1 1881 136 REDUCED HYPOXIC VENTILATORY RESPONSE WITH PRESERVED BLOOD OXYGENATION IN YOGA TRAINEES AND HIMALAYAN BUDDHIST MONKS AT ALTITUDE: EVIDENCE OF A DIFFERENT ADAPTIVE STRATEGY? YOGA INDUCES LONG-TERM CHANGES IN RESPIRATORY FUNCTION AND CONTROL. WE TESTED WHETHER IT REPRESENTS A SUCCESSFUL STRATEGY FOR HIGH-ALTITUDE ADAPTATION. WE COMPARED VENTILATORY, CARDIOVASCULAR AND HEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN: 12 CAUCASIAN YOGA TRAINEES AND 12 CONTROL SEA-LEVEL RESIDENTS, AT BASELINE AND AFTER 2-WEEK EXPOSURE TO HIGH ALTITUDE (PYRAMID LABORATORY, NEPAL, 5,050 M), 38 ACTIVE LIFESTYLE HIGH-ALTITUDE NATIVES (SHERPAS) AND 13 CONTEMPLATIVE LIFESTYLE HIGH-ALTITUDE NATIVES WITH PRACTICE OF YOGA-LIKE RESPIRATORY EXERCISES (BUDDHIST MONKS) STUDIED AT 5,050 M. AT BASELINE, HYPOXIC VENTILATORY RESPONSE (HVR), RED BLOOD CELL COUNT AND HEMATOCRIT WERE LOWER IN CAUCASIAN YOGA TRAINEES THAN IN CONTROLS. AFTER 14 DAYS AT ALTITUDE, YOGA TRAINEES SHOWED SIMILAR OXYGEN SATURATION, BLOOD PRESSURE, RR INTERVAL COMPARED TO CONTROLS, BUT LOWER HVR (-0.44 +/- 0.08 VS. -0.98 +/- 0.21 L/MIN/M/%SAO(2), P < 0.05), MINUTE VENTILATION (8.3 +/- 0.9 VS. 10.8 +/- 1.6 L/MIN, P < 0.05), BREATHING RATE (INDICATING HIGHER VENTILATORY EFFICIENCY), AND LOWER RED BLOOD CELL COUNT, HEMOGLOBIN, HEMATOCRIT, ALBUMIN, ERYTHROPOIETIN AND SOLUBLE TRANSFERRIN RECEPTORS. HYPOXIC VENTILATORY RESPONSE IN MONKS WAS LOWER THAN IN SHERPAS (-0.23 +/- 0.05 VS. -0.63 +/- 0.09 L/MIN/M/%SAO(2), P < 0.05); VALUES WERE SIMILAR TO BASELINE DATA OF YOGA TRAINEES AND CAUCASIAN CONTROLS, RESPECTIVELY. RED BLOOD CELL COUNT AND HEMATOCRIT WERE LOWER IN MONKS AS COMPARED TO SHERPAS. IN CONCLUSION, CAUCASIAN SUBJECTS PRACTICING YOGA MAINTAIN A SATISFACTORY OXYGEN TRANSPORT AT HIGH ALTITUDE, WITH MINIMAL INCREASE IN VENTILATION AND WITH REDUCED HEMATOLOGICAL CHANGES, RESEMBLING HIMALAYAN NATIVES. RESPIRATORY ADAPTATIONS INDUCED BY THE PRACTICE OF YOGA MAY REPRESENT AN EFFICIENT STRATEGY TO COPE WITH ALTITUDE-INDUCED HYPOXIA. 2007 2 1978 24 SLEEP AMONG OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY TRAINEES: RESULTS FROM A YOGA-BASED WELLNESS INITIATIVE. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY AIMED TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF USING A WRIST-BASED FITNESS TRACKING DEVICE TO ASSESS SLEEP AMONG OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY (OBGYN) TRAINEES WHO ENGAGED IN A YOGA-BASED WELLNESS PROGRAM. WE ALSO SOUGHT TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SLEEP. STUDY DESIGN: A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVE CONSISTING OF AN 8-WEEK WELLNESS PROGRAM OF WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES, NUTRITION, AND PHYSICAL CHALLENGES WAS IMPLEMENTED FOR OBGYN RESIDENTS AND MATERNAL-FETAL MEDICINE FELLOWS. THE POLAR A370 FITNESS TRACKER DEVICE WAS PROVIDED AND SYNCED TO THE POLAR FLOW FOR COACH PROGRAM FOR INCLUSION. DATA OBTAINED INCLUDED TOTAL AND RESTFUL SLEEP FROM EACH NIGHT THE DEVICE WERE WORN. PRE- AND