1 1730 129 PERSONALITY, COGNITIVE STYLES AND MORNINGNESS-EVENINGNESS DISPOSITION IN A SAMPLE OF YOGA TRAINEES. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A PSYCHOPHYSICAL, SPIRITUAL SCIENCE OF HOLISTIC LIVING, AIMING TOWARDS BODY AND MIND DEVELOPMENT; IT CAN INFLUENCE WELL-BEING, COGNITIVE PROCESSES, PERSONALITY (GUNAS), PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS, AND HUMAN HEALTH. SINCE IT HAS BEEN OBSERVED THAT MORNINGNESS-EVENINGNESS DISPOSITION IS ASSOCIATED WITH PERSONALITY, AND THAT PERSONALITY CAN CHARACTERIZE PEOPLE PRACTICING YOGA, IN THIS EXPLORATORY STUDY WE POSITED THAT MORNINGNESS-EVENINGNESS MIGHT BE ASSOCIATED WITH PERSONALITY IN YOGA TRAINEES. SINCE YOGA CAN HAVE INFLUENCES OVER COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVES, AND SINCE IT HAS BEEN OBSERVED THAT MORNINGNESS-EVENINGNESS DISPOSITION CAN ASSOCIATE WITH COGNITIVE PROCESSES, WE INVESTIGATED A SAMPLE OF YOGA TRAINEES WITH REFERENCE TO RELATIONSHIP WITH STYLES OF LEARNING AND THINKING (RELEVANT ASPECTS OF COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING) AND ALSO WITH MORNINGNESS-EVENINGNESS DISPOSITION. MATERIAL AND METHODS: WE TESTED 184 YOGA TRAINEES USING THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONNAIRES: STYLES OF LEARNING AND THINKING (TORRANCE), BIG FIVE QUESTIONNAIRE (CAPRARA, BARBARANELLI, BORGOGNI), AND REDUCED MORNINGNESS-EVENINGNESS QUESTIONNAIRE (NATALE). RESULTS: WE FOUND THAT MORNING TYPES SCORE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN EVENING TYPES ON CONSCIENTIOUSNESS, FRIENDLINESS, SCRUPULOUSNESS, OPENNESS TO CULTURE, EMOTIONAL STABILITY, EMOTION CONTROL, THEY SCORE HIGHER THAN INTERMEDIATE TYPES ON CONSCIENTIOUSNESS, FRIENDLINESS, SCRUPULOUSNESS. MOREOVER, DATA SHOWED THAT THE HIGH MAJORITY OF SUBJECTS, ALSO WITH REFERENCE TO MORNINGNESS-EVENINGNESS DISPOSITION, HAVE RIGHT-SIDED STYLES OF LEARNING AND THINKING, POINTING OUT A TENDENCY TOWARDS RIGHT-SIDED COGNITIVE PRECESSING IN THE WHOLE SAMPLE. PERSONALITY TRAITS OF THE YOGA TRAINEES WERE ALSO INVESTIGATED. CONCLUSIONS: DATA ARE DISCUSSED WITH REFERENCE TO EXISTING LITERATURE, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND NEUROSCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVES ARE SUGGESTED, PREVIOUS STUDIES ABOUT YOGA PUBLISHED ON MEDICAL SCIENCE MONITOR ARE ALSO CONSIDERED.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
2 2337  34 UNDERUSE OF YOGA AS A REFERRAL RESOURCE BY HEALTH PROFESSIONS STUDENTS. OBJECTIVE: NEARLY 38% OF U.S. ADULTS USE COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE APPROACHES TO MANAGE PHYSICAL CONDITIONS (E.G., CHRONIC PAIN, ARTHRITIS, CANCER, HEART DISEASE, AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE) AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OR EMOTIONAL HEALTH CONCERNS (E.G., POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION). RESEARCH EVIDENCE HAS ACCUMULATED FOR YOGA AS AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT APPROACH FOR THESE CONDITIONS. FURTHER, YOGA HAS INCREASED IN POPULARITY AMONG HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AND THE GENERAL POPULATION. GIVEN THESE TRENDS, THIS STUDY EXPLORED PERCEPTIONS ABOUT YOGA AS A VIABLE COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT TO WHICH HEALTH PROFESSIONS STUDENTS WOULD REFER PATIENTS. PARTICIPANTS: MORE THAN 1500 STUDENTS ENROLLED IN HEALTH PROFESSIONS PROGRAMS AT A PACIFIC NORTHWEST SCHOOL WERE ENROLLED; DATA WERE OBTAINED FROM 478 RESPONDENTS. DESIGN: THE STUDY ASSESSED WILLINGNESS TO REFER PATIENTS TO YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE FOR 27 SYMPTOMS (IDENTIFIED IN THE LITERATURE AS HAVING EVIDENCE FOR YOGA'S UTILITY), WHICH WERE SUBSEQUENTLY GROUPED INTO SKELETAL, PHYSICAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ON THE BASIS OF FACTOR ANALYSIS. RESPONSES WERE ASSESSED USING A MIXED-MODEL ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE WITH HEALTH PROFESSION AND YOGA PRACTITIONER AS BETWEEN-SUBJECTS VARIABLES AND SYMPTOMS AS A WITHIN-SUBJECTS FACTOR. RESULTS: IN DESCENDING ORDER OF LIKELIHOOD TO REFER PATIENTS TO YOGA WERE STUDENTS IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY, PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PROGRAM, PSYCHOLOGY, PHYSICAL THERAPY, PHARMACY, DENTAL HYGIENE, SPEECH AND AUDIOLOGY, AND OPTOMETRY. ALL GROUPS PERCEIVED YOGA'S GREATEST UTILITY FOR SKELETAL SYMPTOMS, FOLLOWED BY PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS. FINDINGS ALSO REVEALED A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEVEL OF PERSONAL YOGA PRACTICE AND WILLINGNESS TO REFER PATIENTS TO YOGA. CONCLUSIONS: ALTHOUGH STUDENTS EXPRESSED SOME OPENNESS TO REFERRING PATIENTS TO YOGA, RATINGS OF APPROPRIATENESS WERE NOT ACCURATELY ALIGNED WITH EXTANT EVIDENCE BASE. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE SEEMED TO BE A SALIENT FACTOR FOR ACCEPTING YOGA AS A REFERRAL TARGET. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THE IMPORTANCE OF DEVELOPING STRATEGIES TO MAKE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS MORE AWARE OF THE MERITS OF YOGA, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY THEMSELVES ARE YOGA PRACTITIONERS.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
