1 1002 109 EFFECTS OF MAHARISHI YOGA ASANAS ON MOOD STATES, HAPPINESS, AND EXPERIENCES DURING MEDITATION. CONTEXT/BACKGROUND: MANY STUDIES SHOWED POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA ASANAS. THERE IS NO STUDY ON MAHARISHI YOGA ASANAS YET. THIS RESEARCH REPLICATED AND EXPANDED OBSERVED IMPROVEMENTS ON THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES (POMS) AS A RESULT OF 2-WEEK MAHARISHI YOGA ASANAS COURSE. THIRTEEN COLLEGE STUDENTS TAKING PART IN A 4-WEEK COURSE ON MAHARISHI YOGA ASANAS WERE MATCHED WITH 13 STUDENTS TAKING OTHER COURSES AT THE UNIVERSITY. AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF MAHARISHI YOGA ASANAS ON MOOD STATES, DEGREE OF HAPPINESS, AND EXPERIENCES IN TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION (TM) PRACTICE. METHODS: ALL STUDENTS WERE GIVEN TWO PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS AND ADDITIONAL QUESTION BEFORE AND AFTER THEIR 4-WEEK COURSE: POMS, MEDITATION DEPTH QUESTIONNAIRE, AND QUESTION ABOUT THE DEGREE OF HAPPINESS. RESULTS: REPEATED MEASURE MANOVA SHOWED THE 4-WEEK MAHARISHI YOGA ASANAS COURSE RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN HAPPINESS DURING THE DAY AND SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN (1) SENSE OF PERSONAL SELF, (2) TRANSPERSONAL QUALITIES, AND (3) TRANSPERSONAL SELF DURING THEIR TM PRACTICE. CONCLUSION: THIS RESEARCH SHOWS THAT MAHARISHI YOGA ASANAS AFFECT MORE THAN BODY AND MIND. RATHER THEY INFLUENCE MUCH DEEPER LEVELS OF ONE'S SUBJECTIVITY INCLUDING ONE'S TRANSPERSONAL SELF. 2018 2 1096 30 EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS IN THE AFTERMATH OF AN EARTHQUAKE: A COMMUNITY-BASED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF AN INTEGRATED HATHA YOGA PRACTICE ON PERCEIVED STRESS AND STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS IN THE AFTERMATH OF AN EARTHQUAKE. DESIGN AND SETTING: INHABITANTS, AGED 20-67 YEARS, FROM HIGHLY EXPOSED EARTHQUAKE AREAS OF TWO VILLAGES IN SOUTH ICELAND WERE OFFERED TO PARTICIPATE IN A YOGA PROGRAM SUBSEQUENT TO AN EARTHQUAKE. SIXTY-SIX INDIVIDUALS WERE SELF-SELECTED INTO THE STUDY AND DIVIDED BY RESIDENTIAL CONVENIENCE INTO AN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (N=31) AND A WAITING LIST CONTROL GROUP (N=35). INTERVENTION: THE YOGA PROGRAM WAS CONDUCTED TWICE A WEEK FOR SIX WEEKS, IN NORMAL SITUATIONS AMONG THE INHABITANTS IN THE COMMUNITY. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: SEVERAL VALIDATED QUESTIONNAIRES ASSESSING STRESS AND STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS, POSTTRAUMATIC SYMPTOMS, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE WERE ADMINISTERED AT PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTION. RESULTS: MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (MANOVA) REVEALED DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AND WAITING LIST CONTROL GROUP ON SLEEP QUALITY (P=.03) AND SOCIAL RELATIONS (P=.04). THESE DIFFERENCES DID NOT PREVAIL AT BONFERRONI CORRECTION FOR MULTIPLE TESTING (AT ALPHA LEVEL OF .005). PARTICIPANTS IN BOTH GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN STRESS AND SOME STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS SUCH AS SLEEP, CONCENTRATION, WELL-BEING, QUALITY OF LIFE, DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY FROM PRE- TO POST-INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: THE DATA FROM THIS SMALL STUDY SHOW NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OF AN INTEGRATED HATHA YOGA PROGRAM ABOVE AND BEYOND WAITING LIST CONTROL, FOLLOWING EXPOSURE TO AN EARTHQUAKE. HOWEVER, THE OBSERVED TREND TOWARD IMPROVED SLEEP QUALITY AND SOCIAL RELATIONS DESERVE FURTHER EXPLORATION IN LARGER EFFECTIVENESS STUDIES ON THE IMPACT OF HATHA YOGA ON RECOVERY AFTER NATURAL DISASTER. 