1 1669 117 NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL AND NEUROCOGNITIVE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED PRACTICES: TOWARDS A COMPREHENSIVE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK. DURING RECENT DECADES NUMEROUS YOGA-BASED PRACTICES (YBP) HAVE EMERGED IN THE WEST, WITH THEIR AIMS RANGING FROM FITNESS GAINS TO THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS AND SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT. YOGA IS ALSO BEGINNING TO SPARK GROWING INTEREST WITHIN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY, AND YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH MEASUREABLE CHANGES IN PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS, PERCEIVED EMOTIONAL STATES, AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING. YBP TYPICALLY INVOLVE A COMBINATION OF POSTURES OR MOVEMENT SEQUENCES, CONSCIOUS REGULATION OF THE BREATH, AND VARIOUS TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE ATTENTIONAL FOCUS. HOWEVER, SO FAR LITTLE IF ANY RESEARCH HAS ATTEMPTED TO DECONSTRUCT THE ROLE OF THESE DIFFERENT COMPONENT PARTS IN ORDER TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR RESPECTIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THE EFFECTS OF YBP. A CLEAR OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF YOGA-BASED THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS FOR SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES, AS WELL AS A COMPREHENSIVE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FROM WHICH TESTABLE HYPOTHESES CAN BE FORMULATED, IS THEREFORE NEEDED. HERE WE PROPOSE SUCH A FRAMEWORK, AND OUTLINE THE BOTTOM-UP NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL AND TOP-DOWN NEUROCOGNITIVE MECHANISMS HYPOTHESIZED TO BE AT PLAY IN YBP. 2015 2 571 23 DEFINING YOGA-NIDRA: TRADITIONAL ACCOUNTS, PHYSIOLOGICAL RESEARCH, AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS. THE TERM YOGA-NIDRA HAS BEEN USED IN MANY EMPIRICAL STUDIES TO REFER TO RELAXATION AND GUIDED IMAGERY. THESE TECHNIQUES DO NOT REPRESENT THE INTENTION OR PHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF YOGANIDRA DISCUSSED IN THE TRADITIONAL YOGA LITERATURE. WE PROPOSE AN OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF YOGA-NIDRA THAT IS SUPPORTED BY SEVERAL PHYSIOLOGICALLY TESTABLE HYPOTHESES REGARDING ITS OUTCOMES AND EFFECTS. TRADITIONAL DESCRIPTIONS OF YOGA-NIDRA AND CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTS OF ITS PRACTICE ARE REVIEWED, AND STUDIES EXAMINING THE PHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF YOGA-NIDRA ARE EXAMINED. PROPOSED HYPOTHESES FOR FUTURE RESEARCH USING THIS OPERATIONAL DEFINITION ARE PROVIDED. 