1 1089 133 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM, GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC-ACID, AND ALLOSTASIS IN EPILEPSY, DEPRESSION, AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. A THEORY IS PROPOSED TO EXPLAIN THE BENEFITS OF YOGA PRACTICES IN DIVERSE, FREQUENTLY COMORBID MEDICAL CONDITIONS BASED ON THE CONCEPT THAT YOGA PRACTICES REDUCE ALLOSTATIC LOAD IN STRESS RESPONSE SYSTEMS SUCH THAT OPTIMAL HOMEOSTASIS IS RESTORED. IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT STRESS INDUCES (1) IMBALANCE OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (ANS) WITH DECREASED PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (PNS) AND INCREASED SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (SNS) ACTIVITY, (2) UNDERACTIVITY OF THE GAMMA AMINO-BUTYRIC ACID (GABA) SYSTEM, THE PRIMARY INHIBITORY NEUROTRANSMITTER SYSTEM, AND (3) INCREASED ALLOSTATIC LOAD. IT IS FURTHER HYPOTHESIZED THAT YOGA-BASED PRACTICES (4) CORRECT UNDERACTIVITY OF THE PNS AND GABA SYSTEMS IN PART THROUGH STIMULATION OF THE VAGUS NERVES, THE MAIN PERIPHERAL PATHWAY OF THE PNS, AND (5) REDUCE ALLOSTATIC LOAD. DEPRESSION, EPILEPSY, POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD), AND CHRONIC PAIN EXEMPLIFY MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT ARE EXACERBATED BY STRESS, HAVE LOW HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) AND LOW GABAERGIC ACTIVITY, RESPOND TO PHARMACOLOGIC AGENTS THAT INCREASE ACTIVITY OF THE GABA SYSTEM, AND SHOW SYMPTOM IMPROVEMENT IN RESPONSE TO YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS. THE OBSERVATION THAT TREATMENT RESISTANT CASES OF EPILEPSY AND DEPRESSION RESPOND TO VAGAL NERVE STIMULATION CORROBORATES THE NEED TO CORRECT PNS UNDERACTIVITY AS PART OF A SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT PLAN IN SOME CASES. ACCORDING TO THE PROPOSED THEORY, THE DECREASED PNS AND GABAERGIC ACTIVITY THAT UNDERLIES STRESS-RELATED DISORDERS CAN BE CORRECTED BY YOGA PRACTICES RESULTING IN AMELIORATION OF DISEASE SYMPTOMS. THIS HAS FAR-REACHING IMPLICATIONS FOR THE INTEGRATION OF YOGA-BASED PRACTICES IN THE TREATMENT OF A BROAD ARRAY OF DISORDERS EXACERBATED BY STRESS.	2012	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
2 2826  23 YOGA VERSUS MASSAGE IN THE TREATMENT OF AROMATASE INHIBITOR-ASSOCIATED KNEE JOINT PAIN IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. AROMATASE INHIBITORS (AIS) ARE STANDARD ADJUVANT THERAPY FOR POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH OESTROGEN RECEPTOR-POSITIVE, EARLY-STAGE, AND METASTATIC BREAST CANCER. ALTHOUGH EFFECTIVE, THE RISK OF FALLS DUE TO AI-ASSOCIATED KNEE JOINT PAIN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF YOGA AND MASSAGE ON AI-ASSOCIATED KNEE JOINT PAIN. BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A 6-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION-2-WEEK REST-6-WEEK MASSAGE EXPOSURE (YOGA FIRST, N = 30) OR A 6-WEEK MASSAGE INTERVENTION-2-WEEK REST-6-WEEK YOGA EXPOSURE (MASSAGE FIRST, N = 30). EVALUATIONS OF THE TREATMENT EFFICACY WERE MADE AT BASELINE, POST-INTERVENTION, AND POST-EXPOSURE USING THE WESTERN ONTARIO AND MCMASTER UNIVERSITIES OSTEOARTHRITIS INDEX (WOMAC) SCALE, PLASMA CYTOKINE LEVELS, AND CHANGES IN MERIDIAN ENERGY. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT YOGA, SUPERIOR TO MASSAGE INTERVENTION, SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED AI-ASSOCIATED KNEE JOINT PAIN, AS DEMONSTRATED BY THE WOMAC PAIN SCORE. THE YOGA INTERVENTION IMPROVEMENTS WERE ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGES IN PLASMA CYTOKINE LEVELS AND MERIDIAN ENERGY CHANGES. IN CONCLUSION, THIS STUDY PROVIDES SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE THAT YOGA WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN MASSAGE FOR REDUCING AI-ASSOCIATED KNEE JOINT PAIN. MERIDIAN ENERGY CHANGES MAY PROVIDE ANOTHER SCIENTIFIC, OBJECTIVE, NON-INVASIVE WAY TO MONITOR THE THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF YOGA AND INVESTIGATE ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE, COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
