1 1705 164 PATIENT PERSPECTIVES: KUNDALINI YOGA MEDITATION TECHNIQUES FOR PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY AND AS POTENTIAL THERAPIES FOR CANCER. THE ANCIENT SYSTEM OF KUNDALINI YOGA (KY) INCLUDES A VAST ARRAY OF MEDITATION TECHNIQUES. SOME WERE DISCOVERED TO BE SPECIFIC FOR TREATING PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS AND OTHERS ARE SUPPOSEDLY BENEFICIAL FOR TREATING CANCERS. TO DATE, 2 CLINICAL TRIALS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED FOR TREATING OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD). THE FIRST WAS AN OPEN UNCONTROLLED TRIAL AND THE SECOND A SINGLE-BLINDED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) COMPARING A KY PROTOCOL AGAINST THE RELAXATION RESPONSE AND MINDFULNESS MEDITATION (RRMM) TECHNIQUES COMBINED. BOTH TRIALS SHOWED EFFICACY ON ALL PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES USING THE KY PROTOCOL; HOWEVER, THE RCT SHOWED NO EFFICACY ON ANY SCALE WITH THE RRMM CONTROL GROUP. THE KY PROTOCOL EMPLOYED AN OCD-SPECIFIC MEDITATION TECHNIQUE COMBINED WITH OTHER TECHNIQUES THAT ARE INDIVIDUALLY SPECIFIC FOR ANXIETY, LOW ENERGY, FEAR, ANGER, MEETING MENTAL CHALLENGES, AND TURNING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS INTO POSITIVE THOUGHTS. IN ADDITION TO OCD SYMPTOMS, OTHER SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION, WERE ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED. ELEMENTS OF THE KY PROTOCOL OTHER THAN THE OCD-SPECIFIC TECHNIQUE ALSO MAY HAVE APPLICATIONS FOR PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY PATIENTS AND ARE DESCRIBED HERE. TWO DEPRESSION-SPECIFIC KY TECHNIQUES ARE DESCRIBED THAT ALSO HELP COMBAT MENTAL FATIGUE AND LOW ENERGY. A 7-PART PROTOCOL IS DESCRIBED THAT WOULD BE USED IN KY PRACTICE TO AFFECT THE FULL SPECTRUM OF EMOTIONS AND DISTRESS THAT COMPLICATE A CANCER DIAGNOSIS. IN ADDITION, THERE ARE KY TECHNIQUES THAT PRACTITIONERS HAVE USED IN TREATING CANCER. THESE TECHNIQUES HAVE NOT YET BEEN SUBJECTED TO FORMAL CLINICAL TRIALS BUT ARE DESCRIBED HERE AS POTENTIAL ADJUNCTIVE THERAPIES. A CASE HISTORY DEMONSTRATING RAPID ONSET OF ACUTE RELIEF OF INTENSE FEAR IN A TERMINAL BREAST CANCER PATIENT USING A KY TECHNIQUE SPECIFIC FOR FEAR IS PRESENTED. A SECOND CASE HISTORY IS REPORTED FOR A SURVIVING MALE DIAGNOSED IN 1988 WITH TERMINAL PROSTATE CANCER WHO HAS USED KY THERAPY LONG TERM AS PART OF A SELF-DIRECTED INTEGRATIVE CARE APPROACH. 2005 2 320 56 AN INTRODUCTION TO KUNDALINI YOGA MEDITATION TECHNIQUES THAT ARE SPECIFIC FOR THE TREATMENT OF PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. THE ANCIENT SYSTEM OF KUNDALINI YOGA INCLUDES A VAST ARRAY OF MEDITATION TECHNIQUES AND MANY WERE DISCOVERED TO BE SPECIFIC FOR TREATING THE PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS AS WE KNOW THEM TODAY. ONE SUCH TECHNIQUE WAS FOUND TO BE SPECIFIC FOR TREATING OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD), THE FOURTH MOST COMMON PSYCHIATRIC DISORDER, AND THE TENTH MOST DISABLING DISORDER WORLDWIDE. TWO PUBLISHED CLINICAL TRIALS ARE DESCRIBED HERE FOR TREATING OCD USING A SPECIFIC KUNDALINI YOGA PROTOCOL. THIS OCD PROTOCOL ALSO INCLUDES TECHNIQUES THAT ARE USEFUL FOR A WIDE RANGE OF ANXIETY DISORDERS, AS WELL AS A TECHNIQUE SPECIFIC FOR LEARNING TO MANAGE FEAR, ONE FOR TRANQUILIZING AN ANGRY MIND, ONE FOR MEETING MENTAL CHALLENGES, AND ONE FOR TURNING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS INTO POSITIVE THOUGHTS. PART OF THAT PROTOCOL IS INCLUDED HERE AND PUBLISHED IN DETAIL ELSEWHERE. IN ADDITION, A NUMBER OF OTHER DISORDER-SPECIFIC MEDITATION TECHNIQUES ARE INCLUDED HERE TO HELP BRING THESE TOOLS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY. THESE TECHNIQUES ARE SPECIFIC FOR PHOBIAS, ADDICTIVE AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS, MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS, DYSLEXIA, GRIEF, INSOMNIA AND OTHER SLEEP DISORDERS. 