1 2138 145 THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTION IN OLDER ADULTS. BACKGROUND: FEW SCIENTIFIC STUDIES HAVE EXAMINED MOVEMENT-BASED EMBODIED CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES SUCH AS YOGA AND THEIR EFFECTS ON COGNITION. THE PURPOSE OF THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTION MEASURES OF TASK SWITCHING AND WORKING MEMORY CAPACITY. METHODS: COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS (N = 118; MEAN AGE = 62.0) WERE RANDOMIZED TO ONE OF TWO GROUPS: A HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION OR A STRETCHING-STRENGTHENING CONTROL. BOTH GROUPS PARTICIPATED IN HOUR-LONG EXERCISE CLASSES 3X/WEEK OVER THE 8-WEEK STUDY PERIOD. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED ESTABLISHED TESTS OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTION INCLUDING THE TASK SWITCHING PARADIGM, N-BACK AND RUNNING MEMORY SPAN AT BASELINE AND FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS: ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCES SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY SHORTER REACTION TIMES ON THE MIXED AND REPEAT TASK SWITCHING TRIALS (PARTIAL ETA(2) = .04, P < .05) FOR THE HATHA YOGA GROUP. HIGHER ACCURACY WAS RECORDED ON THE SINGLE TRIALS (PARTIAL ETA(2) = .05, P < .05), THE 2-BACK CONDITION OF THE N-BACK (PARTIAL ETA(2) = .08, P < .001), AND PARTIAL RECALL SCORES (PARTIAL ETA(2) = .06, P < .01) OF RUNNING SPAN TASK. CONCLUSIONS: FOLLOWING 8 WEEKS OF YOGA PRACTICE, PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED PERFORMANCE ON THE EXECUTIVE FUNCTION MEASURES OF WORKING MEMORY CAPACITY AND EFFICIENCY OF MENTAL SET SHIFTING AND FLEXIBILITY COMPARED WITH THEIR STRETCHING-STRENGTHENING COUNTERPARTS. ALTHOUGH THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED, THESE RESULTS DEMAND LARGER SYSTEMATIC TRIALS TO THOROUGHLY EXAMINE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTION AS WELL AS ACROSS OTHER DOMAINS OF COGNITION, AND ITS POTENTIAL TO MAINTAIN OR IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING IN THE AGING PROCESS. 2014 2 669 43 EFFECT OF A 16-WEEK BIKRAM YOGA PROGRAM ON PERCEIVED STRESS, SELF-EFFICACY AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN STRESSED AND SEDENTARY ADULTS: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF 16 WEEKS OF BIKRAM YOGA ON PERCEIVED STRESS, SELF-EFFICACY AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) IN SEDENTARY, STRESSED ADULTS. DESIGN: 16 WEEK, PARALLEL-ARM, RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH FLEXIBLE DOSING. METHODS: PHYSICALLY INACTIVE, STRESSED ADULTS (37.2+/-10.8 YEARS) WERE RANDOMISED TO BIKRAM YOGA (THREE TO FIVE CLASSES PER WEEK) OR CONTROL (NO TREATMENT) GROUP FOR 16 WEEKS. OUTCOME MEASURES, COLLECTED VIA SELF-REPORT, INCLUDED PERCEIVED STRESS, GENERAL SELF-EFFICACY, AND HRQOL. OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, MIDPOINT AND COMPLETION. RESULTS: INDIVIDUALS WERE RANDOMISED TO THE EXPERIMENTAL (N=29) OR CONTROL GROUP (N=34). AVERAGE ATTENDANCE IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WAS 27+/-18 CLASSES. REPEATED MEASURE ANALYSES OF VARIANCE (INTENTION-TO-TREAT) DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED PERCEIVED STRESS (P=0.003, PARTIAL ETA(2)=0.109), GENERAL SELF-EFFICACY (P=0.034, PARTIAL ETA(2)=0.056), AND THE GENERAL HEALTH (P=0.034, PARTIAL ETA(2)=0.058) AND ENERGY/FATIGUE (P=0.019, PARTIAL ETA(2)=0.066) DOMAINS OF HRQOL IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP VERSUS THE CONTROL GROUP. ATTENDANCE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCTIONS IN PERCEIVED STRESS, AND AN INCREASE IN SEVERAL DOMAINS OF HRQOL. CONCLUSIONS: 16 WEEKS OF BIKRAM YOGA SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED PERCEIVED STRESS, GENERAL SELF-EFFICACY AND HRQOL IN SEDENTARY, STRESSED ADULTS. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD CONSIDER WAYS TO OPTIMISE ADHERENCE, AND SHOULD INVESTIGATE EFFECTS OF BIKRAM YOGA INTERVENTION IN OTHER POPULATIONS AT RISK FOR STRESS-RELATED ILLNESS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY ACTRN12616000867493. REGISTERED 04 JULY 2016. URL: HTTP://WWW.ANZCTR.ORG.AU/ACTRN12616000867493.ASPX. 2018 3 668 52 EFFECT OF A 16-WEEK BIKRAM YOGA PROGRAM ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND ASSOCIATED CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK FACTORS IN STRESSED AND SEDENTARY ADULTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC ACTIVATION OF THE STRESS-RESPONSE CAN CONTRIBUTE TO CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK, PARTICULARLY IN SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECT OF A BIKRAM YOGA INTERVENTION ON THE HIGH FREQUENCY POWER COMPONENT OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) AND ASSOCIATED CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD) RISK FACTORS (I.E. ADDITIONAL DOMAINS OF HRV, HEMODYNAMIC, HEMATOLOGIC, ANTHROPOMETRIC AND BODY COMPOSITION OUTCOME MEASURES) IN STRESSED AND SEDENTARY ADULTS. METHODS: ELIGIBLE ADULTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO AN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (N = 29) OR A NO TREATMENT CONTROL GROUP (N = 34). EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PARTICIPANTS WERE INSTRUCTED TO ATTEND THREE TO FIVE SUPERVISED BIKRAM YOGA CLASSES PER WEEK FOR 16 WEEKS AT LOCAL STUDIOS. OUTCOME MEASURES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE (WEEK 0) AND COMPLETION (WEEK 17). RESULTS: SIXTY-THREE ADULTS (37.2 +/- 10.8 YEARS, 79% WOMEN) WERE INCLUDED IN THE INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP ATTENDED 27 +/- 18 CLASSES. ANALYSES OF COVARIANCE REVEALED NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE HIGH-FREQUENCY COMPONENT OF HRV (P = 0.912, PARTIAL ETA (2) = 0.000) OR IN ANY SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURE BETWEEN GROUPS OVER TIME. HOWEVER, REGRESSION ANALYSES REVEALED THAT HIGHER ATTENDANCE IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (P = 0.039; PARTIAL ETA (2) = 0.154), BODY FAT PERCENTAGE (P = 0.001, PARTIAL ETA (2) = 0.379), FAT MASS (P = 0.003, PARTIAL ETA (2) = 0.294) AND BODY MASS INDEX (P = 0.05, PARTIAL ETA (2) = 0.139). CONCLUSIONS: A 16-WEEK BIKRAM YOGA PROGRAM DID NOT INCREASE THE HIGH FREQUENCY POWER COMPONENT OF HRV OR ANY OTHER CVD RISK FACTORS INVESTIGATED. AS REVEALED BY POST HOC ANALYSES, LOW ADHERENCE LIKELY CONTRIBUTED TO THE NULL EFFECTS. FUTURE STUDIES ARE REQUIRED TO ADDRESS BARRIERS TO ADHERENCE TO BETTER ELUCIDATE THE DOSE-RESPONSE EFFECTS OF BIKRAM YOGA PRACTICE AS A MEDIUM TO LOWER STRESS-RELATED CVD RISK. TRIAL REGISTRATION: RETROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED WITH AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY ACTRN12616000867493 . REGISTERED 04 JULY 2016. 