1 1393 174 IMPACT OF YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE ON PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING AMONG SUBSTANCE ABUSERS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER IS A PATTERN OF RECURRENT USE OF ILLICIT SUBSTANCES THAT LEADS TO SEVERE PSYCHOSOCIAL IMBALANCE AND RECURRENT RELAPSE. THE STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF A YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION AS AN ADD-ON IN ENHANCING PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING, COMPARED WITH PHYSICAL EXERCISE AMONG SUBSTANCE ABUSERS. METHODS: IN THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY, 96 MALE PARTICIPANTS WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER FROM A RESIDENTIAL REHABILITATION TREATMENT CENTER, KATHMANDU, NEPAL, WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED INTO TWO GROUPS NAMELY THE YOGA GROUP (N=48, MEAN AGE +/- SD=25.18 +/- 6.43) AND THE PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP (N=48, MEAN AGE +/- SD=25.02 +/- 5.02). THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA GROUP ATTENDED THE 90 MIN YOGA SESSIONS FOR 12 WEEKS (SIX DAYS PER WEEK) WHEREAS THE PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP ATTENDED EXERCISE SESSIONS FOR THE SAME DURATION. ABOVE MENTIONED INTERVENTIONS WERE IN ADDITION TO STANDARD REHABILITATION TREATMENT. THE STUDY MEASURED THE SELF-CONTROL, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, SLEEP PARAMETERS, AND MINDFULNESS AT THE BASELINE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION. RESULTS: A SIGNIFICANT ENHANCEMENT IN SELF-CONTROL WAS OBSERVED IN BOTH THE YOGA (P<0.033, D=0.33) AND THE EXERCISE GROUP (P<0.038, D=0.32). YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN MINDFULNESS SCORE (P<0.017, D=0.37), WHEREAS EXERCISE GROUP DID NOT SHOW ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN MINDFULNESS (P<0.169, D=0.21). THE DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SCORES REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY IN BOTH YOGA (P<0.044, D=0.31; P<0.025, D=0.35 RESP.) AND EXERCISE (P<0.032, D=0.34. P<0.039, D=0.32. RESP.) GROUP. FURTHERMORE, SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION WAS SEEN IN SLEEP DISTURBANCE AFTER YOGA (P<0.001, D=0.52) AND EXERCISE (P<0.001, D=0.78) INTERVENTION. THE SLEEP - SOMNOLENCE SCORE REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY ONLY IN YOGA GROUP (P<0.020, D=0.36). THE MAGNITUDE OF IMPROVEMENT WAS HIGHER IN THE YOGA GROUP THAN PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP ON SELF-CONTROL, MINDFULNESS, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND SOME SLEEP PARAMETERS, HOWEVER THE BETWEEN GROUP DIFFERENCES COULD NOT REACH TO THE LEVEL OF SIGNIFICANCE. CONCLUSIONS: THE 12 WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION DID NOT APPEAR TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE EFFECTIVE THAN THE 12 WEEK PHYSICAL EXERCISE PROGRAM ON PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING IN MALE PARTICIPANTS WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER. HOWEVER, GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING WAS OBSERVED WITHIN THE YOGA GROUP. IN FUTURE, A MULTI-CENTRIC STUDY WITH ROBUST DESIGN, LARGER SAMPLE SIZE AND LONGER FOLLOW-UP IS REQUIRED TO CONFORM THE PRESENT RESULTS AND TO FIND OUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE IMPACTS OF YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE ON PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING IN SUBSTANCE ABUSERS. 2021 2 393 30 BENEFITS, BARRIERS AND DETERMINANTS OF PRACTICING YOGA: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY FROM KATHMANDU, NEPAL. BACKGROUND: IT HAS BEEN WIDELY BELIEVED THAT PRACTICING YOGA HELPS TO IMPROVE INDIVIDUALS' MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH. HOWEVER, THE PROPORTION OF PEOPLE PRACTICING YOGA IS NOT ENCOURAGING. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY INVESTIGATES THE DETERMINANTS, MOTIVATIONS, BENEFITS AND BARRIERS TO PRACTICING YOGA. MATERIAL AND METHODS: THIS STUDY IS BASED ON A CROSS SECTIONAL SURVEY OF 875 INDIVIDUALS IN A FACE-TO-FACE INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED FROM FEBRUARY TO APRIL 2019 IN KATHMANDU, NEPAL. THE INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED USING A SEMI-STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRE, AND THE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE COLLECTED DATA WAS DONE USING SPSSV20. RESULTS: WE FIND THAT FEMALES, OLDER PEOPLE, PEOPLE WITH ACCESS TO HEALTH EDUCATION AND INTERNET, ASSOCIATED WITH SOCIAL ORGANIZATION, AND RECEIVING YOGA-RELATED TRAINING ARE MORE LIKELY TO PRACTICE YOGA. MAJOR REPORTED BENEFITS OF YOGA INCLUDE IMPROVEMENT IN BODY FLEXIBILITY AND BALANCE, A DECREASE IN THE LEVEL OF STRESS, IMPROVEMENT IN THE QUALITY OF LIFE, BODY WEIGHT MAINTENANCE, AND IMPROVEMENT IN IMMUNITY POWER. CONCLUSION: GIVEN THAT MOST RESPONDENTS HAVE BEEN BENEFITED FROM PRACTICING YOGA, WE RECOMMEND PEOPLE TO INCORPORATE YOGA INTO THEIR DAILY ROUTINE. 2021 3 681 64 EFFECT OF ADD-ON YOGA ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS AMONG SUBSTANCE ABUSERS IN A RESIDENTIAL THERAPEUTIC CENTER: RANDOMIZED COMPARATIVE STUDY. