1 1452 123 INFLUENCE OF LONG-TERM SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION PRACTICE ON EMOTIONAL PROCESSING IN THE BRAIN: AN ERP STUDY. DESPITE GROWING INTEREST IN MEDITATION AS A TOOL FOR ALTERNATIVE THERAPY OF STRESS-RELATED AND PSYCHOSOMATIC DISEASES, BRAIN MECHANISMS OF BENEFICIAL INFLUENCES OF MEDITATION PRACTICE ON HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE ARE STILL UNCLEAR. WE PROPOSE THAT THE KEY POINT IS A PERSISTENT CHANGE IN EMOTIONAL FUNCTIONING, SPECIFICALLY THE MODULATION OF THE EARLY APPRAISAL OF MOTIVATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE OF EVENTS. THE MAIN AIM WAS TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF LONG-TERM MEDITATION PRACTICE ON EVENT-RELATED BRAIN POTENTIALS (ERPS) DURING AFFECTIVE PICTURE VIEWING. ERPS WERE RECORDED IN 20 LONG-TERM SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATORS AND 20 CONTROL SUBJECTS WITHOUT PRIOR EXPERIENCE IN MEDITATION. THE MEDITATORS' MID-LATENCY (140-400MS) ERPS WERE ATTENUATED FOR BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE PICTURES (I.E. THERE WERE NO AROUSAL-RELATED INCREASES IN ERP POSITIVITY) AND THIS EFFECT WAS MORE PROMINENT OVER THE RIGHT HEMISPHERE. HOWEVER, WE FOUND NO DIFFERENCES IN THE LONG LATENCY (400-800MS) RESPONSES TO EMOTIONAL IMAGES, ASSOCIATED WITH MEDITATION PRACTICE. IN ADDITION WE FOUND STRONGER ERP NEGATIVITY IN THE TIME WINDOW 200-300MS FOR MEDITATORS COMPARED TO THE CONTROLS, REGARDLESS OF PICTURE VALENCE. WE ASSUME THAT LONG-TERM MEDITATION PRACTICE ENHANCES FRONTAL TOP-DOWN CONTROL OVER FAST AUTOMATIC SALIENCE DETECTION, BASED ON AMYGDALA FUNCTIONS.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
2  984  35 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
3 1668  42 NEUROCOGNITIVE CORRELATES OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA MEDITATION PRACTICE ON EMOTION AND COGNITION: A PILOT STUDY. MINDFULNESS MEDITATION INVOLVES ATTENDING TO EMOTIONS WITHOUT COGNITIVE FIXATION OF EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE. OVER TIME, THIS PRACTICE IS HELD TO PROMOTE ALTERATIONS IN TRAIT AFFECTIVITY AND ATTENTIONAL CONTROL WITH RESULTANT EFFECTS ON WELL-BEING AND COGNITION. HOWEVER, RELATIVELY LITTLE IS KNOWN REGARDING THE NEURAL SUBSTRATES OF MEDITATION EFFECTS ON EMOTION AND COGNITION. THE PRESENT STUDY INVESTIGATED THE NEUROCOGNITIVE CORRELATES OF EMOTION INTERFERENCE ON COGNITION IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND A MATCHED CONTROL GROUP (CG) UNDERWENT FMRI WHILE PERFORMING AN EVENT-RELATED AFFECTIVE STROOP TASK. THE TASK INCLUDES IMAGE VIEWING TRIALS AND STROOP TRIALS BRACKETED BY NEUTRAL OR NEGATIVE EMOTIONAL DISTRACTORS. DURING IMAGE VIEWING TRIALS, YOGA PRACTITIONERS EXHIBITED LESS REACTIVITY IN RIGHT DORSOLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX (DLPFC) TO NEGATIVE AS COMPARED TO NEUTRAL IMAGES; WHEREAS THE CG HAD THE OPPOSITE PATTERN. A MAIN EFFECT OF VALENCE (NEGATIVE > NEUTRAL) WAS OBSERVED IN LIMBIC REGIONS (E.G., AMYGDALA), OF WHICH THE MAGNITUDE WAS INVERSELY RELATED TO DLPFC ACTIVATION. EXPLORATORY ANALYSES REVEALED THAT THE MAGNITUDE OF AMYGDALA ACTIVATION PREDICTED DECREASED SELF-REPORTED POSITIVE AFFECT IN THE CG, BUT NOT AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS. DURING STROOP TRIALS, YOGA PRACTITIONERS HAD GREATER ACTIVATION IN VENTROLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX (VLPFC) DURING STROOP TRIALS WHEN NEGATIVE, COMPARED TO NEUTRAL, EMOTIONAL DISTRACTOR WERE PRESENTED; THE CG EXHIBITED THE OPPOSITE PATTERN. TAKEN TOGETHER, THESE DATA SUGGEST THAT THOUGH YOGA PRACTITIONERS EXHIBIT LIMBIC REACTIVITY TO NEGATIVE EMOTIONAL STIMULI, SUCH REACTIVITY DOES NOT HAVE DOWNSTREAM EFFECTS ON LATER MOOD STATE. THIS UNCOUPLING OF VIEWING NEGATIVE EMOTIONAL IMAGES AND AFFECT AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS MAY BE OCCASIONED BY THEIR SELECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF FRONTAL EXECUTIVE-DEPENDENT STRATEGIES TO REDUCE EMOTIONAL INTERFERENCE DURING COMPETING COGNITIVE DEMANDS AND NOT DURING EMOTIONAL PROCESSING PER SE.	2012	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
