1 1492 159 INTERNALIZED WEIGHT STIGMA AND INTUITIVE EATING AMONG STRESSED ADULTS DURING A MINDFUL YOGA INTERVENTION: ASSOCIATIONS WITH CHANGES IN MINDFULNESS AND SELF-COMPASSION. PURPOSE: INTERNALIZED WEIGHT STIGMA (IWS) IS COMMON IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ACROSS BODY WEIGHT CATEGORIES, AND IS IMPLICATED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF DISTRESS AND UNHEALTHY EATING BEHAVIORS (E.G. OVEREATING, DISORDERED EATING) THAT CAN FOSTER POOR CARDIOMETABOLIC HEALTH. WHILE EMERGING INTERVENTION RESEARCH SHOWS EARLY PROMISE IN REDUCING IWS, LONG-TERM EFFICACY IS UNCLEAR AND NOVEL STRATEGIES REMAIN NEEDED. THIS ANALYSIS EXAMINED WHETHER PARTICIPATION IN A MINDFUL YOGA INTERVENTION WAS ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED IWS AND INCREASED INTUITIVE EATING, AN ADAPTIVE EATING BEHAVIOR, AND WHETHER THESE CHANGES CORRELATED WITH EACH OTHER OR WITH CHANGES IN MINDFULNESS AND SELF-COMPASSION. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE STRESSED ADULTS WITH LOW FRUIT AND VEGETABLE INTAKE (N = 78, 64.1% WHITE, M. BODY MASS INDEX 25.59 +/- 4.45) ENROLLED IN A PARENT CLINICAL TRIAL OF A 12-WEEK MINDFUL YOGA INTERVENTION. VALIDATED SELF-REPORT MEASURES OF IWS, INTUITIVE EATING, MINDFULNESS, AND SELF-COMPASSION WERE ADMINISTERED AT PRE-TREATMENT, MID-TREATMENT (8 WEEKS), POST-TREATMENT (12 WEEKS), AND 4-MONTH FOLLOW-UP (24 WEEKS). RESULTS: LINEAR MIXED MODELING REVEALED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN IWS AND INTUITIVE EATING ACROSS THE FOUR TIMEPOINTS (P < .001). REDUCED IWS CORRELATED WITH INCREASED INTUITIVE EATING PRE- TO POST-TREATMENT (P = .01). IMPROVED SELF-COMPASSION AND MINDFULNESS CORRELATED WITH INTUITIVE EATING (BOTH P = . 04), BUT NOT IWS (P = .74 AND P = .56, RESPECTIVELY). CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY OFFERS PRELIMINARY SUPPORT FOR THE HYPOTHESIS THAT MINDFUL YOGA MAY PROMOTE INTUITIVE EATING AND REDUCE IWS AMONG STRESSED ADULTS WITH POOR DIET, AND SUGGESTS THAT CHANGES IN THESE FACTORS MAY CO-OCCUR OVER TIME. FURTHER INVESTIGATION WITH CONTROLLED DESIGNS IS NECESSARY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE TEMPORALITY AND CAUSALITY OF THESE RELATIONSHIPS.TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT02098018. 2021 2 999 33 EFFECTS OF INTUITIVE EATING ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND WELLBEING OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PRACTITIONERS AND SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS. THIS STUDY IS A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF INTUITIVE EATING AND CORRELATIONS WITH QUALITY OF LIFE AND WELLBEING IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PRACTITIONERS AND SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS. THE STUDY INVOLVED 204 PARTICIPANTS, COMPRISING 66 YOGA PRACTITIONERS, 74 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PRACTITIONERS AND 64 SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS, BETWEEN THE AGES OF 20 AND 59, WHO WERE RESIDENT IN BRAZIL AT THE TIME OF THE