1 757 76 EFFECT OF SLOW AND DEEP BREATHING ON BRAIN WAVES IN REGULAR YOGA PRACTITIONERS. VARIOUS YOGIC PRACTICES FOCUS ON BREATHING. BREATHING MAY AFFECT BRAIN WAVES. THIS CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO SEE THE EFFECT SLOW AND DEEP RESPIRATION ON EEG ACTIVITY IN EXPERIENCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS AT THE DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGY AT AIIMS, BHOPAL, INDIA. THE DURATION OF THE STUDY WAS ABOUT ONE YEAR. EEG WAS TAKEN AND WAS ANALYZED BY DINAMIKA - ADVANCED TEST SYSTEM, MOSCOW, RUSSIA. PAIRED T-TEST USING GRAPH PAD SOFTWARE WAS USED FOR STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. THE DELTA PERCENTAGE DECREASED AND THE OTHER WAVE'S PERCENTAGES THETA, ALPHA, AND BETA INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. THE PERSON BECOMES DEEPLY RELAXED AND MORE FOCUSSED ON SLOW AND DEEP BREATHING. 2021 2 1496 16 INTRACEREBRAL PAIN PROCESSING IN A YOGA MASTER WHO CLAIMS NOT TO FEEL PAIN DURING MEDITATION. WE RECORDED MAGNETOENCEPHALOGRAPHY (MEG) AND FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (FMRI) FOLLOWING NOXIOUS LASER STIMULATION IN A YOGA MASTER WHO CLAIMS NOT TO FEEL PAIN WHEN MEDITATING. AS FOR BACKGROUND MEG ACTIVITY, THE POWER OF ALPHA FREQUENCY BANDS PEAKING AT AROUND 10 HZ WAS MUCH INCREASED DURING MEDITATION OVER OCCIPITAL, PARIETAL AND TEMPORAL REGIONS, WHEN COMPARED WITH THE NON-MEDITATIVE STATE, WHICH MIGHT MEAN THE SUBJECT WAS VERY RELAXED, THOUGH HE DID NOT FALL ASLEEP, DURING MEDITATION. PRIMARY PAIN-RELATED CORTICAL ACTIVITIES RECORDED FROM PRIMARY (SI) AND SECONDARY SOMATOSENSORY CORTICES (SII) BY MEG WERE VERY WEAK OR ABSENT DURING MEDITATION. AS FOR FMRI RECORDING, THERE WERE REMARKABLE CHANGES IN LEVELS OF ACTIVITY IN THE THALAMUS, SII-INSULA (MAINLY THE INSULA) AND CINGULATE CORTEX BETWEEN MEDITATION AND NON-MEDITATION. ACTIVITIES IN ALL THREE REGIONS WERE INCREASED DURING NON-MEDITATION, SIMILAR TO RESULTS IN NORMAL SUBJECTS. IN CONTRAST, ACTIVITIES IN ALL THREE REGIONS WERE WEAKER DURING MEDITATION, AND THE LEVEL WAS LOWER THAN THE BASELINE IN THE THALAMUS. RECENT NEUROIMAGING AND ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES HAVE CLARIFIED THAT THE EMOTIONAL ASPECT OF PAIN PERCEPTION MAINLY INVOLVES THE INSULA AND CINGULATE CORTEX. THOUGH WE CANNOT CLEARLY EXPLAIN THIS UNUSUAL CONDITION IN THE YOGA MASTER, A CHANGE OF MULTIPLE REGIONS RELATING TO PAIN PERCEPTION COULD BE RESPONSIBLE, SINCE PAIN IS A COMPLEX SENSORY AND EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE. 2005 3 994 22 EFFECTS OF HIGH-FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING CALLED KAPALABHATI COMPARED WITH BREATH AWARENESS ON THE DEGREE OF OPTICAL ILLUSION PERCEIVED. PRIOR RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT METHODS OF MEDITATION, BREATH CONTROL, AND DIFFERENT KINDS OF YOGA BREATHING AFFECT ATTENTION AND VISUAL PERCEPTION, INCLUDING DECREASING THE SIZE OF CERTAIN OPTICAL ILLUSIONS. EVALUATING RELATIONSHIPS SHEDS LIGHT ON THE PERCEPTUAL AND COGNITIVE CHANGES INDUCED BY YOGA AND RELATED METHODS, AND THE LOCUS OF THE EFFECTS. IN THE PRESENT STUDY, THE DEGREE OF OPTICAL ILLUSION WAS ASSESSED USING MULLER-LYER STIMULI BEFORE AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER TWO DIFFERENT KINDS OF PRACTICE, A HIGH FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING CALLED KAPALABHATI, AND BREATH AWARENESS. A NONYOGA, CONTROL SESSION TESTED FOR PRACTICE EFFECTS. THIRTY PARTICIPANTS (WITH GROUP M