3 2086  21 THE EFFECT OF MOVEMENT-FOCUSED AND BREATH-FOCUSED YOGA PRACTICE ON STRESS PARAMETERS AND SUSTAINED ATTENTION: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. YOGA-BASED PRACTICES (YBP) TYPICALLY INVOLVE A COMBINATION OF MOVEMENT SEQUENCES, CONSCIOUS REGULATION OF THE BREATH, AND TECHNIQUES TO ENGAGE ATTENTION. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT WHETHER EFFECTS OF YBP RESULT FROM THE SYNERGISTIC COMBINATION OF THESE COMPONENTS, OR WHETHER A SUBSET MAY YIELD SIMILAR EFFECTS. IN THIS STUDY WE COMPARED THE EFFECT OF A MOVEMENT-FOCUSED PRACTICE AND A BREATH-FOCUSED PRACTICE ON STRESS PARAMETERS (PERCEIVED STRESS AND SALIVARY CORTISOL) AND SUSTAINED ATTENTION (RESPONSE INHIBITION) IN YOGA NAIVE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. WHILE PARTICIPANTS OF BOTH PROGRAMS SHOWED A REDUCTION IN PERCEIVED STRESS AND SALIVARY CORTISOL, ONLY THE BREATH-FOCUSED GROUP SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS IN SUSTAINED ATTENTION. IN ADDITION, IMPROVEMENT IN SUSTAINED ATTENTION WAS CORRELATED WITH REDUCTION IN PERCEIVED STRESS BUT NOT WITH REDUCTION IN SALIVARY CORTISOL. WE DISCUSS THESE FINDINGS IN THE CONTEXT OF A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OUTLINING BOTTOM-UP NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL AND TOP-DOWN NEUROCOGNITIVE MECHANISMS HYPOTHESIZED TO BE ENGAGED BY YBP.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
4  149  36 A QUALITATIVE EXPLORATION OF THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WITH AROMATASE INHIBITOR-ASSOCIATED ARTHRALGIAS. RESEARCH QUESTION: ARTHRALGIA AFFECTS POSTMENOPAUSAL BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS (BCS) RECEIVING AROMATASE INHIBITORS (AI), WHICH MAY RESULT IN REDUCED FUNCTION AND LONG-TERM WELL-BEING. THIS IS AN EXPLORATORY, QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF BCS WHO PARTICIPATED IN A YOGA-BASED PROGRAM TO UNDERSTAND IMPACT ON JOINT PAIN AND VARIOUS ASPECTS OF QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) THROUGH A YOGA PROGRAM. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY WAS USED AND PROVIDED THE FOUNDATION FOR DEVELOPING A YOGA INTERVENTION THROUGH SOURCES OF EFFICACY INFORMATION: (1) PERFORMANCE ACCOMPLISHMENT, (2) STRUCTURED EXPERIENCE, (3) VERBAL SUPPORT FROM INSTRUCTOR AND GROUP, AND (4) PHYSICAL FEEDBACK. METHODOLOGY: TEN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH STAGE I-III BREAST CANCER AND AI ASSOCIATED ARTHRALGIA (AIAA) RECEIVED YOGA TWICE A WEEK FOR EIGHT WEEKS FOR 90 MINUTES AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO CONTINUE IN A HOME-BASED YOGA PROGRAM. WE USED SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY (SCT) TO STRUCTURE A YOGA INTERVENTION AS AN ONGOING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO MANAGE JOINT PAIN AND FUNCTION. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED JOURNAL REFLECTIONS ON THEIR EXPERIENCE AND RECEIVED WEEKLY PHONE CALLS. ANALYSIS: DATA WAS COLLECTED AND ANALYZED USING QUALITATIVE METHODS. MEMBER CHECKS WERE COMPLETED AND EMERGENT THEMES WERE EXPLORED AND AGREED UPON BY THE RESEARCH TEAM TO ENSURE RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF DATA. SEVERAL EMERGENT THEMES WERE DISCOVERED: EMPOWERMENT: IMPORTANCE OF CAMARADERIE, COMMUNITY, AND SHARING; PAIN RELIEF; INCREASED PHYSICAL FITNESS (ENERGY, FLEXIBILITY, AND FUNCTION); RELIEVED STRESS/ANXIETY AND TRANSFERABILITY OF YOGA THROUGH BREATHING. THESE THEMES WERE IDENTIFIED THROUGH INSTRUCTOR OBSERVATION, PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION, AND WEEKLY PHONE CALL DOCUMENTATION. INTERPRETATION: PARTICIPANTS EXPERIENCED AN EIGHT-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION AS AN EFFECTIVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SUPPORT GROUP THAT FOSTERED VARIOUS IMPROVEMENTS IN QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND REDUCTION IN AIAA. PARTICIPANTS WERE HIGHLY MOTIVATED TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL FITNESS LEVELS AND REDUCE PAIN. THIS STUDY REVEALED BENEFITS FROM ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF EXERCISE SUCH AS YOGA TO PROVIDE A STRUCTURE, WHICH IS TRANSFERABLE IN OTHER SITUATIONS. INFORMATION, STRUCTURED PHYSICAL GUIDANCE IN YOGA POSTURES, SUPPORT, AND FEEDBACK ARE NECESSARY TO FOSTER PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR BCS EXPERIENCING PAIN. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: RESULTS OF THIS QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS INDICATE THAT INTERVENTIONS TO SUPPORT BCS WITH AIAA ARE WARRANTED. YOGA APPEARS TO POSITIVELY IMPACT THESE SIDE EFFECTS OF HORMONAL THERAPIES. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH WOULD AID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OTHER INTERVENTIONS.	2012	