POST-ASSESSMENT OF THE PITTSBURG SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI) WERE COMPARED. LINEAR MIXED MODELS WERE USED TO ESTIMATE AND TEST THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON SLEEP WHILE CONTROLLING FOR ON-CALL SHIFTS. RESULTS: OF THE 15 PARTICIPANTS WHO SYNCED THEIR DEVICE, 13 (87%) WERE INCLUDED FOR ANALYSIS. SLEEP DATA FROM 572 NIGHTS WERE ANALYZED. THE MEAN (SD) TOTAL SLEEP WAS 434.28 (110.03) MINUTES OVER THE 8 WEEKS. A MINIMUM OF 7 HOURS (420 MINUTES) OF TOTAL SLEEP OCCURRED 59.3% OF THE TIME. AFTER CONTROLLING FOR FRIDAY OR SATURDAY NIGHT ON-CALL, THOSE WHO ATTENDED YOGA CLASS HAD A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER TOTAL SLEEP (YOGA: 425.14 MINUTES [41.89], NO YOGA: 357.33 [43.04] MINUTES; P = 0.04). THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE MEAN GLOBAL PSQI SCORE AFTER THE PROGRAM (PRE: 5.0 [1.6], POST: 5.1 [2.5], P = 0.35). CONCLUSION: WEARABLE FITNESS MONITORS PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO SLEEP PATTERNS DISPLAYED DURING TRAINING AND CAN SERVE AS A TOOL TO IDENTIFY THOSE WHO ARE SLEEP DEPRIVED AND ASSIST IN THE EVALUATION OF TRAINEE WELLNESS. TRAINING PROGRAMS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO YOGA AND MINDFULNESS INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE SLEEP AND POSSIBLY CLINICAL PERFORMANCE. KEY POINTS: . YOGA IMPROVES TRAINEE SLEEP BY APPROXIMATELY 60 MINUTES.. . TOTAL AND RESTFUL SLEEP ARE REDUCED DURING NIGHT FLOAT ROTATION.. . TRAINEES OBTAINED 7 HOURS OF SLEEP APPROXIMATELY 60% OF THE TIME.. 2021 3 1179 18 EVALUATION OF THE BENEFITS OF A KRIPALU YOGA PROGRAM FOR POLICE ACADEMY TRAINEES: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: LAW ENFORCEMENT RANKS AS ONE OF THE MOST STRESSFUL OCCUPATIONS IN THE WORLD. YOGA IS A MIND-BODY PRACTICE COMPOSED OF POSTURES, BREATHING, AND MEDITATION TECHNIQUES, AND IS KNOWN FOR ITS BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON STRESS AND MOOD DISTURBANCE. OBJECTIVES: THIS PILOT STUDY EVALUATED THE EFFECTS OF KRIPALU YOGA ON PERCEIVED STRESS, MOOD, AND MINDFULNESS DURING POLICE ACADEMY TRAINING. METHOD: FORTY-TWO RECRUITS PARTICIPATED IN A 6-CLASS YOGA INTERVENTION. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES-SHORT FORM, PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE, AND THE FIVE FACET MINDFULNESS QUESTIONNAIRE PRIOR TO AND IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF THE YOGA PROGRAM, AS WELL AS AN EXIT SURVEY. RESULTS: PAIRED SAMPLES T-TESTS REVEALED SIGNIFICANT POSTINTERVENTION CHANGES IN PERCEIVED STRESS AND MOOD, REDUCTIONS IN TENSION AND FATIGUE, AND A TREND TOWARD REDUCED ANGER. CHANGES IN MINDFULNESS WERE NOT DETECTED. THE EXIT SURVEY INDICATED PERCEIVED BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR SOME PARTICIPANTS. CONCLUSIONS: THIS PRELIMINARY STUDY SUGGESTS THAT YOGA MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR REDUCING STRESS, TENSION, AND FATIGUE AMONG POLICE ACADEMY TRAINEES. FUTURE LONGITUDINAL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS ARE NEEDED TO EVALUATE ITS FULL POTENTIAL AS A PERMANENT COMPONENT OF POLICE ACADEMY TRAINING. 