1 1780 141 PREDICTORS OF ADHERENCE TO AN IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. CONTEXT: DESPITE THE KNOWN HEALTH BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, PARTICIPATION RATES IN CANCER SURVIVOR GROUPS REMAIN LOW. RESEARCHERS HAVE ATTEMPTED TO IDENTIFY ALTERNATIVE MODES OF NONTRADITIONAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES THAT MAY INCREASE PARTICIPATION AND ADHERENCE RATES. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE DETERMINANTS OF YOGA IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. AIM: TO EXAMINE PREDICTORS OF IYENGAR YOGA ADHERENCE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS USING THE THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOUR. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: CLASSES WERE HELD EITHER IN CAMPUS RECREATION FACILITIES OR AT THE BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE FITNESS CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA IN EDMONTON, CANADA. THE STUDY WAS AN EVALUATION OF AN EXISTING YOGA PROGRAM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: TWENTY-THREE POST ADJUVANT THERAPY BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS PARTICIPATING IN A COMMUNITY-BASED, TWICE WEEKLY, 12 WEEK IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM WERE ASKED TO COMPLETE BASELINE MEASURES OF THE THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR, DEMOGRAPHIC, MEDICAL, HEALTH/FITNESS, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL VARIABLES. ADHERENCE WAS MEASURED BY OBJECTIVE ATTENDANCE TO THE CLASSES. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: WE ANALYZED UNIVARIATE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN PREDICTORS AND YOGA ADHERENCE WITH INDEPENDENT T-TESTS. RESULTS: ADHERENCE TO THE IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM WAS 63.9% AND WAS PREDICTED BY STRONGER INTENTION (P<0.001), GREATER SELF-EFFICACY (P=0.003), MORE POSITIVE INSTRUMENTAL ATTITUDE (PS=0.025), HIGHER DISEASE STAGE (P=0.018), YOGA EXPERIENCE IN THE PAST YEAR, (P=0.044), DIAGNOSIS OF A SECOND CANCER (P=0.008), LOWER FATIGUE (P=0.037), AND GREATER HAPPINESS (P=0.023). CONCLUSIONS: ADHERENCE TO IYENGAR YOGA IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WAS STRONGLY RELATED TO MOTIVATIONAL VARIABLES FROM THE THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOUR. RESEARCHERS ATTEMPTING TO IMPROVE YOGA ADHERENCE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS MAY BENEFIT FROM TARGETING THE KEY CONSTRUCTS IN THE THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOUR. 2012 2 2433 19 YOGA AND PILATES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF LOW BACK PAIN. MANY INTERVENTIONS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF LOW BACK PAIN EXIST, HOWEVER MOST HAVE MODEST EFFICACY AT BEST, AND THERE ARE FEW WITH CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED BENEFITS ONCE PAIN BECOMES CHRONIC. THERAPEUTIC EXERCISE, ON THE OTHER HAND, DOES APPEAR TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS FOR MANAGING PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) IN TERMS OF DECREASING PAIN AND IMPROVING FUNCTION. IN ADDITION, BECAUSE CHRONIC PAIN IS COMPLEX AND DOES NOT FIT A SIMPLE MODEL, THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN NUMEROUS TRIALS INVESTIGATING AND DEMONSTRATING THE EFFICACY OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY PAIN PROGRAMS FOR CLBP. IT FOLLOWS THAT INTERVENTIONS THAT TREAT MORE THAN ONE ASPECT OF LBP WOULD HAVE SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS FOR THIS PATIENT POPULATION. YOGA AND PILATES WHICH HAVE, BOTH BEEN GAINING IN POPULARITY OVER THE LAST DECADE ARE TWO MIND-BODY EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS THAT ADDRESS BOTH THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ASPECTS OF PAIN WITH CORE STRENGTHENING, FLEXIBILITY, AND RELAXATION. THERE HAS BEEN A SLOW EVOLUTION OF THESE NONTRADITIONAL EXERCISE REGIMENS INTO TREATMENT PARADIGMS FOR LBP, ALTHOUGH FEW STUDIES EXAMINING THEIR EFFECTS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED. THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE WILL FOCUS ON THE SCIENTIFIC AND THEORETICAL BASIS OF USING YOGA AND PILATES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CLBP. 2008 3 2045 28 THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTION. BACKGROUND: DESPITE AN INCREASE IN THE PREVALENCE OF YOGA EXERCISE, RESEARCH FOCUSING ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA EXERCISE AND COGNITION IS LIMITED. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN ACUTE YOGA EXERCISE SESSION, RELATIVE TO AEROBIC EXERCISE, ON COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. METHODS: A REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN WAS EMPLOYED WHERE 30 FEMALE COLLEGE-AGED PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE = 20.07, SD = 1.95) COMPLETED 3 COUNTERBALANCED TESTING SESSIONS: A YOGA EXERCISE SESSION, AN AEROBIC EXERCISE SESSION, AND A BASELINE ASSESSMENT. THE FLANKER AND N-BACK TASKS WERE USED TO MEASURE COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. RESULTS: RESULTS SHOWED THAT COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE AFTER THE YOGA EXERCISE BOUT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY SUPERIOR (IE, SHORTER REACTION TIMES, INCREASED ACCURACY) AS COMPARED WITH THE AEROBIC AND BASELINE CONDITIONS FOR BOTH INHIBITION AND WORKING MEMORY TASKS. THE AEROBIC AND BASELINE PERFORMANCE WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT, CONTRADICTING SOME OF THE PREVIOUS FINDINGS IN THE ACUTE AEROBIC EXERCISE AND COGNITION LITERATURE. CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS ARE DISCUSSED RELATIVE TO THE NEED TO EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF OTHER NONTRADITIONAL MODES OF EXERCISE SUCH AS YOGA ON COGNITION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF TIME ELAPSED BETWEEN THE CESSATION OF THE EXERCISE BOUT AND THE INITIATION OF COGNITIVE ASSESSMENTS IN IMPROVING TASK PERFORMANCE. 2013 4 1510 24 IS THE "YOGA BOD" THE NEW SKINNY?: A COMPARATIVE CONTENT ANALYSIS OF MAINSTREAM YOGA LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE COVERS. AS YOGA HAS GAINED POPULARITY IN WESTERN CULTURE, CONCERNS HAVE BEEN RAISED ABOUT ITS INCREASED COMMERCIALIZATION AND ASSIMILATION INTO THE PREDOMINANTLY APPEARANCE-FOCUSED EXERCISE AND FITNESS CULTURE. IN THIS CONTEXT, THE PRESENT STUDY EXAMINED THE PHYSICAL APPEARANCE-RELATED CHARACTERISTICS (E.G., RACE/ETHNICITY, BODY SIZE, SHAPE, OBJECTIFYING APPAREL) OF 142 FEMALE MODELS AND THE MEDIA FRAMES OF 567 CAPTIONS (E.G., COMMERCIALISM, BODY COMPETENCE, HEALTH, WEIGHT/PHYSICAL APPEARANCE) FEATURED ON THE COVERS OF THREE WESTERNIZED YOGA LIFESTYLE MAGAZINES PUBLISHED BETWEEN 2010-2015. RESULTS INDICATED THAT MOST MODELS WERE WHITE, EMBODYING THE CONTEMPORARY "THIN-AND-LEAN" MEDIA FITNESS AESTHETIC. MODELS WERE ACTIVELY POSED WITH HIGH BODY VISIBILITY; AN APPRECIABLE MINORITY WAS PARTIALLY-CLAD IN SKIN-REVEALING OR FORM-FITTING UPPER-BODY ATTIRE. MEDIA FRAMES CONVEYING COMMERCIALISM AND BODY COMPETENCE WERE EQUALLY PRESENT. THE PATTERN OF EFFECTS TENDED TO REFLECT THE STRENGTH OF THE MAGAZINE TITLE'S ENDORSEMENT OF EXERCISE AND FITNESS CULTURAL VALUES. CLINICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS ALONG WITH FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS ARE DISCUSSED. 2017 5 2435 29 YOGA AND POSITIVE BODY IMAGE: A TEST OF THE EMBODIMENT MODEL. THE STUDY AIMED TO TEST THE EMBODIMENT MODEL OF POSITIVE BODY IMAGE (MENZEL & LEVINE, 2011) WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF YOGA. PARTICIPANTS WERE 193 YOGA PRACTITIONERS (124 IYENGAR, 69 BIKRAM) AND 127 UNIVERSITY STUDENTS (NON-YOGA PARTICIPANTS) FROM ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE MEASURES OF POSITIVE BODY IMAGE, EMBODIMENT, SELF-OBJECTIFICATION, AND DESIRE FOR THINNESS. RESULTS SHOWED YOGA PRACTITIONERS SCORED HIGHER ON POSITIVE BODY IMAGE AND EMBODIMENT, AND LOWER ON SELF-OBJECTIFICATION THAN NON-YOGA PARTICIPANTS. IN SUPPORT OF THE EMBODIMENT MODEL, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA PARTICIPATION AND POSITIVE BODY IMAGE WAS SERIALLY MEDIATED BY EMBODIMENT AND REDUCED SELF-OBJECTIFICATION. ALTHOUGH BIKRAM PRACTITIONERS ENDORSED APPEARANCE-RELATED REASONS FOR PARTICIPATING IN YOGA MORE THAN IYENGAR PRACTITIONERS, THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN IYENGAR AND BIKRAM YOGA PRACTITIONERS ON BODY IMAGE VARIABLES. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT YOGA IS AN EMBODYING ACTIVITY THAT CAN PROVIDE WOMEN WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO CULTIVATE A FAVOURABLE RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR BODY. 2016 6 1878 21 REALIZING YOGA'S ALL-ACCESS PASS: A SOCIAL JUSTICE CRITIQUE OF WESTERNIZED YOGA AND INCLUSIVE EMBODIMENT. IN THE 21(ST) CENTURY, THE ANCIENT MIND-BODY PRACTICE OF YOGA HAS SURGED IN POPULARITY AMONG WESTERN ENTHUSIASTS FOR ITS NUMEROUS HEALTH BENEFITS. PARTICULARLY, A GROWING EVIDENCE BASE SUPPORTS YOGA FOR CULTIVATING POSITIVE EMBODIMENT AND REDUCING RISK FOR DISORDERED EATING. NEVERTHELESS, AMIDST ITS RISE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT YOGA'S DEPARTURE FROM ITS SPIRITUAL FOUNDATIONS AND INCREASING ASSIMILATION INTO THE APPEARANCE- AND COMMERCIAL-DRIVEN EXERCISE AND FITNESS CULTURE. CONSEQUENTLY, AN EXCLUSIONARY IDENTITY HAS BEEN PERPETUATED IN SHAPING NORMS SURROUNDING WHO CAN AND DOES PRACTICE YOGA, WHICH CONTRADICTS EARLIER EGALITARIAN VISIONS OF A YOGA FOR ALL. THEREFORE, WE ADOPT A SOCIAL JUSTICE LENS IN OFFERING A FOCUSED ANALYSIS OF THE INTERSECTION OF YOGA, EMBODIMENT, AND INCLUSION FOR SELECT MARGINALIZED SOCIAL IDENTITIES TYPICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND IN YOGA SCHOLARSHIP. DATA ARE SYNTHESIZED FROM BOTH QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE SOURCES AND INTEGRATE AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW CONFINED MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS OF "THE YOGA BODY" AND OTHER PRACTICAL CONSTRAINTS MAY UNDERMINE THE PERCEIVED ACCESS TO THE PRACTICE FOR MEMBERS OF DIVERSE GROUPS. WE CONCLUDE WITH INVITING FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS TOWARDS FOSTERING MORE INTERDISCIPLINARY COMMUNITY-BASED RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS AMONG THE VARIETY OF STAKEHOLDERS INVESTED IN ADVANCING THE ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION OF YOGA AND POSITIVE EMBODIMENT FOR ALL BODIES. 2020 7 1735 23 PHENOMENOLOGICAL INQUIRY INTO PHOENIX RISING YOGA THERAPY. THERE IS GROWING RECOGNITION WITHIN PSYCHOLOGY AND OTHER DISCIPLINES THAT BODY EXPERIENCE MAY BE AS IMPORTANT AS COGNITIVE AND EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE. HOWEVER, PSYCHOLOGY HAS FEW PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS TO SUPPORT THE INTEGRATION OF MIND AND BODY WITHIN THERAPY. PHOENIX RISING YOGA THERAPY (PRYT) IS A FORM OF MIND-BODY THERAPY THAT USES YOGA POSTURE, TOUCH, AND PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC DIALOGUE TO FACILITATE GROWTH AND HEALING. THE CURRENT STUDY EXPLORED THE PHENOMENOLOGICAL EXPERIENCE OF FOUR WOMEN WHO EACH RECEIVED FIVE PRYT SESSIONS. RESEARCH QUESTIONS POSED WERE: (1) WHAT ARE THE CLIENTS' EXPERIENCES OF THE PHENOMENA OF PRYT? AND (2) HOW DOES RECEIVING PRYT SESSIONS IMPACT THE CLIENTS' LIVES? THE FOLLOWING THEMES EMERGED FROM THE DATA AS THE ESSENCE OF PRYT SESSIONS: MINDFULNESS, SELF-AWARENESS, MIND-BODY CONNECTION, IN VIVO EXPERIENCE OF NEW BEHAVIORS, CLIENT-DIRECTED, EMPOWERMENT, AND LIFE CHANGES. THESE THEMES SHOW SIGNIFICANCE IN THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION AND THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER ALTERNATIVE MODALITIES SUCH AS PRYT FOR CLIENTS. EACH PARTICIPANT NOTED GREATER INSIGHT INTO MIND-BODY CONNECTION. THEY NOTICED THE EFFECT OF COGNITION AND EMOTION ON THE BODY, OBSERVED HOW THE BODY CAN BE USED TO IMPROVE COPING THROUGH MOVEMENT AND BREATHING, AND EXPERIENCED DIFFERENT THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH DIFFERENT AREAS OF THEIR BODIES. ALTHOUGH THESE RESULTS ARE NOT NECESSARILY GENERALIZABLE, THEY OFFER INTERESTING THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR EMBODIED INTERVENTIONS. 