5 2886  39 YOGA: BALANCING THE EXCITATION-INHIBITION EQUILIBRIUM IN PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. SOCIAL BEHAVIORAL DISTURBANCES ARE CENTRAL TO MOST PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. A DISEQUILIBRIUM WITHIN THE CORTICAL EXCITATORY AND INHIBITORY NEUROTRANSMITTER SYSTEMS UNDERLIES THESE DEFICITS. GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID (GABA) AND GLUTAMATE ARE THE MOST ABUNDANT EXCITATORY AND INHIBITORY NEUROTRANSMITTERS IN THE BRAIN THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THIS EQUILIBRIUM. SEVERAL CONTEMPORARY THERAPIES USED IN TREATING PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS, REGULATE THIS GABA-GLUTAMATE BALANCE. YOGA HAS BEEN STUDIED AS AN ADJUVANT TREATMENT ACROSS A BROAD RANGE OF PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS AND IS SHOWN TO HAVE SHORT-TERM THERAPEUTIC GAINS. EMERGING EVIDENCE FROM RECENT CLINICAL IN VIVO EXPERIMENTS SUGGESTS THAT YOGA IMPROVES GABA-MEDIATED CORTICAL-INHIBITORY TONE AND ENHANCES PERIPHERAL OXYTOCIN LEVELS. THIS IS LIKELY TO HAVE A MORE CONTROLLED DOWNSTREAM RESPONSE OF THE HYPOTHALAMO-PITUITARY-ADRENAL SYSTEM BY MEANS OF REDUCED CORTISOL RELEASE AND HENCE A BLUNTED SYMPATHETIC RESPONSE TO STRESS. ANIMAL AND EARLY FETAL DEVELOPMENTAL STUDIES SUGGEST AN INTER-DEPENDENT ROLE OF OXYTOCIN AND GABA IN REGULATING SOCIAL BEHAVIORS. IN KEEPING WITH THESE OBSERVATIONS, WE PROPOSE AN INTEGRATED NEUROBIOLOGICAL MODEL TO STUDY THE MECHANISMS OF THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS WITH YOGA. APART FROM PROVIDING A NEUROSCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR APPLYING A TRADITIONAL SYSTEM OF PRACTICE IN THE CLINICAL SETTING, THIS MODEL CAN BE USED AS A FRAMEWORK FOR STUDYING YOGA MECHANISMS IN FUTURE CLINICAL TRIALS.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
6 1405  23 IMPACT OF YOGA ON FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WITH AROMATASE INHIBITOR-ASSOCIATED ARTHRALGIAS. ARTHRALGIA AFFECTS POSTMENOPAUSAL BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS (BCSS) RECEIVING AROMATASE INHIBITORS (AIS). THIS STUDY AIMS TO ESTABLISH THE FEASIBILITY OF STUDYING THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON OBJECTIVE FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES, PAIN, AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HR-QOL) FOR AI-ASSOCIATED ARTHRALGIA (AIAA). POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH STAGE I TO III BREAST CANCER WHO REPORTED AIAA WERE ENROLLED IN A SINGLE-ARM PILOT TRIAL. A YOGA PROGRAM WAS PROVIDED TWICE A WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS. THE FUNCTIONAL REACH (FR) AND SIT AND REACH (SR) WERE EVALUATED AS PRIMARY OUTCOMES. PAIN, AS MEASURED BY THE BRIEF PAIN INVENTORY (BPI), SELF-REPORTED PATIENT SPECIFIC FUNCTIONAL SCALE (PSFS), AND FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CANCER THERAPY-BREAST (FACT-B) WERE SECONDARY OUTCOMES. PAIRED T TESTS WERE USED FOR ANALYSIS, AND 90% PROVIDED DATA FOR ASSESSMENT AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION. PARTICIPANTS EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BALANCE, AS MEASURED BY FR, AND FLEXIBILITY, AS MEASURED BY SR. THE PSFS IMPROVED FROM 4.55 TO 7.21, AND HR-QOL MEASURED BY FACT-B ALSO IMPROVED; BOTH P < .05. THE SCORE FOR THE PAIN SEVERITY SUBSCALE OF THE BPI REDUCED. NO ADVERSE EVENTS NOR DEVELOPMENT OR WORSENING OF LYMPHEDEMA WAS OBSERVED. IN ALL, 80% OF PARTICIPANTS ADHERED TO THE HOME PROGRAM. PRELIMINARY DATA SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY REDUCE PAIN AND IMPROVE BALANCE AND FLEXIBILITY IN BCSS WITH AIAA. A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL IS NEEDED TO ESTABLISH THE DEFINITIVE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR OBJECTIVE FUNCTIONAL IMPROVEMENT IN BCSS RELATED TO AIAA.	2012	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
7 1773  27 POTENTIAL YOGA MODULES FOR TREATMENT OF HEMATOPOIETIC INHIBITION IN HIV-1 INFECTION. THIS ARTICLE IS EXPECTED TO CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING THE THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS OF SPECIFIC YOGA MODULES ON THE INHIBITION OF REPLICATION AND ENHANCEMENT TO NORMAL LEVELS OF HEMATOPOIESIS IN HIV-1 INFECTED SUBJECTS. MORE UNIQUE COULD BE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE INDIRECT EFFECTS OF HIV-1 INDUCED HEMATOPOIETIC INHIBITION OF THE CD34+ PROGENITOR STEM CELLS, VIA THE CD4+ T LYMPHOCYTES. SUCH INDIRECT EFFECTS MAY BE CAUSED BY HOST CELLULAR FACTORS. YOGA PRACTICES MAY ALSO IMPROVE THE SELF RENEWAL CAPACITY (A STEP THAT PRECEDES COMMITMENT OF CD34+ PROGENITOR CELLS TO TERMINAL DIFFERENTIATION), VIA STAT5 