2013 3 2781 44 YOGA THERAPY AND POLYVAGAL THEORY: THE CONVERGENCE OF TRADITIONAL WISDOM AND CONTEMPORARY NEUROSCIENCE FOR SELF-REGULATION AND RESILIENCE. YOGA THERAPY IS A NEWLY EMERGING, SELF-REGULATING COMPLEMENTARY AND INTEGRATIVE HEALTHCARE (CIH) PRACTICE. IT IS GROWING IN ITS PROFESSIONALIZATION, RECOGNITION AND UTILIZATION WITH A DEMONSTRATED COMMITMENT TO SETTING PRACTICE STANDARDS, EDUCATIONAL AND ACCREDITATION STANDARDS, AND PROMOTING RESEARCH TO SUPPORT ITS EFFICACY FOR VARIOUS POPULATIONS AND CONDITIONS. HOWEVER, HETEROGENEITY OF PRACTICE, POOR REPORTING STANDARDS, AND LACK OF A BROADLY ACCEPTED UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN YOGA THERAPY LIMITS THE STRUCTURING OF TESTABLE HYPOTHESES AND CLINICAL APPLICATIONS. CURRENT PROPOSED FRAMEWORKS OF YOGA-BASED PRACTICES FOCUS ON THE INTEGRATION OF BOTTOM-UP NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL AND TOP-DOWN NEUROCOGNITIVE MECHANISMS. IN ADDITION, IT HAS BEEN PROPOSED THAT PHENOMENOLOGY AND FIRST PERSON ETHICAL INQUIRY CAN PROVIDE A LENS THROUGH WHICH YOGA THERAPY IS VIEWED AS A PROCESS THAT CONTRIBUTES TOWARDS EUDAIMONIC WELL-BEING IN THE EXPERIENCE OF PAIN, ILLNESS OR DISABILITY. IN THIS ARTICLE WE BUILD ON THESE FRAMEWORKS, AND PROPOSE A MODEL OF YOGA THERAPY THAT CONVERGES WITH POLYVAGAL THEORY (PVT). PVT LINKS THE EVOLUTION OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM TO THE EMERGENCE OF PROSOCIAL BEHAVIORS AND POSITS THAT THE NEURAL PLATFORMS SUPPORTING SOCIAL BEHAVIOR ARE INVOLVED IN MAINTAINING HEALTH, GROWTH AND RESTORATION. THIS EXPLANATORY MODEL WHICH CONNECTS NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL PATTERNS OF AUTONOMIC REGULATION AND EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR, IS INCREASINGLY UTILIZED AS A FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING HUMAN BEHAVIOR, STRESS AND ILLNESS. SPECIFICALLY, WE DESCRIBE HOW PVT CAN BE CONCEPTUALIZED AS A NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL COUNTERPART TO THE YOGIC CONCEPT OF THE GUNAS, OR QUALITIES OF NATURE. SIMILAR TO THE NEURAL PLATFORMS DESCRIBED IN PVT, THE GUNAS PROVIDE THE FOUNDATION FROM WHICH BEHAVIORAL, EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES EMERGE. WE DESCRIBE HOW THESE TWO DIFFERENT YET ANALOGOUS FRAMEWORKS-ONE BASED IN NEUROPHYSIOLOGY AND THE OTHER IN AN ANCIENT WISDOM TRADITION-HIGHLIGHT YOGA THERAPY'S PROMOTION OF PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SOCIAL WELLBEING FOR SELF-REGULATION AND RESILIENCE. THIS PARALLEL BETWEEN THE NEURAL PLATFORMS OF PVT AND THE GUNAS OF YOGA IS INSTRUMENTAL IN CREATING A TRANSLATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR YOGA THERAPY TO ALIGN WITH ITS PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS. CONSEQUENTLY, YOGA THERAPY CAN OPERATE AS A DISTINCT PRACTICE RATHER THAN FITTING INTO AN OUTSIDE MODEL FOR ITS UTILIZATION IN RESEARCH AND CLINICAL CONTEXTS. 2018 4 2304 25 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 5 1955 13 SELF - REALIZATION THROUGH THROUGH VEDANTA AND YOGA. THE SEEKER OF ULTIMATE TRUTH NEEDS THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRACTICAL SIDE OF VEDANTA PHILOSOPHY, THE FIVE KOSHAS OR SHEATHS BEYOND WHICH THE ATMAN, THE SELF REMAINS. THROUGH VEDANTA AND YOGA ONE CAN TRANSCEND THESE LAYERS IN A SYSTEMATIC MANNER TO ATTAIN SELF REALIZATION - ULTIMATE REALITY. 