1  165 134 A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL OF THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON VERBAL AGGRESSIVENESS IN NORMAL HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON VERBAL AGGRESSIVENESS IN NORMAL HEALTHY ADULTS. METHODS: OF THE 1228 PERSONS WHO ATTENDED INTRODUCTORY LECTURES, 226 SUBJECTS OF BOTH SEXES WHO SATISFIED THE INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA AND WHO CONSENTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED INTO TWO GROUPS. THESE 226 SUBJECTS WERE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 17 AND 62 YEARS AND 173/226 COMPLETED THE EIGHT WEEKS OF INTERVENTION. THE YOGA (Y) GROUP PRACTISED AN INTEGRATED YOGA MODULE THAT INCLUDED ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, MEDITATION, NOTIONAL CORRECTION, AND DEVOTIONAL SESSIONS. THE CONTROL GROUP PRACTISED MILD TO MODERATE PHYSICAL EXERCISES (PE). BOTH GROUPS HAD SUPERVISED PRACTICES (BY TRAINED EXPERTS) FOR ONE HOUR DAILY, SIX DAYS A WEEK FOR EIGHT WEEKS. VERBAL AGGRESSIVENESS WAS ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER EIGHT WEEKS USING THE SELF-ADMINISTERED VERBAL AGGRESSIVE SCALE. RESULTS: THE BASELINE SCORE OF THE TWO GROUPS DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY (P = 0.66). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN VERBAL AGGRESSIVENESS IN THE YOGA GROUP (P = 0.01 PAIRED SAMPLES T-TEST) WITH A NONSIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE PE GROUP. ANCOVA USING PRE- VALUES AS COVARIATES SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GROUPS (P = 0.013). RMANOVA FOR INTERACTION BETWEEN THE SEXES OR AGE GROUPS IN CHANGE SCORES WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT AN EIGHT WEEK INTERVENTION OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA MODULE DECREASED VERBAL AGGRESSIVENESS IN THE YOGA GROUP (IN MALES AND THOSE BELOW 25 YEARS OF AGE), WITH A NONSIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE PE GROUP.	2008	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
2  163  99 A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL OF THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON GUNAS (PERSONALITY) AND HEALTH IN NORMAL HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFICACY OF YOGA ON GUNA (YOGIC PERSONALITY MEASURE) AND GENERAL HEALTH IN NORMAL ADULTS. METHODS: OF THE 1228 PERSONS WHO ATTENDED INTRODUCTORY LECTURES, 226 SUBJECTS AGED 18-71 YEARS, OF BOTH SEXES, WHO SATISFIED THE INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA AND WHO CONSENTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED INTO TWO GROUPS. THE YOGA(Y) GROUP PRACTISED AN INTEGRATED YOGA MODULE THAT INCLUDED ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, MEDITATION, NOTIONAL CORRECTION AND DEVOTIONAL SESSIONS. THE CONTROL GROUP PRACTISED MILD TO MODERATE PHYSICAL EXERCISES (PE). BOTH GROUPS HAD SUPERVISED PRACTICE SESSIONS (BY TRAINED EXPERTS) FOR ONE HOUR DAILY, SIX DAYS A WEEK FOR EIGHT WEEKS. GUNA (YOGIC PERSONALITY) WAS ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER EIGHT WEEKS USING THE SELF-ADMINISTERED VEDIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY (VPI) WHICH ASSESSES SATTVA (GENTLE AND CONTROLLED), RAJAS (VIOLENT AND UNCONTROLLED) AND TAMAS (DULL AND UNCONTROLLED). THE GENERAL HEALTH STATUS (TOTAL HEALTH), WHICH INCLUDES FOUR DOMAINS NAMELY SOMATIC SYMPTOMS (SS), ANXIETY AND INSOMNIA (AI), SOCIAL DYSFUNCTION (SF) AND SEVERE DEPRESSION (SP), WAS ASSESSED USING A GENERAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE (GHQ). RESULTS: BASELINE SCORES FOR ALL THE DOMAINS FOR BOTH THE GROUPS DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY (P > 0.05, INDEPENDENT SAMPLES T TEST). SATTVA SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WITHIN THE GROUPS AND THE EFFECT SIZE WAS MORE IN THE Y THAN IN THE PE GROUP. RAJAS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE WITHIN AND BETWEEN THE GROUPS WITH A HIGHER EFFECT SIZE IN THE PE GROUP. TAMAS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION WITHIN THE PE GROUP ONLY. THE GHQ REVEALED THAT THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN SS, AI, SF AND SP IN BOTH Y AND PE GROUPS (WILCOXCON SINGED RANK T TEST). SS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GROUPS (MANN WHITNEY U TEST). CONCLUSIONS: THERE WAS AN IMPROVEMENT IN SATTVA IN BOTH THE YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS WITH A TREND OF HIGHER EFFECT SIZE IN YOGA; RAJAS REDUCED IN BOTH BUT SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER IN PE THAN IN YOGA AND TAMAS REDUCED IN PE. THE GENERAL HEALTH STATUS IMPROVED IN BOTH THE YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS.	2008	
    