AGE = 26.9 YR., SD = 5.7) PRACTICED THE TWO TECHNIQUES FOR 18 MIN. ON TWO SEPARATE DAYS. THE CONTROL GROUP HAD 15 NONYOGA PRACTITIONERS ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER 18 MIN. IN WHICH THEY DID NOT PERFORM ANY SPECIFIC ACTIVITY BUT WERE SEATED AND RELAXED. AFTER BOTH KAPALABHATI AND BREATH AWARENESS THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE DEGREE OF OPTICAL ILLUSION. THE POSSIBILITY THAT THIS WAS DUE TO A PRACTICE OR REPETITION EFFECT WAS RULED OUT WHEN 15 NONYOGA PRACTITIONERS SHOWED NO CHANGE IN THE DEGREE OF ILLUSION WHEN RETESTED AFTER 18 MIN. THE CHANGES WERE INTERPRETED AS DUE TO CHANGES IN PERCEPTION RELATED TO THE WAY THE STIMULI WERE JUDGED. 2011 4 457 21 CHANGES IN P300 FOLLOWING ALTERNATE NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING AND BREATH AWARENESS. THIS STUDY ASSESSED THE EFFECT OF ALTERNATE NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING (NADISUDDHI PRANAYAMA) ON P300 AUDITORY EVOKED POTENTIALS COMPARED TO A SESSION OF BREATH AWARENESS OF EQUAL DURATION, IN 20 MALE ADULT VOLUNTEERS WHO HAD AN EXPERIENCE OF YOGA BREATHING PRACTICES FOR MORE THAN THREE MONTHS. PEAK AMPLITUDES AND PEAK LATENCIES OF THE P300 WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER THE RESPECTIVE SESSIONS. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE P300 PEAK AMPLITUDES AT FZ, CZ, AND PZ AND A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE PEAK LATENCY AT FZ ALONE FOLLOWING ALTERNATE NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING. FOLLOWING BREATH AWARENESS THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE PEAK AMPLITUDE OF P300 AT CZ. THIS SUGGESTS THAT ALTERNATE NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING POSITIVELY INFLUENCES COGNITIVE PROCESSES WHICH ARE REQUIRED FOR SUSTAINED ATTENTION AT DIFFERENT SCALP SITES (FRONTAL, VERTEX AND PARIETAL), WHEREAS BREATH AWARENESS BRINGS ABOUT CHANGES AT THE VERTEX ALONE. 2013 5 509 24 COMPARATIVE IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT YOGA ASANAS ON HEART RATE AND BLOOD PRESSURE IN HEALTHY YOUNG VOLUNTEERS. INTRODUCTION: THIS STUDY PLANNED TO COMPARE IMMEDIATE CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT YOGA ASANAS IN HEALTHY YOUNG VOLUNTEERS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HEART RATE (HR), SYSTOLIC PRESSURE (SP), AND DIASTOLIC PRESSURE (DP), BLOOD PRESSURE (BP), WERE RECORDED USING THE NON INVASIVE BLOOD PRESSURE (NIBP) APPARATUS IN 22 HEALTHY YOUNG SUBJECTS, BEFORE AND AFTER THE PERFORMANCE OF DHANURASANA (DA), VAKRASANA (VA) (BOTH SIDES), JANUSIRASASANA (JSA) (BOTH SIDES), MATSYASANA AND SHAVASANA FOR 30 S. HR AND BP WERE FURTHER RECORDED DURING SUPINE RECOVERY AT 2, 4, 6, 8, AND 10 MIN. A REPEATED MEASURE OF ANOVA WAS USED FOR STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. RESULTS: THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN HR AND BP BOTH IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE ASANAS AS WELL AS DURING THE RECOVERY PERIOD. OVERALL COMPARISONS OF % CHANGES IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE PERFORMANCE OF THE ASANAS REVEALED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WITH REGARD TO HR THAT INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER DA. IN THE RECOVERY PHASE, THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT INTERGROUP DIFFERENCES FROM 2 MIN ONWARD IN BOTH SP AND DP. THE DECREASE OF SP AFTER VA (RIGHT SIDE) (VA-R) WAS SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER THAN SHAVASANA (4(TH), 6(TH), AND 8(TH) MIN) AND JSA (LEFT SIDE) (JSA-L) AT 6(TH) AND 8(TH) MIN. DP DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER PERFORMING JSA-L COMPARED TO VA-R AT THE 6(TH) AND 8(TH) MIN. DISCUSSION: THE CARDIOVASCULAR CHANGES IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE ASANAS AND DURING THE RECOVERY PHASE REVEAL INHERENT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE SELECTED POSTURES. THE RISE OF HR IN DA MAY BE ATTRIBUTED TO INCREASED SYMPATHETIC RESPONSE DUE TO THE RELATIVE DIFFICULTY OF THE POSTURE AS WELL AS ABDOMINAL COMPRESSION OCCURRING IN IT. THE EFFECT OF SUPINE RELAXATION IS MORE PRONOUNCED AFTER THE PERFORMANCE OF THE ASANAS AS COMPARED TO MERE RELAXATION IN SHAVASANA. THIS MAY BE ATTRIBUTED TO A NORMALIZATION AND RESULTANT HOMEOSTATIC EFFECT OCCURRING DUE TO A GREATER, HEALTHIER DE-ACTIVATION OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM OCCURRING TOWING TO THE PRESENCE OF PRIOR ACTIVATION. THERE WERE ALSO SUBTLE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE RIGHT SIDED AND LEFT SIDED PERFORMANCE OF VA AND JSA THAT MAY BE OCCURRING DUE TO THE DIFFERENT INTERNAL STRUCTURES BEING EITHER COMPRESSED OR RELAXED ON EITHER SIDE. CONCLUSION: OUR STUDY PROVIDES INITIAL EVIDENCE OF DIFFERENTIAL CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS OF ASANAS AND SUBTLE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RIGHT AND LEFT SIDED PERFORMANCE. FURTHER, CARDIOVASCULAR RECOVERY IS GREATER AFTER THE PERFORMANCE OF THE ASANAS AS COMPARED TO SHAVASAN; THUS, IMPLYING A BETTER RESPONSE WHEN EFFORT PRECEDES RELAXATION. 2014 6 655 18 EEG PAROXYSMAL GAMMA WAVES DURING BHRAMARI PRANAYAMA: A YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUE. HERE WE REPORT THAT A SPECIFIC FORM OF YOGA CAN GENERATE CONTROLLED HIGH-FREQUENCY GAMMA WAVES. FOR THE FIRST TIME, PAROXYSMAL GAMMA WAVES (PGW) WERE OBSERVED IN EIGHT SUBJECTS PRACTICING A YOGA TECHNIQUE OF BREATHING CONTROL CALLED BHRAMARI PRANAYAMA (BHPR). TO OBTAIN NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE NATURE OF THE EEG DURING BHPR, WE ANALYZED EEG SIGNALS USING TIME-FREQUENCY REPRESENTATIONS (TFR), INDEPENDENT COMPONENT ANALYSIS (ICA), AND EEG TOMOGRAPHY (LORETA). WE FOUND THAT THE PGW CONSISTS OF HIGH-FREQUENCY BIPHASIC RIPPLES. THIS UNUSUAL ACTIVITY IS DISCUSSED IN RELATION TO PREVIOUS REPORTS ON YOGA AND MEDITATION. IT IS CONCLUDED THIS EEG ACTIVITY IS MOST PROBABLY NON-EPILEPTIC, AND THAT APPLYING THE SAME METHODOLOGY TO OTHER MEDITATION RECORDINGS MIGHT YIELD AN IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEUROCORRELATES OF MEDITATION. 2009 7 98 24 A NONRANDOMIZED NON-NAIVE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF KAPALABHATI AND BREATH AWARENESS ON EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALS IN TRAINED YOGA PRACTITIONERS. OBJECTIVES: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO COMPARE THE P300 EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALS RECORDED BEFORE AND AFTER (1) HIGH-FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING (HFYB) AND (2) BREATH AWARENESS. DESIGN: THE P300 WAS RECORDED IN PARTICIPANTS OF TWO GROUPS BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION SESSION (1 MINUTE IN DURATION). SETTINGS AND LOCATION: ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE RECEIVING YOGA TRAINING IN A RESIDENTIAL YOGA CENTER, SWAMI VIVEKANADA YOGA RESEARCH FOUNDATION IN BANGALORE, INDIA. SUBJECTS: THIRTY (30) MALE PARTICIPANTS FORMED TWO GROUPS (N = 15 EACH) WITH COMPARABLE AGES (WITHIN AN AGE RANGE OF 20-35 YEARS) AND COMPARABLE EXPERIENCE OF THE TWO TECHNIQUES, THE MINIMUM EXPERIENCE BEING 3 MONTHS. INTERVENTIONS: THE TWO GROUPS WERE EACH GIVEN A SEPARATE INTERVENTION. ONE GROUP PRACTICED A HFYB AT A FREQUENCY OF APPROXIMATELY 2.0 HZ, CALLED KAPALABHATI. THE OTHER GROUP PRACTICED BREATH AWARENESS DURING WHICH PARTICIPANTS WERE AWARE OF THEIR BREATH WHILE SEATED, RELAXED. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE P300 EVENT-RELATED POTENTIAL, WHICH IS GENERATED WHEN ATTENDING TO AND DISCRIMINATING BETWEEN AUDITORY STIMULI, WAS RECORDED BEFORE AND AFTER BOTH TECHNIQUES. RESULTS: THE P300 PEAK LATENCY DECREASED AFTER HFYB AND THE P300 PEAK AMPLITUDE INCREASED AFTER BREATH AWARENESS. CONCLUSIONS: BOTH PRACTICES (HFYB AND BREATH AWARENESS), THOUGH VERY DIFFERENT, INFLUENCED THE P300. HFYB REDUCED THE PEAK LATENCY, SUGGESTING A DECREASE IN TIME NEEDED FOR THIS TASK, WHICH REQUIRES SELECTIVE ATTENTION. BREATH AWARENESS INCREASED THE P300 PEAK AMPLITUDE, SUGGESTING AN INCREASE IN THE NEURAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR THE TASK. 2009 8 458 14 CHANGES IN P300 FOLLOWING TWO YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES. CYCLIC MEDITATION (CM) IS A TECHNIQUE THAT COMBINES "STIMULATING" AND "CALMING" PRACTICES, BASED ON A STATEMENT IN ANCIENT YOGA TEXTS SUGGESTING THAT SUCH A COMBINATION MAY BE ESPECIALLY HELPFUL TO REACH A STATE OF MENTAL EQUILIBRIUM. THE CHANGES IN THE PEAK LATENCY AND PEAK AMPLITUDE OF P300 AUDITORY EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALS WERE STUDIED BEFORE AND AFTER THE PRACTICE OF CYCLIC MEDITATION COMPARED TO AN EQUAL DURATION OF SUPINE REST IN 42 VOLUNTEERS (GROUP MEAN AGE +/- SD, 27 +/- 6.3 YEARS), FROM FZ, CZ, AND PZ ELECTRODE SITES REFERENCED TO LINKED EARLOBES. THE SESSIONS WERE ONE DAY APART AND THE ORDER WAS ALTERNATED. THERE WAS REDUCTION IN THE PEAK LATENCIES OF P300 AFTER CYCLIC MEDITATION AT FZ, CZ, AND PZ COMPARED TO THE "PRE" VALUES. A SIMILAR TREND OF REDUCTION IN P300 PEAK LATENCIES AT FZ, CZ, AND PZ WAS ALSO OBSERVED AFTER SUPINE REST, COMPARED TO THE RESPECTIVE "PRE" VALUES, ALTHOUGH THE MAGNITUDE OF CHANGE IN EACH CASE WAS LESS AFTER SUPINE REST COMPARED TO AFTER CYCLIC MEDITATION. THE P300 PEAK AMPLITUDES AFTER CM WERE HIGHER AT FZ, CZ, AND PZ SITES COMPARED TO THE "PRE" VALUES. IN CONTRAST, NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE OBSERVED IN THE P300 PEAK AMPLITUDES AT FZ, CZ, AND PZ AFTER SUPINE REST COMPARED TO THE RESPECTIVE "PRE" STATE. THE PRESENT RESULTS SUPPORT THE IDEA THAT "CYCLIC" MEDITATION ENHANCES COGNITIVE PROCESSES UNDERLYING THE GENERATION OF THE P300. 2006 9 1836 17 PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF THE PRACTICE OF TANTRIC YOGA MEDITATION. AUTONOMIC AND ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC (EEG) CORRELATES OF TANTRIC YOGA MEDITATION WERE STUDIED IN THREE GROUPS OF SUBJECTS AS THEY PROGRESSED FROM NORMAL CONSCIOUSNESS INTO MEDITATION. GROUPS DIFFERED IN THEIR LEVEL OF MEDITATION PROFICIENCY. MEASURES OF SKIN RESISTANCE, HEART RATE, RESPIRATION, AUTONOMIC ORIENTING RESPONSES, RESTING EEG, EEG ALPHA AND THETA FREQUENCIES, SLEEP-SCORED EEG, AVERAGED EVOKED RESPONSES, AND SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE WERE EMPLOYED. UNLIKE MOST PREVIOUSLY REPORTED MEDITATION STUDIES, PROFICIENT MEDITATORS DEMONSTRATED INCREASED AUTONOMIC ACTIVATION DURING MEDITATION WHILE UNEXPERIENCED MEDITATORS DEMONSTRATED AUTONOMIC RELAXATION. DURING MEDITATION, PROFICIENT MEDITATORS DEMONSTRATED INCREASED ALPHA AND THETA POWER, MINIMAL EVIDENCE OF EEG-DEFINED SLEEP, AND DECREASED AUTONOMIC ORIENTING TO EXTERNAL STIMULATION. AN EPISODE OF SUDDEN AUTONOMIC ACTIVATION WAS OBSERVED THAT WAS CHARACTERIZED BY THE MEDITATOR AS AN APPROACH TO THE YOGIC ECSTATIC STATE OF INTENSE CONCENTRATION. THESE FINDINGS CHALLENGE THE CURRENT "RELAXATION" MODEL OF MEDITATIVE STATES. 