1983 6 65 28 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 7 1772 33 POTENTIAL SELF-REGULATORY MECHANISMS OF YOGA FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH. RESEARCH SUGGESTING THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MYRIAD ASPECTS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH HAS PROLIFERATED IN RECENT YEARS, YET THERE IS CURRENTLY NO OVERARCHING FRAMEWORK BY WHICH TO UNDERSTAND YOGA'S POTENTIAL BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. HERE WE PROVIDE A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND SYSTEMS-BASED NETWORK MODEL OF YOGA THAT FOCUSES ON INTEGRATION OF TOP-DOWN AND BOTTOM-UP FORMS OF SELF-REGULATION. WE BEGIN BY CONTEXTUALIZING YOGA IN HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY SETTINGS, AND THEN DETAIL HOW SPECIFIC COMPONENTS OF YOGA PRACTICE MAY AFFECT COGNITIVE, EMOTIONAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND AUTONOMIC OUTPUT UNDER STRESS THROUGH AN EMPHASIS ON INTEROCEPTION AND BOTTOM-UP INPUT, RESULTING IN PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH. THE MODEL DESCRIBES YOGA PRACTICE AS A COMPREHENSIVE SKILLSET OF SYNERGISTIC PROCESS TOOLS THAT FACILITATE BIDIRECTIONAL FEEDBACK AND INTEGRATION BETWEEN HIGH- AND LOW-LEVEL BRAIN NETWORKS, AND AFFERENT AND RE-AFFERENT INPUT FROM INTEROCEPTIVE PROCESSES (SOMATOSENSORY, VISCEROSENSORY, CHEMOSENSORY). FROM A PREDICTIVE CODING PERSPECTIVE WE PROPOSE A SHIFT TO PERCEPTUAL INFERENCE FOR STRESS MODULATION AND OPTIMAL SELF-REGULATION. WE DESCRIBE HOW THE PROCESSES THAT SUB-SERVE SELF-REGULATION BECOME MORE AUTOMATIZED AND EFFICIENT OVER TIME AND PRACTICE, REQUIRING LESS EFFORT TO INITIATE WHEN NECESSARY AND TERMINATE MORE RAPIDLY WHEN NO LONGER NEEDED. TO SUPPORT OUR PROPOSED MODEL, WE PRESENT THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE FOR YOGA AFFECTING SELF-REGULATORY PATHWAYS, INTEGRATING EXISTING CONSTRUCTS FROM BEHAVIOR THEORY AND COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE WITH EMERGING YOGA AND MEDITATION RESEARCH. THIS PAPER IS INTENDED TO GUIDE FUTURE BASIC AND CLINICAL RESEARCH, SPECIFICALLY TARGETING AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE TREATMENT OF STRESS-MEDIATED PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS. 2014 8 407 19 BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PIEZOELECTRICITY IN RELATION TO ACUPUNCTURE, HATHA YOGA, OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE AND ACTION OF AIR IONS. PIEZOELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES SUCH AS PROTEINS, NUCLEIC ACIDS AND MUCOPOLYSACCHARIDES ARE REVIEWED IN THIS PAPER. IT IS INDICATED THAT THE STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS OF THE HUMAN BODY COMPOSED OF THESE PIEZOELECTRIC SUBSTANCES ARE CAPABLE OF TRANSDUCING A MECHANICAL ENERGY INTO AN ELECTRIC CURRENT. SUCH A TRANSDUCTION MAY BE BROUGHT ABOUT BY MOVEMENTS OF AN ACUPUNCTURE NEEDLE, OSTEOPATHIC MANIPULATIONS; HATHA YOGA POSTURES OR ACTION OF NEGATIVELY CHARGED AIR IRONS. IT IS POSTULATED THAT ELECTRIC CURRENT INDUCED BY STIMULATION OF THE SPECIFIC SITES ON THE SURFACE OF HUMAN BODY FLOWS TOWARDS THE INTERNAL ORGANS ALONG THE SEMICONDUCTIVE CHANNELS OF BIOLOGIC MACROMOLECULES. ELECTRIC CURRENT INDUCED EITHER BY THE PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCTION OR DIRECTLY APPLIED FROM AN EXTERNAL SOURCE MAY IN TURN STIMULATE INDIVIDUAL CELLS IN THE TARGET ORGAN. INVOLVEMENT OF ELECTRICAL PHENOMENA IN REGULATORY MECHANISMS ON CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LEVELS IS DISCUSSED. 