2017 4 23 53 #MINDINBODY - FEASIBILITY OF VIGOROUS EXERCISE (BIKRAM YOGA VERSUS HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING) TO IMPROVE PERSISTENT PAIN IN WOMEN WITH A HISTORY OF TRAUMA: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF PERSISTENT PAIN SHARES COMMON UNDERLYING PSYCHOBIOLOGY WITH THAT OF TRAUMATIC STRESS. MODERN TREATMENTS FOR TRAUMATIC STRESS OFTEN INVOLVE BOTTOM-UP SENSORIMOTOR RETRAINING/EXPOSURE THERAPIES, WHERE BREATH, MOVEMENT, BALANCE AND MINDFULNESS, ARE USED TO TARGET UNDERLYING PSYCHOBIOLOGY. VIGOROUS EXERCISE, IN PARTICULAR BIKRAM YOGA, COMBINES MANY OF THESE SENSORIMOTOR/EXPOSURE THERAPEUTIC FEATURES. HOWEVER, THERE IS VERY LITTLE RESEARCH INVESTIGATING THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY OF SUCH TREATMENTS FOR TARGETING THE UNDERLYING PSYCHOBIOLOGY OF PERSISTENT PAIN. METHODS: THIS STUDY WAS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRAIL (RCT) COMPARING THE EFFICACY OF BIKRAM YOGA VERSUS HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING (HIIT), FOR IMPROVING PERSISTENT PAIN IN WOMEN AGED 20 TO 50 YEARS. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE 1:1 RANDOMIZED TO ATTEND THEIR ASSIGNED INTERVENTION, 3 TIMES PER WEEK, FOR 8 WEEKS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS THE BRIEF PAIN INVENTORY (BPI) AND FURTHER PAIN RELATED BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL SECONDARY OUTCOMES, INCLUDING SF-36 MEDICAL OUTCOMES AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV), WERE ALSO EXPLORED. DATA WAS COLLECTED PRE (T0) AND POST (T1) INTERVENTION VIA AN ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL TESTING. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 34 WOMEN WERE RECRUITED FROM THE COMMUNITY. ANALYSES USING ANCOVA DEMONSTRATED NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN BPI (SEVERITY PLUS INTERFERENCE) SCORES BETWEEN THE BIKRAM YOGA (N = 17) AND THE HIIT (N = 15). WOMEN IN THE BIKRAM YOGA GROUP DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED SF-36 SUBSCALE PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING: [ANCOVA: F(1, 29) = 6.17, P = .019, PARTIAL ETA-SQUARED EFFECT SIZE (ETAP(2)) = .175 AND MENTAL HEALTH: F(1, 29) = 9.09, P = .005, ETAP(2) = .239; AND INCREASED HEART RATE VARIABILITY (SDNN): F(1, 29) = 5.12, P = .013, ETAP(2) = .150, SCORES COMPARED TO THE HIIT GROUP. ACROSS BOTH GROUPS, PAIN WAS SHOWN TO DECREASE, NO INJURIES WERE EXPERIENCED AND RETENTION RATES WERE 94% FOR BIKRAM YOGA AND 75% FOR HIIT . CONCLUSIONS: BIKRAM YOGA DOES NOT APPEAR A SUPERIOR EXERCISE COMPARED TO HIIT FOR PERSISTENT PAIN. HOWEVER, IMPORVEMENTS IN QUALITY OF LIFE MEASURES AND INDICATOR OF BETTER HEALTH WERE SEEN IN THE BIKRAM YOGA GROUP. THE OUTCOMES OF THE PRESENT STUDY SUGGEST VIGOROUS EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS IN PERSISTENT PAIN COHORTS ARE FEASIBLE. TRIAL REGISTRATION: AUSTRALIAN NEW ZEALAND CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY ( ACTRN12617001507370 , 26/10/2017). 2019 5 1861 39 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF BIKRAM YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISE FOR DEPRESSION IN WOMEN: EFFICACY AND STRESS-BASED MECHANISMS. BACKGROUND: THE CURRENT STUDY PRESENTS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED 8-WEEK TRIAL OF BIKRAM YOGA, AEROBIC EXERCISE, AND WAITLIST FOR DEPRESSION. BIKRAM YOGA WAS CHOSEN SPECIFICALLY FOR ITS STANDARDIZED NATURE. FURTHER, WE EXAMINED CHANGES IN THREE STRESS-RELATED CONSTRUCTS-PERCEIVED STRESS, RUMINATION, AND MINDFULNESS-AS MEDIATORS OF ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECTS. METHOD: FIFTY-THREE WOMEN (AGE 18-65; 74% WHITE) WITH A UNIPOLAR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THE THREE CONDITIONS. RESPONSE WAS DEFINED AS >50% REDUCTION ON THE HAMILTON RATING SCALE FOR DEPRESSION (HAM-D). REMISSION WAS DEFINED AS NO LONGER MEETING CRITERIA FOR DEPRESSION AND A HAM-D /=70% OF YOGA SESSIONS (N = 11) TO CONTROL (N = 19) YIELDED THE SAME FINDINGS, EXCEPT THAT THE HIGH ADHERERS ALSO REDUCED STATE ANXIETY (P = 0.02) AND RMSSD (P = 0.05), AND TENDED TO IMPROVE THE PUSH-UP TEST (P = 0.07) VERSUS CONTROL. CONCLUSIONS: A 10-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION DELIVERED AT THE OFFICE WORKSITE DURING LUNCH HOUR DID NOT IMPROVE HF POWER OR OTHER HRV PARAMETERS. HOWEVER, IMPROVEMENTS IN FLEXIBILITY, STATE ANXIETY AND MUSCULOSKELETAL FITNESS WERE NOTED WITH HIGH ADHERENCE. FUTURE INVESTIGATIONS SHOULD INCORPORATE STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE ADHERENCE, INVOLVE MORE FREQUENT AND LONGER DURATIONS OF YOGA TRAINING, AND ENROL COHORTS WHO SUFFER FROM HIGHER LEVELS OF WORK-RELATED STRESS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN12611000536965. 2013 12 2132 36 THE EFFECTS OF A GENTLE YOGA PROGRAM ON SLEEP, MOOD, AND BLOOD PRESSURE IN OLDER WOMEN WITH RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME (RLS): A PRELIMINARY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE. TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA VERSUS AN EDUCATIONAL FILM PROGRAM ON SLEEP, MOOD, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND SYMPATHETIC ACTIVATION IN OLDER WOMEN WITH RLS. METHODS. PARTICIPANTS WERE DRAWN FROM A LARGER TRIAL REGARDING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK PROFILES IN OVERWEIGHT, SEDENTARY POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. SEVENTY-FIVE WOMEN WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE EITHER AN 8-WEEK YOGA (N = 38) OR EDUCATIONAL FILM (N = 37) PROGRAM. ALL 75 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED AN RLS SCREENING QUESTIONNAIRE. THE 20 WOMEN WHO MET ALL FOUR DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR RLS (N = 10 YOGA, 10 FILM GROUP) COMPRISED THE POPULATION FOR THIS NESTED STUDY. MAIN OUTCOMES ASSESSED PRE- AND POST-TREATMENT INCLUDED: SLEEP (PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX), STRESS (PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE), MOOD (PROFILE OF MOOD STATES, STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY), BLOOD PRESSURE, AND HEART RATE. RESULTS. THE YOGA GROUP DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENTS THAN CONTROLS IN MULTIPLE DOMAINS OF SLEEP QUALITY AND MOOD, AND SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER REDUCTIONS IN INSOMNIA PREVALENCE, ANXIETY, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND BLOOD PRESSURE (ALL P'S0.05). THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE INTERVENTION EFFECTS ON WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE AND METS Z SCORE BETWEEN THE METS SUBGROUPS (BOTH P>0.05). CONCLUSION: A 12-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION IMPROVES METABOLIC RISK PROFILES AND HRQOL IN CHINESE ADULTS WITH AND WITHOUT METS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: AUSTRALIAN NEW ZEALAND CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY ACTRN12613000816752. 2015 17 2667 47 YOGA IN HEART FAILURE PATIENTS: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES SUCH AS YOGA PRACTICE HAVE BECOME COMMONPLACE, YET THE SAFETY, PHYSICAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE (HF) ARE UNKNOWN. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM WAS SAFE AND WOULD POSITIVELY INFLUENCE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTION IN HF PATIENTS. METHODS AND RESULTS: STABLE HF PATIENTS WERE RECRUITED (N = 15) AND COMPLETED (N = 12) 8 WEEKS OF YOGA CLASSES. DATA COLLECTED WERE: SAFETY (CARDIAC AND ORTHOPEDIC ADVERSE EVENTS); PHYSICAL FUNCTION (STRENGTH, BALANCE, ENDURANCE, FLEXIBILITY); AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTION (QUALITY OF LIFE [QOL], DEPRESSION SCORES, MINDFULNESS) BEFORE AND AFTER 8 WEEKS OF YOGA CLASSES. RESULTS: MEAN AGE WAS 52.4 + OR - 11.6 WITH THREE-FOURTHS (N = 9) BEING MALE AND CAUCASIAN. NO PARTICIPANT HAD ANY ADVERSE EVENTS. ENDURANCE (P < .02) AND STRENGTH (UPPER P = .04 AND LOWER BODY P = .01) SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED. BALANCE IMPROVED BY 13.6 SECONDS (26.9 + OR - 19.7 TO 40.0 + OR - 18.5; P = .05). SYMPTOM STABILITY, A SUBSCALE OF QOL, IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY (P = .02). ALTHOUGH NO SUBJECT WAS DEPRESSED, OVERALL MOOD WAS IMPROVED. SUBJECTS SUBJECTIVELY REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN OVERALL WELL-BEING. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PRACTICE WAS SAFE, WITH PARTICIPANTS EXPERIENCING IMPROVED PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND SYMPTOM STABILITY. LARGER STUDIES ARE WARRANTED TO PROVIDE MORE NONPHARMACOLOGICAL OPTIONS FOR IMPROVED OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH HF. 2010 18 1130 37 EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR DEPRESSED POSTPARTUM WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: UP TO 20% OF WOMEN EXPERIENCE POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION (PPD). PPD IS ASSOCIATED WITH ANXIETY AND POOR HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL). EFFICACIOUS TREATMENTS ARE CRITICAL; MANY WOMEN WITH PPD PREFER COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES. THUS, THE CURRENT STUDY EXAMINED YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY FOR PPD. METHODS: FIFTY-SEVEN POSTPARTUM WOMEN WITH SCORES >/=12 ON THE HAMILTON DEPRESSION RATING SCALE WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A YOGA (N = 28) OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL (N = 29) GROUP. THE YOGA INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF 16 CLASSES OVER 8 WEEKS. OUTCOMES WERE DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND HRQOL. RESULTS: THE YOGA GROUP EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER RATE OF IMPROVEMENT IN DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND HRQOL, RELATIVE TO THE CONTROL GROUP WITH MODERATE TO LARGE EFFECTS. RELIABLE CHANGE INDEX ANALYSES REVEALED THAT 78% OF WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP EXPERIENCED CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE. CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS SUPPORT YOGA AS A PROMISING COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY FOR PPD, AND WARRANT LARGE-SCALE REPLICATION STUDIES. TRIAL REGISTRATION: HTTP://CLINICALTRIALS.GOV/NCT02213601. 2015 19 1379 40 IMPACT OF IYENGAR YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN YOUNG WOMEN WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. OBJECTIVE: RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) IS A CHRONIC, DISABLING DISEASE THAT CAN GREATLY COMPROMISE HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL). THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF A 6-WEEK TWICE/WEEK IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM ON HRQOL OF YOUNG ADULTS WITH RA COMPARED WITH A USUAL-CARE WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP. METHODS: THE PROGRAM WAS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE PRIMARY OUTCOME OF HRQOL INCLUDING PAIN AND DISABILITY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING IN PATIENTS. ASSESSMENTS WERE COLLECTED PRETREATMENT, POSTTREATMENT, AND AT 2 MONTHS AFTER TREATMENT. WEEKLY RATINGS OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, PAIN, AND SLEEP WERE ALSO RECORDED. A TOTAL OF 26 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE INTERVENTION (YOGA=11; USUAL-CARE WAITLIST=15). ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE FEMALE (MEAN AGE=28 Y). RESULTS: OVERALL ATTRITION WAS LOW AT 15%. ON AVERAGE, WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP ATTENDED 96% OF THE YOGA CLASSES. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. RELATIVE TO THE USUAL-CARE WAITLIST, WOMEN ASSIGNED TO THE YOGA PROGRAM SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT ON STANDARDIZED MEASURES OF HRQOL, PAIN DISABILITY, GENERAL HEALTH, MOOD, FATIGUE, ACCEPTANCE OF CHRONIC PAIN, AND SELF-EFFICACY REGARDING PAIN AT POSTTREATMENT. ALMOST HALF OF THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL SYMPTOM IMPROVEMENT. ANALYSIS OF THE UNCONTROLLED EFFECTS AND MAINTENANCE OF TREATMENT EFFECTS SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS IN HRQOL GENERAL HEALTH, PAIN DISABILITY, AND WEEKLY RATINGS OF PAIN, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION WERE MAINTAINED AT FOLLOW-UP. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT A BRIEF IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTION IS A FEASIBLE AND SAFE ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WITH RA, LEADING TO HRQOL, PAIN DISABILITY, FATIGUE, AND MOOD BENEFITS. MOREOVER, IMPROVEMENTS IN QUALITY OF LIFE, PAIN DISABILITY, AND MOOD PERSISTED AT THE 2-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. 2013 20 1527 37 IYENGAR YOGA FOR DISTRESSED WOMEN: A 3-ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. DISTRESS IS AN INCREASING PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM. WE AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF AN IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM ON PERCEIVED STRESS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES IN DISTRESSED WOMEN AND EVALUATED A POTENTIAL DOSE-EFFECT RELATIONSHIP. SEVENTY-TWO FEMALE DISTRESSED SUBJECTS WERE INCLUDED INTO A 3-ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL AND ALLOCATED TO YOGA GROUP 1 (N = 24) WITH TWELVE 90 MIN SESSIONS OVER 3 MONTHS, YOGA GROUP 2 (N = 24) WITH 24 SESSIONS OVER 3 MONTHS, OR A WAITING LIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 24). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS STRESS PERCEPTION, MEASURED BY COHEN STRESS SCALE; SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED STATE TRAIT ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), PROFILE OF MOOD STATES, WELL BEING, AND BODILY COMPLAINTS. AFTER THREE MONTHS, WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PERCEIVED STRESS (P = 0.003), STATE TRAIT ANXIETY (P = 0.021 AND P = 0.003), DEPRESSION (P = 0.008), PSYCHOLOGICAL QOL (P = 0.012), MOOD STATES BEING (P = 0.007), AND BODILY COMPLAINTS WELL(P = 0.012) WHEN COMPARED TO CONTROLS. BOTH YOGA PROGRAMS WERE SIMILARLY EFFECTIVE FOR THESE OUTCOMES; HOWEVER, COMPLIANCE WAS BETTER IN THE GROUP WITH FEWER SESSIONS (YOGA GROUP 1). DOSE EFFECTS WERE SEEN ONLY IN THE ANALYSIS OF GROUP-INDEPENDENT EFFECTS FOR BACK PAIN, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT IYENGAR YOGA EFFECTIVELY REDUCES DISTRESS AND IMPROVES RELATED PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL OUTCOMES. FURTHERMORE, ATTENDING TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES WAS NOT SUPERIOR TO ONCE-WEEKLY CLASSES, AS A RESULT OF LIMITED COMPLIANCE IN THE TWICE-WEEKLY GROUP. 2012