1 1119 204 EFFICACY OF BOLUS LUKEWARM SALINE AND YOGA POSTURES AS COLONOSCOPY PREPARATION: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: COLONOSCOPY IS NOW THE GOLD STANDARD FOR COLON CANCER SCREENING AND A VITAL DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC TOOL IN 21ST CENTURY MEDICAL PRACTICE. ALTHOUGH ADVANCES HAVE BEEN SWIFT SINCE COLONOSCOPY CAME INTO WIDE USE A GENERATION AGO, ITS EFFECTIVENESS CAN BE COMPROMISED BY PATIENTS' ABILITY TO ADEQUATELY PREPARE FOR THE PROCEDURE. MANY PATIENTS DREAD THIS TASK MORE THAN THE PROCEDURE ITSELF. WHILE NO PREP REGIMEN CAN BE IDEAL FOR ALL PATIENTS, THE AUTHORS PRESENT A NOVEL APPROACH THAT REPRESENTS A POTENTIAL TIME-SAVING IMPROVEMENT FOR YOUNGER, HEALTHIER PATIENTS. IT IS A MODERN VERSION OF AN INDIAN PRACTICE CALLED SHANKH PRAKSHALANA, IN WHICH LUKEWARM SALINE IS USED IN COMBINATION WITH FIVE YOGA POSTURES TO CLEANSE THE BOWEL. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE SAFETY, EFFICACY, AND TOLERABILITY OF LUKEWARM SALINE AND YOGA (LWS/YOGA) AS A COLONOSCOPY PREPARATION IN COMPARISON WITH NULYTELY((R)) (PEG-3350, SODIUM CHLORIDE, SODIUM BICARBONATE, AND POTASSIUM CHLORIDE SOLUTION) USED ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER'S INSTRUCTIONS. RESEARCH DESIGN: THIS WAS A PILOT STUDY COMPRISING 54 HEALTHY ADULTS, AGES 18-65, EQUALLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: GROUP A PREPARING WITH LUKEWARM SALINE AND YOGA POSTURES (LWS/YOGA); AND GROUP B PREPARING WITH NULYTELY((R)) AS DIRECTED ON THE LABEL. MEASUREMENTS: DATA WERE COLLECTED ON THE QUALITY OF BOWEL PREPARATION, PATIENT SAFETY, PATIENT TOLERABILITY, AND SIDE-EFFECTS. THE SETTING WAS A JOINT COMMISSION ACCREDITED OUTPATIENT ENDOSCOPY CLINIC. INTERVENTIONS: PATIENTS PERFORMED THE SERIES OF FIVE YOGA POSTURES KNOWN AS SHANKH PRAKSHALANA, INTERRUPTING THE EXERCISES AT REGULAR INTERVALS TO CONSUME 480 ML OF LUKEWARM SALINE. THE SOLUTION WAS PREPARED BY ADDING 9 G OF SODIUM CHLORIDE PER LITER OF LUKEWARM WATER (99 DEGREES F-102 DEGREES F/37.2 DEGREES C-38.9 DEGREES C). RESULTS: THE MEAN TOTAL SCORE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER IN GROUP A VERSUS GROUP B (20.63 +/- 5.09 VERSUS 16.48 +/- 5.18, P < 0.0007). IN GROUP A, 24/27 (88.9%) OF PATIENTS HAD EXCELLENT OR OPTIMUM TOTAL SCORES, COMPARED WITH 21/27 (77.8%) IN GROUP B (NOT SIGNIFICANT). IN OUR PILOT STUDY, LWS/YOGA, USED UNDER SUPERVISION, PRODUCED BETTER COLON PREPARATION THAN NULYTELY, USED AS DIRECTED. LIMITATIONS: A RANDOMIZED, ENDOSCOPIST-BLINDED STUDY IS NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE RESULTS. CONCLUSIONS: SHANKH PRAKSHALANA IS EFFECTIVE AS A COLONOSCOPY PREPARATION. 2010 2 2350 36 USING YOGA NIDRA RECORDINGS FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING COLONOSCOPY. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS PRODUCED BY YOGA NIDRA AND RELAXATION MUSIC FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING COLONOSCOPY. A QUASIEXPERIMENTAL DESIGN WAS USED. METHODS: IN TOTAL, 144 PATIENTS WHO WERE SCHEDULED TO UNDERGO COLONOSCOPY WERE ASSIGNED TO THREE DIFFERENT TREATMENT GROUPS. GROUP 1 WAS A NO TREATMENT CONTROL GROUP, GROUP 2 WAS DELIVERED RELAXING MUSIC, AND GROUP 3 WAS DELIVERED A YOGA NIDRA RECORDING. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS PAIN SCORE. SECONDARY TREATMENT EFFICACY MEASURES WERE AN OVERALL PATIENT SATISFACTION SCORE, A WILLINGNESS TO REPEAT THE PROCEDURE SCORE, AND A PERCEIVED COLONOSCOPE INSERTION DIFFICULTY SCORE. SECONDARY OBJECTIVE TREATMENT EFFECT MEASURES WERE SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE AND TOTAL PROCEDURE DURATION. RESULTS: THE PATIENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF PAIN AND THE ENDOSCOPIST'S PERCEIVED COLONOSCOPE INSERTION DIFFICULTY WERE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BY BOTH THE MUSIC AND THE YOGA NIDRA RECORDING (P < .05). OVERALL PATIENT SATISFACTION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED BY BOTH THE MUSIC AND THE YOGA NIDRA RECORDING (P < .05). PATIENTS' WILLINGNESS TO REPEAT THE PROCEDURE AND THE TOTAL PROCEDURE DURATION WERE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED AND REDUCED, RESPECTIVELY, BY THE YOGA NIDRA RECORDING (P < .05), BUT THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES COMPARED TO THE MUSIC GROUP. THERE WERE NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AMONG THE THREE GROUPS IN TERMS OF BLOOD PRESSURE. CONCLUSIONS: BOTH THE YOGA NIDRA RECORDING AND THE RELAXATION MUSIC HELPED REDUCE THE PAIN PARTICIPANTS UNDERGOING COLONOSCOPY EXPERIENCED. THE YOGA NIDRA RECORDING WAS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL INTERVENTION AMONG THE THREE GROUPS. 