2004 3 1544 51 KUNDALINI YOGA MEDITATION VERSUS THE RELAXATION RESPONSE MEDITATION FOR TREATING ADULTS WITH OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. BACKGROUND: OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD) IS OFTEN A LIFE-LONG DISORDER WITH HIGH PSYCHOSOCIAL IMPAIRMENT. SEROTONIN REUPTAKE INHIBITORS (SRIS) ARE THE ONLY FDA APPROVED DRUGS, AND APPROXIMATELY 50% OF PATIENTS ARE NON-RESPONDERS WHEN USING A CRITERION OF 25% TO 35% IMPROVEMENT WITH THE YALE-BROWN OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE SCALE (Y-BOCS). ABOUT 30% ARE NON-RESPONDERS TO COMBINED FIRST-LINE THERAPIES (SRIS AND EXPOSURE AND RESPONSE PREVENTION). PREVIOUS RESEARCH (ONE OPEN, ONE RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL) HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT KUNDALINI YOGA (KY) MEDITATION CAN LEAD TO AN IMPROVEMENT IN SYMPTOMS OF OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE SEVERITY. WE EXPAND HERE WITH A LARGER TRIAL. DESIGN: THIS TRIAL COMPARED TWO PARALLEL RUN GROUPS [KY VS. RELAXATION RESPONSE MEDITATION (RR)]. PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED BASED ON GENDER AND Y-BOCS SCORES. THEY WERE TOLD TWO DIFFERENT (UNNAMED) TYPES OF MEDITATION WOULD BE COMPARED, AND INFORMED IF ONE SHOWED GREATER BENEFITS, THE GROUPS WOULD MERGE FOR 12 MONTHS USING THE MORE EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION. RATERS WERE BLIND IN PHASE ONE (0-4.5 MONTHS) TO PATIENT ASSIGNMENTS, BUT NOT IN PHASE TWO. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: PRIMARY OUTCOME VARIABLE, CLINICIAN-ADMINISTERED Y-BOCS. SECONDARY SCALES: DIMENSIONAL YALE-BROWN OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE SCALE (CLINICIAN-ADMINISTERED), PROFILE OF MOOD SCALES, BECK ANXIETY INVENTORY, BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, CLINICAL GLOBAL IMPRESSION, SHORT FORM 36 HEALTH SURVEY. RESULTS: PHASE ONE: BASELINE Y-BOCS SCORES: KY MEAN = 26.46 (SD 5.124; N = 24), RR MEAN = 26.79 (SD = 4.578; N = 24). AN INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS WITH THE LAST OBSERVATION CARRIED FORWARD FOR DROPOUTS SHOWED STATISTICALLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT WITH KY COMPARED TO RR ON THE Y-BOCS, AND STATISTICALLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT ON FIVE OF SIX SECONDARY MEASURES. FOR COMPLETERS, THE Y-BOCS SHOWED 40.4% IMPROVEMENT FOR KY (N = 16), 17.9% FOR RR (N = 11); 31.3% IN KY WERE JUDGED TO BE IN REMISSION COMPARED TO 9.1% IN RR. KY COMPLETERS SHOWED GREATER IMPROVEMENT ON FIVE OF SIX SECONDARY MEASURES. AT THE END OF PHASE TWO (12 MONTHS), PATIENTS, DRAWN FROM THE INITIAL GROUPS, WHO ELECTED TO RECEIVE KY CONTINUED TO SHOW IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR Y-BOCS SCORES. CONCLUSION: KY SHOWS PROMISE AS AN ADD-ON OPTION FOR OCD PATIENTS UNRESPONSIVE TO FIRST LINE THERAPIES. FUTURE STUDIES WILL ESTABLISH KY'S RELATIVE EFFICACY COMPARED TO EXPOSURE AND RESPONSE PREVENTION AND/OR MEDICATIONS, AND THE MOST EFFECTIVE TREATMENT SCHEDULE. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: WWW.CLINICALTRIALS.GOV, IDENTIFIER NCT01833442. 2019 4 1603 21 MENTAL DEPRESSION AND KUNDALINI YOGA. IN CASES OF MENTAL DEPRESSION, THE PLASMA SEROTONIN, MELATONIN AND GLUTAMATE LEVELS ARE INCREASED ALONG WITH THE LOWERING OF URINARY - 5 - HYDROXYINDOLE ACETIC ACID, PLASMA MONOAMINE OXIDASE AND CORTISOL LEVELS FOLLOWING THREE AND SIX MONTHS PRACTICE OF KUNDALINI YOGA. THE PULSE RATE AND BLOOD PRESSURE IN THESE PATIENTS ARE ALSO LOWERED AFTER KUNDALINI YOGA PRACTICE. THUS, THE PRACTICE OF KUNDALINI YOGA HELPS TO MAINTAIN A PERFECT HOMEOSTASIS BY BRINGING AN EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN THE SYMPATHETIC AND PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITIES AND IT CAN BE USED AS A NON - MEDICAL MEASURE IN TREATING PATIENTS WITH MENTAL DEPRESSION. 