1 2847 160 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	
                                                                                                                              
2 2334  32 TWELVE-WEEK YOGA VS. AEROBIC CYCLING INITIATION IN SEDENTARY HEALTHY SUBJECTS: A BEHAVIORAL AND MULTIPARAMETRIC INTERVENTIONAL PET/MR STUDY. INTERVENTIONAL YOGA STUDIES WITH AN ACTIVE CONTROL GROUP REMAIN SCARCE AND ARE IMPORTANT TO CLARIFY THE UNDERLYING NEUROBIOLOGY. WE CONDUCTED AN INTERVENTIONAL STUDY IN HEALTHY CONTROLS USING SIMULTANEOUS POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY/MAGNETIC RESONANCE (PET/MR) IMAGING AND PSYCHOMETRIC SCALES. THIRTY HEALTHY, FEMALE VOLUNTEERS (28.4 +/- 8.4 YEARS) PARTICIPATED AND WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A 12-WEEK YOGA OR INDOOR CYCLING INTERVENTION. BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION, [(18)F]FDG AND [(11)C]UCB-J PET WAS PERFORMED ON A SIMULTANEOUS GE SIGNA PET/MR WITH VOLUMETRIC IMAGING. PSYCHOMETRIC SCALES WERE EVALUATED ON AFFECT, MINDFULNESS, STRESS, WORRYING, SELF-COMPASSION, AND INTEROCEPTIVE AWARENESS. YOGA SUBJECTS SCORED HIGHER ON INTEROCEPTIVE AWARENESS COMPARED TO BASELINE (P < 0.001). COGNITIVE (P = 0.009) AND OVERALL COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING (P = 0.01) IMPROVED AFTER THE YOGA INTERVENTION COMPARED TO THE CYCLING GROUP. WE DID NOT OBSERVE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN GLUCOSE METABOLISM, SYNAPTIC DENSITY, OR GRAY MATTER (GM) VOLUME. THE INDOOR CYCLING GROUP DID NOT SHOW CHANGES IN PSYCHOMETRIC VARIABLES, BUT SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN RELATIVE GLUCOSE METABOLISM WERE OBSERVED IN THE PARAHIPPOCAMPAL/FUSIFORM GYRUS AND CEREBELLUM (P < 0.001). IN CONCLUSION, 12 WEEKS OF YOGA PRACTICE HAS SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS ON INTEROCEPTIVE AWARENESS AND PERCEIVED COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN STARTERS. LONGER INTERVENTIONS AND/OR HIGHER FREQUENCY OF YOGA PRACTICE MAY BE NEEDED TO DETECT CEREBRAL METABOLIC AND/OR MORPHOLOGIC EFFECTS ON THE MACROSCOPIC LEVEL.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
3 2920  35 [THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA IMMERSION, PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AND PSYCHIATRIC SYMPTOMS]. BACKGROUND: IN RECENT YEARS POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA (AS A KIND OF SPIRITUAL EXERCISE) IN REGARDS TO SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING AND PHYSICAL HEALTH CAN BE FOUND AS WELL DOCUMENTED IN THE LITERATURE. METHOD: BASED ON A CONSTRUCT-PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH A NEWLY DEVELOPED SCALE FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF YOGA INVOLVEMENT (IMMERSION) WAS VALIDATED ON A SAMPLE OF 233 NON-CLINICAL SUBJECTS (210 FEMALES) BY MEANS OF SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC AND WELL ESTABLISHED PSYCHOMETRIC PARAMETERS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AND PSYCHIATRIC SYMPTOMS. FURTHERMORE, THE GROUP OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS WAS COMPARED WITH A CONTROL GROUP CONSISTING OF 93 GYMNASTICS PRACTITIONERS (83 WOMEN) WITH RESPECT TO THESE PARAMETERS. RESULTS: THE AMOUNT OF YOGA IMMERSION (YI) CAN BE RELIABLY ASSESSED BY MEANS OF THE ONE-DIMENSIONAL YI-SCALE (10 ITEMS) AND SHOWS TO BE STRONGLY CORRELATED WITH MINDFULNESS (R = .56; P < .01), INNER CORRESPONDENCE (R = .61; P < .01) AND RELIGIOUS/SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING (R = .68; P < .01). FURTHERMORE HIGHLY YOGA-IMMERSIVE PRACTITIONERS EXHIBITED A SIGNIFICANT HIGHER AMOUNT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING (P < .01) COMPARED TO MARGINALLY/MODERATELY YOGA-IMMERSIVE AND GYMNASTICS PRACTITIONERS. THE YOGA-GROUP ALSO SHOWED A LOWER AMOUNT OF PSYCHIATRIC SYMPTOMS (E.G. DEPRESSION; P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: THE GLOBALLY POSTULATED POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA-PRACTICING AND MENTAL HEALTH COULD BE CONFIRMED; THEREBY THE IMPACT OF YI CAN BE ASSUMED AS CENTRAL. FURTHER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL RESEARCH FOCUSING ON THE HEALTH/DISEASE-RELATED ASPECTS OF YI MIGHT BE CONDUCTED ESPECIALLY IN CLINICAL GROUPS.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