3  207  26 A SHORT-TERM, COMPREHENSIVE, YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IS EFFICACIOUS IN REDUCING ANXIETY, IMPROVING SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING AND PERSONALITY. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF A SHORT-TERM COMPREHENSIVE YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN REDUCING ANXIETY, IMPROVING SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING AND PERSONALITY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY IS A PART OF AN ONGOING LARGER STUDY AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL. PARTICIPANTS (N=90) INCLUDED PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASES ATTENDING A 10-DAY, YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES, AND HEALTHY CONTROLS (N=45) NOT ATTENDING ANY SUCH INTERVENTION. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: CHANGE IN STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY QUESTIONNAIRE (STAI-Y; 40 ITEMS), SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING INVENTORY (SUBI; 40 ITEMS), AND NEUROTICISM EXTRAVERSION OPENNESS TO EXPERIENCE FIVE FACTOR PERSONALITY INVENTORY REVISED (NEO-FF PI-R; 60 ITEMS) AT THE END OF INTERVENTION. RESULTS: FOLLOWING INTERVENTION, THE STAI-Y SCORES REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY (P<0.001) AT DAY 10 (66.7 +/- 13.0) VERSUS DAY 1 (72.5 +/- 14.7). ALSO, POSITIVE SUBI SCORES (F1- F6) IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY (P<0.01) AT DAY 10 VERSUS DAY 1. SIMILARLY NEO-FF PI-R SCORES IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY (P<0.001) AT DAY 10 VERSUS DAY 1. CONTROL GROUP SHOWED AN INCREASE IN STAI-Y WHILE SUBI AND NEO-FF PI-R SCORES REMAINED COMPARABLE AT DAY 10 VERSUS DAY 1. CONCLUSIONS: THE OBSERVATIONS SUGGEST THAT A SHORT-TERM, YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION MAY SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE ANXIETY AND IMPROVE SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING AND PERSONALITY IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASES.	2012	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
4 1744  27 PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF HATHA-YOGA EXERCISE IN HEALTHY WOMEN. HATHA-YOGA HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY POPULAR IN WESTERN COUNTRIES AS A METHOD FOR COPING WITH STRESS. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE. WE MEASURED HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, THE HORMONES CORTISOL, PROLACTIN AND GROWTH HORMONE AND CERTAIN PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN A YOGA PRACTICING GROUP AND A CONTROL GROUP OF YOUNG FEMALE VOLUNTEERS READING IN A COMFORTABLE POSITION DURING THE EXPERIMENTAL PERIOD. THERE WERE NO SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS CONCERNING ENDOCRINE PARAMETERS AND BLOOD PRESSURE. THE COURSE OF HEART RATE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT, THE YOGA GROUP HAD A DECREASE DURING THE YOGA PRACTICE. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BOTH GROUPS WERE FOUND IN PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS. IN THE PERSONALITY INVENTORY THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED MARKEDLY HIGHER SCORES IN LIFE SATISFACTION AND LOWER SCORES IN EXCITABILITY, AGGRESSIVENESS, OPENNESS, EMOTIONALITY AND SOMATIC COMPLAINTS. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES COULD ALSO BE OBSERVED CONCERNING COPING WITH STRESS AND THE MOOD AT THE END OF THE EXPERIMENT. THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANT HIGHER SCORES IN HIGH SPIRITS AND EXTRAVERTEDNESS.	1994	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
5 1319  29 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
6 1811  38 PROFILE OF MOOD STATES AND STRESS-RELATED BIOCHEMICAL INDICES IN LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTITIONERS. BACKGROUND: PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THE SHORT-TERM OR INTERMEDIATE-TERM PRACTICE OF YOGA TO BE USEFUL FOR AMELIORATING SEVERAL MENTAL DISORDERS AND PSYCHOSOMATIC DISORDERS. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE LONG-TERM INFLUENCES OF YOGA ON THE MENTAL STATE OR STRESS-RELATED BIOCHEMICAL INDICES. IF YOGA TRAINING HAS A STRESS-REDUCTION EFFECT AND ALSO IMPROVES AN INDIVIDUAL'S MENTAL STATES FOR A LONG TIME, LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTITIONERS MAY HAVE A BETTER MENTAL STATE AND LOWER STRESS-RELATED BIOCHEMICAL INDICES IN COMPARISON TO NON-EXPERIENCED PARTICIPANTS. THIS STUDY SIMULTANEOUSLY EXAMINED THE DIFFERENCES IN MENTAL STATES AND URINARY STRESS-RELATED BIOCHEMICAL INDICES BETWEEN LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND NON-EXPERIENCED PARTICIPANTS. METHODS: THE PARTICIPANTS WERE 38 HEALTHY FEMALES WITH MORE THAN 2 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH YOGA (LONG-TERM YOGA GROUP) AND 37 AGE-MATCHED HEALTHY FEMALES WHO HAD NOT PARTICIPATED IN YOGA (CONTROL GROUP). THEIR MENTAL STATES WERE ASSESSED USING THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES (POMS) QUESTIONNAIRE. THE LEVEL OF CORTISOL, 8-HYDROXYDEOXYGUANOSINE (8-OHDG) AND BIOPYRRIN IN URINE WERE USED AS STRESS-RELATED BIOCHEMICAL INDICES. RESULTS: THE AVERAGE SELF-RATED MENTAL DISTURBANCE, TENSION-ANXIETY, ANGER-HOSTILITY, AND FATIGUE SCORES OF THE LONG-TERM YOGA GROUP WERE LOWER THAN THOSE OF THE CONTROL GROUP. THERE WAS A TREND TOWARD A HIGHER VIGOR SCORE IN THE LONG-TERM YOGA GROUP THAN THAT IN THE CONTROL GROUP. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE SCORES FOR DEPRESSION AND CONFUSION IN THE POMS BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. THE URINE 8-OHDG CONCENTRATION SHOWED A TREND TOWARD TO BEING LOWER IN THE LONG-TERM YOGA GROUP IN COMPARISON TO THE CONTROL GROUP. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE LEVELS OF URINE BIOPYRRIN OR CORTISOL. CONCLUSIONS: THE PRESENT FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT LONG-TERM YOGA TRAINING CAN REDUCE THE SCORES RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH INDICATORS SUCH AS SELF-RATED ANXIETY, ANGER, AND FATIGUE.	2011	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
7  784  21 EFFECT OF YOGA BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION ON SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING. YOGA IS ASSUMING IMPORTANCE IN IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE TREATMENT OF A NUMBER OF PSYCHIATRIC AND PSYCHOSOMATIC DISORDERS. THE PRESENT STUDY WAS A PROSPECTIVE CONTROLLED STUDY TO EXPLORE THE SHORT-TERM IMPACT OF A COMPREHENSIVE BUT BRIEF LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION, BASED ON YOGA, ON SUBJECTIVE WELL BEING LEVELS IN NORMAL AND DISEASED SUBJECTS. NORMAL HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS AND SUBJECTS HAVING HYPERTENSION, CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, DIABETES MELLITUS OR A VARIETY OF OTHER ILLNESSES WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. THE OUTCOME MEASURES WERE 'SUBJECTIVE WELL BEING INVENTORY' (SUBI) SCORES, TAKEN ON THE FIRST AND LAST DAY OF THE COURSE. THE INVENTORY CONSISTS OF QUESTIONS RELATED TO ONE'S FEELINGS AND ATTITUDE ABOUT VARIOUS AREAS OF LIFE, SUCH AS HAPPINESS, ACHIEVEMENT AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE SUBJECTIVE WELL BEING SCORES OF THE 77 SUBJECTS WITHIN A PERIOD OF 10 DAYS AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS. THESE OBSERVATIONS SUGGEST THAT A SHORT LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND STRESS MANAGEMENT EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM LEADS TO REMARKABLE IMPROVEMENT IN THE SUBJECTIVE WELL BEING SCORES OF THE SUBJECTS AND CAN THEREFORE MAKE AN APPRECIABLE CONTRIBUTION TO PRIMARY PREVENTION AS WELL AS MANAGEMENT OF LIFESTYLE DISEASES.	2008	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
8 2535  29 YOGA ENHANCES POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL STATES IN YOUNG ADULT MUSICIANS. ALTHOUGH YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE A VIABLE TECHNIQUE FOR IMPROVING THE PERFORMANCE OF THE MIND AND BODY, LITTLE ATTENTION HAS BEEN DIRECTED TO STUDYING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA AND THE PSYCHOLOGICAL STATES OF FLOW AND MINDFULNESS. MUSICIANS ENROLLED IN A 2-MONTH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM IN 2005, 2006 AND 2007 WERE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN A YOGA AND MEDITATION PROGRAM. FELLOWS NOT PARTICIPATING IN THE YOGA PROGRAM WERE RECRUITED SEPARATELY AS CONTROLS. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED BASELINE AND END-PROGRAM QUESTIONNAIRES EVALUATING DISPOSITIONAL FLOW, MINDFULNESS, CONFUSION, AND MUSIC PERFORMANCE ANXIETY. COMPARED TO CONTROLS, YOGA PARTICIPANTS REPORTED SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN CONFUSION AND INCREASES IN DISPOSITIONAL FLOW. YOGA PARTICIPANTS IN THE 2006 SAMPLE ALSO REPORTED SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN THE MINDFULNESS SUBSCALE OF AWARENESS. CORRELATIONAL ANALYSES REVEALED THAT INCREASES IN PARTICIPANTS' DISPOSITIONAL FLOW AND MINDFULNESS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASES IN CONFUSION AND MUSIC PERFORMANCE ANXIETY. THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATES THE COMMONALITIES BETWEEN POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY AND YOGA, BOTH OF WHICH ARE FOCUSED ON ENHANCING HUMAN PERFORMANCE AND PROMOTING BENEFICIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL STATES. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA AND MEDITATION MAY ENHANCE THE STATES OF FLOW AND MINDFUL AWARENESS, AND REDUCE CONFUSION.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
9 1934  19 ROLE OF YOGA IN STRESS MANAGEMENT. THE STATE OF THE MIND AND THAT OF THE BODY ARE INTIMATELY RELATED. IF THE MIND IS RELAXED, THE MUSCLES IN THE BODY WILL ALSO BE RELAXED. STRESS PRODUCES A STATE OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL TENSION. YOGA, DEVELOPED THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO, IS RECOGNIZED AS A FORM OF MIND-BODY MEDICINE. IN YOGA, PHYSICAL POSTURES AND BREATHING EXERCISES IMPROVE MUSCLE STRENGTH, FLEXIBILITY, BLOOD CIRCULATION AND OXYGEN UPTAKE AS WELL AS HORMONE FUNCTION. IN ADDITION, THE RELAXATION INDUCED BY MEDITATION HELPS TO STABILIZE THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM WITH A TENDENCY TOWARDS PARASYMPATHETIC DOMINANCE. PHYSIOLOGICAL BENEFITS WHICH FOLLOW, HELP YOGA PRACTITIONERS BECOME MORE RESILIENT TO STRESSFUL CONDITIONS AND REDUCE A VARIETY OF IMPORTANT RISK FACTORS FOR VARIOUS DISEASES, ESPECIALLY CARDIO-RESPIRATORY DISEASES.	2004	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