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC VULNERABILITY CHARACTERIZES SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDER WITH CONSEQUENT RELAPSE. THE PROCESS OF ABSTINENCE DEPENDS ON COGNITIVE RECOVERY. HENCE, BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION SHOULD ACCOUNT FOR COGNITIVE DIMENSION OF SUBSTANCE ABUSERS. RECENT STUDIES HIGHLIGHT YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION AS A PROMISING ADD-ON THERAPY FOR TREATING AND PREVENTING ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS. PURPOSE: THE STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF A YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION AS AN ADD-ON IN ENHANCING COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS, COMPARED WITH PHYSICAL EXERCISE TO NEWLY ADMITTED SUBSTANCE ABUSERS SEEKING AN INPATIENT TREATMENT PROGRAM. METHODS: THE STUDY WAS A SINGLE-BLIND, RANDOMIZED, COMPARATIVE DESIGN THAT INCLUDED 96 MALE PARTICIPANTS, BETWEEN 18 AND 40 YEARS IN A RESIDENTIAL REHABILITATION TREATMENT UNIT. PARTAKERS IN THE YOGA OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP RECEIVED SUPERVISED DAILY TRAINING FOR 12 WEEKS, IN ADDITION TO STANDARD REHABILITATION TREATMENT. RATERS BLIND TO THE STUDY ASSESSED THE PATIENTS ON DIGIT SPAN TASK, CANCELLATION TEST, AND STROOP TESTS AT THE BASELINE AND FOLLOWING 12 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION. RESULTS: A SIGNIFICANT ENHANCEMENT IN DIGIT FORWARD (YOGA - P < 0.0005, D = 0.81; EXERCISE - P < 0.0005, D = 0.73), DIGIT BACKWARD (YOGA - P < 0.0005, D = 0.88; EXERCISE - P < 0.0005, D = 0.58), AND LETTER CANCELLATION TEST SCORES (YOGA - P < 0.0005, D = 1.31; EXERCISE - P < 0.0005, D = 1.4) WERE OBSERVED IN BOTH THE YOGA AND THE EXERCISE GROUPS. STROOP WORD AND COLOR TASK SCORES WERE SEEN SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER FOLLOWING YOGA (P < 0.005, D = 0.74; P < 0.005, D = 1.13) AND EXERCISE (P < 0.0005, D = 0.62; P < 0.0005, D = 0.61). FURTHERMORE, STROOP COLOR-WORD TEST SHOWED SIGNIFICANT ENHANCEMENT AFTER YOGA (P < 0.0005, D = 1.10) AND EXERCISE (P < 0.0005, D = 0.42), WITH DEGREE OF VARIATION HIGHER IN THE YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSION: OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THE ADD-ON YOGA OR EXERCISE-BASED INTERVENTION SHOW ENHANCEMENT OF COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS. THESE FINDINGS PROVIDE THE UTILITY OF YOGA AND EXERCISE-BASED INTERVENTION IN IMPROVING COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS AMONG SUBSTANCE ABUSERS. FURTHERMORE, RIGOROUS TRIALS ARE NEEDED TO EXPLORE THE POTENTIAL LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF THESE PROCEDURES. 2018 4 1429 42 IMPROVEMENTS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL WELL-BEING IN A PRAGMATIC CONTROLLED TRIAL OF A YOGA-BASED PROGRAM FOR PROFESSIONALS. OBJECTIVE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS PRAGMATIC CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS TO EXAMINE CHANGES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL WELL-BEING IN PROFESSIONALS WHO ATTENDED A YOGA-BASED PROGRAM. SETTING: THE 5-DAY RISE (RESILIENCE, INTEGRATION, SELF-AWARENESS, ENGAGEMENT) PROGRAM WAS DELIVERED AT THE KRIPALU CENTER FOR YOGA & HEALTH. RISE INCLUDED 5 H PER DAY OF YOGA, MEDITATION, LECTURES, AND EXPERIENTIAL ACTIVITIES. SUBJECTS: ADULT PROFESSIONALS FROM EDUCATION, CORRECTIONS, AND SOCIAL SERVICE INSTITUTIONS WERE PRAGMATICALLY ASSIGNED TO THE RISE GROUP (N = 61) OR A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 60). OUTCOME MEASURES: MEASURES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL WELL-BEING WERE COMPLETED BEFORE RISE (BASELINE), IMMEDIATELY AFTER RISE (POSTPROGRAM), AND 2 MONTHS AFTER RISE (FOLLOW-UP). ANALYSES OF COVARIANCE WERE CONDUCTED TO COMPARE CHANGE SCORES BETWEEN GROUPS. RESULTS: EIGHTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS (RISE N = 41, CONTROL N = 41) COMPLETED BASELINE AND POSTMEASURES AND WERE INCLUDED IN THE ANALYSIS, AND 57 (RISE N = 27, CONTROL N = 30) ALSO COMPLETED THE FOLLOW-UP. RELATIVE TO CONTROLS, THE RISE GROUP REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN STRESS (P = 0.001, R(2) = 0.51), RESILIENCE (P = 0.028, R(2) = 0.34), POSITIVE AFFECT (P = 0.001, R(2) = 0.52), NEGATIVE AFFECT (P = 0.001, R(2) = 0.52), MINDFULNESS (P = 0.021, R(2) = 0.13), AND JOB SATISFACTION (P = 0.034, R(2) = 0.08) FROM BASELINE TO POSTPROGRAM. FROM BASELINE TO FOLLOW-UP, COMPARED WITH CONTROLS THE RISE GROUP SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS IN STRESS (P = 0.001, R(2) = 0.33), RESILIENCE (P = 0.001, R(2) = 0.24), POSITIVE AFFECT (P = 0.006, R(2) = 0.49), NEGATIVE AFFECT (P = 0.043, R(2) = 0.32), MINDFULNESS (P = 0.001, R(2) = 0.28), EMPOWERMENT (P = 0.005, R(2) = 0.20), AND SELF-COMPASSION (P = 0.011, R(2) = 0.19). CONCLUSIONS: THE RISE PROGRAM WAS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVEMENTS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL WELL-BEING IMMEDIATELY AFTER AND 2 MONTHS AFTER THE PROGRAM. FUTURE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE RESULTS. 2019 5 2685 35 YOGA IN THE REAL WORLD: PERCEPTIONS, MOTIVATORS, BARRIERS, AND PATTERNS OF USE. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A MIND-BODY EXERCISE PRACTICED BY NEARLY 16 MILLION US ADULTS. CLINICAL YOGA RESEARCH HAS YIELDED PROMISING FINDINGS IN PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES. HOWEVER, RESEARCH IN NON-PATIENT POPULATIONS IS LIMITED. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY IS TO SURVEY A NON-CLINICAL POPULATION TO BETTER UNDERSTAND YOGA USE IN A REAL-WORLD SETTING. METHODS: THIS STUDY USED A PRE-POST TEST DESIGN IN A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF ADULTS REGISTERED FOR A 4-WEEK BEGINNER YOGA PROGRAM WITHIN A NETWORK OF FIVE YOGA STUDIOS IN AUSTIN, TEXAS. STUDENTS WERE LINKED VIA E-MAIL TO BASELINE AND ENDPOINT SURVEYS. ANALYSES WERE DESCRIPTIVE. RESULTS: SIX HUNDRED FOUR STUDENTS COMPLETED THE BASELINE SURVEY, AND 290 (48%) COMPLETED THE 4-WEEK ENDPOINT SURVEY. BASELINE DEMOGRAPHICS WERE SIMILAR TO THOSE IN NATIONAL SURVEYS, WITH RESPONDENTS BEING PRIMARILY FEMALE (86%), WHITE (88%), AND COLLEGE EDUCATED (78%). THE PRIMARY BARRIER TO PRACTICE WAS TIME (55%). RESPONDENTS PERCEIVED YOGA PRIMARILY AS AN EXERCISE ACTIVITY (92%), SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY (73%), OR A WAY TO MANAGE OR TREAT A HEALTH CONDITION (50%). MAIN REASONS FOR TAKING YOGA WERE GENERAL WELLNESS (81%), PHYSICAL EXERCISE (80%), AND STRESS MANAGEMENT (73%). NINETY-EIGHT PERCENT BELIEVED YOGA WOULD IMPROVE THEIR HEALTH, WITH 28% TAKING YOGA TO ALLEVIATE A HEALTH CONDITION. ON AVERAGE, RESPONDENTS PRACTICED 3 TO 4 HOURS/ WEEK IN AND OUT OF CLASS. CONCLUSIONS: RESPONDENT DEMOGRAPHICS WERE CONSISTENT WITH NATIONAL SURVEY DATA. DATA SHOW THAT YOGA IS PERCEIVED SEVERAL WAYS. INFORMATION ON PRACTICE PATTERNS PROVIDES NEW INFORMATION, WHICH MAY IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW NON-CLINICAL POPULATIONS INCORPORATE YOGA INTO DAILY LIFE FOR HEALTH MANAGEMENT. 