1986 5 1543 22 KUNDALINI YOGA FOR GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER: AN EXPLORATION OF TREATMENT EFFICACY AND POSSIBLE MECHANISMS. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFICACY OF KUNDALINI YOGA IN REDUCING SYMPTOMS OF GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER (GAD) COMPARED TO A COMMON TREATMENT-AS-USUAL CONDITION USING COGNITIVE TECHNIQUES. A SECONDARY OBJECTIVE WAS TO EXPLORE POTENTIAL TREATMENT MECHANISMS. FEMALES AGED 24 TO 75 YEARS WITH GAD ( N = 49) RECEIVED EITHER AN 8-WEEK KUNDALINI YOGA INTERVENTION ( N = 34) OR AN 8-WEEK TREATMENT-AS-USUAL CONDITION ( N = 15). THE YOGA CONDITION RESULTED IN LOWER LEVELS OF ANXIETY RELATIVE TO THE TREATMENT-AS-USUAL CONDITION. FURTHERMORE, CHANGES IN SOMATIC SYMPTOMS MEDIATED TREATMENT OUTCOME FOR KUNDALINI YOGA. KUNDALINI YOGA MAY SHOW PROMISE AS A TREATMENT FOR GAD, AND THIS TREATMENT MIGHT CONVEY ITS EFFECT ON SYMPTOM SEVERITY BY REDUCING SOMATIC SYMPTOMS. 2018 6 1667 33 NEUROCHEMICAL AND NEUROANATOMICAL PLASTICITY FOLLOWING MEMORY TRAINING AND YOGA INTERVENTIONS IN OLDER ADULTS WITH MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT. BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY POPULAR APPROACHES TO AMELIORATE AGE-RELATED COGNITIVE DECLINE, BUT THEIR UNDERLYING NEUROBIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS AND CLINICAL EFFICIENCY HAVE NOT BEEN FULLY ELUCIDATED. THE PRESENT STUDY EXPLORED BRAIN PLASTICITY ASSOCIATED WITH TWO BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS, MEMORY ENHANCEMENT TRAINING (MET) AND A MIND-BODY PRACTICE (YOGIC MEDITATION), IN HEALTHY SENIORS WITH MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT (MCI) USING STRUCTURAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (S-MRI) AND PROTON MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY ((1)H-MRS). SENIOR PARTICIPANTS (AGE >/=55 YEARS) WITH MCI WERE RANDOMIZED TO THE MET OR YOGIC MEDITATION INTERVENTIONS. FOR BOTH INTERVENTIONS, PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED EITHER MET TRAINING OR KUNDALINI YOGA (KY) FOR 60-MIN SESSIONS OVER 12 WEEKS, WITH 12-MIN DAILY HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS. GRAY MATTER VOLUME AND METABOLITE CONCENTRATIONS IN THE DORSAL ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX (DACC) AND BILATERAL HIPPOCAMPUS WERE MEASURED BY STRUCTURAL MRI AND (1)H-MRS AT BASELINE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS OF TRAINING. METABOLITES MEASURED INCLUDED GLUTAMATE-GLUTAMINE (GLX), CHOLINE-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS (CHO, INCLUDING GLYCEROPHOSPHOCHOLINE AND PHOSPHOCHOLINE), GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID (GABA), AND N-ACETYL ASPARTATE AND N-ACETYLASPARTYL-GLUTAMATE (NAA-NAAG). IN TOTAL, 11 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED MET AND 14 COMPLETED YOGIC MEDITATION FOR THIS STUDY. STRUCTURAL MRI ANALYSIS SHOWED AN INTERACTION BETWEEN TIME AND GROUP IN DACC, INDICATING A TREND TOWARDS INCREASED GRAY MATTER VOLUME AFTER THE MET INTERVENTION. (1)H-MRS ANALYSIS SHOWED AN INTERACTION BETWEEN TIME AND GROUP IN CHOLINE-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS IN BILATERAL HIPPOCAMPUS, INDUCED BY SIGNIFICANT DECREASES AFTER THE MET INTERVENTION. THOUGH PRELIMINARY, OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT MEMORY TRAINING INDUCES STRUCTURAL AND NEUROCHEMICAL PLASTICITY IN SENIORS WITH MCI. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO DETERMINE WHETHER MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS LIKE YOGA YIELD SIMILAR NEUROPLASTIC CHANGES. 