10 2760  35 YOGA PRACTITIONERS UNIQUELY ACTIVATE THE SUPERIOR PARIETAL LOBULE AND SUPRAMARGINAL GYRUS DURING EMOTION REGULATION. CHRONIC STRESS CONTRIBUTES TO BOTH MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ILLNESS. A HIGH PREVALENCE AND COST OF STRESS-RELATED ILLNESSES NORTH AMERICA WARRANTS INVESTIGATION INTO ALTERNATIVE OR COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES WHICH MAY HELP REDUCE ADVERSE REACTIONS TO STRESSFUL STIMULI. EMOTION REGULATION IS THE PROCESS OF MONITORING AND ADJUSTING EMOTIONAL RESPONSES TO ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULI AND STRESSORS. INDIVIDUALS WHO PARTICIPATE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ARE LESS LIKELY TO HAVE ADVERSE RESPONSES TO POTENTIALLY STRESSFUL SITUATIONS, POTENTIALLY DUE TO ADAPTIONS IN EMOTION REGULATION. YOGA IS A FORM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INVOLVING STRETCHING EXERCISES AND MEDITATION, THAT MAY LESSEN INDIVIDUALS' LEVELS OF STRESS AND ANXIETY AND IMPROVE EMOTION REGULATION. HIGH-FREQUENCY HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HF-HRV) IS CONSIDERED A MEASURE OF PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (PNS) ACTIVITY DURING THE EMOTION REGULATION. MEASURING HRV AND BRAIN ACTIVITY USING FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (FMRI) OFFERS A USEFUL, NONINVASIVE APPROACH TO EVALUATING "NEUROVISCERAL" COMPONENTS OF EMOTION REGULATION. WE AIMED TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA PRACTITIONERS (YP) EXHIBIT DIFFERENT PATTERNS OF BRAIN ACTIVATION COMPARED TO RECREATIONAL ATHLETES (RA) WITHOUT CURRENT YOGA EXPERIENCE, WHILE VIEWING EMOTIONALLY AROUSING VISUAL STIMULI. OUR SECONDARY AIM WAS TO EXAMINE POTENTIAL DIFFERENCES ACROSS GROUPS IN HRV THROUGHOUT THE PRESENTATION OF THESE STIMULI. ANALYSIS OF FMRI DATA DURING EXPOSURE TO EMOTION-EVOKING (EE) STIMULI REVEALED THAT THE YP GROUP ACTIVATED TWO UNIQUE BRAIN AREAS, NAMELY THE SUPERIOR PARIETAL LOBULE AND THE SUPRAMARGINAL GYRUS. THESE AREAS HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH ATTENTIONAL AWARENESS AND REDUCED EGOCENTRIC BIAS, PROCESSES THAT HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED IN EMOTION REGULATION BY OTHERS. THE RA GROUP ACTIVATED THE INFERIOR MIDDLE FRONTAL CORTEX, AN AREA ASSOCIATED WITH COGNITIVE REAPPRAISAL DURING EMOTION REGULATION. THE YP GROUP ALSO DEMONSTRATED A TREND TOWARDS A HIGHER RATIO OF LOW- TO HIGH-FREQUENCY HRV COMPARED TO THE RA GROUP. THE PRESENT FINDINGS SUPPORT THE PRESENCE OF EXPERIENCE-DEPENDENT NEUROVISCERAL MECHANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH EMOTION REGULATION. INDIVIDUALS WHO PRACTICE YOGA REGULATE THEIR NEUROVISCERAL RESPONSES TO POTENTIALLY STRESSFUL EXTERNAL STIMULI IN A DIFFERENT MANNER THAN RECREATIONAL ATHLETES WHO DO NOT ENGAGE IN YOGA PRACTICE. THE PRESENT STUDY HAD A SMALL SAMPLE SIZE (RA: N = 12; YP: N = 19), WHICH SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHEN INTERPRETING THE RESULTS.	2018	

11 1409  31 IMPACT OF YOGA ON PERIODONTAL DISEASE AND STRESS MANAGEMENT. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS CONSIDERED TO BE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT, EFFECTIVE, AND VALUABLE TOOLS AVAILABLE FOR MAN TO OVERCOME VARIOUS PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS. STRESS CONTRIBUTES SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE PATHOGENESIS OF PERIODONTAL DISEASES; HENCE, IT BECOMES IMPORTANT TO REDUCE THE LEVEL OF STRESS FOR PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF DISEASES. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS AIMED: (1) TO UNDERSTAND AND ANALYZE THE POSSIBILITIES OF EMPLOYING YOGIC PRACTICES IN THE TREATMENT OF PERIODONTAL DISEASE ALONG WITH CONVENTIONAL DENTAL THERAPY, (2) TO UNDERSTAND THE EFFECT OF STRESS ON PERIODONTAL TREATMENT OUTCOME, (3) TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PERIODONTAL DISEASE WITH REFERENCE TO STRESS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: AN OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT-BASED PARALLEL GROUP RANDOMIZED STUDY WAS PERFORMED WITH STANDARD TREATMENT FOR PERIODONTAL DISEASE YOGA THERAPY AS GROUP II AND ONLY STANDARD TREATMENT AS GROUP I. PERIODONTAL HEALTH STATUS WAS RECORDED USING INDICES OF MODIFIED PLAQUE INDEX (PI), BLEEDING ON PROBING (BOP), PROBING DEPTH, AND CLINICAL ATTACHMENT LOSS (CAL). THE COHEN'S PERCEIVED STRESS QUESTIONNAIRE WAS ALSO USED TO DETERMINE STRESS SEVERITY. THE YOGIC INTERVENTION CONSISTS OF LECTURES AND PRACTICAL SESSIONS ON ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, KRIYAS, AND MEDITATION. RESULTS: REPEATED MEASURE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE REVEALED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE (P < 0.001) IN ALL THE OUTCOME VARIABLES WITH RESPECT TO TIME IN BOTH GROUPS. IT WAS OBSERVED THAT MEAN PI SCORE REDUCED BY 1.35 IN GROUP II AS COMPARED TO 0.54 IN GROUP I, MEAN PROBING POCKET DEPTH REDUCED BY 1.60 IN GROUP II AS COMPARED TO ONLY 0.68 IN GROUP I, AND MEAN CAL SCORE REDUCED BY 1.60 IN GROUP II AS COMPARED TO 0.68 IN GROUP I. SIMILARLY, COHEN'S PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE SCORE ALSO REDUCED BY 18.76 POINTS IN GROUP II AS COMPARED TO ONLY 2.58 POINTS IN GROUP I, BOP ALSO SHOWS BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN GROUP II WITH A REDUCTION OF 0.68 AS COMPARED TO REDUCTION OF ONLY 0.08 IN GROUP I. THE RESULTS OBTAINED ASCERTAINED THE ROLE OF YOGA IN STRESS REDUCTION IN PERIODONTAL DISEASE. CONCLUSION: ALTHOUGH YOGA DOES NOT PLAY A DIRECT ROLE IN IMPROVING PERIODONTAL DISEASE, IT ACCELERATES THE TREATMENT OUTCOMES BY COMBATING THE STRESS WHICH IS A MAJOR FACTOR AFFECTING THE TREATMENT OF PERIODONTAL DISEASE.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