STUDY. QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED THROUGH FACEBOOK AND THE APPLICATION QUESTIONNAIRES VIA GOOGLE FORMS TO MEASURE INTUITIVE EATING, FOOD CONSUMPTION, QUALITY OF LIFE, STRESS LEVEL, SATISFACTION WITH BODY IMAGE AND LEVEL OF MINDFULNESS. THE STUDY FOUND THAT WHILE INTUITIVE EATING DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PRACTITIONERS, BOTH SHOWED GREATER ADOPTION OF INTUITIVE EATING AS COMPARED TO INACTIVE INDIVIDUALS. STILL, YOGA PRACTITIONERS HAD BETTER CONFIDENCE IN THEIR PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNS OF HUNGER AND SATIETY, AS WELL AS BETTER EATING BEHAVIOR, QUALITY OF LIFE, SATISFACTION WITH BODY IMAGE, HEALTHY BODY WEIGHT, AND STRESS-RELATED EMOTIONAL REGULATION, AS COMPARED TO THE OTHER GROUPS. IN ADDITION, THERE WAS A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN INTUITIVE EATING AND QUALITY OF LIFE, BODY ESTEEM, MINDFULNESS AND EATING BEHAVIORS THAT DISCOURAGED EATING IN RESPONSE TO EXTERNAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL INFLUENCES, AND A NEGATIVE CORRELATION TO STRESS AND WEIGHT GAIN. THIS STUDY FINDS THAT PHYSICAL EXERCISE, IN PARTICULAR THE PRACTICE OF YOGA, IS LINKED TO THE PROMOTION OF BETTER INTUITIVE EATING BEHAVIOR AS WELL AS BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE AND WELLBEING. 2021 3 415 26 BODY AWARENESS, EATING ATTITUDES, AND SPIRITUAL BELIEFS OF WOMEN PRACTICING YOGA. THIS RESEARCH EVALUATED ATTITUDES ABOUT BODY IMAGE AND EATING IN WOMEN PRACTICING POSTURAL YOGA. STUDY 1 DESCRIBED SCORES FROM QUESTIONNAIRES ON VARIABLES RELATED TO BODY AWARENESS, INTUITIVE EATING, SPIRITUALITY, AND REASONS FOR PRACTICING. SCORES WERE FAVORABLE ON ALL MEASURES WITH SIGNIFICANT CORRELATIONS (P < .01) AMONG ALL MAIN VARIABLES EXCEPT BETWEEN SPIRITUAL READINESS AND INTUITIVE EATING, AND BETWEEN BMI AND BOTH BODY AWARENESS AND SPIRITUAL READINESS. REASONS FOR PRACTICING DID NOT AFFECT SCORES. STUDY 2 EVALUATED INTERVIEWS IN A SUB-SAMPLE. QUALITATIVE DATA REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN BODY SATISFACTION AND DISORDERED EATING DUE IN PART TO YOGA AND ITS ASSOCIATED SPIRITUALITY. 2009 4 1697 30 PAIN UNCERTAINTY IN PATIENTS WITH FIBROMYALGIA, YOGA PRACTITIONERS, AND HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS. BACKGROUND: UNCERTAINTY ABOUT POTENTIALLY PAINFUL EVENTS AFFECTS HOW PAIN IS EXPERIENCED. INDIVIDUALS WITH FIBROMYALGIA (FM) OFTEN EXHIBIT ANXIETY AND CATASTROPHIC THOUGHTS REGARDING PAIN AND DIFFICULTIES DEALING WITH PAIN UNCERTAINTY. OBJECTIVES: THE EFFECTS OF PAIN UNCERTAINTY IN PREDICTABLY HIGH ODDS (HO), PREDICTABLY LOW ODDS (LO), AND EVEN ODDS (EO) CONDITIONS ON SUBJECTIVE RATINGS OF PAIN (PR) AND SKIN CONDUCTANCE RESPONSES (SCR) FOLLOWING THE ADMINISTRATION OF A PAINFUL STIMULUS WERE EXAMINED FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH FIBROMYALGIA (IWFM), HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (HVS), AND YOGA PRACTITIONERS (YPS). WE HYPOTHESIZED IWFM WOULD DEMONSTRATE THE GREATEST PHYSIOLOGICAL REACTIVITY TO PAIN UNCERTAINTY, FOLLOWED BY HVS AND YPS, RESPECTIVELY. METHODS: NINE IWFM, 7 YPS, AND 10 HVS PARTICIPATED. RESULTS: CUSTOM CONTRAST ESTIMATES COMPARING RESPONSES FOR HO, LO, AND EO PAIN CONDITIONS SHOWED HIGHER SCR FOR IWFM (CE = 1.27, P = 0.01) BUT NOT FOR HVS OR FOR YPS. PR FOR THE EO CONDITION WERE SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER THAN FOR HO AND LO CONDITIONS FOR IWFM (CE = 0.60, P = 0.012) BUT NOT FOR HVS OR YPS. YPS HAD LOWER SCR AND PR THAN DID HVS. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS SHOW THAT UNCERTAINTY REGARDING PAIN INCREASES THE EXPERIENCE OF PAIN, WHEREAS CERTAINTY REGARDING PAIN MAY REDUCE PAIN RATINGS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH FIBROMYALGIA. 2012 5 2839 18 YOGA, AHIMSA AND CONSUMING ANIMALS: UK YOGA TEACHERS' BELIEFS ABOUT FARMED ANIMALS AND ATTITUDES TO PLANT-BASED DIETS. YOGA IS A HOLISTIC DISCIPLINE ORIGINATING IN ANCIENT INDIA. YOGA HAS LINKS WITH HINDUISM, BUDDHISM AND JAINISM BASED ON A SHARED PHILOSOPHICAL FRAMEWORK OF UNITY WITH ALL BEINGS AND BELIEF IN AHIMSA, MEANING NON-HARMING. THERE IS DEBATE IN THE INTERNATIONAL YOGA COMMUNITY ABOUT THE SPIRITUAL, ETHICAL AND HEALTH-RELATED LINKS BETWEEN YOGA AND PLANT-BASED DIETS. THIS MIXED METHODOLOGY RESEARCH INVESTIGATES THE BELIEFS ABOUT THE MORAL STATUS OF FARMED ANIMALS AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS PLANT-BASED DIETS OF UK YOGA TEACHERS. A SEQUENTIAL MIXED-METHODS DESIGN EMPLOYING A QUESTIONNAIRE AND SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS IS USED. THIS PAPER FOCUSES ON THE QUESTIONNAIRE-BASED PHASE OF THE RESEARCH. KEY RESULTS ARE: (I) UK YOGA TEACHERS HAVE VERY PROGRESSIVE BELIEFS ABOUT THE MORAL STATUS OF FARMED ANIMALS; (II) 29.6% OF UK YOGA TEACHERS FOLLOW A PLANT-BASED DIET (N = 446), WHICH IS 25-FOLD THE PROPORTION IN THE WIDER UK POPULATION; (III) 73.9% DESIRE TO FOLLOW A PLANT-BASED DIET; (IV) 68.6% REGARD PLANT-BASED DIETS AS BEST ALIGNED TO THEIR YOGIC PRACTICE; AND (V) UK YOGA TEACHERS WITH MORE PROGRESSIVE BELIEFS ABOUT FARMED ANIMALS AND WITH MORE SELF-REPORTED KNOWLEDGE OF AGRICULTURE ABSTAIN FROM CONSUMING ANIMAL PRODUCTS TO A GREATER EXTENT. THE FAR HIGHER PROPORTIONS OF UK YOGA TEACHERS FOLLOWING VEGETARIAN AND PLANT-BASED DIETS, RELATIVE TO THE WIDER POPULATION, ARE LIKELY BASED ON APPLYING YOGIC TEACHINGS SUCH AS THE PRINCIPLE OF AHIMSA THROUGH ABSTAINING FROM THE CONSUMPTION OF ANIMAL PRODUCTS. 2020 6 1754 12 PLACE OF NUTRITION IN YOGA. NUTRITION PLAYS A VERY VITAL ROLE IN OUR LIFE. YOGA AND AYURVEDA HAD LAID DOWN THE FOUNDATIONS OF DIETETICS. THE VALUABLE GUIDELINES REGARDING VARIOUS FOOD ARTICLES AND DIET FOR YOGA SADHAKA, TO ACHIEVE MAXIMUM BENEFITS, ARE GIVEN IN TRADITIONAL YOGA TEXTS LIKE HATHA PRADIPIKA AND GHERANDA SAMHITHA. NOW IS THE TIME TO EVALUATE THE PLACE OF NUTRITION IN YOGA AND TO STUDY HOW THE DIETETIC PRINCIPLES IN YOGA WILL HELP TO ERADICATE THE NATIONAL PROBLEM OF MAL-NUTRITION AND POVERTY WHICH IS THE PRESSING NEED OF THE MOMENT. 