1 880 109 EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON HANDGRIP, RESPIRATORY PRESSURES AND PULMONARY FUNCTION. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE A NUMBER OF REPORTS ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON PULMONARY FUNCTIONS, VERY FEW STUDIES HAVE BEEN UNDERTAKEN ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON RESPIRATORY PRESSURES AND HANDGRIP ENDURANCE. HENCE THE PRESENT WORK WAS PLANNED TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON HAND GRIP STRENGTH (HGS), HAND GRIP ENDURANCE (HGE), MAXIMUM EXPIRATORY PRESSURE (MEP), MAXIMUM INSPIRATORY PRESSURE (MIP), FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME (FEV), FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN FIRST SECOND (FEV1) AND PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (PEFR). 20 SCHOOL CHILDREN IN THE AGE GROUP OF 12 TO 15 YEARS WERE GIVEN YOGA TRAINING (ASANS AND PRANAYAMS) FOR 6 MONTHS. 20 AGE AND GENDER-MATCHED STUDENTS FORMED THE CONTROL GROUP. YOGA TRAINING PRODUCED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05) INCREASE IN HGS AND HGE. MEP, MIP, FEV, FEV1 AND PEFR ALSO INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < 0.001) AFTER THE YOGA TRAINING. IN CONTRAST, THE INCREASE IN THESE PARAMETERS IN THE CONTROL GROUP WAS STATISTICALLY INSIGNIFICANT. OUR STUDY SHOWS THAT YOGA TRAINING FOR 6 MONTHS IMPROVES LUNG FUNCTION, STRENGTH OF INSPIRATORY AND EXPIRATORY MUSCLES AS WELL AS SKELETAL MUSCLE STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT YOGA BE INTRODUCED AT SCHOOL LEVEL IN ORDER TO IMPROVE PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS, OVERALL HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS. 2003 2 992 25 EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA PRACTICE ON THE HEALTH-RELATED ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS. TEN HEALTHY, UNTRAINED VOLUNTEERS (NINE FEMALES AND ONE MALE), RANGING IN AGE FROM 18-27 YEARS, WERE STUDIED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA PRACTICE ON THE HEALTH-RELATED ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS, INCLUDING MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE, FLEXIBILITY, CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS, BODY COMPOSITION, AND PULMONARY FUNCTION. SUBJECTS WERE REQUIRED TO ATTEND A MINIMUM OF TWO YOGA CLASSES PER WEEK FOR A TOTAL OF 8 WEEKS. EACH YOGA SESSION CONSISTED OF 10 MINUTES OF PRANAYAMAS (BREATH-CONTROL EXERCISES), 15 MINUTES OF DYNAMIC WARM-UP EXERCISES, 50 MINUTES OF ASANAS (YOGA POSTURES), AND 10 MINUTES OF SUPINE RELAXATION IN SAVASANA (CORPSE POSE). THE SUBJECTS WERE EVALUATED BEFORE AND AFTER THE 8-WEEK TRAINING PROGRAM. ISOKINETIC MUSCULAR STRENGTH FOR ELBOW EXTENSION, ELBOW FLEXION, AND KNEE EXTENSION INCREASED BY 31%, 19%, AND 28% (P<0.05), RESPECTIVELY, WHEREAS ISOMETRIC MUSCULAR ENDURANCE FOR KNEE FLEXION INCREASED 57% (P<0.01). ANKLE FLEXIBILITY, SHOULDER ELEVATION, TRUNK EXTENSION, AND TRUNK FLEXION INCREASED BY 13% (P<0.01), 155% (P<0.001), 188% (P<0.001), AND 14% (P<0.05), RESPECTIVELY. ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE MAXIMAL OXYGEN UPTAKE INCREASED BY 7% AND 6%, RESPECTIVELY (P<0.01). THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT REGULAR HATHA YOGA PRACTICE CAN ELICIT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE HEALTH-RELATED ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS. (C)2001 CHF, INC. 2001 3 2232 33 THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON INSPIRATORY MUSCLE PERFORMANCE IN VETERANS WITH COPD: A PILOT STUDY. CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD) CAUSES RESPIRATORY MUSCLE WEAKNESS THAT LEADS TO DISABLING DYSPNEA AND POOR FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE. THERAPIES ARE OFTEN GEARED TO IMPROVE INSPIRATORY MUSCLE PERFORMANCE. YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE EXERCISE CAPACITY, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND SOME PULMONARY FUNCTION MEASURES IN COPD, BUT LITTLE RESEARCH HAS EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA TRAINING ON INSPIRATORY MUSCLE PERFORMANCE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA TRAINING ON INSPIRATORY MUSCLE PERFORMANCE IN MILITARY VETERANS USING THE TEST OF INCREMENTAL RESPIRATORY ENDURANCE (TIRE). A PROSPECTIVE PILOT STUDY EXAMINED A 6-WEEK YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM CONSISTING