2013 6 1430 30 IMPROVEMENTS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH FOLLOWING A RESIDENTIAL YOGA-BASED PROGRAM FOR FRONTLINE PROFESSIONALS. OBJECTIVE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF A RESIDENTIAL YOGA-BASED PROGRAM ON PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH AND HEALTH BEHAVIORS IN FRONTLINE PROFESSIONALS. METHODS: FRONTLINE PROFESSIONALS FROM EDUCATION, HEALTH CARE, HUMAN SERVICES, AND CORRECTIONS PARTICIPATED IN THE RISE (RESILIENCE, INTEGRATION, SELF-AWARENESS, ENGAGEMENT) PROGRAM AND COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES AT BASELINE, POST-PROGRAM, AND 2 MONTHS FOLLOWING RISE. RESULTS: PAIRED SAMPLES T TESTS REVEALED IMPROVEMENTS IN MINDFULNESS, STRESS, RESILIENCE, AFFECT, AND SLEEP QUALITY FROM BASELINE TO POST-PROGRAM (ALL PS < 0.001, N = 55), WHICH WERE SUSTAINED AT THE 2-MONTH FOLLOW-UP (ALL PS < 0.01, N = 40). PARTICIPANTS ALSO REPORTED INCREASES IN EXERCISE, FRUIT, AND VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION POST-PROGRAM (ALL PS < 0.001), ALL OF WHICH PERSISTED AT THE 2-MONTH FOLLOW-UP (ALL PS < 0.01) EXCEPT EXERCISE. CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT RISE IMPROVED INDICES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH AND HEALTHY BEHAVIORS THAT REMAINED 2 MONTHS FOLLOWING RISE. 2018 7 687 52 EFFECT OF AN OFFICE WORKSITE-BASED YOGA PROGRAM ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY: OUTCOMES OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC WORK-RELATED STRESS IS AN INDEPENDENT RISK FACTOR FOR CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES AND ASSOCIATED MORTALITY, PARTICULARLY WHEN COMPOUNDED BY A SEDENTARY WORK ENVIRONMENT. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE IF AN OFFICE WORKSITE-BASED HATHA YOGA PROGRAM COULD IMPROVE PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS, EVALUATED VIA HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV), AND ASSOCIATED HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES IN A COHORT OF OFFICE WORKERS. METHODS: THIRTY-SEVEN ADULTS EMPLOYED IN UNIVERSITY-BASED OFFICE POSITIONS WERE RANDOMIZED UPON THE COMPLETION OF BASELINE TESTING TO AN EXPERIMENTAL OR CONTROL GROUP. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP COMPLETED A 10-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM PRESCRIBED THREE SESSIONS PER WEEK DURING LUNCH HOUR (50 MIN PER SESSION). AN EXPERIENCED INSTRUCTOR LED THE SESSIONS, WHICH EMPHASIZED ASANAS (POSTURES) AND VINYASA (EXERCISES). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS THE HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) POWER COMPONENT OF HRV. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED ADDITIONAL HRV PARAMETERS, MUSCULOSKELETAL FITNESS (I.E. PUSH-UP, SIDE-BRIDGE, AND SIT & REACH TESTS) AND PSYCHOLOGICAL INDICES (I.E. STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY, QUALITY OF LIFE AND JOB SATISFACTION). RESULTS: ALL MEASURES OF HRV FAILED TO CHANGE IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP VERSUS THE CONTROL GROUP, EXCEPT THAT THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED LF:HF (P = 0.04) AND REDUCED PNN50 (P = 0.04) VERSUS CONTROL, CONTRARY TO OUR HYPOTHESES. FLEXIBILITY, EVALUATED VIA SIT & REACH TEST INCREASED IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP VERSUS THE CONTROL GROUP (P < 0.001). NO OTHER ADAPTATIONS WERE NOTED. POST HOC ANALYSIS COMPARING PARTICIPANTS WHO COMPLETED >/=70% OF YOGA SESSIONS (N = 11) TO CONTROL (N = 19) YIELDED THE SAME FINDINGS, EXCEPT THAT THE HIGH ADHERERS ALSO REDUCED STATE ANXIETY (P = 0.02) AND RMSSD (P = 0.05), AND TENDED TO IMPROVE THE PUSH-UP TEST (P = 0.07) VERSUS CONTROL. CONCLUSIONS: A 10-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION DELIVERED AT THE OFFICE WORKSITE DURING LUNCH HOUR DID NOT IMPROVE HF POWER OR OTHER HRV PARAMETERS. HOWEVER, IMPROVEMENTS IN FLEXIBILITY, STATE ANXIETY AND MUSCULOSKELETAL FITNESS WERE NOTED WITH HIGH ADHERENCE. FUTURE INVESTIGATIONS SHOULD INCORPORATE STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE ADHERENCE, INVOLVE MORE FREQUENT AND LONGER DURATIONS OF YOGA TRAINING, AND ENROL COHORTS WHO SUFFER FROM HIGHER LEVELS OF WORK-RELATED STRESS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN12611000536965. 2013 8 360 42 ASSOCIATION OF YOGA PRACTICE AND SERUM CORTISOL LEVELS IN CHRONIC PERIODONTITIS PATIENTS WITH STRESS-RELATED ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. AIM: REDUCING THE PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESS BY VARIOUS METHODS CAN IMPROVE OVERALL HEALTH, AND YOGA IS NOW CONSIDERED AS AN EASILY AVAILABLE ALTERNATIVE METHOD. THE PRESENT CROSS-SECTIONAL PILOT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED MAINLY TO FIND THE ASSOCIATION OF YOGA PRACTICE WITH PERIODONTAL DISEASE BY MEASURING SERUM CORTISOL LEVELS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 70 SUBJECTS WITH AGE RANGE OF 35-60 YEARS SUFFERING WITH CHRONIC PERIODONTITIS WERE DIVIDED INTO GROUP I (WITH STRESS), GROUP II (WITHOUT STRESS), AND GROUP III (PRACTICING YOGA). PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION WAS CARRIED OUT USING HAMILTON ANXIETY RATING SCALE (HAM-A) AND ZUNG SELF-RATING DEPRESSION SCALE (ZSDS). PERIODONTAL PARAMETERS LIKE PLAQUE INDEX (PI), PROBING POCKET DEPTH (PPD), AND CLINICAL ATTACHMENT LEVEL (CAL) AT 5-8 MM AND >8 MM WERE RECORDED. BLOOD SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED AND SERUM CORTISOL LEVELS WERE MEASURED. RESULTS: MEAN AGE, PLAQUE SCORES, AND NUMBER OF TEETH WITH PPD AND CAL AT 5-8 MM AND >8 MM WERE SIMILAR IN ALL THE GROUPS, EXCEPT BETWEEN GROUP I AND GROUP III WHERE A MULTIPLE COMPARISON WITH TUKEY'S POST-HOC TEST SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN PLAQUE INDEX (P < 0.038) AND THE NUMBER OF TEETH WITH CAL 5-8 MM (P < 0.016). SERUM CORTISOL LEVELS AND HAM-A SCALE AND ZSDS SCORES SHOWED HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT VALUE (P < 0.001) IN GROUP I SUBJECTS WHEN COMPARED WITH GROUP II AND GROUP III SUBJECTS. CONCLUSION: CROSS-SECTIONAL OBSERVATION DONE AMONG THREE GROUPS SHOWED THAT INDIVIDUALS PRACTICING YOGA REGULARLY HAD LOW SERUM CORTISOL LEVELS, HAM-A SCALE AND ZSDS SCORES, AND BETTER PERIODONTAL HEALTH. 