3 1814  38 PROGRESSIVE INCREASE IN CRITICAL FLICKER FUSION FREQUENCY FOLLOWING YOGA TRAINING. THE CRITICAL FLICKER FUSION FREQUENCY (CFF) IS THE FREQUENCY AT WHICH A FLICKERING STIMULUS IS PERCEIVED TO BE STEADY, WITH HIGHER VALUES SUGGESTING GREATER PERCEPTUAL ACCURACY. THE CFF WAS MEASURED IN TWO AGE-MATCHED GROUPS OF HEALTHY MALE VOLUNTEERS WHOSE AGES RANGED FROM 25 TO 39 YEARS, WITH 18 SUBJECTS IN EACH GROUP. AFTER BASELINE ASSESSMENTS ONE GROUP (YOGA GROUP) RECEIVED YOGA TRAINING, WHILE THE OTHER GROUP (CONTROL GROUP) CARRIED ON WITH THEIR ROUTINE ACTIVITIES. YOGA PRACTICES INCLUDED ASANAS, PRANAYAMAS, KRIYAS, MEDITATION, DEVOTIONAL SESSIONS AND LECTURES ON THE THEORY OF YOGA. AFTER 10 DAYS NEITHER GROUP SHOWED A CHANGE IN CFF. HOWEVER, AT 20 AND AT 30 DAYS THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN CFF BY 11.1% AND 14.9%, RESPECTIVELY (TWO FACTOR ANOVA, TUKEY MULTIPLE COMPARISON TEST). THE CONTROL GROUP SHOWED NO CHANGE AT THE DAY 20 AND DAY 30 FOLLOWUP.	1997	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
4  164  96 A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL OF THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON GUNAS (PERSONALITY) AND SELF ESTEEM IN NORMAL HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS. BACKGROUND/AIMS: TO STUDY THE EFFICACY OF YOGA ON GUNAS (PERSONALITY) AND SELF ESTEEM IN NORMAL ADULTS THROUGH A RANDOMIZED COMPARATIVE STUDY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: OF THE 1228 PERSONS WHO ATTENDED MOTIVATIONAL LECTURES, 226 SUBJECTS AGED 18-71 YEARS, OF BOTH SEXES, WHO SATISFIED THE INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA, AND WHO CONSENTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED INTO TWO GROUPS. THE YOGA (Y) GROUP PRACTISED AN INTEGRATED YOGA MODULE THAT INCLUDED ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, MEDITATION, NOTIONAL CORRECTION, AND DEVOTIONAL SESSIONS. THE COMPARISON GROUP PRACTISED MILD TO MODERATE PHYSICAL EXERCISES (PE). BOTH GROUPS HAD SUPERVISED PRACTICES FOR ONE HOUR DAILY, SIX DAYS A WEEK, FOR EIGHT WEEKS. GUNA (PERSONALITY) WAS ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER EIGHT WEEKS USING THE SELF-ADMINISTERED "THE 'GITA" INVENTORY OF PERSONALITY" (GIN) TO ASSESS SATTVA, RAJAS, AND TAMAS. SELF ESTEEM IN TERMS OF COMPETENCY (COM), GLOBAL SELF ESTEEM (GSE), MORAL AND SELF ESTEEM (MSE), SOCIAL ESTEEM (SET), FAMILY SELF ESTEEM (FSE), BODY AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE (BPA), AND THE LIE SCALE (LIS) WERE ASSESSED USING THE SELF ESTEEM QUESTIONNAIRE (SEQ). RESULTS: THE BASELINE SCORES FOR ALL DOMAINS FOR BOTH THE GROUPS DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY (P > 0.05 INDEPENDENT SAMPLES T-TEST). THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT PRE-POST IMPROVEMENTS IN ALL DOMAINS IN BOTH GROUPS (P < 0.001 PAIRED T-TEST). THE NUMBER OF PERSONS WHO SHOWED IMPROVEMENT IN SATTVA AND DECREASE IN TAMAS WAS SIGNIFICANT IN THE Y BUT NOT IN THE PE GROUP (MCNEMAR TEST). THE EFFECT SIZE FOR SELF ESTEEM IN THE Y GROUP IS GREATER THAN FOR THE PE GROUP IN THREE OUT OF SEVEN DOMAINS. CONCLUSIONS: THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY HAS SHOWN THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA ON GUNAS AND SELF ESTEEM IN COMPARISON TO PHYSICAL EXERCISE.	2009	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