2016 7 1596 27 MEDITATION HAS STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS WITH MINDFULNESS, KUNDALINI, AND MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES THAN YOGA OR PRAYER. CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES CAN HAVE PROFOUND EFFECTS ON MINDFULNESS AND ON PHYSICAL AND SENSORY AND MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES. INDIVIDUALS WHO SELF-REPORTED MEDITATION, YOGA, CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER, OR A COMBINATION OF PRACTICES AND THEIR PATTERNS OF PRACTICE WERE COMPARED FOR MINDFULNESS, KUNDALINI EFFECTS, AND MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THE AMOUNT OF PRACTICE BUT NOT THE PATTERN AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF PRACTICE INFLUENCES MINDFULNESS AND POSSIBLY MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES. MEDITATION, YOGA, CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER, OR A COMBINATION OF PRACTICES ALL WERE FOUND TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH ENHANCEMENTS OF MINDFULNESS, KUNDALINI EFFECTS, AND MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES, BUT MEDITATION HAD PARTICULARLY STRONG ASSOCIATIONS AND MAY BE THE BASIS OF THE ASSOCIATIONS OF YOGA AND PRAYER WITH THESE OUTCOMES. THE RESULTS FURTHER SUGGEST THAT THE PRIMARY ASSOCIATION OF CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES IS WITH THE REAL TIME AWARENESS AND APPRECIATION OF SENSORY AND PERCEPTUAL EXPERIENCES WHICH MAY BE THE INTERMEDIARY BETWEEN DISPARATE PRACTICES AND MINDFULNESS, KUNDALINI EFFECTS, AND MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES. 2015 8 1140 42 EFFICACY OF YOGA VS COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY VS STRESS EDUCATION FOR THE TREATMENT OF GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. IMPORTANCE: GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER (GAD) IS COMMON, IMPAIRING, AND UNDERTREATED. ALTHOUGH MANY PATIENTS WITH GAD SEEK COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE INTERVENTIONS, INCLUDING YOGA, DATA SUPPORTING YOGA'S EFFICACY OR HOW IT COMPARES TO FIRST-LINE TREATMENTS ARE LACKING. OBJECTIVES: TO ASSESS WHETHER YOGA (KUNDALINI YOGA) AND COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (CBT) FOR GAD ARE EACH MORE EFFECTIVE THAN A CONTROL CONDITION (STRESS EDUCATION) AND WHETHER YOGA IS NONINFERIOR TO CBT FOR THE TREATMENT OF GAD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: FOR THIS RANDOMIZED, 3-ARM, CONTROLLED, SINGLE-BLIND (MASKED INDEPENDENT RATERS) CLINICAL TRIAL, PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED FROM 2 SPECIALTY ACADEMIC CENTERS STARTING DECEMBER 1, 2013, WITH ASSESSMENT ENDING OCTOBER 25, 2019. PRIMARY ANALYSES, COMPLETED BY FEBRUARY 12, 2020, INCLUDED SUPERIORITY TESTING OF KUNDALINI YOGA AND CBT VS STRESS EDUCATION AND NONINFERIORITY TESTING OF KUNDALINI YOGA VS CBT. INTERVENTIONS: PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO KUNDALINI YOGA (N = 93), CBT FOR GAD (N = 90), OR STRESS EDUCATION (N = 43), WHICH WERE EACH DELIVERED TO GROUPS OF 4 TO 6 PARTICIPANTS BY 2 INSTRUCTORS DURING TWELVE 120-MINUTE SESSIONS WITH 20 MINUTES OF DAILY HOMEWORK. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: THE PRIMARY INTENTION-TO-TREAT OUTCOME WAS ACUTE GAD RESPONSE (CLINICAL GLOBAL IMPRESSION-IMPROVEMENT SCALE SCORE OF MUCH OR VERY MUCH IMPROVED) AFTER 12 WEEKS AS ASSESSED BY TRAINED INDEPENDENT RATERS. RESULTS: OF 538 PARTICIPANTS WHO PROVIDED CONSENT AND WERE EVALUATED, 226 (MEAN [SD] AGE, 33.4 [13.5] YEARS; 158 [69.9%] FEMALE) WITH A PRIMARY DIAGNOSIS OF GAD WERE INCLUDED IN THE TRIAL. A TOTAL OF 155 PARTICIPANTS (68.6%) COMPLETED THE POSTTREATMENT ASSESSMENT. COMPLETION RATES DID NOT DIFFER (KUNDALINI YOGA, 60 [64.5%]; CBT, 67 [74.4%]; AND STRESS EDUCATION, 28 [65.1%]: CHI2 = 2.39, DF = 2, P = .30). RESPONSE RATES WERE HIGHER IN THE KUNDALINI YOGA GROUP (54.2%) THAN IN THE STRESS EDUCATION GROUP (33.