2016 9 1015 45 EFFECTS OF PRENATAL YOGA ON WOMEN'S STRESS AND IMMUNE FUNCTION ACROSS PREGNANCY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE EFFECTS OF PRENATAL YOGA ON BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS HAVE NOT BEEN WIDELY STUDIED. THUS, WE COMPARED CHANGES IN STRESS AND IMMUNITY SALIVARY BIOMARKERS FROM 16 TO 36 WEEKS' GESTATION BETWEEN WOMEN RECEIVING PRENATAL YOGA AND THOSE RECEIVING ROUTINE PRENATAL CARE. DESIGN: FOR THIS LONGITUDINAL, PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, WE RECRUITED 94 HEALTHY PREGNANT WOMEN AT 16 WEEKS' GESTATION THROUGH CONVENIENCE SAMPLING FROM A PRENATAL CLINIC IN TAIPEI. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO INTERVENTION (N=48) OR CONTROL (N=46) GROUPS USING CLINSTAT BLOCK RANDOMIZATION. INTERVENTION: THE 20-WEEK INTERVENTION COMPRISED TWO WEEKLY 70-MIN YOGA SESSIONS LED BY A MIDWIFE CERTIFIED AS A YOGA INSTRUCTOR; THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED ONLY ROUTINE PRENATAL CARE. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: IN BOTH GROUPS, PARTICIPANTS' SALIVARY CORTISOL AND IMMUNOGLOBULIN A LEVELS WERE COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA EVERY 4 WEEKS FROM 16 TO 36 WEEKS' GESTATION. RESULTS: THE INTERVENTION GROUP HAD LOWER SALIVARY CORTISOL (P<0.001) AND HIGHER IMMUNOGLOBULIN A (P<0.001) LEVELS IMMEDIATELY AFTER YOGA THAN THE CONTROL GROUP. SPECIFICALLY, THE INTERVENTION GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER LONG-TERM SALIVARY IMMUNOGLOBULIN A LEVELS THAN THE CONTROL GROUP (P=0.018), AND INFANTS BORN TO WOMEN IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP WEIGHED MORE THAN THOSE BORN TO THE CONTROL GROUP (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: PRENATAL YOGA SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED PREGNANT WOMEN'S STRESS AND ENHANCED THEIR IMMUNE FUNCTION. CLINICIANS SHOULD LEARN THE MECHANISMS OF YOGA AND ITS EFFECTS ON PREGNANT WOMEN. OUR FINDINGS CAN GUIDE CLINICIANS TO HELP PREGNANT WOMEN ALLEVIATE THEIR STRESS AND ENHANCE THEIR IMMUNE FUNCTION. 2017 10 2507 50 YOGA BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION AFTER CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS SURGERY: ONE-YEAR RESULTS ON LVEF, LIPID PROFILE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STATES--A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAM WITH ONLY PHYSIOTHERAPY BASED PROGRAM AS AN ADD-ON TO CONVENTIONAL REHABILITATION AFTER CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS GRAFTING (CABG) ON RISK FACTORS. METHODS: IN THIS SINGLE BLIND PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED PARALLEL TWO ARMED ACTIVE CONTROL STUDY, 1026 PATIENTS POSTED FOR CABG AT NARAYANA HRUDAYALAYA INSTITUTE OF CARDIAC SCIENCES, BENGALURU (INDIA) WERE SCREENED. OF THESE, 250 MALE PARTICIPANTS (35-65 YEARS) WHO SATISFIED THE SELECTION CRITERIA AND CONSENTED WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS. WITHIN AND BETWEEN GROUP COMPARISONS WERE DONE AT THREE POINTS OF FOLLOW UP (I.E. 6TH WEEK, 6TH MONTH, AND 12TH MONTH) BY USING WILCOXON'S SIGNED RANKS TEST AND MANN WHITNEY U TEST RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS: YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY (P = 0.001, MANN WHITNEY) BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN LVEF THAN CONTROL GROUP IN THOSE WITH ABNORMAL BASELINE EF (<53%) AFTER 1 YEAR. THERE WAS A BETTER REDUCTION IN BMI IN THE YOGA GROUP (P = 0.038, BETWEEN GROUPS) IN THOSE WITH HIGH BASELINE BMI (>/=23) AFTER 12 MONTHS. YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT (P = 0.008, WILCOXON'S) REDUCTION IN BLOOD GLUCOSE AT ONE YEAR IN THOSE WITH HIGH BASELINE FBS >/=110 MG/DL. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN YOGA THAN THE CONTROL GROUP IN HDL (P = 0.003), LDL (P = 0.01) AND VLDL (P = 0.03) IN THOSE WITH ABNORMAL BASELINE VALUES. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER IMPROVEMENT (P = 0.02, BETWEEN GROUPS) IN POSITIVE AFFECT IN YOGA GROUP. WITHIN YOGA GROUP, THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN PERCEIVED STRESS (P = 0.001), ANXIETY (P = 0.001), DEPRESSION (P = 0.001), AND NEGATIVE AFFECT (P = 0.03) WHILE IN THE CONTROL GROUP THERE WAS REDUCTION (P = 0.003) ONLY IN SCORES ON ANXIETY. CONCLUSION: ADDITION OF YOGA BASED RELAXATION TO CONVENTIONAL POST-CABG CARDIAC REHABILITATION HELPS IN BETTER MANAGEMENT OF RISK FACTORS IN THOSE WITH ABNORMAL BASELINE VALUES AND MAY HELP IN PREVENTING RECURRENCE. 