2013 4 659 33 EFFECT OF 11 MONTHS OF YOGA TRAINING ON CARDIORESPIRATORY RESPONSES DURING THE ACTUAL PRACTICE OF SURYA NAMASKAR. BACKGROUND: SURYA NAMASKAR (SN), A POPULAR TRADITIONAL INDIAN YOGIC PRACTICE, INCLUDES PRACTICING 12 PHYSICAL POSTURES WITH ALTERNATE FORWARD AND BACKWARD BENDING MOVEMENT OF THE BODY ALONG WITH DEEP BREATHING MANEUVERS. THE PRACTICE OF SN HAS BECOME POPULAR AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND OTHER FITNESS CONSCIOUS PEOPLE. THE LONG-TERM EFFECT OF PRACTICING SN AND OTHER YOGIC PRACTICES ON CARDIORESPIRATORY RESPONSES DURING SN ARE LACKING. AIM: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGIC TRAINING ON VARIOUS CARDIORESPIRATORY RESPONSES DURING THE SN PRACTICE IN YOGA TRAINEES AFTER A TIME INTERVAL OF 3, 6, AND 11 MONTHS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED ON 9 HEALTHY MALE ARMY SOLDIERS WHO UNDERWENT TRAINING IN VARIOUS YOGA POSTURES INCLUDING SN, MEDITATION, AND PRANAYAMA FOR 1 H DAILY FOR 11 MONTHS. FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD PHASE OF THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN THE LABORATORY AFTER COMPLETION OF 3, 6, AND 11 MONTHS OF THE YOGA TRAINING. THE PARTICIPANTS PERFORMED SN ALONG WITH OTHER YOGIC PRACTICES IN THE LABORATORY AS PER THEIR DAILY PRACTICE SCHEDULE. THE CARDIORESPIRATORY RESPONSES OF THE VOLUNTEERS WERE RECORDED DURING ACTUAL PRACTICE OF SN. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: ONE-WAY REPEATED MEASURE ANOVA FOLLOWED BY TUKEY HSD. RESULTS: OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND HEART RATE DURING ACTUAL PRACTICE OF SN WAS 0.794 +/- 0.252, 0.738 +/- 0.229, AND 0.560 +/- 0.165 L/MIN AND 92.1 +/- 11.6, 97.9 +/- 7.3 AND 87.4 +/- 9.2 BEATS/MIN RESPECTIVELY AT 1(ST) , 2(ND) , AND 3(RD) PHASE OF YOGA TRAINING. MINUTE VENTILATION AND TIDAL VOLUME ALSO REDUCED FROM 19.9 +/- 4.65 TO 17.8 +/- 4.41 L/MIN AND 1.091 +/- 0.021 TO 0.952 L/BREATH FROM 1(ST) PHASE TO 3(RD) PHASE OF YOGA TRAINING. HOWEVER, RESPIRATORY PARAMETERS LIKE BREATHING RATE (FR) DID NOT SHOW ANY REDUCTION ACROSS THE THREE PHASES. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS OF THE PRESENT STUDY INDICATED THAT YOGIC TRAINING CAUSED CONDITIONING OF CARDIORESPIRATORY PARAMETERS EXCEPT FR, WHICH DID NOT REDUCE ACROSS THREE PHASES OF TRAINING. 2014 5 278 26 ADDRESSING OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY TRAINEE BURNOUT USING A YOGA-BASED WELLNESS INITIATIVE DURING DEDICATED EDUCATION TIME. OBJECTIVE: TO ESTIMATE THE FEASIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTING A YOGA-BASED WELLNESS PROGRAM DURING TRAINING AND ITS INFLUENCE ON BURNOUT, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, STRESS, AND MINDFULNESS AMONG OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY TRAINEES. METHODS: WE CONDUCTED A DEPARTMENTAL QUALITY IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVE CONSISTING OF WEEKLY 1-HOUR YOGA CLASSES CONDUCTED DURING PROTECTED EDUCATION TIME AND NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL CHALLENGES FOR 24 OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY RESIDENTS AND FIVE MATERNAL-FETAL MEDICINE FELLOWS. PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED A FREE WRIST-WORN FITNESS TRACKER DEVICE TO RECORD THEIR ACTIVITY. PREPROGRAM AND POSTPROGRAM DATA COLLECTION INCLUDED RESULTS FROM VALIDATED SCALES ON BURNOUT, MINDFULNESS, DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART RATE, AND WEIGHT. WILCOXON SIGNED RANK TESTS WERE USED FOR ANALYSIS. A P-VALUE <.05 WAS CONSIDERED SIGNIFICANT. RESULTS: OVER AN 8-WEEK PERIOD, 90% (N=26) OF PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED AT LEAST ONE YOGA CLASS AND 68% ATTENDED AT LEAST 50% OF THE CLASSES. NO PARTICIPANT COMPLETED ALL SESSIONS. EIGHTY PERCENT (N=20) ENGAGED IN AT LEAST ONE NUTRITION CHALLENGE AND 60% (N=15) IN AT LEAST ONE PHYSICAL CHALLENGE. AFTER THE PROGRAM, A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE DEPERSONALIZATION COMPONENT OF BURNOUT (P=.04), ANXIETY (P=.02), AND SYSTOLIC (PREPROGRAM: 122, POSTPROGRAM: 116 MM HG; P=.01) AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (PREPROGRAM: 82, POSTPROGRAM: 76 MM HG; P=.01) OCCURRED. THOSE PARTICIPANTS WHO ATTENDED MORE THAN 50% OF YOGA CLASSES DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE COMPARED WITH LESS-FREQUENT ATTENDEES (P=.02 AND .04, RESPECTIVELY). A POSTPROGRAM SURVEY REVEALED FEELINGS OF INCREASED CAMARADERIE, APPRECIATION, MOTIVATION, AND OVERALL TRAINING EXPERIENCE. DISCUSSION: IMPLEMENTING A WELLNESS PROGRAM CONSISTING OF WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES IS FEASIBLE AND MAY BE BENEFICIAL. A WELLNESS INITIATIVE THAT EMPHASIZES ACTIVE PARTICIPATION DURING EDUCATION TIME WITH THE AUTONOMY TO IMPLEMENT DAILY WELLNESS ACTIVITIES MAY REDUCE BURNOUT AND IMPROVE WELL-BEING. 2019 6 1730 25 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 7 966 23 EFFECTS OF A YOGA-BASED STRESS INTERVENTION PROGRAM ON THE BLOOD PRESSURE OF YOUNG POLICE OFFICERS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: DESPITE IMPROVEMENTS IN HEALTH EDUCATION AND TREATMENT, ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION REMAINS A MAJOR HEALTH PROBLEM OF INCREASING EPIDEMIOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF REGULAR YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES ON BLOOD PRESSURE, WORK-RELATED STRESS, AND THE PREVALENCE OF ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION IN YOUNG POLICE ACADEMY TRAINEES WITH NO EXISTING COMORBIDITIES. DESIGN: A SINGLE-CENTER, PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SUBJECTS: THE STUDY INCLUDED 120 HEALTHY TRAINEES AGED BETWEEN 18 AND 39 YEARS WHO PRACTICED WEEKLY YOGA EXERCISES WITH AN EMPHASIS ON BREATHING (PRANAYAMA) OVER AN OBSERVATION PERIOD OF 6 MONTHS. RESULTS: THESE REGULAR EXERCISES LOWERED THE BLOOD PRESSURE OF THE