4 1879  35 REASONS, YEARS AND FREQUENCY OF YOGA PRACTICE: EFFECT ON EMOTION RESPONSE REACTIVITY. YOGA PRACTICE, EVEN IN THE SHORT TERM, IS SUPPOSED TO ENHANCE WELLBEING AND COUNTERACT PSYCHOPATHOLOGY THROUGH MODIFICATION OF EMOTION REACTIVITY. YOGA TEACHES THAT EMOTIONAL RESPONSES MAY BE LESS PRONOUNCED WITH LONGER AND MORE FREQUENT PRACTICE, AND POTENTIALLY WHEN PEOPLE PERFORM YOGA FOR MENTAL RATHER THAN PHYSICAL REASONS. WE TESTED 36 YOGA PRACTITIONERS OF VARYING EXPERIENCE (BETWEEN 6 MONTHS AND 11 YEARS OF PRACTICE). WE ASSESSED PARTICIPANTS' SELF-REPORTED EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE AND PERIPHERAL PHYSIOLOGICAL REACTIONS (HEART RATE, SKIN CONDUCTANCE, RESPIRATION) WHEN SEEING POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE PICTURES. RESULTS WERE ANALYZED AS A FUNCTION OF THE YEARS OF, FREQUENCY OF, AND REASONS FOR YOGA PRACTICE. WE FOUND A HEART RATE INCREASE WITH THE DEGREE PARTICIPANTS PERFORMED YOGA FOR MENTAL REASONS. IN ADDITION, YEARS OF YOGA PRACTICE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED ABDOMINAL RESPIRATORY RATE WHEN FACING NEGATIVE PICTURES, SPEAKING IN FAVOR OF REDUCED AROUSAL WITH YOGA EXPERIENCE. FINALLY, REGARDING FREQUENCY OF PRACTICE, A HIGHER FREQUENCY IN THE LAST MONTH WAS LINKED TO LESS NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE EXPERIENCES AS WELL AS A REDUCED ABDOMINAL RESPIRATORY AMPLITUDE WHEN VIEWING POSITIVE PICTURES. ALTOGETHER, THESE RESULTS DEMONSTRATE THAT INTENSE SHORT-TERM YOGA PRACTICE MIGHT RELATE TO A (I) DECREASE IN THE INTENSITY OF SELF-REPORTED EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCES AND (II) DEEPENED RESPIRATION. SHORT-TERM EFFECTS MIGHT BE SHAPED BY WHAT PARTICIPANTS EXPECT AS PRACTICE BENEFITS. HOWEVER, SEVERAL YEARS OF PRACTICE MIGHT BE NEEDED TO DECREASE RESPIRATORY AROUSAL IN THE FACE OF NEGATIVE SITUATIONS, WHICH LIKELY IS A MANIFESTATION OF AN EVOLUTION IN THE EMOTION REGULATION PROCESS.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
5 1897  32 RESTING STATE FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION. NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT MEDITATION PRACTICES HAVE EFFECTS ON BRAIN STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION. HOWEVER, FEW STUDIES HAVE COMBINED INFORMATION ON THE EFFECTS ON STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION IN THE SAME SAMPLE. LONG-TERM DAILY MEDITATION PRACTICE PRODUCES REPEATED ACTIVITY OF SPECIFIC BRAIN NETWORKS OVER YEARS OF PRACTICE, WHICH MAY INDUCE LASTING STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY (FC) CHANGES WITHIN RELEVANT CIRCUITS. THE AIM OF OUR STUDY WAS THEREFORE TO IDENTIFY DIFFERENCES IN FC DURING THE RESTING STATE BETWEEN 23 SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION EXPERTS AND 23 HEALTHY PARTICIPANTS WITHOUT MEDITATION EXPERIENCE. SEED-BASED FC ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED DEPARTING FROM VOXELS THAT HAD SHOWN STRUCTURAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THESE SAME PARTICIPANTS. THE CONTRAST OF CONNECTIVITY MAPS YIELDED THAT MEDITATORS SHOWED INCREASED FC BETWEEN THE LEFT VENTROLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX AND THE RIGHT DORSOLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX BUT REDUCED FC BETWEEN THE LEFT INSULA AND THE BILATERAL MID-CINGULATE AS WELL AS BETWEEN THE RIGHT ANGULAR GYRUS AND THE BILATERAL PRECUNEUS/CUNEUS CORTICES. IT THUS APPEARS THAT LONG-TERM MEDITATION PRACTICE INCREASES DIRECT FC BETWEEN VENTRAL AND DORSAL FRONTAL REGIONS WITHIN BRAIN NETWORKS RELATED TO ATTENTION AND COGNITIVE CONTROL AND DECREASES FC BETWEEN REGIONS OF THESE NETWORKS AND AREAS OF THE DEFAULT MODE NETWORK.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