1977 9 2373 27 WHAT IS OUR "EPISTEMIC RESPONSIBILITY"? REFLECTIONS ON SOCIAL WORK'S ORIENTATION IN YOGA THERAPY RESEARCH. THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE IS TO EXPLORE HOW THE SOCIAL WORK DISCIPLINE COULD PROVIDE A COMPLEMENTARY LENS THROUGH WHICH YOGA THERAPY CAN BE ANALYZED AND EVALUATED BY ENGAGING IN KNOWLEDGE-CREATION PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES THAT PRIORITIZE THE "EPISTEMIC RESPONSIBILITY" DESCRIBED BY PHILOSOPHER LORRAINE CODE. MORE SPECIFICALLY, BY SEEKING TO STRATEGICALLY INCLUDE OFTEN-SUBJUGATED TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE AND BY FOCUSING ON REDISTRIBUTING EPISTEMIC POWER TO AGENTS THAT TYPICALLY HAVE BEEN EXCLUDED FROM EPISTEMIC PARTICIPATION IN CONTEMPORARY YOGA THERAPY RESEARCH, THE SOCIAL WORK DISCIPLINE, WITH ITS STRONG COMMITMENT TO SOCIAL JUSTICE, HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CONTRIBUTE TO FILLING AN IMPORTANT GAP IN SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. WE BEGIN BY PRESENTING THE RELEVANCE OF THE SOCIAL WORK PERSPECTIVE IN RELATION TO THE FIELD OF YOGA THERAPY. WE NEXT OFFER A RESERVED CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE DOMINANT TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE BASE THAT CURRENTLY INFORMS YOGA THERAPY PRACTICE. THIS ANALYSIS HIGHLIGHTS THE SOCIAL PARAMETERS THAT MAY BE RENDERED INVISIBLE OR LEFT ASIDE WHEN ADOPTING A POSITIVIST EPISTEMOLOGICAL LENS AND JUSTIFIES HOW THE CONCEPTUAL APPARATUS OF EPISTEMIC RESPONSIBILITY SERVES AS A POTENTIAL PLATFORM FOR RETHINKING SOCIAL WORK'S POSITION AND FUTURE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FIELD OF YOGA THERAPY. FINALLY, WE MOBILIZE THE CONCEPT OF CULTURAL APPROPRIATION TO ILLUSTRATE HOW STRIVING FOR EPISTEMIC RESPONSIBILITY PROVIDES AN ENTRY POINT FOR ADDRESSING THE MULTILEVEL, COMPLEX SOCIAL PROCESSES EMBEDDED IN YOGA THERAPY PRACTICE AND RESEARCH WHILE AIMING TO CAPTURE THE MANY VOICES-AND HENCE THE VARIOUS TRUTHS-IMPLICATED IN A DEMOCRATIC, REFLEXIVE, AND INCLUSIVE RESEARCH PROCESS. 2020 10 1614 18 MIND AND CONSCIOUSNESS IN YOGA - VEDANTA: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS WITH WESTERN PSYCHOLOGICAL CONCEPTS. STUDY OF MIND AND CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH ESTABLISHED SCIENTIFIC METHODS IS OFTEN DIFFICULT DUE TO THE OBSERVED-OBSERVER DICHOTOMY. CARTESIAN APPROACH OF DUALISM CONSIDERING THE MIND AND MATTER AS TWO DIVERSE AND UNCONNECTED ENTITIES HAS BEEN QUESTIONED BY ORIENTAL SCHOOLS OF YOGA AND VEDANTA AS WELL AS THE RECENT QUANTUM THEORIES OF MODERN PHYSICS. FREUDIAN AND NEO-FREUDIAN SCHOOLS BASED ON THE CARTESIAN MODEL HAVE BEEN CRITICIZED BY THE HUMANISTIC SCHOOLS WHICH COME MUCH CLOSER TO THE VEDANTIC APPROACH OF UNITARINESS. A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE TWO APPROACHES IS DISCUSSED. 