2018 8 82 26 A MECHANISTIC MODEL FOR YOGA AS A PREVENTIVE AND THERAPEUTIC MODALITY. YOGA IS AN ANCIENT INDIAN TECHNIQUE OF HEALTHY LIVING. NUMEROUS STUDIES HAVE CORROBORATED YOGA'S BENEFICIAL EFFECTS, INCLUDING A FAVORABLE INFLUENCE ON AUTONOMIC FUNCTION AND NEGATIVE EMOTIONS. EXTENSIVE RESEARCH IN THE LAST FEW DECADES HAS REVEALED THE CRITICAL ROLE THAT YOGA CAN PLAY IN ERADICATING STRESS. THIS HAS LAID TO THE FOUNDATION FOR A SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES ATTRIBUTED TO STRESS, PARTICULARLY AT THE MOLECULAR AND GENETIC LEVELS. THIS PRIMARILY HAS HELPED UNDERSTAND THE EPIGENETIC AND GENETIC MECHANISM AT PLAY TO INDUCE AND ALLEVIATE STRESS, PARTICULARLY THOSE RELATED TO EMOTIONAL ABERRATIONS. AS RESEARCH HAS INDICATED, NEGATIVE EMOTIONS ARE TRANSLATED INTO VASCULAR INFLAMMATION APPROPRIATELY ACCENTUATED BY A SYMPATHETIC PREDOMINANT AUTONOMIC FUNCTION. THIS CASCADE IS BOLSTERED BY MULTIPLE FACTORS, INCLUDING ACTIVATION OF "STRESSOR" GENES AND ELABORATING HORMONES, INCLUDING STEROIDS WITH SOMETIMES NOCUOUS CONSEQUENCES, PARTICULARLY WHEN CHRONIC. YOGA HAS BEEN CATEGORICALLY FOUND TO HAVE INHIBITED EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE BANEFUL EFFECTS OF STRESS. IN FACT, IT ALSO CHANGES THE NEURONAL CIRCUITS THAT POTENTIATE SUCH A PLETHORA OF PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES. THIS, IN TURN, HAS ACCENTUATED YOGA'S RELEVANCE AS A POWERFUL PREVENTIVE INTERVENTION IN NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES (NCD). NCDS, INCLUDING HEART DISEASE, STROKE, AND RHEUMATOLOGICAL DISORDERS, ARE ESSENTIALLY INFLAMMATORY DISEASES THAT PERPETUATE INFLAMMATION IN DIFFERENT BEDS LIKE VASCULAR OR JOINT SPACES. THE PRECISE MECHANISM BY WHICH YOGA INDUCES SUCH BENEFICIAL CHANGES IS YET TO BE DELINEATED. HOWEVER, A CORNUCOPIA OF POINTERS INDICATES THAT NEURAL, ENDOCRINE, IMMUNOLOGICAL, CELLULAR, GENETIC, AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ARE AT PLAY. THIS ARTICLE ATTEMPTS TO COBBLE TOGETHER NEWFANGLED RESEARCH TO DELINEATE A MEDICAL MODEL FOR THIS 5000-YEAR-OLD PRACTICE FROM INDIA. THIS IS IMPERATIVE, AS A MECHANISTIC MODEL OF THIS ANCIENT-BUT-COMPLEX SYSTEM WOULD ENABLE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF ITS MECHANISM AND REVEAL ITS YET-UNDISCOVERED POSITIVE HEALTH EFFECTS. 2021 9 2211 19 THE HEALTH IMAGINARY OF POSTURAL YOGA. THIS PAPER EXPLORES THE CAPACITY OF YOGA NARRATIVES AND PRACTICES TO CONTRIBUTE TO AND RELATE IDEAS ABOUT HEALTH. IT ADDS THEORETICALLY TO EXISTING LITERATURE ON YOGA BY INTRODUCING THE CONCEPT OF THE 'HEALTH IMAGINARY' AS AN ANALYTIC LENS FOR CONSIDERING YOGA DISCOURSES IN LATE MODERN TIMES, WHERE PERSONAL HEALTH CARE AND SPIRITUAL AMBITIONS ARE ONCE AGAIN BECOMING BLURRED. WITH THIS PERSPECTIVE, THE PAPER PROVIDES A THOROUGH ANALYSIS OF HOW YOGA POSTURES (ASANAS) ARE CONCEIVED TO WORK THERAPEUTICALLY, IN YOGA'S RECENT HISTORY AND IN PRESENT-DAY YOGA THERAPY. TAKING CASE STUDIES FROM INDIA AND GERMANY, IT IS SHOWN EMPIRICALLY HOW THE APPLICATION OF ASANAS IS RATIONALIZED DIFFERENTLY IN SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHICAL AND THERAPEUTIC ENVIRONMENTS - PARTICULARLY REGARDING THE PRESUMED THEORY OF THE BODY. THUS, THE CONCEPT OF THE HEALTH IMAGINARY NOT ONLY PROVIDES ANALYTIC SPACE TO EXPLORE THE IMPLICIT LOGICS AND GOALS OF HEALING IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS, BUT ALSO OFFERS CLUES ABOUT THE DISTINCT SOCIAL, CULTURAL/RELIGIOUS, AND LOCAL INFLUENCES THAT DRAW PEOPLE INTO YOGA AND CONTRIBUTE TO ITS SELECTIVE APPROPRIATION ACROSS THE GLOBE. 