PARTICIPANTS BY 1.34 MMHG (RIGHT ARM, P = 0.007), INCREASED THEIR REGENERATIVE CAPACITY (RECOVERY EXPERIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE [REQ] SCALE +2.77, P < 0.001) AND RESILIENCE (RESILIENCE SCALE [RS] +4.6, P = 0.001), AND CONCOMITANTLY REDUCED THE LEVEL OF PERCEIVED STRESS (PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE [PSS] -0.9, P < 0.001). IN CONTRAST, BLOOD PRESSURE IN THE CONTROL GROUP HAD SLIGHTLY INCREASED OVER THE STUDY PERIOD BY 0.1 MMHG (RIGHT ARM, P < 0.001) AND 1.0 MMHG (LEFT ARM, P = 0.03), AND SUBJECTIVE SCORES HAD SIGNIFICANTLY WORSENED (REQ SCALE -3.4, P < 0.001; RS -2.29, P = 0.001; PSS +0.88, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS POINT TO A SIGNIFICANT CORRELATION BETWEEN BLOOD PRESSURE AND BOTH REGENERATIVE CAPACITY AND STRESS LEVEL. THUS, THE STUDY CONFIRMS THE HYPOTHESIS THAT YOGA EXERCISES REDUCE PERCEIVED STRESS AND EXERT POSITIVE EFFECTS ON BLOOD PRESSURE. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: DRKS00025921. 2022 8 54 28 A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND SWIMMING ON PULMONARY FUNCTIONS IN SEDENTARY SUBJECTS. CONTEXT: THE MODALITY OF EXERCISE THAT IS MOST BENEFICIAL AND EASY TO PERFORM HAS BECOME A TOPIC OF RESEARCH. YOGIC EXERCISES ARE BEING WIDELY STUDIED; HOWEVER, POSTULATED BENEFITS OF YOGIC EXERCISES OVER OTHER EXERCISES MUST BE SCIENTIFICALLY EXPLORED. PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED COMPARATIVE STUDIES INVOLVING YOGA AND OTHER ENDURANCE EXERCISES ARE CONSPICUOUS BY THEIR ABSENCE. AIM: THIS STUDY WAS, THEREFORE, DESIGNED TO ASSESS AND COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF YOGIC TRAINING AND SWIMMING ON PULMONARY FUNCTIONS IN NORMAL HEALTHY YOUNG VOLUNTEERS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 100 VOLUNTEERS WERE INDUCTED INTO THE STUDY AND RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: ONE GROUP UNDERWENT 12 WEEKS TRAINING FOR YOGIC EXERCISES AND OTHER FOR SWIMMING. THE TRAINING AND DATA ACQUISITION WAS DONE IN SMALL COHORTS OF 10 SUBJECTS EACH. THE SUBJECTS WERE ASSESSED BY STUDYING THEIR ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS AND PULMONARY FUNCTION PARAMETERS (FVC, FEV1/FVC RATIO, PEFR, FEF25-75%, FEF 0.2-1.2 L AND MVV) BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER TRAINING. RESULTS: ALL PARAMETERS SHOWED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS AFTER BOTH YOGA AND SWIMMING. COMPARISON OF THESE IMPROVEMENTS FOR DIFFERENT PARAMETERS STATISTICALLY ANALYZED BY UNPAIRED T TEST OR MANN WHITNEY U TEST DEPICTED A STATISTICALLY BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN FVC, FEF25-75% AND MVV WITH SWIMMING AS COMPARED TO YOGIC EXERCISES. CONCLUSIONS: THE OUTPUT OF THIS STUDY GIVES SLIGHT EDGE TO SWIMMING AS A PREFERRED MODALITY OF EXERCISE THOUGH EITHER YOGA OR SWIMMING CAN BE ADVOCATED AS AN EXERCISE PRESCRIPTION AS BOTH THE MODALITIES CAUSE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OF RESPIRATORY HEALTH. HOWEVER, OTHER FACTORS LIKE ABILITY OF ANY EXERCISE REGIME TO KEEP CONTINUED MOTIVATION AND INTEREST OF THE TRAINEES MUST BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT FOR EXERCISE PRESCRIPTION. 