1990 7 2296 12 THERAPEUTIC PROCESSES IN A YOGA ASHRAM. ALTHOUGH COMMUNAL AND NEW RELIGIOUS GROUPS ARE SAID TO PROVIDE QUASI-THERAPEUTIC EXPERIENCES FOR RELATIVELY HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS IN OUR SOCIETY, THERE IS LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THIS OCCURS. THIS STUDY EXAMINES THE LIFESTYLE AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF A YOGA ASHRAM AND DESCRIBES HOW THEY FACILITATE PROCESSES WHERE RESIDENTS LEARN TO RELEASE AND PREVENT STRESS IN THEIR LIVES. 1985 8 2892 13 YOGAHOME: TEACHING AND RESEARCH CHALLENGES IN A YOGA PROGRAM WITH HOMELESS ADULTS. YOGAHOME IS A THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM FOR HOMELESS WOMEN. DEVELOPING AND REFINING YOGAHOME PROVIDED A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE THE PROCESS OF TEACHING YOGA TO WOMEN FACED WITH THE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL STRESS OF LIVING IN A HOMELESS SHELTER. UNIQUE TEACHING AND RESEARCH CHALLENGES ARE PRESENTED AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE PROGRAMS ARE DISCUSSED. 2012 9 2888 12 YOGA: INTUITION, PREVENTIVE MEDICINE, AND TREATMENT. MIND-BODY FITNESS PROGRAMS USE A COMBINATION OF MUSCULAR ACTIVITY AND MINDFUL FOCUS ON AWARENESS OF THE SELF, BREATH, AND ENERGY TO PROMOTE HEALTH. THE ANCIENT DISCIPLINE OF YOGA INCLUDES PHYSICAL POSTURES AND BREATHING AND MEDITATION TECHNIQUES. SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE EXISTS ABOUT THE PHYSIOLOGIC EFFECTS OF YOGA. MIND-BODY FITNESS PROGRAMS MAY OFFER THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS DIFFERENT FROM THOSE OFFERED BY TRADITIONAL BODY FITNESS PROGRAMS. 1998 10 1382 28 IMPACT OF PRAJNA YOGA ON COGNITION IN ADOLESCENTS WITH CONGENITAL AND ADVENTITIOUS VISUAL IMPAIRMENT. CONTEXT: NUMEROUS SCIENTIFIC STUDIES HAVE INVESTIGATED THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON COGNITION IN CHILDREN AND ADULTS. HOWEVER, FEWER STUDIES HAVE ASSESSED THE IMPACT OF YOGIC PRACTICES ON COGNITION IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT. DESPITE THEIR KEEN INTELLECTUAL ABILITIES AND ADVANCED LINGUISTIC SKILLS, TEENS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT OFTEN EXPERIENCE DIFFICULTIES WITH COGNITIVE CONTROL AND BEHAVIORAL REGULATION. MEMORY PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN COGNITION. BESIDES STORING INFORMATION, MEMORY IS ALSO USED FOR RECALL, DEFINED AS THE RETRIEVAL OF INFORMATION THE BRAIN HAS RECENTLY BEEN EXPOSED TO, AND RECOGNITION, DEFINED AS THE ABILITY TO RECOGNIZE OR RETRIEVE THE INFORMATION PREVIOUSLY ENCOUNTERED AND STORED IN THE BRAIN. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY WAS TO OBSERVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PRAJNA YOGA ON ENHANCING THE COGNITION AND VERBAL MEMORY IN ADOLESCENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT. DEGREE OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT AND AGE OF ONSET OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT WERE CONSIDERED WHILE ANALYZING THE STUDY DATA. DESIGN: AN OPEN-TRIAL, SINGLE ARM, PRE-POST STUDY DESIGN WAS ADOPTED. 