5  710  55 EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA MODULE ON POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EMOTIONS IN HOME GUARDS IN BENGALURU: A WAIT LIST RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THE BENEFICIAL ASPECT OF POSITIVE EMOTIONS ON THE PROCESS OF LEARNING AND THE HARMFUL AFFECT OF NEGATIVE EMOTIONS ON COPING WITH STRESS AND HEALTH ARE WELL-DOCUMENTED THROUGH STUDIES. THE HOME GUARDS (HGS) ARE WORKING IN A VERY STRESSFUL SITUATION DURING ELECTION, MANAGING TRAFFIC AND OTHER CROWDED PLACES. IT IS QUITE ESSENTIAL IN PRESENT DAY CIRCUMSTANCES THAT THEY HAVE TO MANAGE THEIR EMOTIONS AND COPE UP WITH DIFFERENT STRESSFUL SITUATIONS. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFICACY OF INTEGRATED YOGA MODULE (IYM) ON EMOTIONS (POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE AFFECT [PA AND NA]) OF HGS. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 148 HGS BOTH MALES AND FEMALES WHO QUALIFIED THE INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO YOGA GROUP (YG) AND CONTROL GROUPS (CG). THE YG HAD SUPERVISED PRACTICE SESSIONS (BY TRAINED EXPERTS) FOR 1 H DAILY, 6 DAYS A WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS ALONG WITH THEIR REGULAR ROUTINE WORK WHEREAS CG PERFORMING THEIR ROUTINE WORK. POSITIVE AFFECT NEGATIVE AFFECT SCALE (PANAS) WAS ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER 8 WEEKS USING A MODIFIED VERSION OF PANAS. RESULTS: PA IN YG HAD SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED (P < 0.05) WHEREAS IT HAD DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < 0.05) IN CG. OTHER POSITIVE EFFECT IN YG HAD SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED (P < 0.001), WHEREAS IT HAD DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < 0.001) IN CG. NA IN YG HAD SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED (P < 0.001), WHEREAS IT HAD SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED (P < 0.001) IN CG. OTHER NA IN YG HAD SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED (P < 0.001), WHEREAS IT HAD SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED (P < 0.01) IN CG. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT IYM CAN BE USEFUL FOR HGS TO IMPROVE THE PA AND TO DECREASE NA SCORE. MOREOVER, IYM IS COST-EFFECTIVE AND HELPS HGS FOR COPING UP WITH EMOTIONS IN STRESSFUL SITUATIONS.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
6  703  41 EFFECT OF INTEGRAL YOGA ON PSYCHOLOGICAL AND HEALTH VARIABLES AND THEIR CORRELATIONS. OBJECTIVE: CERTAIN PSYCHOLOGICAL AND HEALTH VARIABLES ARE COMMONLY MEASURED IN INDIA. THIS STUDY EVALUATES THE EFFECTS OF INTEGRAL YOGA PRACTICES ON THESE VARIABLES AND ALSO THE CONSISTENCY OF CORRELATIONS OBSERVED BETWEEN THEM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY WAS A PRE-POST INTERVENTION STUDY. THE VARIABLES WERE MEASURED AT THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF A ONE-MONTH YOGA COURSE. THERE WAS NO CONTROL GROUP.THE STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT AT SWAMI VIVEKANANDA YOGA ANUSANDHANA SAMSTHANA (S-VYASA) UNIVERSITY, IN ITS RURAL CAMPUS SOUTH OF BANGALORE. BASED ON HEALTH CRITERIA, 108 SUBJECTS WERE SELECTED OUT OF 198 VOLUNTEERS TO FORM THE EXPERIMENTAL YOGA GROUP. AGES RANGED FROM 17 TO 63 YEARS. THE YOGASANAS (POSTURES), PRANAYAMA (BREATHING EXERCISES), RELAXATION TECHNIQUES, MEDITATION, CHANTING AND LECTURES WERE THE COMPONENTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION. THE VARIABLES MEASURED WERE SUSTAINED ATTENTION, EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE - EQ, GENERAL HEALTH - GHQ, GUNA PERSONALITY - SATTVA, RAJAS AND TAMAS. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT PRE-POST CHANGES WERE FOUND IN ALL VARIABLES. SIGNIFICANT CORRELATIONS WERE FOUND BETWEEN THE FOLLOWING PAIRS: THE TWO SUSTAINED ATTENTION VARIABLES; EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND GENERAL HEALTH; GHQ AND TAMAS; SATTVA AND TAMAS; AND RAJAS AND TAMAS. CONCLUSION: THE STUDY SHOWS THAT THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN ALL VARIABLES (P< 0.001) EXCEPT IN SATTVA. IT ALSO CONFIRMS THAT EQ AND GENERAL HEALTH VARIABLES CORRELATE SIGNIFICANTLY WITH EACH OTHER AND NEGATIVELY WITH TAMAS. EQ AND TAMAS FORM POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE PREDICTORS OF HEALTH RESPECTIVELY. SATTVA CORRELATES POSITIVELY WITH EQ SUGGESTING THAT A SATTVIC PERSONALITY INDICATES BETTER SELF-CONTROL. THIS SUGGESTS THAT, BY IMPROVING GUNA PERSONALITY, LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTICE MAY STABILIZE EQ.	2011	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