2019 3 2363 38 VOLUNTARILY INDUCED VOMITING - A YOGA TECHNIQUE TO ENHANCE PULMONARY FUNCTIONS IN HEALTHY HUMANS. VOMITING IS A COMPLEX AUTONOMIC REFLEX ORCHESTRATED BY SEVERAL NEUROLOGICAL CENTRES IN THE BRAIN. VAGUS, THE CRANIAL NERVE PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN REGULATION OF VOMITING. KUNJAL KRIYA (VOLUNTARILY INDUCED VOMITING), IS A YOGIC CLEANSING TECHNIQUE WHICH INVOLVES VOLUNTARILY INDUCING VOMITING AFTER DRINKING SALINE WATER (5%) ON EMPTY STOMACH. THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED WITH AN OBJECTIVE TO UNDERSTAND THE EFFECT OF VOLUNTARY INDUCED VOMITING (VIV) ON PULMONARY FUNCTIONS IN EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS AND NOVICES AND DERIVE ITS POSSIBLE THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS. EIGHTEEN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS VOLUNTEERED FOR THE STUDY OF WHICH NINE HAD PRIOR EXPERIENCE OF VIV WHILE NINE DID NOT. PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS WERE PERFORMED BEFORE AND AFTER 10 MIN OF REST FOLLOWING VIV. ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE WAS PERFORMED ADJUSTED FOR GENDER AND BASELINE VALUES. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE OBSERVED ACROSS GENDERS. THE RESULTS OF THE PRESENT STUDY SUGGEST A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN SLOW VITAL CAPACITY [F(1,13) = 5.699; P = 0.03] AND FORCED INSPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1ST SECOND [P = 0.02] AND REDUCTION IN EXPIRATORY RESERVE VOLUME [F(1,13) = 5.029; P = 0.04] AND RESPIRATORY RATE [F(1,13) = 3.244, P = 0.09]. THESE CHANGES SUGGEST THE POSSIBLE ROLE OF VIV IN ENHANCING THE ENDURANCE OF THE RESPIRATORY MUSCLES, DECREASED AIRWAY RESISTANCE, BETTER EMPTYING OF LUNGS AND VAGAL PREDOMINANCE RESPECTIVELY. WE CONCLUDE THAT VIV WHEN PRACTICED REGULARLY ENHANCES THE ENDURANCE OF THE RESPIRATORY MUSCLES AND DECREASES AIRWAY RESISTANCE. THESE FINDINGS ALSO INDICATE NEED FOR SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF VIV IN THE MANAGEMENT OF MOTION SICKNESS AND RESTRICTIVE PULMONARY DISORDERS LIKE BRONCHITIS AND BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. 2018 4 865 33 EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICES ON PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS INCLUDING TRANSFER FACTOR OF LUNG FOR CARBON MONOXIDE (TLCO) IN ASTHMA PATIENTS. PRANA IS THE ENERGY, WHEN THE SELF-ENERGIZING FORCE EMBRACES THE BODY WITH EXTENSION AND EXPANSION AND CONTROL, IT IS PRANAYAMA. IT MAY AFFECT THE MILIEU AT THE BRONCHIOLES AND THE ALVEOLI PARTICULARLY AT THE ALVEOLO-CAPILLARY MEMBRANE TO FACILITATE DIFFUSION AND TRANSPORT OF GASES. IT MAY ALSO INCREASE OXYGENATION AT TISSUE LEVEL. AIM OF OUR STUDY IS TO COMPARE PULMONARY FUNCTIONS AND DIFFUSION CAPACITY IN PATIENTS OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA BEFORE AND AFTER YOGIC INTERVENTION OF 2 MONTHS. SIXTY STABLE ASTHMATIC-PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS I.E GROUP 1 (YOGA TRAINING GROUP) AND GROUP 2 (CONTROL GROUP). EACH GROUP INCLUDED THIRTY PATIENTS. LUNG FUNCTIONS WERE RECORDED ON ALL PATIENTS AT BASELINE, AND THEN AFTER TWO MONTHS. GROUP 1 SUBJECTS SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT (P<0.001) IN TRANSFER FACTOR OF THE LUNG FOR CARBON MONOXIDE (TLCO), FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (FVC), FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1ST SEC (FEV1), PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (PEFR), MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY VENTILATION (MVV) AND SLOW VITAL CAPACITY (SVC) AFTER YOGA PRACTICE. QUALITY OF LIFE ALSO INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT PRANAYAMA & YOGA BREATHING AND STRETCHING POSTURES ARE USED TO INCREASE RESPIRATORY STAMINA, RELAX THE CHEST MUSCLES, EXPAND THE LUNGS, RAISE ENERGY LEVELS, AND CALM THE BODY. 2012 5 867 49 EFFECT OF YOGA REGIMEN ON LUNG FUNCTIONS INCLUDING DIFFUSION CAPACITY IN CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: LUNG FUNCTIONS ARE FOUND TO BE IMPAIRED IN CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE (CAD), CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE, LEFT VENTRICULAR DYSFUNCTION, AND AFTER CARDIAC SURGERY. DIFFUSION CAPACITY PROGRESSIVELY WORSENS AS THE SEVERITY OF CAD INCREASES DUE TO REDUCTION IN LUNG TISSUE PARTICIPATING IN GAS EXCHANGE. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: PRANAYAMA BREATHING EXERCISES AND YOGIC POSTURES MAY PLAY AN IMPRESSIVE ROLE IN IMPROVING CARDIO-RESPIRATORY EFFICIENCY AND FACILITATING GAS DIFFUSION AT THE ALVEOLO-CAPILLARY MEMBRANE. THIS STUDY WAS DONE TO SEE THE EFFECT OF YOGA REGIMEN ON LUNG FUNCTIONS PARTICULARLY DIFFUSION CAPACITY IN CAD PATIENTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 80 STABLE CAD PATIENTS BELOW 65 YEARS OF AGE OF BOTH SEXES WERE SELECTED AND RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS OF 40 EACH. GROUP I CAD PATIENTS WERE GIVEN YOGA REGIMEN FOR 3 MONTHS WHICH CONSISTED OF YOGIC POSTURES, PRANAYAMA BREATHING EXERCISES, DIETARY MODIFICATION, AND HOLISTIC TEACHING ALONG WITH THEIR CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE WHILE GROUP II CAD PATIENTS WERE PUT ONLY ON CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE. LUNG FUNCTIONS INCLUDING DIFFUSION CAPACITY WERE RECORDED THRICE IN BOTH THE GROUPS: 0 DAY AS BASELINE, 22(ND) DAY AND ON 90(TH) DAY BY USING COMPUTERIZED MS MEDISOFT CARDIO-RESPIRATORY INSTRUMENT, HYP'AIR COMPACT MODEL OF CARDIO-RESPIRATORY TESTING MACHINE WAS MANUFACTURED BY P K MORGAN, INDIA. THE RECORDED PARAMETERS WERE STATISTICALLY ANALYZED BY REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA FOLLOWED BY TUKEY'S TEST IN BOTH THE GROUPS. CARDIOVASCULAR PARAMETERS WERE ALSO COMPARED BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION IN BOTH THE GROUPS. RESULTS: STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE SEEN IN SLOW VITAL CAPACITY, FORCED VITAL CAPACITY, PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE, MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY VENTILATION, AND DIFFUSION FACTOR/ TRANSFER FACTOR OF LUNG FOR CARBON MONOXIDE AFTER 3 MONTHS OF YOGA REGIMEN IN GROUP I. FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1(ST) SEC (FEV1), AND FEV1 % ALSO SHOWED A TREND TOWARD IMPROVEMENT ALTHOUGH NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. HR, SBP AND DBP ALSO SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN GROUP-I PATIENTS WHO FOLLOWED YOGA REGIMEN. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA REGIMEN WAS FOUND TO IMPROVE LUNG FUNCTIONS AND DIFFUSION CAPACITY IN CAD PATIENTS BESIDES IMPROVING CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTIONS. THUS, IT CAN BE USED AS A COMPLIMENTARY OR ADJUNCT THERAPY ALONG WITH THE CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE FOR THEIR TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION. 2015 6 1944 35 SALT AND WATER BALANCE AFTER SWEAT LOSS: A STUDY OF BIKRAM YOGA. BIKRAM YOGA IS PRACTICED IN A ROOM HEATED TO 105 DEGREES F WITH 40% HUMIDITY FOR 90 MIN. DURING THE CLASS A LARGE VOLUME OF WATER AND ELECTROLYTES ARE LOST IN THE SWEAT, SPECIFICALLY, SODIUM IS LOST, THE MAIN CATION OF THE EXTRACELLULAR FLUID. THERE IS LITTLE KNOWN ABOUT THE VOLUME OF SWEAT AND THE AMOUNT OF SODIUM LOST IN SWEAT DURING BIKRAM YOGA OR THE OPTIMUM QUANTITY OF FLUID REQUIRED TO REPLACE THESE LOSSES. THE PARTICIPANTS WHO TOOK PART IN THIS SMALL FEASIBILITY STUDY WERE FIVE FEMALES WITH A MEAN AGE OF 47.4 +/- 4.7 YEARS AND 2.6 +/- 1.6 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AT BIKRAM YOGA. THE TOTAL BODY WEIGHT, WATER CONSUMED, SERUM SODIUM CONCENTRATION, SERUM OSMOLALITY, AND SERUM ALDOSTERONE LEVELS WERE ALL MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER A BIKRAM YOGA PRACTICE. SWEAT SODIUM CHLORIDE CONCENTRATION AND OSMOLALITY WERE MEASURED AT THE END OF THE PRACTICE. THE MEAN ESTIMATED SWEAT LOSS WAS 1.54 +/- 0.65 L, WHILE THE AMOUNT OF WATER CONSUMED DURING BIKRAM YOGA WAS 0.38 +/- 0.22 L. EVEN THOUGH ONLY 25% OF THE SWEAT LOSS WAS REPLENISHED WITH WATER INTAKE DURING THE BIKRAM YOGA