2013 11 1502 18 INVEST IN YOURSELF. YOGA AS A SELF-CARE STRATEGY. A WIDENING RECOGNITION OF THE MIND-BODY-SPIRIT CONNECTION IN WESTERN MEDICINE HAS RESULTED IN A GROWING INTEREST IN ANCIENT HEALTH PRACTICES SUCH AS YOGA. AS COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES ENTER MAINSTREAM MEDICAL SETTINGS, NURSES AND OTHER HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS NEED A FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF THESE MODALITIES TO BE ABLE TO ADVISE PATIENTS EFFECTIVELY. THIS ARTICLE PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF YOGA AND DETAILS THE BENEFITS OF YOGA PRACTICE. 2000 12 2714 38 YOGA LESSONS FOR CONSCIOUSNESS RESEARCH: A PARALIMBIC NETWORK BALANCING BRAIN RESOURCE ALLOCATION. CONSCIOUSNESS HAS BEEN PROPOSED TO PLAY A KEY ROLE IN SHAPING FLEXIBLE LEARNING AND AS SUCH IS THOUGHT TO CONFER AN EVOLUTIONARY ADVANTAGE. ATTENTION AND AWARENESS ARE THE PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANT UNDERLYING PROCESSES, YET THEIR PRECISE RELATIONSHIP IS PRESENTLY UNCLEAR. BOTH OF THESE PROCESSES MUST, HOWEVER, SERVE THE EVOLUTIONARY IMPERATIVES OF SURVIVAL AND PROCREATION. THEY ARE THUS INTIMATELY BOUND BY REWARD AND EMOTION TO HELP TO PRIORITIZE EFFICIENT BRAIN RESOURCE ALLOCATION IN ORDER TO PREDICT AND OPTIMIZE BEHAVIOR. HERE WE SHOW HOW THIS PROCESS IS SERVED BY A PARALIMBIC NETWORK CONSISTING PRIMARILY OF REGIONS LOCATED ON THE MIDLINE OF THE HUMAN BRAIN. USING MANY DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES, EXPERIMENTS HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT THIS NETWORK IS EFFECTIVE AND SPECIFIC FOR SELF-AWARENESS AND CONTRIBUTES TO THE SENSE OF UNITY OF CONSCIOUSNESS BY ACTING AS A COMMON NEURAL PATH FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF CONSCIOUS EXPERIENCES. INTERESTINGLY, HEMODYNAMIC ACTIVITY IN THE NETWORK DECREASES WITH FOCUSING ON EXTERNAL STIMULI, WHICH HAS LED TO THE IDEA OF A DEFAULT MODE NETWORK. THIS NETWORK IS ONE OF MANY NETWORKS THAT WAX AND VANE AS RESOURCES ARE ALLOCATED TO ACCOMMODATE THE DIFFERENT CYCLICAL NEEDS OF THE ORGANISM PRIMARILY RELATED TO THE FUNDAMENTAL PLEASURES AFFORDED BY EVOLUTION: FOOD, SEX, AND CONSPECIFICS. HERE WE HYPOTHESIZE, HOWEVER, THAT THE PARALIMBIC NETWORK SERVES A CRUCIAL ROLE IN BALANCING AND REGULATING BRAIN RESOURCE ALLOCATION, AND DISCUSS HOW IT CAN BE THOUGHT OF AS A LINK BETWEEN CURRENT THEORIES OF SO-CALLED "DEFAULT MODE," "RESTING STATE NETWORKS," AND "GLOBAL WORKSPACE." WE SHOW HOW MAJOR DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS OF SELF-AWARENESS AND SELF-CONTROL CAN ARISE FROM PROBLEMS IN THE PARALIMBIC NETWORK AS DEMONSTRATED HERE BY THE EXAMPLE OF ASPERGER SYNDROME. WE CONCLUDE THAT ATTENTION, AWARENESS, AND EMOTION ARE INTEGRATED BY A PARALIMBIC NETWORK THAT HELPS TO EFFICIENTLY ALLOCATE BRAIN RESOURCES TO OPTIMIZE BEHAVIOR AND HELP SURVIVAL. 