1 2258 189 THE PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO BIKRAM YOGA IN NOVICE AND EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS. CONTEXT: BIKRAM YOGA HAS GAINED A LARGE FOLLOWING, POSSIBLY BECAUSE OF WIDESPREAD CLAIMS BOASTING ENERGY EXPENDITURE OF UP TO 1000 CALORIES PER SESSION. HOWEVER, THESE CLAIMS ARE UNFOUNDED BECAUSE NO SCIENTIFIC STUDY HAS INVESTIGATED THE METABOLIC RESPONSE TO A COMPLETE, STANDARDIZED BIKRAM YOGA CLASS. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY INTENDS TO DETERMINE ENERGY EXPENDITURE, HEART RATE, AND SWEAT RATE IN NOVICE AND EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS FROM A STANDARDIZED BIKRAM YOGA CLASS. SETTING: DATA WERE COLLECTED IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHAMBER OF THE EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY AT SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY IN CALIFORNIA, USA. PARTICIPANTS: MALE (N = 5) AND FEMALE (N = 19) PARTICIPANTS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 57 Y WERE RECRUITED THROUGH FLYERS IN YOGA STUDIOS THROUGHOUT SAN DIEGO. PARTICIPANTS WERE CLASSIFIED AS EXPERIENCED OR NOVICE PRACTITIONERS, HAVING COMPLETED >/=20 OR <20 SESSIONS, RESPECTIVELY. INTERVENTIONS: PARTICIPANTS WERE GUIDED THROUGH A STANDARDIZED 90-MIN YOGA CLASS PERFORMED IN A HOT ENVIRONMENT USING BIKRAM'S STANDARD BEGINNING DIALOGUE, WHILE EXPIRED GAS WAS COLLECTED AND HEART RATE WAS RECORDED. OUTCOME MEASURES: ENERGY EXPENDITURE, CALCULATED VIA OXYGEN UPTAKE, AND HEART RATE WERE DETERMINED FOR EACH POSTURE AND TRANSITION PERIOD. IN ADDITION, SWEAT RATE AND CORE TEMPERATURE WERE RECORDED FOR EACH PARTICIPANT. RESULTS: MEAN (+/-SD) RELATIVE VO2 FOR THE ENTIRE 90-MIN SESSION WAS 9.5 +/- 1.9 ML X KG-1 X MIN-1, RANGING FROM 6.0 TO 12.9 ML X KG-1 X MIN-1. MEAN ABSOLUTE ENERGY EXPENDITURE WAS 286 +/- 72 KCALS, RANGING FROM 179 TO 478 KCALS. INDEPENDENT SAMPLE T TESTS REVEALED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES (P < .05) IN RELATIVE ENERGY EXPENDITURE, HEART RATE, ENDING CORE TEMPERATURE, AND SWEAT RATE BETWEEN EXPERIENCE LEVELS. MEAN RELATIVE ENERGY EXPENDITURE WAS 3.7 +/- 0.5 KCAL/KG IN NOVICE PRACTITIONERS AND 4.7 +/- 0.8 KCAL/KG IN EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS. PERCENTAGE OF PREDICTED MAXIMUM HEART RATE AND SWEAT RATE WERE 72.3% +/- 10.6% AND 0.6 +/- 0.2 KG/H IN NOVICE PRACTITIONERS AND 86.4% +/- 5.2% AND 1.1 +/- 0.5 KG/H IN EXPERIENCED PARTICIPANTS. ALL POSTURES WERE CLASSIFIED AS LIGHT-TO-MODERATE INTENSITY ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SPORTS MEDICINE (ACSM) STANDARDS. CONCLUSIONS: BIKRAM YOGA MEETS REQUIREMENTS FOR EXERCISE OF LIGHT-TO-MODERATE INTENSITY AND, THEORETICALLY, COULD BE USED FOR WEIGHT MAINTENANCE OR WEIGHT LOSS IF PRACTICED SEVERAL TIMES PER WEEK.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
2 2001  33 STRESS, INFLAMMATION, AND YOGA PRACTICE. OBJECTIVE: TO ADDRESS THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING HATHA YOGA'S POTENTIAL STRESS-REDUCTION BENEFITS, WE COMPARED INFLAMMATORY AND ENDOCRINE RESPONSES OF NOVICE AND EXPERT YOGA PRACTITIONERS BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER A RESTORATIVE HATHA YOGA SESSION, AS WELL AS IN TWO CONTROL CONDITIONS. STRESSORS BEFORE EACH OF THE THREE CONDITIONS PROVIDED DATA ON THE EXTENT TO WHICH YOGA SPEEDED AN INDIVIDUAL'S PHYSIOLOGICAL RECOVERY. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 50 HEALTHY WOMEN (MEAN AGE, 41.32 YEARS; RANGE, 30-65 YEARS), 25 NOVICES AND 25 EXPERTS, WERE EXPOSED TO EACH OF THE CONDITIONS (YOGA, MOVEMENT CONTROL, AND PASSIVE-VIDEO CONTROL) DURING THREE SEPARATE VISITS. RESULTS: THE YOGA SESSION BOOSTED PARTICIPANTS' POSITIVE AFFECT COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL CONDITIONS, BUT NO OVERALL DIFFERENCES IN INFLAMMATORY OR ENDOCRINE RESPONSES WERE UNIQUE TO THE YOGA SESSION. IMPORTANTLY, EVEN THOUGH NOVICES AND EXPERTS DID NOT DIFFER ON KEY DIMENSIONS, INCLUDING AGE, ABDOMINAL ADIPOSITY, AND CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS, NOVICES' SERUM INTERLEUKIN (IL)-6 LEVELS WERE 41% HIGHER THAN THOSE OF EXPERTS ACROSS SESSIONS, AND THE ODDS OF A NOVICE HAVING DETECTABLE C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (CRP) WERE 4.75 TIMES AS HIGH AS THAT OF AN EXPERT. DIFFERENCES IN STRESS RESPONSES BETWEEN EXPERTS AND NOVICES PROVIDED ONE PLAUSIBLE MECHANISM FOR THEIR DIVERGENT SERUM IL-6 DATA; EXPERTS PRODUCED LESS LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE-STIMULATED IL-6 IN RESPONSE TO THE STRESSOR THAN NOVICES, AND IL-6 PROMOTES CRP PRODUCTION. CONCLUSION: THE ABILITY TO MINIMIZE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES TO STRESSFUL ENCOUNTERS INFLUENCES THE BURDEN THAT STRESSORS PLACE ON AN INDIVIDUAL. IF YOGA DAMPENS OR LIMITS STRESS-RELATED CHANGES, THEN REGULAR PRACTICE COULD HAVE SUBSTANTIAL HEALTH BENEFITS.	2010	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
