 88 INDIVIDUALS; 43 IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND 45 IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WHO TOOK PART IN THE PRENATAL YOGA PROGRAMME. INTERVENTION: THE DURATION OF THE PRENATAL YOGA PROGRAMME WAS 12-14 WEEKS, WITH AT LEAST THREE SESSIONS PER WEEK. EACH WORKOUT LASTED FOR 30 MINUTES. MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS: WOMEN WHO TOOK PART IN THE PRENATAL YOGA PROGRAMME REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER PREGNANCY DISCOMFORTS THAN THE CONTROL GROUP (38.28 VS 43.26, Z=-2.58, P=0.01) AT 38-40 WEEKS OF GESTATION. THE SUBJECTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE YOGA PROGRAMME EXHIBITED HIGHER OUTCOME AND SELF-EFFICACY EXPECTANCIES DURING THE ACTIVE STAGE OF LABOUR (104.13 VS 83.53, T=3.24, P=0.002; 99.26 VS 77.70, T=3.99, P