OF ASANA (POSES) AND PRANAYAMA (CONTROLLED BREATHING). SUBJECTS HAD BASELINE INSPIRATORY MUSCLE WEAKNESS. THE TIRE MEASURED INSPIRATORY MUSCLE PERFORMANCE VIA THE PRO2 DEVICE, PROVIDING MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE, SUSTAINED MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE, AND INSPIRATORY DURATION. SECONDARY MEASURES INCLUDED 6-MINUTE WALK DISTANCE, ST. GEORGE RESPIRATORY QUESTIONNAIRE, HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE, AND SPIROMETRY. MEAN AGE AND BMI OF SUBJECTS WERE 67 +/- 3.6 YEARS AND 20.7 +/- 3.3, RESPECTIVELY. THE MAJORITY OF SUBJECTS HAD SEVERE (28.7%) OR VERY SEVERE (57.1%) COPD. STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVE M E N T S WERE SEEN IN MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE (39.0 +/- 14.1 CMH2O TO 56.4 +/- 20.6 CMH2O) AND SUSTAINED MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE (244.1 +/- 100.6 PTU TO 308.1 +/- 121.2 PTU). NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WE RE OBSERVED IN 6-MINUTE WALK DISTANCE, ST. GEORGE RESPIRATORY QUESTIONNAIRE, HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE, OR SPIROMETRY. YOGA TRAINING HAS THE POTENTIAL IN IMPROVE INSPIRATORY MUSCLE PERFORMANCE IN VETERANS WITH SEVERE TO VERY SEVERE COPD WHO PRESENT WITH INSPIRATORY MUSCLE WEAKNESS. THIS IS OF IMPORTANCE BECAUSE IMPROVING INSPIRA-TORY MUSCLE PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE COPD OUTCOMES. 2021 4 1283 25 GLUTEAL MUSCLE ACTIVATION DURING COMMON YOGA POSES. BACKGROUND: APPROXIMATELY 24% OF PHYSICAL THERAPISTS REPORT REGULARLY USING YOGA TO STRENGTHEN MAJOR MUSCLE GROUPS. ALTHOUGH CLINICIANS AND ATHLETES OFTEN USE YOGA AS A FORM OF STRENGTH TRAINING, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE ACTIVATION OF SPECIFIC MUSCLE GROUPS DURING YOGA POSES, INCLUDING THE GLUTEUS MAXIMUS AND MEDIUS. HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO MEASURE GLUTEUS MAXIMIMUS AND GLUTEUS MEDIUS ACTIVATION VIA ELECTROMYOGRAPHY (EMG) DURING FIVE COMMON YOGA POSES. A SECONDARY PURPOSE OF THE CURRENT STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE DIFFERENCES IN MUSCLE ACTIVATION BETWEEN SEXES AND EXPERIENCE LEVELS. STUDY DESIGN: CROSS-SECTIONAL. METHODS: THIRTY-ONE HEALTHY MALES AND FEMALES AGED 18-35 YEARS WERE TESTED DURING FIVE YOGA POSES PERFORMED IN A RANDOMIZED ORDER. SURFACE EMG ELECTRODES WERE PLACED ON SUBJECTS' RIGHT GLUTEUS MAXIMUS AND GLUTEUS MEDIUS. SUBJECTS PERFORMED THE POSES ON BOTH SIDES FOLLOWING A MAXIMAL VOLUNTARY ISOMETRIC CONTRACTION (MVIC) TEST FOR EACH MUSCLE. ALL YOGA POSE EMG DATA WERE NORMALIZED TO THE CORRESPONDING MUSCLE MVIC DATA. RESULTS: HIGHEST GLUTEUS MAXIMUS ACTIVATION OCCURRED DURING HALF MOON POSE ON THE LIFTED/BACK LEG (63.3% MVIC), FOLLOWED BY THE STANCE/FRONT LEG DURING HALF MOON POSE (61.7%), THEN THE LIFTED/BACK LEG DURING WARRIOR THREE POSE (46.1%). HIGHEST GLUTEUS MEDIUS ACTIVATION OCCURRED DURING HALF MOON POSE ON THE LIFTED/BACK LEG (41.9%), FOLLOWED BY THE LIFTED/BACK LEG DURING THE WARRIOR THREE POSE (41.6%). A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND IN %MVIC OF GLUTEUS MEDIUS ACTIVITY BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE SUBJECTS (P = 0.026), AND BETWEEN EXPERIENCED AND INEXPERIENCED SUBJECTS (P = 0.050), INDICATING HIGHER ACTIVATION AMONG MALES AND INEXPERIENCED SUBJECTS, RESPECTIVELY. CONCLUSION: HALF MOON POSE AND WARRIOR THREE POSE ELICITED THE HIGHEST ACTIVATION FOR BOTH THE GLUTEUS MAXIMUS AND THE GLUTEUS MEDIUS. HIGHER GLUTEUS MEDIUS ACTIVATION WAS SEEN IN MALES AND INEXPERIENCED SUBJECTS COMPARED TO THEIR FEMALE AND EXPERIENCED COUNTERPARTS. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3. 2021 5 552 25 CORE MUSCLE FUNCTION DURING SPECIFIC YOGA POSES. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS THE POTENTIAL USE OF 11 YOGA POSES IN SPECIFIC TRAINING AND REHABILITATION PROGRAMS VIA EXAMINATION OF THE MUSCLE ACTIVATION PATTERNS IN SELECTED TRUNK AND HIP MUSCLES. DESIGN: REPEATED-MEASURES DESCRIPTIVE STUDY. SETTING: UNIVERSITY LABORATORY, US. PARTICIPANTS: THIRTY HEALTHY YOGA PRACTITIONERS WITH MORE THAN 3 MONTHS YOGA PRACTICE EXPERIENCE (MEAN AGE+/-SD, 32.0+/-12.3 Y; 8 M/22 F) PARTICIPATED. INTERVENTIONS: SURFACE ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC SIGNALS OF UPPER RECTUS ABDOMINIS, LOWER RECTUS ABDOMINIS, LONGISSIMUS THORACIS, EXTERNAL OBLIQUE ABDOMINIS AND GLUTEUS MAXIMUM MUSCLE WERE RECORDED IN 11 YOGA POSES: HALFWAY LIFT, FORWARD FOLD, DOWNWARD FACING DOG, UPWARD FACING DOG, HIGH PLANK, LOW PLANK, CHAIR, MOUNTAIN WITH ARMS DOWN, MOUNTAIN WITH ARMS UP, WARRIOR 1 (BOTH SIDES). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ROOT MEAN SQUARE VALUES OF EACH MUSCLE DURING EACH POSE, NORMALIZED BY THE MAXIMAL VOLUNTARY CONTRACTION. RESULTS: THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECTS OF POSE (P<.001) AND MUSCLE (P<.001), AND A SIGNIFICANT POSEXMUSCLE INTERACTION (P=.001). THE POST HOC ANALYSIS REVEALED UNIQUE PATTERNS FOR THE FIVE MUSCLES OF INTEREST FOR EACH OF THE 11 POSES (P<.024). CONCLUSIONS: VARIATIONS IN CORE MUSCLE FIRING PATTERNS DEPEND ON THE TRUNK AND PELVIC POSITIONS DURING THESE POSES. TRAINING PROGRAMS CAN BE DEVELOPED BY CHOOSING PARTICULAR POSES TO TARGET SPECIFIC CORE MUSCLES FOR ADDRESSING LOW BACK PAIN AND DECLINES IN PERFORMANCE. THE HIGH PLANK, LOW PLANK AND DOWNWARD FACING DOG POSES ARE EFFECTIVE FOR STRENGTHENING EXTERNAL OBLIQUE ABDOMINIS, CHAIR AND WARRIOR 1 POSES FOR TARGETING GLUTEUS MAXIMUM, AND CHAIR AND HALFWAY LIFT POSES FOR STRENGTHENING LONGISSIMUS THORACIS. AND THESE THREE MUSCLES COULD BE STRENGTHENED BY THE UPWARD FACING DOG POSE. 2014 6 756 38 EFFECT OF SIX WEEKS YOGA TRAINING ON WEIGHT LOSS FOLLOWING STEP TEST, RESPIRATORY PRESSURES, HANDGRIP STRENGTH AND HANDGRIP ENDURANCE IN YOUNG HEALTHY SUBJECTS. THE PRESENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO TEST WHETHER YOGA TRAINING OF SIX WEEKS DURATION MODULATES SWEATING RESPONSE TO DYNAMIC EXERCISE AND IMPROVES RESPIRATORY PRESSURES, HANDGRIP STRENGTH AND HANDGRIP ENDURANCE. OUT OF 46 HEALTHY SUBJECTS (30 MALES AND 16 FEMALES, AGED 17-20 YR), 23 MOTIVATED SUBJECTS (15 MALE AND 8 FEMALE) WERE GIVEN YOGA TRAINING AND THE REMAINING 23 SUBJECTS SERVED AS CONTROLS. WEIGHT LOSS FOLLOWING HARVARD STEP TEST (AN INDEX OF SWEAT LOSS), MAXIMUM INSPIRATORY PRESSURE, MAXIMUM EXPIRATORY PRESSURE, 40 MM ENDURANCE, HANDGRIP STRENGTH AND HANDGRIP ENDURANCE WERE DETERMINED BEFORE AND AFTER THE SIX WEEK STUDY PERIOD. IN THE YOGA GROUP, WEIGHT LOSS IN RESPONSE TO HARVARD STEP TEST WAS 64 +/- 30 G AFTER YOGA TRAINING AS COMPARED TO 161 +/- 133 G BEFORE THE TRAINING AND THE DIFFERENCE WAS SIGNIFICANT (N = 15 MALE SUBJECTS, P < 0.0001). IN CONTRAST, WEIGHT LOSS FOLLOWING STEP TEST WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT IN THE CONTROL GROUP AT THE END OF THE STUDY PERIOD. YOGA TRAINING PRODUCED A MARKED INCREASE IN RESPIRATORY PRESSURES AND ENDURANCE IN 40 MM HG TEST IN BOTH MALE AND FEMALE SUBJECTS (P < 0.05 FOR ALL COMPARISONS). IN CONCLUSION, THE PRESENT STUDY DEMONSTRATES ATTENUATION OF THE SWEATING RESPONSE TO STEP TEST BY YOGA TRAINING. FURTHER, YOGA TRAINING FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF SIX WEEKS CAN PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN RESPIRATORY MUSCLE STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE. 2008 7 2329 19 TRUNK AND HIP MUSCLE ACTIVATION DURING YOGA POSES: IMPLICATIONS FOR PHYSICAL THERAPY PRACTICE. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE AND COMPARE ACTIVATION OF CORE MUSCLES DURING YOGA TO TRADITIONAL BACK EXERCISES. METHODS: SURFACE ELECTROMYOGRAPHY WAS USED TO QUANTIFY ACTIVATION OF THE RECTUS ABDOMINIS (RA), ABDOMINAL OBLIQUES (AO), LUMBAR EXTENSORS (LE), AND GLUTEUS MAXIMUS (GMX) DURING FOUR YOGA POSES. DATA WERE EXPRESSED AS 100% OF A MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY ISOMETRIC CONTRACTION. SEPARATE ANALYSES OF VARIANCE WITH REPEATED MEASURES WERE USED TO COMPARE MUSCLE ACTIVITY ACROSS EACH EXERCISE. RESULTS: SUBJECTS GENERATED GREATER RA (P < 0.0001) AND AO (P < 0.0001) ACTIVITY DURING THE PLANK. THEY GENERATED GREATER AO ACTIVITY (P < 0.0001) DURING THE UPWARD-FACING DOG THAN THE CHAIR AND DOMINANT-SIDE WARRIOR 1. LE ACTIVITY WAS GREATEST (P < 0.0001) DURING THE CHAIR. GMX ACTIVITY WAS SIMILAR (P = 0.09) DURING ALL EXERCISES. CONCLUSION: YOGA POSES MAY HELP IMPROVE CORE ENDURANCE AND STRENGTH. CLINICIANS MAY USE THESE DATA WHEN DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING AN EVIDENCE-BASED CORE EXERCISE PROGRAM FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO PREFER A YOGA TREATMENT STRATEGY. 