6 1641  29 MONITORING THE NEURAL ACTIVITY OF THE STATE OF MENTAL SILENCE WHILE PRACTICING SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION. OBJECTIVE: TO IDENTIFY THE NEURAL CORRELATES OF THE STATE OF MENTAL SILENCE AS EXPERIENCED THROUGH SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION. DESIGN: NINETEEN EXPERIENCED MEDITATORS UNDERWENT FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING DURING THREE SHORT CONSECUTIVE MEDITATION PERIODS, CONTRASTED WITH A CONTROL RELAXATION CONDITION. RESULTS: RELATIVE TO BASELINE, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEDITATION SESSIONS THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF ACTIVATION IN BILATERAL INFERIOR FRONTAL AND TEMPORAL REGIONS. ACTIVATION BECAME PROGRESSIVELY MORE REDUCED WITH DEEPER MEDITATION STAGES AND IN THE LAST MEDITATION SESSION IT BECAME LOCALIZED TO THE RIGHT INFERIOR FRONTAL CORTEX/ RIGHT INSULA AND RIGHT MIDDLE/SUPERIOR TEMPORAL CORTEX. FURTHERMORE, RIGHT INFERIOR FRONTAL ACTIVATION WAS DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SUBJECTIVE DEPTH OF THE MENTAL SILENCE EXPERIENCE. CONCLUSIONS: MEDITATORS APPEAR TO PASS THROUGH AN INITIAL INTENSE NEURAL SELF-CONTROL PROCESS NECESSARY TO SILENCE THEIR MIND. AFTER THIS THEY EXPERIENCE RELATIVELY REDUCED BRAIN ACTIVATION CONCOMITANT WITH THE DEEPENING OF THE STATE OF MENTAL SILENCE OVER RIGHT INFERIOR FRONTAL CORTEX, PROBABLY REFLECTING AN EFFORTLESS PROCESS OF ATTENTIONAL CONTEMPLATION ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STATE.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
7 2149  18 THE EFFECTS OF POWER AND STRETCH YOGA ON AFFECT AND SALIVARY CORTISOL IN WOMEN. YOGA PRACTICE IS KNOWN TO IMPROVE WELL-BEING AND DECREASE STRESS. HOWEVER, ACUTE YOGA IS UNDERSTUDIED. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF YOGA ON AFFECT AND SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS IN COLLEGE WOMEN. THIRTY-THREE WOMEN AGED 18-30 YEARS EACH COMPLETED 1-HOUR SESSIONS OF POWER YOGA AND STRETCH YOGA. MEASURES OF AFFECT AND SALIVARY CORTISOL WERE ASSESSED BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER EACH SESSION. PARTICIPANTS PERCEIVED POWER YOGA TO BE MORE PLEASURABLE AND ENERGIZING. SALIVARY CORTISOL SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED AFTER BOTH YOGA SESSIONS. THUS, EVEN ONE SESSION OF YOGA MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING AFFECT AND DECREASING STRESS IN COLLEGE WOMEN.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
8  314  27 AN IN-SITU INVESTIGATION OF THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF BIKRAM YOGA ON POSITIVE- AND NEGATIVE AFFECT, AND STATE-ANXIETY IN CONTEXT OF PERCEIVED STRESS. BACKGROUND: BIKRAM YOGA IS A RELATIVELY NEW, BUT AN INCREASINGLY POPULAR FORM OF EXERCISE. ITS HEALTH BENEFITS WERE DEMONSTRATED ON PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES. AIMS: THE CURRENT FIELD STUDY TESTED THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF BIKRAM YOGA ON PRACTITIONERS' POSITIVE-/NEGATIVE-AFFECT AND STATE-ANXIETY, AND THEIR LINK TO THE SELF-PERCEIVED STRESS, IN BIKRAM YOGA PARTICIPANTS. METHOD: FIELD STUDY, WITHIN-PARTICIPANTS DESIGN, TESTING PERCEIVED STRESS AND ITS RELATION TO CHANGES IN POSITIVE-/NEGATIVE-AFFECT AND STATE-ANXIETY IN 53 HABITUAL BIKRAM YOGA PARTICIPANTS. RESULTS: STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CHANGES EMERGED IN ALL THREE PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES AFTER THE 90-MIN BIKRAM YOGA SESSION. THE DECREASE IN NEGATIVE-AFFECT AND STATE-ANXIETY WERE SIGNIFICANTLY AND POSITIVELY RELATED TO THE PERCEIVED STRESS. ESTIMATED EFFORT WAS UNRELATED TO THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CHANGES RECORDED IN THE PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES. HEART RATES AND SELF-REPORT MEASURES INDICATED THAT PHYSICALLY BIKRAM YOGA IS ONLY MILDLY CHALLENGING. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS ILLUSTRATE THAT, INDEPENDENTLY OF THE PHYSICAL EFFORT, BIKRAM YOGA IS A NEW MILD FORM OF EXERCISE THAT REDUCES NEGATIVE-AFFECT AND STATE-ANXIETY, AND THE REDUCTION IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE PERCEIVED STRESS. THEREFORE, BIKRAM YOGA APPEARS TO BE BENEFICIAL FOR ALL PRACTITIONERS, BUT EVEN MORE SO FOR THE INDIVIDUALS WHO EXPERIENCE SUBSTANTIAL STRESS IN THE DAILY LIFE.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
9  957  33 EFFECTS OF A SINGLE YOGA SESSION ON CARDIAC INTEROCEPTIVE ACCURACY AND EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE. BACKGROUND: THERE IS AN INCREASING BODY OF RESEARCH SUPPORTING THE IDEA THAT CARDIAC INTEROCEPTIVE ACCURACY (IAC) CAN BE IMPROVED BY TRAINING. FINDINGS CONCERNING THE EFFECTS OF A SINGLE YOGA SESSION ON IAC AND THE RELATED CONSTRUCT EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE ARE SPARSE. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE IF A SINGLE YOGA SESSION INCREASES IAC AND IMPROVES EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE. METHODS: 137 STUDENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A 20-MIN YOGA SESSION (N = 47), AN ENDURANCE SESSION (N = 46), OR AN INACTIVE CONTROL CONDITION (N = 44). IAC AND EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER THE SESSIONS. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN IAC, OR POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE AFFECT. IAC AT BASELINE AND THE CHANGE IN POSITIVE EFFECT WERE FOUND AS PREDICTORS FOR IAC AFTER THE YOGA SESSION. CONCLUSION: A 20-MIN YOGA SESSION SEEMS TO BE NOT APPLICABLE TO IMPROVE IAC AND EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE. FUTURE STUDIES SHOULD INVESTIGATE LONG-TERM INTERVENTIONS AND DIVERSE HEALTHY AND CLINICAL POPULATIONS.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
10 1622  24 MINDFULNESS AND LEVELS OF STRESS: A COMPARISON OF BEGINNER AND ADVANCED HATHA YOGA PRACTITIONERS. THE PRESENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO EXAMINE MINDFULNESS AND STRESS LEVELS IN BEGINNER AND ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS OF HATHA YOGA. PARTICIPANTS (N = 52) WERE RECRUITED THROUGH HATHA YOGA SCHOOLS LOCAL TO WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS. BEGINNER PRACTITIONERS (N = 24) WERE DESIGNATED AS THOSE WITH UNDER 5 YEARS (M = 3.33) EXPERIENCE AND ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS (N = 28) AS THOSE WITH OVER 5 YEARS (M = 14.53) EXPERIENCE IN HATHA YOGA. THE PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE MINDFUL ATTENTION AWARENESS SCALE (MAAS; BROWN AND RYAN 2003) AND THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS; COHEN ET AL. 1983) DIRECTLY PRECEDING A REGULARLY SCHEDULED HATHA YOGA CLASS. BASED ON TWO INDEPENDENT-SAMPLES T-TESTS, ADVANCED PARTICIPANTS SCORED SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN MINDFULNESS LEVELS (P < .05) AND SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN STRESS LEVELS (P < .05) WHEN COMPARED TO BEGINNER PARTICIPANTS. ADDITIONALLY, A SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE CORRELATION (R = -.45, P = .00) WAS FOUND BETWEEN MINDFULNESS AND STRESS LEVELS. NO SIGNIFICANT CORRELATIONS WERE FOUND BETWEEN EXPERIENCE LEVELS AND MINDFULNESS AND STRESS LEVELS. HATHA YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUE FOR ENHANCING MINDFULNESS AND DECREASING STRESS LEVELS IN PRACTITIONERS.	2011	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
11 2847  34 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	
                               