GENE REGULATION. THIS MAY ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR CONSTITUTIVE STAT5 GENE EXPRESSION THROUGH GENE THERAPY. IN THIS ARTICLE RECENT RESEARCH AND ANCIENT INDIAN LITERATURE ARE REVIEWED TO DEVISE YOGA MODULES FOR THE POTENTIAL TREATMENT OF HEMATOPOIETIC INHIBITION IN HIV-1 INFECTION. THE POSSIBLE MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH HEMATOPOIETIC INHIBITION MAY OCCUR IN HIV-1 INFECTED PATIENTS ARE FIRST DESCRIBED FOLLOWED BY THE ROLE OF STRESS IN THE PROGRESSION OF HIV WHERE PROBABLE INVOLVEMENT OF PSYCHO-NEURO-IMMUNOLOGICAL AXIS (PNI) IS HIGHLIGHTED. YOGA THERAPY IS INTRODUCED AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS IN TERMS OF EVIDENCE IN RELEVANT AREA IS REVIEWED. FURTHER, THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY [IAYT] ARE DESCRIBED AND DEPENDING ON THE POTENTIAL MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH YOGA THERAPY MAY ACT, BOTH MODERN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND ANCIENT "SCRIPTURAL" EVIDENCE ARE PROVIDED AT ALL THE FIVE LEVELS OF EXISTENCE (BODY, LIFE FORCE, EMOTIONAL, INTELLECTUAL AND BLISS). THIS WILL ENABLE TO DESIGN COMPREHENSIVE YOGA MODULES THAT MAY INTERVENE IN THIS INDIRECT INHIBITION OF HAEMATOPOIESIS IN HIV-1 INFECTED INDIVIDUALS AND POTENTIALLY RESTORE NORMAL LEVELS OF HAEMATOPOIESIS.	2010	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
8  226  36 A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMISED CONTROL TRIALS ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS MEASURES AND MOOD. STRESS RELATED DISORDERS SUCH AS DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY ARE LEADING SOURCES OF DISABILITY WORLDWIDE, AND CURRENT TREATMENT METHODS SUCH AS CONVENTIONAL ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATIONS ARE NOT BENEFICIAL FOR ALL INDIVIDUALS. THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT YOGA HAS MOOD-ENHANCING PROPERTIES POSSIBLY RELATED TO ITS INHIBITORY EFFECTS ON PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS AND INFLAMMATION, WHICH ARE FREQUENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH AFFECTIVE DISORDERS. HOWEVER THE BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS VIA WHICH YOGA EXERTS ITS THERAPEUTIC MOOD-MODULATING EFFECTS ARE LARGELY UNKNOWN. THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW INVESTIGATES THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AND HYPOTHALAMIC PITUITARY ADRENAL AXIS REGULATION MEASURES. IT FOCUSES ON STUDIES COLLECTING PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS SUCH AS BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART RATE, CORTISOL, PERIPHERAL CYTOKINE EXPRESSION AND/OR STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL BRAIN MEASURES IN REGIONS INVOLVED IN STRESS AND MOOD REGULATION. OVERALL THE 25 RANDOMISED CONTROL STUDIES DISCUSSED PROVIDE PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE LEADS TO BETTER REGULATION OF THE SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AND HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-ADRENAL SYSTEM, AS WELL AS A DECREASE IN DEPRESSIVE AND ANXIOUS SYMPTOMS IN A RANGE OF POPULATIONS. FURTHER RESEARCH IS WARRANTED TO CONFIRM THESE PRELIMINARY FINDINGS AND FACILITATE IMPLEMENTATION IN CLINICAL SETTINGS.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
9 1669  23 NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL AND NEUROCOGNITIVE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED PRACTICES: TOWARDS A COMPREHENSIVE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK. DURING RECENT DECADES NUMEROUS YOGA-BASED PRACTICES (YBP) HAVE EMERGED IN THE WEST, WITH THEIR AIMS RANGING FROM FITNESS GAINS TO THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS AND SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT. YOGA IS ALSO BEGINNING TO SPARK GROWING INTEREST WITHIN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY, AND YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH MEASUREABLE CHANGES IN PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS, PERCEIVED EMOTIONAL STATES, AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING. YBP TYPICALLY INVOLVE A COMBINATION OF POSTURES OR MOVEMENT SEQUENCES, CONSCIOUS REGULATION OF THE BREATH, AND VARIOUS TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE ATTENTIONAL FOCUS. HOWEVER, SO FAR LITTLE IF ANY RESEARCH HAS ATTEMPTED TO DECONSTRUCT THE ROLE OF THESE DIFFERENT COMPONENT PARTS IN ORDER TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR RESPECTIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THE EFFECTS OF YBP. A CLEAR OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF YOGA-BASED THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS FOR SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES, AS WELL AS A COMPREHENSIVE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FROM WHICH TESTABLE HYPOTHESES CAN BE FORMULATED, IS THEREFORE NEEDED. HERE WE PROPOSE SUCH A FRAMEWORK, AND OUTLINE THE BOTTOM-UP NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL AND TOP-DOWN NEUROCOGNITIVE MECHANISMS HYPOTHESIZED TO BE AT PLAY IN YBP.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