1978 10 2257 23 THE PHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF KUNDALINI YOGA MEDITATION: A STUDY OF A YOGA MASTER. THIS STUDY EXPLORES THE PHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF A HIGHLY PRACTICED KUNDALINI YOGA MEDITATOR. THORACIC AND ABDOMINAL BREATHING PATTERNS, HEART RATE (HR), OCCIPITAL PARIETAL ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPH (EEG), SKIN CONDUCTANCE LEVEL (SCL), AND BLOOD VOLUME PULSE (BVP) WERE MONITORED DURING PREBASELINE, MEDITATION, AND POSTBASELINE PERIODS. VISUAL ANALYSES OF THE DATA SHOWED A DECREASE IN RESPIRATION RATE DURING THE MEDITATION FROM A MEAN OF 11 BREATHS/MIN FOR THE PRE- AND 13 BREATHS/MIN FOR THE POSTBASELINE TO A MEAN OF 5 BREATHS/MIN DURING THE MEDITATION, WITH A PREDOMINANCE OF ABDOMINAL/DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING. THERE WAS ALSO MORE ALPHA EEG ACTIVITY DURING THE MEDITATION (M = 1.71 MICROV) COMPARED TO THE PRE- (M = .47 MICROV) AND POSTBASELINE (M = .78 MICROV) PERIODS, AND AN INCREASE IN THETA EEG ACTIVITY IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE MEDITATION (M = .62 MICROV) COMPARED TO THE PRE-BASELINE AND MEDITATIVE PERIODS (EACH WITH M = .26 MICROV). THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT A SHIFT IN BREATHING PATTERNS MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALPHA EEG, AND THOSE PATTERNS NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED FURTHER. 2001 11 649 17 DYNAMIC EVALUATION OF THE CONTRACTILE FUNCTION OF LUMBODORSAL MUSCLES DURING LOCUST POSE IN YOGA BY REAL-TIME ULTRASOUND. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP), WHICH HAS A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH LUMBAR MUSCLE DEGENERATION, CAN BE EFFECTIVELY TREATED BY EXERCISE THERAPY, AND YOGA HAS BEEN WIDELY ACCEPTED BY CLINICIANS AND PATIENTS WITH CLBP. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO OBSERVE THE CHANGES IN THE THICKNESS OF LUMBODORSAL MUSCLES THAT OCCUR DURING LOCUST POSE IN YOGA AND HOW THESE CHANGES OCCUR. FROM THE CHANGES IN MUSCLE THICKNESS THAT OCCUR IN THE LOCUST POSE, THE CONTRACTILE FUNCTION OF LUMBODORSAL MUSCLES CAN BE EVALUATED. METHODS: FIFTY-TWO HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (FROM MAY 2019 TO AUGUST 2019, AGE FROM 28 TO 68 YEARS, 23 MALES AND 29 FEMALES (AGE: 40 +/- 8 YEARS; WEIGHT: 68.3 +/- 5.2 KG; HEIGHT: 170.2 +/- 13.1 CM) WERE RECRUITED, AND LUMBODORSAL MUSCLE, INCLUDING THE MULTIFIDUS, LONGISSIMUS, ILIOCOSTALIS, AND QUADRATUS LUMBORUM, ULTRASONIC EXAMINATIONS WERE CARRIED OUT IN THE RELAXED AND CONTRACTED STATES. THE CHANGES IN THE THICKNESS OF THE LUMBODORSAL MUSCLES IN THE RELAXED AND CONTRACTED STATES WERE DYNAMICALLY OBSERVED BY REAL-TIME ULTRASOUND WHEN SUBJECTS WERE PERFORMING THE LOCUST YOGA POSE. THEN, THE THICKNESSES OF THE MUSCLES DURING THE TWO STATES WERE MEASURED TO CALCULATE THE RATIO OF CONTRACTION OF EACH MUSCLE AND DETERMINE THE STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CHANGE IN THICKNESS OF EACH MUSCLE. RESULTS: THE MEAN THICKNESS