12 1972  33 SHORT-TERM SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION TRAINING MODULATES BRAIN STRUCTURE AND SPONTANEOUS ACTIVITY IN THE EXECUTIVE CONTROL NETWORK. INTRODUCTION: WHILE CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDIES HAVE SHOWN NEURAL CHANGES IN LONG-TERM MEDITATORS, THEY MIGHT BE CONFOUNDED BY SELF-SELECTION AND POTENTIAL BASELINE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MEDITATORS AND NON MEDITATORS. PROSPECTIVE LONGITUDINAL STUDIES OF THE EFFECTS OF MEDITATION IN NAIVE SUBJECTS ARE MORE CONCLUSIVE WITH RESPECT TO CAUSAL INFERENCES, BUT RELATED EVIDENCE IS SO FAR LIMITED. METHODS: HERE, WE ASSESSED THE EFFECTS OF A 4-WEEK SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION TRAINING ON GRAY MATTER DENSITY AND SPONTANEOUS RESTING-STATE BRAIN ACTIVITY IN A GROUP OF 12 MEDITATION-NAIVE HEALTHY ADULTS. RESULTS: COMPARED WITH 30 CONTROL SUBJECTS, THE PARTICIPANTS TO MEDITATION TRAINING SHOWED INCREASED GRAY MATTER DENSITY AND CHANGES IN THE COHERENCE OF INTRINSIC BRAIN ACTIVITY IN TWO ADJACENT REGIONS OF THE RIGHT INFERIOR FRONTAL GYRUS ENCOMPASSING THE ANTERIOR COMPONENT OF THE EXECUTIVE CONTROL NETWORK. BOTH THESE MEASURES CORRELATED WITH SELF-REPORTED WELL-BEING SCORES IN THE MEDITATION GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT OF A BRIEF MEDITATION TRAINING ON BRAIN REGIONS ASSOCIATED WITH ATTENTION, SELF-CONTROL, AND SELF-AWARENESS MAY REFLECT THE ENGAGEMENT OF COGNITIVE CONTROL SKILLS IN SEARCHING FOR A STATE OF MENTAL SILENCE, A DISTINCTIVE FEATURE OF SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION. THE MANIFOLD IMPLICATIONS OF THESE FINDINGS INVOLVE BOTH MANAGERIAL AND REHABILITATIVE SETTINGS CONCERNED WITH WELL-BEING AND EMOTIONAL STATE IN NORMAL AND PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
13  455  34 CHANGES IN NEURAL CONNECTIVITY AND MEMORY FOLLOWING A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR OLDER ADULTS: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: NO STUDY HAS EXPLORED THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON COGNITIVE DECLINE AND RESTING-STATE FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY EXPLORED THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERFORMANCE ON MEMORY TESTS AND RESTING-STATE FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY BEFORE AND AFTER A YOGA INTERVENTION VERSUS ACTIVE CONTROL FOR SUBJECTS WITH MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT (MCI). METHODS: PARTICIPANTS ( >/= 55 Y) WITH MCI WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE A YOGA INTERVENTION OR ACTIVE "GOLD-STANDARD" CONTROL (I.E., MEMORY ENHANCEMENT TRAINING (MET)) FOR 12 WEEKS. RESTING-STATE FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING WAS USED TO MAP CORRELATIONS BETWEEN BRAIN NETWORKS AND MEMORY PERFORMANCE CHANGES OVER TIME. DEFAULT MODE NETWORKS (DMN), LANGUAGE AND SUPERIOR PARIETAL NETWORKS WERE CHOSEN AS NETWORKS OF INTEREST TO ANALYZE THE ASSOCIATION WITH CHANGES IN VERBAL AND VISUOSPATIAL MEMORY PERFORMANCE. RESULTS: FOURTEEN YOGA AND 11 MET PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE YOGA GROUP DEMONSTRATED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN DEPRESSION AND VISUOSPATIAL MEMORY. WE OBSERVED IMPROVED VERBAL MEMORY PERFORMANCE CORRELATED WITH INCREASED CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THE DMN AND FRONTAL MEDIAL CORTEX, PREGENUAL ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX, RIGHT MIDDLE FRONTAL CORTEX, POSTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX, AND LEFT LATERAL OCCIPITAL CORTEX. IMPROVED VERBAL MEMORY PERFORMANCE POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH INCREASED CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THE LANGUAGE PROCESSING NETWORK AND THE LEFT INFERIOR FRONTAL GYRUS. IMPROVED VISUOSPATIAL MEMORY PERFORMANCE CORRELATED INVERSELY WITH CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THE SUPERIOR PARIETAL NETWORK AND THE MEDIAL PARIETAL CORTEX. CONCLUSION: YOGA MAY BE AS EFFECTIVE AS MET IN IMPROVING FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY IN RELATION TO VERBAL MEMORY PERFORMANCE. THESE FINDINGS SHOULD BE CONFIRMED IN LARGER PROSPECTIVE STUDIES.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
