1 1810 158 PROCESSING OF PROPRIOCEPTIVE AND VESTIBULAR BODY SIGNALS AND SELF-TRANSCENDENCE IN ASHTANGA YOGA PRACTITIONERS. IN THE ROD AND FRAME TEST (RFT), PARTICIPANTS ARE ASKED TO SET A TILTED VISUAL LINEAR MARKER (I.E., A ROD), EMBEDDED IN A SQUARE, TO THE SUBJECTIVE VERTICAL, IRRESPECTIVE OF THE SURROUNDING FRAME. PEOPLE NOT INFLUENCED BY THE FRAME TILT ARE DEFINED AS FIELD-INDEPENDENT, WHILE PEOPLE BIASED IN THEIR ROD VERTICALITY PERCEPTION ARE FIELD-DEPENDENT. PERFORMING RFT REQUIRES THE INTEGRATION OF PROPRIOCEPTIVE, VESTIBULAR AND VISUAL SIGNALS WITH THE LATTER ACCOUNTING FOR FIELD-DEPENDENCY. STUDIES INDICATE THAT MOTOR EXPERTS IN BODY-RELATED, BALANCE-IMPROVING DISCIPLINES TEND TO BE FIELD-INDEPENDENT, I.E., BETTER AT VERTICALITY PERCEPTION, SUGGESTING THAT PROPRIOCEPTIVE AND VESTIBULAR EXPERTISE ACQUIRED BY SUCH EXERCISE MAY WEAKEN THE INFLUENCE OF IRRELEVANT VISUAL SIGNALS. WHAT REMAINS UNKNOWN IS WHETHER THE EFFECT OF BODY-RELATED EXPERTISE IN WEIGHTING PERCEPTUAL INFORMATION MIGHT ALSO BE MEDIATED BY PERSONALITY TRAITS, IN PARTICULAR THOSE INDEXING SELF-FOCUSING ABILITIES. TO EXPLORE THIS ISSUE, WE TESTED FIELD-DEPENDENCY IN A CLASS OF BODY EXPERTS, NAMELY YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND IN NON-EXPERT PARTICIPANTS. MOREOVER WE EXPLORED ANY LINK BETWEEN PERFORMANCE ON RFT AND SELF-TRANSCENDENCE (ST), A COMPLEX PERSONALITY CONSTRUCT, WHICH REFERS TO TENDENCY TO EXPERIENCE SPIRITUAL FEELINGS AND IDEAS. AS EXPECTED, YOGA PRACTITIONERS (I) WERE MORE ACCURATE IN ASSESSING THE ROD'S VERTICALITY ON THE RFT, AND (II) EXPRESSED SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER ST. INTERESTINGLY, THE PERFORMANCE IN THESE TWO TESTS WAS NEGATIVELY CORRELATED. MORE SPECIFICALLY, WHEN ASKED TO PROVIDE VERTICALITY JUDGMENTS, HIGHLY SELF-TRANSCENDENT YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS INFLUENCED BY A MISLEADING VISUAL CONTEXT. OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT BEING HIGHLY SELF-TRANSCENDENT MAY ENABLE YOGA PRACTITIONERS TO OPTIMIZE VERTICALITY JUDGMENT TASKS BY RELYING MORE ON INTERNAL (VESTIBULAR AND PROPRIOCEPTIVE) SIGNALS COMING FROM THEIR OWN BODY, RATHER THAN ON EXTEROCEPTIVE, VISUAL CUES. 2014 2 1934 21 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 3 1730 36 PERSONALITY, COGNITIVE STYLES AND MORNINGNESS-EVENINGNESS DISPOSITION IN A SAMPLE OF YOGA TRAINEES. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A PSYCHOPHYSICAL, SPIRITUAL SCIENCE OF HOLISTIC LIVING, AIMING TOWARDS BODY AND MIND DEVELOPMENT; IT CAN INFLUENCE WELL-BEING, COGNITIVE PROCESSES, PERSONALITY (GUNAS), PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS, AND HUMAN HEALTH. SINCE IT HAS BEEN OBSERVED THAT MORNINGNESS-EVENINGNESS DISPOSITION IS ASSOCIATED WITH PERSONALITY, AND THAT PERSONALITY CAN CHARACTERIZE PEOPLE PRACTICING YOGA, IN THIS EXPLORATORY STUDY WE POSITED THAT MORNINGNESS-EVENINGNESS MIGHT BE ASSOCIATED WITH PERSONALITY IN YOGA TRAINEES. SINCE YOGA CAN HAVE INFLUENCES OVER COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVES, AND SINCE IT HAS BEEN OBSERVED THAT MORNINGNESS-EVENINGNESS DISPOSITION CAN ASSOCIATE WITH COGNITIVE PROCESSES, WE INVESTIGATED A SAMPLE OF YOGA TRAINEES WITH REFERENCE TO RELATIONSHIP WITH STYLES OF LEARNING