4 2067  34 THE CONSCIOUSNESS STATE OF TRADITIONAL NIDRA YOGA/MODERN YOGA NIDRA: PHENOMENOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND PRELIMINARY INSIGHTS FROM AN EEG STUDY. NIDRA YOGA IS AN ANCIENT YOGIC PRACTICE CAPABLE OF INDUCING ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS CHARACTERIZED BY DEEP RELAXATION, STRONG CONCENTRATION, ACUTE SELF-AWARENESS, AND JOY. IN MODERN CONTEMPLATIVE NEUROSCIENCE LANGUAGE, IT IS KNOWN BY THE NAME YOGA NIDRA, AND FEW STUDIES HAVE INVESTIGATED ITS PHENOMENOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS. SIX HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (FOUR FEMALES AGED 31-74) PERFORMED 12 YOGA NIDRA SESSIONS GUIDED BY AN EXPERT DURING A 6-DAY RETREAT. EACH SESSION CONSISTED OF 10 MINUTES IN A RESTING STATE (BASELINE) FOLLOWED BY 2 HOURS OF YOGA NIDRA. PSYCHOMETRIC DATA REGARDING DISSOCIATIVE EXPERIENCES (CLINICIAN ADMINISTERED DISSOCIATIVE STATES SCALE) AND THE STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS (PHENOMENOLOGY OF CONSCIOUSNESS INVENTORY) WERE COLLECTED AFTER BASELINE AND YOGA NIDRA, WHILE HIGH-DENSITY EEG WAS RECORDED DURING THE ENTIRE SESSION. DURING NIDRA SESSIONS, NO SLEEP HALLMARKS (I.E., K-COMPLEXES AND SLEEP SPINDLES) WERE DETECTED BY THE EEG IN ANY SUBJECT. PSYCHOMETRIC DATA WE RE ANALYZED USING A WILCOXON SIGNED-RANK TEST CORRECTED WITH THE FALSE DISCOVERY RATE APPROACH FOR MULTIPLE COMPARISONS. COMPARED TO BASELINE, YOGA NIDRA PRACTICE WAS RELATED TO: (1) INCREASED DISSOCIATIVE EFFECTS (P = 0.022); (2) PERCEPTION OF BEING IN AN ALTERED STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS (P = 0.026); (3) ALTERATIONS IN PERCEIVED BODY IMAGE (P = 0.022); (4) INCREASED "MEANINGFULNESS" ATTRIBUTED TO THE EXPERIENCE (P = 0.026); (5) REDUCED RATIONAL THINKING (P = 0.029); AND (6) REDUCED VOLITIONAL THOUGHT CONTROL (P = 0.026). FIRST-PERSON EXPERIENCE IS DISCUSSED IN RELATION TO DESCRIPTIVE EEG POWER SPECTRAL DENSITY ANALYSIS, WHICH WAS PERFORMED IN ONE SUBJECT BECAUSE OF SEVERE EEG ARTIFACTS IN THE OTHER RECORDINGS; THAT SUBJECT SHOWED, COMPARED TO BASELINE: (1) EARLY INCREASE OF ALPHA AND BETA POWER, FOLLOWED BY A PROGRESSIVE WIDESPREAD REDUCTION; (2) WIDESPREAD EARLY INCREASE OF THETA POWER, FOLLOWED BY A PROGRESSIVE REDUCTION; AND (3) WIDESPREAD INCREASE OF GAMMA POWER IN THE LATEST STAGES. THE PRESENT PRELIMINARY RESULTS ENRICH THE KNOWLEDGE OF YOGA NIDRA, ELUCIDATING ITS PHENOMENOLOGY AND SUGGESTING SOME PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES THAT FUTURE STUDIES MAY ADDRESS.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
5 2202  37 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
6 1489  30 INTERACTIONS BETWEEN BODY AND SOCIAL AWARENESS IN YOGA. BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: BODILY PROCESSES HAVE BEEN INTIMATELY LINKED TO SOCIAL-COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE FUNCTIONS, SUCH AS COMPASSION AND EMPATHY. YET, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT HOW AWARENESS OF BODILY PROCESSES INFLUENCES SOCIAL AWARENESS AND VICE VERSA, ESPECIALLY IN NONOBSERVATIONAL BUT EXPERIENTIAL INVESTIGATIONS. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PSYCHOMETRICALLY REPORTED BODY AND SOCIAL AWARENESS (INCLUDING ALTRUISM, EMPATHY, PERSPECTIVE-TAKING, AND COMPASSION) IN 90 YOGA AND YOGA-/MEDIATION-NAIVE CONTROL PARTICIPANTS. IN MODERN POSTURAL YOGA, ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS CLAIM BOTH INCREASED COMPASSION AND INNER FOCUS. METHODS: MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED TO PREDICT (1) THE LEVEL OF YOGA PRACTICE FROM BODY AWARENESS AND SOCIAL AWARENESS SKILLS IN THE YOGA GROUP AND (2) BODY AWARENESS FROM SOCIAL SKILLS IN BOTH GROUPS. RESULTS: BODY AWARENESS AND COMPASSION WERE SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE AND INDEPENDENT PREDICTORS OF YOGA EXPERTISE. THIS FINDING SUPPORTS PRACTITIONERS' ANECDOTAL CLAIMS BUT ALSO IMPLIES THAT BOTH FUNCTIONS TAP INTO DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF YOGA EXPERTISE. WHEN BODY AWARENESS WAS PREDICTED, ALTRUISM EMERGED AS A SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE PREDICTOR IN THE YOGA GROUP (BUT NOT CONTROL GROUP) AS A FUNCTION OF YOGA PRACTICE. CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS MIGHT COMPELLINGLY SUGGEST THAT, DESPITE HIGH COMPASSION, HEIGHTENED BODILY SELF-AWARENESS MIGHT INCREASE A SELF-CENTRED PERSPECTIVE AND LIMIT ALTRUISTIC ACTS IN ADVANCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
7 2680  36 YOGA IN SCHOOL SPORTS IMPROVES FUNCTIONING OF AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM IN YOUNG ADULTS: A NON-RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: YOGA IN SCHOOL IS A BENEFICIAL TOOL TO PROMOTE THE GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF STUDENTS BY CHANGING THE WAY THEY REACT TO STRESS. THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA-TAUGHT IN SCHOOLS-ON CHILDREN, YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS HAVE BEEN DEMONSTRATED IN FORMER STUDIES USING MOSTLY SUBJECTIVE PSYCHOMETRIC DATA. AIM: THE PRESENT TRIAL AIMS TO EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA ON AUTONOMIC REGULATION IN YOUNG ADULTS BY ANALYZING HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV). METHODS: THIS STUDY IS A NON-RANDOMIZED, EXPLORATIVE, TWO-ARM-PILOT STUDY WITH AN ACTIVE CONTROL GROUP. FOURTEEN HEALTHY YOUNG ADULTS TOOK PART IN A 10-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM (90 MIN ONCE A WEEK) IN SCHOOL AND WERE COMPARED TO A CONTROL GROUP OF 11 STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN CONVENTIONAL SCHOOL SPORTS (90 MIN ONCE A WEEK OVER 10 WEEKS). 