3  432  43 CAN YOGA PRACTICES BENEFIT HEALTH BY IMPROVING ORGANISM REGULATION? EVIDENCE FROM ELECTRODERMAL MEASURES OF ACUPUNCTURE MERIDIANS. OBJECTIVES: TO DOCUMENT AND EXPLAIN YOGA'S EFFECTS ON ACUPUNCTURE MERIDIAN ENERGIES. TO UNDERSTAND MECHANISMS BEHIND YOGA'S EFFICACY BY TESTING LINKS BETWEEN YOGA AND TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY COMPARED TWO GROUPS OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS: NOVICE AND EXPERIENCED. NOVICES CONSISTED OF 33 VOLUNTEERS FROM A SWAMI VIVEKANANDA YOGA ANUSANDHANA SAMSTHANA (S-VYASA) YOGA INSTRUCTOR TRAINING MODULE AND THE EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS WERE 20 RESIDENT SVYASA STUDENTS. THE INTERVENTION WAS 3 WEEKS OF A YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM, NEW FOR THE NOVICES, BUT THE LIFESTYLE OF THE EXPERIENCED GROUP, WHO WERE THEREFORE ASSESSED ONLY ONCE. NOVICES WERE ASSESSED ON DAY 2 AND 23 OF THEIR PROGRAM AT SVYASA'S YOGA MEDICINE HOSPITAL, MAKING THEIR DATA A PRE-POST, SELF-AS-CONTROL, PROSPECTIVE STUDY. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES WERE MEAN ACUMERIDIAN ENERGY LEVELS ASSESSED BY ACUGRAPH3 MEASURES OF ELECTRODERMAL RESISTANCE AT ACUPOINTS; ADDITIONALLY, GENDER DIFFERENCES, STANDARD DEVIATIONS (SDS) OF ALL MEASURES, AND COMPARISON OF POST AND EXPERIENCED GROUP DATA. RESULTS: AVERAGED ENERGY LEVELS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED IN ALL 24 MERIDIANS (MAXIMUM P = 0.032, 4-P < 0.01, AND 19-P < 0.001). FEMALES IMPROVED MORE THAN MALES (P < 0.05), BOTH ENDING AT SIMILAR LEVELS TO EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS, WHOSE SDS WERE LOWER THAN NOVICES ON 19/24 MERIDIANS (MEAN F = 3.715, P = 0.0022), AND 4/5 AVERAGE VARIABLES. CONCLUSIONS: ACUGRAPH3 ELECTRODERMAL MEASURES CONTAIN SUBSTANTIAL INFORMATION, P << 0.00001. YOGA-LIFESTYLE PRACTICE CAN INCREASE AND BALANCE ACUMERIDIAN ENERGIES; LONG-TERM PRACTICE DECREASES GROUP SD'S. THESE THREE SUGGEST REASONS WHY YOGA PRACTICE IMPACTS HEALTH: ONE, INCREASED PRANA LEVELS ARE IMPORTANT; TWO AND THREE, IMPROVED PHYSIOLOGICAL REGULATION IS THE KEY. FURTHER STUDIES RELATING TRADITIONAL INDIAN AND CHINESE MEDICAL SYSTEMS ARE NEEDED.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
4  285  31 ADIPONECTIN, LEPTIN, AND YOGA PRACTICE. TO ADDRESS THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING HATHA YOGA'S POTENTIAL STRESS-REDUCTION BENEFITS, WE COMPARED ADIPONECTIN AND LEPTIN DATA FROM WELL-MATCHED NOVICE AND EXPERT YOGA PRACTITIONERS. THESE ADIPOCYTOKINES HAVE COUNTER-REGULATORY FUNCTIONS IN INFLAMMATION; LEPTIN PLAYS A PROINFLAMMATORY ROLE, WHILE ADIPONECTIN HAS ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROPERTIES. FIFTY HEALTHY WOMEN (MEAN AGE=41.32, RANGE=30-65), 25 NOVICES AND 25 EXPERTS, PROVIDED FASTING BLOOD SAMPLES DURING THREE SEPARATE VISITS. LEPTIN WAS 36% HIGHER AMONG NOVICES COMPARED TO EXPERTS, P=.008. ANALYSIS OF ADIPONECTIN REVEALED A BORDERLINE EFFECT OF YOGA EXPERTISE, P=.08; EXPERTS' AVERAGE ADIPONECTIN LEVELS WERE 28% HIGHER THAN NOVICES ACROSS THE THREE VISITS. IN CONTRAST, EXPERTS' AVERAGE ADIPONECTIN TO LEPTIN RATIO WAS NEARLY TWICE THAT OF NOVICES, P=.009. FREQUENCY OF SELF-REPORTED YOGA PRACTICE SHOWED SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH LEPTIN; MORE WEEKS OF YOGA PRACTICE OVER THE LAST YEAR, MORE LIFETIME YOGA SESSIONS, AND MORE YEARS OF YOGA PRACTICE WERE ALL SIGNIFICANTLY ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER LEPTIN, WITH SIMILAR FINDINGS FOR THE ADIPONECTIN TO LEPTIN RATIO. NOVICES AND EXPERTS DID NOT SHOW EVEN MARGINAL DIFFERENCES ON BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL DIMENSIONS THAT MIGHT REPRESENT POTENTIAL CONFOUNDS, INCLUDING BMI, CENTRAL ADIPOSITY, CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS, AND DIET. PROSPECTIVE STUDIES ADDRESSING INCREASED RISK FOR TYPE II DIABETES, HYPERTENSION, AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE HAVE HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE ADIPOCYTOKINES IN MODULATING INFLAMMATION. ALTHOUGH THESE HEALTH RISKS ARE CLEARLY RELATED TO MORE EXTREME VALUES THEN WE FOUND IN OUR HEALTHY SAMPLE, OUR DATA RAISE THE POSSIBILITY THAT LONGER-TERM AND/OR MORE INTENSIVE YOGA PRACTICE COULD HAVE BENEFICIAL HEALTH CONSEQUENCES BY ALTERING LEPTIN AND ADIPONECTIN PRODUCTION.	2012	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
5  341  51 ARTERIAL BLOOD PRESSURE AND CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES TO YOGA PRACTICE. CONTEXT: YOGA IS QUALITATIVELY DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER MODE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN THAT IT CONSISTS OF A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF ISOMETRIC MUSCULAR CONTRACTIONS, STRETCHING EXERCISES, RELAXATION TECHNIQUES, AND BREATHING EXERCISES. IN PARTICULAR, YOGA POSTURES CONSIST OF SYSTEMIC ISOMETRIC CONTRACTIONS THAT ARE KNOWN TO ELICIT MARKED INCREASES IN MEAN BLOOD PRESSURE THAT ARE NOT OBSERVED DURING DYNAMIC EXERCISE. STRETCHING CAN ALSO INDUCE INCREASES IN BLOOD PRESSURE AND SYMPATHETIC NERVE ACTIVITY IN THE MUSCLES. CURRENTLY, NOT MUCH IS KNOWN ABOUT CHANGES IN BLOOD PRESSURE AND OTHER CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES TO YOGA PRACTICE. OBJECTIVE: THE STUDY INTENDED TO DETERMINE THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF ONE SESSION OF HATHA YOGA PRACTICE ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND OTHER CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES. TO GAIN INSIGHT INTO THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE, BOTH NOVICE (N = 19) AND ADVANCED (N = 18) YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE STUDIED. DESIGN: THE TWO GROUPS WERE MATCHED FOR AGE, GENDER, BMI, AND BLOOD PRESSURE. SETTING: THE SETTING WAS A RESEARCH LABORATORY AT A UNIVERSITY. PARTICIPANTS: THIRTY-SIX APPARENTLY HEALTHY, NONOBESE, SEDENTARY, OR RECREATIONALLY ACTIVE INDIVIDUALS FROM THE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. INTERVENTION THE INTERVENTION COMPRISED ONE SESSION OF YOGA PRACTICE, IN WHICH PARTICIPANTS FOLLOWED A CUSTOM MADE INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO PROVIDING A YOGA ROUTINE THAT CONSISTED OF A SERIES OF 23 HATHA-BASED YOGA POSTURES. OUTCOME MEASURES: PRIOR TO ARRIVING AT THE LABORATORY, EACH PARTICIPANT COMPLETED A RESEARCH HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE, A TRAINING-STATUS QUESTIONNAIRE, AND A YOGA-EXPERIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE. PRIOR TO THE YOGA PRACTICE, EACH PARTICIPANT'S HEIGHT, BODY FAT PERCENTAGE, TRUNK OR LUMBAR FLEXIBILITY, AND ARTERIAL STIFFNESS AS ASSESSED BY CAROTID FEMORAL PULSE WAVE VELOCITY (CFPWV) WERE MEASURED. FOR EACH POSTURE DURING THE YOGA PRACTICE, THE STUDY CONTINUOUSLY MEASURED SYSTOLIC, MEAN, AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES, HEART RATE, STROKE VOLUME, AND CARDIAC OUTPUT. RESULTS: SYSTOLIC, MEAN, AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY DURING THE YOGA PRACTICE. THE MAGNITUDE OF THESE INCREASES IN BLOOD PRESSURE WAS GREATEST WITH STANDING POSTURES. HEART RATE AND CARDIAC OUTPUT INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY DURING YOGA PRACTICE, ESPECIALLY WITH STANDING POSTURES. OVERALL, NO DIFFERENCES EXISTED IN CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES BETWEEN THE NOVICE AND ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS THROUGHOUT THE YOGA TESTING SESSION; CFPWV VELOCITY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY AND INVERSELY ASSOCIATED WITH LUMBAR FLEXION BUT NOT WITH SIT-AND-REACH TEST SCORES. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESEARCH TEAM CONCLUDED THAT A VARIETY OF HATHA YOGA POSTURES, ESPECIALLY STANDING POSTURES, EVOKED SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN BLOOD PRESSURE. THE ELEVATION IN BLOOD PRESSURE DUE TO YOGA PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASES IN CARDIAC OUTPUT AND HEART RATE, WHICH ARE RESPONSES SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN ISOMETRIC EXERCISE. THE LACK OF OBVIOUS DIFFERENCES IN BLOOD PRESSURE AND OTHER CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES BETWEEN NOVICE AND ADVANCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS SUGGESTS THAT LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTICE DOES NOT ATTENUATE ACUTE YOGA RESPONSES.	2013	

6  664  36 EFFECT OF 90-MIN BIKRAM YOGA ON BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS AMONG PRACTITIONERS IN THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES. BACKGROUND: IN OUR MODERN SOCIETY, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS A LIFESTYLE CHOICE. BIKRAM YOGA IS A LOW IMPACT; MODERATE EXERCISE AND THE UNDERSTANDING OF MOTIVATION AND ADHERENCE TO THE PRACTICE IS UNKNOWN. THIS STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF 90 MIN BIKRAM YOGA PRACTICE ON BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS OF COMPETENCE (THE SENSE OF SKILL MASTERY), AUTONOMY (VOLITIONALLY PERFORMING A TASK), AND RELATEDNESS (A CONNECTION WITH OTHERS) AS POSTULATED IN SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY FOR MOTIVATION. METHODS: THE SAMPLE INCLUDED BIKRAM YOGA PRACTITIONERS IN THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES (N = 126) AVERAGED BETWEEN THE AGE GROUP OF 35 AND 64, PREDOMINATELY FEMALE, AND HIGHLY EDUCATED. RESPONSES TO THE PSYCHOLOGICAL NEED SATISFACTION IN EXERCISE SCALE WERE ANALYZED USING MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE. RESULTS: RESULTS SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECT OF FREQUENCY OF YOGA ATTENDANCE ON THE SATISFACTION OF BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS (I.E., COMPETENCE, AUTONOMY, AND RELATEDNESS); (P = 0.025); SPECIFICALLY, YOGA PRACTITIONERS WHO ATTENDED FOUR OR MORE CLASSES PER WEEK HAD HIGHER SATISFACTION LEVELS OF BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL NEED FOR COMPETENCE (P = 0.013) AND RELATEDNESS (P = 0.034). A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECT OF THE LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE ON THE SATISFACTION OF BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS (I.E., COMPETENCE, AUTONOMY, AND RELATEDNESS) (P = 0.014) FOUND IN EXPERIENCED BIKRAM YOGA PRACTITIONERS, SPECIFICALLY FOR COMPETENCE (P = 0.013) AND RELATEDNESS (P = 0.023) COMPARED TO NOVICE COUNTERPARTS. CONCLUSION: THE STUDY PROVIDES SOME EVIDENCE OF AN INDIVIDUAL'S MOTIVATION FOR A 90 MIN BIKRAM YOGA PRACTICE AND POSSIBLE ADHERENCE. FUTURE INVESTIGATION OF BIKRAM YOGA PRACTICE ADOPTING SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY APPEARS WORTHWHILE.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