AND THINKING (RELEVANT ASPECTS OF COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING) AND ALSO WITH MORNINGNESS-EVENINGNESS DISPOSITION. MATERIAL AND METHODS: WE TESTED 184 YOGA TRAINEES USING THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONNAIRES: STYLES OF LEARNING AND THINKING (TORRANCE), BIG FIVE QUESTIONNAIRE (CAPRARA, BARBARANELLI, BORGOGNI), AND REDUCED MORNINGNESS-EVENINGNESS QUESTIONNAIRE (NATALE). RESULTS: WE FOUND THAT MORNING TYPES SCORE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN EVENING TYPES ON CONSCIENTIOUSNESS, FRIENDLINESS, SCRUPULOUSNESS, OPENNESS TO CULTURE, EMOTIONAL STABILITY, EMOTION CONTROL, THEY SCORE HIGHER THAN INTERMEDIATE TYPES ON CONSCIENTIOUSNESS, FRIENDLINESS, SCRUPULOUSNESS. MOREOVER, DATA SHOWED THAT THE HIGH MAJORITY OF SUBJECTS, ALSO WITH REFERENCE TO MORNINGNESS-EVENINGNESS DISPOSITION, HAVE RIGHT-SIDED STYLES OF LEARNING AND THINKING, POINTING OUT A TENDENCY TOWARDS RIGHT-SIDED COGNITIVE PRECESSING IN THE WHOLE SAMPLE. PERSONALITY TRAITS OF THE YOGA TRAINEES WERE ALSO INVESTIGATED. CONCLUSIONS: DATA ARE DISCUSSED WITH REFERENCE TO EXISTING LITERATURE, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND NEUROSCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVES ARE SUGGESTED, PREVIOUS STUDIES ABOUT YOGA PUBLISHED ON MEDICAL SCIENCE MONITOR ARE ALSO CONSIDERED. 2014 4 741 26 EFFECT OF REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE ON RESPIRATORY REGULATION AND EXERCISE PERFORMANCE. YOGA ALTERS SPONTANEOUS RESPIRATORY REGULATION AND REDUCES HYPOXIC AND HYPERCAPNIC VENTILATORY RESPONSES. SINCE A LOWER VENTILATORY RESPONSE IS ASSOCIATED WITH AN IMPROVED ENDURANCE CAPACITY DURING WHOLE-BODY EXERCISE, WE TESTED WHETHER YOGIC SUBJECTS (YOGA) SHOW AN INCREASED ENDURANCE CAPACITY COMPARED TO MATCHED NON-YOGIC INDIVIDUALS (CON) WITH SIMILAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS. RESTING VENTILATION, THE VENTILATORY RESPONSE TO HYPERCAPNIA, PASSIVE LEG MOVEMENT AND EXERCISE, AS WELL AS ENDURANCE PERFORMANCE WERE ASSESSED. YOGA (N = 9), COMPARED TO CONTROL (N = 6), HAD A HIGHER TIDAL VOLUME AT REST (0.7+/-0.2 VS. 0.5+/-0.1 L, P = 0.034) AND A REDUCED VENTILATORY RESPONSE TO HYPERCAPNIA (33+/-15 VS. 47+/-15 L.MIN(-1), P = 0.048). A YOGA SUBGROUP (N = 6) WITH MAXIMAL PERFORMANCE SIMILAR TO CONTROL SHOWED A BLUNTED VENTILATORY RESPONSE TO PASSIVE CYCLING (11+/-2 VS. 14+/-2 L.MIN(-1), P = 0.039) AND A TENDENCY TOWARDS LOWER EXERCISE VENTILATION (33+/-2 VS. 36+/-3 L.MIN(-1), P = 0.094) WHILE CYCLING ENDURANCE (YOGA: 17.3+/-3.3; CON: 19.6+/-8.5 MIN, P = 0.276) DID NOT DIFFER. THUS, YOGA PRACTICE WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED EXERCISE CAPACITY NOR WITH SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN EXERCISE VENTILATION DESPITE A SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT RESPIRATORY REGULATION AT REST AND IN RESPONSE TO HYPERCAPNIA AND PASSIVE LEG MOVEMENT. 