2011 13 1310 22 HEALING MYTHS, YOGA STYLES AND SOCIAL BODIES: SOCIO-LOGICS OF YOGA AS A HEALTH PRACTICE IN THE SOCIALLY STRATIFIED CITY OF MARSEILLE, FRANCE. DRAWING ON PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION AND INTERVIEWS IN TWO YOGA STUDIOS IN THE HIGHLY SOCIALLY STRATIFIED CITY OF MARSEILLE, FRANCE, THIS PAPER EXPLORES THE UNDERSTANDINGS OF YOGA AS A HEALTH PRACTICE THAT EMERGE AT THE INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN YOGA STYLES AND THEIR SOCIAL CONTEXTS OF CONSUMPTION. ITS INSIGHTS EMERGE FROM THE COMPARISON OF THREE MODERN YOGA STYLES THAT WERE DEVELOPED FOR WESTERN ENGLISH-SPEAKING CULTURAL CONTEXTS - IYENGAR, BIKRAM AND FORREST - AND WHICH DIFFER IN FORM BUT ALSO IN THE CHRONOLOGY OF THEIR EMERGENCE ON THE GLOBAL YOGA MARKET AND THAT OF THEIR RECEPTION IN FRANCE. THESE THREE YOGA STYLES ARE ALSO BRANDED THROUGH CONTRASTING MYTHOLOGIES OF TRANSFORMATIONAL HEALING, AND THE AIM OF THIS PAPER IS TO EXPLORE HOW A BRAND CONCEPTUALIZATION OF YOGA AS A HEALTH PRACTICE RELATES TO OR RESONATES WITH THE EMBODIED EXPERIENCES OF PRACTITIONERS, AND TO THE SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEXTS IN WHICH PRACTITIONERS AND THEIR PRACTICES ARE EMBEDDED. THE PAPER CONTRIBUTES A NEW CASE STUDY TO THE GLOBAL YOGA SCHOLARSHIP AND TO A POORLY STUDIED FRENCH YOGA SCENE, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT CROSS-EXAMINES THE DISCOURSES THROUGH WHICH A YOGA STYLE IS BRANDED, THE WAY IT IS TRANSMITTED, AND THE SOCIAL CONTEXT AND SOCIAL POSITIONING OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO PRACTICE IT. COMBINING PERSPECTIVES ON THE BODY, NARRATIVE AND RITUALS, IT IDENTIFIES HOW YOGA HEALING IS CONSTRUED IN RELATION TO GENDER, ETHNICITY AND CLASS AND THE POINTS OF CONSENSUS AND DISSENT THAT EMERGE FROM THE ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN FRENCH SOCIAL BODIES AND EXOGENOUS YOGA STYLES. 2021 14 1595 20 MEDITATION AND YOGA-ASSISTED ALTERATION OF DIETARY BEHAVIOR AS A USEFUL STRATEGY FOR LIMITING ZOONOTIC PANDEMICS: A NOVEL INSIGHT. VEGETARIAN DIETS ARE KNOWN TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE EFFECTS ON PERSONAL AND PLANETARY HEALTH AND ARE LIKELY TO CURB ZOONOTIC INFECTION TRANSMISSION. WE PROPOSE THAT MINIMIZING MEAT CONSUMPTION SHOULD BECOME AN ESSENTIAL DIETARY SHIFT IN THE POST-COVID-19 ERA. TO DATE, HOWEVER, THERE IS LIMITED KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING SUITABLE METHODS THAT COULD CATALYZE THIS CHANGE ON A GLOBAL SCALE. MEDITATION AND YOGA ARE PRACTICAL AND EASY TO IMPLEMENT PSYCHOMODULATORY STRATEGIES THAT CAN NATURALLY TRIGGER VEGETARIANISM AND RELATED EATING BEHAVIORS, LOWERING OUR RELIANCE ON ANIMAL MEAT. DECREASING DEPENDENCE ON ANIMAL MEAT REDUCES THE NEED FOR ANIMAL MARKETS AND MAY SUBSTANTIALLY MINIMIZE THE LIKELIHOOD OF SPILLOVER (PASSAGE OF VIRUSES FROM ANIMAL RESERVOIRS INTO HUMAN POPULATIONS). GLOBAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THESE STRATEGIES, IN OUR OPINION, CAN ADD TO SPIRITUAL WISDOM, COMPASSION, AND COOPERATIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR, THUS REDUCING THE ENCROACHMENT OF WILD-LIFE RESERVES AND ANIMAL EXPLOITATION. THE APPLICATION OF THESE ANCIENT INDIAN APPROACHES REPRESENTS A NOVEL AND FOCUSED STRATEGY TOWARD CURBING ZOONOTIC PANDEMICS. KEYWORDS: CORONAVIRUS DISEASE-19, MEAT-EATING, MEDITATION, PANDEMICS, VIRAL SPILLOVER, YOGA. 2020 15 2909 21 [PHYSIOPHILOSOPHICAL FUNDAMENTALS AND GENESIS OF