2012 9 579 22 DESIGNING A YOGA INTERVENTION PROGRAM TO IMPROVE WELL-BEING FOR PHYSICIAN TRAINEES: CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNED. WELL-BEING ACTIVITIES MAY HELP TO COUNTERACT PHYSICIAN BURNOUT. YOGA IS KNOWN TO ENHANCE WELL-BEING, BUT THERE ARE FEW STUDIES OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR PHYSICIANS IN TRAINING. THIS PROSPECTIVE METHODOLOGY-DEVELOPMENT STUDY AIMED TO EXPLORE HOW TO ESTABLISH A YOGA-BASED WELL-BEING INTERVENTION FOR PHYSICIAN TRAINEES IN A LARGE URBAN TRAINING HOSPITAL. WE AIMED TO IDENTIFY FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO TRAINEE PARTICIPATION AND EXPLORE AN INSTRUMENT TO MEASURE CHANGES IN SELF-REPORTED WELL-BEING AFTER YOGA. COHORTS INCLUDED A REQUIRED-ATTENDANCE GROUP, A VOLUNTARY-ATTENDANCE GROUP, AND AN UNASSIGNED WALK-IN YOGA GROUP. WEEKLY 1-HOUR YOGA SESSIONS WERE LED BY A QUALIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR FOR 4 WEEKS. THE SEVEN-QUESTION RESIDENT PHYSICIAN WELL-BEING INDEX (RPWBI) WAS USED TO MEASURE RESIDENT WELL-BEING BEFORE YOGA, AFTER 4 WEEKS OF YOGA, AND 6 MONTHS POST-YOGA. TRAINEES ATTENDING EACH SESSION RANGED FROM 17 FOR REQUIRED YOGA TO 0-2 FOR VOLUNTARY YOGA, 2-9 FOR LUNCHTIME WALK-IN YOGA, AND 1-7 FOR EVENING WALK-IN YOGA. IN THE REQUIRED-YOGA GROUP (N = 17), OVERALL RPWBI MEAN SCORES DID NOT CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS THE THREE QUERY TIMES, AND PARTICIPATION IN THE SURVEY DECLINED OVER TIME. THE MEAN BASELINE RPWBI SCORE FOR THE REQUIRED GROUP BEFORE YOGA WAS IN THE NON-DISTRESSED RANGE AND ANSWERS TO THE SEVEN INDIVIDUAL QUESTIONS VARIED. REQUIRING A YOGA ACTIVITY FOR MEDICAL TRAINEES MAY BE A GOOD STRATEGY FOR PROMOTING PARTICIPATION IN YOGA. THE RPWBI MAY HAVE LIMITED UTILITY FOR MEASURING CHANGES IN OVERALL GROUP WELL-BEING AFTER A YOGA INTERVENTION. 2021 10 2696 19 YOGA INSTRUCTORS' REPORTED BENEFITS AND DISADVANTAGES ASSOCIATED WITH FUNCTIONING ONLINE: A CONVENIENCE SAMPLING SURVEY. BACKGROUND: AMONG NUMEROUS CHANGES IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, MOST YOGA CLASSES HAVE REPOSITIONED ONLINE. HOWEVER BENEFITS, DIFFICULTIES AND SATISFACTION OF TEACHING YOGA ONLINE REMAIN TO BE STUDIED. WITH THIS BACKGROUND THE PRESENT SURVEY AIMED TO DETERMINE: (I) BENEFITS, DISADVANTAGES AND SATISFACTION OF TEACHING YOGA ONLINE AND (II) THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH CHARACTERISTICS RELATED TO (A) SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC, (B) ONLINE YOGA TEACHING EXPERIENCE AND (C) YOGA PRACTICE. METHODS: THREE HUNDRED AND FIVE YOGA INSTRUCTORS WERE INVITED TO TAKE PART IN THE ONLINE SURVEY. OF THESE, 181 (M:F = 98:83) RESPONDED TO THE SURVEY SATISFACTORILY AND WERE INCLUDED. RESULTS: THE THREE MOST COMMON BENEFITS OF TEACHING YOGA ONLINE WERE: (I) A SENSE OF SAFETY FROM RISK OF