2016 5 1919 22 ROLE OF YOGA AND MEDITATION IN THE CONTEXT OF DYSFUNCTIONAL SELF: A HYPOTHETICO-INTEGRATIVE APPROACH. AARON T. BECK DESCRIBES HABITUAL PATTERNS OF SCHEMAS (IE, ORGANIZED PATTERNS OF THOUGHT OR BEHAVIOR) AS VITAL ELEMENTS OF EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL EXPERIENCE, WHEREAS BIASED PROCESSING OF INFORMATION ACCOMPANIES PSYCHOPATHOLOGICAL STATES. IN THIS ARTICLE, THE AUTHORS PROPOSE A HYPOTHETICO-INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF YOGA AND MEDITATION. THIS APPROACH IS BASED ON THE BACKGROUND OF BECK'S MODEL OF THE PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF THE DYSFUNCTIONAL SELF. THE AUTHORS HAVE FOUND THAT THE PRACTICES COMMON TO MOST FORMS OF YOGA AND MEDITATION ARE (1) FOCUSING OF ATTENTION; (2) CREATING A STATE OF RELAXATION; AND (3) DEVELOPING MINDFULNESS THROUGH EFFERENT ATTENUATION, SENSORY ATTENUATION, AND NONANALYTIC ATTENTION. BIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF MEDITATION AND YOGA HAVE FOUND A TENDENCY TOWARD USE OF THE RELAXATION RESPONSE, THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE ATTENTIONAL NETWORKS, AND, LIKELY, THE CINGULATECORTEX, PARTICULARLY IN THE PROCESS OF BARE ATTENTION (IE, AWARENESS WITHOUT THOUGHT). THIS HIGHEST LEVEL OF NONJUDGMENTAL AWARENESS MAY HELP IN OBTAINING A BETTER-ADJUSTED RESILIENT SELF. 2014 6 632 29 DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF ETHICAL EDUCATION, PHYSICAL HATHA YOGA, AND MANTRA MEDITATION ON WELL-BEING AND STRESS IN HEALTHY PARTICIPANTS-AN EXPERIMENTAL SINGLE-CASE STUDY. TRADITIONALLY, YOGA IS A MULTICOMPONENT PRACTICE CONSISTING OF POSTURES, BREATHING TECHNIQUES, MEDITATION, MANTRAS, AND ETHICS. TO DATE, ONLY A FEW STUDIES HAVE TRIED TO DISMANTLE THE EFFECTS OF EACH OF THESE COMPONENTS AND THEIR COMBINATIONS. TO FILL THIS GAP, WE EXAMINED THE INCREMENTAL EFFECTS OF ETHICAL EDUCATION AND PHYSICAL HATHA YOGA ON MANTRA MEDITATION USING A SINGLE-CASE MULTIPLE-BASELINE DESIGN. THIS STUDY WAS PART OF A PROJECT EVALUATING THE NEW MIND-BODY PROGRAM MEDITATION-BASED LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION. FIFTY-SEVEN HEALTHY PARTICIPANTS WITH NO REGULAR YOGA OR MEDITATION PRACTICE WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO THREE BASELINES (7, 14, AND 21 DAYS) AND FOUR CONDITIONS USING A RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR. THE CONDITIONS WERE MANTRA MEDITATION ALONE (MA), MEDITATION PLUS PHYSICAL YOGA (MY), MEDITATION PLUS ETHICAL EDUCATION (ME), AND MEDITATION PLUS YOGA AND ETHICAL EDUCATION (MYE). ALL THE INTERVENTIONS LASTED FOR 8 WEEKS AND WERE RUN CONSECUTIVELY ACCORDING TO BASELINE LENGTH. DURING THE BASELINE AND TREATMENT PHASES, PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED DAILY QUESTIONNAIRES MEASURING THEIR WELL-BEING (WHO-5 WELL-BEING INDEX), STRESS (PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE), AND SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCES. FORTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE TREATMENT AND WERE ENTERED IN THE ANALYSES. WE ANALYZED OUR DATA USING VISUAL INSPECTION, EFFECT SIZE ESTIMATION (TAU-U), AND MULTILEVEL MODELING. ALMOST ALL PARTICIPANTS SHOWED A LONGITUDINAL INCREASE IN WELL-BEING. REGARDING BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES, PARTICIPANTS WHO RECEIVED ETHICAL EDUCATION EXHIBITED THE LARGEST INCREASES IN WELL-BEING (TAU-U = 0.30/0.23 FOR ME/MYE), FOLLOWED BY PARTICIPANTS IN THE MY CONDITION (TAU-U = 0.12). CONVERSELY, PARTICIPANTS IN THE MA CONDITION SHOWED NO CHANGE (TAU-U = 0.07). THERE WAS A TENDENCY FOR THE