24-HOUR ELECTROCARDIOGRAMS (ECGS) WERE RECORDED AT BASELINE AND FOLLOWING THE 10-WEEK INTERVENTION. FROM 20-MINUTE OF NOCTURNAL SLEEP PHASES, HRV PARAMETERS WERE CALCULATED FROM LINEAR (TIME AND FREQUENCY DOMAIN) AND NONLINEAR DYNAMICS (SUCH AS SYMBOLIC DYNAMICS AND POINCARE PLOT ANALYSIS). ANALYSES OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) FOLLOWED BY T-TESTS AS POST-HOC TESTS ESTIMATING BOTH STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND EFFECT SIZE WERE USED TO COMPARE PRE-POST-INTERVENTION FOR THE TWO GROUPS. RESULTS: THE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE INTERACTION EFFECTS DID NOT REVEAL A SIGNIFICANT GROUP AND TIME INTERACTION FOR THE INDIVIDUAL NOCTURNAL HRV INDICES. ALMOST ALL INDICES REVEALED MEDIUM AND LARGE EFFECTS REGARDING THE TIME MAIN EFFECTS. THE CHANGES IN THE HRV INDICES FOLLOWING THE INTERVENTION WERE MORE DRAMATIC FOR THE YOGA GROUP THAN FOR THE CONTROL GROUP WHICH IS REFLECTED IN PREDOMINANTLY HIGHER SIGNIFICANCES AND STRONGER EFFECT SIZES IN THE YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSION: IN THIS EXPLORATIVE PILOT TRIAL, AN INCREASE OF HRV (MORE PARASYMPATHETIC DOMINANCE AND OVERALL HIGHER HRV) AFTER TEN WEEKS OF YOGA IN SCHOOL IN COMPARISON TO REGULAR SCHOOL SPORTS WAS DEMONSTRATED, SHOWING AN IMPROVED SELF-REGULATION OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
8 2254  45 THE ORIGIN AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE OF YOGA NIDRA. YOGA NIDRA, ALSO KNOWN AS 'YOGIC SLEEP', IS A SIMPLIFIED FORM OF AN ANCIENT TANTRIC RELAXATION TECHNIQUE. THE MOST GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PRACTICE IS THAT IT COMBINES GUIDED MENTAL IMAGERY WITH A SPECIFIC YOGA POSTURE CALLED SHAVASANA (OR "CORPSE POSE"). THE GOAL OF YOGA NIDRA IS TO PROMOTE A PROFOUND STATE OF RELAXATION, WHICH DIFFERS FROM SLEEP INASMUCH AS THERE IS STILL AN AWARENESS OF ONE'S SURROUNDINGS. WHILE SEVERAL COMPONENTS OF THE PRACTICE HAVE BEEN KNOWN SINCE ANCIENT TIMES, IT WAS NOT UNTIL THE 1960S THAT AN UPDATED AND SYSTEMATIZED SYSTEM OF PRACTICE WAS INTRODUCED TO THE PUBLIC THROUGH THE WRITINGS OF SWAMI SATYANANDA SARASWATI. UNLIKE OTHER SCHOOLS OF YOGA, WHICH EMPHASIZE CONCENTRATION OR CONTEMPLATION, YOGA NIDRA'S GOAL IS COMPLETE RELAXATION. AS SUCH, ITS ADVOCATES CLAIM THAT IT IS SUITABLE FOR ALL INDIVIDUALS, FROM BEGINNERS TO ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA. THE CALM INNER STILLNESS INDUCED BY YOGA NIDRA IS CLAIMED BY PRACTITIONERS TO BE AN EFFECTIVE STRESS MANAGEMENT TOOL AS WELL AS A MEANS FOR ATTAINING GREATER RECEPTIVITY TO PERSONAL RESOLUTIONS. THESE RESOLUTIONS CAN RANGE FROM THE GOAL OF ACHIEVING SELF-TRANSFORMATION, ENHANCING CREATIVITY, OR IMPROVING ONE'S LEARNING ABILITY. ADDITIONALLY, YOGA NIDRA IS CLAIMED TO PROMOTE BENEFICIAL CHANGES IN PHYSIOLOGICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH. THE FOLLOWING NARRATIVE REVIEW SUMMARIZES THE BASIC STEPS USED TO ACHIEVE THE FINAL STATE OF YOGA NIDRA RELAXATION AS WELL AS SOME RECENT EXPERIMENTAL FINDINGS REGARDING ITS PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS. STANDARD RESEARCH DATABASES WERE SEARCHED FOR RELEVANT ARTICLES. CLINICAL STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT YOGA NIDRA MEDITATION IS ASSOCIATED WITH POSITIVE PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES, INCLUDING IMPROVEMENTS IN SEVERAL HEMATOLOGICAL VARIABLES, RED BLOOD CELL COUNTS, BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS, AND HORMONAL STATUS. TWO NEUROIMAGING STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT YOGA NIDRA PRODUCES CHANGES IN ENDOGENOUS DOPAMINE RELEASE AND CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW, A FURTHER CONFIRMATION THAT ITS EFFECTS ON THE CNS ARE OBJECTIVELY MEASURABLE. THE PRACTICE HAS ALSO BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE PSYCHOMETRICALLY MEASURED INDICES OF MILD DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, ALTHOUGH THESE BENEFITS WERE NOT SHOWN IN AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY TO EXTEND TO SEVERE DEPRESSION OR SEVERE ANXIETY.	2022	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
9  851  28 EFFECT OF YOGA ON SLEEP QUALITY AND NEUROENDOCRINE IMMUNE RESPONSE IN METASTATIC BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. BACKGROUND: STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT DISTRESS AND ACCOMPANYING NEUROENDOCRINE STRESS RESPONSES AS IMPORTANT PREDICTOR OF SURVIVAL IN ADVANCED BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. SOME PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION STUDIES HAVE SHOWN HAVE MODULATION OF NEUROENDOCRINE-IMMUNE RESPONSES IN ADVANCED BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. IN THIS STUDY, WE EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PERCEIVED STRESS, SLEEP, DIURNAL CORTISOL, AND NATURAL KILLER (NK) CELL COUNTS IN PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC CANCER. METHODS: IN THIS STUDY, 91 PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER WHO SATISFIED SELECTION CRITERIA AND CONSENTED TO PARTICIPATE WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE "INTEGRATED YOGA BASED STRESS REDUCTION PROGRAM" (N = 45) OR STANDARD "EDUCATION AND SUPPORTIVE THERAPY SESSIONS" (N = 46) OVER A 3 MONTH PERIOD. PSYCHOMETRIC ASSESSMENTS FOR SLEEP QUALITY WERE DONE BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. BLOOD DRAWS FOR NK CELL COUNTS WERE COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. SALIVA SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED FOR THREE CONSECUTIVE DAYS BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING THE ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE ON POSTMEASURES USING RESPECTIVE BASELINE MEASURE AS A COVARIATE. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN SCALES OF SYMPTOM DISTRESS (P < 0.001), SLEEP PARAMETERS (P = 0.02), AND IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF SLEEP (P = 0.001) AND INSOMNIA RATING SCALE SLEEP SCORE (P = 0.001) FOLLOWING INTERVENTION. THERE WAS A DECREASE IN MORNING WAKING CORTISOL IN YOGA GROUP (P = 0.003) ALONE FOLLOWING INTERVENTION. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN NK CELL PERCENT (P = 0.03) FOLLOWING INTERVENTION IN YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST MODULATION OF NEUROENDOCRINE RESPONSES AND IMPROVEMENT IN SLEEP IN PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED BREAST CANCER FOLLOWING YOGA INTERVENTION.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
10 1211  44 EXPLORING HOW DIFFERENT TYPES OF YOGA CHANGE PSYCHOLOGICAL RESOURCES AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING ACROSS A SINGLE SESSION. OBJECTIVES: YOGA DEMONSTRATES BENEFICIAL EFFECTS IN MANY POPULATIONS, YET OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW YOGA BRINGS ABOUT THESE EFFECTS IS QUITE LIMITED. AMONG THE PROPOSED MECHANISMS OF YOGA ARE INCREASING PSYCHOLOGICAL RESOURCES (MINDFULNESS, BODY CONSCIOUSNESS, SELF-TRANSCENDENCE, SPIRITUAL PEACE, AND SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS) THAT MAY BRING ABOUT SALUTARY EFFECTS ON EMOTIONAL WELLBEING. FURTHER, YOGA IS A COMPLEX PRACTICE COMPRISING MEDITATION, ACTIVE AND RESTORATIVE POSTURES, AND BREATHWORK; HOWEVER LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT HOW DIFFERENT COMPONENTS MAY AFFECT MECHANISMS. WE AIMED TO DETERMINE HOW AN ACUTE SESSION OF YOGA (AND ITS SPECIFIC COMPONENTS) RELATED TO PRE- TO POST- SESSION CHANGES IN PROPOSED MECHANISMS (PSYCHOLOGICAL RESOURCES) AND WHETHER THOSE CHANGES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH POSITIVE CHANGES IN EMOTIONS. DESIGN: 144 REGULAR YOGA PRACTITIONERS COMPLETED MEASURES OF MINDFULNESS, BODY CONSCIOUSNESS, SELF-TRANSCENDENCE, SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS, SPIRITUAL PEACE, AND EXERCISE-INDUCED EMOTIONS (POSITIVE ENGAGEMENT, REVITALIZATION, TRANQUILITY, EXHAUSTION) IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER A YOGA SESSION (N=11 SESSIONS, EACH A DIFFERENT TYPE OF YOGA). PERCEIVED PROPERTIES OF EACH YOGA SESSION, EXERCISE EXERTION AND ENGAGEMENT WITH THE YOGA TEACHER WERE ASSESSED IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE SESSION. RESULTS: PRE-TO POST- YOGA, LEVELS OF POSITIVE EMOTIONS (ENGAGEMENT, TRANQUILITY AND REVITALIZATION) INCREASED WHILE EXHAUSTION DECREASED. FURTHER, ALL PSYCHOLOGICAL RESOURCES INCREASED AND CLOSELY TRACKED IMPROVED EMOTIONS. ADDITIONALLY, ASPECTS OF THE YOGA SESSION CORRELATED WITH CHANGES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL RESOURCES (MECHANISMS) AND EMOTIONS. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA MAY INFLUENCE MULTIPLE PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS THAT INFLUENCE EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING. FURTHER, DIFFERENT TYPES OF YOGA MAY AFFECT DIFFERENT MECHANISMS. RESULTS CAN INFORM YOGA INTERVENTIONS AIMING TO OPTIMIZE EFFECTS THROUGH SPECIFIC MECHANISMS SUCH AS MINDFULNESS OR SPIRITUALITY.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
11 1336  36 HOW DOES YOGA REDUCE STRESS? A CLINICAL TRIAL TESTING PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS. YOGA INTERVENTIONS CAN REDUCE STRESS, BUT THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THAT STRESS REDUCTION REMAIN LARGELY UNIDENTIFIED. UNDERSTANDING HOW YOGA WORKS IS ESSENTIAL TO OPTIMIZING INTERVENTIONS. THE PRESENT STUDY TESTED FIVE POTENTIAL PSYCHOSOCIAL MECHANISMS (INCREASED MINDFULNESS, INTEROCEPTIVE AWARENESS, SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING, SELF-COMPASSION AND SELF-CONTROL) THAT HAVE BEEN PROPOSED TO EXPLAIN YOGA'S IMPACT ON STRESS. FORTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS (62% FEMALE; 64% WHITE) IN A YOGA PROGRAM FOR STRESS REDUCTION COMPLETED SURVEYS AT BASELINE (T1), MID-INTERVENTION (T2) AND POST-INTERVENTION (12 WEEKS; T3). WE MEASURED TWO ASPECTS OF STRESS, PERCEIVED STRESS AND STRESS REACTIVITY. CHANGES WERE ASSESSED WITH PAIRED T-TESTS; ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN CHANGES IN MECHANISMS WERE TESTED IN RESIDUAL CHANGE MODELS. ONLY STRESS REACTIVITY DECREASED, ON AVERAGE, FROM T1 TO T3. EXCEPT FOR SELF-COMPASSION, ALL PSYCHOSOCIAL MECHANISMS INCREASED FROM T1 TO T3, WITH MINIMAL CHANGES FROM T2 TO T3. EXCEPT FOR SELF-CONTROL, INCREASES IN EACH MECHANISM WERE STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASES IN BOTH MEASURES OF STRESS BETWEEN T1 AND T2 AND DECREASES IN PERCEIVED STRESS FROM T1 TO T3 (ALL P'S < 0.05). INCREASED PSYCHOSOCIAL RESOURCES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH STRESS REDUCTION. YOGA INTERVENTIONS TARGETING THESE RESOURCES MAY SHOW STRONGER STRESS REDUCTION EFFECTS. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD TEST THESE LINKAGES MORE RIGOROUSLY USING ACTIVE COMPARISON GROUPS AND LARGER SAMPLES.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