273 ADOLESCENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT WERE ASSESSED ACROSS INDIA USING THE REY AUDITORY VERBAL LEARNING TEST (RAVLT), AT BASELINE (BEFORE THE INTERVENTION), IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE INTERVENTION, AND AT 40 DAYS AFTER THE INTERVENTION. RAVLT MEASURES RECALL AND RECOGNITION THROUGH VERBAL MEMORY. INTERVENTION: PRAJNA YOGA (PY) OR THE ART OF LIVING INTUITION PROGRAM IS A UNIQUE INTERVENTION, BASED ON ANCIENT TECHNIQUES OF PRANAYAMA, SUPER BRAIN YOGA, AND MEDITATION, TAUGHT TO CHILDREN & ADOLESCENTS BETWEEN THE AGES 5 AND 17. RESULTS: THE MEAN SCORES FOR RECOGNITION (P=0.011) AND IMMEDIATE RECALL (P=0.011) IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER PY FOR THE ENTIRE STUDY POPULATION, REGARDLESS OF THE DEGREE OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT, GENDER AND AGE OF ONSET. A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN MEAN SCORES FOR DELAYED RECALL WAS SEEN AFTER 40 DAYS OF DAILY PRACTICE (P = 0.007). 2022 11 1579 18 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 12 1475 13 INTEGRATED APPROACH TO YOGA. YOGA IS A SCIENCE OF HOLISTIC LIVING AND NOT MERELY A SET OF ASANAS AND PRANAYAMA. IT IS A PSYCHO PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL SCIENCE, WHICH AIMS AT THE HARMONIOUS DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUMAN BODY, MIND AND SOUL. YOGA IS THE CONSCIOUS ART OF SELF-DISCOVERY. IT IS A PROCESS BY WHICH ANIMAL MAN ASCENDS THROUGH THE STAGES FROM NORMAL MAN TO SUPER MAN AND THEN THE DIVINE MAN. IT IS AN EXPANSION OF THE NARROW CONSTRICTED EGOISTIC PERSONALITY TO AN ALL-PERVASIVE ETERNAL AND BLISSFUL STATE OF REALITY. YOGA IS AN ALL ROUND DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALITY AT PHYSICAL, MENTAL INTELLECTUAL, EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL LEVEL. 2000 13 2305 34 TRAINING ATTENTION FOR CONSCIOUS NON-REM SLEEP: THE YOGIC PRACTICE OF YOGA-NIDRA AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH. THE STUDY OF CONSCIOUSNESS WITHIN COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE HAS BEEN DOMINATED IN RECENT YEARS BY INVESTIGATIONS ORIGINATING FROM COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN NEUROSCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATORS AND BUDDHIST MEDITATION PRACTITIONERS. THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN REMARKABLE, PARTICULARLY WHEN QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS HAVE BEEN COMBINED AS THEY ARE IN THE NEUROPHENOMENOLOGICAL METHODOLOGY ORIGINATED BY FRANCISCO VARELA. THE ADDITION OF QUALITATIVE DATA ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE OF THE SUBJECT GREATLY ENRICHES THE INTERPRETIVE POTENTIAL OF QUANTITATIVE DATA AND HONORS THE ULTIMATE SUBJECTIVITY OF ALL PHENOMENA, IF WE ACCEPT CONSCIOUSNESS AS THE UNIVERSAL FIRST PRINCIPLE AS SOME QUANTUM PHYSICISTS NOW DO. THIS REMARKABLE PROGRESS, HOWEVER, HAS DROPPED A THREAD OF INQUIRY BEGUN IN THE LATE 1960S BY THE MENNINGER FOUNDATION IN TOPEKA, KANSAS (THE UNITED STATES) UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF ELMER AND ALYCE GREEN. THEIR STUDIES OF THE CONSCIOUS CONTROL OF INVOLUNTARY