CLASS, WE DID NOT OBSERVE A CHANGE IN SERUM SODIUM LEVELS OR SERUM OSMOLALITY. THE SWEAT CONTAINED 82 +/- 16 MMOL/L OF SODIUM CHLORIDE FOR AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 6.8 +/- 2.1 G OF SODIUM CHLORIDE LOST IN THE SWEAT. THE SERUM ALDOSTERONE INCREASED 3.5-FOLD FROM BEFORE TO AFTER BIKRAM YOGA. THERE WAS A DECREASE IN THE EXTRACELLULAR BODY FLUID COMPARTMENT OF 9.7%. SWEAT LOSS IN BIKRAM YOGA PREDOMINATELY PRODUCED A VOLUME DEPLETION RATHER THAN THE DEHYDRATION OF BODY FLUIDS. THE SWEATING-STIMULATED RISE IN SERUM ALDOSTERONE LEVELS WILL LEAD TO INCREASED SODIUM REABSORPTION FROM THE KIDNEY TUBULES AND RESTORE THE EXTRACELLULAR FLUID VOLUME OVER THE NEXT 24 HR. 2020 7 985 42 EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AND OMKAR MEDITATION ON CARDIORESPIRATORY PERFORMANCE, PSYCHOLOGIC PROFILE, AND MELATONIN SECRETION. OBJECTIVES: TO EVALUATE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AND OMKAR MEDITATION ON CARDIORESPIRATORY PERFORMANCE, PSYCHOLOGIC PROFILE, AND MELATONIN SECRETION. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: THIRTY HEALTHY MEN IN THE AGE GROUP OF 25-35 YEARS VOLUNTEERED FOR THE STUDY. THEY WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED IN TWO GROUPS OF 15 EACH. GROUP 1 SUBJECTS SERVED AS CONTROLS AND PERFORMED BODY FLEXIBILITY EXERCISES FOR 40 MINUTES AND SLOW RUNNING FOR 20 MINUTES DURING MORNING HOURS AND PLAYED GAMES FOR 60 MINUTES DURING EVENING HOURS DAILY FOR 3 MONTHS. GROUP 2 SUBJECTS PRACTICED SELECTED YOGIC ASANAS (POSTURES) FOR 45 MINUTES AND PRANAYAMA FOR 15 MINUTES DURING THE MORNING, WHEREAS DURING THE EVENING HOURS THESE SUBJECTS PERFORMED PREPARATORY YOGIC POSTURES FOR 15 MINUTES, PRANAYAMA FOR 15 MINUTES, AND MEDITATION FOR 30 MINUTES DAILY, FOR 3 MONTHS. ORTHOSTATIC TOLERANCE, HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, RESPIRATORY RATE, DYNAMIC LUNG FUNCTION (SUCH AS FORCED VITAL CAPACITY, FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1 SECOND, FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME PERCENTAGE, PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE, AND MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY VENTILATION), AND PSYCHOLOGIC PROFILE WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER 3 MONTHS OF YOGIC PRACTICES. SERIAL BLOOD SAMPLES WERE DRAWN AT VARIOUS TIME INTERVALS TO STUDY EFFECTS OF THESE YOGIC PRACTICES AND OMKAR MEDITATION ON MELATONIN LEVELS. RESULTS: YOGIC PRACTICES FOR 3 MONTHS RESULTED IN AN IMPROVEMENT IN CARDIORESPIRATORY PERFORMANCE AND PSYCHOLOGIC PROFILE. THE PLASMA MELATONIN ALSO SHOWED AN INCREASE AFTER THREE MONTHS OF YOGIC PRACTICES. THE SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, MEAN ARTERIAL PRESSURE, AND ORTHOSTATIC TOLERANCE DID NOT SHOW ANY SIGNIFICANT CORRELATION WITH PLASMA MELATONIN. HOWEVER, THE MAXIMUM NIGHT TIME MELATONIN LEVELS IN YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT CORRELATION (R = 0.71, P < 0.05) WITH WELL-BEING SCORE. CONCLUSION: THESE OBSERVATIONS SUGGEST THAT YOGIC PRACTICES CAN BE USED AS PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGIC STIMULI TO INCREASE ENDOGENOUS SECRETION OF MELATONIN, WHICH, IN TURN, MIGHT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR IMPROVED SENSE OF WELL-BEING. 2004 8 629 41 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 9 214 34 A STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON PULMONARY FUNCTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. THE ROLE OF YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES, AS AN ADJUNCT TREATMENT FOR BRONCHIAL ASTHMA IS WELL RECOGNIZED. ONE HUNDRED TWENTY PATIENTS OF ASTHMA WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS I.E GROUP A (YOGA TRAINING GROUP) AND GROUP B (CONTROL GROUP). EACH GROUP INCLUDED SIXTY PATIENTS. PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS WERE PERFORMED ON ALL THE PATIENTS AT BASELINE, AFTER 4 WEEKS AND THEN AFTER 8 WEEKS. MAJORITY OF THE SUBJECTS IN THE TWO GROUPS HAD MILD DISEASE (34 PATIENTS IN GROUP A AND 32 IN GROUP B). GROUP A SUBJECTS SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INCREASING TREND (P < 0.01) IN % PREDICTED PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (PEFR), FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN THE FIRST SECOND (FEV1), FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (FVC), FORCED MID EXPIRATORY FLOW IN 0.25-0.75 SECONDS (FEF25-75) AND FEV1/FVC% RATIO AT 4 WEEKS AND 8 WEEKS AS COMPARED TO GROUP B. THUS, YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES USED ADJUNCTIVELY WITH STANDARD PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES PULMONARY FUNCTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. 