OF THE LEFT MULTIFIDUS IN THE RELAXED STATE WAS 1.32 +/- 0.27 CM (95 % CI: 1.24 ~ 1.39), THAT IN THE CONTRACTED STATE WAS 1.60 +/- 0.30 CM (95 % CI: 1.52 ~ 1.69) (OBVIOUSLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE RELAXED AND CONTRACTED STATES, P < 0.001), AND THOSE IN THE CORRESPONDING RIGHT SIDE WERE 1.37 +/- 0.31 CM (95 % CI: 1.29 ~ 2.46) AND 1.68 +/- 0.38 CM (95 % CI: 1.58 ~ 1.79) (P < 0.001), RESPECTIVELY. THE MEAN THICKNESS OF THE LEFT QUADRATUS LUMBORUM IN THE RELAXED STATE WAS 1.38 +/- 0.32 CM (95 % CI: 1.29 ~ 1.47), THAT IN THE CONTRACTED STATE WAS 1.62 +/- 0.40 CM (95 % CI: 1.50 ~ 1.73) (P = 0.001), AND THOSE IN THE CORRESPONDING RIGHT SIDE WERE 1.30 +/- 0.32 CM (95 % CI: 1.21 ~ 1.39) AND 1.55 +/- 0.41 CM (95 % CI: 1.44 ~ 1.67) (P = 0.001), RESPECTIVELY. THE MEAN THICKNESS OF THE LEFT LONGISSIMUS IN THE RELAXED WAS 2.33 +/- 0.51 CM (95 % CI: 2.19 ~ 2.47), THAT IN THE CONTRACTED STATE WAS 3.20 +/- 0.61 CM (95 % CI: 3.03 ~ 3.37) (P < 0.001), AND THOSE IN THE CORRESPONDING RIGHT SIDE WERE 2.34 +/- 0.49 CM (95 % CI 2.20 ~ 2.48) AND 3.26 +/- 0.68 CM (95 % CI 3.07 ~ 3.45) (P < 0.001), RESPECTIVELY. THE MEAN THICKNESS OF THE LEFT ILIOCOSTALIS IN THE RELAXED STATE WAS 1.88 +/- 0.41 CM (95 % CI: 1.76 ~ 1.99), THAT IN THE CONTRACTED STATE WAS 2.34 +/- 0.49 CM (95 % CI: 2.00 ~ 2.47) (P < 0.001), AND THOSE IN THE CORRESPONDING RIGHT SIDE WERE 1.98 +/- 0.40 CM (95 % CI: 1.87 ~ 2.09) AND 2.44 +/- 0.56 CM (95 % CI: 2.29 ~ 2.60) (P < 0.001), RESPECTIVELY. THE MEAN CONTRACTED STATE/RESTING STATE (C/R) OF THE LONGISSIMUS WAS 1.39 +/- 0.14 ON THE LEFT AND 1.40 +/- 0.16 ON THE RIGHT. THE MULTIFIDUS AND ILIOCOSTALIS HAD THE SECOND HIGHEST C/R. THE MEAN C/R OF THE MULTIFIDUS WAS 1.23 +/- 0.12 ON THE LEFT AND 1.24 +/- 0.15 ON THE RIGHT, AND THE MEAN C/R OF THE ILIOCOSTALIS WAS 1.25 +/- 0.12 ON THE LEFT AND 1.24 +/- 0.14 ON THE RIGHT. THE QUADRATUS LUMBORUM HAD THE LOWEST C/R, AND THE MEAN C/R OF THE QUADRATUS LUMBORUM WAS 1.17 +/- 0.10 ON THE LEFT AND 1.19 +/- 0.11 ON THE RIGHT. CONCLUSIONS: ULTRASOUND CAN BE USED TO DYNAMICALLY ASSESS THE CONTRACTILE FUNCTION OF THE LUMBAR MUSCLE IN THE LOCUST POSE OF YOGA, THE C/R RATIO CAN BE USED TO INDICATE THE ABILITY OF A MUSCLE TO CONTRACT, AND DYNAMIC ULTRASOUND CAN GUIDE LUMBAR EXERCISE AND FEEDBACK THE EXERCISE RESULTS. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THIS MODEL ALLOWED DATA REGARDING THE CONTRACTION STATE OF THE LUMBAR MUSCLE TO BE OBTAINED IN A NORMAL POPULATION, AND BASED ON THIS, FUTURE STUDIES CAN FURTHER EXPLORE AND EVALUATE THE CONTRACTION STATE OF THE LUMBAR MUSCLE AFTER YOGA EXERCISE IN CLBP PATIENTS, THE EFFECT EXERCISE ON LUMBAR INSTABILITY AND ON A PATIENT POPULATION AFTER LUMBAR OPERATION. 2021 12 2276 13 THE ROLE OF YOGA: BREATHING, MEDITATION AND OPTIMAL FETAL POSITIONING. YOGA IS CONSIDERED A GOOD FORM OF EXERCISE IN PREGNANCY (NHS CHOICES RECOMMEND EXERCISE SUCH AS YOGA, AMONGST OTHERS) TO HELP WOMEN KEEP FIT DURING THEIR PREGNANCY AND PREPARE FOR THE BIRTH. BUT APART FROM THE PHYSICAL POSTURES, YOGA HAS PLENTY TO OFFER. THE BREATHING AND MEDITATION TECHNIQUES KEEP PREGNANT MOTHERS HEALTHY AND RELAXED, AND PROVIDE THE MENTAL FOCUS TO AID CHILDBIRTH. IN THIS ARTICLE WE LOOK AT YOGIC BREATHING AND MEDITATION TECHNIQUES FOR MIDWIVES TO RECOMMEND TO EXPECTANT MOTHERS, AND SOME POSTURES THAT SPECIFICALLY HELP TO ENCOURAGE AN OPTIMAL FETAL POSITION. 