7 1319  31 HEART RATE VARIABILITY, FLOW, MOOD AND MENTAL STRESS DURING YOGA PRACTICES IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS, NON-YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND PEOPLE WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME. HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) AND RESPIRATORY SINUS ARRHYTHMIA ARE DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH AUTONOMIC FLEXIBILITY, SELF-REGULATION AND WELL-BEING, AND INVERSELY ASSOCIATED WITH PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS, PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AND PATHOLOGY. YOGA ENHANCES AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY, MITIGATES STRESS AND BENEFITS STRESS-RELATED CLINICAL CONDITIONS, YET THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES DURING YOGA PRACTICES AND STRESSFUL STIMULI HAS NOT BEEN WIDELY EXPLORED. THIS EXPERIMENTAL STUDY EXPLORED THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HRV, MOOD STATES AND FLOW EXPERIENCES IN REGULAR YOGA PRACTITIONERS (YP), NON-YOGA PRACTITIONERS (NY) AND PEOPLE WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME (METS), DURING MENTAL ARITHMETIC STRESS TEST (MAST) AND VARIOUS YOGA PRACTICES. THE STUDY FOUND THAT THE MAST PLACED A CARDIO-AUTONOMIC BURDEN IN ALL PARTICIPANTS WITH THE YP GROUP SHOWING THE GREATEST REACTIVITY AND THE MOST RAPID RECOVERY, WHILE THE METS GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY BLUNTED RECOVERY. THE YP GROUP ALSO REPORTED A HEIGHTENED EXPERIENCE OF FLOW AND POSITIVE MOOD STATES COMPARED TO NY AND METS GROUPS AS WELL AS HAVING A HIGHER VAGAL TONE DURING ALL RESTING CONDITIONS. THESE RESULTS SUGGEST YOGA PRACTITIONERS HAVE A GREATER HOMEOSTATIC CAPACITY AND AUTONOMIC, METABOLIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL RESILIENCE. FURTHER STUDIES ARE NOW NEEDED TO DETERMINE IF REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE MAY IMPROVE AUTONOMIC FLEXIBILITY IN NON-YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND METABOLIC SYNDROME PATIENTS. CLINICAL TRIAL NO 'ACTRN 2614001075673'.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
8 1514  32 IS WEEKLY FREQUENCY OF YOGA PRACTICE SUFFICIENT? PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AMONG HEALTHY NOVICE WOMEN. BENEFICIAL PHYSICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL HEALTH OUTCOMES OF YOGA PRACTICE ARE WELL-SUPPORTED BY EMPIRICAL DATA. HOWEVER, WHETHER WEEKLY FREQUENCY OF TRAINING IS SUFFICIENT TO EVOKE POSITIVE CHANGES, IS STILL AN OPEN QUESTION. THE PRESENT INTERVENTION STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF 10 WEEKLY SESSIONS OF BEGINNER LEVEL HATHA YOGA WITH RESPECT TO INDICATORS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MARKERS. 82 YOUNG WOMEN (MEAN AGE OF 22.0 +/- 3.83 YEARS) PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. THE YOGA GROUP (N = 49) ATTENDED A YOGA COURSE CONSISTING OF 10 SESSIONS (1.5 H EACH) ON A WEEKLY BASIS. THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 33) DID NOT RECEIVE ANY INTERVENTION. BMI, BODY FAT PERCENTAGE, BALANCE (ONE-LEG-STAND TEST WITH OPEN AND CLOSED EYES, FUNCTIONAL REACH TEST), FLEXIBILITY (SIDE BEND TEST, MODIFIED SIT AND REACH TEST) CORE MUSCLE STRENGTH (PLANK TEST) AS WELL AS RESTING HEART RATE (HR), AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) WERE ASSESSED 1 WEEK BEFORE AND AFTER THE COURSE. BOTH FREQUENTIST AND BAYESIAN ANALYSIS SHOWED AN IMPROVEMENT IN FLEXIBILITY AND BALANCE IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED ALSO INCREASED CORE MUSCLE STRENGTH. NO CHANGES WITH RESPECT TO BMI, BODY FAT PERCENTAGE, RESTING HR AND HRV WERE FOUND. NINETY MINUTE BEGINNER LEVEL HATHA YOGA CLASSES WERE CHARACTERIZED BY 93.39 HR AND 195 KCAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION ON AVERAGE. THE PRESENT FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT WEEKLY SETTING OF A 10-SESSION LONG HATHA YOGA TRAINING LEADS TO IMPROVEMENTS IN BALANCE, FLEXIBILITY AND CORE MUSCLE STRENGTH AMONG HEALTHY YOUNG WOMEN. HOWEVER, FOR CHANGES IN BMI, BODY FAT PERCENTAGE, RESTING HR AND HRV LONGER, AND/OR MORE INTENSE INTERVENTIONS ARE NEEDED.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