COMBINED TREATMENTS TO DECREASE STRESS. THIS TENDENCY WAS STRONGEST IN THE MY CONDITION (TAU-U = -0.40) AND REVERSED IN THE MA CONDITION (TAU-U = 0.17). THESE RESULTS EMPHASIZE THE INCREMENTAL AND DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF PRACTICING MEDITATION IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER PRACTICES FROM THE EIGHT-FOLD YOGA PATH. THIS APPROACH IS VALUABLE FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING THE MULTIFACETED PRACTICE OF YOGA. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION:WWW.CLINICALTRIALS.GOV, IDENTIFIER: NCT04252976. 2021 7 1191 24 EVOLUTION FROM FOUR MENTAL STATES TO THE HIGHEST STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS: A NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF MEDITATION AS DEFINED IN YOGA TEXTS. THIS CHAPTER PROVIDES A THEORETICAL INTRODUCTION TO STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND REVIEWS NEUROSCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS OF MEDITATION. THE DIFFERENT STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS CONSIST OF FOUR MENTAL STATES, I.E., CANCALATA (RANDOM THINKING), EKAGRATA (NON-MEDITATIVE FOCUSING), DHARNA (FOCUSED MEDITATION), AND DHYANA (MEDITATION) AS DEFINED IN YOGA TEXTS. MEDITATION IS A SELF-REGULATED MENTAL PROCESS ASSOCIATED WITH DEEP RELAXATION AND INCREASED INTERNALIZED ATTENTION. SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS ON MEDITATION REPORTED CHANGES IN ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNALS AND NEUROIMAGING MEASURES. BUT MOST OUTCOMES OF MEDITATION STUDIES SHOWED INCONSISTENT RESULTS, THIS MAY BE DUE TO HETEROGENEITY IN MEDITATION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES EVOLVED IN THE LAST 200 YEARS. TRADITIONALLY, THE FEATURES OF MEDITATION INCLUDE THE CAPACITY TO SUSTAIN A HEIGHTENED AWARENESS OF THOUGHTS, BEHAVIORS, EMOTIONS, AND PERCEPTIONS. GENERALLY, MEDITATION INVOLVES NON-REACTIVE EFFORTLESS MONITORING OF THE CONTENT OF EXPERIENCE FROM MOMENT TO MOMENT. FOCUSED MEDITATION PRACTICE INVOLVES AWARENESS ON A SINGLE OBJECT AND OPEN MONITORING MEDITATION IS A NON-DIRECTIVE MEDITATION INVOLVED ATTENTION IN BREATHING, MANTRA, OR SOUND. THEREFORE, RESULTS OF FEW EMPIRICAL STUDIES OF ADVANCED MEDITATORS OR BEGINNERS REMAIN TENTATIVE. THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO COMPILE THE MEDITATION-RELATED CHANGES IN ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL AND NEUROIMAGING PROCESSES AMONG EXPERIENCED AND NOVICE PRACTITIONERS. 2019 8 1817 16 PROPOSED IDENTIFICATION OF PHYSIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION AND THEORETICAL MECHANISMS OF YOGASANAS. YOGA IN THE THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL FORM IS NOW ACCEPTED ALL OVER THE WORLD, BY THE RESEARCHERS AS WELL AS BY THE GENERAL POPULATION. YOGASANA OR YOGIC POSTURES ARE ONE OF THE MAIN FOUNDATIONS OF PRACTICAL YOGA. MECHANISMS OF MEDIATION AND PRANAYAMA HAS ALREADY BEEN ESTABLISHED. IN THIS ARTICLE, THE AUTHOR IS FOR THE FIRST TIME PROPOSING PHYSIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION OF YOGASANA I.E. (A) STRETCH (B) CONTRACTION (C). NEUROMUSCULAR COORDINATION (D) SENSE REDUCTION (E) SPINE BRAIN ACTIVATION. IN SUPPORT OF THIS PHYSIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION AUTHOR HAS PROPOSED FIVE HYPOTHETICAL THEORIES I.E. (I) STRETCH RELAXATION AWARENESS (II) CONTRACTION RELAXATION AWARENESS (III) BALLASTIC CONTRACTION RELAXATION AWARENESS (IV) SENSORY MOTOR FUNCTION AWARENESS AND (V) VITAL ENERGY FLOW AWARENESS TO UNDERSTAND THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS OF YOGASANA PRACTICE AND TO EXPLAIN ITS BENEFITS. 