2014 13 1934 15 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 14 454 15 CHANGES IN MIDLATENCY AUDITORY EVOKED POTENTIALS FOLLOWING TWO YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES. PRACTICING MEDITATION WHILE FOCUSING ON A SOUND OR A SYMBOL INFLUENCED MIDLATENCY AUDITORY EVOKED POTENTIALS (MLAEPS). CYCLIC MEDITATION (CM) IS A TECHNIQUE COMBINING YOGA POSTURES WITH MEDITATION WHILE SUPINE, WHICH HAS INFLUENCED THE P300 EVENT-RELATED POTENTIAL. THE EFFECTS OF CM ON MLAEPS HAVE NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLY STUDIED. THE MLAEPS WERE STUDIED BEFORE AND AFTER THE PRACTICE OF CM COMPARED TO AN EQUAL DURATION OF SUPINE REST (SR) IN 47 MALE VOLUNTEERS (GROUP MEAN AGE 26.5 +/- 4.4 YEARS), RECORDED FROM THE VERTEX REFERENCED TO LINKED EARLOBES. THE SESSIONS WERE ONE DAY APART AND SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EACH SESSION. THE PA WAVE PEAK LATENCY AND NB WAVE PEAK LATENCY SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED FOLLOWING CM COMPARED TO BEFORE CM (REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA, POST-HOC ANALYSIS WITH LEAST SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE, P<0.05). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE PEAK AMPLITUDE OF THE NB WAVE (P<0.05) COMPARED TO BEFORE CM. POST SR THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE PEAK LATENCY OF THE NA WAVE (P<0.05) COMPARED TO BEFORE SR. IN CONCLUSION FOLLOWING CM THE LATENCIES OF NEURAL GENERATORS CORRESPONDING TO CORTICAL AREAS IS PROLONGED, WHEREAS FOLLOWING SR A SIMILAR CHANGE OCCURS AT MESENCEPHALIC-DIENCEPHALIC LEVELS. 2009 15 747 18 EFFECT OF SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION ON AUDITORY EVOKED POTENTIALS (AEP) AND VISUAL CONTRAST SENSITIVITY (VCS) IN EPILEPTICS. THE EFFECT OF SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION ON 32 PATIENTS WITH PRIMARY IDIOPATHIC EPILEPSY ON REGULAR AND MAINTAINED ANTIEPILEPTIC MEDICATION WAS STUDIED. THE PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO 3 GROUPS: GROUP I PRACTICED SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION TWICE DAILY FOR 6 MONTHS UNDER PROPER GUIDANCE; GROUP II PRACTICED POSTURAL EXERCISES MIMICKING THE MEDITATION FOR THE SAME DURATION; AND GROUP III WAS THE CONTROL GROUP. VISUAL CONTRAST SENSITIVITY (VCS), AUDITORY EVOKED POTENTIALS (AEP), BRAINSTEM AUDITORY EVOKED POTENTIALS (BAEP), AND MID LATENCY RESPONSES (MLR) WERE RECORDED INITIALLY (0 MONTH) AND AT 3 AND 6 MONTHS FOR EACH GROUP. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN VCS FOLLOWING MEDITATION PRACTICE IN GROUP I PARTICIPANTS. NA, THE FIRST PROMINENT NEGATIVE PEAK OF MLR AND PA, THE POSITIVE PEAK FOLLOWING NA DID NOT REGISTER CHANGES IN LATENCY. THE NA-PA AMPLITUDE OF MLR ALSO SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE ABSOLUTE AND INTERPEAK LATENCIES OF BAEP. THE REDUCED LEVEL OF STRESS FOLLOWING MEDITATION PRACTICE MAY MAKE PATIENTS MORE RESPONSIVE TO SPECIFIC STIMULI. SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION APPEARS TO BRING ABOUT CHANGES IN SOME OF THE ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES STUDIED IN EPILEPTIC PATIENTS. 