7 1220  33 FACTORS INFLUENCING CHANGES IN TWEEZER DEXTERITY SCORES FOLLOWING YOGA TRAINING. YOGA HAS ALREADY BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE PERCEPTUAL-MOTOR SKILLS, BUT THE FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE ITS EFFECTS ARE NOT WELL DEFINED. THIS STUDY CORRELATES AGE, GENDER, AND MOTIVATION TO LEARN YOGA WITH THE PERFORMANCE IN A DEXTERITY TASK FOLLOWING YOGA. TWEEZER DEXTERITY WAS RECORDED IN EIGHTY SUBJECTS BELONGING TO FOUR GROUPS. TWO GROUPS WERE GIVEN A MONTH OF YOGA TRAINING. ONE GROUP CONSISTED OF SUBJECTS WHO HAD VOLUNTEERED TO JOIN FOR THE TRAINING AND THE OTHER GROUP WERE DEPUTED FOR THE TRAINING AS PART OF THEIR JOB. THE TWO REMAINING GROUPS DID NOT RECEIVE YOGA TRAINING AND WERE SELECTED TO MATCH THE RESPECTIVE GROUPS RECEIVING YOGA, FOR AGE AND SEX, BUT NOT FOR THEIR MOTIVATION TO LEARN YOGA. THE TEST INVOLVED USING A TWEEZER TO PLACE METAL PINS IN EVENLY SPACED HOLES IN A METAL PLATE WITHIN FOUR MINUTES. FOLLOWING YOGA THE SCORES OF THE VOLUNTEERS WHO LEARNT YOGA INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY, WHEREAS THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN SCORES OF DEPUTED SUBJECTS AND NON-YOGA GROUPS. FOR REASONS DESCRIBED IN DETAIL, FACTORS SUCH AS AGE AND GENDER DID NOT APPEAR TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE DIFFERENCE IN PERFORMANCE. HENCE MOTIVATION TO LEARN YOGA APPEARED TO INFLUENCE THE MAGNITUDE OF INCREASE.	1999	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
8  810  54 EFFECT OF YOGA ON BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS. INTRODUCTION: IN VIEW OF PEOPLE EMBRACING SEDENTARY LIFE STYLE, AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TREATMENT BECOMING LESS, THE ROLE OF REGULAR EXERCISE ESPECIALLY 'YOGA' SEEMS TO BE A BENEFICIAL AND ECONOMICAL ADJUVANT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF THE TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (T2DM). OBJECTIVES: TO ASSESS THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA ON BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS IN NORMAL AND T2DM VOLUNTEERS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A PROSPECTIVE CASE-CONTROL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGY AND DIABETIC CLINIC OF A TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL OVER PERIOD OF TWO YEARS. THE STUDY SUBJECTS CONSISTED OF 30 MALE DIABETIC PATIENTS ATTENDING DIABETIC CLINIC AND 30 NON-DIABETIC MALE VOLUNTEERS CONSTITUTED CONTROL GROUP. THE PATIENTS IN THE AGE GROUP OF 36 TO 55 YEARS WITH T2DM OF AT LEAST ONE YEAR DURATION AND THOSE ON DIABETIC DIET AND ORAL HYPOGLYCEMIC AGENTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY GROUP. THE AGE MATCHED HEALTHY MALE VOLUNTEERS WHO HAD COME TO JOIN YOGA TRAINING AT YOGA CENTRE WERE INCLUDED IN THE CONTROL GROUP. ALL THE PARTICIPANTS WERE TRAINED BY YOGA EXPERTS AND SUBJECTED TO REGULAR PRACTICE UNDER SUPERVISION FOR SIX MONTHS. IN ALL THE PARTICIPANTS FASTING (FBS) AND POST-PRANDIAL BLOOD SUGAR (PPBS) WAS ESTIMATED BEFORE, DURING (AT THREE MONTHS) AND AFTER (SIX MONTHS) YOGA TRAINING. PAIRED STUDENT T-TEST WAS USED TO ESTIMATE DIFFERENCE IN MEANS CALCULATED BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA TRAINING IN A SAME GROUP. A P-VALUE OF <0.05 WAS CONSIDERED AS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. RESULTS: THE DISTRIBUTION OF AGE, MEAN HEIGHT AND MEAN WEIGHT AMONG BOTH THE GROUPS WERE COMPARABLE. THE REDUCTION IN MEAN VALUES OF FBS AND PPBS AT THE END OF SIX MONTHS WAS HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT (P <0.001) IN BOTH THE GROUPS WHEN COMPARED WITH THE MEAN VALUES BEFORE AND DURING (THREE MONTHS) YOGA PRACTICE. THE REDUCTION IN THESE VALUES AT THREE MONTHS DURING YOGA WAS HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT IN T2DM GROUP WHEN COMPARED WITH MEAN VALUES BEFORE YOGA (P <0.001), BUT IT WAS INSIGNIFICANT (P<0.05) IN CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS OF THE PRESENT STUDY DEMONSTRATED THAT THE YOGA IS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING THE BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH T2DM.	2015	