2014 3 2162 34 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND MINDFUL MEDITATION ON ELDERLY CARE WORKER'S BURNOUT: A CONSORT-COMPLIANT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY AIMS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF MINDFUL MEDITATION AND YOGA ON REDUCING BURNOUT AND STRESS IN CARE WORKERS WHO ASSIST ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS. KNOWING HOW TO REDUCE BURNOUT IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THAT OF CARE WORKERS IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE QUALITY OF CLIENT CARE, WORKER PRODUCTIVITY, AND JOB TURNOVER. PATIENTS AND METHODS: THE PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED 44 CARE WORKERS WHO WORKED FOR ELDERLY CARE FACILITIES IN RURAL FUKUOKA. THEY WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THREE INTERVENTION GROUPS: CONTROL, YOGA, OR MINDFULNESS. IN THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP, A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR TAUGHT A 60-MINUTE YOGA SESSION EACH WEEK FOR SIX WEEKS. IN THE MINDFULNESS GROUP, AN EXPERIENCED MEDICAL DOCTOR INSTRUCTED A MINDFUL MEDITATION PROGRAM FOR THE SAME LENGTH. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO COMPLETE THE JAPANESE BURNOUT SCALE (JBS), AND THE RESEARCH TEAM COLLECTED THE LEVEL OF ALPHA-AMYLASE IN SALIVA USING NIPRO: T-110-N PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTIONS. RESULTS: MANOVA WAS PERFORMED WITH EACH INTERVENTION (CONTROL, YOGA, MINDFULNESS) AS THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE ON THE THREE SUBSCALES OF THE JBS (EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION, DEPERSONALIZATION, AND PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT) AND A BIOMARKER OF STRESS LEVEL (ALPHA-AMYLASE). THE RESULTS INDICATED A SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECT OF INTERVENTIONS, AND A FOLLOW-UP ANOVA SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT OF INTERVENTIONS ON EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION AND PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT PRACTICING MINDFUL MEDITATION OR YOGA FOR 60 MINUTES ONCE A WEEK FOR SIX WEEKS CAN REDUCE CARE WORKERS' BURNOUT. THIS STUDY WAS NOTABLE BECAUSE THE BIOMARKER OF STRESS ALSO IMPROVED. IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED AND ENCOURAGED THAT INSTITUTIONS CARING FOR THE ELDERLY POPULATION PROVIDE MINDFUL MEDITATION OR YOGA INTERVENTION TO REDUCE BURNOUT, WHICH BENEFITS NOT ONLY CARE WORKERS BUT ALSO THEIR CLIENTS. 2022 4 1372 33 IMPACT OF A YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION ON STUDENTS' STRESS AND ANXIETY LEVELS. OBJECTIVE. TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF A SIX-WEEK YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION ON COLLEGE STUDENTS' STRESS PERCEPTION, ANXIETY LEVELS, AND MINDFULNESS SKILLS. METHODS. COLLEGE STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN A SIX-WEEK PILOT PROGRAM THAT CONSISTED OF A 60-MINUTE VINYASA FLOW YOGA CLASS ONCE WEEKLY, FOLLOWED BY GUIDED MEDITATION DELIVERED BY TRAINED FACULTY MEMBERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE OF PHARMACY. STUDENTS COMPLETED PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTION QUESTIONNAIRES TO EVALUATE CHANGES IN THE FOLLOWING OUTCOMES: STRESS LEVELS, ANXIETY LEVELS, AND MINDFULNESS SKILLS. THE QUESTIONNAIRE CONSISTED OF THREE SELF-REPORTING TOOLS: THE BECK ANXIETY INVENTORY (BAI), THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS), AND THE FIVE FACET MINDFULNESS QUESTIONNAIRE (FFMQ). STUDENTS' SCORES ON EACH WERE ASSESSED TO DETECT ANY CHANGES FROM BASELINE USING THE NUMERICAL AND CATEGORICAL SCALES (LOW, MEDIUM, AND HIGH) FOR EACH INSTRUMENT. RESULTS. SEVENTEEN PARTICIPANTS, AGED 19 TO 23 YEARS, COMPLETED THE STUDY. THIRTEEN PARTICIPANTS WERE FEMALE AND FOUR WERE MALE. NINE OF THE STUDENTS WERE ENROLLED IN THE DOCTOR OF PHARMACY PROGRAM AND EIGHT WERE ENROLLED IN OTHER ACADEMIC PROGRAMS. STUDENTS' ANXIETY AND STRESS SCORES DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY WHILE THEIR TOTAL MINDFULNESS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. CHANGES IN CATEGORICAL DATA FROM PRE- TO POST-INTERVENTION ON THE BAI AND PSS WERE SIGNIFICANT, WITH NO STUDENTS SCORING IN THE "HIGH" CATEGORY FOR STRESS OR ANXIETY ON THE POST-INTERVENTION QUESTIONNAIRE. CONCLUSION. STUDENTS EXPERIENCED A REDUCTION IN STRESS AND ANXIETY LEVELS AFTER COMPLETING A SIX-WEEK YOGA AND MEDITATION PROGRAM PRECEDING FINAL EXAMINATIONS. RESULTS SUGGEST THAT ADOPTING A MINDFULNESS PRACTICE FOR AS LITTLE AS ONCE PER WEEK MAY REDUCE STRESS AND ANXIETY IN COLLEGE STUDENTS. ADMINISTRATORS SHOULD CONSIDER INCLUDING INSTRUCTION IN NONPHARMACOLOGIC STRESS AND ANXIETY REDUCTION METHODS, WITHIN CURRICULA IN ORDER TO SUPPORT STUDENT SELF-CARE. 2019 5 1505 30 IREST YOGA-NIDRA ON THE COLLEGE CAMPUS: CHANGES IN