9 1191  23 EVOLUTION FROM FOUR MENTAL STATES TO THE HIGHEST STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS: A NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF MEDITATION AS DEFINED IN YOGA TEXTS. THIS CHAPTER PROVIDES A THEORETICAL INTRODUCTION TO STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND REVIEWS NEUROSCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS OF MEDITATION. THE DIFFERENT STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS CONSIST OF FOUR MENTAL STATES, I.E., CANCALATA (RANDOM THINKING), EKAGRATA (NON-MEDITATIVE FOCUSING), DHARNA (FOCUSED MEDITATION), AND DHYANA (MEDITATION) AS DEFINED IN YOGA TEXTS. MEDITATION IS A SELF-REGULATED MENTAL PROCESS ASSOCIATED WITH DEEP RELAXATION AND INCREASED INTERNALIZED ATTENTION. SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS ON MEDITATION REPORTED CHANGES IN ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNALS AND NEUROIMAGING MEASURES. BUT MOST OUTCOMES OF MEDITATION STUDIES SHOWED INCONSISTENT RESULTS, THIS MAY BE DUE TO HETEROGENEITY IN MEDITATION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES EVOLVED IN THE LAST 200 YEARS. TRADITIONALLY, THE FEATURES OF MEDITATION INCLUDE THE CAPACITY TO SUSTAIN A HEIGHTENED AWARENESS OF THOUGHTS, BEHAVIORS, EMOTIONS, AND PERCEPTIONS. GENERALLY, MEDITATION INVOLVES NON-REACTIVE EFFORTLESS MONITORING OF THE CONTENT OF EXPERIENCE FROM MOMENT TO MOMENT. FOCUSED MEDITATION PRACTICE INVOLVES AWARENESS ON A SINGLE OBJECT AND OPEN MONITORING MEDITATION IS A NON-DIRECTIVE MEDITATION INVOLVED ATTENTION IN BREATHING, MANTRA, OR SOUND. THEREFORE, RESULTS OF FEW EMPIRICAL STUDIES OF ADVANCED MEDITATORS OR BEGINNERS REMAIN TENTATIVE. THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO COMPILE THE MEDITATION-RELATED CHANGES IN ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL AND NEUROIMAGING PROCESSES AMONG EXPERIENCED AND NOVICE PRACTITIONERS.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
10  642  51 DOES PRACTICING HATHA YOGA SATISFY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INTENSITY OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WHICH IMPROVES AND MAINTAINS HEALTH AND CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS? BACKGROUND: LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE METABOLIC AND HEART RATE RESPONSES TO A TYPICAL HATHA YOGA SESSION. THE PURPOSES OF THIS STUDY WERE 1) TO DETERMINE WHETHER A TYPICAL YOGA PRACTICE USING VARIOUS POSTURES MEETS THE CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY REQUIRED TO IMPROVE AND MAINTAIN HEALTH AND CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS; 2) TO DETERMINE THE RELIABILITY OF METABOLIC COSTS OF YOGA ACROSS SESSIONS; 3) TO COMPARE THE METABOLIC COSTS OF YOGA PRACTICE TO THOSE OF TREADMILL WALKING. METHODS: IN THIS OBSERVATIONAL STUDY, 20 INTERMEDIATE-TO-ADVANCED LEVEL YOGA PRACTITIONERS, AGE 31.4 +/- 8.3 YEARS, PERFORMED AN EXERCISE ROUTINE INSIDE A HUMAN RESPIRATORY CHAMBER (INDIRECT CALORIMETER) WHILE WEARING HEART RATE MONITORS. THE EXERCISE ROUTINE CONSISTED OF 30 MINUTES OF SITTING, 56 MINUTES OF BEGINNER-LEVEL HATHA YOGA ADMINISTERED BY VIDEO, AND 10 MINUTES OF TREADMILL WALKING AT 3.2 AND 4.8 KPH EACH. MEASURES WERE MEAN OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (VO2), HEART RATE (HR), PERCENTAGE PREDICTED MAXIMAL HEART RATE (%MHR), METABOLIC EQUIVALENTS (METS), AND ENERGY EXPENDITURE (KCAL). SEVEN SUBJECTS REPEATED THE PROTOCOL SO THAT MEASUREMENT RELIABILITY COULD BE ESTABLISHED. RESULTS: MEAN VALUES ACROSS THE ENTIRE YOGA SESSION FOR VO2, HR, %MHR, METS, AND ENERGY/MIN WERE 0.6 L/KG/MIN; 93.2 BEATS/MIN; 49.4%; 2.5; AND 3.2 KCAL/MIN; RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS OF THE ICCS (2,1) FOR MEAN VALUES ACROSS THE ENTIRE YOGA SESSION FOR KCAL, METS, AND %MHR WERE 0.979 AND 0.973, AND 0.865, RESPECTIVELY. CONCLUSION: METABOLIC COSTS OF YOGA AVERAGED ACROSS THE ENTIRE SESSION REPRESENT LOW LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, ARE SIMILAR TO WALKING ON A TREADMILL AT 3.2 KPH, AND DO NOT MEET RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR IMPROVING OR MAINTAINING HEALTH OR CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS. YOGA PRACTICE INCORPORATING SUN SALUTATION POSTURES EXCEEDING THE MINIMUM BOUT OF 10 MINUTES MAY CONTRIBUTE SOME PORTION OF SUFFICIENTLY INTENSE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO IMPROVE CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS IN UNFIT OR SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS. THE MEASUREMENT OF ENERGY EXPENDITURE ACROSS YOGA SESSIONS IS HIGHLY RELIABLE.	2007	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
11  761  33 EFFECT OF SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA (SKY) ON DAYTIME AND SITUATIONAL SLEEP PROPENSITY IN NOVICE PRACTITIONERS: A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: HECTIC, LATE-NIGHT LIFESTYLE HAS REDUCED 90 MIN SLEEP IN 20% ADULTS RESULTING IN INSOMNIA AND EXCESSIVE DAYTIME SLEEPINESS (EDS). WE ASSESS THE SCOPE OF SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA (SKY), A 4-COMPONENT, BREATHING PROCESS IN REDUCING EDS, GENERALLY AND SITUATIONALLY. METHODS: THIS IS A PROSPECTIVE, CONTROLLED STUDY INVOLVING RANDOMIZED SUBJECTS WITHOUT ANY SLEEP-WAKE CYCLE ANOMALIES AND PRIOR EXPERIENCE IN SKY. SUBJECTS (N=52) PERFORMED 30 MIN OF SKY FOR 6 DAYS/WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS, WHILE CONTROLS (N=53) PERFORMED SITTING ACTIVITY AND SURYANAMASKAR FOR 4-WEEKS EACH. EPWORTH SLEEPINESS SCALE (ESS) WAS USED TO MEASURE EDS AT 0, 4, AND 8 WEEKS. RESULTS: SKY GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT ESS SCORE IMPROVEMENTS BETWEEN 0-4 WEEKS AND 4-8 WEEKS OF 1.22 (P=0.0001) AND 1.66 (P=0.001) RESPECTIVELY. CONTROLS HOWEVER FAILED TO IMPROVE WITH SCORE