2017 8 996 40 EFFECTS OF INSPIRATORY MUSCLE TRAINING AND YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES ON RESPIRATORY MUSCLE FUNCTION IN INSTITUTIONALIZED FRAIL OLDER ADULTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: IN OLDER ADULTS, RESPIRATORY FUNCTION MAY BE SERIOUSLY COMPROMISED WHEN A MARKED DECREASE OF RESPIRATORY MUSCLE (RM) STRENGTH COEXISTS WITH COMORBIDITY AND ACTIVITY LIMITATION. RESPIRATORY MUSCLE TRAINING HAS BEEN WIDELY STUDIED AND RECOMMENDED AS A TREATMENT OPTION FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE UNABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN WHOLE-BODY EXERCISE TRAINING (WBET); HOWEVER, THE EFFECTS OF INSPIRATORY MUSCLE TRAINING AND YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES ON RM FUNCTION REMAIN UNKNOWN, SPECIFICALLY IN IMPAIRED OLDER ADULTS. PURPOSE: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF INSPIRATORY THRESHOLD TRAINING (ITT) AND YOGA RESPIRATORY TRAINING (YRT) ON RM FUNCTION IN INSTITUTIONALIZED FRAIL OLDER ADULTS. METHODS: EIGHTY-ONE RESIDENTS (90% WOMEN; MEAN AGE, 85 YEARS), WHO WERE UNABLE TO PERFORM WBET (INABILITY TO INDEPENDENTLY WALK MORE THAN 10 M), WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A CONTROL GROUP OR ONE OF THE 2 EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS (ITT OR YRT). EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS PERFORMED A SUPERVISED INTERVAL-BASED TRAINING PROTOCOL, EITHER THROUGH THRESHOLD INSPIRATORY MUSCLE TRAINING DEVICE OR YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES, WHICH LASTED 6 WEEKS (5 DAYS PER WEEK). OUTCOME MEASURES WERE COLLECTED AT 4 TIME POINTS (PRETRAINING, INTERMEDIATE, POSTTRAINING, AND FOLLOW-UP) AND INCLUDED THE MAXIMUM RESPIRATORY PRESSURES (MAXIMUM INSPIRATORY PRESSURE [MIP] AND MAXIMUM EXPIRATORY PRESSURE [MEP]) AND THE MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY VENTILATION (MVV). RESULTS: SEVENTY-ONE RESIDENTS COMPLETED THE STUDY: CONTROL (N = 24); ITT (N = 23); YRT (N = 24). THE TREATMENT ON HAD A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON MIP YRT (F(6,204) = 6.755, P < .001, ETA2 = 0.166), MEP (F(6,204) = 4.257, P < .001, ETA2 = 0.111), AND MVV (F(6,204) = 5.322, P < .001, ETA2 = 0.135). ANALYSES SHOWED THAT THE YRT GROUP HAD A GREATER INCREASE OF RM STRENGTH (MIP AND MEP) AND ENDURANCE (MVV) THAN CONTROL AND/OR ITT GROUPS. CONCLUSION: YOGA RESPIRATORY TRAINING APPEARS TO BE AN EFFECTIVE AND WELL-TOLERATED EXERCISE REGIMEN IN FRAIL OLDER ADULTS AND MAY THEREFORE BE A USEFUL ALTERNATIVE TO ITT OR NO TRAINING, TO IMPROVE RM FUNCTION IN OLDER POPULATION, WHEN WBET IS NOT POSSIBLE. 2014 9 2328 18 TRUNK AND HIP MUSCLE ACTIVATION DURING YOGA POSES: DO SEX-DIFFERENCES EXIST? OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE CORE ACTIVATION DURING YOGA BETWEEN MALES AND FEMALES. METHODS: SURFACE ELECTROMYOGRAPHY WAS USED TO QUANTIFY RECTUS ABDOMINIS (RA), ABDOMINAL OBLIQUES (AO), LUMBAR EXTENSORS (LE), AND GLUTEUS MAXIMUS (GMX) ACTIVATION DURING FOUR YOGA POSES. DATA WERE EXPRESSED AS 100% OF A MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY ISOMETRIC CONTRACTION. MIXED-MODEL 2X2 ANALYSES OF VARIANCE WITH REPEATED MEASURES WERE USED TO DETERMINE BETWEEN-SEX DIFFERENCES IN MUSCLE ACTIVITY. RESULTS: FEMALES GENERATED GREATER RA ACTIVITY THAN MALES DURING THE HIGH PLANK (P<0.0001) AND DOMINANT-SIDE WARRIOR 1 (P=0.017). THEY GENERATED GREATER AO (P<0.0001) AND GMX (P=0.004) ACTIVITY DURING THE HIGH PLANK (P<0.0001). NO BETWEEN-SEX EMG ACTIVITY DIFFERENCES EXISTED FOR THE CHAIR AND UPWARD FACING DOG. CONCLUSION: FINDINGS HAVE PROVIDED PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE FOR BETWEEN-SEX DIFFERENCES IN MUSCLE ACTIVATION DURING YOGA POSES. CLINICIANS SHOULD CONSIDER SUCH DIFFERENCES WHEN PRESCRIBING YOGA TO IMPROVE MUSCLE STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE. 2018 10 1654 24 MUSCLE UTILIZATION PATTERNS VARY BY SKILL LEVELS OF THE PRACTITIONERS ACROSS SPECIFIC YOGA POSES (ASANAS). OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE MUSCLE ACTIVATION PATTERNS IN 14 DOMINANT SIDE MUSCLES DURING DIFFERENT YOGA POSES ACROSS THREE SKILL LEVELS. DESIGN: MIXED REPEATED-MEASURES DESCRIPTIVE STUDY. SETTING: UNIVERSITY NEUROMUSCULAR RESEARCH LABORATORY, MIAMI, US. PARTICIPANTS: A GROUP OF 36 YOGA PRACTITIONERS (9 M/27 F; MEAN +/- SD, 31.6 +/- 12.6 YEARS) WITH AT LEAST 3 MONTHS YOGA PRACTICE EXPERIENCE. INTERVENTIONS: EACH OF THE 11 SURYA NAMASKAR POSES A AND B WAS PERFORMED SEPARATELY FOR 15S AND THE SURFACE ELECTROMYOGRAPHY FOR 14 MUSCLES WERE RECORDED. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: NORMALIZED ROOT MEAN SQUARE OF THE ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC SIGNAL (NRMSEMG) FOR 14 MUSCLES (5 UPPER BODY, 4 TRUNK, 5 LOWER BODY). RESULTS: THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECTS OF POSE FOR ALL FOURTEEN MUSCLES EXCEPT MIDDLE TRAPEZIUS (P<.02) AND OF SKILL LEVEL FOR THE VASTUS MEDIALIS; P=.027). A SIGNIFICANT SKILL LEVEL X POSE INTERACTION EXISTED FOR FIVE MUSCLES (PECTORALIS MAJOR STERNAL HEAD, ANTERIOR DELTOID, MEDIAL DELTOID, UPPER RECTUS ABDOMINIS AND GASTROCNEMIUS LATERALIS; P<.05). POST HOC ANALYSES USING BONFERRONI COMPARISONS INDICATED THAT DIFFERENT POSES ACTIVATED SPECIFIC MUSCLE GROUPS; HOWEVER, THIS VARIED BY SKILL LEVEL. CONCLUSION: OUR RESULTS INDICATE THAT DIFFERENT POSES CAN PRODUCE SPECIFIC MUSCLE ACTIVATION PATTERNS WHICH MAY VARY DUE TO PRACTITIONERS' SKILL LEVELS. THIS INFORMATION CAN BE USED IN DESIGNING REHABILITATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS AND FOR CUING DURING YOGA TRAINING. 2014 11 404 27 BIKRAM YOGA TRAINING AND PHYSICAL FITNESS IN HEALTHY YOUNG ADULTS. THERE HAS BEEN RELATIVELY LITTLE LONGITUDINAL CONTROLLED INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON GENERAL PHYSICAL FITNESS, DESPITE THE WIDESPREAD PARTICIPATION IN THIS FORM OF EXERCISE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS EXPLORATORY STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF SHORT-TERM BIKRAM YOGA TRAINING ON GENERAL PHYSICAL FITNESS. YOUNG HEALTHY ADULTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA TRAINING (N = 10, 29 +/- 6 YEARS, 24 SESSIONS IN 8 WEEKS) OR A CONTROL GROUP (N = 11, 26 +/- 7 YEARS). EACH YOGA TRAINING SESSION CONSISTED OF 90-MINUTE STANDARDIZED SUPERVISED POSTURES PERFORMED IN A HEATED AND HUMIDIFIED STUDIO. ISOMETRIC DEADLIFT STRENGTH, HANDGRIP STRENGTH, LOWER BACK/HAMSTRING AND SHOULDER FLEXIBILITY, RESTING HEART RATE AND BLOOD PRESSURE, MAXIMAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (TREADMILL), AND LEAN AND FAT MASS (DUAL-ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY) WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER TRAINING. YOGA SUBJECTS EXHIBITED INCREASED DEADLIFT STRENGTH, SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED LOWER BACK/HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY, INCREASED SHOULDER FLEXIBILITY, AND MODESTLY DECREASED BODY FAT COMPARED WITH CONTROL GROUP. THERE WERE NO CHANGES IN HANDGRIP STRENGTH, CARDIOVASCULAR MEASURES, OR MAXIMAL AEROBIC FITNESS. IN SUMMARY, THIS SHORT-TERM YOGA TRAINING PROTOCOL PRODUCED BENEFICIAL CHANGES IN MUSCULOSKELETAL FITNESS THAT WERE SPECIFIC TO THE TRAINING STIMULUS. 2013 12 1848 14 QUANTITATIVE EVALUATION OF MUSCLE RELAXATION INDUCED BY KUNDALINI YOGA WITH THE HELP OF EMG INTEGRATOR. THE PRESENT WORK IS AIMED TO QUANTIFY THE DEGREE OF RELAXATION OF MUSCLE UNDER THE EFFECTS OF KUNDALINI YOGA WITH THE HELP OF EMG INTEGRATOR. THE DATA COLLECTED FROM 8 INDIVIDUALS (4 MALES 4 FEMALES) ON THE DEGREE OF MUSCLE RELAXATION AT THE END OF MEDITATION REVEALED A SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED MUSCLE ACTIVITY AMOUNTING TO 58% OF THE BASAL LEVEL IN BOTH THE SEXES. 1990 13 2662 36 YOGA IN BURN: ROLE OF PRANAYAMA BREATHING EXERCISE ON PULMONARY FUNCTION, RESPIRATORY MUSCLE ACTIVITY AND EXERCISE TOLERANCE IN FULL-THICKNESS CIRCUMFERENTIAL BURNS OF THE CHEST. BACKGROUND: CIRCUMFERENTIAL BURN OF CHEST (CBC) IS A SIGNIFICANT TYPE OF BURN AND CONSIDERS AS A MAJOR CAUSE OF RESTRICTIVE LUNG DISEASE (RLD). PATIENT WHO HAS CBC WITH RLD LEADS TO RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS SUCH AS BREATHING DIFFICULTY, AIRWAY OBSTRUCTION, REDUCED EXERCISE CAPACITY AND ALTERED PULMONARY FUNCTIONS. HOWEVER, STUDIES EXAMINING THE ROLE OF PRANAYAMA BREATHING EXERCISE ON PULMONARY FUNCTION, RESPIRATORY MUSCLE ACTIVITY AND EXERCISE TOLERANCE IN FULL THICKNESS CIRCUMFERENTIAL BURN OF CHEST ARE LACKING. OBJECTIVE: TO FIND THE SHORT TERM EFFECTS OF PRANAYAMA BREATHING EXERCISE ON PULMONARY FUNCTION, RESPIRATORY MUSCLE ACTIVITY AND EXERCISE TOLERANCE IN FULL THICKNESS CIRCUMFERENTIAL BURNS OF CHEST. METHODS: THROUGH SIMPLE RANDOM SAMPLING METHOD THIRTY SUBJECTS (N = 30) WITH RLD FOLLOWING CBC WERE ALLOCATED TO PRANAYAMA BREATHING EXERCISE GROUP (PBE-G; N = 15) AND CONVENTIONAL BREATHING EXERCISE GROUP (CBE-G; N = 15). THEY RECEIVED PRANAYAMA BREATHING EXERCISE AND CONVENTIONAL BREATHING