STRESS, DEPRESSION, WORRY, AND MINDFULNESS. OBJECTIVES: THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASED STRESS, WORRY, AND DEPRESSION, AND WITH IMPROVED MINDFULNESS-BASED SKILLS. THESE FINDINGS HAD NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLY REPLICATED FOR A SAMPLE OF COLLEGE STUDENTS. THIS STUDY EVALUATED WHETHER IREST YOGA-NIDRA PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED PERCEIVED STRESS, WORRY, AND DEPRESSION, AND INCREASED MINDFULNESS IN A SAMPLE OF COLLEGE STUDENT S. METHODS: SIXTY-SIX STUDENTS AGE 18-56 COMPLETED AN 8-WEEK IREST YOGA-NIDRA INTERVENTION THAT WAS OFFERED FOR 8 SEMESTERS. ASSESSMENT OCCURRED 1 WEEK PRIOR TO INTERVENTION ONSET AND DURING THE CLASS PERIOD FOLLOWING THE INTERVENTION. QUALITATIVE DATA WERE COLLECTED AT WEEKS 4 AND 8. RESULTS: STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT PRE- TO POSTTEST IMPROVEMENTS IN PERCEIVED STRESS, WORRY, AND DEPRESSION WERE FOUND. PRE-EXISTING DEPRESSION ACCOUNTED FOR MOST OF THE CHANGE IN WORRY AND PERCEIVED STRESS SCORES. PRE- TO POST TEST IMPROVEMENTS IN MINDFULNESS-BASED SKILLS WERE ALSO DETECTED. CONCLUSIONS: IREST YOGA-NIDRA PRACTICE MAY REDUCE SYMPTOMS OF PERCEIVED STRESS, WORRY, AND DEPRESSION AND INCREASE MINDFULNESS-BASED SKILLS. 2013 6 1827 28 PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR FEMALE INMATES. FEMALE INMATES INVOLVED IN THE YOGA PRISON PROJECT AT TWO CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA SERVED AS SUBJECTS. INMATES WERE SELECTED FROM THOSE WHO APPLIED TO PARTICIPATE IN A TEN-WEEK TRAUMA-FOCUSED YOGA PROGRAM. TO CREATE CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS, INMATES WHO REQUESTED TO PARTICIPATE WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO BE IN THE CLASS (TREATMENT GROUP, N = 33) OR A WAITLIST (CONTROL GROUP, N = 17). INMATES ON THE WAITLIST SUBSEQUENTLY JOINED THE NEXT CLASS, SO ALL WHO APPLIED AND WERE ELIGIBLE PARTICIPATED IN A YOGA CLASS. MEASURES OF STRESS, DEPRESSION, SELF CONTROL, ANXIETY, SELF AWARENESS AND RUMINATION WERE USED AND DATA WAS COLLECTED FROM BOTH GROUPS BEFORE THE INITIAL YOGA CLASS BEGAN AND AGAIN AT THE END, TEN WEEKS LATER. TO ASSESS THE CHANGES FROM PRE-INTERVENTION TO POST-INTERVENTION, MIXED DESIGN ANOVA TESTS WERE CONDUCTED. INMATES IN THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN DEPRESSION AND STRESS AND IMPROVED SELF-AWARENESS. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE FOUND ON MEASURES OF ANXIETY, RUMINATION AND SELF-CONTROL IN THE YOGA GROUPS. ALTHOUGH NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT, ANXIETY SCORES DID DECREASE AND SELF-CONTROL SCORES IMPROVED FOR THE YOGA GROUP, WHILE INMATES IN THE CONTROL GROUP REPORTED A WORSENING OR NO CHANGE ON THESE TWO MEASURES. NO CHANGES WERE FOUND IN RUMINATION LEVELS. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA IS A RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE INTERVENTION THAT COULD BENEFIT BOTH INMATES AND PRISON STAFF BY REDUCING SOME NEGATIVE BEHAVIORS AND POSSIBLY MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS. 2017 7 2428 26 YOGA AND PERCEIVED STRESS, SELF-COMPASSION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN UNDERGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS. BACKGROUND: STUDENT NURSES' EXPERIENCE OF STRESS WHILE ENROLLED IN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS IS WELL-DOCUMENTED; HOWEVER, COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES TO ALLEVIATE OR PREVENT NURSING PROGRAM-RELATED STRESSORS ARE NOT. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXPLORE THE EFFECT OF A YOGA INTERVENTION ON STRESS, SELF-COMPASSION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN UNDERGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS. METHODS: SEVENTY-THREE UNDERGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN THIS TWO-GROUP, QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL, REPEATED-MEASURES, STUDY. STUDENTS SELF-SELECTED PARTICIPATION IN A ONE-HOUR YOGA CLASS, OFFERED EACH WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS, AND COMPLETED STRESS, SELF-COMPASSION, AND QOL SCALES AT BASELINE, WEEK 6, AND WEEK 12. INFORMATION ON INTERVENTION PARTICIPATION AND YOGA PRACTICE OUTSIDE THE INTERVENTION WAS ALSO SOLICITED. DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS AND MIXED-MODEL ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE WERE USED TO ANALYZE THE DATA. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS OVER TIME ON PERCEIVED STRESS OR QOL. THERE WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS ON SELF-KINDNESS (F3, 69 = 3.86, P = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: FURTHER RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR STRESS REDUCTION IN NURSING STUDENTS USING RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS IS RECOMMENDED. 2020 8 1826 31 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF LAUGHTER YOGA SESSIONS IN JAPAN: A PILOT STUDY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE AND EVALUATE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF MULTIPLE SESSIONS OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON COMMUNITY MEMBERS. PARTICIPANTS TOOK PART IN A 45 MIN LAUGHTER YOGA SESSION ONCE PER MONTH FOR 6 MONTHS. BEFORE AND AFTER ALL SESSIONS, PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES-BRIEF JAPANESE VERSION (J-POMS-B) QUESTIONNAIRE TO ASSESS THEIR MOOD, AND HAD BLOOD DRAWN FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF STRESS INDICATORS AND IMMUNE FUNCTION. SERIAL CHANGES IN J-POMS-B SCORES WERE TESTED BY THREE WAY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE, AND CHANGES IN LABORATORY RESULTS PER SESSION WERE EVALUATED WITH A PAIRED T-TEST. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT REPEATED SESSIONS OF LAUGHTER YOGA HAD PSYCHOLOGICALLY BENEFICIAL EFFECTS, ESPECIALLY ON THE ASPECTS OF TENSION-ANXIETY, AND VIGOR. ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE AND CORTISOL VALUES RELATED TO THE PARTICIPANTS' STRESS LEVELS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED AFTER THE FOURTH LAUGHTER YOGA SESSION. THESE RESULTS INDICATED THAT MULTIPLE LAUGHTER YOGA SESSIONS APPEARED TO BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL STATUS OF HEALTHY ADULTS. 2018 9 723 31 EFFECT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON MENTAL SYMPTOMS AND SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS IN FIRST-YEAR NURSING STUDENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ARE FACED WITH SEVERAL STRESS FACTORS AFFECTING THEIR MENTAL HEALTH. THEREFORE, THE FIRST YEAR AT UNIVERSITY IS A PERIOD THAT CALLS FOR CAREFUL ATTENTION AND RESEARCH. AIM: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON MENTAL SYMPTOMS AND CORTISOL LEVELS IN NURSING STUDENTS. METHODS: THIS STUDY IS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY EMPLOYING A PRE-/POST-TEST DESIGN WITH A CONTROL GROUP. A TOTAL OF 75 HEALTHY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WERE ASSIGNED TO THE INTERVENTION GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP. THE BRIEF SYMPTOM INVENTORY WAS APPLIED TO BOTH GROUPS BEFORE SESSION 1 AND AFTER SESSION 8. SALIVA SAMPLES WERE TAKEN FROM THE STUDENTS TO MEASURE THEIR CORTISOL LEVELS BEFORE AND AFTER EACH SESSION. RESULTS: EVALUATION OF THE MEAN SCORES OBTAINED FROM THE BRIEF SYMPTOM INVENTORY BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE SCORES BETWEEN GROUPS (P < 0.05). IN THREE OUT OF THE EIGHT SESSIONS, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP REGARDING THE MEAN VALUES OF PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: LAUGHTER YOGA CAN PROVIDE AN EFFECTIVE MEANS TO HELP FIRST-YEAR NURSING STUDENTS COPE WITH STRESS AND REDUCE MENTAL SYMPTOMS. 2021 10 1899 32 RESTORATIVE YOGA FOR OCCUPATIONAL STRESS AMONG JAPANESE FEMALE NURSES WORKING NIGHT SHIFT: RANDOMIZED CROSSOVER TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: TO DETERMINE WHETHER RESTORATIVE YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE METHOD FOR RELIEVING OCCUPATIONAL STRESS AMONG FEMALE NURSES WORKING THE NIGHT SHIFT IN JAPAN. METHODS: FROM JULY 2017 TO MAY 2018, 20 FEMALE NURSES AGED IN THEIR 20S TO 30S WHO WERE WORKING THE NIGHT SHIFT AT A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL PARTICIPATED IN A RANDOMIZED CROSSOVER TRIAL, CONSISTING OF A 1-HOUR GUIDED GROUP YOGA SESSION FOLLOWED BY 4 WEEKS OF AT-HOME PRACTICE AND 4 WEEKS OF USUAL STRESS RELIEF METHODS. THE LEVEL OF STRESS WAS ASSESSED BY THE BRIEF JOB STRESS QUESTIONNAIRE OF THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH, LABOUR AND WELFARE BEFORE AND AFTER PERFORMING RESTORATIVE YOGA. DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS WERE CALCULATED AND DATA WERE ANALYZED BY STUDENT'S T TEST, ONE-WAY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (WITH REPEATED MEASURES), OR BONFERRONI'S MULTIPLE COMPARISON TEST. RESULTS: VITAL SIGNS SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES FROM BEFORE TO AFTER THE GROUP YOGA SESSION, AND THERE WAS NO CHANGE OF WEIGHT AFTER 4 WEEKS OF AT-HOME PRACTICE. THE MEAN QUESTIONNAIRE SCORE FOR "PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL STRESS REACTIONS" WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED AFTER THE GROUP YOGA SESSION. IN ADDITION, THE MEAN SCORE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER AFTER 4 WEEKS OF AT-HOME PRACTICE THAN BEFORE OR AFTER GROUP YOGA, OR AFTER 4 WEEKS OF THE USUAL STRESS RELIEF METHODS. CONCLUSIONS: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT RESTORATIVE YOGA MAY BE EFFECTIVE FOR ALLEVIATING OCCUPATIONAL STRESS AMONG FEMALE NURSES WORKING THE NIGHT SHIFT. 2019 11 354 28 ASSESSMENT OF YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT TREATMENT FOR COMBAT-RELATED POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY ASSESSED YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT STRATEGY FOR SYMPTOMS OF COMBAT-RELATED POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD). METHODS: SUBJECTS HAD SIGNIFICANT, COMBAT-RELATED PTSD. CONTROL DATA WERE COLLECTED DURING AN EIGHT-WEEK WAITING PERIOD. TRAUMA-SENSITIVE YOGA SESSIONS OF 90 MINUTES DURATION WERE PROVIDED EVERY SEVEN DAYS FOR EIGHT WEEKS. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED THE PTSD CHECKLIST (PCL); THE DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND STRESS SCALE (DASS); THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI); THE ADULT/ADOLESCENT SENSORY PROFILE (AASP); THE SF36 QUALITY OF LIFE INSTRUMENT; AND A BRIEF, STRUCTURED PRE-ENROLMENT ASSESSMENT OF ATTITUDES TOWARDS YOGA. BIOMARKERS WERE ALSO ASSESSED. RESULTS: THIRTY PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED, WITH 28 COMPLETING THE PROTOCOL ( MAGE=63.5 YEARS). FOR MOST VARIABLES, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN RESULTS AFTER THE WAITING PERIOD. COMPARING MEASUREMENTS OBTAINED IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE INTERVENTION TO THOSE TAKEN AFTER COMPLETION OF EIGHT YOGA SESSIONS, SIGNIFICANT CHANGES INCLUDED AN INCREASE IN THE SERUM DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE CONCENTRATION, DECREASED TOTAL PCL SCORE (AND ALL PCL SUB-SCALES), DECREASES IN ALL DASS SUB-SCALE SCORES AND SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PSQI AND SF36 SCORES. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: A RANGE OF BENEFITS WERE OBSERVED AFTER YOGA, CONSISTENT WITH THE THEORETICAL CONSTRUCT FOR THE LONG HISTORY OF YOGA AS A STRATEGY TO REDUCE STRESS AND PROMOTE WELL-BEING. 2017 12 1562 33 LONGITUDINAL AND IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF KUNDALINI YOGA ON SALIVARY LEVELS OF CORTISOL AND ACTIVITY OF ALPHA-AMYLASE AND ITS EFFECT ON PERCEIVED STRESS. CONTEXT: STRESS IS DEFINED AS AN ALTERATION OF AN ORGANISM'S BALANCE IN RESPONSE TO A DEMAND PERCEIVED FROM THE ENVIRONMENT. DIVERSE METHODS EXIST TO EVALUATE PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE. A NONINVASIVE METHOD IS SALIVARY MEASUREMENT OF CORTISOL AND ALPHA-AMYLASE. A GROWING BODY OF EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THE REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGA WOULD BE AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR STRESS. AIMS: TO DETERMINE THE KUNDALINI YOGA (KY) EFFECT, IMMEDIATE AND AFTER 3 MONTHS OF REGULAR PRACTICE, ON THE PERCEPTION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AND THE SALIVARY LEVELS OF CORTISOL AND ALPHA-AMYLASE ACTIVITY. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: TO DETERMINE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL PERCEIVED STRESS, LEVELS OF CORTISOL AND ALPHA-AMYLASE ACTIVITY IN SALIVA, AND COMPARE BETWEEN THE PARTICIPANTS TO KY CLASSES PERFORMED FOR 3 MONTHS AND A GROUP THAT DOES NOT PRACTICE ANY TYPE OF YOGA. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: THE TOTAL SAMPLE CONSISTED OF 26 PEOPLE BETWEEN 18 AND 45-YEAR-OLD; 13 TAKING PART IN KY CLASSES GIVEN AT THE FACULTY OF DENTISTRY, UNIVERSITY OF CHILE AND 13 CONTROLS. SALIVARY SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED, ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY WAS PERFORMED TO QUANTIFY CORTISOL AND KINETIC REACTION TEST WAS MADE TO DETERMINE ALPHA-AMYLASE ACTIVITY. PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE WAS APPLIED AT THE BEGINNING AND AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: STATISTICAL ANALYSIS WAS APPLIED USING STATA V11.1 SOFTWARE. SHAPIRO-WILK TEST WAS USED TO DETERMINE DATA DISTRIBUTION. THE PAIRED ANALYSIS WAS FULFILLED BY T-TEST OR WILCOXON SIGNED-RANK TEST. T-TEST OR MANN-WHITNEY'S TEST WAS APPLIED TO COMPARE LONGITUDINAL DATA. A STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE WAS CONSIDERED WHEN P < 0.05. RESULTS: KY PRACTICE HAD AN IMMEDIATE EFFECT ON SALIVARY CORTISOL. THE ACTIVITY OF ALPHA-AMYLASE DID NOT SHOW SIGNIFICANT CHANGES. A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE OF PERCEIVED STRESS IN THE STUDY GROUP WAS FOUND. CONCLUSIONS: KY PRACTICE SHOWS AN IMMEDIATE EFFECT ON SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS AND ON PERCEIVED STRESS AFTER 3 MONTHS OF PRACTICE. 2017 13 96 28 A NATURALISTIC STUDY OF YOGA, MEDITATION, SELF-PERCEIVED STRESS, SELF-COMPASSION, AND MINDFULNESS IN COLLEGE STUDENTS. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY COMPARED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND MINDFULNESS MEDITATION ON SELF-COMPASSION, MINDFULNESS, AND PERCEIVED STRESS IN COLLEGE STUDENTS; AND EXPLORED MIND-BODY MECHANISMS AND PREDICTORS OF STRESS REDUCTION. PARTICIPANTS: STUDENT PARTICIPANTS (N = 92) WERE ENROLLED IN EITHER YOGA OR MINDFULNESS MEDITATION CLASSES AT A COLLEGE IN THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES FROM AUGUST THROUGH MAY OF 2015-2016. METHODS: STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN 50-MINUTE CLASSES TWICE A WEEK FOR 10 WEEKS, COMPLETING SELF-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES DURING THE 1ST AND 10TH WEEK. RESULTS: MULTIPLE-LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSIS FOUND CHANGE IN SELF-COMPASSION WAS THE STRONGEST PREDICTOR OF STRESS REDUCTION. CONCLUSIONS: INCREASING SELF-COMPASSION MAY INCREASE THE EFFICACY OF MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS. RESEARCH INTO MIND-BODY MECHANISMS IS NEEDED TO IDENTIFY INTERVENTION COMPONENTS THAT MOST IMPROVE STUDENT WELL-BEING. 2019 14 1863 29 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA AND EXERCISE IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA AND OF AEROBIC EXERCISE ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION, FATIGUE, MOOD, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS). METHODS: SUBJECTS WITH CLINICALLY DEFINITE MS AND EXPANDED DISABILITY STATUS SCORE LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 6.0 WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THREE GROUPS LASTING 6 MONTHS: WEEKLY IYENGAR YOGA CLASS ALONG WITH HOME PRACTICE, WEEKLY EXERCISE CLASS USING A STATIONARY BICYCLE ALONG WITH HOME EXERCISE, OR A WAITING-LIST CONTROL GROUP. OUTCOME ASSESSMENTS PERFORMED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF THE 6-MONTH PERIOD INCLUDED A BATTERY OF COGNITIVE MEASURES FOCUSED ON ATTENTION, PHYSIOLOGIC MEASURES OF ALERTNESS, PROFILE OF MOOD STATES, STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY, MULTI-DIMENSIONAL FATIGUE INVENTORY (MFI), AND SHORT FORM (SF)-36 HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE. RESULTS: SIXTY-NINE SUBJECTS WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED. TWELVE SUBJECTS DID NOT FINISH THE 6-MONTH INTERVENTION. THERE WERE NO ADVERSE EVENTS RELATED TO THE INTERVENTION. THERE WERE NO EFFECTS FROM EITHER OF THE ACTIVE INTERVENTIONS ON EITHER OF THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES OF ATTENTION OR ALERTNESS. BOTH ACTIVE INTERVENTIONS PRODUCED IMPROVEMENT IN SECONDARY MEASURES OF FATIGUE COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP: ENERGY AND FATIGUE (VITALITY) ON THE SF-36 AND GENERAL FATIGUE ON THE MFI. THERE WERE NO CLEAR CHANGES IN MOOD RELATED TO YOGA OR EXERCISE. CONCLUSION: SUBJECTS WITH MS PARTICIPATING IN EITHER A 6-MONTH YOGA CLASS OR EXERCISE CLASS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN MEASURES OF FATIGUE COMPARED TO A WAITING-LIST CONTROL GROUP. THERE WAS NO RELATIVE IMPROVEMENT OF COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN EITHER OF THE INTERVENTION GROUPS. 