10 1337  26 HOW DOES YOGA REDUCE STRESS? A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF MECHANISMS OF CHANGE AND GUIDE TO FUTURE INQUIRY. YOGA IS INCREASINGLY USED IN CLINICAL SETTINGS FOR A VARIETY OF MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH ISSUES, PARTICULARLY STRESS-RELATED ILLNESSES AND CONCERNS, AND HAS DEMONSTRATED PROMISING EFFICACY. YET THE WAYS IN WHICH YOGA REDUCES STRESS REMAIN POORLY UNDERSTOOD. TO EXAMINE THE EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE REGARDING THE MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH YOGA REDUCES STRESS, WE CONDUCTED A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE, INCLUDING ANY YOGA INTERVENTION THAT MEASURED STRESS AS A PRIMARY DEPENDENT VARIABLE AND TESTED A MECHANISM OF THE RELATIONSHIP WITH MEDIATION. OUR ELECTRONIC DATABASE SEARCH YIELDED 926 ABSTRACTS, OF WHICH 71 WERE CHOSEN FOR FURTHER INSPECTION AND 5 WERE SELECTED FOR THE FINAL SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. THESE FIVE STUDIES EXAMINED THREE PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS (POSITIVE AFFECT, MINDFULNESS AND SELF-COMPASSION) AND FOUR BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS (POSTERIOR HYPOTHALAMUS, INTERLEUKIN-6, C-REACTIVE PROTEIN AND CORTISOL). POSITIVE AFFECT, SELF-COMPASSION, INHIBITION OF THE POSTERIOR HYPOTHALAMUS AND SALIVARY CORTISOL WERE ALL SHOWN TO MEDIATE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA AND STRESS. IT IS STRIKING THAT THE LITERATURE DESCRIBING POTENTIAL MECHANISMS IS GROWING RAPIDLY, YET ONLY SEVEN MECHANISMS HAVE BEEN EMPIRICALLY EXAMINED; MORE RESEARCH IS NECESSARY. ALSO, FUTURE RESEARCH OUGHT TO INCLUDE MORE RIGOROUS METHODOLOGY, INCLUDING SUFFICIENT POWER, STUDY RANDOMISATION AND APPROPRIATE CONTROL GROUPS.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
11 1882  32 REDUCING ALLOSTATIC LOAD IN DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY DISORDERS: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND YOGA PRACTICE AS ADD-ON THERAPIES. THE ALLOSTATIC LOAD (AL) INDEX CONSTITUTES A USEFUL TOOL TO OBJECTIVELY ASSESS THE BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHRONIC STRESS IN CLINICAL PRACTICE. AL INDEX HAS BEEN POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH CUMULATIVE CHRONIC STRESS (PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESSORS) AND WITH A HIGH RISK TO DEVELOP PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS (E.G., METABOLIC SYNDROME, CARDIOVASCULAR PATHOLOGY, INFLAMMATORY DISORDERS) AND THE SO-CALLED STRESS-RELATED PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS, INCLUDING ANXIETY AND DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS. CHRONIC STRESS HAS NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON BRAIN NEUROPLASTICITY, ESPECIALLY ON HIPPOCAMPAL NEUROGENESIS AND THESE EFFECTS MAY BE REVERSED BY ANTIDEPRESSANT TREATMENTS. SEVERAL EVIDENCES INDICATE THAT NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS BASED ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND YOGA PRACTICE MAY ADD SYNERGIZING BENEFITS TO CLASSICAL TREATMENTS (ANTIDEPRESSANT AND BENZODIAZEPINES) FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, REDUCING THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF CHRONIC STRESS. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW IS TO PROVIDE A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF CURRENT KNOWLEDGE ON AL AND CHRONIC STRESS IN RELATION TO DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND YOGA PRACTICE.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