EXERCISE FOR 4 WEEKS RESPECTIVELY. ALL THE SUBJECTS RECEIVED CHEST MOBILITY EXERCISE AS COMMON TREATMENT. PRIMARY (NUMERIC PAIN RATING SCALE - NPRS, FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME (FEV1), FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (FVC) AND MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY VENTILATION (MVV) AND SECONDARY (ELECTROMYOGRAM OF STERNOCLEIDOMASTOID, SCALENE, EXTERNAL INTERCOSTAL AND DIAPHRAGM MUSCLE, 6 MIN WALK TEST & GLOBAL RATING OF CHANGE - GRC) OUTCOME MEASURES WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE, AFTER FOUR WEEKS AND AFTER THREE MONTHS FOLLOW UP. RESULTS: BASELINE DEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL VARIABLES SHOW HOMOGENOUS DISTRIBUTION BETWEEN THE GROUPS (P > 0.05). FOUR WEEKS FOLLOWING DIFFERENT BREATHING EXERCISES, PBE-G GROUP SHOWS MORE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN PAIN INTENSITY, PULMONARY FUNCTION, RESPIRATORY MUSCLE ACTIVITY, EXERCISE TOLERANCE AND GLOBAL RATING OF CHANGE THAN CBE-G GROUP (P /= 23 KG/M(2), AGED 62 +/- 1 YEARS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER A TY GROUP FOR 60 MIN, 3 TIMES A WEEK OR TO A "NO EXERCISE" CONTROL (CON) GROUP. SIT AND REACH (SRT), FUNCTIONAL REACH (FRT) AND 30-S CHAIR STAND (CST-30), 8-FOOT UP AND GO (8UGT), 6-MIN WALK (6MWT)) AND LOWER-LIMB MUSCLE STRENGTH WERE MEASURED AT THE BEGINNING, 4, AND 8 WEEKS. RESULTS: AT WEEK 4, A SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN GROUPS WAS OBTAINED IN CST-30, 8UGT, AND 6MWT. AT WEEK 8, FRT, 8UGT, 6MWT AND KNEE FLEXOR AND EXTENSOR MUSCLE STRENGTH WERE IMPROVED IN THE TY OVER THE CON. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WAS FOUND IN ALL VARIABLES WITHIN THE TY, BUT NO CHANGE WAS OBSERVED IN THE CON. CONCLUSION: AN 8-WEEK TY PROGRAM APPEARS TO PROVIDE BENEFICIAL IMPROVEMENTS IN PHYSICAL MOBILITY IN OVERWEIGHT/OBESE OLDER WOMEN. 2021 15 2499 32 YOGA AS STEADINESS TRAINING: EFFECTS ON MOTOR VARIABILITY IN YOUNG ADULTS. EXERCISE TRAINING PROGRAMS CAN INCREASE STRENGTH AND IMPROVE SUBMAXIMAL FORCE CONTROL, BUT THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AS AN ALTERNATIVE FORM OF STEADINESS TRAINING ARE NOT WELL DESCRIBED. THE PURPOSE WAS TO EXPLORE THE EFFECT OF A POPULAR TYPE OF YOGA (BIKRAM) ON STRENGTH, STEADINESS, AND BALANCE. YOUNG ADULTS PERFORMED YOGA TRAINING (N = 10, 29 +/- 6 YEARS, 24 YOGA SESSIONS IN 8 WEEKS) OR SERVED AS CONTROLS (N = 11, 26 +/- 7 YEARS). YOGA SESSIONS CONSISTED OF 1.5 HOURS OF SUPERVISED, STANDARDIZED POSTURES. MEASURES BEFORE AND AFTER TRAINING INCLUDED MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY CONTRACTION (MVC) FORCE OF THE ELBOW FLEXORS (EF) AND KNEE EXTENSORS (KE), STEADINESS OF ISOMETRIC EF AND KE CONTRACTIONS, STEADINESS OF CONCENTRIC (CON) AND ECCENTRIC (ECC) KE CONTRACTIONS, AND TIMED BALANCE. THE STANDARD DEVIATION (SD) AND COEFFICIENT OF VARIATION (CV, SD/MEAN FORCE) OF ISOMETRIC FORCE AND THE SD OF ACCELERATION DURING CON AND ECC CONTRACTIONS WERE MEASURED. AFTER YOGA TRAINING, MVC FORCE INCREASED 14% FOR KE (479 +/- 175 TO 544 +/- 187 N, P < 0.05) AND WAS UNCHANGED FOR THE EF MUSCLES (219 +/- 85 TO 230 +/- 72 N, P > 0.05). THE CV OF FORCE WAS UNCHANGED FOR EF (1.68 TO 1.73%, P > 0.05) BUT WAS REDUCED IN THE KE MUSCLES SIMILARLY FOR YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS (2.04 TO 1.55%, P < 0.05). THE VARIABILITY OF CON AND ECC CONTRACTIONS WAS UNCHANGED. FOR THE YOGA GROUP, IMPROVEMENT IN KE STEADINESS WAS CORRELATED WITH PRETRAINING STEADINESS (R = -0.62 TO -0.84, P < 0.05); SUBJECTS WITH THE GREATEST KE FORCE FLUCTUATIONS BEFORE TRAINING EXPERIENCED THE GREATEST REDUCTIONS WITH TRAINING. PERCENT CHANGE IN BALANCE TIME FOR INDIVIDUAL YOGA SUBJECTS AVERAGED +228% (19.5 +/- 14 TO 34.3 +/- 18 SECONDS, P < 0.05), WITH NO CHANGE IN CONTROLS. FOR YOUNG ADULTS, A SHORT-TERM YOGA PROGRAM OF THIS TYPE CAN IMPROVE BALANCE SUBSTANTIALLY, PRODUCE MODEST IMPROVEMENTS IN LEG STRENGTH, AND IMPROVE LEG MUSCLE CONTROL FOR LESS-STEADY SUBJECTS. 