PROCESSES DREW ON COLLABORATION WITH AN INDIAN MASTER OF YOGA MEDITATION, SWAMI RAMA OF THE HIMALAYAS, WHICH OPENED A NUMBER OF INTRIGUING POSSIBILITIES, WHICH HAVE YET TO BE FOLLOWED UP IN DETAIL WITH THE MOST RECENT RESEARCH TOOLS AND METHODOLOGIES. AMONG THESE IS THE ABILITY TO ENTER THE DEEPEST, NON-REM DELTA WAVE SLEEP WHILE MAINTAINING AWARENESS BOTH INTERNALLY AND OF ONE'S SURROUNDINGS (YOGA-NIDRA). THE PARTICULAR INTEREST IN THIS ABILITY LIES NOT ONLY IN THE BENEFITS THAT ACCRUE FROM ESPECIALLY DEEP RELAXATION AND AN ESPECIALLY PURE EXPERIENCE OF MINDFUL AWARENESS, BUT ALSO FROM THE YOGI'S DESCRIPTION OF THIS AS A WAY TO GRADUALLY LEARN TO ENTER THE DEEPEST STATES OF MEDITATION (SAMADHI) AND REMAIN THERE EVEN WHEN OTHERWISE ACTIVE IN THE WORLD (TURIYA). THIS CHAPTER IS ONE OF A SERIES HOPING TO ELUCIDATE THAT STATE FROM BOTH TRADITIONAL AND CONTEMPORARY DESCRIPTIONS OF THE STATE OF YOGA-NIDRA, DRAW MEASURABLE HYPOTHESES FROM THESE DESCRIPTIONS AND DISCUSS THE METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF CONDUCTING THESE INVESTIGATIONS WITH SUFFICIENTLY COMPETENT SAMPLES OF SUBJECTS. THE FOCUS OF THIS CHAPTER IS ON TRAINING SUBJECTS WHO CAN BECOME CAPABLE OF ENTERING THE STATE OF YOGA-NIDRA. 2019 14 2391 30 YOGA AND BODY IMAGE: FINDINGS FROM A LARGE POPULATION-BASED STUDY OF YOUNG ADULTS. THIS STUDY EXPLORED THE POTENTIAL FOR YOGA TO PROMOTE BODY SATISFACTION IN A GENERAL POPULATION OF YOUNG ADULTS. THE SAMPLE INCLUDED 1664 PARTICIPANTS (M AGE: 31.1, SD=1.6YEARS) IN PROJECT EAT, A 15-YEAR LONGITUDINAL STUDY. DATA FROM THE THIRD AND FOURTH WAVES (EAT-III AND EAT-IV), COLLECTED FIVE YEARS APART, WERE UTILIZED. PRACTICING YOGA (>/=30MIN/WEEK) WAS REPORTED BY 16.2% OF YOUNG ADULTS. AFTER ADJUSTING FOR EAT-III BODY SATISFACTION AND BODY MASS INDEX, YOGA PRACTITIONERS HAD HIGHER CONCURRENT BODY SATISFACTION AT EAT-IV THAN THOSE NOT PRACTICING YOGA (DIFFERENCE: 1.5 UNITS [95% CI: 0.1-2.8], P=.03). AMONG PARTICIPANTS WITHIN THE LOWEST QUARTILE OF PRIOR (EAT-III) BODY SATISFACTION, THERE WAS PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE THAT BODY SATISFACTION AT EAT-IV WAS HIGHER AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS THAN IN OTHER YOUNG ADULTS. FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED BODY SATISFACTION, PARTICULARLY AMONG YOUNG ADULTS WITH LOW PRIOR BODY SATISFACTION. 2018 15 2239 15 THE IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH LITERACY FOR YOGA THERAPISTS. EVIDENCE-INFORMED PRACTICE (EIP) UTILIZES THE THREE COMPONENTS OF EXPERT OPINION, RESEARCH EVIDENCE, AND CLIENT VALUES. IT IS A RECOMMENDED TRAINING COMPETENCY FOR INTEGRATIVE HEALTH PRACTITIONERS IN DIVERSE FIELDS, SUCH AS ACUPUNCTURE AND MASSAGE THERAPY. RESEARCH LITERACY (RL) IS A NECESSARY PRE-REQUISITE TO EIP. MANY YOGA THERAPISTS HAVE LIMITED TRAINING IN THESE SKILLS, WHICH NEGATIVELY IMPACTS INTER-PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION, AS WELL AS FURTHER ADVANCEMENT OF YOGA THERAPY RESEARCH AND PRACTICE. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE PROPOSE INCLUSION OF RL AND EIP IN THE TRAINING OF YOGA THERAPISTS. BENEFITS FOR CLIENT CARE, COLLABORATIVE CARE, AND THE FIELD OF YOGA THERAPY ARE DISCUSSED. 2017 16 2016 12 SUPPLE BODIES, HEALTHY MINDS: YOGA, PSYCHEDELICS AND AMERICAN MENTAL HEALTH. MUCH DISCUSSION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH HAS REVOLVED AROUND TREATMENT MODELS. AS INTERDISCIPLINARY SCHOLARSHIP HAS SHOWN, MENTAL HEALTH KNOWLEDGE, FAR FROM BEING A NEUTRAL PRODUCT DETACHED FROM THE SOCIETY THAT GENERATED IT, WAS SHAPED BY POLITICS, ECONOMICS AND CULTURE. BY DRAWING ON CASE STUDIES OF YOGA, RELIGION AND FITNESS, THIS ARTICLE WILL EXAMINE THE WAYS IN WHICH MENTAL HEALTH PRACTICES-SOMETIMES SCIENTIFIC, SOMETIMES SPIRITUAL-HAVE BEEN CONCEIVED, DEBATED AND APPLIED BY RESEARCHERS AND THE PUBLIC. MORE SPECIFICALLY, IT WILL INTERROGATE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA, PSYCHEDELICS, SOUTH ASIAN AND EASTERN RELIGION (AS UNDERSTOOD AND PRACTICED IN THE USA) AND MENTAL HEALTH. 2018 17 407 17 BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PIEZOELECTRICITY IN RELATION TO ACUPUNCTURE, HATHA YOGA, OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE AND ACTION OF AIR IONS. PIEZOELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES SUCH AS PROTEINS, NUCLEIC ACIDS AND MUCOPOLYSACCHARIDES ARE REVIEWED IN THIS PAPER. IT IS INDICATED THAT THE STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS OF THE HUMAN BODY COMPOSED OF THESE PIEZOELECTRIC SUBSTANCES ARE CAPABLE OF TRANSDUCING A MECHANICAL ENERGY INTO AN ELECTRIC CURRENT. SUCH A TRANSDUCTION MAY BE BROUGHT ABOUT BY MOVEMENTS OF AN ACUPUNCTURE NEEDLE, OSTEOPATHIC MANIPULATIONS; HATHA YOGA POSTURES OR ACTION OF NEGATIVELY CHARGED AIR IRONS. IT IS POSTULATED THAT ELECTRIC CURRENT INDUCED BY STIMULATION OF THE SPECIFIC SITES ON THE SURFACE OF HUMAN BODY FLOWS TOWARDS THE INTERNAL ORGANS ALONG THE SEMICONDUCTIVE CHANNELS OF BIOLOGIC MACROMOLECULES. ELECTRIC CURRENT INDUCED EITHER BY THE PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCTION OR DIRECTLY APPLIED FROM AN EXTERNAL SOURCE MAY IN TURN STIMULATE INDIVIDUAL CELLS IN THE TARGET ORGAN. INVOLVEMENT OF ELECTRICAL PHENOMENA IN REGULATORY MECHANISMS ON CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LEVELS IS DISCUSSED. 1977 18 1614 12 MIND AND CONSCIOUSNESS IN YOGA - VEDANTA: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS WITH WESTERN PSYCHOLOGICAL CONCEPTS. STUDY OF MIND AND CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH ESTABLISHED SCIENTIFIC METHODS IS OFTEN DIFFICULT DUE TO THE OBSERVED-OBSERVER DICHOTOMY. CARTESIAN APPROACH OF DUALISM CONSIDERING THE MIND AND MATTER AS TWO DIVERSE AND UNCONNECTED ENTITIES HAS BEEN QUESTIONED BY ORIENTAL SCHOOLS OF YOGA AND VEDANTA AS WELL AS THE RECENT QUANTUM THEORIES OF MODERN PHYSICS. FREUDIAN AND NEO-FREUDIAN SCHOOLS BASED ON THE CARTESIAN MODEL HAVE BEEN CRITICIZED BY THE HUMANISTIC SCHOOLS WHICH COME MUCH CLOSER TO THE VEDANTIC APPROACH OF UNITARINESS. A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE TWO APPROACHES IS DISCUSSED. 