2021 9 1836 19 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 2304 23 TOWARD AN EXPLANATORY FRAMEWORK FOR YOGA THERAPY INFORMED BY PHILOSOPHICAL AND ETHICAL PERSPECTIVES. CONTEXT * YOGA THERAPY IS AN EMERGING COMPLEMENTARY AND INTEGRATIVE HEALTH PRACTICE FOR WHICH THERE IS INCREASING INTEREST FROM BOTH CLINICAL AND RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES. CURRENTLY MISSING, HOWEVER, IS AN EXPLANATORY FRAMEWORK FOR THE PROFESSION THAT PROVIDES PRACTITIONERS, CLIENTS, AND THE PUBLIC WITH AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW VARIOUS YOGIC TRADITIONS AND PRINCIPLES CAN BE UNDERSTOOD IN MODERN HEALTH CARE CONTEXTS. OBJECTIVE * THIS STUDY PROPOSES AN EXPLANATORY FRAMEWORK FOR YOGA THERAPY, INFORMED BY PHENOMENOLOGY, EUDAIMONIA, VIRTUE ETHICS, AND FIRST-PERSON ETHICAL INQUIRY. CONCLUSIONS * THESE 4 PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES-PHENOMENOLOGY, EUDAIMONIA, VIRTUE ETHICS, AND FIRST-PERSON ETHICAL INQUIRY-PROVIDE A LENS THROUGH WHICH TO UNDERSTAND HOW YOGIC PRACTICES SUPPORT THE INDIVIDUAL'S TRANSFORMATION IN THE EXPERIENCE OF ILLNESS, PAIN, OR DISABILITY. WE PROPOSE THAT THIS TRANSFORMATION OCCURS THROUGH FACILITATING A REHARMONIZATION OF BODY, MIND, AND ENVIRONMENT TOWARD THE EXPERIENCE OF EUDAIMONIC WELL-BEING. 2018 11 1312 18 HEALTH STATUS OF NURSES AND YOGA. I. BASELINE DATA. IN THIS ONGOING ICMR PROJECT ON "EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE HEALTH OF NURSES", SOME BASELINE DATA ON THE HEALTH OF NURSES OF NEHRU HOSPITAL, P.G.I., CHANDIGARH ARE REPORTED. THIS WAS OBTAINED BEFORE THE START OF YOGA THERAPY IN SELECTED CASES AND COLLECTED WITH THE HELP OF SIX PSYCHOLOGICAL TOOLS. OUT OF A TOTAL OF 501 NURSES, 452 (90.2%) COULD BE CONTACTED AND STUDIED. MEAN AGE WAS 30.43 YEARS AND MEAN YEARS OF SERVICE 9.93 YEARS. MEAN SCORES ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS INDICATED POOR HEALTH STATUS OF NURSES, AVERAGE NEUROTICISM, DEPRESSIVE TENDENCIES AND ROLE STRESS. SENSE OF WELL-BEING WAS HIGH IN THEM. THE DATA IS DISCUSSED IN THE LIGHT OF RESEARCHES IN THIS AREA. THIS IS THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF THREE ARTICLES TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE JOURNAL. 1989 12 1338 30 HOW DOES YOGA REDUCE STRESS? EMBODIED COGNITION AND EMOTION HIGHLIGHT THE INFLUENCE OF THE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM. YOGA IS AN INCREASINGLY POPULAR ACTIVITY, PERHAPS BECAUSE OF ITS ASSOCIATION WITH STRESS REDUCTION AND RELAXATION - AN ASSOCIATION THAT IS GENERALLY SUPPORTED BY EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE. UNDERSTANDING OF THE MEDIATING VARIABLES IS, HOWEVER, LIMITED. GIVEN THAT, THE PURPOSE OF THIS PAPER IS TO PRESENT A THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE THAT ENCOURAGES SYSTEMATIC RESEARCH