2008 16 878 50 EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING AND DETRAINING ON RESPIRATORY MUSCLE STRENGTH IN PRE-PUBERTAL CHILDREN: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (FVC), FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN I(ST) SECOND (FEV1), PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (PEFR), FEVI/FVC RATIO, AND PULMONARY PRESSURES [MAXIMUM INSPIRATORY PRESSURE (MIP), MAXIMUM EXPIRATORY PRESSURE (MEP) AT THE END OF 3 MONTHS YOGA TRAINING AND THE DETRAINING EFFECT ON THE ABOVE PARAMETERS IN 7-9-YEARS-OLD SCHOOL GOING CHILDREN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 100 PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED FROM A SCHOOL IN BANGALORE. AFTER BASELINE ASSESSMENTS, THE PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO EITHER YOGA OR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GROUP. INTERVENTION WAS GIVEN FOR 3 MONTHS, AND MEASURES OF PULMONARY FUNCTION AND PULMONARY PRESSURES WERE DETERMINED IMMEDIATELY POST-INTERVENTION AND AT 3-MONTHS FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS: ALTHOUGH SIGNIFICANT INCREASE WAS OBSERVED IN FVC, FEV1, PEFR, FEV1/FVC, MIP, AND MEP AT POST-INTERVENTION, THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO STUDY GROUPS AFTER ADJUSTING FOR HEIGHT AND AGE POST TRAINING . HOWEVER, MIP INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN BOTH THE GROUPS POST-INTERVENTION, BUT THE YOGA GROUP PERFORMED SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE PE GROUP. THE EFFECTS OF TRAINING DID NOT FADE OFF EVEN AFTER 3 MONTHS OF DETRAINING. IN FACT, THE FVC AND FEV1 CONTINUED TO INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY. A TREND OF DECREASE WAS OBSERVED IN PEFR, MIP, AND MEP. HOWEVER, THE VALUES DID NOT REGRESS TO THE BASELINE VALUE. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY SUGGESTS THAT PRACTICE OF YOGA FOR A SHORT DURATION (3 MONTHS) OF TIME CAN SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE RESPIRATORY MUSCLE STRENGTH IN PEDIATRIC POPULATION. 2014 17 2823 35 YOGA VERSUS AEROBIC ACTIVITY: EFFECTS ON SPIROMETRY RESULTS AND MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE. OBJECTIVE: TO CLARIFY WHETHER, IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS, PRACTICING YOGA CAN MODIFY MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE AND SPIROMETRIC INDICES WHEN COMPARED WITH THE PRACTICE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE. MEYHODS: A CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL. A TOTAL OF 31 HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS WERE ALLOCATED TO PRACTICE AEROBIC EXERCISE (N = 15) OR TO PRACTICE YOGA (N = 16). THOSE IN THE FIRST GROUP SERVED AS CONTROLS AND ENGAGED IN AEROBIC EXERCISE FOR 45-60 MINUTES, TWICE A WEEK FOR THREE MONTHS. THOSE IN THE SECOND GROUP PRACTICED SELECTED YOGIC TECHNIQUES, ALSO IN SESSIONS OF 45-60 MINUTES, TWICE A WEEK FOR THREE MONTHS. FORCED VITAL CAPACITY, FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN ONE SECOND AND MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER THE THREE MONTHS OF TRAINING. RESULTS: NO SIGNIFICANT ALTERATIONS WERE SEEN IN THE SPIROMETRIC INDICES. A SLIGHT, ALTHOUGH NOT SIGNIFICANT, IMPROVEMENT IN MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE WAS SEEN IN BOTH GROUPS. HOWEVER, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE, SEEN IN BOTH GENDERS, BETWEEN THE ABSOLUTE DELTA (FINAL VALUE MINUS BASELINE VALUE) OF MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE FOR THE GROUP PRACTICING YOGA AND THAT OBTAINED FOR THE GROUP ENGAGING IN AEROBIC EXERCISE (MALES: 19.5 CM H2O VERSUS 2.8 CM H2O, P = 0.05; FEMALES: 20 CM H2O VERSUS 3.9 CM H2O, P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: NEITHER YOGA NOR AEROBIC EXERCISE PROVIDED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE AFTER THREE MONTHS. HOWEVER, THE ABSOLUTE VARIATION IN MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE WAS GREATER AMONG THOSE PRACTICING YOGA. 2006 18 2306 28 TRAINING BENEFITS AND INJURY RISKS OF STANDING YOGA APPLIED IN MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS: LOWER LIMB BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS. STANDING YOGA POSES STRENGTHEN A PERSON'S LEGS AND HELPS TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL OF MUSCULOSKELETAL REHABILITATION, BUT INADEQUATE EXERCISE PLANNING CAN CAUSE INJURIES. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED CHANGES IN THE ELECTROMYOGRAM AND JOINT MOMENTS OF FORCE (JMOFS) OF LOWER EXTREMITIES DURING COMMON STANDING YOGA POSES IN ORDER TO EXPLORE THE FEASIBILITY AND POSSIBLE INJURY RISK IN DEALING WITH MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS. ELEVEN YOGA INSTRUCTORS WERE RECRUITED TO EXECUTE FIVE YOGA POSES (CHAIR, TREE, WARRIOR 1, 2, AND 3). THE RESULTS REVEALED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN HIP, KNEE, AND ANKLE JMOFS AND VARYING DEGREES OF MUSCLE ACTIVATION AMONG THE POSES. AMONG THESE POSES, RECTUS FEMORIS MUSCLE ACTIVATION DURING THE CHAIR POSE WAS THE HIGHEST, WARRIOR 2 PRODUCED THE HIGHEST MUSCLE ACTIVATION IN THE VASTUS LATERALIS OF THE FRONT LIMB, WHILE WARRIOR 1 HAD THE HIGHEST MUSCLE ACTIVATION IN THE VASTUS MEDIALIS OF THE BACK LIMB. THEREFORE, ALL THREE POSES CAN POSSIBLY BE SUGGESTED AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION FOR QUADRICEPS STRENGTHENING. WARRIOR 1 WAS POSSIBLY SUGGESTED AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION IN ORDER TO REDUCE EXCESSIVE LATERAL OVERLOAD OF THE PATELLA, BUT THE POSSIBLE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF WARRIOR 2 WITH THE HIGHEST KNEE ADDUCTOR JMOF IN THE BACK LIMB COULD RAISE JOINT REACTION FORCES ACROSS THE MEDIAL CONDYLES. IN SINGLE-LEG BALANCE POSTURES, WARRIOR 3 HAD UNIQUE TRAINING EFFECTS ON THE HAMSTRING, AND IS THEREFORE SUGGESTED AS A PART OF HAMSTRING REHABILITATION EXERCISES. THE TREE POSE INDUCED LOW LOWER-EXTREMITY JMOFS AND A LOW LEVEL OF THIGH MUSCLE ACTIVATIONS WHEN IT WAS PERFORMED BY SENIOR INSTRUCTORS WITH EXCELLENT BALANCE CONTROL; HOWEVER, FOR YOGA BEGINNERS WITH INSUFFICIENT STABILITY, IT WILL BE A USEFUL TRAINING MODE FOR STRENGTHENING THE MUSCLES THAT HELP TO KEEP ONE UPRIGHT. THIS STUDY QUANTIFIED THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF YOGA POSES USING BIOMECHANICAL DATA AND ELUCIDATED THE STRUCTURES AND PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING EACH YOGA MOVEMENT. THIS IS CRUCIAL FOR YOGA PRACTITIONERS. 2021 19 1144 26 ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC PATTERN DURING GAIT INITIATION DIFFERENTIATES YOGA PRACTITIONERS AMONG PHYSICALLY ACTIVE OLDER SUBJECTS. DURING GAIT INITIATION, POSTURAL ADJUSTMENTS ARE NEEDED TO DEAL WITH BALANCE AND MOVEMENT. WITH AGING, GAIT INITIATION CHANGES AND REFLECTS FUNCTIONAL DEGRADATION OF FRAILTY INDIVIDUALS. HOWEVER, PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF DAILY MOTOR TASKS. THE AIM OF OUR STUDY WAS TO COMPARE CENTER OF PRESSURE (COP) DISPLACEMENT AND ANKLE MUSCLE CO-ACTIVATION DURING GAIT INITIATION IN TWO PHYSICALLY ACTIVE GROUPS: A GROUP OF WALKERS (N = 12; MEAN AGE +/- SD 72.6 +/- 3.2 YEARS) AND A YOGA GROUP (N = 11; 71.5 +/- 3.8 YEARS). COP TRAJECTORY AND ELECTROMYOGRAPHY OF LEG MUSCLES WERE RECORDED SIMULTANEOUSLY DURING FIVE SUCCESSIVE TRIALS OF GAIT INITIATION. OUR MAIN FINDING WAS THAT YOGA PRACTITIONERS HAD SLOWER COP DISPLACEMENTS (P < 0.01) AND LOWER LEG MUSCLES % OF COACTIVATION (P < 0.01) IN COMPARISON WITH WALKERS. THESE PARAMETERS WHICH CHARACTERIZED GAIT INITIATION CONTROL WERE CORRELATED (R = 0.76; P < 0.01). OUR RESULTS EMPHASIZE THAT LENGTHY ANKLE MUSCLE CO-ACTIVATION AND COP PATH IN GAIT INITIATION DIFFERENTIATE YOGA PRACTITIONERS AMONG PHYSICALLY ACTIVE SUBJECTS. 2017 20 58 19 A COMPARISON OF EMG OUTPUT OF FOUR LOWER EXTREMITY MUSCLES DURING SELECTED YOGA POSTURES. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO USE SURFACE ELECTROMYOGRAPHY (EMG) ANALYSIS TO EXAMINE THE MUSCLE ACTIVATION OF THE ANTERIOR TIBIALIS (TA), GASTROCNEMIUS (GA), RECTUS FEMORIS (RF) AND BICEPS FEMORIS (BF) MUSCLES DURING SEVERAL YOGA POSES: TREE POSE (VRKSASHANA), HALF MOON POSE (ARDHA CHANDRASANA) AND WARRIOR III (VIRABADRASANA) WHEN COMPARED TO A REST POSE (MOUNTAIN POSE). TEN HEALTHY FEMALES WITH MORE THAN 3 MONTHS OF CONTINUOUS YOGA EXPERIENCE WHO PRACTICED AT LEAST 1.5H PER WEEK WERE RECRUITED. EMG ACTIVITY WAS RECORDED FROM THE AFOREMENTIONED MUSCLES DURING MOUNTAIN POSE ("REST") FOR 30S, THREE TIMES. SUBJECTS THEN PERFORMED THE FOLLOWING YOGA POSES IN A RANDOMIZED SEQUENCE WHILE SURFACE EMG ACTIVITY WAS RECORDED: TREE POSE, HALF-MOON, AND WARRIOR III. EACH POSE WAS HELD FOR 20S TO 30S AND PERFORMED THREE TIMES. EMG DATA WERE BAND PASS FILTERED AND THE ROOT MEAN SQUARE (RMS) WAS OBTAINED. THE PEAK RMS OF EACH OF THE RESTING TRIALS WAS OBTAINED AND AVERAGED TO PRODUCE AN AVERAGE PEAK RESTING RMS VALUE. THE STUDY REVEALED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER EMG ACTIVITY IN TA AND GA IN ALL THREE POSES WHEN COMPARED TO BF AND RF. BF PRODUCED GREATER EMG ACTIVITY THAN RF IN WARRIOR III. IN CONCLUSION, SINGLE LIMB YOGA POSES REQUIRE INCREASED USE OF THE ANKLE MUSCULATURE WHEN COMPARED TO THIGH MUSCULATURE. 2019