14 1909  24 RIGHT UNINOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING INFLUENCES IPSILATERAL COMPONENTS OF MIDDLE LATENCY AUDITORY EVOKED POTENTIALS. A PREVIOUS REPORT DESCRIBED SELECTIVE ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY OF THE CEREBRAL HEMISPHERES WITH UNINOSTRIL BREATHING. IN THE PRESENT STUDY, MIDDLE LATENCY AUDITORY EVOKED POTENTIALS (MLAEPS) WERE RECORDED FROM SYMMETRICAL SCALP SITES DURING THE PRACTICE OF UNINOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING. THERE WERE TWO SESSIONS (40 MIN EACH) OF RIGHT NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING (RNB) AND OF BREATH AWARENESS (BAW), WITH (I) 'BEFORE', (II) TEST (EITHER RNB OR BAW) AND (III) 'AFTER' PERIODS. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE 14 MALE VOLUNTEERS AGED BETWEEN 18 AND 33 YEARS, AND THE SETTING WAS A YOGA CENTRE. MLAEPS WERE RECORDED FROM SYMMETRICAL SCALP SITES (C4 AND C3). DURING RNB, THE PEAK AMPLITUDES OF TWO NEGATIVE COMPONENTS (VIZ. NA WAVE AND NB WAVE) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED ON THE RIGHT SIDE. INCREASED PEAK AMPLITUDES OF NA AND NB WAVES SUGGESTED THAT RNB INCREASED THE NUMBER OF NEURONS RECRUITED ON THE RIGHT SIDE, SUGGESTING A POSSIBLE APPLICATION OF RNB IN CERTAIN PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS WITH CEREBRAL HEMISPHERIC IMBALANCE.	2004	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
15 2511  36 YOGA BREATHING THROUGH A PARTICULAR NOSTRIL IS ASSOCIATED WITH CONTRALATERAL EVENT-RELATED POTENTIAL CHANGES. BACKGROUND: IN EARLIER STUDIES UNINOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING WAS SHOWN TO INFLUENCE THE ACTIVITY OF THE CEREBRAL HEMISPHERES DIFFERENTLY, BASED ON (I) AUDITORY EVOKED POTENTIALS RECORDED FROM BILATERAL SCALP SITES, AND (II) PERFORMANCE IN HEMISPHERE-SPECIFIC TASKS. BUT CHANGE IN P300 (EVENT-RELATED POTENTIAL GENERATED WHEN SUBJECTS ATTEND TO AND DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN STIMULI) FROM BILATERAL SCALP SITES WHEN SUBJECTS WERE PRACTICING UNI- AND ALTERNATE-NOSTRIL BREATHING ARE YET TO BE EXPLORED. AIM: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT IMMEDIATELY AFTER UNINOSTRIL OR ALTERNATE NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING THERE WOULD BE A CHANGE IN THE ABILITY TO PAY ATTENTION TO A GIVEN STIMULUS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: TWENTY-NINE HEALTHY MALE VOLUNTEERS, WITH AGES BETWEEN 20 AND 45 YEARS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO FIVE SESSIONS, VIZ., (I) RIGHT-, (II) LEFT-, (III) ALTERNATE-NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING, (IV) BREATH AWARENESS AND (V) NO INTERVENTION, EACH FOR 45 MIN ON SEPARATE DAYS. THE P300 EVENT RELATED POTENTIAL WAS RECORDED USING AN AUDITORY ODDBALL PARADIGM FROM SITES ON THE LEFT (C3) AND RIGHT (C4), REFERENCED TO LINKED EARLOBES, BEFORE AND AFTER EACH SESSION. RESULTS: POST-HOC ANALYSIS WITH BONFERRONI ADJUSTMENT SHOWED THAT THE P300 PEAK LATENCY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER AT C3 COMPARED TO THAT AT C4, FOLLOWING RIGHT NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT RIGHT NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING FACILITATES THE ACTIVITY OF CONTRALATERAL (LEFT) HEMISPHERE, IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THE P300 TASK.	2012	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