2021 10 1547 12 LATE TOTAL HIP ARTHROPLASTY DISLOCATION DUE TO YOGA. YOGA HAS BECOME A POPULAR FORM OF EXERCISE, RECREATION, AND MEDITATION FOR ADULTS IN THE UNITED STATES. AS THE POPULARITY OF BOTH YOGA AND THE INCIDENCE OF HIP REPLACEMENTS HAVE BOTH COINCIDENTALLY INCREASED OVER THE LAST 2 DECADES, WE IMAGINE THAT THE NUMBER OF TOTAL HIP REPLACEMENT PATIENTS PARTAKING IN THE PRACTICE OF YOGA HAS ALSO INCREASED. THERE ARE NO CLEAR GUIDELINES AVAILABLE FOR YOGA PRACTICE FOLLOWING HIP REPLACEMENT. TO DATE, THERE HAVE BEEN NO PUBLISHED REPORTS OF PROSTHETIC HIP DISLOCATIONS DURING YOGA. WE PRESENT 2 CASES OF LATE TOTAL HIP DISLOCATIONS DURING YOGA AND PROVIDE A REVIEW OF THE AVAILABLE ORTHOPAEDIC LITERATURE AND OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ON PATIENT RESTRICTIONS AND EDUCATION WITH RESPECT TO PRACTICING YOGA AFTER A HIP REPLACEMENT. 2018 11 1678 19 OLDER WOMEN, EXERCISE TO MUSIC, AND YOGA: SENSES OF PLEASURE? THIS PAPER EXAMINES THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF OLDER WOMEN PARTICIPANTS IN (A) A LOW-IMPACT EXERCISE TO MUSIC (ETM) CLASS AND (B) A YOGA CLASS TO UNCOVER WHAT IS IMPORTANT FOR THEM IN TAKING PART IN THESE CLASSES. RESEARCHER S IS THE INSTRUCTOR OF THE ETM GROUP AND DRAWS UPON INDIVIDUAL AND FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEWS AND PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION. RESEARCHER B IS A MEMBER OF THE YOGA CLASS WHERE SHE INTERVIEWED THE WOMEN AND UNDERTOOK PARTICIPANT OBSERVATIONS. BOTH AUTHORS ARE A SIMILAR AGE TO THE OLDER WOMEN INTERVIEWEES. THROUGH A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INTERPRETATIVE APPROACH, THE PAPER EXAMINES THE WOMEN'S PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR EXERCISE CLASS AND YOGA EXPERIENCES, HIGHLIGHTING PLEASURABLE EXPERIENCES AND FEATURES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THIS ENJOYMENT. THE PAPER CONSIDERS RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PLEASURE, WELLBEING, THE SENSES, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND AGING, DRAWING UPON A VARIETY OF ANALYSES. IT PAYS ATTENTION TO THE CONTEXTUAL FEATURES OF THE ETM AND YOGA CLASSES IN MAKING AVAILABLE AND ACCESSIBLE PLEASURABLE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY EXPERIENCES FOR THE WOMEN AND DRAWS, IN PART, ON 'TYPOLOGIES' OF PLEASURE TO FRAME THE DEBATE AROUND OLDER WOMEN, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND SENSES OF PLEASURE. OUR RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS THE CONSIDERABLE WELLBEING AFFECTS FOR WOMEN WHEN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROVISION TAKES ACCOUNT OF CONTEXT (THE SPATIAL, CULTURAL, SOCIAL, AND SENTIENT). 2016 12 414 18 BODIES IN YOGA: TANGLED DISCOURSES IN CANADIAN STUDIOS. THIS PAPER PRESENTS THE PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF A ONE AND A HALF-YEAR ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY CONDUCTED IN VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA. THE RESEARCH FOCUSED ON PARTICIPANTS' EXPERIENCES OF THEIR BODIES IN THE CONTEXT OF YOGA AS A HEALTH PRACTICE-SPECIFICALLY HOW THEY CONCEPTUALISED THEIR MUSCULOSKELETAL BODIES IN THIS PRACTICE THROUGH IDEAS OF SYSTEMS, FRAGMENTS, AND MATERIALITY. IT ARGUES THAT PARTICIPANTS' LARGER NARRATIVES ABOUT HEALTH AND HEALTHY BODIES INFORM HOW YOGA AS A HEALTH PRACTICE IS EMBEDDED IN DISCOURSES OF BODY WORK WHERE YOGA, HEALTH, AND PARTICULAR NOTIONS OF BODILY-NESS BECOME A PROJECT FOR THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE SELF INTO A PARTICULAR IDEA OF WHAT A BODY IS OR SHOULD BE. 2021 13 653 19 EATING DISORDERS, EMBODIMENT, AND YOGA: A CONCEPTUAL OVERVIEW. YOGA AND ITS RELATION TO EMBODIMENT AND DISORDERED EATING HAS ONLY RECENTLY RECEIVED RESEARCH ATTENTION. NEVERTHELESS, EARLY RESEARCH INDICATES THAT YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL IN THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF EATING DISORDERS. IT IS ASSUMED THAT YOGA AMELIORATES EATING DISORDER SYMPTOMS AND FACILITATES A SHIFT FROM NEGATIVE TOWARDS POSITIVE BODY IMAGE AND WELL-BEING BY CULTIVATING POSITIVE EMBODIMENT (I.E., THE ABILITY TO FEEL A SENSE OF CONNECTION BETWEEN MIND AND BODY). IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE CONTEXT OF THE CONSTRUCTS OF DISORDERED EATING, EMBODIMENT, AND YOGA, THIS ARTICLE PRESENTS A BRIEF OVERVIEW AND CONCEPTUALIZATION OF THESE CONSTRUCTS. THE THREE MAJOR EATING DISORDERS AND CURRENT TREATMENT METHODS ARE DESCRIBED. FURTHER, THE PHILOSOPHICAL ROOTS AND THEORETICAL MODELS OF EMBODIMENT ARE DELINEATED AND THEIR COMMUNAL CORE FEATURES ARE OUTLINED. LASTLY, THE ORIGIN, BASIC PRINCIPLES, AND MODERN INTERPRETATIONS OF YOGA ARE DISCUSSED. 