%) (ODDS RATIO [OR], 2.46 [95% CI, 1.12-5.42]; P = .03; NUMBER NEEDED TO TREAT, 4.59 [95% CI, 2.52-46.19]) AND IN THE CBT GROUP (70.8%) COMPARED WITH THE STRESS EDUCATION GROUP (33.0%) (OR, 5.00 [95% CI, 2.12-11.82]; P < .001; NUMBER NEEDED TO TREAT, 2.62 [95% CI, 1.91-5.68]). HOWEVER, THE NONINFERIORITY TEST DID NOT FIND KUNDALINI YOGA TO BE AS EFFECTIVE AS CBT (DIFFERENCE, 16.6%; P = .42 FOR NONINFERIORITY). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: IN THIS TRIAL, KUNDALINI YOGA WAS EFFICACIOUS FOR GAD, BUT THE RESULTS SUPPORT CBT REMAINING FIRST-LINE TREATMENT. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT01912287. 2021 9 2577 43 YOGA FOR GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER: DESIGN OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL. GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER (GAD) IS A COMMON DISORDER ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT DISTRESS AND INTERFERENCE. ALTHOUGH COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (CBT) HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE FORM OF PSYCHOTHERAPY, FEW PATIENTS RECEIVE OR HAVE ACCESS TO THIS INTERVENTION. YOGA THERAPY OFFERS ANOTHER PROMISING, YET UNDER-RESEARCHED, INTERVENTION THAT IS GAINING INCREASING POPULARITY IN THE GENERAL PUBLIC, AS AN ANXIETY REDUCTION INTERVENTION. THE PURPOSE OF THIS INNOVATIVE CLINICAL TRIAL PROTOCOL IS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFICACY OF A KUNDALINI YOGA INTERVENTION, RELATIVE TO CBT AND A CONTROL CONDITION. KUNDALINI YOGA AND CBT ARE COMPARED WITH EACH OTHER IN A NONINFERIORITY TEST AND BOTH TREATMENTS ARE COMPARED TO STRESS EDUCATION TRAINING, AN ATTENTION CONTROL INTERVENTION, IN SUPERIORITY TESTS. THE SAMPLE WILL CONSIST OF 230 INDIVIDUALS WITH A PRIMARY DSM-5 DIAGNOSIS OF GAD. THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WILL COMPARE YOGA (N=95) TO BOTH CBT FOR GAD (N=95) AND STRESS EDUCATION (N=40), A COMMONLY USED CONTROL CONDITION. ALL THREE TREATMENTS WILL BE ADMINISTERED BY TWO INSTRUCTORS IN A GROUP FORMAT OVER 12 WEEKLY SESSIONS WITH FOUR TO SIX PATIENTS PER GROUP. GROUPS WILL BE RANDOMIZED USING PERMUTED BLOCK RANDOMIZATION, WHICH WILL BE STRATIFIED BY SITE. TREATMENT OUTCOME WILL BE EVALUATED BI-WEEKLY AND AT 6MONTH FOLLOW-UP. FURTHERMORE, POTENTIAL MEDIATORS OF TREATMENT OUTCOME WILL BE INVESTIGATED. GIVEN THE INDIVIDUAL AND ECONOMIC BURDEN ASSOCIATED WITH GAD, IDENTIFYING ACCESSIBLE ALTERNATIVE BEHAVIORAL TREATMENTS WILL HAVE SUBSTANTIVE PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS. 2015 10 2761 30 YOGA PREVENTS GRAY MATTER ATROPHY IN WOMEN AT RISK FOR ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: FEMALE SEX, SUBJECTIVE COGNITIVE DECLINE (SCD), AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS (CVRFS) ARE KNOWN RISK FACTORS FOR DEVELOPING ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (AD). WE PREVIOUSLY DEMONSTRATED THAT YOGA IMPROVED DEPRESSION, RESILIENCE, MEMORY AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS, INCREASED HIPPOCAMPAL CHOLINE CONCENTRATIONS, AND MODULATED BRAIN CONNECTIVITY IN OLDER ADULTS WITH MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT. OBJECTIVE: IN THIS STUDY (NCT03503669), WE INVESTIGATED BRAIN GRAY MATTER VOLUME (GMV) CHANGES IN OLDER WOMEN WITH SCD AND CVRFS FOLLOWING THREE MONTHS OF YOGA COMPARED TO MEMORY ENHANCEMENT TRAINING (MET). METHODS: ELEVEN WOMEN (MEAN AGE = 61.45, SD = 6.58) WITH CVRF AND SCD COMPLETED TWELVE WEEKS OF KUNDALINI YOGA AND KIRTAN KRIYA (KY + KK) WHILE ELEVEN WOMEN (MEAN AGE = 64.55, SD = 6.41) UNDERWENT MET. ANXIETY, RESILIENCE, STRESS, AND