12 2099  19 THE EFFECT OF YOGA MEDITATION PRACTICE ON YOUNG ADULTS' INHIBITORY CONTROL: AN FNIRS STUDY. OBJECTIVES: THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED TO TEST THE EFFECT OF YOGA MEDITATION (YOMED) PRACTICE ON INHIBITORY CONTROL OF YOUNG ADULTS. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 50 PARTICIPANTS (23 MALE, 21-28 YEARS OLD) FROM A UNIVERSITY IN JINAN, SHANDONG PROVINCE WERE ENROLLED IN THIS STUDY. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A YOMED GROUP OR A CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS' BASIC INFORMATION, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND INHIBITORY CONTROL WERE MEASURED. A MULTI-CHANNEL CONTINUOUS-WAVE NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROMETER WAS USED TO MONITOR THE BRAIN'S HEMODYNAMIC RESPONSES. RESULTS: AFTER THE INTERVENTION, WE FOUND SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN FLANKER TASKS BETWEEN THE YOMED GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP. THE ACCURACY IN THE YOMED GROUP WAS HIGHER THAN THOSE IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P < 0.05). ANALYSIS OF FNIRS DATA SHOWED THAT OXYHEMOGLOBIN (OXY-HB) LEVELS IN THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX (PFC) INCREASED IN THE YOMED GROUP DURING THE FLANKER TASKS AFTER THE YOMED INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: YOMED HAS A TEMPORARILY PROMOTING EFFECT ON THE BRAIN ACTIVATION OF YOUNG ADULTS. IT IS AN EFFECTIVE AND APPROPRIATE EXERCISE TO IMPROVE THE INHIBITORY CONTROL OF YOUNG ADULTS.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
13 1639  27 MODULATION OF IMMUNE RESPONSES IN STRESS BY YOGA. STRESS IS A CONSTANT FACTOR IN TODAY'S FASTPACED LIFE THAT CAN JEOPARDIZE OUR HEALTH IF LEFT UNCHECKED. IT IS ONLY IN THE LAST HALF CENTURY THAT THE ROLE OF STRESS IN EVERY AILMENT FROM THE COMMON COLD TO AIDS HAS BEEN EMPHASIZED, AND THE MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS HAVE BEEN STUDIED. STRESS INFLUENCES THE IMMUNE RESPONSE PRESUMABLY THROUGH THE ACTIVATION OF THE HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY ADRENAL AXIS, HYPOTHALAMIC PITUITARY-GONADAL AXIS, AND THE SYMPATHETIC-ADRENAL-MEDULLARY SYSTEM. VARIOUS NEUROTRANSMITTERS, NEUROPEPTIDES, HORMONES, AND CYTOKINES MEDIATE THESE COMPLEX BIDIRECTIONAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS) AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. THE EFFECTS OF STRESS ON THE IMMUNE RESPONSES RESULT IN ALTERATIONS IN THE NUMBER OF IMMUNE CELLS AND CYTOKINE DYSREGULATION. VARIOUS STRESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES SUCH AS MEDITATION, YOGA, HYPNOSIS, AND MUSCLE RELAXATION HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF STRESS IN CANCERS AND HIV INFECTION. THIS REVIEW AIMS TO DISCUSS THE EFFECT OF STRESS ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AND EXAMINE HOW RELAXATION TECHNIQUES SUCH AS YOGA AND MEDITATION COULD REGULATE THE CYTOKINE LEVELS AND HENCE, THE IMMUNE RESPONSES DURING STRESS.	2008	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
14 2436  25 YOGA AND PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS: A REVIEW OF BIOMARKER EVIDENCE. TRADITIONALLY, YOGA HAS BEEN USED AS A MEANS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH BUT OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES OR SO ITS THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS IN PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS HAVE BEEN SCIENTIFICALLY EXPLORED. YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE USEFUL AS A MONO-THERAPY IN MILD TO MODERATE DEPRESSION AND AS AN ADJUVANT IN SEVERAL PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS INCLUDING SCHIZOPHRENIA, ANXIETY DISORDERS, SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS AND MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT. FURTHERMORE, SYSTEMATIC ATTEMPTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO UNDERSTAND THE BIOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF YOGA IN THESE PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. GIVEN THAT NO PSYCHIATRIC DISORDER HAS STRONG AND ESTABLISHED BIOMARKERS, IT IS INTERESTING THAT PRELIMINARY RESEARCH HAS DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CERTAIN IMPORTANT BIOMARKERS FOLLOWING REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE. IN THIS BRIEF REVIEW, WE PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON BIOCHEMICAL, NEURO-PHYSIOLOGICAL AND NEURO-IMAGING RELATED BIO-MARKERS IN PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. ALTHOUGH FINDINGS AND TRENDS ARE PROMISING, MUCH MORE RESEARCH IS WARRANTED TO ESTABLISH A DEFINITE BIOLOGICAL BASIS FOR YOGA IN PSYCHIATRY.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