TSIGUN, INDIAN, AND TIBETAN YOGA. PARAMOUNT EMPIRICAL EFFICACY]. THIS ARTICLE IS DEVOTED TO THE ANALYSIS OF PHYSIOPHILOSOPHICAL FUNDAMENTALS AND GENESIS OF TSIGUN, INDIAN, AND TIBETAN YOGA BASED ON THE OVERVIEW OF THE RELEVANT LITERATURE WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE METHODOLOGY OF THESE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DISCIPLINES AND THEIR THERAPEUTIC AND HEALTH-GIVING EFFICACY. BASED ON THE COMBINATION OF PHYSIOPHILOSOPHICAL CATEGORIES AND MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE CONCEPT OF THE FIVE PRIMARY ELEMENTS, THE AUTHORS ILLUSTRATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SYSTEMIC APPROACH BY WHICH ANCIENT PHYSICIANS RELATED MAN TO NATURE IN ORDER TO DERIVE THE ADAPTATION PRINCIPLE REALIZED THROUGH HUMAN ACTIVITIES. TRADITIONAL AND MODERN ASPECTS OF THESE ACTIVITIES ARE CONSIDERED. IN THE TRADITIONAL CONTEXT, THE PERFORMANCE OF EXERCISES AS ASSIGNED BY TSIGUN, INDIAN, AND TIBETAN YOGA IS CONSIDERED AS THE PURPOSEFUL REALIZATION OF THE ENERGY OF CONSCIENCE FOR HEALTH IMPROVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT AND IN THE MODERN CONTEXT AS THE REALIZATION OF A NOVEL FORM OF PSYCHIC CREATIVE CAPACITY TO THE SAME EFFECT BASED ON FRUITFUL BRAINWORK. 2011 16 623 18 DHARMA, YOGA, TANTRA. IN THE MID-20TH CENTURY, SELVARARAJAN YESUDIAN (1916-1998), WHO WAS BORN IN INDIA TO A CHRISTIAN FATHER, A PHYSICIAN, AND SPENT MOST OF HIS LIFE IN SWITZERLAND, COAUTHORED (WITH ELISABETH HAICH) A BOOK ENTITLED YOGA AND HEALTH; SINCE THEN, THE COUPLING OF THESE TWO WORDS HAS LARGELY DEFINED THE MEANING OF YOGA IN THE WEST, ESPECIALLY IN PROMOTIONAL LITERATURE FOR URBAN YOGA SCHOOLS AND HEALTH-CLUB PROGRAMS. AUTHENTIC INDIAN TRADITIONS HAVE INDEED AFFIRMED THE THERAPEUTIC BENEFIT OF YOGA, BUT THEY HAVE CONSISTENTLY SEEN YOGA AS A "THERAPY OF THE SOUL," A WAY OF "QUIETING THE AGITATIONS OF THE HEART," TO THE END OF PERCEIVING THE ULTIMATE WITHIN THE SOUL AND, IN RELIGIOUS TERMS, OF REALIZING UNION WITH GOD. THIS PAPER WILL EXAMINE SOME CLASSICAL YOGA TEXTS IN RELATION TO SPIRITUAL REMEDIES FOR SUBSTANCE MISUSE AND OTHER FORMS OF ADDICTION AND CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY. 2013 17 2420 20 YOGA AND MENTAL HEALTH: A DIALOGUE BETWEEN ANCIENT WISDOM AND MODERN PSYCHOLOGY. BACKGROUND: MANY YOGA TEXTS MAKE REFERENCE TO THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTAL HEALTH AND THE USE OF SPECIFIC TECHNIQUES IN THE TREATMENT OF MENTAL DISORDERS. DIFFERENT CONCEPTS UTILIZED IN MODERN PSYCHOLOGY MAY NOT COME WITH CONTEMPORARY IDEAS, INSTEAD, THEY SEEM TO SHARE A COMMON ROOT WITH ANCIENT WISDOM. AIMS: THE GOAL OF THIS PERSPECTIVE ARTICLE IS TO CORRELATE MODERN TECHNIQUES USED IN PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY WITH YOGIC PRACTICES, IN THE TREATMENT OF MENTAL DISORDERS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE CURRENT ARTICLE PRESENTED A DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE YOGIC APPROACH FOR THE TREATMENT OF MENTAL DISORDER AND CONCEPTS USED IN MODERN PSYCHOLOGY, SUCH AS META-COGNITION, DISIDENTIFICATION, DECONDITIONING AND INTEROCEPTIVE