2020 14 2714 22 YOGA LESSONS FOR CONSCIOUSNESS RESEARCH: A PARALIMBIC NETWORK BALANCING BRAIN RESOURCE ALLOCATION. CONSCIOUSNESS HAS BEEN PROPOSED TO PLAY A KEY ROLE IN SHAPING FLEXIBLE LEARNING AND AS SUCH IS THOUGHT TO CONFER AN EVOLUTIONARY ADVANTAGE. ATTENTION AND AWARENESS ARE THE PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANT UNDERLYING PROCESSES, YET THEIR PRECISE RELATIONSHIP IS PRESENTLY UNCLEAR. BOTH OF THESE PROCESSES MUST, HOWEVER, SERVE THE EVOLUTIONARY IMPERATIVES OF SURVIVAL AND PROCREATION. THEY ARE THUS INTIMATELY BOUND BY REWARD AND EMOTION TO HELP TO PRIORITIZE EFFICIENT BRAIN RESOURCE ALLOCATION IN ORDER TO PREDICT AND OPTIMIZE BEHAVIOR. HERE WE SHOW HOW THIS PROCESS IS SERVED BY A PARALIMBIC NETWORK CONSISTING PRIMARILY OF REGIONS LOCATED ON THE MIDLINE OF THE HUMAN BRAIN. USING MANY DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES, EXPERIMENTS HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT THIS NETWORK IS EFFECTIVE AND SPECIFIC FOR SELF-AWARENESS AND CONTRIBUTES TO THE SENSE OF UNITY OF CONSCIOUSNESS BY ACTING AS A COMMON NEURAL PATH FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF CONSCIOUS EXPERIENCES. INTERESTINGLY, HEMODYNAMIC ACTIVITY IN THE NETWORK DECREASES WITH FOCUSING ON EXTERNAL STIMULI, WHICH HAS LED TO THE IDEA OF A DEFAULT MODE NETWORK. THIS NETWORK IS ONE OF MANY NETWORKS THAT WAX AND VANE AS RESOURCES ARE ALLOCATED TO ACCOMMODATE THE DIFFERENT CYCLICAL NEEDS OF THE ORGANISM PRIMARILY RELATED TO THE FUNDAMENTAL PLEASURES AFFORDED BY EVOLUTION: FOOD, SEX, AND CONSPECIFICS. HERE WE HYPOTHESIZE, HOWEVER, THAT THE PARALIMBIC NETWORK SERVES A CRUCIAL ROLE IN BALANCING AND REGULATING BRAIN RESOURCE ALLOCATION, AND DISCUSS HOW IT CAN BE THOUGHT OF AS A LINK BETWEEN CURRENT THEORIES OF SO-CALLED "DEFAULT MODE," "RESTING STATE NETWORKS," AND "GLOBAL WORKSPACE." WE SHOW HOW MAJOR DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS OF SELF-AWARENESS AND SELF-CONTROL CAN ARISE FROM PROBLEMS IN THE PARALIMBIC NETWORK AS DEMONSTRATED HERE BY THE EXAMPLE OF ASPERGER SYNDROME. WE CONCLUDE THAT ATTENTION, AWARENESS, AND EMOTION ARE INTEGRATED BY A PARALIMBIC NETWORK THAT HELPS TO EFFICIENTLY ALLOCATE BRAIN RESOURCES TO OPTIMIZE BEHAVIOR AND HELP SURVIVAL. 2011 15 987 30 EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA EXERCISES ON SPINE FLEXIBILITY IN WOMEN OVER 50 YEARS OLD. [PURPOSE] THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ACCESS THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE SPINE IN WOMEN PRACTICING YOGA AS A PART OF THE "UNIVERSITY FOR HEALTH" PROJECT. [SUBJECTS AND METHODS] THE STUDY INCLUDED 56 WOMEN RANGING IN AGE BETWEEN 50-79 AND ATTENDING 90 MINUTES HATHA YOGA SESSIONS ONCE A WEEK. THE MEASUREMENTS WERE PERFORMED TWICE-AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT AND AFTER ITS COMPLETION, I.E., AFTER 20 WEEKS OF CLASSES. THE RANGE OF SPINE MOBILITY IN THREE PLANES WAS MEASURED USING A RIPPSTEIN PLURIMETER. THE RANGE OF MOTION IN THE SAGITTAL AND FRONTAL PLANES WAS MEASURED IN A STANDING POSITION WITH THE FEET HIP-WIDTH APART. THE TORSIONAL RANGE OF MOTION OF THE SUBJECTS WAS MEASURED WITH THE TRUNK BENT AT A RIGHT ANGLE AND THE LEGS APART. THE FLEXIBILITY RANGES OF THE SPINE AND HAMSTRINGS WERE ALSO MEASURED BY THE TOE-TOUCH TEST IN A STANDING POSITION. [RESULTS] THIS STUDY SHOWED THAT THE APPLIED YOGA EXERCISES INCREASED SPINAL MOBILITY AND FLEXIBILITY OF THE HAMSTRING MUSCLES REGARDLESS OF AGE. [CONCLUSION] YOGA EXERCISES SHOULD BE RECOMMENDED TO THE ELDERLY TO MAKE THEIR MUSCLES MORE FLEXIBLE AND TO INCREASE THE RANGE OF MOTION IN THE JOINTS, WHICH IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT FOR IMPROVING THEIR LIFE QUALITY. 