16  941  25 EFFECTS OF 8 WEEKS OF MODIFIED HATHA YOGA TRAINING ON RESTING-STATE BRAIN ACTIVITY AND THE P300 ERP IN PATIENTS WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITY-RELATED STRESS. [PURPOSE] WE EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA ON EEG AND ERP IN PATIENTS WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITY-RELATED STRESS. [PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS] EIGHTEEN MALE AND FEMALE INJURED WORKERS WITH HIGH STRESS LEVELS, AGED BETWEEN 18 TO 55 YEARS, WERE EVENLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: UNTRAINED (CG) AND TRAINED (TG) MODIFIED HATHA YOGA GROUPS. A MODIFIED HATHA YOGA PROTOCOL WAS DESIGNED FOR THIS POPULATION BY TWO CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTORS, APPROVED BY A PHYSICAL THERAPIST, AND CONDUCTED FOR ONE HOUR, THREE TIMES WEEKLY FOR 8 WEEKS. [RESULTS] THE RESULTS INDICATED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN ALPHA EEG ACTIVITY OVER THE FRONTAL, CENTRAL, AND PARIETAL ELECTRODES AND THE DELTA EEG ACTIVITY OVER THE CENTROPARIETAL ELECTRODE FROM PRE- TO POST-TRAINING IN TG. IN ADDITION, SIGNIFICANTLY FASTER AUDITORY REACTION TIME FOR TARGET STIMULI, AS WELL AS LOWER P300 PEAK LATENCY OF ERP IN AUDITORY ODDBALL PARADIGM WERE OBTAINED IN TG AFTER 8 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING COMPARE TO CG. [CONCLUSION] CHANGES IN BRAIN ACTIVITY AND ERP COMPONENTS FOLLOWING YOGA TRAINING WOULD SUPPORT THE PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AS AN ADJUNCT TO ROUTINE REHABILITATION.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
17 1211  29 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
18 1549  42 LAUGHTER YOGA REDUCES THE CORTISOL RESPONSE TO ACUTE STRESS IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. STRESS IS ONE OF THE FOREMOST CONTRIBUTORS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF PSYCHIATRIC DISEASES. SINCE THE PREVALENCE OF STRESS-RELATED COMPLAINTS IS INCREASING, WE ARE IN NEED FOR AFFORDABLE AND EFFECTIVE TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES. LAUGHTER YOGA (LY), A POPULAR METHOD ENCOURAGING PARTICIPANTS TO SIMULATE LAUGHTER AND PARTICIPATE IN YOGIC BREATHING EXERCISES, IS HYPOTHESIZED TO BUFFER NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF STRESS. ALTHOUGH WIDELY PRACTICED, EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FOR BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF LY IS SCARCE. WE INVESTIGATED THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF A SINGLE 30-MIN LY SESSION ON THE AUTONOMIC, ENDOCRINE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSE TO A STANDARDIZED PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESSOR. THIRTY-FIVE HEALTHY SUBJECTS (51% FEMALE) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EXPERIENCE EITHER A LY (N = 11), A RELAXATION BREATHING (N = 12) OR A (NON-INTERVENTION) CONTROL (N = 12) SESSION PRIOR TO THEIR EXPOSURE TO THE TRIER SOCIAL STRESS TEST FOR GROUPS (TSST-G). SALIVARY CORTISOL, SALIVARY ALPHA AMYLASE, AND SUBJECTIVE STRESS WERE ASSESSED REPEATEDLY THROUGHOUT THE EXPERIMENT. WE EXPECTED THAT LY AND RELAXATION BREATHING GROUP EACH SHOW A DOWNREGULATION OF STRESS RESPONSE INDICES COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. FURTHER, WE EXPECTED THAT LY HAS BENEFICIAL EFFECTS COMPARED TO RELAXATION BREATHING. THE GROUPS DID NOT DIFFER IN SALIVARY CORTISOL, ALPHA AMYLASE OR SUBJECTIVE STRESS REACTIVITY DURING THE 30-MIN INTERVENTION. HOWEVER, IN RESPONSE TO THE TSST-G, THE LY, BUT NEITHER THE RELAXATION BREATHING, NOR THE CONTROL CONDITION, SHOWED AN ATTENUATED CORTISOL STRESS RESPONSE. THESE FINDINGS HIGHLIGHT THE POTENTIAL OF LY TO BUFFER THE ENDOCRINE STRESS RESPONSE. THEREFORE, LY COULD BE USED AS A CHEAP AND EASILY-TO-IMPLEMENT ADD-ON TO MORE TRADITIONAL STRESS INTERVENTIONS. LAY SUMMARY IN RECENT YEARS, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED TO FEEL