REGARDING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA, STRESS, AND MUSCULOSKELETAL ACTIVITY. THIS EMBODIED PERSPECTIVE PARALLELS POPULAR INTEREST IN THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION AND EMPHASIZES THE INFLUENCE OF BODY POSITION ON THINKING AS WELL AS EMOTION. THOSE INFLUENCES TAKE ON ADDED MEANING IN THE CONTEXT OF THE COGNITIVE APPRAISAL THEORY AND THE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL MODEL OF CHALLENGE AND THREAT. INVESTIGATIONS OF EMBODIED COGNITION SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY REDUCE STRESS BY AFFECTING THE WAY INDIVIDUALS APPRAISE STRESSORS. THE COMBINATION OF BODY POSITION AND COMMON COMPONENTS OF YOGA PRACTICE MAY ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO THAT EFFECT, PARTICULARLY WHEN CONSIDERING THOUGHTS ABOUT THE SELF AND FEELINGS OF CONFIDENCE. FINDINGS REGARDING EMBODIED EMOTION MAKE A SIMILAR CONTRIBUTION TO UNDERSTANDING THE IMPLICATIONS OF PREVIOUS RESEARCH FINDINGS AND COMMON YOGA PRACTICES. CONSIDERING YOGA AND STRESS FROM AN EMBODIED PERSPECTIVE ALSO HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM IN THE STRESS PROCESS, LEADING TO THE QUESTION OF WHETHER YOGA INFLUENCES STRESS BY DIRECTLY INFLUENCING THE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM, INDIRECTLY BY INFLUENCING AWARENESS OF THAT SYSTEM, OR THROUGH A COMBINATION OF THE TWO. THOSE QUESTIONS, IN TURN, HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF EXPANDING INVESTIGATIONS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESSES, BODY POSITION, MUSCULOSKELETAL ACTIVITY DURING YOGA, AND THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THOSE VARIABLES. 2019 13 2841 27 YOGA, BIOENERGETICS AND EATING BEHAVIORS: A CONCEPTUAL REVIEW. YOGA IS AN ANCIENT ORIENTAL DISCIPLINE THAT EMERGED FROM MYSTICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL CONCEPTS. TODAY IT IS PRACTICED IN THE WEST, PARTLY DUE TO THE PROMOTION OF ITS BENEFITS TO IMPROVE THE LIFESTYLE AND OVERALL HEALTH. AS COMPARED TO NON-HATHA YOGA (HY) PRACTITIONERS, HEALTHIER AND BETTER-EATING PATTERNS HAVE BEEN OBSERVED IN THOSE WHO PRACTICE IT. AGREEMENT WITH THE BROUGHT BENEFITS, HY CAN BE USED AS A THERAPEUTIC METHOD TO CORRECT ABNORMAL EATING BEHAVIORS (AEB), OBESITY, AND SOME METABOLIC DISEASES. HOWEVER, THE ENERGY EXPENDITURE DURING TRADITIONAL PROTOCOLS OF HY IS NOT HIGH; HENCE, IT IS NOT VERY EFFECTIVE FOR REDUCING OR MAINTAINING BODY WEIGHT OR TO IMPROVE CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONING. EVEN SO, SEVERAL OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES SUGGEST SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN EATING BEHAVIORS, LIKE A REDUCTION IN DIETARY FAT INTAKE AND INCREMENTS IN THAT OF FRESH VEGETABLES, WHOLE GRAINS AND SOY-BASED PRODUCTS, WHICH IN TURN MAY REDUCE THE RISK FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES. GIVEN THE INCONSISTENCY OF THE RESULTS DERIVED FROM CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDIES, MORE CASE-CONTROL STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO DEMONSTRATE THE EFFICACY OF HY AS AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD IN THE CLINICAL TREATMENT OF DISORDERED EATING AND METABOLIC DISEASES. 