2000 16 889 13 EFFECT OF YOGA-BASED AND FORCED UNINOSTRIL BREATHING ON THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM. SOME REPORTS HAVE DESCRIBED THE EFFECTS OF FORCED UNINOSTRIL BREATHING ON AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY AS SEX-SPECIFIC, WHILE OTHER REPORTS DESCRIBED SELECTIVE EFFECTS OF BREATHING THROUGH A SPECIFIC NOSTRIL ON THE TWO DIVISIONS OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM, IRRESPECTIVE OF SEX. THERE ARE ALSO YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUES WHICH INVOLVE VOLUNTARY UNINOSTRIL BREATHING. THESE TECHNIQUES ALSO INFLUENCED THE AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY BASED ON THE PATENT NOSTRIL RATHER THAN SEX. THESE DESCRIPTIONS WERE IN LINE WITH EXPERIENTIAL OBSERVATIONS OF THE ANCIENT SAGES DESCRIBED IN CLASSICAL YOGA TEXTS. THIS PAPER SUMMARIZES THESE PERSPECTIVES ON UNINOSTRIL BREATHING. 2003 17 887 13 EFFECT OF YOGA TYPE BREATHING ON HEART RATE AND CARDIAC AXIS OF NORMAL SUBJECTS. EFFECT OF INSPIRATORY AND EXPIRATORY PHASES OF NORMAL QUIET BREATHING, DEEP BREATHING AND SAVITRI PRANAYAM TYPE BREATHING ON HEART RATE AND MEAN VENTRICULAR QRS AXIS WAS INVESTIGATED IN YOUNG, HEALTHY UNTRAINED SUBJECTS. PRANAYAM TYPE BREATHING PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT CARDIOACCELERATION AND INCREASE IN QRS AXIS DURING THE INSPIRATORY PHASE AS COMPARED TO EUPNEA. ON THE OTHER HAND, EXPIRATORY EFFORT DURING PRANAYAM TYPE BREATHING DID NOT PRODUCE ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN HEART RATE OR QRS AXIS. THE CHANGES IN HEART RATE AND QRS AXIS DURING THE INSPIRATORY AND EXPIRATORY PHASES OF PRANAYAM TYPE BREATHING WERE SIMILAR TO THE CHANGES OBSERVED DURING THE CORRESPONDING PHASES OF DEEP BREATHING. 1986 18 2724 5 YOGA NEUROPATHY. A SNOOZER. SCIATIC NERVE COMPRESSION VERY RARELY OCCURS BILATERALLY. THE AUTHORS PRESENT A WOMAN WITH PROFOUND LOWER EXTREMITY WEAKNESS AND SENSORY ABNORMALITY AFTER FALLING ASLEEP IN THE HEAD-TO-KNEES YOGA POSITION (ALSO CALLED "PASCHIMOTTANASANA"). CLINICAL AND ELECTRODIAGNOSTIC FINDINGS ARE DISCUSSED IN DETAIL AND A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE IS PRESENTED. 2005 19 1354 13 IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF THREE YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUES ON PERFORMANCE ON A LETTER-CANCELLATION TASK. THE EFFECTS OF THREE YOGA BREATHING PRACTICES WERE EVALUATED ON PERFORMANCE ON A LETTER-CANCELLATION TASK WHICH IS A LEFT-HEMISPHERE DOMINANT TASK. THE THREE YOGA BREATHING PRACTICES (RIGHT, LEFT, AND ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING) WERE SELECTED BECAUSE UNILATERAL FORCED NOSTRIL BREATHING STIMULATES THE CONTRALATERAL HEMISPHERE. THERE WERE 20 MALE VOLUNTEERS WHOSE AGES RANGED FROM 20 TO 45 YEARS (M AGE=28.4 YR., SD=5.7). ALL SUBJECTS WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER FOUR SESSIONS, I.E., RIGHT NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING, LEFT NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING, ALTERNATE NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING, AND BREATH AWARENESS AS A CONTROL. THE LETTER-CANCELLATION TASK SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED, I.E., THERE WERE FEWER ERRORS FOLLOWING RIGHT AND ALTERNATE NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING (WILCOXON PAIRED SIGNED-RANKS TEST). THE IMPROVED PERFORMANCE MAY BE RELATED TO THE ENHANCEMENT OF CONTRALATERAL HEMISPHERE FUNCTION FOUND WITH SELECTIVE NOSTRIL BREATHING. 2007 20 2779 10 YOGA TECHNIQUES AS A MEANS OF CORE STABILITY TRAINING. CORE STABILITY IN GENERAL INVOLVES THE MUSCULAR CONTROL REQUIRED AROUND THE LUMBAR SPINE TO MAINTAIN FUNCTIONAL STABILITY. STABILITY AND MOVEMENT ARE CRITICALLY DEPENDENT ON THE COORDINATION OF ALL THE MUSCLES SURROUNDING THE LUMBAR SPINE. THIS PAPER AIMS TO SHOW THAT AN AGE-OLD YOGA PRACTICE, CALLED UDDHYANA BHANDA AND NOULI, IS AN EFFECTIVE MEANS OF CORE STABILITY. 2009