EXPOSURE. CONCLUSIONS: CONTEMPLATIVE RESEARCH FOUND OUT THAT MODERN INTERVENTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGY MIGHT NOT COME FROM MODERN CONCEPTS AFTER ALL, BUT SHARE GREAT SIMILARITY WITH ANCIENT YOGIC KNOWLEDGE, GIVING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTEGRATE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL WISDOM OF BOTH EAST AND WEST. 2016 18 84 16 A METAPHYSICS OF LIVING SYSTEMS: THE YOGA-VASISTHA VIEW. THE YOGA-VASISTHA IS A RICH AND COMPLEX PHILOSOPHICAL 'POEM' (KAVYA) OF EPIC LENGTH, WRITTEN IN CLASSICAL SANSKRIT BY AN UNKNOWN AUTHOR SOME TIME BETWEEN THE 6TH AND 13TH CENTURIES CE, PROBABLY AROUND THE 7TH CENTURY. IT IS NOTABLE FOR ITS ELOQUENT PRAISE OF SELF-EFFORT AND ENQUIRY OR ANALYSIS, AND FOR ITS SEVERE DISPARAGEMENT OF THE NOTION OF FATE. IT VIEWS CONSCIOUSNESS AS (A) CHARACTERIZING ALL LIVING FORMS (INCLUDING PLANT AND INSECT LIFE), (B) BEING ATOMIC, AND (C) ANALOGOUS TO THE EMERGENCE OF WAVES AND WHIRLPOOLS IN WATER; IT THEREFORE GRAPPLES WITH WHAT TODAY WOULD BE CALLED THE PROBLEMS OF REDUCTIONISM AND EMERGENTISM. NOTIONS OF THE SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST, AND OF A DYNAMIC PROCESS OF CREATION AND LOSS, ARE EXPRESSED WITH CHARACTERISTIC FORCE. THE PAPER PRESENTS A SELECTION OF VERSES (IN AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION) SETTING FORTH THESE VIEWS, AND A BRIEF ANALYSIS OF THEIR IMPLICATIONS. 2002 19 2809 14 YOGA THERAPY: BUILDING A HOLDING ENVIRONMENT FOR SOMATIC AND PSYCHE CHANGE. DRAWING ON IDEAS FROM D.W. WINNICOTT AND THE WORK OF QUAKER THEOLOGIAN PARKER PALMER, THIS ARTICLE DISCUSSES THE CONCEPT OF A HOLDING ENVIRONMENT, ITS REFINED UNDERSTANDING IN THE LITERATURE OVER THE YEARS, AND HOW IT CAN BE OPTIMALLY USED IN YOGA THERAPY. THE EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT EFFECTIVELY ESTABLISHING A HOLDING ENVIRONMENT CAN FACILITATE BOTH SOMATIC AND DEEP STRUCTURAL CHANGE IN A CLIENT, FACILITATING HEALING FROM PRIMAL WOUNDING AS WELL AS THE POTENTIAL RECONNECTION TO THE TRUE SELF. 2015 20 1952 18 SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER AND THE YOGA PARADIGM: A RECONSIDERATION OF THE ROLE OF THE PINEAL GLAND. SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER IS A PSYCHIATRIC DISORDER WHOSE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND CLINICAL PRESENTATION ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD. BY APPLYING THE ANCIENT PARADIGM OF YOGA PSYCHOLOGY TO THIS SUBJECT, NEW UNDERSTANDINGS OF THE SYNDROME EMERGE REGARDING THE POSSIBLE ROLE OF THE PINEAL GLAND, THE CLINICAL PRESENTATION OF THE SYNDROME, AND THE POSSIBLE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF PHOTOTHERAPY. THE ENERGY DEPLETION MODEL PRESENTED HERE TIES TOGETHER SUCH DIVERSE ELEMENTS AS: DOSE-RESPONSE ASPECTS OF PHOTOTHERAPY, ANERGIA AS A PRIMARY SYMPTOM OF SAD, 'SPRING FEVER', MYOFASCIAL PAIN DISORDER, THE ANTI-GONADOTROPHIC EFFECT OF MELATONIN, AND PINEAL SUPERSENSITIVITY IN BIPOLAR PATIENTS. CLINICAL PREDICTIONS ARE MADE, AND SIMPLE RESEARCH PROTOCOLS ARE SUGGESTED WHICH CAN DIRECTLY TEST THE HYPOTHESES GENERATED BY THIS PARADIGM. 1990