2015 16 560 24 CREATING INCLUSIVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY SPACES: THE CASE OF BODY-POSITIVE YOGA. PURPOSE: WITHIN THE MODERN CULTURAL CLIMATE, THOSE IN LARGER BODIES FACE HIGH LEVELS OF WEIGHT STIGMA, PARTICULARLY IN SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY SPACES, WHICH SERVES AS A STRONG BARRIER TO THEIR PARTICIPATION. HOWEVER, GIVEN THE STRONG LINK BETWEEN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND GENERAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING FOR PARTICIPANTS, IT IS IMPORTANT TO EXPLORE STRATEGIES THAT ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF THESE INDIVIDUALS. THUS, THE CURRENT RESEARCH EXAMINED STRATEGIES THAT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INSTRUCTORS USE TO DEVELOP INCLUSIVE EXERCISE SPACES FOR ALL BODY SIZES. METHOD: THIS STUDY EMPLOYED A SERIES OF SEMISTRUCTURED QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS (N = 9) WITH INSTRUCTORS OF BODY-INCLUSIVE YOGA CLASSES TO EXPLORE THE WAYS IN WHICH THEY ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION FOR THOSE IN LARGER BODIES. RESULTS: EMERGENT THEMES FROM THE CURRENT STUDY SUGGESTED SUPPORT FOR 6 FACTORS FOR CREATING BODY-INCLUSIVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY SPACES: AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP, A CULTURE OF INCLUSION, A FOCUS ON HEALTH, INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE, LEADER SOCIAL ACTIVISM, AND A SENSE OF COMMUNITY. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY REVEALED THAT LEADERS MUST INTENTIONALLY CULTIVATE INCLUSION IN THEIR SPACES TO ENCOURAGE THOSE IN NONCONFORMING BODIES TO PARTICIPATE. THESE FINDINGS HAVE IMPORTANT HEALTH AND MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS FOR THE SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY CONTEXT AND PROVIDE A BASIC OUTLINE OF PRACTICAL STRATEGIES THAT PRACTITIONERS CAN USE TO FOSTER INCLUSION IN THEIR SPACES. 2017 17 2276 15 THE ROLE OF YOGA: BREATHING, MEDITATION AND OPTIMAL FETAL POSITIONING. YOGA IS CONSIDERED A GOOD FORM OF EXERCISE IN PREGNANCY (NHS CHOICES RECOMMEND EXERCISE SUCH AS YOGA, AMONGST OTHERS) TO HELP WOMEN KEEP FIT DURING THEIR PREGNANCY AND PREPARE FOR THE BIRTH. BUT APART FROM THE PHYSICAL POSTURES, YOGA HAS PLENTY TO OFFER. THE BREATHING AND MEDITATION TECHNIQUES KEEP PREGNANT MOTHERS HEALTHY AND RELAXED, AND PROVIDE THE MENTAL FOCUS TO AID CHILDBIRTH. IN THIS ARTICLE WE LOOK AT YOGIC BREATHING AND MEDITATION TECHNIQUES FOR MIDWIVES TO RECOMMEND TO EXPECTANT MOTHERS, AND SOME POSTURES THAT SPECIFICALLY HELP TO ENCOURAGE AN OPTIMAL FETAL POSITION. 2014 18 1289 25 GREATER WIDESPREAD FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY OF THE CAUDATE IN OLDER ADULTS WHO PRACTICE KRIPALU YOGA AND VIPASSANA MEDITATION THAN IN CONTROLS. THERE HAS BEEN A GROWING INTEREST IN UNDERSTANDING HOW CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES AFFECT BRAIN FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATION. HOWEVER, MOST STUDIES HAVE RESTRICTED THEIR EXPLORATION TO PREDEFINED NETWORKS. FURTHERMORE, SCIENTIFIC COMPARISONS OF DIFFERENT CONTEMPLATIVE TRADITIONS ARE LARGELY LACKING. HERE WE EXPLORED DIFFERENCES IN WHOLE BRAIN RESTING STATE FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN EXPERIENCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS, EXPERIENCED MEDITATORS, AND MATCHED CONTROLS. ANALYSES WERE REPEATED IN AN INDEPENDENT SAMPLE OF EXPERIENCED MEDITATORS AND MATCHED CONTROLS. ANALYSES UTILIZING NETWORK-BASED STATISTICS (ZALESKY ET AL., 2010) REVEALED DIFFERENCE COMPONENTS FOR YOGA PRACTITIONERS > CONTROLS AND MEDITATORS > CONTROLS IN WHICH THE RIGHT CAUDATE WAS A CENTRAL NODE. FOLLOW UP ANALYSES REVEALED THAT YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND MEDITATORS HAD SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER DEGREE CENTRALITY IN THE CAUDATE THAN CONTROLS. THIS GREATER DEGREE CENTRALITY WAS NOT DRIVEN BY SINGLE CONNECTIONS BUT BY GREATER CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THE CAUDATE AND NUMEROUS BRAIN REGIONS. FINDINGS OF GREATER CAUDATE CONNECTIVITY IN MEDITATORS THAN IN CONTROLS WAS REPLICATED IN AN INDEPENDENT DATASET. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTITIONERS HAVE STRONGER FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY WITHIN BASAL GANGLIA CORTICO-THALAMIC FEEDBACK LOOPS THAN NON-PRACTITIONERS. ALTHOUGH WE COULD NOT PROVIDE EVIDENCE FOR ITS MECHANISTIC ROLE, THIS GREATER CONNECTIVITY MIGHT BE RELATED TO THE OFTEN REPORTED EFFECTS OF MEDITATION AND YOGA ON BEHAVIORAL FLEXIBILITY, MENTAL HEALTH, AND WELL-BEING. 2015 19 399 28 BEYOND THE BODY: INSIGHTS FROM AN IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH DISABILITY AFTER BREAST CANCER. LYMPHEDEMA, PAIN, AND RANGE OF MOTION RESTRICTIONS AFTER BREAST CANCER REMAIN UNDEREXPLORED, AND FEW INTERVENTIONS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED FOR THESE WOMEN. TOGETHER WITH A YOGA INSTRUCTOR, OUR INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH TEAM DEVELOPED A YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH LYMPHEDEMA AFTER BREAST CANCER (N = 13). QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS AND PARTICIPANTS' JOURNALS SHOW THAT THERE WERE A NUMBER OF BENEFITS TO THE YOGA PROGRAM. THEMES OUTLINING THESE ARE (1) UNDERSTANDING ARM MORBIDITY; (2) BECOMING AWARE OF POSTURE; AND (3) COUNTERING FATIGUE. MORE SURPRISINGLY, PERHAPS, THE PARTICIPANTS ALSO DESCRIBED THE WAYS IN WHICH YOGA FURTHERED THEIR UNDERSTANDINGS OF LOSS ASSOCIATED WITH DISABILITY, THE FOURTH THEME, AND SHOWED THAT YOGA ENHANCED THEIR EXPERIENCES OF EMBODIMENT, THE FINAL THEME. FINALLY, WE ASSERT THAT OUR RESEARCH DEMONSTRATES THE POTENTIAL FOR QUALITATIVE RESEARCH CONNECTED TO THE EVALUATION OF INTERVENTIONS AND THAT IT DEMONSTRATES THE BLURRING OF TRADITIONAL BOUNDARIES BETWEEN INTERVENTIONS AND DATA COLLECTION. 2014 20 1772 27 POTENTIAL SELF-REGULATORY MECHANISMS OF YOGA FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH. RESEARCH SUGGESTING THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MYRIAD ASPECTS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH HAS PROLIFERATED IN RECENT YEARS, YET THERE IS CURRENTLY NO OVERARCHING FRAMEWORK BY WHICH TO UNDERSTAND YOGA'S POTENTIAL BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. HERE WE PROVIDE A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND SYSTEMS-BASED NETWORK MODEL OF YOGA THAT FOCUSES ON INTEGRATION OF TOP-DOWN AND BOTTOM-UP FORMS OF SELF-REGULATION. WE BEGIN BY CONTEXTUALIZING YOGA IN HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY SETTINGS, AND THEN DETAIL HOW SPECIFIC COMPONENTS OF YOGA PRACTICE MAY AFFECT COGNITIVE, EMOTIONAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND AUTONOMIC OUTPUT UNDER STRESS THROUGH AN EMPHASIS ON INTEROCEPTION AND BOTTOM-UP INPUT, RESULTING IN PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH. THE MODEL DESCRIBES YOGA PRACTICE AS A COMPREHENSIVE SKILLSET OF SYNERGISTIC PROCESS TOOLS THAT FACILITATE BIDIRECTIONAL FEEDBACK AND INTEGRATION BETWEEN HIGH- AND LOW-LEVEL BRAIN NETWORKS, AND AFFERENT AND RE-AFFERENT INPUT FROM INTEROCEPTIVE PROCESSES (SOMATOSENSORY, VISCEROSENSORY, CHEMOSENSORY). FROM A PREDICTIVE CODING PERSPECTIVE WE PROPOSE A SHIFT TO PERCEPTUAL INFERENCE FOR STRESS MODULATION AND OPTIMAL SELF-REGULATION. WE DESCRIBE HOW THE PROCESSES THAT SUB-SERVE SELF-REGULATION BECOME MORE AUTOMATIZED AND EFFICIENT OVER TIME AND PRACTICE, REQUIRING LESS EFFORT TO INITIATE WHEN NECESSARY AND TERMINATE MORE RAPIDLY WHEN NO LONGER NEEDED. TO SUPPORT OUR PROPOSED MODEL, WE PRESENT THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE FOR YOGA AFFECTING SELF-REGULATORY PATHWAYS, INTEGRATING EXISTING CONSTRUCTS FROM BEHAVIOR THEORY AND COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE WITH EMERGING YOGA AND MEDITATION RESEARCH. THIS PAPER IS INTENDED TO GUIDE FUTURE BASIC AND CLINICAL RESEARCH, SPECIFICALLY TARGETING AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE TREATMENT OF STRESS-MEDIATED PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS. 2014