9 2246  34 THE INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA: A THERAPEUTIC TOOL FOR MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN: A ONE-YEAR CONTROLLED STUDY. NINETY CHILDREN WITH MENTAL RETARDATION OF MILD, MODERATE AND SEVERE DEGREE WERE SELECTED FROM FOUR SPECIAL SCHOOLS IN BANGALORE, INDIA. FORTY-FIVE CHILDREN UNDERWENT YOGIC TRAINING FOR ONE ACADEMIC YEAR (5 H IN EVERY WEEK) WITH AN INTEGRATED SET OF YOGIC PRACTICES, INCLUDING BREATHING EXERCISES AND PRANAYAMA, SITHILIKARANA VYAYAMA (LOOSENING EXERCISES), SURYANAMASKAR, YOGASANAS AND MEDITATION. THEY WERE COMPARED BEFORE AND AFTER YOGIC TRAINING WITH A CONTROL GROUP OF 45 MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN MATCHED FOR CHRONOLOGICAL AGE, SEX, IQ, SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS AND SOCIO ENVIRONMENTAL BACKGROUND WHO WERE NOT EXPOSED TO YOGA TRAINING BUT CONTINUED THEIR USUAL SCHOOL ROUTINE DURING THAT PERIOD. THERE WAS HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE IQ AND SOCIAL ADAPTATION PARAMETERS IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. THIS STUDY SHOWS THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN EFFECTIVE THERAPEUTIC TOOL IN THE MANAGEMENT OF MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN.	1989	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
10 1986  34 SPATIAL AND VERBAL MEMORY TEST SCORES FOLLOWING YOGA AND FINE ARTS CAMPS FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN. THE PERFORMANCE SCORES OF CHILDREN (AGED 11 TO 16 YEARS) IN VERBAL AND SPATIAL MEMORY TESTS WERE COMPARED FOR TWO GROUPS (N = 30, EACH), ONE ATTENDING A YOGA CAMP AND THE OTHER A FINE ARTS CAMP. BOTH GROUPS WERE ASSESSED ON THE MEMORY TASKS INITIALLY AND AFTER TEN DAYS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE INTERVENTIONS. A CONTROL GROUP (N = 30) WAS SIMILARLY STUDIED TO ASSESS THE TEST-RETEST EFFECT. AT THE FINAL ASSESSMENT THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF 43% IN SPATIAL MEMORY SCORES (MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS, TUKEY TEST), WHILE THE FINE ARTS AND CONTROL GROUPS SHOWED NO CHANGE. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE, INCLUDING PHYSICAL POSTURES, YOGA BREATHING, MEDITATION AND GUIDED RELAXATION IMPROVED DELAYED RECALL OF SPATIAL INFORMATION.	2004	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
11  941  34 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
12 1261  38 FINGER DEXTERITY AND VISUAL DISCRIMINATION FOLLOWING TWO YOGA BREATHING PRACTICES. BACKGROUND: PRACTICING YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE MOTOR FUNCTIONS AND ATTENTION. THOUGH ATTENTION IS REQUIRED FOR FINE MOTOR AND DISCRIMINATION TASKS, THE EFFECT OF YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUES ON FINE MOTOR SKILLS AND VISUAL DISCRIMINATION HAS NOT BEEN ASSESSED. AIM: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUES ON FINGER DEXTERITY AND VISUAL DISCRIMINATION. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE PRESENT STUDY CONSISTED OF ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY SUBJECTS WHO HAD ENROLLED FOR STRESS MANAGEMENT. THEY WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS, ONE GROUP PRACTICED HIGH FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING WHILE THE OTHER GROUP PRACTICED BREATH AWARENESS. HIGH FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING (KAPALABHATI, BREATH RATE 1.0 HZ) AND BREATH AWARENESS ARE TWO YOGA PRACTICES WHICH IMPROVE ATTENTION. THE IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF HIGH FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING AND BREATH AWARENESS (I) WERE ASSESSED ON THE PERFORMANCE ON THE O'CONNOR FINGER DEXTERITY TASK AND (II) (IN) A SHAPE AND SIZE DISCRIMINATION TASK. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE FINGER DEXTERITY TASK BY 19% AFTER KAPALABHATI AND 9% AFTER BREATH AWARENESS (P<0.001 IN BOTH CASES, REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA AND POST-HOC ANALYSES). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION (P<0.001) IN ERROR (41% AFTER KAPALABHATI AND 21% AFTER BREATH AWARENESS) AS WELL AS TIME TAKEN TO COMPLETE THE SHAPE AND SIZE DISCRIMINATION TEST (15% AFTER KAPALABHATI AND 15% AFTER BREATH AWARENESS; P<0.001) WAS ALSO OBSERVED. CONCLUSION: BOTH KAPALABAHATI AND BREATH AWARENESS CAN IMPROVE FINE MOTOR SKILLS AND VISUAL DISCRIMINATION, WITH A GREATER MAGNITUDE OF CHANGE AFTER KAPALABHATI.	2012	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