12  451  46 CHANGES IN FATIGUE, AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS, AND BLOOD BIOMARKERS DUE TO SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME. BACKGROUND: IN A PREVIOUS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, WE FOUND THAT SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA IMPROVES FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME (CFS) WHO ARE RESISTANT TO CONVENTIONAL THERAPY. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE MECHANISMS BEHIND THIS FINDING, FOCUSING ON THE SHORT-TERM FATIGUE-RELIEVING EFFECT, BY COMPARING AUTONOMIC NERVOUS FUNCTION AND BLOOD BIOMARKERS BEFORE AND AFTER A SESSION OF ISOMETRIC YOGA. METHODS: FIFTEEN PATIENTS WITH CFS WHO REMAINED SYMPTOMATIC DESPITE AT LEAST 6 MONTHS OF CONVENTIONAL THERAPY PRACTICED SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA (BIWEEKLY 20 MIN PRACTICE WITH A YOGA INSTRUCTOR AND DAILY HOME PRACTICE) FOR EIGHT WEEKS. ACUTE EFFECTS OF SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA ON FATIGUE, AUTONOMIC FUNCTION, AND BLOOD BIOMARKERS WERE INVESTIGATED AFTER THE FINAL SESSION WITH AN INSTRUCTOR. THE EFFECT OF A SINGLE SESSION OF SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA ON FATIGUE WAS ASSESSED BY THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATUS (POMS) QUESTIONNAIRE IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER THE SESSION. AUTONOMIC NERVOUS FUNCTION (HEART RATE (HR) VARIABILITY) AND BLOOD BIOMARKERS (CORTISOL, DHEA-S, TNF-ALPHA, IL-6, IFN-GAMMA, IFN-ALPHA, PROLACTIN, CARNITINE, TGF-BETA1, BDNF, MHPG, AND HVA) WERE COMPARED BEFORE AND AFTER THE SESSION. RESULTS: SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THE POMS FATIGUE SCORE (P < 0.01) AND INCREASED THE VIGOR SCORE (P < 0.01). IT ALSO REDUCED HR (P < 0.05) AND INCREASED THE HIGH FREQUENCY POWER (P < 0.05) OF HR VARIABILITY. SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA INCREASED SERUM LEVELS OF DHEA-S (P < 0.05), REDUCED LEVELS OF CORTISOL (P < 0.05) AND TNF-ALPHA (P < 0.05), AND HAD A TENDENCY TO REDUCE SERUM LEVELS OF PROLACTIN (P < 0.1). DECREASES IN FATIGUE SCORES CORRELATED WITH CHANGES IN PLASMA LEVELS OF TGF-BETA1 AND BDNF. IN CONTRAST, INCREASED VIGOR POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH HVA. CONCLUSIONS: A SINGLE SESSION OF SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA REDUCED FATIGUE AND INCREASED VIGOR IN PATIENTS WITH CFS. YOGA ALSO INCREASED VAGAL NERVE FUNCTION AND CHANGED BLOOD BIOMARKERS IN A PATTERN THAT SUGGESTED ANTI-STRESS AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS. THESE CHANGES APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO THE SHORT-TERM FATIGUE-RELIEVING EFFECT OF SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH CFS. FURTHERMORE, DOPAMINERGIC NERVOUS SYSTEM ACTIVATION MIGHT ACCOUNT FOR SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA-INDUCED INCREASES IN ENERGY IN THIS PATIENT POPULATION. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL MEDICAL INFORMATION NETWORK (UMIN CTR) UMIN000009646. REGISTERED DEC 27, 2012.	2018	

13 1521  48 ISHA YOGA PRACTICES AND PARTICIPATION IN SAMYAMA PROGRAM ARE ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED HBA1C AND SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION, IMPROVED LIPID PROFILE, AND SHORT-TERM AND SUSTAINED IMPROVEMENT IN MENTAL HEALTH: A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF MEDITATORS. BACKGROUND: MEDITATION IS GAINING RECOGNITION AS A TOOL TO IMPACT HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. SAMYAMA IS AN 8-DAY INTENSIVE RESIDENTIAL MEDITATION EXPERIENCE CONDUCTED BY ISHA FOUNDATION REQUIRING SEVERAL MONTHS OF EXTENSIVE PREPARATION AND VEGAN DIET. THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SAMYAMA HAVE NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLY STUDIED. THE OBJECTIVE WAS TO ASSESS PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING BEFORE AND AFTER SAMYAMA PARTICIPATION BY EVALUATING PSYCHOLOGICAL SURVEYS AND OBJECTIVE HEALTH BIOMARKERS. METHODS: THIS WAS AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF 632 ADULTS BEFORE AND AFTER THE ISHA SAMYAMA RETREAT. ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE INVITED TO COMPLETE SURVEYS. CONTROLS INCLUDED HOUSEHOLD SIGNIFICANT OTHERS. SURVEYS WERE COMPLETED AT BASELINE (T1), JUST BEFORE SAMYAMA (T2), IMMEDIATELY AFTER SAMYAMA (T3), AND 3 MONTHS LATER (T4) TO ASSESS ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, MINDFULNESS, JOY, VITALITY, AND RESILIENCE THROUGH VALIDATED PSYCHOMETRIC SCALES. VOLUNTARY BLOOD SAMPLING FOR BIOMARKER ANALYSIS WAS DONE TO ASSESS HEMOGLOBIN (HB), HBA1C, LIPID PROFILE, AND C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (CRP). PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE CHANGES IN PSYCHOMETRIC SCORES, BODY WEIGHT, AND BLOOD BIOMARKERS. RESULTS: DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SCORES DECREASED FROM T1 TO T3, WITH THE EFFECT MOST PRONOUNCED IN PARTICIPANTS WITH BASELINE DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY. SCORES AT T4 REMAINED BELOW BASELINE FOR THOSE WITH PRE-EXISTING DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY. VITALITY, RESILIENCE, JOY, AND MINDFULNESS INCREASED FROM T1 TO T3 (SUSTAINED AT T4). BODY WEIGHT DECREASED BY 3% FROM T1 TO T3. TRIGLYCERIDES (TG) WERE LOWER FROM T2 TO T3. PARTICIPANTS HAD LOWER HBA1C AND HDL AT T2, AND LOWER CRP AT ALL TIMEPOINTS COMPARED WITH CONTROLS. CONCLUSIONS: PARTICIPATION IN THE ISHA SAMYAMA PROGRAM LED TO MULTIPLE BENEFITS. THE 2-MONTH PREPARATION REDUCED ANXIETY, AND PARTICIPANTS MAINTAINED LOWER ANXIETY LEVELS AT 3 MONTHS POST-RETREAT. PHYSICAL HEALTH IMPROVED OVER THE COURSE OF THE PROGRAM AS EVIDENCED BY WEIGHT LOSS AND IMPROVED HBA1C AND LIPID PROFILE. PRACTICES ASSOCIATED WITH THE SAMYAMA PREPARATION PHASE AND THE RETREAT MAY SERVE AS AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH. FUTURE STUDIES MAY EXAMINE THEIR USE AS AN ALTERNATIVE THERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSION AND/OR ANXIETY. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: WWW.CLINICALTRIALS.GOV, IDENTIFIER: 1801728792. REGISTERED RETROSPECTIVELY ON 4/17/2020.	2021	
                 
14 1555  36 LONG-TERM ASHTANGA YOGA PRACTICE DECREASES MEDIAL TEMPORAL AND BRAINSTEM GLUCOSE METABOLISM IN RELATION TO YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS INCREASINGLY POPULAR WORLDWIDE WITH SEVERAL PHYSICAL AND MENTAL BENEFITS, BUT THE UNDERLYING NEUROBIOLOGY REMAINS UNCLEAR. WHEREAS MANY STUDIES HAVE FOCUSED ON PURE MEDITATIONAL ASPECTS, THE TRIAD OF YOGA INCLUDES MEDITATION, POSTURES, AND BREATHING. WE CONDUCTED A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY COMPARING EXPERIENCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS TO YOGA-NAIVE HEALTHY SUBJECTS USING A MULTIPARAMETRIC 2 X 2 DESIGN WITH SIMULTANEOUS POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY/MAGNETIC RESONANCE (PET/MR) IMAGING. METHODS: (18)F-FDG PET, MORPHOMETRIC AND DIFFUSION TENSOR IMAGING, RESTING STATE FMRI, AND MR SPECTROSCOPY WERE ACQUIRED IN 10 EXPERIENCED (4.8 +/- 2.3 YEARS OF REGULAR YOGA EXPERIENCE) YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND 15 MATCHED CONTROLS IN REST AND AFTER A SINGLE PRACTICE (YOGA PRACTICE AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE, RESPECTIVELY). RESULTS: IN REST, DECREASED REGIONAL GLUCOSE METABOLISM IN THE MEDIAL TEMPORAL CORTEX, STRIATUM, AND BRAINSTEM WAS OBSERVED IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS COMPARED TO CONTROLS (P < 0.0001), WITH A SIGNIFICANT INVERSE CORRELATION OF RESTING PARAHIPPOCAMPAL AND BRAINSTEM METABOLISM WITH YEARS OF REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE (RHO < - 0.63, P < 0.05). A SINGLE YOGA PRACTICE RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT HYPERMETABOLISM IN THE CEREBELLUM (P < 0.0001). NONE OF THE MR MEASURES DIFFERED, BOTH AT REST AND AFTER INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: EXPERIENCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS SHOW REGIONAL LONG-TERM DECREASES IN GLUCOSE METABOLISM RELATED TO YEARS OF PRACTICE. TO ELUCIDATE A POTENTIAL CAUSALITY, A PROSPECTIVE LONGITUDINAL STUDY IN YOGA-NAIVE INDIVIDUALS IS WARRANTED.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
15  629  40 DIFFERENCES IN BRAIN STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND CONTROLS. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A MIND-BODY BASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THAT HAS DEMONSTRATED A VARIETY OF PHYSIOLOGICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND COGNITIVE HEALTH BENEFITS. ALTHOUGH YOGA PRACTICE HAS SHOWN TO IMPROVE COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE, FEW STUDIES HAVE EXAMINED THE UNDERLYING NEUROLOGICAL CORRELATES. OBJECTIVE: THE CURRENT STUDY AIMED TO DETERMINE THE DIFFERENCES IN GRAY MATTER VOLUME OF THE HIPPOCAMPUS, THALAMUS AND CAUDATE NUCLEUS AND BRAIN ACTIVATION DURING THE STERNBERG WORKING MEMORY TASK. METHOD: PARTICIPANTS WERE 13 EXPERIENCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS (MEAN AGE = 35.8), DEFINED AS HAVING MORE THAN 3 YEARS OF REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE, AND 13 AGE- AND SEX-MATCHED CONTROLS (MEAN AGE = 35.7). ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED A 6-MIN WALK TEST TO ASSESS FITNESS, PSYCHOSOCIAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRES; AND UNDERWENT MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING TO ASSESS GRAY MATTER VOLUME AND BRAIN ACTIVATION. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO GROUP DIFFERENCES ON DEMOGRAPHIC MEASURES OF INCOME, EDUCATION AND ON ESTIMATED VO2MAX OR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS. GRAY MATTER VOLUME DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED IN THE LEFT HIPPOCAMPUS, SHOWING GREATER VOLUME IN EXPERIENCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS COMPARED TO CONTROLS (P = 0.017). THE FUNCTIONAL MRI RESULTS REVEALED LESS ACTIVATION IN THE DORSOLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS COMPARED TO CONTROLS DURING THE ENCODING PHASE OF THE STERNBERG TASK (P < 0.05). REACTION TIME AND ACCURACY ON THE TASK DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN THE GROUPS. CONCLUSIONS: OUR RESULTS SUGGEST AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN REGULAR LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTICE AND DIFFERENTIAL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF SPECIFIC BRAIN REGIONS INVOLVED IN EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, SPECIFICALLY WORKING MEMORY, WHICH HAS PREVIOUSLY SHOWN TO IMPROVE WITH YOGA PRACTICE. FUTURE STUDIES NEED TO EXAMINE INTERVENTION EFFECTS OF YOGA AND EXPLORE ITS POTENTIAL TO MAINTAIN AND IMPROVE COGNITIVE HEALTH ACROSS THE LIFESPAN THROUGH LONGITUDINAL AND INTERVENTION STUDIES.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
16 1424  34 IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AFTER 6 MONTHS OF YOGA PRACTICE. YOGA IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON COGNITION, ATTENUATION OF EMOTIONAL INTENSITY AND STRESS REDUCTION. PREVIOUS STUDIES WERE MAINLY PERFORMED ON EASTERN EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS OR UNHEALTHY SUBJECTS UNDERGOING CONCOMITANT CONVENTIONAL THERAPIES. FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS NEEDED ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA PER SE, AS WELL AS ITS POSSIBLE PREVENTIVE BENEFITS ON HEALTHY SUBJECTS. WE INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MEMORY AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS RELATED TO STRESS, COMPARING YOGA PRACTICE AND CONVENTIONAL PHYSICAL EXERCISES IN HEALTHY MEN (PREVIOUSLY YOGA-NAIVE). MEMORY TESTS, SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS AND STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION INVENTORIES WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER 6 MONTHS OF PRACTICE. YOGA PRACTITIONERS SHOWED IMPROVEMENT OF THE MEMORY PERFORMANCE, AS WELL AS IMPROVEMENTS IN PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS. THE PRESENT RESULTS SUGGEST THAT REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE CAN IMPROVE ASPECTS OF COGNITION AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. AN INDIRECT INFLUENCE OF EMOTIONAL STATE ON COGNITIVE IMPROVEMENT PROMOTED BY YOGA PRACTICE CAN BE PROPOSED.	2012	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
17 1788  41 PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE THAT YOGA PRACTICE PROGRESSIVELY IMPROVES MOOD AND DECREASES STRESS IN A SAMPLE OF UK PRISONERS. OBJECTIVES. IN THE FIRST RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA ON UK PRISONERS, WE PREVIOUSLY SHOWED THAT YOGA PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED MENTAL WELLBEING AND COGNITION. HERE, WE AIMED TO ASSESS HOW CLASS ATTENDANCE, SELF-PRACTICE, AND DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS WERE RELATED TO OUTCOME AMONGST PRISONERS ENROLLED IN THE 10-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION. METHODS. THE DATA OF 55 PARTICIPANTS (52 MALE, 3 FEMALE) WHO COMPLETED A 10-WEEK YOGA COURSE WERE ANALYSED. CHANGES IN PRE- AND POSTYOGA MEASURES OF AFFECT, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS WERE ENTERED INTO LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSES WITH BIAS-CORRECTED AND ACCELERATED BOOTSTRAP CONFIDENCE INTERVALS. CLASS ATTENDANCE, SELF-PRACTICE, DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES, AND BASELINE PSYCHOMETRIC VARIABLES WERE INCLUDED AS REGRESSORS. RESULTS. PARTICIPANTS WHO ATTENDED MORE YOGA CLASSES AND THOSE WHO ENGAGED IN FREQUENT (5 TIMES OR MORE) SELF-PRACTICE REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER DECREASES IN PERCEIVED STRESS. DECREASES IN NEGATIVE AFFECT WERE ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO HIGH FREQUENCY SELF-PRACTICE AND GREATER CLASS ATTENDANCE AT A NEAR-SIGNIFICANT LEVEL. AGE WAS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH YOGA CLASS ATTENDANCE, AND HIGHER LEVELS OF EDUCATION WERE ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER DECREASES IN NEGATIVE AFFECT. CONCLUSIONS. OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THERE MAY BE PROGRESSIVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA WITHIN PRISON POPULATIONS AND POINT TO SUBPOPULATIONS WHO MAY BENEFIT THE MOST FROM THIS PRACTICE.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