15 2045  25 THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTION. BACKGROUND: DESPITE AN INCREASE IN THE PREVALENCE OF YOGA EXERCISE, RESEARCH FOCUSING ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA EXERCISE AND COGNITION IS LIMITED. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN ACUTE YOGA EXERCISE SESSION, RELATIVE TO AEROBIC EXERCISE, ON COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. METHODS: A REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN WAS EMPLOYED WHERE 30 FEMALE COLLEGE-AGED PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE = 20.07, SD = 1.95) COMPLETED 3 COUNTERBALANCED TESTING SESSIONS: A YOGA EXERCISE SESSION, AN AEROBIC EXERCISE SESSION, AND A BASELINE ASSESSMENT. THE FLANKER AND N-BACK TASKS WERE USED TO MEASURE COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. RESULTS: RESULTS SHOWED THAT COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE AFTER THE YOGA EXERCISE BOUT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY SUPERIOR (IE, SHORTER REACTION TIMES, INCREASED ACCURACY) AS COMPARED WITH THE AEROBIC AND BASELINE CONDITIONS FOR BOTH INHIBITION AND WORKING MEMORY TASKS. THE AEROBIC AND BASELINE PERFORMANCE WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT, CONTRADICTING SOME OF THE PREVIOUS FINDINGS IN THE ACUTE AEROBIC EXERCISE AND COGNITION LITERATURE. CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS ARE DISCUSSED RELATIVE TO THE NEED TO EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF OTHER NONTRADITIONAL MODES OF EXERCISE SUCH AS YOGA ON COGNITION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF TIME ELAPSED BETWEEN THE CESSATION OF THE EXERCISE BOUT AND THE INITIATION OF COGNITIVE ASSESSMENTS IN IMPROVING TASK PERFORMANCE.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
16 2516  26 YOGA CLINICAL RESEARCH REVIEW. IN THIS PAPER RECENT RESEARCH IS REVIEWED ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA POSES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS INCLUDING ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION, ON PAIN SYNDROMES, CARDIOVASCULAR, AUTOIMMUNE AND IMMUNE CONDITIONS AND ON PREGNANCY. FURTHER, THE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF YOGA INCLUDING DECREASED HEARTRATE AND BLOOD PRESSURE AND THE PHYSICAL EFFECTS INCLUDING WEIGHT LOSS AND INCREASED MUSCLE STRENGTH ARE REVIEWED. FINALLY, POTENTIAL UNDERLYING MECHANISMS ARE PROPOSED INCLUDING THE STIMULATION OF PRESSURE RECEPTORS LEADING TO ENHANCED VAGAL ACTIVITY AND REDUCED CORTISOL. THE REDUCTION IN CORTISOL, IN TURN, MAY CONTRIBUTE TO POSITIVE EFFECTS SUCH AS ENHANCED IMMUNE FUNCTION AND A LOWER PREMATURITY RATE.	2011	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
17 1098  23 EFFECTS OF YOGA RESPIRATORY PRACTICE (BHASTRIKA PRANAYAMA) ON ANXIETY, AFFECT, AND BRAIN FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY AND ACTIVITY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. PRANAYAMA REFERS TO A SET OF YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES. RECENT EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THE PRACTICE OF PRANAYAMA HAS POSITIVE EFFECTS ON MEASURES OF CLINICAL STRESS AND ANXIETY. THIS STUDY EXPLORED THE IMPACT OF A BHASTRIKA PRANAYAMA TRAINING PROGRAM ON EMOTION PROCESSING, ANXIETY, AND AFFECT. WE USED A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGN WITH THIRTY HEALTHY YOUNG ADULTS ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 4 WEEKS OF PRANAYAMA PRACTICES. TWO FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI) PROTOCOLS WERE USED BOTH AT BASELINE AND POST-INTERVENTION: AN EMOTION TASK AS WELL AS A RESTING-STATE ACQUISITION. OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT PRANAYAMA SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED STATES OF ANXIETY AND NEGATIVE AFFECT. THE PRACTICE OF PRANAYAMA ALSO MODULATED THE ACTIVITY OF BRAIN REGIONS INVOLVED IN EMOTIONAL PROCESSING, PARTICULARLY THE AMYGDALA, ANTERIOR CINGULATE, ANTERIOR INSULA, AND PREFRONTAL CORTEX. RESTING-STATE FUNCTIONAL MRI (FMRI) SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY INVOLVING THE ANTERIOR INSULA AND LATERAL PORTIONS OF THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX. CORRELATION ANALYSIS REVEALED THAT CHANGES IN CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THE VENTROLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX AND THE RIGHT ANTERIOR INSULA WERE ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGES IN ANXIETY. ALTHOUGH IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THESE ANALYSES WERE PRELIMINARY AND EXPLORATORY, IT PROVIDES THE FIRST EVIDENCE THAT 4 WEEKS OF B. PRANAYAMA SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE LEVELS OF ANXIETY AND NEGATIVE AFFECT, AND THAT THESE CHANGES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE MODULATION OF ACTIVITY AND CONNECTIVITY IN BRAIN AREAS INVOLVED IN EMOTION PROCESSING, ATTENTION, AND AWARENESS. THE STUDY WAS REGISTERED AT HTTPS://WWW.ENSAIOSCLINICOS.GOV.BR/RG/RBR-2GV5C2/(RBR-2GV5C2).	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