2009 10 1347 37 HYPOXIA IN CNS PATHOLOGIES: EMERGING ROLE OF MIRNA-BASED NEUROTHERAPEUTICS AND YOGA BASED ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES. CELLULAR RESPIRATION IS A VITAL PROCESS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF LIFE. ANY CONDITION THAT RESULTS IN DEPRIVATION OF OXYGEN (ALSO TERMED AS HYPOXIA) MAY EVENTUALLY LEAD TO DELETERIOUS EFFECTS ON THE FUNCTIONING OF TISSUES. BRAIN BEING THE HIGHEST CONSUMER OF OXYGEN IS PRONE TO INCREASED RISK OF HYPOXIA-INDUCED NEUROLOGICAL INSULTS. THIS IN TURN HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH MANY DISEASES OF CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS) SUCH AS STROKE, ALZHEIMER'S, ENCEPHALOPATHY ETC. ALTHOUGH SEVERAL STUDIES HAVE INVESTIGATED THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING ISCHEMIC/HYPOXIC CNS DISEASES, THE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PROTECTIVE THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES TO AMELIORATE THE AFFECTED NEURONAL CELLS IS MEAGER. THIS HAS AUGMENTED THE NEED TO IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE HYPOXIC AND ISCHEMIC EVENTS OCCURRING IN THE BRAIN AND IDENTIFY NOVEL AND ALTERNATE TREATMENT MODALITIES FOR SUCH INSULTS. MICRORNA (MIRNAS), SMALL NON-CODING RNA MOLECULES, HAVE RECENTLY EMERGED AS POTENTIAL NEUROPROTECTIVE AGENTS AS WELL AS TARGETS, UNDER HYPOXIC CONDITIONS. THESE 18-22 NUCLEOTIDE LONG RNA MOLECULES ARE PROFUSELY PRESENT IN BRAIN AND OTHER ORGANS AND FUNCTION AS GENE REGULATORS BY CLEAVING AND SILENCING THE GENE EXPRESSION. IN BRAIN, THESE ARE KNOWN TO BE INVOLVED IN NEURONAL DIFFERENTIATION AND PLASTICITY. THEREFORE, TARGETING MIRNA EXPRESSION REPRESENTS A NOVEL THERAPEUTIC APPROACH TO INTERCEDE AGAINST HYPOXIC AND ISCHEMIC BRAIN INJURY. IN THE FIRST PART OF THIS REVIEW, WE WILL DISCUSS THE NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES CAUSED AS A RESULT OF HYPOXIA, FOLLOWED BY THE CONTRIBUTION OF HYPOXIA IN THE NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES. SECONDLY, WE WILL PROVIDE RECENT UPDATES AND INSIGHTS INTO THE ROLES OF MIRNA IN THE REGULATION OF GENES IN OXYGEN AND GLUCOSE DEPRIVED BRAIN IN ASSOCIATION WITH CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS AND HOW THESE CAN BE TARGETED AS NEUROPROTECTIVE AGENTS FOR CNS INJURIES. FINALLY, WE WILL EMPHASIZE ON ALTERNATE BREATHING OR YOGIC INTERVENTIONS TO OVERCOME THE HYPOXIA ASSOCIATED ANOMALIES THAT COULD ULTIMATELY LEAD TO IMPROVEMENT IN CEREBRAL PERFUSION. 2017 11 2067 35 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 12 572 19 DEFINITION OF A YOGA BREATHING (PRANAYAMA) PROTOCOL THAT IMPROVES LUNG FUNCTION. THIS STUDY TESTS THE HYPOTHESIS THAT YOGA BREATHING (PRANAYAMA) IMPROVES LUNG FUNCTION IN HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS DURING A 6-WEEK PROTOCOL. A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY DEMONSTRATED AN IMPROVEMENT IN PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE AND FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME. THE EASY-TO-LEARN APPROACH CAN BE TRANSLATED TO THE INPATIENT AND OUTPATIENT SETTINGS. 2019 13 1329 30 HIGH-FREQUENCY CEREBRAL ACTIVATION AND INTERHEMISPHERIC SYNCHRONIZATION FOLLOWING SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA AS GLOBAL BRAIN RHYTHMS: THE STATE EFFECTS. CONTEXT: RESPIRATION IS KNOWN TO MODULATE NEURONAL OSCILLATIONS IN THE BRAIN AND IS MEASURED BY ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM (EEG). SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA (SKY) IS A POPULAR BREATHING PROCESS AND IS ESTABLISHED FOR ITS SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS ON THE VARIOUS ASPECTS OF PHYSIOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY. AIMS: THIS STUDY AIMED TO OBSERVE NEURONAL OSCILLATIONS IN MULTIFREQUENCY BANDS AND INTERHEMISPHERIC SYNCHRONIZATION FOLLOWING SKY. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: THIS STUDY EMPLOYED BEFORE- AND AFTER-STUDY DESIGN. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: FORTY HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (AVERAGE AGE 25.45 +/- 5.75, 23 MALES AND 17 FEMALES) PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. NINETEEN-CHANNEL EEG WAS RECORDED AND ANALYZED FOR 5 MIN EACH: BEFORE AND AFTER SKY. SPECTRAL POWER FOR DELTA, THETA, ALPHA, BETA, AND GAMMA FREQUENCY BAND WAS CALCULATED USING MULTI-TAPER FAST FOURIER TRANSFORM (CHRONUX TOOLBOX). THE ASYMMETRY INDEX WAS CALCULATED BY SUBTRACTING THE NATURAL LOG OF POWERS OF LEFT (L) HEMISPHERE FROM THE RIGHT((R)) TO SHOW INTERHEMISPHERIC SYNCHRONIZATION. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: PAIRED T-TEST WAS USED FOR STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. RESULTS: SPECTRAL POWER INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN ALL FREQUENCY BANDS BILATERALLY IN FRONTAL, CENTRAL, PARIETAL, TEMPORAL, AND OCCIPITAL REGIONS OF THE BRAIN AFTER LONG SKY. ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY SHIFTED FROM LOWER TO HIGHER FREQUENCY RANGE WITH A SIGNIFICANT RISE IN THE GAMMA AND BETA POWERS FOLLOWING SKY. ASYMMETRY INDEX VALUES TENDED TOWARD 0 FOLLOWING SKY. CONCLUSIONS: A SINGLE SESSION OF SKY GENERATES GLOBAL BRAIN RHYTHM DOMINANTLY WITH HIGH-FREQUENCY CEREBRAL ACTIVATION AND INITIATES APPROPRIATE INTERHEMISPHERIC SYNCHRONIZATION IN BRAIN RHYTHMS AS STATE EFFECTS. THIS SUGGESTS THAT SKY LEADS TO BETTER ATTENTION, MEMORY, AND EMOTIONAL AND AUTONOMIC CONTROL ALONG WITH ENHANCED COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS, WHICH FINALLY IMPROVES PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELL-BEING. 2020 14 1266 18 FLUID INTELLIGENCE AND BRAIN FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATION IN AGING YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTITIONERS. NUMEROUS STUDIES HAVE DOCUMENTED THE NORMAL AGE-RELATED DECLINE OF NEURAL STRUCTURE, FUNCTION, AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT MEDITATION MAY REDUCE DECLINE IN SPECIFIC COGNITIVE DOMAINS AND IN BRAIN STRUCTURE. HERE WE EXTENDED THIS RESEARCH BY INVESTIGATING THE RELATION BETWEEN AGE AND FLUID INTELLIGENCE AND RESTING STATE BRAIN FUNCTIONAL NETWORK ARCHITECTURE USING GRAPH THEORY, IN MIDDLE-AGED YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTITIONERS, AND MATCHED CONTROLS. FLUID INTELLIGENCE DECLINED SLOWER IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND MEDITATORS COMBINED THAN IN CONTROLS. RESTING STATE FUNCTIONAL NETWORKS OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND MEDITATORS COMBINED WERE MORE INTEGRATED AND MORE RESILIENT TO DAMAGE THAN THOSE OF CONTROLS. FURTHERMORE, MINDFULNESS WAS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH FLUID INTELLIGENCE, RESILIENCE, AND GLOBAL NETWORK EFFICIENCY. THESE FINDINGS REVEAL THE POSSIBILITY TO INCREASE RESILIENCE AND TO SLOW THE DECLINE OF FLUID INTELLIGENCE AND BRAIN FUNCTIONAL ARCHITECTURE AND SUGGEST THAT MINDFULNESS PLAYS A MECHANISTIC ROLE IN THIS PRESERVATION. 2014 15 1472 24 INSULAR CORTEX MEDIATES INCREASED PAIN TOLERANCE IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS. YOGA, AN INCREASINGLY POPULAR DISCIPLINE AMONG WESTERNERS, IS FREQUENTLY USED TO IMPROVE PAINFUL CONDITIONS. WE INVESTIGATED POSSIBLE NEUROANATOMICAL UNDERPINNINGS OF THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA USING SENSORY TESTING AND MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING TECHNIQUES. NORTH AMERICAN YOGIS TOLERATED PAIN MORE THAN TWICE AS LONG AS INDIVIDUALLY MATCHED CONTROLS AND HAD MORE GRAY MATTER (GM) IN MULTIPLE BRAIN REGIONS. ACROSS SUBJECTS, INSULAR GM UNIQUELY CORRELATED WITH PAIN TOLERANCE. INSULAR GM VOLUME IN YOGIS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH YOGA EXPERIENCE, SUGGESTING A CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA AND INSULAR SIZE. YOGIS ALSO HAD INCREASED LEFT INTRAINSULAR WHITE MATTER INTEGRITY, CONSISTENT WITH A STRENGTHENED INSULAR INTEGRATION OF NOCICEPTIVE INPUT AND PARASYMPATHETIC AUTONOMIC REGULATION. YOGIS, AS OPPOSED TO CONTROLS, USED COGNITIVE STRATEGIES INVOLVING PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVATION AND INTEROCEPTIVE AWARENESS TO TOLERATE PAIN, WHICH COULD HAVE LED TO USE-DEPENDENT HYPERTROPHY OF INSULAR CORTEX. TOGETHER, THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT REGULAR AND LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVES PAIN TOLERANCE IN TYPICAL NORTH AMERICANS BY TEACHING DIFFERENT WAYS TO DEAL WITH SENSORY INPUTS AND THE POTENTIAL EMOTIONAL REACTIONS ATTACHED TO THOSE INPUTS LEADING TO A CHANGE IN INSULAR BRAIN ANATOMY AND CONNECTIVITY. 