2015 14 1951 17 SCIENCE OF THE MIND: ANCIENT YOGA TEXTS AND MODERN STUDIES. THE PRACTICE OF YOGA IS GAINING IN POPULARITY WITH A WIDE RANGE OF PRACTICES. RECENT RESEARCH AND DESCRIPTIONS FROM THE ANCIENT TEXTS ARE OFTEN CONCURRENT WITH REGARD TO THE EFFECTS OF THE PRACTICE, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT EXPECTED DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MODERN SCIENTIFIC TERMS AND THOSE USED IN THE ORIGINAL TEXTS. VOLUNTARILY REGULATED YOGA BREATHING PRACTICES FORM A BRIDGE BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND MENTAL CHANGES. THE VOLUNTARILY REGULATED YOGA BREATHING HAS DISTINCT EFFECTS ON METABOLISM, THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM, HIGHER BRAIN FUNCTIONS, AND MENTAL STATE. THE EFFECTS OF MEDITATION ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND MENTAL STATE ARE EVEN CLEARER. 2013 15 1319 29 HEART RATE VARIABILITY, FLOW, MOOD AND MENTAL STRESS DURING YOGA PRACTICES IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS, NON-YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND PEOPLE WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME. HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) AND RESPIRATORY SINUS ARRHYTHMIA ARE DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH AUTONOMIC FLEXIBILITY, SELF-REGULATION AND WELL-BEING, AND INVERSELY ASSOCIATED WITH PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS, PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AND PATHOLOGY. YOGA ENHANCES AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY, MITIGATES STRESS AND BENEFITS STRESS-RELATED CLINICAL CONDITIONS, YET THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES DURING YOGA PRACTICES AND STRESSFUL STIMULI HAS NOT BEEN WIDELY EXPLORED. THIS EXPERIMENTAL STUDY EXPLORED THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HRV, MOOD STATES AND FLOW EXPERIENCES IN REGULAR YOGA PRACTITIONERS (YP), NON-YOGA PRACTITIONERS (NY) AND PEOPLE WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME (METS), DURING MENTAL ARITHMETIC STRESS TEST (MAST) AND VARIOUS YOGA PRACTICES. THE STUDY FOUND THAT THE MAST PLACED A CARDIO-AUTONOMIC BURDEN IN ALL PARTICIPANTS WITH THE YP GROUP SHOWING THE GREATEST REACTIVITY AND THE MOST RAPID RECOVERY, WHILE THE METS GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY BLUNTED RECOVERY. THE YP GROUP ALSO REPORTED A HEIGHTENED EXPERIENCE OF FLOW AND POSITIVE MOOD STATES COMPARED TO NY AND METS GROUPS AS WELL AS HAVING A HIGHER VAGAL TONE DURING ALL RESTING CONDITIONS. THESE RESULTS SUGGEST YOGA PRACTITIONERS HAVE A GREATER HOMEOSTATIC CAPACITY AND AUTONOMIC, METABOLIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL RESILIENCE. FURTHER STUDIES ARE NOW NEEDED TO DETERMINE IF REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE MAY IMPROVE AUTONOMIC FLEXIBILITY IN NON-YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND METABOLIC SYNDROME PATIENTS. CLINICAL TRIAL NO 'ACTRN 2614001075673'. 