DIFFERENCES OF 0.02 (P=0.892) AND 0.02 (P=0.8212) RESPECTIVELY. SKY GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT ESS SCORE IMPROVEMENT OVER CONTROLS AT 4-WEEKS (DIFFERENCE=1.74; P=0.013) AND 8-WEEKS (DIFFERENCE EIGHT; P=0.0001). IMPROVEMENT WAS MOST FOR OBESE PEOPLE AND THOSE SITTING IN A HALTED CAR. CONCLUSIONS: IMPROVEMENT IN SUBJECTS' NIGHTTIME SLEEP AND DAYTIME WAKEFULNESS IN SKY PRACTITIONERS CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO POLYVAGAL THEORY. INCREASED HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) ALTERATIONS AND SYMPATHETIC HYPERAROUSAL IN CHRONIC INSOMNIA; AND CHOLINERGIC AND GABAERGIC DYSREGULATION IN ANXIETY DISORDERS ARE COUNTERED BY REGULATED VAGAL NERVE STIMULATION POST SKY. OUR STUDY ESTABLISHES EFFECTIVITY OF SKY IN REDUCING EDS (TOTAL AND SITUATIONAL), PROVIDES A CLINICAL CORRELATION FOR PRIOR POLYSOMNOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE AND PAVES WAY FOR LARGER TRIALS DIRECTED TOWARDS SKY PRESCRIPTIONS FOR INSOMNIA.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
12 2225  30 THE IMPACT OF TRAIT MINDFULNESS ON RELATIONAL OUTCOMES IN NOVICE YOGA PRACTITIONERS PARTICIPATING IN AN ACADEMIC YOGA COURSE. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE ROLE OF DISPOSITIONAL MINDFULNESS IN IMPACTING THE RELATIONAL BENEFITS OF YOGA IN NOVICE PRACTITIONERS IN AN UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC YOGA COURSE. PARTICIPANTS: 21 COLLEGE STUDENTS ENROLLED IN A YOGA COURSE THROUGHOUT A 15-WEEK ACADEMIC SEMESTER (JANUARY-APRIL 2016). METHODS: PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED LAB ASSESSMENTS AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF THE SEMESTER AND WERE ASKED TO COMPLETE EIGHT CONSECUTIVE INTERNET-BASED DAILY SURVEYS ACROSS SIX SEPARATE BURSTS, YIELDING 48 DATA POINTS FOR EACH PARTICIPANT. RESULTS: MULTIVARIATE TIME-SERIES ANALYSES REVEALED WITHIN-PERSON SUBGROUP DIFFERENCES SUCH THAT IN GENERAL, THOSE IN THE HIGH TRAIT MINDFULNESS GROUP GLEANED BENEFITS FROM YOGA PRACTICE WITH RESPECT TO RELATIONAL OUTCOMES. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATED TRAIT MINDFULNESS IMPACTS RELATIONAL OUTCOMES IN NOVICE YOGA PRACTITIONERS, SUGGESTING THOSE LOW IN TRAIT MINDFULNESS MAY NOT GARNER IMMEDIATE RELATIONAL BENEFITS FROM YOGA AND COULD BENEFIT FROM ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES TO BOLSTER AGAINST ANY NEGATIVE INFLUENCES OF INITIATING YOGA PRACTICE.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
13  992  28 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
14 1390  26 IMPACT OF SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA ON SALIVARY PH: AN EXPLORATORY PILOT STUDY. INTRODUCTION: SALIVA IS INCREASINGLY USED AS A DIAGNOSTIC TOOL AS IT IS NON-INVASIVE, EASILY ACCESSIBLE, AND LESS STRESSFUL COMPARED TO BLOOD SAMPLING. SALIVA HAS A VITAL ROLE IN MAINTAINING ORAL HEALTH. IT IS NECESSARY FOR THE SALIVARY PH TO BE NEUTRAL IN THE ORAL CAVITY FOR THE OPTIMAL FUNCTIONING OF ITS COMPONENTS. STRESS HAS AN EFFECT ON SALIVARY PH. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF A MIND-BODY INTERVENTION LIKE SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA (SKY) ON THE SALIVARY PH. METHODS AND MATERIALS: AN EXPLORATORY PILOT STUDY INVOLVING AN OPEN TRIAL ON 321 HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE NOVICE TO SKY WAS CONDUCTED. THE SALIVARY PH WAS MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER A SINGLE 90-MIN SESSION OF SKY. RESULTS: THE SALIVARY PH CONTINUED TO BE NEUTRAL AFTER THE INTERVENTION IN THE GROUP THAT HAD INITIAL NEUTRAL PH. THERE WAS A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT SHIFT OF PH TOWARDS NEUTRAL IN BOTH THE GROUPS THAT HAD EITHER ACIDIC OR ALKALINE PH INITIALLY. CONCLUSION: MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS LIKE SKY MODULATE THE SALIVARY PH TO BRING IT TO THE RANGE OF OPTIMAL FUNCTIONING. THIS PILOT STUDY PROVIDES INFORMATION FOR FUTURE LONG-TERM STUDIES THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED WITH MEASURES OF ANXIETY AND STRESS ALONG WITH MEASURING OTHER SALIVARY BIOMARKERS.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
15 1147  48 ENERGY EXPENDITURE DURING A VINYASA YOGA SESSION. BACKGROUND: VINYASA YOGA HAS BEEN RECENTLY PROMOTED AS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR MINDFUL EXERCISES TO IMPROVE OVERALL HEALTH, INCLUDING BODY WEIGHT MANAGEMENT. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE METABOLIC RESPONSE OF 24 MODERATELY TRAINED INDIVIDUALS DURING A 90-MIN GROUP VINYASA YOGA ROUTINE. METHODS: HEART RATE (HR) TIME COURSE OF 12 MALES AND 12 FEMALES (AGE: 39+/-7.33 YEARS) WAS RECORDED DURING TWO GROUP VINYASA YOGA SESSIONS CONSISTED OF FOUR SECTIONS (WARM-UP, HIGH-INTENSITY SURYA NAMASKAR (HSN), NO SURYA NAMASKAR POSTURES, AND COOL-DOWN). MAXIMAL OXYGEN UPTAKE (VO<INF>2PEAK</INF>) AND MAXIMUM HR HAD BEEN ESTIMATED EARLIER AFTER A MAXIMAL TREADMILL TEST. VO<INF>2</INF> DURING VINYASA YOGA SESSIONS WAS ESTIMATED FROM INDIVIDUAL REGRESSION EQUATIONS USING THE RELATIONSHIP OF VO<INF>2</INF> AND HR VALUES DERIVED FROM VO<INF>2PEAK</INF> TEST, WHILE THE METABOLIC RATE (KCAL/MIN) WAS CALCULATED FROM THE RELATIONSHIP OF HR AND KCAL/MIN. TOTAL SESSION ENERGY CONSUMPTION WAS THE AVERAGE VALUE OF THE TWO YOGA SESSIONS. RESULTS: THE 2 (GENDER) X 4 (SECTIONS) MIXED ANOVA REVEALED NO SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION BETWEEN THE TWO FACTORS (P=0.101) FOR THE MEAN METABOLIC RATE (7.1+/-2.6 KCAL/MIN). MEAN METABOLIC RATE THOUGHT WAS HIGHER (P=0.015) IN MALES COMPARED TO FEMALES AT EACH SECTION. ALSO, SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND AMONG THE FOUR VINYASA YOGA SECTIONS (P<0.001) IN THE RATE OF ENERGY EXPENDITURE, WITH HSN PRESENTING THE HIGHEST MEAN VALUES (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: IT SEEMS THAT SYSTEMATIC PARTICIPATION IN VINYASA YOGA MAY EFFECTIVELY IMPROVE CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS AND PROMOTE BODY WEIGHT LOSS, AS AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD TO TRADITIONAL AEROBIC EXERCISE.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
16  448  32 CHANGES IN AUTONOMIC VARIABLES FOLLOWING TWO MEDITATIVE STATES DESCRIBED IN YOGA TEXTS. OBJECTIVES: IN ANCIENT YOGA TEXTS THERE ARE TWO MEDITATIVE STATES DESCRIBED. ONE IS DHARANA, WHICH REQUIRES FOCUSING, THE SECOND IS DHYANA, DURING WHICH THERE IS NO FOCUSING, BUT AN EXPANSIVE MENTAL STATE IS REACHED. WHILE AN EARLIER STUDY DID SHOW IMPROVED PERFORMANCE IN AN ATTENTION TASK AFTER DHARANA, THE AUTONOMIC CHANGES DURING THESE TWO STATES HAVE NOT BEEN STUDIED. METHODS: AUTONOMIC AND RESPIRATORY VARIABLES WERE ASSESSED IN 30 HEALTHY MALE VOLUNTEERS (GROUP MEAN AGE +/- SD, 29.1 +/- 5.1 YEARS) DURING FOUR MENTAL STATES DESCRIBED IN TRADITIONAL YOGA TEXTS. THESE FOUR MENTAL STATES ARE RANDOM THINKING (CANCALATA), NONMEDITATIVE FOCUSING (EKAGRATA), MEDITATIVE FOCUSING (DHARANA), AND EFFORTLESS MEDITATION (DHYANA). ASSESSMENTS WERE MADE BEFORE (5 MINUTES), DURING (20 MINUTES), AND AFTER (5 MINUTES), EACH OF THE FOUR STATES, ON FOUR SEPARATE DAYS. RESULTS: DURING DHYANA THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE SKIN RESISTANCE LEVEL (P<0.001; POST HOC ANALYSIS FOLLOWING ANOVA, DURING COMPARED TO PRE) AND PHOTO-PLETHYSMOGRAM AMPLITUDE (P<0.05), WHEREAS THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE HEART RATE (P<0.001) AND BREATH RATE (P<0.001). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE LOW FREQUENCY (LF) POWER (P<0.001) AND INCREASE IN THE HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) POWER (P<0.001) IN THE FREQUENCY DOMAIN ANALYSIS OF THE HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) SPECTRUM, ON WHICH HF POWER IS ASSOCIATED WITH PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY. THERE WAS ALSO A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE NN50 COUNT (THE NUMBER OF INTERVAL DIFFERENCES OF SUCCESSIVE NN INTERVALS GREATER THAN 50 MS; P<0.001) AND THE PNN50 (THE PROPORTION DERIVED BY DIVIDING NN50 BY THE TOTAL NUMBER OF NN INTERVALS; P<0.001) IN TIME DOMAIN ANALYSIS OF HRV, BOTH INDICATIVE OF PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY. CONCLUSIONS: MAXIMUM CHANGES WERE SEEN IN AUTONOMIC VARIABLES AND BREATH RATE DURING THE STATE OF EFFORTLESS MEDITATION (DHYANA). THE CHANGES WERE ALL SUGGESTIVE OF REDUCED SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY AND/OR INCREASED VAGAL MODULATION. DURING DHARANA THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN SKIN RESISTANCE. THE CHANGES IN HRV DURING EKAGRATA AND CANCALATA WERE INCONCLUSIVE.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
17 1451  32 INFLUENCE OF INTENSIVE YOGA TRAINING ON PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES IN 6 ADULT WOMEN: A CASE REPORT. THE SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF 4 WEEKS OF INTENSIVE YOGA PRACTICE ON PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES IN SIX HEALTHY ADULT FEMALE VOLUNTEERS WERE MEASURED USING THE MAXIMAL EXERCISE TREADMILL TEST. YOGA PRACTICE INVOLVED DAILY MORNING AND EVENING SESSIONS OF 90 MINUTES EACH. PRE- AND POST-YOGA EXERCISE PERFORMANCE WAS COMPARED. MAXIMAL WORK OUTPUT (WMAX) FOR THE GROUP INCREASED BY 21%, WITH A SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED LEVEL OF OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK BUT WITHOUT A CONCOMITANT SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN HEART RATE. AFTER INTENSIVE YOGA TRAINING, AT 154 WMIN(-1) (CORRESPONDING TO WMAX OF THE PRE-YOGA MAXIMAL EXERCISE TEST) PARTICIPANTS COULD EXERCISE MORE COMFORTABLY, WITH A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER HEART RATE (P < 0.05), REDUCED MINUTE VENTILATION (P < 0.05), REDUCED OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK (P < 0.05), AND A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER RESPIRATORY QUOTIENT (P < 0.05). THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE EFFECT OF INTENSIVE YOGA ON CARDIORESPIRATORY EFFICIENCY ARE DISCUSSED, WITH THE SUGGESTION THAT YOGA HAS SOME TRANSPARENTLY DIFFERENT QUANTIFIABLE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS TO OTHER EXERCISES.	1997	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