13   98  36 A NONRANDOMIZED NON-NAIVE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF KAPALABHATI AND BREATH AWARENESS ON EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALS IN TRAINED YOGA PRACTITIONERS. OBJECTIVES: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO COMPARE THE P300 EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALS RECORDED BEFORE AND AFTER (1) HIGH-FREQUENCY YOGA BREATHING (HFYB) AND (2) BREATH AWARENESS. DESIGN: THE P300 WAS RECORDED IN PARTICIPANTS OF TWO GROUPS BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION SESSION (1 MINUTE IN DURATION). SETTINGS AND LOCATION: ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE RECEIVING YOGA TRAINING IN A RESIDENTIAL YOGA CENTER, SWAMI VIVEKANADA YOGA RESEARCH FOUNDATION IN BANGALORE, INDIA. SUBJECTS: THIRTY (30) MALE PARTICIPANTS FORMED TWO GROUPS (N = 15 EACH) WITH COMPARABLE AGES (WITHIN AN AGE RANGE OF 20-35 YEARS) AND COMPARABLE EXPERIENCE OF THE TWO TECHNIQUES, THE MINIMUM EXPERIENCE BEING 3 MONTHS. INTERVENTIONS: THE TWO GROUPS WERE EACH GIVEN A SEPARATE INTERVENTION. ONE GROUP PRACTICED A HFYB AT A FREQUENCY OF APPROXIMATELY 2.0 HZ, CALLED KAPALABHATI. THE OTHER GROUP PRACTICED BREATH AWARENESS DURING WHICH PARTICIPANTS WERE AWARE OF THEIR BREATH WHILE SEATED, RELAXED. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE P300 EVENT-RELATED POTENTIAL, WHICH IS GENERATED WHEN ATTENDING TO AND DISCRIMINATING BETWEEN AUDITORY STIMULI, WAS RECORDED BEFORE AND AFTER BOTH TECHNIQUES. RESULTS: THE P300 PEAK LATENCY DECREASED AFTER HFYB AND THE P300 PEAK AMPLITUDE INCREASED AFTER BREATH AWARENESS. CONCLUSIONS: BOTH PRACTICES (HFYB AND BREATH AWARENESS), THOUGH VERY DIFFERENT, INFLUENCED THE P300. HFYB REDUCED THE PEAK LATENCY, SUGGESTING A DECREASE IN TIME NEEDED FOR THIS TASK, WHICH REQUIRES SELECTIVE ATTENTION. BREATH AWARENESS INCREASED THE P300 PEAK AMPLITUDE, SUGGESTING AN INCREASE IN THE NEURAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR THE TASK.	2009	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
14  745  41 EFFECT OF SAHAJ YOGA ON DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS. SAHAJ YOGA IS A MEDITATIVE TECHNIQUE THAT HAS BEEN FOUND TO HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS IN SOME PSYCHO-SOMATIC ILLNESSES. THE STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT ON 30 CASES (19 MALES, 11 FEMALES, AGE 18-45 YEARS) OF MAJOR DEPRESSION DIAGNOSED ON THE BASIS OF DSM IV CRITERIA. THE PATIENTS WERE THEN RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: GROUP 1: (10 MALES & 5 FEMALES) PATIENTS WHO WERE PRACTISING SAHAJ YOGA AND ALSO RECEIVED CONVENTIONAL ANTI-DEPRESSANTS. GROUP 2: (9 MALES & 6 FEMALES) PATIENTS WHO WERE ONLY RECEIVING CONVENTIONAL ANTI-DEPRESSANTS. TRAINING IN SAHAJ YOGA WAS CONDUCTED UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF A TRAINED SAHAJ YOGI FOR 8 WEEKS. AT START OF THE STUDY, ALL THE PATIENTS WERE SUBJECTED TO HAMILTON RATING SCALE FOR DEPRESSION (HAM-D) AND HAMILTON RATING SCALE FOR ANXIETY (HAM-A). ABOVE SCALES WERE AGAIN ASSESSED AFTER TWO MONTHS OF TREATMENT. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN HAM-D AS WELL AS HAM-A SCORES IN BOTH GROUP 1 AND GROUP 2 PATIENTS (P<0.001). HOWEVER, PERCENTAGE IMPROVEMENT IN HAM-D SCORES AND HAM-A SCORES IN PATIENTS RECEIVING SAHAJ YOGA WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN IN GROUP 2 PATIENTS. THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS WHO WENT INTO REMISSION AFTER TWO MONTHS OF INTERVENTION WERE ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN GROUP 1 PATIENTS (P=0.02). THE PRESENT STUDY DEMONSTRATES THAT SAHAJ YOGA HAS GOT A POTENTIAL ROLE AS A COMPONENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS.	2005	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