2016 16 2443 21 YOGA AND SEXUAL FUNCTIONING: A REVIEW. YOGA IS AN ANCIENT PRACTICE WITH EASTERN ROOTS THAT INVOLVES BOTH PHYSICAL POSTURES (ASANAS) AND BREATHING TECHNIQUES (PRANAYAMAS). THERE IS ALSO A COGNITIVE COMPONENT FOCUSING ON MEDITATION AND CONCENTRATION, WHICH AIDS IN ACHIEVING THE GOAL OF UNION BETWEEN THE SELF AND THE SPIRITUAL. ALTHOUGH NUMEROUS EMPIRICAL STUDIES HAVE FOUND A BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF YOGA ON DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING, CLAIMS OF YOGA'S BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON SEXUALITY DERIVE FROM A RICH BUT NONEMPIRICAL LITERATURE. THE GOAL OF THIS ARTICLE IS TO REVIEW THE PHILOSOPHY AND FORMS OF YOGA, TO REVIEW THE NONEMPIRICAL AND (LIMITED) EMPIRICAL LITERATURES LINKING YOGA WITH ENHANCED SEXUALITY, AND TO PROPOSE SOME FUTURE RESEARCH AVENUES FOCUSINGING ON YOGA AS A TREATMENT FOR SEXUAL COMPLAINTS. 2009 17 1590 12 MEDITATION AND YOGA CAN MODULATE BRAIN MECHANISMS THAT AFFECT BEHAVIOR AND ANXIETY-A MODERN SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE. MEDITATION AND YOGA TECHNIQUES ARE RECEIVING INCREASED ATTENTION THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, DUE TO THE ACCUMULATION OF EVIDENCE BASED RESEARCH THAT PROVES THE DIRECT AND INDIRECT BENEFITS OF SUCH PRACTICES. BASED ON STUDIES CONDUCTED SO FAR, IT HAS BEEN FOUND THAT THE PRACTICE OF MEDITATION TRIGGERS NEUROTRANSMITTERS THAT MODULATE PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS SUCH AS ANXIETY. THIS PAPER WILL REVIEW THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF THE PRACTICE OF MEDITATION, THE ROLE OF NEUROTRANSMITTERS, AND STUDIES USING EEG AND FMRI. 2015 18 65 32 A CONCEPTUAL MODEL DESCRIBING MECHANISMS FOR HOW YOGA PRACTICE MAY SUPPORT POSITIVE EMBODIMENT. YOGA PRACTICE HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH VARIOUS INDICES OF POSITIVE EMBODIMENT IN CORRELATIONAL AND INTERVENTION STUDIES. YET, SYSTEMATIC, THEORETICALLY-GROUNDED MODELS DETAILING SPECIFIC MECHANISMS BY WHICH YOGA SUPPORTS POSITIVE EMBODIMENT ARE LACKING. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE PRESENT A CONCEPTUAL MODEL THAT DESCRIBES MECHANISMS (I.E., MEDIATORS AND MODERATORS) THAT CAN BE USED TO GUIDE RESEARCH TO HELP ANSWER HOW, FOR WHOM, AND UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS YOGA PRACTICE MAY PROMOTE POSITIVE EMBODIMENT. BASED ON EXISTING THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS AND EMPIRICAL FINDINGS, THIS MODEL SUGGESTS THAT (A) YOGA PRACTICE MAY CULTIVATE EMBODYING EXPERIENCES DURING YOGA (E.G., STATE MINDFULNESS), (B) THESE EMBODYING EXPERIENCES MAY BUILD STABLE EMBODYING EXPERIENCES THAT GENERALIZE BEYOND THE YOGA CONTEXT (E.G., TRAIT MINDFULNESS), AND (C) THESE STABLE EMBODYING EXPERIENCES MAY THEN PROMOTE EMBODYING PRACTICES (E.G., MINDFUL SELF-CARE). THIS MEDIATIONAL CHAIN IS LIKELY MODERATED BY THE YOGA CONTEXT (E.G., INSTRUCTIONAL FOCUS, PRESENCE OF MIRRORS, DIVERSITY OF BODIES REPRESENTED) AND YOGA PRACTITIONERS' SOCIAL IDENTITIES (E.G., BODY SIZE, PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS), SOCIAL AND PERSONAL HISTORIES (E.G., EXPERIENCES WITH WEIGHT STIGMA AND TRAUMA), AND PERSONALITY TRAITS AND MOTIVES (E.G., BODY COMPARISON, APPEARANCE-FOCUSED MOTIVES TO PRACTICE YOGA). USING THE STRUCTURE OF THIS CONCEPTUAL MODEL, WE OFFER RESEARCHERS IDEAS FOR TESTABLE MODELS AND STUDY DESIGNS THAT CAN SUPPORT THEM. 2020 19 1879 40 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 20 1266 27 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