12  783  29 EFFECT OF YOGA BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION ON STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY. CONSIDERABLE EVIDENCE EXISTS FOR THE PLACE OF MIND BODY MEDICINE IN THE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY DISORDERS. EXCESSIVE ANXIETY IS MALADAPTIVE. IT IS OFTEN CONSIDERED TO BE THE MAJOR COMPONENT OF UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLE THAT CONTRIBUTES SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE PATHOGENESIS OF NOT ONLY PSYCHIATRIC BUT ALSO MANY OTHER SYSTEMIC DISORDERS. AMONG THE APPROACHES TO REDUCE THE LEVEL OF ANXIETY HAS BEEN THE SEARCH FOR HEALTHY LIFESTYLES. THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO STUDY THE SHORT-TERM IMPACT OF A COMPREHENSIVE BUT BRIEF LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION, BASED ON YOGA, ON ANXIETY LEVELS IN NORMAL AND DISEASED SUBJECTS. THE STUDY WAS THE RESULT OF OPERATIONAL RESEARCH CARRIED OUT IN THE INTEGRAL HEALTH CLINIC (IHC) AT THE DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGY OF ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES. THE SUBJECTS HAD HISTORY OF HYPERTENSION, CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, DIABETES MELLITUS, OBESITY, PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS (DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, 'STRESS'), GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS (NON ULCER DYSPEPSIA, DUODENAL ULCERS, IRRITABLE BOWEL DISEASE, CROHN'S DISEASE, CHRONIC CONSTIPATION) AND THYROID DISORDERS (HYPERTHYROIDISM AND HYPOTHYROIDISM). THE INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, RELAXATION TECHNIQUES, GROUP SUPPORT, INDIVIDUALIZED ADVICE, AND LECTURES AND FILMS ON PHILOSOPHY OF YOGA, THE PLACE OF YOGA IN DAILY LIFE, MEDITATION, STRESS MANAGEMENT, NUTRITION, AND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE ILLNESS. THE OUTCOME MEASURES WERE ANXIETY SCORES, TAKEN ON THE FIRST AND LAST DAY OF THE COURSE. ANXIETY SCORES, BOTH STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY WERE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED. AMONG THE DISEASED SUBJECTS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WAS SEEN IN THE ANXIETY LEVELS OF PATIENTS OF HYPERTENSION, CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, OBESITY, CERVICAL SPONDYLITIS AND THOSE WITH PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. THE OBSERVATIONS SUGGEST THAT A SHORT EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME FOR LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND STRESS MANAGEMENT LEADS TO REMARKABLE REDUCTION IN THE ANXIETY SCORES WITHIN A PERIOD OF 10 DAYS.	2006	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
13   67  34 A CROSS--SECTIONAL STUDY OF MENTAL WELLBEING WITH PRACTICE OF YOGA AND MEDITATION DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC. BACKGROUND: COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS RESULTED IN INCREASED MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. YOGA AND MEDITATION CAN HELP IN ALLEVIATING MENTAL STRESS AND IMPROVING PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING. METHODS: IT WAS A COMMUNITY-BASED ONLINE CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY INVOLVING ADULT GENERAL POPULATION. DATA COLLECTION WAS DONE BY USING A GOOGLE FORM LINK THAT WAS CIRCULATED VIA ONLINE PLATFORMS. THE DATA WERE ANALYZED USING MICROSOFT EXCEL AND SPSS VERSION 22. QUALITATIVE DATA WERE EXPRESSED IN PROPORTIONS OR PERCENTAGES AND QUANTITATIVE DATA WERE EXPRESSED IN MEAN AND STANDARD DEVIATION. CHI-SQUARE TEST WAS USED TO CHECK THE ASSOCIATION OF VARIOUS FACTORS AND MENTAL WELLBEING. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 649 (58.4%) SUBJECTS HAD NORMAL MENTAL WELLBEING SCORE, WHEREAS 279 (25.1%) WERE FOUND TO BE AT RISK OF DEVELOPING PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND 184 (16.5%) WERE AT RISK OF DEPRESSION. A SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER PROPORTION OF SUBJECTS WITH NORMAL MENTAL WELLBEING WAS FOUND WITH THE PRACTICE OF BOTH YOGA AND MEDITATION (66.2%), FOLLOWED BY PRACTICE OF ONLY MEDITATION (62.1%), ONLY YOGA (59.9%), AND NONE OF THEM (50.6%). A SIMILAR ASSOCIATION OF YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTICES WAS FOUND WITH THE CHANGE IN EATING, SLEEPING PATTERNS, AND FAMILY RELATIONS. THE FREQUENCY OF PRACTICE WAS POSITIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH A HIGHER LEVEL OF MENTAL WELLBEING IN THE CASE OF BOTH YOGA AS WELL AS MEDITATION, WITH DAILY PRACTICE HAVING THE HIGHEST WELLBEING SCORES. CONCLUSION: THE PRACTICE OF YOGA AND MEDITATION, PREFERABLY BOTH OF THEM, IS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER LEVEL OF MENTAL WELLBEING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