DEPRESSION WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND 12 WEEKS, AS WERE T1-WEIGHTED MRI SCANS (SIEMENS 3T PRISMA SCANNER). WE USED FREESURFER 6.0 AND TESTED GROUP DIFFERENCES IN GMV CHANGE, APPLYING MONTE-CARLO SIMULATIONS WITH ALPHA = 0.05. REGION-OF-INTEREST ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED FOR HIPPOCAMPUS AND AMYGDALA. RESULTS: COMPARED TO KY + KK, MET SHOWED REDUCTIONS IN GMV IN LEFT PREFRONTAL, PRE- AND POST-CENTRAL, SUPRAMARGINAL, SUPERIOR TEMPORAL AND PERICALCARINE CORTICES, RIGHT PARACENTRAL, POSTCENTRAL, SUPERIOR AND INFERIOR PARIETAL CORTICES, THE BANKS OF THE SUPERIOR TEMPORAL SULCUS, AND THE PARS OPERCULARIS. RIGHT HIPPOCAMPAL VOLUME INCREASED AFTER YOGA BUT DID NOT SURVIVE CORRECTIONS. CONCLUSION: YOGA TRAINING MAY OFFER NEUROPROTECTIVE EFFECTS COMPARED TO MET IN PREVENTING NEURODEGENERATIVE CHANGES AND COGNITIVE DECLINE, EVEN OVER SHORT TIME INTERVALS. FUTURE ANALYSES WILL ADDRESS CHANGES IN FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY IN BOTH GROUPS. 2022 11 246 37 A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS: A PRELIMINARY RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. YOGA MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN THE REDUCTION OF PTSD SYMPTOMOLOGY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF A KUNDALINI YOGA (KY) TREATMENT ON PTSD SYMPTOMS AND OVERALL WELLBEING. TO SUPPLEMENT THE CURRENT FIELD OF INQUIRY, A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL (RCT) WAS CONDUCTED COMPARING AN 8-SESSION KY INTERVENTION WITH A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP. 80 INDIVIDUALS WITH CURRENT PTSD SYMPTOMS PARTICIPATED. BOTH GROUPS DEMONSTRATED CHANGES IN PTSD SYMPTOMOLOGY BUT YOGA PARTICIPANTS SHOWED GREATER CHANGES IN MEASURES OF SLEEP, POSITIVE AFFECT, PERCEIVED STRESS, ANXIETY, STRESS, AND RESILIENCE. BETWEEN-GROUPS EFFECT SIZES WERE SMALL TO MODERATE (0.09-0.25). KY MAY BE AN ADJUNCTIVE OR ALTERNATIVE INTERVENTION FOR PTSD. FINDINGS INDICATE THE NEED FOR FURTHER YOGA RESEARCH TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISM OF YOGA IN RELATION TO MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH, GENDER AND ETHNIC COMPARISONS, AND SHORT- AND LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTICE FOR PSYCHIATRIC CONDITIONS. 2015 12 176 33 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 13 250 31 A YOGA INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM SYMPTOMS OF POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER: A QUALITATIVE DESCRIPTIVE STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO UNDERSTAND HOW INDIVIDUALS WITH SYMPTOMS OF POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) PERCEIVE A TRAUMA-SENSITIVE KUNDALINI YOGA (KY) PROGRAM. METHODS: DIGITALLY RECORDED TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS 30-60 MINUTES IN DURATION WERE CONDUCTED WITH 40 INDIVIDUALS WITH PTSD PARTICIPATING IN AN 8-WEEK KY TREATMENT PROGRAM. INTERVIEWS WERE TRANSCRIBED VERBATIM AND ANALYZED USING QUALITATIVE THEMATIC ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES. RESULTS: QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS IDENTIFIES THREE MAJOR THEMES: SELF-OBSERVED CHANGES, NEW AWARENESS, AND THE YOGA PROGRAM ITSELF. FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT PARTICIPANTS NOTED CHANGES IN AREAS OF HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, LIFESTYLE, PSYCHOSOCIAL INTEGRATION, AND PERCEPTIONS OF SELF IN RELATION TO THE WORLD. PRESENTED ARE PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR TRAUMA-RELATED PROGRAMMING. CONCLUSION: THERE IS A NEED TO CONSIDER ALTERNATIVE AND POTENTIALLY EMPOWERING APPROACHES TO TRAUMA TREATMENT. YOGA-RELATED SELF-CARE OR SELF-MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ARE