2013 19 409 23 BLENDING MARTIAL ARTS AND YOGA FOR HEALTH: FROM THE LAST SAMURAI TO THE FIRST ODAKA YOGA WARRIOR. THIS PAPER INTRODUCES THE CASE STUDY OF ODAKA YOGA, AN INNOVATIVE STYLE OF POSTURAL YOGA BLENDED WITH MARTIAL ARTS ELEMENTS WHICH EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF PRACTITIONERS' HEALTH AND PROCESSES OF SELF-TRANSFORMATION AS PIVOTAL TO THE SCHOOL'S ETHOS. MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE PAPER EXPLORES HOW ODAKA YOGA'S PHILOSOPHICAL BACKDROPS AND PRACTICAL REPERTOIRE, COMPOSED BY A MIXTURE OF "EXOTIC" RESOURCES SUCH AS BUSHIDO, ZEN, YOGA, AND A CONSTANT REFERENCE TO THE OCEAN WAVES AND BIOMECHANICS, CONSTITUTE A VERY SPECIFIC VISION OF HEALTH AT THE INTERSECTION OF WESTERN SCIENCE AND ESOTERIC KNOWLEDGE. THEORETICALLY, THE PAPER BORROWS FROM JENNINGS' THEORY OF MARTIAL CREATION AND ENRICHES IT WITH SOME OF THE CENTRAL ANALYTICAL TOOLS PROPOSED BY THEORISTS SUCH AS BOURDIEU AND FOUCAULT. METHODOLOGICALLY, IT RELIES ON A MULTIMODAL APPROACH INCLUDING DISCURSIVE ANALYSIS OF THE SCHOOL'S PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS, INTERVIEWS WITH THE FOUNDERS AND OTHER KEY TEACHERS, AND OBSERVANT PARTICIPATION OF PRACTITIONERS' APPRENTICESHIP PROCESSES. MORE SPECIFICALLY, THIS PAPER DISCUSSES THE BIRTH OF ODAKA YOGA AS OCCURRING AT THE INTERSECTION OF ASIAN MARTIAL ARTS AND YOGA, AS WELL AS THE FOUNDERS' BIOGRAPHICAL TRAJECTORIES FROM THE WORLD OF COMPETITIVE MARTIAL ARTS AND FITNESS, TO YOGA; IT THEN TURNS TO AN EXAMINATION OF ODAKA YOGA'S CONCEPTION OF HEALTH AS A MIXTURE OF THE WESTERN BIOMEDICAL MODEL AND THE SUBTLE BODY MODEL OF ASIAN TRADITIONS SUCH AS YOGA AND MARTIAL ARTS. IT ARGUES THAT THE CONCEPTION OF HEALTH PROMOTED BY THIS SCHOOL GIVES RISE TO THE ODAKA YOGA WARRIOR, THE IDEAL-TYPICAL PRACTITIONER WHOSE BODY IS SIMULTANEOUSLY EXPOSED TO THE MEDICAL GAZE AND ITS IMPERATIVES OF CONTROL, KNOWLEDGE, AND MANIPULATION; WHILE IT ALSO DEIFIES IT, AS IT IS ANIMATED BY THE ELUSIVE FLOWS OF ENERGY (QI OR PRANA) THAT PROLONGED PRACTICE AIMS TO MASTER. THE PAPER CONCLUDES WITH A REFLECTION ON HYBRID CONCEPTIONS OF HEALTH AND THE UBIQUITOUS ROLE OF HEALTH DISCOURSES AND NARRATIVES ACROSS SOCIOCULTURAL DOMAINS. 2020 20 2494 17 YOGA AS MEDICINE: UNDERSTANDING BHUTANESE REFUGEE PERSPECTIVES ON HEALTH AND HEALTHCARE. BHUTANESE REFUGEES IN THE U.S. OFTEN STRUGGLE TO ACCESS CULTURALLY COMPETENT HEALTH TREATMENT. ADDRESSING THIS PROBLEM REQUIRES UNDERSTANDING HOW REFUGEES PERCEIVE THEIR HEALTH AND HEALTHCARE NEEDS. SINCE 2015, A COMMUNITY AGENCY HAS IMPLEMENTED COMMUNITY-BASED, PEER-LED SUPPORT GROUPS FOR BHUTANESE REFUGEES, WITH 17 GROUPS IN 2018-2019. THIS STUDY DESCRIBES THE AGENCY'S QUALITY ASSURANCE EVALUATION THROUGH GROUP LEADER FEEDBACK, OBSERVATION REPORTS, AND FOCUS GROUPS. THE RESULTS OF 46 QUALITY ASSURANCE DOCUMENTS SHOW THAT THIS GROUP OF BHUTANESE REFUGEES PERCEIVE THEIR HEALTH THROUGH THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION, VIEWING PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH AS LINKED AND SUPPORTED BY YOGA, MINDFULNESS, EXERCISE, NUTRITION, AND CREATIVE EXPRESSION. 2021