2014 11 176 46 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF KUNDALINI YOGA IN MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT. BACKGROUND: GLOBAL POPULATION AGING WILL RESULT IN INCREASING RATES OF COGNITIVE DECLINE AND DEMENTIA. THUS, EFFECTIVE, LOW-COST, AND LOW SIDE-EFFECT INTERVENTIONS FOR THE TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF COGNITIVE DECLINE ARE URGENTLY NEEDED. OUR STUDY IS THE FIRST TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF KUNDALINI YOGA (KY) TRAINING ON MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT (MCI). METHODS: OLDER PARTICIPANTS (>/=55 YEARS OF AGE) WITH MCI WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER A 12-WEEK KY INTERVENTION OR MEMORY ENHANCEMENT TRAINING (MET; GOLD-STANDARD, ACTIVE CONTROL). COGNITIVE (I.E. MEMORY AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING) AND MOOD (I.E. DEPRESSION, APATHY, AND RESILIENCE) ASSESSMENTS WERE ADMINISTERED AT BASELINE, 12 WEEKS AND 24 WEEKS. RESULTS: AT BASELINE, 81 PARTICIPANTS HAD NO SIGNIFICANT BASELINE GROUP DIFFERENCES IN CLINICAL OR DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS. AT 12 WEEKS AND 24 WEEKS, BOTH KY AND MET GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN MEMORY; HOWEVER, ONLY KY SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING. ONLY THE KY GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND RESILIENCE AT WEEK 12. CONCLUSION: KY GROUP SHOWED SHORT- AND LONG-TERM IMPROVEMENTS IN EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING AS COMPARED TO MET, AND BROADER EFFECTS ON DEPRESSED MOOD AND RESILIENCE. THIS OBSERVATION SHOULD BE CONFIRMED IN FUTURE CLINICAL TRIALS OF YOGA INTERVENTION FOR TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF COGNITIVE DECLINE (NCT01983930). 2017 12 156 30 A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF LOVEYOURBRAIN YOGA: A GROUP-BASED YOGA WITH PSYCHOEDUCATION INTERVENTION TO FACILITATE COMMUNITY INTEGRATION FOR PEOPLE WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AND THEIR CAREGIVERS. PURPOSE: TO EXPLORE PARTICIPANTS' EXPERIENCES IN A GROUP-BASED YOGA WITH PSYCHOEDUCATION INTERVENTION DESIGNED TO FACILITATE COMMUNITY INTEGRATION FOR PEOPLE WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AND THEIR CAREGIVERS.MATERIALS AND METHODS: WE CONDUCTED SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS WITH 13 PEOPLE WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AND THREE CAREGIVERS WHO HAD COMPLETED LOVEYOURBRAIN YOGA, A 6-SESSION, MANUALIZED, GROUP-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION THAT INCORPORATES BREATHING EXERCISES, YOGA, MEDITATION, AND PSYCHOEDUCATION. INTERVIEWS WERE ANALYZED USING CONTENT ANALYSIS.RESULTS: WE IDENTIFIED SEVEN THEMES: EASE OF PARTICIPATION, BELONGING, SUSTAINING COMMUNITY CONNECTION, PHYSICAL HEALTH, SELF-REGULATION, SELF-EFFICACY, AND RESILIENCE. ALL PARTICIPANTS VALUED THE COMMUNITY-BASED YOGA STUDIO ENVIRONMENT AND MULTIFACETED STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAM. PARTICIPANTS REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN STRENGTH, BALANCE, FLEXIBILITY, AND ATTENTION CONTROL, AND A GREATER SENSE OF BELONGING, COMMUNITY CONNECTION, AND ABILITY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THEIR LIVES. PARTICIPANTS REPORTED ONGOING USE OF TOOLS (E.G., BREATHING EXERCISES) TO COPE WITH NEGATIVE EMOTIONS AND STRESS. ABOUT HALF OF PARTICIPANTS SUSTAINED RELATIONSHIPS BUILT DURING LOVEYOURBRAIN YOGA AND FELT MORE CAPABLE OF ACCESSING OTHER ACTIVITIES IN THEIR COMMUNITY.CONCLUSIONS: LOVEYOURBRAIN YOGA SUCCESSFULLY PROMOTED COMMUNITY INTEGRATION FOR PEOPLE WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY. IT ALSO FACILITATED DIVERSE AND MEANINGFUL PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIAL HEALTH BENEFITS, WHICH SUGGEST THAT IT MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE MODE OF COMMUNITY-BASED REHABILITATION.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONTRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY SURVIVORS OFTEN STRUGGLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THEIR COMMUNITY, THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF REHABILITATIONYOGA IS A HOLISTIC THERAPY WITH MANY BENEFITS, YET IS NOT ACCESSIBLE TO THE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY POPULATION AT THE COMMUNITY LEVELPARTICIPANTS IN A COMMUNITY-BASED YOGA WITH PSYCHOEDUCATION INTERVENTION IN SIX STATES EXPERIENCED DIVERSE AND MEANINGFUL PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIAL HEALTH BENEFITSGROUP-BASED YOGA WITH PSYCHOEDUCATION MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE MODE OF COMMUNITY INTEGRATION AND COMMUNITY-BASED REHABILITATION FOR TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY SURVIVORS. 2020 13 990 39 EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA ON STRESS IN MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN. BACKGROUND: STRESS IS CONSIDERED A CRUCIAL TRIGGER FOR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ILLNESS. STRESS REDUCTION IS A KNOWN LONG-TERM BENEFIT OF REGULAR HATHA YOGA PRACTICE. THE EFFICACY OF A SINGLE-SESSION HATHA YOGA CLASS ON STRESS REDUCTION IS NOT CURRENTLY KNOWN. PURPOSE: THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF A SINGLE 90-MINUTE HATHA YOGA CLASS AND AN 8-WEEK, 90-MINUTE-CLASS-PER-WEEK COURSE. METHODS: WE USED A QUASIEXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND RECRUITED 63 FEMALE COMMUNITY RESIDENTS IN NEW TAIPEI CITY AGED 40-60 YEARS. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO AN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (N = 30) AND A CONTROL GROUP (N = 33). THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP RECEIVED THE 8-WEEK HATHA YOGA COURSE. THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED NO INTERVENTION. THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS) AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) ASSESSED STRESS REDUCTION EFFECTIVENESS. CHI-SQUARE, INDEPENDENT T TEST, PAIRED T TEST, AND GENERALIZED ESTIMATING EQUATIONS WERE USED FOR DATA ANALYSIS. RESULTS: AFTER A SINGLE 90-MINUTE CLASS OF HATHA YOGA, EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PSS SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN THOSE OF THE CONTROL GROUP (P = .001). ALTHOUGH EXPERIMENTAL GROUP HRV (LOW-FREQUENCY NORM AND HIGH-FREQUENCY NORM) HAD IMPROVED, THESE CHANGES WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P = .059). PSS SCORES FOR THE SINGLE 90-MINUTE CLASS AND 8-WEEK COURSE DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFER (P = .157) AND HRV OF STATISTICS IS SIGNIFICANT (P = .005). GENERALIZED ESTIMATING EQUATIONS ANALYZED CHANGES IN THE EFFECTIVENESS OVER TIME OF STRESS REDUCTION (HRV AND PSS) AFTER THE HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION. RESULTS SHOWED THE POSTINTERVENTION HRV AND PSS OF THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < .001) MORE THAN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: OUR FINDINGS SUPPORT THE POSITION THAT REGULAR, LONG-TERM PRACTICE OF HATHA YOGA PROVIDES CLEAR AND SIGNIFICANT HEALTH BENEFITS. PARTICIPATION IN A SINGLE 90-MINUTE HATHA YOGA CLASS CAN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE PERCEIVED STRESS. DOING HATHA YOGA REGULARLY CAN REDUCE PERCEIVED STRESS EVEN MORE SIGNIFICANTLY. 