18 1094  31 EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON ACUMERIDIAN ENERGIES: VARIANCE REDUCTION IMPLIES BENEFITS FOR REGULATION. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: THIS PAPER CONCERNS MECHANISMS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EFFICACY OF YOGA MEDICINE, TRADITIONALLY ATTRIBUTED TO THE ENLIVENMENT OF PRANA. OUR STRATEGY WAS TO INVESTIGATE LEVELS OF QI IN ACUPUNCTURE MERIDIANS, SINCE QI IS USUALLY CONSIDERED EQUIVALENT TO PRANA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ELECTRODERMAL MEASUREMENTS AT ACUMERIDIAN ENDPOINTS (TSING POINTS) WERE MADE ON 32 HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS, PRE AND POST 3 WEEKS YOGA LIFESTYLE PROGRAM USING ACUGRAPH 3 (AN INSTRUMENT IN WIDE USE). A PREVIOUS STUDY FOUND THAT INHERENT ERRORS PREVENT ACUGRAPH FROM PRECISELY EVALUATING QI ENERGIES IN SINGLE MERIDIANS, SO GROUP RESULTS ARE REPORTED: (A) ENERGY LEVELS, (B) ENERGY STABILITY, AND (C) ENERGY BALANCE BETWEEN (I) YIN/YANG MERIDIANS, (II) UPPER AND LOWER, AND (III) LEFT AND RIGHT REGIONS OF THE BODY. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED IN ALL BUT ENERGY STABILITY, SUPPORTING THE IDEAS THAT YOGA ENLIVENS PRANA, AND THAT BALANCE IN MERIDIANS CONSTITUTES HEALTH. FOR BALANCE VARIABLES, THE STUDY OBSERVED SHIFTS TOWARD NORMAL AT BOTH ENDS OF VARIABLE DISTRIBUTIONS, REDUCING STANDARD DEVIATIONS: POST-INTERVENTION PERCENTAGES OF SUBJECTS WITH VALUES IN THE 'HEALTHY' RANGE INCREASED. CONCLUSION: YOGA IMPROVED REGULATION OF QI LEVELS IN ACUMERIDIAN MERIDIANS AS WELL AS INCREASING THEM.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
19 2437  22 YOGA AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL DETERMINANTS OF CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH: COMPARING YOGA PRACTITIONERS, RUNNERS, AND SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS. BACKGROUND: THE EVIDENCE OF CARDIOVASCULAR BENEFITS OF YOGA IS PROMISING, BUT LACKS DEMONSTRATIONS OF SPECIFICITY COMPARED TO OTHER INTERVENTIONS. PURPOSE: THE PRESENT CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY EXAMINED CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH MARKERS IN LONG-TERM PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA (YOGIS), RUNNERS, AND SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS. METHODS: WE COMPARED PHYSIOLOGICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND LIFESTYLE VARIABLES ASSOCIATED WITH CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH ACROSS GROUPS. RESULTS: YOGIS (N = 47) AND RUNNERS (N = 46) SHOWED FAVORABLE PROFILES COMPARED TO SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS (N = 52) ON HEART RATE, HEART RATE VARIABILITY, DEPRESSION, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND CIGARETTE SMOKING. RUNNERS AND MALE YOGIS SHOWED SUPERIOR AEROBIC FITNESS COMPARED TO THE SEDENTARY GROUP. RUNNERS REPORTED GREATER SOCIAL SUPPORT COMPARED TO OTHER GROUPS. YOGIS DEMONSTRATED A LOWER RESPIRATION RATE COMPARED TO SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS AND WERE MORE LIKELY TO REFRAIN FROM EATING MEAT COMPARED TO OTHER GROUPS. CONCLUSIONS: YOGIS AND RUNNERS DEMONSTRATED SEVERAL CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH ADVANTAGES OVER SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS. OUR FINDINGS RAISE THE POSSIBILITY THAT YOGA MAY IMPROVE AEROBIC FITNESS IN MEN BUT NOT WOMEN.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
20  438  22 CARDIOVASCULAR AND RESPIRATORY EFFECT OF YOGIC SLOW BREATHING IN THE YOGA BEGINNER: WHAT IS THE BEST APPROACH? SLOW BREATHING INCREASES CARDIAC-VAGAL BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY (BRS), IMPROVES OXYGEN SATURATION, LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE, AND REDUCES ANXIETY. WITHIN THE YOGA TRADITION SLOW BREATHING IS OFTEN PAIRED WITH A CONTRACTION OF THE GLOTTIS MUSCLES. THIS RESISTANCE BREATH "UJJAYI" IS PERFORMED AT VARIOUS RATES AND RATIOS OF INSPIRATION/EXPIRATION. TO TEST WHETHER UJJAYI HAD ADDITIONAL POSITIVE EFFECTS TO SLOW BREATHING, WE COMPARED BRS AND VENTILATORY CONTROL UNDER DIFFERENT BREATHING PATTERNS (EQUAL/UNEQUAL INSPIRATION/EXPIRATION AT 6 BREATH/MIN, WITH/WITHOUT UJJAYI), IN 17 YOGA-NAIVE YOUNG HEALTHY PARTICIPANTS. BRS INCREASED WITH SLOW BREATHING TECHNIQUES WITH OR WITHOUT EXPIRATORY UJJAYI (P < 0.05 OR HIGHER) EXCEPT WITH INSPIRATORY + EXPIRATORY UJJAYI. THE MAXIMAL INCREASE IN BRS AND DECREASE IN BLOOD PRESSURE WERE FOUND IN SLOW BREATHING WITH EQUAL INSPIRATION AND EXPIRATION. THIS CORRESPONDED WITH A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN OXYGEN SATURATION WITHOUT INCREASE IN HEART RATE AND VENTILATION. UJJAYI SHOWED SIMILAR INCREASE IN OXYGEN SATURATION BUT SLIGHTLY LESSER IMPROVEMENT IN BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY WITH NO CHANGE IN BLOOD PRESSURE. THE SLOW BREATHING WITH EQUAL INSPIRATION AND EXPIRATION SEEMS THE BEST TECHNIQUE FOR IMPROVING BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY IN YOGA-NAIVE SUBJECTS. THE EFFECTS OF UJJAYI SEEMS DEPENDENT ON INCREASED INTRATHORACIC PRESSURE THAT REQUIRES GREATER EFFORT THAN NORMAL SLOW BREATHING.	2013