15  523  35 COMPARISON OF CHANGES IN AUTONOMIC AND RESPIRATORY PARAMETERS OF GIRLS AFTER YOGA AND GAMES AT A COMMUNITY HOME. THE HEART RATE, BREATHING RATE, AND SKIN RESISTANCE WERE RECORDED FOR 20 COMMUNITY HOME GIRLS (HOME GROUP) AND FOR 20 AGE-MATCHED GIRLS FROM A REGULAR SCHOOL (SCHOOL GROUP). THE FORMER GROUP HAD A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER RATE OF BREATHING AND A MORE IRREGULAR BREATH PATTERN KNOWN TO CORRELATE WITH HIGH FEAR AND ANXIETY, THAN THE SCHOOL GROUP. SKIN RESISTANCE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE SCHOOL GROUP, WHICH MAY SUGGEST GREATER AROUSAL, 28 GIRLS OF THE HOME GROUP FORMED 14 PAIRS, MATCHED FOR AGE AND DURATION OF STAY IN THE HOME. SUBJECTS OF A PAIR WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER YOGA OR GAMES GROUPS. FOR THE FORMER EMPHASIS WAS ON RELAXATION AND AWARENESS, WHEREAS FOR THE LATTER INCREASING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WAS EMPHASIZED. AT THE END OF AN HOUR DAILY FOR SIX MONTHS BOTH GROUPS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE RESTING HEART RATE RELATIVE TO INITIAL VALUES (WILCOXON PAIRED-SAMPLE REST), AND THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN BREATH RATE, WHICH APPEARED MORE REGULAR BUT NO SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE SKIN RESISTANCE. THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT A YOGA PROGRAM WHICH INCLUDES RELAXATION, AWARENESS, AND GRADED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS A USEFUL ADDITION TO THE ROUTINE OF COMMUNITY HOME CHILDREN.	1997	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
16 2510  35 YOGA BREATHING THROUGH A PARTICULAR NOSTRIL INCREASES SPATIAL MEMORY SCORES WITHOUT LATERALIZED EFFECTS. UNINOSTRIL BREATHING FACILITATES THE PERFORMANCE ON SPATIAL AND VERBAL COGNITIVE TASKS, SAID TO BE RIGHT AND LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS, RESPECTIVELY. SINCE HEMISPHERIC MEMORY FUNCTIONS ARE ALSO KNOWN TO BE LATERALIZED, THE PRESENT STUDY ASSESSED THE EFFECTS OF UNINOSTRIL BREATHING ON THE PERFORMANCE IN VERBAL AND SPATIAL MEMORY TESTS. SCHOOL CHILDREN (N = 108 WHOSE AGES RANGED FROM 10 TO 17 YEARS) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO FOUR GROUPS. EACH GROUP PRACTICED A SPECIFIC YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUE: (I) RIGHT NOSTRIL BREATHING, (II) LEFT NOSTRIL BREATHING, (III) ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING, OR (IV) BREATH AWARENESS WITHOUT MANIPULATION OF NOSTRILS. THESE TECHNIQUES WERE PRACTICED FOR 10 DAYS. VERBAL AND SPATIAL MEMORY WAS ASSESSED INITIALLY AND AFTER 10 DAYS. AN AGE-MATCHED CONTROL GROUP OF 27 WERE SIMILARLY ASSESSED. ALL 4 TRAINED GROUPS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN SPATIAL TEST SCORES AT RETEST, BUT THE CONTROL GROUP SHOWED NO CHANGE. AVERAGE INCREASE IN SPATIAL MEMORY SCORES FOR THE TRAINED GROUPS WAS 84%. IT APPEARS YOGA BREATHING INCREASES SPATIAL RATHER THAN VERBAL SCORES, WITHOUT A LATERALIZED EFFECT.	1997	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
17  844  28 EFFECT OF YOGA ON PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS OF HYPOTHYROID PATIENTS. AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO SEE ANY EFFECT ON RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS IN HYPOTHYROID PATIENTS AFTER PRANAYAMA (YOGA). THE SUBJECTS FOR THE STUDY WERE 20 HYPOTHYROID FEMALES, 39.70 +/- 8.27 YEARS OF MEAN AGE REFERRED FROM MEDICINE DEPARTMENT OF UCMS & G.T.B. HOSPITAL. SPIRO METRIC RECORDINGS WERE TAKEN WITH HYPAIR (VERSION-1.28). BASELINE (FIRST) RECORDINGS WERE TAKEN WHEN PATIENT CAME FOR THE FIRST TIME. PATIENTS CAME TO YOGA LAB IN PHYSIOLOGY DEPARTMENT FOR 21 DAYS CONTINUOUSLY WHERE THEY WERE TRAINED BY THE YOGA INSTRUCTORS AND THEN TOLD TO DO PRANAYAMA AT HOME AND CALLED AT REGULAR INTERVALS AFTER 7 DAYS TO SEE THE COMPLIANCE. THE BREATHING EXERCISES WERE DONE FOR 45 MINUTES EVERYDAY. AFTER 6 MONTHS OF PRANAYAMA SECOND RECORDING WAS TAKEN AND COMPARED WITH THE BASELINE. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN FIRST SECOND (FEV1), MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY VENTILATION (MVV) AND INSPIRATORY CAPACITY(IC). THUS PRANAYAMA AND MEDITATION HAS BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON PULMONARY FUNCTIONS OF HYPOTHYROID PATIENTS ALONG WITH CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT.	2010	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