14 1590  19 MEDITATION AND YOGA CAN MODULATE BRAIN MECHANISMS THAT AFFECT BEHAVIOR AND ANXIETY-A MODERN SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE. MEDITATION AND YOGA TECHNIQUES ARE RECEIVING INCREASED ATTENTION THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, DUE TO THE ACCUMULATION OF EVIDENCE BASED RESEARCH THAT PROVES THE DIRECT AND INDIRECT BENEFITS OF SUCH PRACTICES. BASED ON STUDIES CONDUCTED SO FAR, IT HAS BEEN FOUND THAT THE PRACTICE OF MEDITATION TRIGGERS NEUROTRANSMITTERS THAT MODULATE PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS SUCH AS ANXIETY. THIS PAPER WILL REVIEW THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF THE PRACTICE OF MEDITATION, THE ROLE OF NEUROTRANSMITTERS, AND STUDIES USING EEG AND FMRI.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
15  326  27 ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFICACY AND HORMONAL EFFECTS OF SUDARSHANA KRIYA YOGA (SKY) IN ALCOHOL DEPENDENT INDIVIDUALS. BACKGROUND: SUDARSHANA KRIYA YOGA (SKY) HAS DEMONSTRABLE ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECTS. SKY WAS TESTED FOR THIS EFFECT IN INPATIENTS OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE. METHODS: FOLLOWING A WEEK OF DETOXIFICATION MANAGEMENT CONSENTING SUBJECTS (N=60) WERE EQUALLY RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE SKY THERAPY OR NOT (CONTROLS) FOR A TWO-WEEK STUDY. SKY THERAPY INCLUDED ALTERNATE DAY PRACTICE OF SPECIFIED BREATHING EXERCISE UNDER SUPERVISION OF A TRAINED THERAPIST. SUBJECTS COMPLETED THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY (BDI) BEFORE AND AFTER THE TWO WEEKS OF THIS INTERVENTION. MORNING PLASMA CORTISOL, ACTH AND PROLACTIN TOO WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AT THE END OF TWO WEEKS. RESULTS: IN BOTH GROUPS REDUCTIONS IN BDI SCORES OCCURRED BUT SIGNIFICANTLY MORE SO IN SKY GROUP. LIKEWISE, IN BOTH GROUPS PLASMA CORTISOL AS WELL AS ACTH FELL AFTER TWO WEEKS BUT SIGNIFICANTLY MORE SO IN SKY GROUP. REDUCTION IN BDI SCORES CORRELATED WITH THAT IN CORTISOL IN SKY BUT NOT IN CONTROL GROUP. LIMITATIONS: ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECTS OF SKY WERE DEMONSTRATED IN EARLY ABSTINENCE THAT ALSO HAD SUBSTANTIAL SPONTANEOUS IMPROVEMENT. IT IS NOT KNOWN IF THIS EFFECT CONTRIBUTES TO SUSTAINED ABSTINENCE. CONCLUSION: RESULTS EXTEND THE ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECTS OF SKY IN ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE SUBJECTS. REDUCTION IN STRESS-HORMONE LEVELS (CORTISOL AND ACTH) ALONG WITH BDI REDUCTIONS POSSIBLY SUPPORT A BIOLOGICAL MECHANISM OF SKY IN PRODUCING BENEFICIAL EFFECTS.	2006	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
16  661  38 EFFECT OF 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING ON THE SOMATIZATION, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, AND STRESS-RELATED BIOMARKERS OF HEALTHY WOMEN. BACKGROUND: PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT THE PRACTICE OF YOGA REDUCES PERCEIVED STRESS AND NEGATIVE FEELINGS AND THAT IT IMPROVES PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS. OUR PREVIOUS STUDY ALSO SUGGESTED THAT LONG-TERM YOGA TRAINING IMPROVES STRESS-RELATED PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS SUCH AS ANXIETY AND ANGER. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON SOMATIZATION, THE MOST COMMON STRESS-RELATED PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS, AND STRESS-RELATED BIOMARKERS. WE PERFORMED A PROSPECTIVE, SINGLE ARM STUDY TO EXAMINE THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING ON SOMATIZATION, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, AND STRESS-RELATED BIOMARKERS. METHODS: WE RECRUITED HEALTHY WOMEN WHO HAD NO EXPERIENCE WITH YOGA. THE DATA OF 24 PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE FOLLOWED DURING 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING WERE ANALYZED. SOMATIZATION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING USING THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATE (POMS) AND THE SYMPTOM CHECKLIST-90-REVISED (SCL-90-R) QUESTIONNAIRES. URINARY 8-HYDROXYDEOXYGUANOSINE (8-OHDG), BIOPYRRIN, AND CORTISOL LEVELS WERE MEASURED AS STRESS-RELATED BIOMARKERS. THE WILCOXON SIGNED-RANK TEST WAS USED TO COMPARE THE STRESS-RELATED BIOMARKERS AND THE SCORES OF QUESTIONNAIRES BEFORE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING. RESULTS: AFTER 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING, ALL NEGATIVE SUBSCALE SCORES (TENSION-ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, ANGER-HOSTILITY, FATIGUE, AND CONFUSION) FROM THE POMS AND SOMATIZATION, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND HOSTILITY FROM THE SCL-90-R WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED COMPARED WITH THOSE BEFORE STARTING YOGA TRAINING. CONTRARY TO OUR EXPECTATION, THE URINARY 8-OHDG CONCENTRATION AFTER 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE COMPARED WITH THAT BEFORE STARTING YOGA TRAINING. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE OBSERVED IN THE LEVELS OF URINARY BIOPYRRIN AND CORTISOL AFTER THE 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA TRAINING HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REDUCE THE SOMATIZATION SCORE AND THE SCORES RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH INDICATORS, SUCH AS ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, ANGER, AND FATIGUE. THE PRESENT FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA CAN IMPROVE SOMATIZATION AND MENTAL HEALTH STATUS AND HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PREVENTION OF PSYCHOSOMATIC SYMPTOMS IN HEALTHY WOMEN. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL MEDICAL INFORMATION NETWORK (UMIN CTR) UMIN000007868.	2014	
                                                                                                                                           