2014 16 438 27 CARDIOVASCULAR AND RESPIRATORY EFFECT OF YOGIC SLOW BREATHING IN THE YOGA BEGINNER: WHAT IS THE BEST APPROACH? SLOW BREATHING INCREASES CARDIAC-VAGAL BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY (BRS), IMPROVES OXYGEN SATURATION, LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE, AND REDUCES ANXIETY. WITHIN THE YOGA TRADITION SLOW BREATHING IS OFTEN PAIRED WITH A CONTRACTION OF THE GLOTTIS MUSCLES. THIS RESISTANCE BREATH "UJJAYI" IS PERFORMED AT VARIOUS RATES AND RATIOS OF INSPIRATION/EXPIRATION. TO TEST WHETHER UJJAYI HAD ADDITIONAL POSITIVE EFFECTS TO SLOW BREATHING, WE COMPARED BRS AND VENTILATORY CONTROL UNDER DIFFERENT BREATHING PATTERNS (EQUAL/UNEQUAL INSPIRATION/EXPIRATION AT 6 BREATH/MIN, WITH/WITHOUT UJJAYI), IN 17 YOGA-NAIVE YOUNG HEALTHY PARTICIPANTS. BRS INCREASED WITH SLOW BREATHING TECHNIQUES WITH OR WITHOUT EXPIRATORY UJJAYI (P < 0.05 OR HIGHER) EXCEPT WITH INSPIRATORY + EXPIRATORY UJJAYI. THE MAXIMAL INCREASE IN BRS AND DECREASE IN BLOOD PRESSURE WERE FOUND IN SLOW BREATHING WITH EQUAL INSPIRATION AND EXPIRATION. THIS CORRESPONDED WITH A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN OXYGEN SATURATION WITHOUT INCREASE IN HEART RATE AND VENTILATION. UJJAYI SHOWED SIMILAR INCREASE IN OXYGEN SATURATION BUT SLIGHTLY LESSER IMPROVEMENT IN BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY WITH NO CHANGE IN BLOOD PRESSURE. THE SLOW BREATHING WITH EQUAL INSPIRATION AND EXPIRATION SEEMS THE BEST TECHNIQUE FOR IMPROVING BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY IN YOGA-NAIVE SUBJECTS. THE EFFECTS OF UJJAYI SEEMS DEPENDENT ON INCREASED INTRATHORACIC PRESSURE THAT REQUIRES GREATER EFFORT THAN NORMAL SLOW BREATHING. 2013 17 2344 39 USING A STANDARDIZED VINIYOGA PROTOCOL FOR LUNG CANCER SURVIVORS: A PILOT STUDY EXAMINING EFFECTS ON BREATHING EASE. ALTHOUGH LUNG CANCER IS PERCEIVED AS A DIRE DIAGNOSIS, INCREASES IN THE 5-YEAR SURVIVAL RATE OF INDIVIDUALS WITH NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER (NSCLC) HAVE BEEN REPORTED. SURVIVORS, HOWEVER, CONTINUE TO BE EXCESSIVELY BURDENED WITH SYMPTOMS SUCH AS RESPIRATORY DISTRESS WHICH INTERFERE WITH FUNCTIONING AND QUALITY OF LIFE. WHILE EXERCISE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ARE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED, NSCLC SURVIVORS MAY BE RELUCTANT TO PARTICIPATE DUE TO ACTUAL OR ANTICIPATED SHORTNESS OF BREATH EXACERBATED WITH MOVEMENT.THIS QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL, INTERVENTION-ONLY PILOT STUDY AIMED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK STANDARDIZED YOGA PROTOCOL FOR STAGE I-IIIA NSCLC SURVIVORS (N=9). THE PROTOCOL WAS DEVELOPED WITHIN THE VINIYOGA (HATHA) TRADITION WITH RESPIRATORY EXPERTS. BREATHING EASE, DYSPNEA, OXYGEN SATURATION, AND RESPIRATORY FUNCTION WERE EXPLORED IN RELATIONSHIP TO YOGA PRACTICE (45-MINUTE SESSIONS ONCE PER WEEK AND HOME PRACTICE) USING REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSIS. NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS REPORTING DYSPNEA RANGED FROM 25 TO 50% PRIOR TO PRACTICE WITH NO SIGNIFICANT INCREASE DURING SESSIONS, AND MODERATE DECREASES NOTED AT TIMES. OXYGEN SATURATION REMAINED HIGH AND VITAL SIGNS STABLE; FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1 SECOND (FEV1) VALUES INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE 14-WEEK STUDY PERIOD (P<0.0001). YOGA, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON POSTURES COORDINATED WITH BREATHING AND MEDITATION PRACTICES, OFFERS A POTENTIALLY FEASIBLE AND BENEFICIAL OPTION THAT REQUIRES FURTHER STUDY IN THIS POPULATION. 