18 1461  27 INFLUENCE OF YOGA ON MOOD STATES, DISTRESS, QUALITY OF LIFE AND IMMUNE OUTCOMES IN EARLY STAGE BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING SURGERY. CONTEXT: BREAST CANCER PATIENTS AWAITING SURGERY EXPERIENCE HEIGHTENED DISTRESS THAT COULD AFFECT POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES. AIMS: THE AIM OF OUR STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON MOOD STATES, TREATMENT-RELATED SYMPTOMS, QUALITY OF LIFE AND IMMUNE OUTCOMES IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING SURGERY. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: NINETY-EIGHT RECENTLY DIAGNOSED STAGE II AND III BREAST CANCER PATIENTS WERE RECRUITED FOR A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM WITH SUPPORTIVE THERAPY PLUS EXERCISE REHABILITATION ON POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES FOLLOWING SURGERY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: SUBJECTS WERE ASSESSED PRIOR TO SURGERY AND FOUR WEEKS THEREAFTER. PSYCHOMETRIC INSTRUMENTS WERE USED TO ASSESS SELF-REPORTED ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, TREATMENT-RELATED DISTRESS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. BLOOD SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED FOR ENUMERATION OF T LYMPHOCYTE SUBSETS (CD4 %, CD8 % AND NATURAL KILLER (NK) CELL % COUNTS) AND SERUM IMMUNOGLOBULINS (IGG, IGA AND IGM). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: WE USED ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE TO COMPARE INTERVENTIONS POSTOPERATIVELY. RESULTS: SIXTY-NINE PATIENTS CONTRIBUTED DATA TO THE CURRENT ANALYSIS (YOGA N = 33, CONTROL N = 36). THE RESULTS SUGGEST A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE STATE (P = 0.04) AND TRAIT (P = 0.004) OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION (P = 0.01), SYMPTOM SEVERITY (P = 0.01), DISTRESS (P < 0.01) AND IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE (P = 0.01) IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO THE CONTROLS. THERE WAS ALSO A SIGNIFICANTLY LESSER DECREASE IN CD 56% (P = 0.02) AND LOWER LEVELS OF SERUM IGA (P = 0.001) IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS FOLLOWING SURGERY. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS SUGGEST POSSIBLE BENEFITS FOR YOGA IN REDUCING POSTOPERATIVE DISTRESS AND PREVENTING IMMUNE SUPPRESSION FOLLOWING SURGERY.	2008	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
19  984  45 EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AND AFRICAN DANCE ON PERCEIVED STRESS, AFFECT, AND SALIVARY CORTISOL. BACKGROUND: DANCE AND YOGA HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO PRODUCE IMPROVEMENTS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING. PURPOSE: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE SOME OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND NEUROENDOCRINE RESPONSE TO THESE ACTIVITIES. METHODS: SIXTY-NINE HEALTHY COLLEGE STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN ONE OF THREE 90-MIN CLASSES: AFRICAN DANCE (N = 21), HATHA YOGA (N= 18), OR A BIOLOGY LECTURE AS A CONTROL SESSION (N = 30). BEFORE AND AFTER EACH CONDITION PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS), COMPLETED THE POSITIVE AFFECT AND NEGATIVE AFFECT SCHEDULE, AND PROVIDED A SALIVA SAMPLE FOR CORTISOL. RESULTS: THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN PSS AND NEGATIVE AFFECT (PS < .0001) AND TIME X TREATMENT INTERACTIONS (PS < .0001) SUCH THAT AFRICAN DANCE AND HATHA YOGA SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DECLINES, WHEREAS THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN BIOLOGY LECTURE. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECT FOR POSITIVE AFFECT (P = .53), HOWEVER THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION EFFECT (P < .001) SUCH THAT POSITIVE AFFECT INCREASED IN AFRICAN DANCE, DECREASED IN BIOLOGY LECTURE, AND DID NOT CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY IN HATHA YOGA. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECT FOR SALIVARY CORTISOL (P < .05) AND A SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION EFFECT (P < .0001) SUCH THAT CORTISOL INCREASED IN AFRICAN DANCE, DECREASED IN HATHA YOGA, AND DID NOT CHANGE IN BIOLOGY. CHANGES IN CORTISOL WERE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO CHANGES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES ACROSS TREATMENTS. THERE WAS 1 SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION EFFECT (P = .04) SUCH THAT CHANGE IN POSITIVE AFFECT AND CHANGE IN CORTISOL WERE NEGATIVELY CORRELATED IN HATHA YOGA BUT POSITIVELY CORRELATED IN AFRICA DANCE AND BIOLOGY. CONCLUSIONS: BOTH AFRICAN DANCE AND HATHA YOGA REDUCED PERCEIVED STRESS AND NEGATIVE AFFECT. CORTISOL INCREASED IN AFRICAN DANCE AND DECREASED IN HATHA YOGA. THEREFORE, EVEN WHEN THESE INTERVENTIONS PRODUCE SIMILAR POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS, THE EFFECTS MAY BE VERY DIFFERENT ON PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS PROCESSES. ONE FACTOR THAT MAY HAVE PARTICULAR SALIENCE IS THAT AMOUNT OF PHYSIOLOGICAL AROUSAL PRODUCED BY THE INTERVENTION.	2004	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
20 2535  30 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