WIDELY ACCESSIBLE, ARE EMPOWERING, AND MAY ADDRESS THE MIND-BODY ELEMENTS OF PTSD. 2015 14 1168 29 EVALUATION OF A RESIDENTIAL KUNDALINI YOGA LIFESTYLE PILOT PROGRAM FOR ADDICTION IN INDIA. PREVIOUSLY REPORTED SUBSTANCE ABUSE INTERVENTIONS INCORPORATING MEDITATION AND SPIRITUAL APPROACHES ARE BELIEVED TO PROVIDE THEIR BENEFIT THROUGH MODULATION OF BOTH PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PYSCHOSOCIAL FACTORS. A 90-DAY RESIDENTIAL GROUP PILOT TREATMENT PROGRAM FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE THAT INCORPORATED A COMPREHENSIVE ARRAY OF YOGA, MEDITATION, SPIRITUAL AND MIND-BODY TECHNIQUES WAS CONDUCTED IN AMRITSAR, INDIA. SUBJECTS SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS ON A NUMBER OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SELF-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES INCLUDING THE BEHAVIOR AND SYMPTOM IDENTIFICATION SCALE AND THE QUALITY OF RECOVERY INDEX. APPLICATION OF COMPREHENSIVE SPIRITUAL LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS MAY PROVE EFFECTIVE IN TREATING SUBSTANCE ABUSE, PARTICULARLY IN POPULATIONS RECEPTIVE TO SUCH APPROACHES. 2008 15 2313 30 TRAUMA SURVIVORS' EXPERIENCES OF KUNDALINI YOGA IN FOSTERING POSTTRAUMATIC GROWTH. THE PREVALENCE OF TRAUMATIC EVENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA IS CONSIDERABLY HIGH DUE TO A HISTORY OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND THE ONGOING CYCLE OF INTERPERSONAL, COMMUNITY-BASED, AND SOCIOECONOMIC VIOLENCE. WHILE CONVENTIONAL THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES HAVE BEEN FOUND TO SUPPORT TRAUMA SURVIVORS IN THE LOCAL CONTEXT, ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES THAT FOCUS ON THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY POPULAR. HOWEVER, STUDIES REPORTING ON THE USE OF THESE APPROACHES REMAIN SCARCE. THIS STUDY AIMED TO ADD TO THE BODY OF KNOWLEDGE ON YOGA AS A NON-CONVENTIONAL THERAPY TO SUPPORT TRAUMA SURVIVORS AND FOSTER POSTTRAUMATIC GROWTH. SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH A SAMPLE OF SEVEN KUNDALINI YOGA PRACTITIONERS WHO HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO TRAUMA. A THEMATIC ANALYSIS CONFIRMED THAT KUNDALINI YOGA WAS BENEFICIAL IN FOSTERING POSTTRAUMATIC GROWTH. OVERALL, THE STUDY FINDINGS, EVIDENCE A POCKET OF SUCCESS IN RELATION TO VALUE OF SUCH AN INTERVENTION WITHIN A LOW SOCIO ECONOMIC BLACK SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT. 2022 16 2796 40 YOGA THERAPY FOR OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD): A CASE SERIES FROM INDIA. YOGA IS AN ANCIENT SCIENCE WHICH HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE HELPFUL IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SEVERAL PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS INCLUDING OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD). YOGA AS ADD-ON TREATMENT IN OCD MAY HELP ADDRESS ISSUES LIKE PARTIAL RESPONSE AND ADVERSE EFFECTS OF MEDICATIONS. HOWEVER, RESEARCH IN THIS AREA IS SPARSE, WHICH LED US TO EXPLORE IT THROUGH THIS CASE SERIES. IN THIS CASE SERIES WE HAVE DESCRIBED THE BENEFITS OF 1 MONTH OF YOGA AS ADD-ON TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH OCD. ALL PATIENTS WERE ON STABLE DOSES OF MEDICATIONS PRIOR TO AND DURING YOGA PRACTICE. PRE-POST ASSESSMENTS FOR THE CORE SYMPTOMS OF OBSESSION/COMPULSIONS AS WELL AS DEPRESSIVE AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS WERE DONE. THE ASSESSMENTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN Y-BOCS AND HAM-D SCORES AFTER 1 MONTH OF YOGA. YOGA THERAPY COULD BE AN EFFECTIVE ADD-ON THERAPY FOR THE TREATMENT OF OCD. 2021 17 2886 32 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 18 1919 25 ROLE OF YOGA AND MEDITATION IN THE CONTEXT OF DYSFUNCTIONAL