18 2093  23 THE EFFECT OF YOCAS(C)(R) YOGA FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS AMONG BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS ON HORMONAL THERAPY. UP TO 50% OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS ON AROMATASE INHIBITOR THERAPY REPORT MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS SUCH AS JOINT AND MUSCLE PAIN, SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTING TREATMENT ADHERENCE AND DISCONTINUATION RATES. WE CONDUCTED A SECONDARY DATA ANALYSIS OF A NATIONWIDE, MULTI-SITE, PHASE II/III RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, CLINICAL TRIAL EXAMINING THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR IMPROVING MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS AMONG BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS CURRENTLY RECEIVING HORMONE THERAPY (AROMATASE INHIBITORS [AI] OR TAMOXIFEN [TAM]). BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS CURRENTLY RECEIVING AI (N = 95) OR TAM (N = 72) WITH NO PARTICIPATION IN YOGA DURING THE PREVIOUS 3 MONTHS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO 2 ARMS: (1) STANDARD CARE MONITORING AND (2) STANDARD CARE PLUS THE 4-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION (2X/WEEK; 75 MIN/SESSION) AND INCLUDED IN THIS ANALYSIS. THE YOGA INTERVENTION UTILIZED THE UR YOGA FOR CANCER SURVIVORS (YOCAS(C)((R))) PROGRAM CONSISTING OF BREATHING EXERCISES, 18 GENTLE HATHA AND RESTORATIVE YOGA POSTURES, AND MEDITATION. MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS WERE ASSESSED PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTION. AT BASELINE, AI USERS REPORTED HIGHER LEVELS OF GENERAL PAIN, MUSCLE ACHES, AND TOTAL PHYSICAL DISCOMFORT THAN TAM USERS (ALL P </= 0.05). AMONG ALL BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS ON HORMONAL THERAPY, PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA GROUP DEMONSTRATED GREATER REDUCTIONS IN MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS SUCH AS GENERAL PAIN, MUSCLE ACHES AND TOTAL PHYSICAL DISCOMFORT FROM PRE- TO POST-INTERVENTION THAN THE CONTROL GROUP (ALL P </= 0.05). THE SEVERITY OF MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS WAS HIGHER FOR AI USERS COMPARED TO TAM USERS. AMONG BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS ON HORMONE THERAPY, THE BRIEF COMMUNITY-BASED YOCAS(C)(R) INTERVENTION SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED GENERAL PAIN, MUSCLE ACHES, AND PHYSICAL DISCOMFORT.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
19 1590  21 MEDITATION AND YOGA CAN MODULATE BRAIN MECHANISMS THAT AFFECT BEHAVIOR AND ANXIETY-A MODERN SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE. MEDITATION AND YOGA TECHNIQUES ARE RECEIVING INCREASED ATTENTION THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, DUE TO THE ACCUMULATION OF EVIDENCE BASED RESEARCH THAT PROVES THE DIRECT AND INDIRECT BENEFITS OF SUCH PRACTICES. BASED ON STUDIES CONDUCTED SO FAR, IT HAS BEEN FOUND THAT THE PRACTICE OF MEDITATION TRIGGERS NEUROTRANSMITTERS THAT MODULATE PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS SUCH AS ANXIETY. THIS PAPER WILL REVIEW THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF THE PRACTICE OF MEDITATION, THE ROLE OF NEUROTRANSMITTERS, AND STUDIES USING EEG AND FMRI.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
20 2608  19 YOGA FOR PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS: FROM FAD TO EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTION? THERE IS GROWING EVIDENCE FOR YOGA'S NEUROBIOLOGICAL EFFECTS IN PEOPLE WITH PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. POSTULATED MECHANISMS OF ACTION INCLUDE: (A) MODULATION OF THE HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-ADRENAL (HPA) AXIS; (B) ENHANCEMENT OF GABAERGIC NEUROTRANSMISSION; (C) AUTONOMIC MODULATION; AND (D) NEUROENDOCRINOLOGICAL EFFECTS. YOGA AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION IN PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS APPEARS PROMISING AND MERITS FURTHER ATTENTION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE AND RESEARCH.	2020