2004 15 589 23 DETERMINING THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON JOB SATISFACTION AND BURNOUT OF NURSE ACADEMICIANS. PURPOSE: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON BURNOUT AND JOB SATISFACTION OF NURSING ACADEMICIANS. DESIGN AND METHODS: THE RESEARCH IS AN EXPERIMENTAL CLINICAL TRIAL CONDUCTED AS PRETEST-POSTTEST WITH CONTROL GROUPS BETWEEN MARCH AND AUGUST 2019 IN A NURSING FACULTY. PARTICIPANTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WERE GIVEN YOGA PRACTICE (N = 33) TWICE A WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS. DATA WERE COLLECTED BY USING MBI AND MSQ. FINDINGS: THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP'S MEAN POSTTEST PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT, EXTRINSIC SATISFACTION AND GENERAL SATISFACTION SCORES WERE HIGHER THAN THAT OF CONTROL GROUP PARTICIPANTS, AND A HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND BETWEEN THE GROUPS. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: YOGA PRACTICE IS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING THE BURNOUT AND INCREASING JOB SATISFACTION OF NURSING ACADEMICIANS. 2022 16 803 32 EFFECT OF YOGA ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN RELATION TO STRESS. BACKGROUND: ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IS CONCERNED WITH THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF LEARNING ATTAINED IN A SUBJECT OR GROUP OF SUBJECTS AFTER A LONG PERIOD OF INSTRUCTION. EXCESSIVE STRESS HAMPERS STUDENTS' PERFORMANCE. IMPROVEMENT IN ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND ALERTNESS HAS BEEN REPORTED IN SEVERAL YOGIC STUDIES. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN RELATION TO STRESS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY STARTED WITH 800 ADOLESCENT STUDENTS; 159 HIGH-STRESS STUDENTS AND 142 LOW-STRESS STUDENTS WERE SELECTED ON THE BASIS OF SCORES OBTAINED THROUGH STRESS BATTERY. EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP WERE GIVEN PRE TEST IN THREE SUBJECTS, I.E., MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, AND SOCIAL STUDIES. A YOGA MODULE CONSISTING OF YOGA ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, MEDITATION, AND A VALUE ORIENTATION PROGRAM WAS ADMINISTERED ON EXPERIMENTAL GROUP FOR 7 WEEKS. THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS WERE POST-TESTED FOR THEIR PERFORMANCE ON THE THREE SUBJECTS MENTIONED ABOVE. RESULTS: THE RESULTS SHOW THAT THE STUDENTS, WHO PRACTICED YOGA PERFORMED BETTER IN ACADEMICS. THE STUDY FURTHER SHOWS THAT LOW-STRESS STUDENTS PERFORMED BETTER THAN HIGH-STRESS STUDENTS, MEANING THEREBY THAT STRESS AFFECTS THE STUDENTS' PERFORMANCE. 2009 17 1056 28 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY OF WOMEN. UNLABELLED: YOGA HAS OFTEN BEEN PERCEIVED AS A METHOD OF STRESS MANAGEMENT TOOL THAT CAN ASSIST IN ALLEVIATING DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY DISORDERS. THIS STUDY SOUGHT TO EVALUATE THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA IN RELIEVING SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN WOMEN WHO WERE REFERRED TO A YOGA CLINIC. METHODS: THE STUDY INVOLVED A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF WOMEN WHO WERE REFERRED TO A YOGA CLINIC FROM JULY 2006 TO JULY 2007. ALL NEW CASES WERE EVALUATED ON ADMISSION USING A PERSONAL INFORMATION QUESTIONNAIRE WELL AS BECK AND SPIELBERGER TESTS. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO AN EXPERIMENTAL AND A CONTROL GROUP. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (N=34) PARTICIPATED IN TWICE WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES OF 90 MIN DURATION FOR TWO MONTHS. THE CONTROL GROUP (N=31) WAS ASSIGNED TO A WAITING LIST AND DID NOT RECEIVE YOGA. BOTH GROUPS WERE EVALUATED AGAIN AFTER THE TWO-MONTH STUDY PERIOD. RESULTS: THE AVERAGE PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSION IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PRE AND POST YOGA INTERVENTION WAS 12.82+/-7.9 AND 10.79+/-6.04 RESPECTIVELY, A STATISTICALLY INSIGNIFICANT DECREASE (P=0.13). HOWEVER, WHEN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WAS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, WOMEN WHO PARTICIPATED IN YOGA CLASSES SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN STATE ANXIETY (P=0.03) AND TRAIT ANXIETY (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: PARTICIPATION IN A TWO-MONTH YOGA CLASS CAN LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PERCEIVED LEVELS OF ANXIETY IN WOMEN WHO SUFFER FROM ANXIETY DISORDERS. THIS STUDY SUGGESTS THAT YOGA CAN BE CONSIDERED AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY OR AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD FOR MEDICAL THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY DISORDERS. 