SELF: A HYPOTHETICO-INTEGRATIVE APPROACH. AARON T. BECK DESCRIBES HABITUAL PATTERNS OF SCHEMAS (IE, ORGANIZED PATTERNS OF THOUGHT OR BEHAVIOR) AS VITAL ELEMENTS OF EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL EXPERIENCE, WHEREAS BIASED PROCESSING OF INFORMATION ACCOMPANIES PSYCHOPATHOLOGICAL STATES. IN THIS ARTICLE, THE AUTHORS PROPOSE A HYPOTHETICO-INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF YOGA AND MEDITATION. THIS APPROACH IS BASED ON THE BACKGROUND OF BECK'S MODEL OF THE PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF THE DYSFUNCTIONAL SELF. THE AUTHORS HAVE FOUND THAT THE PRACTICES COMMON TO MOST FORMS OF YOGA AND MEDITATION ARE (1) FOCUSING OF ATTENTION; (2) CREATING A STATE OF RELAXATION; AND (3) DEVELOPING MINDFULNESS THROUGH EFFERENT ATTENUATION, SENSORY ATTENUATION, AND NONANALYTIC ATTENTION. BIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF MEDITATION AND YOGA HAVE FOUND A TENDENCY TOWARD USE OF THE RELAXATION RESPONSE, THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE ATTENTIONAL NETWORKS, AND, LIKELY, THE CINGULATECORTEX, PARTICULARLY IN THE PROCESS OF BARE ATTENTION (IE, AWARENESS WITHOUT THOUGHT). THIS HIGHEST LEVEL OF NONJUDGMENTAL AWARENESS MAY HELP IN OBTAINING A BETTER-ADJUSTED RESILIENT SELF. 2014 19 1931 24 ROLE OF YOGA IN MANAGING THE CONSEQUENCES OF WORK STRESS-A REVIEW. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY IS TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW THE LITERATURE ON THE ROLE OF YOGA IN MANAGING THE CONSEQUENCES OF WORK STRESS TO EXAMINE THE CURRENT BODY OF KNOWLEDGE IN THIS FIELD AND TO PROVIDE DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH IN THIS DOMAIN. A COMPREHENSIVE LITERATURE SEARCH OF 14 DATABASES USING 12 DIFFERENT SEARCH TERM COMBINATIONS IN THE AREA OF 'YOGA AND WORK STRESS' WAS CARRIED OUT TILL THE PERIOD JANUARY 2022 FOLLOWING THE PRISMA GUIDELINES TO SELECT THE RELEVANT ENGLISH-LANGUAGE PEER-REVIEWED SCIMAGO RANKED ARTICLES FOR REVIEW. TWO BROAD CLASSIFICATION AREAS WERE CONSIDERED TO UNDERSTAND THE RESEARCH QUESTION OF INTEREST IN THIS STUDY: (I) CONSEQUENCES OF WORK STRESS [WHICH INCLUDES-(A) BEHAVIOURAL; (B) PHYSICAL; AND (C) PSYCHOLOGICAL] AND; (II) SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT IN YOGA FOR WORK STRESS MANAGEMENT [WHICH INCLUDES-(A) HATHA YOGA (HY); (B) VINI YOGA (VY); (C) DRU YOGA (DY); (D) INTEGRATED YOGA (IY); (E) KUNDALINI YOGA (KUY); (F) KRIPALU YOGA (KRY); (G) IYENGAR YOGA; (H) ASHTANGA YOGA (AY); (I) POWER YOGA (PY); AND (J) YOGA (GENERAL)]. THE MAIN CONTRIBUTION OF THIS STUDY IS THAT IT IS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW IN THE AREA OF 'YOGA AND ITS ROLE IN MANAGING THE CONSEQUENCES OF WORK STRESS' COLLATING THE DISPERSED KNOWLEDGE IN THIS AREA BY INDICATING THE VARIOUS UNDERSTUDIED STAND-ALONE AND COMBINED CONSEQUENCES OF WORK STRESS AND THE LESS RESEARCHED SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT IN YOGA AND YOGA PRACTICES ADMINISTERED TO MANAGE THESE CONSEQUENCES OF WORK STRESS, TO PROVIDE PROMISING AVENUES FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS RESEARCH FIELD. 2022 20 2489 21 YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION IN THE TREATMENT OF EATING DISORDERS: DOES IT HELP? THIS ARTICLE EXPLORES THE USES OF YOGA AS AN EXPERIENTIAL ADJUNCT TO OTHER FORMS OF THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF EATING DISORDERS IN RESIDENTIAL AND OUTPATIENT SETTINGS. SUPPORTED BY OTHER TREATMENT MODALITIES, YOGA CAN BE AN EFFECTIVE METHOD FOR INCREASING SELF-AWARENESS, REFLECTION AND THE ABILITY TO SELF-SOOTHE. LIKE OTHER INTERVENTIONS, YOGA HAS POTENTIAL MISUSES. THESE MISUSES ARE UNCOVERED WITH SUGGESTIONS MADE AS TO HOW THERAPISTS CAN SUPPORT THE PRACTICE OF YOGA IN RESIDENTIAL AND OUTPATIENT SETTINGS. 2009