2013 18 1698 24 PAIN-RELATED ENCEPHALIC REGIONS INFLUENCED BY YOGA MEDITATION: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW. INTRODUCTION: THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE USE OF YOGA IN PAIN RELIEF ARE STILL UNCLEAR. THIS STUDY REVIEWED LITERATURE REPORTS ON ENCEPHALIC ACTIVITY RELATED TO ANALGESIA INDUCED BY YOGA MEDITATION PRACTICE. METHODS: THIS INTEGRATIVE REVIEW EXAMINED STUDIES PUBLISHED IN THE PUBMED, LILACS AND MEDLINE DATABASES WITHOUT RESTRICTION OF THE YEAR OF PUBLICATION. THE RESEARCH INVOLVED 16 DESCRIPTORS RELATED TO THE WORDS: YOGA, PAIN AND NEUROIMAGING METHODS. INCLUSION CRITERIA INVOLVED ONLY THE PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE ONLINE, WITH FREE ACCESS AND WRITTEN IN ENGLISH. RESULTS: 2 CASE STUDIES AND 1 PILOT STUDY MET THE CRITERIA. YOGA MEDITATION PRACTICE INDUCES ANALGESIA PRIMARILY THROUGH ATTENUATION OF THE MEDIAL PAIN PERCEPTION SYSTEM INCLUDING THE ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX AND INSULA REGIONS, AS WELL AS THE LATERAL SYSTEM INCLUDING THE SECONDARY SENSORY CORTEX AND THALAMUS. CONCLUSION: YOGA INDUCED ANALGESIA IS A POTENTIALLY IMPORTANT ADJUNCT TO CURRENT PAIN MANAGEMENT. THIS INTEGRATIVE REVIEW REVEALED THAT THERE IS A NEED FOR FURTHER RESEARCH THAT ANALYZES THE ENCEPHALIC REGIONS RELATED TO ANALGESIA INDUCED BY YOGA PRACTICE. 2018 19 1741 29 PHYSICAL DEMAND PROFILES OF HATHA YOGA POSTURES PERFORMED BY OLDER ADULTS. UNDERSTANDING THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS PLACED UPON THE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM BY INDIVIDUAL POSTURES MAY ALLOW EXPERIENCED INSTRUCTORS AND THERAPISTS TO DEVELOP SAFE AND EFFECTIVE YOGA PROGRAMS WHICH REDUCE UNDESIRABLE SIDE EFFECTS. THUS, WE USED BIOMECHANICAL METHODS TO QUANTIFY THE LOWER EXTREMITY JOINT ANGLES, JOINT MOMENTS OF FORCE, AND MUSCLE ACTIVITIES OF 21 HATHA YOGA POSTURES, COMMONLY USED IN SENIOR YOGA PROGRAMS. TWENTY OLDER ADULTS, 70.7 YEARS +/- 3.8 YEARS, PARTICIPATED IN A 32-WK YOGA CLASS (2 D/WK) WHERE THEY LEARNED INTRODUCTORY AND INTERMEDIATE POSTURES (ASANAS). THEY THEN PERFORMED THE ASANAS IN A MOTION ANALYSIS LABORATORY. KINEMATIC, KINETIC, AND ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC DATA WAS COLLECTED OVER THREE SECONDS WHILE THE PARTICIPANTS HELD THE POSES STATICALLY. PROFILES ILLUSTRATING THE POSTURES AND INCLUDING THE BIOMECHANICAL DATA WERE THEN GENERATED FOR EACH ASANA. OUR FINDINGS DEMONSTRATED THAT HATHA YOGA POSTURES ENGENDERED A RANGE OF APPRECIABLE JOINT ANGLES, JMOFS, AND MUSCLE ACTIVITIES ABOUT THE ANKLE, KNEE, AND HIP, AND THAT DEMANDS ASSOCIATED WITH SOME POSTURES AND POSTURE MODIFICATIONS WERE NOT ALWAYS INTUITIVE. THEY ALSO DEMONSTRATED THAT ALL OF THE POSTURES ELICITED APPRECIABLE RECTUS ABDOMINIS ACTIVITY, WHICH WAS UP TO 70% OF THAT INDUCED DURING WALKING. 2013 20 2014 27 SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA: BREATHING FOR HEALTH. BREATHING TECHNIQUES ARE REGULARLY RECOMMENDED FOR RELAXATION, STRESS MANAGEMENT, CONTROL OF PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL STATES, AND TO IMPROVE ORGAN FUNCTION. YOGIC BREATHING, DEFINED AS A MANIPULATION OF BREATH MOVEMENT, HAS BEEN SHOWN TO POSITIVELY AFFECT IMMUNE FUNCTION, AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM IMBALANCES, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OR STRESS-RELATED DISORDERS. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS AND PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS, THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION, AND THE BENEFITS OF SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA (SKY) IN A WIDE RANGE OF CLINICAL CONDITIONS. VARIOUS ONLINE DATABASES SEARCHED WERE MEDLINE, PSYCHINFO, EMBASE, AND GOOGLE SCHOLAR. ALL THE RESULTS WERE CAREFULLY SCREENED AND ARTICLES ON SKY WERE SELECTED. THE REFERENCES FROM THESE ARTICLES WERE CHECKED TO FIND ANY OTHER POTENTIALLY RELEVANT ARTICLES. SKY, A UNIQUE YOGIC BREATHING PRACTICE, INVOLVES SEVERAL TYPES OF CYCLICAL BREATHING PATTERNS, RANGING FROM SLOW AND CALMING TO RAPID AND STIMULATING. THERE IS MOUNTING EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST THAT SKY CAN BE A BENEFICIAL, LOW-RISK, LOW-COST ADJUNCT TO THE TREATMENT OF STRESS, ANXIETY, POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, DEPRESSION, STRESS-RELATED MEDICAL ILLNESSES, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, AND REHABILITATION OF CRIMINAL OFFENDERS. 2013