2013 14 358 29 ASSOCIATION BETWEEN YOGA, PHYSIOLOGIC AND PSYCHOLOGIC HEALTH: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY. PURPOSE: TO COMPARE MARKERS OF HEALTH ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC DISEASES BETWEEN YOGA AND NON-YOGA PARTICIPANTS. METHODS: 30 PARTICIPANTS WERE CATEGORIZED AS EITHER: 1) "YOGA" ENGAGING IN YOGA >/=2 TIMES/WEEK FOR >/=6 MONTHS, OR 2) "NON-YOGA" NOT ENGAGING IN YOGA. RESULTS: PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS) AND BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY-II (BDI-II) SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE YOGA AND NON-YOGA GROUPS (PSS: 8.0 VS. 17.5, RESPECTIVELY, P < 0.05; BDI-II: 1.0 VS. 5.5, RESPECTIVELY, P < 0.05). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE EVIDENT BETWEEN GROUPS FOR INFLAMMATORY MARKERS NOR COMPLEX V OF THE MITOCHONDRIAL ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN. THE ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE VALUES DIFFERED BETWEEN GROUPS BASED ON CLINICAL CUTOFFS, WITH YOGA PARTICIPANTS CATEGORIZED AS NORMAL (11.0 MM) AND NON-YOGA ABOVE NORMAL (21.5 MM). CONCLUSION: THIS RESEARCH SUPPORTS THAT YOGA PARTICIPATION IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER PSS AND BDI-II SCORES BUT DOES NOT SUPPORT A RELATIONSHIP WITH MARKERS OF INFLAMMATION. FURTHER RESEARCH IS WARRANTED. 2021 15 1831 56 PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTION, IYENGAR YOGA, AND COHERENT BREATHING: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED DOSING STUDY. BACKGROUND: EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD). STUDIES EVALUATING THE "DOSING" OF YOGA TREATMENT AND EFFICACY FOR MDD ARE NEEDED. THE GOAL OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF AN INTERVENTION COMBINING IYENGAR YOGA AND COHERENT BREATHING IN PARTICIPANTS WITH MDD AND DETERMINE THE OPTIMAL INTERVENTION DOSE. METHODS: THIRTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS (18 TO 65 Y OF AGE) DIAGNOSED WITH MDD WERE RANDOMIZED TO A HIGH-DOSE GROUP (HDG) OR A LOW-DOSE GROUP (LDG) OF YOGA AND COHERENT BREATHING FOR 12 WEEKS. THE HDG (N=15) INVOLVED THREE 90-MINUTE YOGA CLASSES AND FOUR 30-MINUTE HOMEWORK SESSIONS PER WEEK. THE LDG (N=15) INVOLVED TWO 90-MINUTE YOGA CLASSES AND THREE 30-MINUTE HOMEWORK SESSIONS PER WEEK. PARTICIPANTS WERE EVALUATED AT BASELINE, WEEK 4, WEEK 8, AND WEEK 12 WITH THE FOLLOWING INSTRUMENTS: POSITIVITY SELF-TEST, SPIELBERGER STATE ANXIETY INVENTORY, PATIENT HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE-9, PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX, AND EXERCISE-INDUCED FEELING INVENTORY. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING INTENT-TO-TREAT METHODS. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN ALL OUTCOME MEASURES WERE FOUND FOR BOTH GROUPS, WITH ACUTE AND CUMULATIVE BENEFITS. ALTHOUGH THE HDG SHOWED GREATER IMPROVEMENTS ON ALL SCALES, BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES DID NOT REACH SIGNIFICANCE, POSSIBLY DUE TO LACK OF POWER BECAUSE OF THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE. CUMULATIVE YOGA MINUTES WERE CORRELATED WITH IMPROVEMENT IN OUTCOME MEASURES. LIMITATION: THIS DOSING STUDY DID NOT INCLUDE A NON-YOGA CONTROL. CONCLUSIONS: IMPROVEMENT IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS CORRELATED WITH CUMULATIVE YOGA PRACTICE. BOTH INTERVENTIONS REDUCED SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY AND INCREASED FEELINGS OF POSITIVITY. THE TIME COMMITMENT FOR YOGA PRACTICE NEEDS TO BE WEIGHED AGAINST BENEFITS WHEN DESIGNING YOGA INTERVENTIONS. 2019 16 2370 38 WHAT BRINGS YOUNG ADULTS TO THE YOGA MAT? CROSS-SECTIONAL ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES AND PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH AMONG PARTICIPANTS IN THE PROJECT EAT-IV SURVEY. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY EXAMINES MOTIVATIONS FOR YOGA AND IDENTIFIES UNIQUE MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES AMONG A SAMPLE OF YOUNG ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS. THIS STUDY FURTHER DETERMINES HOW YOUNG ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS' MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES ASSOCIATE WITH PHYSICAL HEALTH BEHAVIORS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS. SUBJECTS/SETTING: SURVEY DATA WERE DRAWN FROM THE FOURTH WAVE OF A LARGE, POPULATION-BASED STUDY (PROJECT EAT-IV; EATING AND ACTIVITY IN TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS). DESIGN: LATENT CLASS ANALYSIS (LCA) WAS USED TO IDENTIFY MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES AMONG PROJECT EAT-IV PARTICIPANTS PRACTICING YOGA (N = 297; MEAN AGE: 30.8-1.7 YEARS; 79.7 % FEMALE). CROSS-SECTIONAL ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN LATENT MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES, PHYSICAL HEALTH BEHAVIORS, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS WERE DETERMINED WITH UNADJUSTED AND ADJUSTED (GENDER, RACE/ETHNICITY, AND BODY MASS INDEX) GENERAL LINEAR MODELS. RESULTS: ACROSS MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES, MOST YOUNG ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE MOTIVATED BY ENHANCED FITNESS AND STRESS REDUCTION/RELAXATION. ADDITIONAL MOTIVATIONS FOR YOGA CLUSTERED BY APPEARANCE (DESIRE TO CHANGE BODY APPEARANCE OR WEIGHT) OR MINDFULNESS (DESIRE TO INCREASE PRESENT MOMENT AWARENESS) UNDERPINNINGS. THE LCA CHARACTERIZED MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES AS "LOW APPEARANCE, LOW MINDFULNESS" (CLASS 1; N = 77), "LOW APPEARANCE, HIGH MINDFULNESS" (CLASS 2; N = 48), "HIGH APPEARANCE, LOW MINDFULNESS" (CLASS 3; N = 79), AND "HIGH APPEARANCE, HIGH MINDFULNESS" (CLASS 4; N = 93). HAVING A PROFILE WITH HIGH MINDFULNESS AND LOW APPEARANCE MOTIVATIONS (CLASS 2) WAS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER BODY SATISFACTION IN COMPARISON TO THE OTHER CLASSES (P < 0.001). RELATIVE TO CLASS 2, THOSE WITH LOW MINDFULNESS MOTIVATIONS (CLASS 1; CLASS 3) REPORTED LESS TOTAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (P = 0.002) AND THOSE WITH HIGH APPEARANCE MOTIVATIONS (CLASS 3; CLASS 4) REPORTED HIGHER COMPULSIVE EXERCISE SCORES (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: IN THIS SAMPLE, HIGH MINDFULNESS AND LOW APPEARANCE MOTIVATIONS FOR YOGA APPEARED OPTIMAL FOR PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH. CROSS-SECTIONAL FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOUNG ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS' MIND-BODY HEALTH MAY BE SUPPORTED BY MOTIVATIONAL UNDERPINNINGS THAT EMPHASIZE YOGA'S INTERNAL (MINDFULNESS) RATHER THAN EXTERNAL (APPEARANCE) BENEFITS. 2022 17 163 60 A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL OF THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON GUNAS (PERSONALITY) AND HEALTH IN NORMAL HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFICACY OF YOGA ON GUNA (YOGIC PERSONALITY MEASURE) AND GENERAL HEALTH IN NORMAL ADULTS. METHODS: OF THE 1228 PERSONS WHO ATTENDED INTRODUCTORY LECTURES, 226 SUBJECTS AGED 18-71 YEARS, OF BOTH SEXES, WHO SATISFIED THE INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA AND WHO CONSENTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED INTO TWO GROUPS. THE YOGA(Y) GROUP PRACTISED AN INTEGRATED YOGA MODULE THAT INCLUDED ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, MEDITATION, NOTIONAL CORRECTION AND DEVOTIONAL SESSIONS. THE CONTROL GROUP PRACTISED MILD TO MODERATE PHYSICAL EXERCISES (PE). BOTH GROUPS HAD SUPERVISED PRACTICE SESSIONS (BY TRAINED EXPERTS) FOR ONE HOUR DAILY, SIX DAYS A WEEK FOR EIGHT WEEKS. GUNA (YOGIC PERSONALITY) WAS ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER EIGHT WEEKS USING THE SELF-ADMINISTERED VEDIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY (VPI) WHICH ASSESSES SATTVA (GENTLE AND CONTROLLED), RAJAS (VIOLENT AND UNCONTROLLED) AND TAMAS (DULL AND UNCONTROLLED). THE GENERAL HEALTH STATUS (TOTAL HEALTH), WHICH INCLUDES FOUR DOMAINS NAMELY SOMATIC SYMPTOMS (SS), ANXIETY AND INSOMNIA (AI), SOCIAL DYSFUNCTION (SF) AND SEVERE DEPRESSION (SP), WAS ASSESSED USING A GENERAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE (GHQ). RESULTS: BASELINE SCORES FOR ALL THE DOMAINS FOR BOTH THE GROUPS DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY (P > 0.05, INDEPENDENT SAMPLES T TEST). SATTVA SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WITHIN THE GROUPS AND THE EFFECT SIZE WAS MORE IN THE Y THAN IN THE PE GROUP. RAJAS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE WITHIN AND BETWEEN THE GROUPS WITH A HIGHER EFFECT SIZE IN THE PE GROUP. TAMAS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION WITHIN THE PE GROUP ONLY. THE GHQ REVEALED THAT THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN SS, AI, SF AND SP IN BOTH Y AND PE GROUPS (WILCOXCON SINGED RANK T TEST). SS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GROUPS (MANN WHITNEY U TEST). CONCLUSIONS: THERE WAS AN IMPROVEMENT IN SATTVA IN BOTH THE YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS WITH A TREND OF HIGHER EFFECT SIZE IN YOGA; RAJAS REDUCED IN BOTH BUT SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER IN PE THAN IN YOGA AND TAMAS REDUCED IN PE. THE GENERAL HEALTH STATUS IMPROVED IN BOTH THE YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS. 2008 18 503 39 COMMUNITY-BASED YOGA FOR WOMEN UNDERGOING SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER TREATMENT: A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY. BACKGROUND: WOMEN WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS (SUD) RECEIVE MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENT (MAT) WITH BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS AND COUNSELING FOR RECOVERY. EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THE USE OF YOGA FOR SUD; HOWEVER FEW STUDIES SPECIFICALLY FEATURE WOMEN. OBJECTIVES: COMMUNITY-BASED YOGA MAY ADD TO HEALTH PROMOTION THROUGH PREFERABLE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR WOMEN IN RECOVERY. THE AIMS OF THIS STUDY ARE TO EXPLORE DEMOGRAPHICS AND QUANTITATIVE MEASURES RELEVANT TO RECOVERY AND CAPTURE AND UNDERSTAND THE SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE OF ONE SESSION OF YOGA. STUDY DESIGN: THE STUDY DESIGN INVOLVES DESCRIPTIVE/CROSS-SECTIONAL. METHODOLOGY: WOMEN IN AN INPATIENT SUD CENTER ATTENDING WEEKLY OPTIONAL OFF-SITE YOGA FOR RECOVERY WERE RECRUITED TO CAPTURE FIRST-TIME ATTENDANCE. SURVEY DATA INCLUDED MEDICAL OUTCOMES SURVEY 12-ITEM SHORT-FORM (SF-12), TORONTO MINDFULNESS SCALE (TMS), AND BRIEF RESILIENCE SCALE (BRS), DEMOGRAPHICS, AND NARRATIVE REFLECTIONS. RECRUITMENT OPPORTUNITIES OCCURRED WEEKLY DURING ONGOING HOUR-LONG CLASSES. RESULTS: TWENTY-NINE WOMEN (AVERAGE AGE 36.6) WITH PRIMARILY OPIATE-BASED ADDICTIONS COMPLETED SURVEYS. SF-12 WAS BELOW THE NORMATIVE VALUE OF 50 FOR BOTH SUBSCALES. BRS SCORES SHOWED AVERAGES ON THE LOW END OF NORMAL RESILIENCY. THE FREQUENCY OF RESPONSES TO WRITING PROMPTS CONFIRMED PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELL-BEING THROUGH YOGA INTERVENTION. WOMEN SHARED POTENTIAL RELAPSE PREVENTION SPECIFICALLY ATTRIBUTED TO THE MINDFULNESS COMPONENT OF THE INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: THE SF-12, BRS, AND TMS ARE BRIEF, VALID, AND RELIABLE AND CAN BE EASILY INCORPORATED IN CLINICAL PRACTICE OR FUTURE RESEARCH. SUBOPTIMAL SF-12 SCORES WERE FOUND IN WOMEN WITH SUD AND, THEREFORE IMPORTANT TO NOTE IN THE CONTEXT OF RECOVERY TO OPTIMIZE TREATMENT. SUBJECTIVE REPORTS FROM THE PARTICIPANTS FIND COMMUNITY-BASED YOGA AN ENJOYABLE AND BENEFICIAL TYPE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. YOGA MAY BE A VIABLE OPTION FOR COMPREHENSIVE MIND-BODY INTERVENTION FOR THIS POPULATION. 