18 1426  39 IMPROVEMENT OF GLUTATHIONE AND TOTAL ANTIOXIDANT STATUS WITH YOGA. OBJECTIVE: SEVERAL STUDIES SUGGEST THAT YOGA CAN DECREASE OXIDATIVE STRESS. HOWEVER REPORTS ARE SCANTY REGARDING WHETHER YOGA TRAINING CAN IMPROVE THE GLUTATHIONE LEVEL OF INDIVIDUAL. THIS STUDY IS DESIGNED TO APPRAISE THE ROLE OF YOGA IN MAINTAINING GLUTATHIONE (REDUCED AND OXIDIZED) LEVELS AND ANTIOXIDANT STATUS. STUDY DESIGN: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED ON HEALTHY MALE VOLUNTEERS FROM THE INDIAN NAVY, WHO WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS--A YOGA (N = 30) GROUP AND A CONTROL (N = 21) GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP WAS TRAINED IN YOGA FOR 6 MONTHS. THE YOGA SCHEDULE CONSISTED OF PRAYERS, ASANA, PRANAYAMA, AND MEDITATION. THE CONTROL GROUP PRACTICED ROUTINE PHYSICAL TRAINING EXERCISE FOR 6 MONTHS. BLOOD SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED WHEN THE VOLUNTEERS WERE IN FASTING CONDITION BEFORE AND AFTER COMPLETION OF 6-MONTH TRAINING PERIOD. REDUCED AND OXIDIZED GLUTATHIONE, GLUTATHIONE REDUCTASE ACTIVITY AND TOTAL ANTIOXIDANT STATUS (TAS) WERE ESTIMATED. RESULTS: REDUCED GLUTATHIONE LEVEL INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < 0.05) IN THE YOGA GROUP AFTER COMPLETION OF TRAINING. GLUTATHIONE REDUCTASE ACTIVITY INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P < 0.05). TAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < 0.001) IN THE YOGA GROUP AND DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < 0.001) IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGA CAN MAINTAIN OR IMPROVE ANTIOXIDANT LEVEL OF THE BODY. THE CLINICAL RELEVANCE IS THAT YOGA PRACTICE CAN BE USED TO MAINTAIN THE ANTIOXIDANT DEFENSE SYSTEM UNDER STRESSFUL CONDITIONS OF TRAINING AS OBSERVED IN THE CASE OF SOLDIERS AND ATHLETES.	2007	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
19 1755  42 PLASTICITY OF MOTOR CONTROL SYSTEMS DEMONSTRATED BY YOGA TRAINING. THE STATIC MOTOR PERFORMANCE WAS TESTED IN TWO GROUPS WITH 20 SUBJECTS IN EACH (AGE RANGE 17 TO 22 YEARS, AND 5 FEMALES IN EACH GROUP). TESTS WERE CARRIED OUT AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF A 10 DAY PERIOD. THE TEST REQUIRED BEING ABLE TO INSERT AND HOLD A METAL STYLUS WITHIN HOLES OF VARYING SIZES FOR 15 SEC. ACCIDENTAL CONTACTS BETWEEN THE STYLUS AND THE SIDES OF THE HOLES, WERE REGISTERED ON A COUNTER AS ERRORS. DURING THE 10 DAYS ONE GROUP (THE YOGA GROUP) PRACTISED ASANAS (PHYSICAL POSTURES), PRANAYAMA (VOLUNTARY REGULATION OF BREATHING), MEDITATION, DEVOTIONAL SESSIONS, AND TRATAKAS (VISUAL FOCUSSING EXERCISES). THE CONTROL GROUP FOLLOWED THEIR USUAL ROUTINE. AT THE END OF 10 DAYS THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN NUMBER OF ERRORS (WILCOXON PAIRED SIGNED RANKS TEST), WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT CHANGE. OUR EARLIER STUDY SHOWED A SIMILAR IMPROVEMENT IN CHILDREN (9-13 YEARS). IT WAS INTERESTING TO NOTE THE SAME DEGREE OF PLASTICITY IN MOTOR CONTROL SYSTEMS IN YOUNG ADULTS. THE IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION PROGRAMMES HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED.	1994	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
20 1835  25 PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES AT THE TIME OF EXAMINATION IN MEDICAL STUDENTS BEFORE AND AFTER THE PRACTICE OF YOGA AND RELAXATION. THE EFFECT OF YOGA AND RELAXATION CHANGES IN PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN RESPONSE TO THE STRESS OF EXAMINATION IN 75 MEDICAL STUDENTS WAS STUDIED. INITIALLY FIVE PARAMETERS (ANXIETY LEVEL, HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, GALVANIC SKIN RESISTANCE AND CHOICE REACTION TIME) WERE RECORDED, A MONTH BEFORE THE EXAMINATION AND ON THE DAY OF EXAMINATION. STUDENTS WERE THEN RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO 3 GROUP OF 25 EACH. ONE GROUP PRACTICED YOGA (GROUP- Y), AND ANOTHER GROUP PRACTICED RELAXATION (GROUP-R) REGULARLY FOR THREE MONTHS. THE THIRD GROUP WAS CONTROL GROUP (GROUP-C). ALL THE PARAMETERS WERE RECORDED AFTER THE CHANGES IN ANXIETY LEVEL, HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, AND GALVANIC SKIN RESISTANCE IN RESPONSE TO STRESS OF EXAMINATION WERE SIGNIFICANTLY ATTENUATED AND THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN CHOICE REACTION TIME IN GROUP-Y AND GROUP-R AS COMPARED TO GROUP-C AFTER YOGA AND RELAXATION.	1998