STRESSED. ALTHOUGH OUR BODY IS WELL EQUIPPED TO DEAL WITH ACUTE STRESS, CHRONIC STRESS CAN TIRE OUR SYSTEM AND CONTRIBUTE TO ILLNESS IN THE LONG RUN. THEREFORE, WE NEED AFFORDABLE AND EFFECTIVE MEASURES TO REDUCE STRESS. IN THIS STUDY WE HAVE INVESTIGATED WHETHER A SINGLE LAUGHTER YOGA SESSION CAN HELP US TO DEAL WITH ACUTE STRESS. ALTHOUGH LAUGHTER YOGA DID NOT CHANGE HOW STRESSFUL A SITUATION WAS PERCEIVED, IT REDUCED THE AMOUNT OF STRESS HORMONES THAT WERE RELEASED IN RESPONSE TO THE SITUATION. AS SUCH, LAUGHTER YOGA MIGHT BE A CHEAP AND EASILY-TO-IMPLEMENT ADD-ON TO MORE TRADITIONAL STRESS REDUCTION INTERVENTIONS.	2021	

19  361  34 ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN ATTENTION, AFFECT AND CARDIAC ACTIVITY IN A SINGLE YOGA SESSION FOR FEMALE CANCER SURVIVORS: AN ENACTIVE NEUROPHENOMENOLOGY-BASED APPROACH. YOGA PRACTICE IS REPORTED TO LEAD TO IMPROVEMENTS IN QUALITY OF LIFE, PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING, AND SYMPTOM INDICES IN CANCER SURVIVORS. IMPORTANTLY, MEDITATIVE STATES EXPERIENCED WITHIN YOGA PRACTICE ARE CORRELATED TO NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS THAT MODERATE BOTH FOCUS OF ATTENTION AND AFFECTIVE VALENCE. THE CURRENT STUDY USED A MIXED METHODS APPROACH BASED IN NEUROPHENOMENOLOGY TO INVESTIGATE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN ATTENTION, AFFECT, AND CARDIAC ACTIVITY DURING A SINGLE YOGA SESSION FOR FEMALE CANCER SURVIVORS. YOGA PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A LINEAR INCREASE IN ASSOCIATIVE ATTENTION AND POSITIVE AFFECTIVE VALENCE, WHILE SHIFTS IN CARDIAC ACTIVITY WERE RELATED TO THE INTENSITY OF EACH YOGA SEQUENCE. CHANGES IN ATTENTION AND AFFECT WERE PREDICTED BY CONCURRENTLY ASSESSED CARDIAC ACTIVITY. AWARENESS OF BREATHING, PHYSICAL MOVEMENT, AND INCREASED RELAXATION WERE REPORTED BY PARTICIPANTS AS POTENTIAL MECHANISMS FOR YOGA'S SALUTARY EFFECTS. WHILE YOGA PRACTICE SHARES COMMONALITIES WITH EXERCISE AND RELAXATION TRAINING, YOGA MAY SERVE PRIMARILY AS A PROMISING MEDITATIVE ATTENTION-AFFECT REGULATION TRAINING METHODOLOGY.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
20 1963  25 SELF-REPORTED MORNINGNESS-EVENINGNESS RELATED TO POSITIVE AFFECT-CHANGE ASSOCIATED WITH A SINGLE SESSION OF HATHA YOGA. OBJECTIVES: TO EXAMINE POSITIVE AFFECT (PA) RESPONSES TO A SINGLE HATHA YOGA SESSION COMPARED TO A LECTURE CONTROL CLASS AND TO INVESTIGATE A POTENTIAL ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SELFREPORTED MORNINGNESS-EVENINGNESS AND YOGA - RELATED PA CHANGE. METHOD: PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE = 28.50 YEARS) IN THE YOGA GROUP (N = 45) AND CONTROL GROUP (N = 25) COMPLETED THE REVISED MORNINGNESS-EVENINGNESS QUESTIONNAIRE (RMEQ) BEFORE YOGA AND LECTURE (PRE) AND THE VISUAL ANALOGUE MOOD SCALE (VAMS) AS A MEASURE OF PA BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA AND LECTURE (POST). RESULTS: PRE-TO-POST PA CHANGE WAS GREATER IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL (P < 0.001). ANALYSIS OF THE YOGA GROUP VAMS SCORES REVEALED A SIGNIFICANT RMEQ TYPE (MORNING, NEITHER, EVENING) BY TIME (PRE TO POST) INTERACTION (P = 0.03), WITH GREATER PA CHANGE IN EVENING TYPES COMPARED TO MORNING TYPES (P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS SHOW THAT A SINGLE HATHA YOGA SESSION IMPROVES SELF-REPORTED PA MORE THAN A LECTURE CONTROL AND SUGGEST A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-REPORTED MORNINGNESS-EVENINGNESS AND PA RESPONSES TO HATHA YOGA. THE FINDINGS MAY HELP YOGA PRACTITIONERS, INSTRUCTORS, AND RESEARCHERS BETTER UNDERSTAND THE PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF YOGA. RESEARCHERS SHOULD CONSIDER CONDUCTING LONG-TERM STUDIES ON THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SELF-REPORTED MORNINGNESS- EVENINGNESS AND AFFECTIVE RESPONSES TO YOGA PRACTICE.	2014