17 2202  28 THE ESSENTIAL PROPERTIES OF YOGA QUESTIONNAIRE (EPYQ): PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES. YOGA INTERVENTIONS ARE HETEROGENEOUS AND VARY ALONG MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS. THESE DIMENSIONS MAY AFFECT MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OUTCOMES IN DIFFERENT WAYS OR THROUGH DIFFERENT MECHANISMS. HOWEVER, MOST STUDIES OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEALTH DO NOT ADEQUATELY DESCRIBE OR QUANTIFY THE COMPONENTS OF THE INTERVENTIONS BEING IMPLEMENTED. THIS LACK OF DETAIL PREVENTS RESEARCHERS FROM MAKING COMPARISONS ACROSS STUDIES AND LIMITS OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE RELATIVE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS. TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM, WE DEVELOPED THE ESSENTIAL PROPERTIES OF YOGA QUESTIONNAIRE (EPYQ), WHICH ALLOWS RESEARCHERS TO OBJECTIVELY CHARACTERIZE THEIR INTERVENTIONS. WE PRESENT HERE THE RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY DATA FROM THE FINAL PHASES OF THIS MEASURE-DEVELOPMENT PROJECT. ANALYSES IDENTIFIED FOURTEEN KEY DIMENSIONS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS MEASURED BY THE EPYQ: ACCEPTANCE/COMPASSION, BANDHAS, BODY AWARENESS, BREATHWORK, INSTRUCTOR MENTION OF HEALTH BENEFITS, INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION, MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS, MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL AWARENESS, PHYSICALITY, ACTIVE POSTURES, RESTORATIVE POSTURES, SOCIAL ASPECTS, SPIRITUALITY, AND YOGA PHILOSOPHY. THE EPYQ DEMONSTRATED GOOD RELIABILITY, AS ASSESSED BY INTERNAL CONSISTENCY AND TEST-RETEST RELIABILITY ANALYSIS, AND EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THE EPYQ IS A VALID MEASURE OF MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS OF YOGA. THE MEASURE IS READY FOR USE BY CLINICIANS AND RESEARCHERS. RESULTS INDICATE THAT, CURRENTLY, TRAINED OBJECTIVE RATERS SHOULD SCORE INTERVENTIONS TO AVOID REFERENCE FRAME ERRORS AND POTENTIAL RATING BIAS, BUT ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES MAY BE DEVELOPED. THE EPYQ WILL ALLOW RESEARCHERS TO LINK SPECIFIC YOGA DIMENSIONS TO IDENTIFIABLE HEALTH OUTCOMES AND OPTIMIZE THE DESIGN OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR SPECIFIC CONDITIONS.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
18 2847  30 YOGA, MEDITATION AND MIND-BODY HEALTH: INCREASED BDNF, CORTISOL AWAKENING RESPONSE, AND ALTERED INFLAMMATORY MARKER EXPRESSION AFTER A 3-MONTH YOGA AND MEDITATION RETREAT. THIRTY-EIGHT INDIVIDUALS (MEAN AGE: 34.8 YEARS OLD) PARTICIPATING IN A 3-MONTH YOGA AND MEDITATION RETREAT WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION FOR PSYCHOMETRIC MEASURES, BRAIN DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF), CIRCADIAN SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS, AND PRO- AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES. PARTICIPATION IN THE RETREAT WAS FOUND TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASES IN SELF-REPORTED ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AS WELL AS INCREASES IN MINDFULNESS. AS HYPOTHESIZED, INCREASES IN THE PLASMA LEVELS OF BDNF AND INCREASES IN THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CORTISOL AWAKENING RESPONSE (CAR) WERE ALSO OBSERVED. THE NORMALIZED CHANGE IN BDNF LEVELS WAS INVERSELY CORRELATED WITH BSI-18 ANXIETY SCORES AT BOTH THE PRE-RETREAT (R = 0.40, P < 0.05) AND POST-RETREAT (R = 0.52, P < 0.005) SUCH THAT THOSE WITH GREATER ANXIETY SCORES TENDED TO EXHIBIT SMALLER PRE- TO POST-RETREAT INCREASES IN PLASMA BDNF LEVELS. IN LINE WITH A HYPOTHESIZED DECREASE IN INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES RESULTING FROM THE YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTICES, WE FOUND THAT THE PLASMA LEVEL OF THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE INTERLEUKIN-10 WAS INCREASED AND THE PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE INTERLEUKIN-12 WAS REDUCED AFTER THE RETREAT. CONTRARY TO OUR INITIAL HYPOTHESES, PLASMA LEVELS OF OTHER PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES, INCLUDING INTERFERON GAMMA (IFN-GAMMA), TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR (TNF-ALPHA), INTERLEUKIN-1BETA (IL-1BETA), INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6), AND INTERLEUKIN-8 (IL-8) WERE INCREASED AFTER THE RETREAT. GIVEN EVIDENCE FROM PREVIOUS STUDIES OF THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF MEDITATIVE PRACTICES ON MENTAL FITNESS, AUTONOMIC HOMEOSTASIS AND INFLAMMATORY STATUS, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THESE FINDINGS ARE RELATED TO THE MEDITATIVE PRACTICES THROUGHOUT THE RETREAT; HOWEVER, SOME OF THE OBSERVED CHANGES MAY ALSO BE RELATED TO OTHER ASPECTS OF THE RETREAT SUCH AS PHYSICAL EXERCISE-RELATED COMPONENTS OF THE YOGA PRACTICE AND DIET. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THE PATTERNS OF CHANGE OBSERVED HERE REFLECT MIND-BODY INTEGRATION AND WELL-BEING. THE INCREASED BDNF LEVELS OBSERVED IS A POTENTIAL MEDIATOR BETWEEN MEDITATIVE PRACTICES AND BRAIN HEALTH, THE INCREASED CAR IS LIKELY A REFLECTION OF INCREASED DYNAMIC PHYSIOLOGICAL AROUSAL, AND THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE DUAL ENHANCEMENT OF PRO- AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE CHANGES TO HEALTHY IMMUNOLOGIC FUNCTIONING IS DISCUSSED.	2017	
                                                                                                                        
19 1879  29 REASONS, YEARS AND FREQUENCY OF YOGA PRACTICE: EFFECT ON EMOTION RESPONSE REACTIVITY. YOGA PRACTICE, EVEN IN THE SHORT TERM, IS SUPPOSED TO ENHANCE WELLBEING AND COUNTERACT PSYCHOPATHOLOGY THROUGH MODIFICATION OF EMOTION REACTIVITY. YOGA TEACHES THAT EMOTIONAL RESPONSES MAY BE LESS PRONOUNCED WITH LONGER AND MORE FREQUENT PRACTICE, AND POTENTIALLY WHEN PEOPLE PERFORM YOGA FOR MENTAL RATHER THAN PHYSICAL REASONS. WE TESTED 36 YOGA PRACTITIONERS OF VARYING EXPERIENCE (BETWEEN 6 MONTHS AND 11 YEARS OF PRACTICE). WE ASSESSED PARTICIPANTS' SELF-REPORTED EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE AND PERIPHERAL PHYSIOLOGICAL REACTIONS (HEART RATE, SKIN CONDUCTANCE, RESPIRATION) WHEN SEEING POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE PICTURES. RESULTS WERE ANALYZED AS A FUNCTION OF THE YEARS OF, FREQUENCY OF, AND REASONS FOR YOGA PRACTICE. WE FOUND A HEART RATE INCREASE WITH THE DEGREE PARTICIPANTS PERFORMED YOGA FOR MENTAL REASONS. IN ADDITION, YEARS OF YOGA PRACTICE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED ABDOMINAL RESPIRATORY RATE WHEN FACING NEGATIVE PICTURES, SPEAKING IN FAVOR OF REDUCED AROUSAL WITH YOGA EXPERIENCE. FINALLY, REGARDING FREQUENCY OF PRACTICE, A HIGHER FREQUENCY IN THE LAST MONTH WAS LINKED TO LESS NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE EXPERIENCES AS WELL AS A REDUCED ABDOMINAL RESPIRATORY AMPLITUDE WHEN VIEWING POSITIVE PICTURES. ALTOGETHER, THESE RESULTS DEMONSTRATE THAT INTENSE SHORT-TERM YOGA PRACTICE MIGHT RELATE TO A (I) DECREASE IN THE INTENSITY OF SELF-REPORTED EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCES AND (II) DEEPENED RESPIRATION. SHORT-TERM EFFECTS MIGHT BE SHAPED BY WHAT PARTICIPANTS EXPECT AS PRACTICE BENEFITS. HOWEVER, SEVERAL YEARS OF PRACTICE MIGHT BE NEEDED TO DECREASE RESPIRATORY AROUSAL IN THE FACE OF NEGATIVE SITUATIONS, WHICH LIKELY IS A MANIFESTATION OF AN EVOLUTION IN THE EMOTION REGULATION PROCESS.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
20  645  28 DOES YOGA SHAPE BODY, MIND AND SPIRITUAL HEALTH AND HAPPINESS: DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND COLLEGE STUDENTS. BACKGROUND/AIMS: TO ASSESS THE BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOGA STUDENTS COMPARED WITH COLLEGE STUDENTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT SURVEY INSTRUMENTS ADMINISTERED TO THE TWO GROUPS. RESULTS: FIVE INDICATORS TO MEASURE MENTAL WELLNESS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND COLLEGE STUDENTS. ON THREE OF THESE FIVE MEASURES, COLLEGE STUDENTS REPORTED MORE MENTAL WELLNESS THAN YOGA PRACTITIONERS - IN OTHER WORDS, THE RELATIONSHIP WAS THE INVERSE OF WHAT WAS EXPECTED. COLLEGE STUDENTS REPORTED MAINTAINING STABILITY IN THEIR LIFE MORE OFTEN THAN YOGA PRACTITIONERS AS WELL AS MORE OFTEN EXPERIENCING SATISFYING INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS. COLLEGE STUDENTS WERE ALSO MORE LIKELY THAN YOGA PRACTITIONERS TO REPORT BEING TOLERANT OF OTHERS, WHETHER OR NOT THEY APPROVED OF THEIR BEHAVIOR OR BELIEFS. YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE MORE LIKELY THAN COLLEGE STUDENTS TO REPORT HAVING STRONG MORALS AND HEALTHY VALUES AS WELL AS THE ABILITY TO EXPRESS THEIR FEELINGS AND CONSIDER THE FEELINGS OF OTHERS. WE FOUND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND COLLEGE STUDENTS ON MORE THAN HALF OF OUR SPIRIT ITEMS (FIVE OF NINE). YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE MORE LIKELY THAN COLLEGE STUDENTS TO REPORT EXPRESSING THEIR SPIRITUALITY APPROPRIATELY AND IN HEALTHY WAYS, RECOGNIZING THE POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION FAITH COULD MAKE TO THE QUALITY OF LIFE (SIGNIFICANT AT THE 0.07 LEVEL), ROUTINELY UNDERTAKING NEW EXPERIENCES TO ENHANCE SPIRITUAL HEALTH AND HAVING A POSITIVE OUTLOOK ON LIFE. FURTHER, WE FOUND SUPPORT FOR THE PROPOSITION THAT YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE MORE LIKELY TO REPORT EXPERIENCING HAPPINESS WITHIN. CONCLUSIONS: SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOGA AND COLLEGE STUDENTS WERE FOUND ON THE BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENT. FURTHER WORK NEEDS TO ADDRESS THE COMPLEXITIES OF THESE RELATIONSHIPS.	2010