2009 18 961 27 EFFECTS OF A YOGA NIDRA ON THE LIFE STRESS AND SELF-ESTEEM IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. OBJECTIVES: TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA NIDRA ON LIFE STRESS AND SELF-ESTEEM IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. METHODS: THIS STUDY IS A NON-EQUIVALENT CONTROL GROUP PRETEST-POSTTEST DESIGN. FORTY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WERE SELECTED BY CONVENIENCE SAMPLING, WITH 20 ASSIGNED TO A YOGA NIDRA GROUP AND 20 TO A CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP PARTICIPATED IN BI-WEEKLY, 1-H SESSIONS OF YOGA NIDRA FOR 8 WEEKS. LIFE STRESS INTENSITY LEVEL WAS MEASURED USING A 10CM VISUAL ANALOG SCALE. SELF-ESTEEM SCORE WAS MEASURED BY ROSENBERG'S SELF-ESTEEM SCALE. RESULTS: THE YOGA NIDRA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED LIFE STRESS INTENSITY LEVELS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP ALSO SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED SELF-ESTEEM SCORES COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT YOGA NIDRA COULD ALLEVIATE THE LIFE STRESS INTENSITY LEVEL AND INCREASE THE SELF-ESTEEM IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. 2019 19 1583 35 MEDICAL STUDENTS' STRESS LEVELS AND SENSE OF WELL BEING AFTER SIX WEEKS OF YOGA AND MEDITATION. OBJECTIVE. TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF SIX WEEKS OF YOGA AND MEDITATION ON MEDICAL STUDENTS' LEVELS OF PERCEIVED STRESS AND SENSE OF WELLBEING PRIOR TO TAKING THEIR EXAMS. METHODS. WE CONDUCTED A PROSPECTIVE CASE-CONTROL STUDY OF FIRST-THROUGH-THIRD-YEAR MEDICAL STUDENTS AT OUR ACADEMIC INSTITUTION, MEASURING LEVELS OF PERCEIVED STRESS AND SENSE OF WELLBEING BEFORE AND AFTER A SIX-WEEK YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION. QUESTIONNAIRES USED FOR EVALUATION INCLUDED THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS) AND SELF-ASSESSMENT SURVEYS (SAS). THE POSTINTERVENTION SURVEYS WERE COMPLETED ON THE DAY OF THE STUDENTS' WRITTEN EXAMS. RESULTS. A TOTAL OF THIRTEEN WOMEN AND FOURTEEN MEN PARTICIPATED. MEDIAN AGE WAS 28 (24 YRS-32 YRS). 48.1% WERE CAUCASIAN, 7.4% BLACK, 11.1% HISPANIC, 11.1% ASIAN, AND 22.2% OTHER. PAIRED T-TESTS SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PERCEIVED STRESS (18.44 VERSUS 14.52; P = 0.004) AFTER THE SIX-WEEK YOGA AND MEDITATION PROGRAM. AFTER THE YOGA INTERVENTION, SELF-ASSESSMENT SURVEY RESULTS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN FEELINGS OF PEACE, FOCUS, AND ENDURANCE. IMPROVEMENTS IN HAPPINESS, POSITIVITY, PERSONAL SATISFACTION, AND SELF-CONFIDENCE WERE ALSO SEEN. AN IMPROVEMENT IN UNSUBSTANTIATED PARAMETERS SUCH AS PATIENCE AND FATIGUE WAS OBSERVED. CONCLUSION. YOGA AND MEDITATION MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING STRESS LEVELS AND IMPROVING ASPECTS OF PERSONAL WELLBEING IN MEDICAL STUDENTS. 2016 20 2177 27 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MOOD IN PSYCHIATRIC INPATIENTS. THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MOOD WERE EXAMINED IN 13 PSYCHIATRIC INPATIENTS AT NEW HAMPSHIRE HOSPITAL. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES (POMS) PRIOR TO AND FOLLOWING PARTICIPATION IN A YOGA CLASS. ANALYSES INDICATED THAT PARTICIPANTS REPORTED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS ON ALL FIVE OF THE NEGATIVE EMOTION FACTORS ON THE POMS, INCLUDING TENSION-ANXIETY, DEPRESSION-DEJECTION, ANGER-HOSTILITY, FATIGUE-INERTIA, AND CONFUSION-BEWILDERMENT. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE ON THE SIXTH POMS FACTOR, VIGOR-ACTIVITY. IMPROVEMENTS IN MOOD WERE NOT RELATED TO GENDER OR DIAGNOSIS. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED MOOD, AND MAY BE A USEFUL WAY OF REDUCING STRESS DURING INPATIENT PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT. 2005