2021 19 686 41 EFFECT OF AN OFFICE WORKSITE-BASED YOGA PROGRAM ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC WORK-RELATED STRESS IS A SIGNIFICANT AND INDEPENDENT RISK FACTOR FOR CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC DISEASES AND ASSOCIATED MORTALITY, PARTICULARLY WHEN COMPOUNDED BY A SEDENTARY WORK ENVIRONMENT. HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) PROVIDES AN ESTIMATE OF PARASYMPATHETIC AND SYMPATHETIC AUTONOMIC CONTROL, AND CAN SERVE AS A MARKER OF PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS. HATHA YOGA IS A PHYSICALLY DEMANDING PRACTICE THAT CAN HELP TO REDUCE STRESS; HOWEVER, TIME CONSTRAINTS INCURRED BY WORK AND FAMILY LIFE MAY LIMIT PARTICIPATION. THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT STUDY IS TO DETERMINE IF A 10-WEEK, WORKSITE-BASED YOGA PROGRAM DELIVERED DURING LUNCH HOUR CAN IMPROVE RESTING HRV AND RELATED PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN SEDENTARY OFFICE WORKERS. METHODS AND DESIGN: THIS IS A PARALLEL-ARM RCT THAT WILL COMPARE THE OUTCOMES OF PARTICIPANTS ASSIGNED TO THE EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT GROUP (YOGA) TO THOSE ASSIGNED TO A NO-TREATMENT CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS RANDOMIZED TO THE EXPERIMENTAL CONDITION WILL ENGAGE IN A 10-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM DELIVERED AT THEIR PLACE OF WORK. THE YOGA SESSIONS WILL BE GROUP-BASED, PRESCRIBED THREE TIMES PER WEEK DURING LUNCH HOUR, AND WILL BE LED BY AN EXPERIENCED YOGA INSTRUCTOR. THE PROGRAM WILL INVOLVE TEACHING BEGINNER STUDENTS SAFELY AND PROGRESSIVELY OVER 10 WEEKS A YOGA SEQUENCE THAT INCORPORATES ASANAS (POSES AND POSTURES), VINYASA (EXERCISES), PRANAYAMA (BREATHING CONTROL) AND MEDITATION. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME OF THIS STUDY IS THE HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) SPECTRAL POWER COMPONENT OF HRV (MEASURED IN ABSOLUTE UNITS; I.E. MS2), A MEASURE OF PARASYMPATHETIC AUTONOMIC CONTROL. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDE ADDITIONAL FREQUENCY AND TIME DOMAINS OF HRV, AND MEASURES OF PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH STATUS. MEASURES WILL BE COLLECTED PRIOR TO AND FOLLOWING THE INTERVENTION PERIOD, AND AT 6 MONTHS FOLLOW-UP TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF INTERVENTION WITHDRAWAL. DISCUSSION: THIS STUDY WILL DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF WORKSITE-BASED YOGA PRACTICE ON HRV AND PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH STATUS. THE FINDINGS MAY ASSIST IN IMPLEMENTING PRACTICAL INTERVENTIONS, SUCH AS YOGA, INTO THE WORKPLACE TO MITIGATE STRESS, ENHANCE HEALTH STATUS AND REDUCE THE RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC DISEASES. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN12611000536965URL: HTTP://WWW.ANZCTR.ORG.AU/ACTRN12611000536965.ASPX. 2011 20 1238 46 FEASIBILITY OF A GROUP-BASED LAUGHTER YOGA INTERVENTION AS AN ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR RESIDUAL SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND STRESS IN PEOPLE WITH DEPRESSION. BACKGROUND: LAUGHTER YOGA (LY) IS A GROUP-BASED INTERVENTION INVOLVING SIMULATED LAUGHTER, GENTLE STRETCHING, RHYTHMIC BREATHING AND MEDITATION. THERE IS SOME LIMITED EVIDENCE THAT LY REDUCES DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS OVER THE SHORT TERM. HOWEVER, THE QUALITY OF PREVIOUS LY STUDIES IS POOR AND NONE INVOLVED WORKING-AGED PEOPLE WITH A CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS OF DEPRESSION. THEREFORE, THIS STUDY AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY AND POTENTIAL EFFICACY OF LY FOR IMPROVING RESIDUAL MOOD, ANXIETY AND STRESS SYMPTOMS IN ADULTS DIAGNOSED WITH DEPRESSION. METHODS: FIFTY PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMISED TO THE GROUP LY INTERVENTION (N=23) CONSISTING OF EIGHT SESSIONS OVER FOUR WEEKS, OR TREATMENT-AS-USUAL (N=27). PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE DEPRESSION ANXIETY STRESS SCALE AND THE SHORT FORM 12 ITEM HEALTH SURVEY AT BASELINE (T0), POST-INTERVENTION (T1) AND AT 3 MONTHS FOLLOW-UP (T2). LY PARTICIPANTS ALSO COMPLETED A CLIENT SATISFACTION QUESTIONNAIRE (CSQ8) AT T1 AND ELEVEN PARTICIPATED IN INDIVIDUAL QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS AT T2. RESULTS: THE LY GROUP HAD STATISTICALLY GREATER DECREASES IN DEPRESSION AND IMPROVEMENTS IN MENTAL HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP FROM T0 TO T1. THE CSQ8 SCORES INDICATED A FAVOURABLE LEVEL OF SATISFACTION WITH THE LY INTERVENTION. THE QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS HIGHLIGHTED ASPECTS OF THE INTERVENTION THAT WERE EFFECTIVE AND THOSE REQUIRING MODIFICATION. LIMITATIONS: LIMITATIONS INCLUDE THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE AND TREATMENT-AS-USUAL CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: A FULL SCALE RCT OF LY COULD BE FEASIBLE IF SOME MODIFICATIONS WERE MADE TO THE PROTOCOL/INTERVENTION. THE INTERVENTION MAY BE EFFECTIVE TO IMPROVE DEPRESSION AND MENTAL HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IMMEDIATELY POST INTERVENTION. 2019