COVID-19 (93.92%), (II) COST SAVING (82.87%) AND (III) WIDER ACCESS TO TRAINEES WITHIN INDIA (77.90%). THE THREE MOST COMMON DISADVANTAGES WERE: (I) TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES (74.03%), (II) MISSING IN-PERSON CONTACT (63.90%) AND (III) CONCERN THAT ONLINE INSTRUCTIONS CAN LEAD TO INJURY (59.16%). AROUND 66.30% RESPONDENTS WERE SATISFIED WITH THE MONITORING OF TRAINEES DURING ONLINE YOGA CLASSES WHILE 70.16% RESPONDENTS WERE SATISFIED WITH THE LEVEL OF ATTENTION THEY COULD PAY TO THE TOPIC THEY WERE TEACHING DURING ONLINE YOGA CLASS. THE BENEFITS AND DISADVANTAGES OF TEACHING YOGA ONLINE VARIED WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF YOGA INSTRUCTORS (P < 0.05, CHI2 TEST). CONCLUSIONS: THE BENEFITS AND DISADVANTAGES OF TEACHING YOGA ONLINE ARE OF RELEVANCE DURING AND BEYOND THE PANDEMIC. CHARACTERISTICS RELATED TO (I) SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHICS, (II) ONLINE YOGA TEACHING AND (III) YOGA PRACTICE INFLUENCE REPORTED BENEFITS AND DISADVANTAGES OF TEACHING YOGA ONLINE. 2022 11 485 13 CLINICAL GROUP SUPERVISION IN YOGA THERAPY: MODEL EFFECTS, AND LESSONS LEARNED. CLINICAL SUPERVISION IS AN INTEGRAL COMPONENT OF THERAPIST TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT BECAUSE OF ITS CAPACITY FOR FOSTERING KNOWLEDGE, SELF-AWARENESS, AND CLINICAL ACUMEN. INDIVIDUAL SUPERVISION IS PART OF MANY YOGA THERAPY TRAINING PROGRAMS AND IS REFERENCED IN THE IAYT STANDARDS AS "MENTORING." GROUP SUPERVISION IS NOT TYPICALLY USED IN THE TRAINING OF YOGA THERAPISTS. WE PROPOSE THAT GROUP SUPERVISION EFFECTIVELY SUPPORTS THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF YOGA THERAPISTS-IN-TRAINING. WE PRESENT A MODEL OF GROUP SUPERVISION FOR YOGA THERAPIST TRAINEES DEVELOPED BY THE NEW ENGLAND SCHOOL OF INTEGRATIVE YOGA THERAPEUTICS (THE NESIYT MODEL) THAT INCLUDES THE BACKGROUND, STRUCTURE, FORMAT, AND DEVELOPMENT OF OUR INAUGURAL 18-MONTH SUPERVISION GROUP. PRE-AND POST-SUPERVISION SURVEYS AND ANALYZED CASE NOTES, WHICH CAPTURED KEY DIDACTIC AND PROCESS THEMES, ARE DISCUSSED. CLINICAL ISSUES, SUCH AS BOUNDARIES, PERFORMANCE ANXIETY, SENSE OF SELF EFFICACY, THE THERAPEUTIC ALLIANCE, TRANSFERENCE AND COUNTER TRANSFERENCE, PACING OF YOGA THERAPY SESSIONS, EVALUATION OF CLIENT PROGRESS, AND ADJUNCT THERAPIST INTERACTION ARE REVIEWED. THE TIMING AND SEQUENCE OF DIDACTIC AND PROCESS THEMES AND BENEFITS FOR YOGA THERAPIST TRAINEES' PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, ARE DISCUSSED. THE NESIYT GROUP SUPERVISION MODEL IS OFFERED AS AN EFFECTIVE BLUEPRINT FOR YOGA THERAPY TRAINING PROGRAMS. 2012 12 985 31 EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AND OMKAR MEDITATION ON CARDIORESPIRATORY PERFORMANCE, PSYCHOLOGIC PROFILE, AND MELATONIN SECRETION. OBJECTIVES: TO EVALUATE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AND OMKAR MEDITATION ON CARDIORESPIRATORY PERFORMANCE, PSYCHOLOGIC PROFILE, AND MELATONIN SECRETION. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: THIRTY HEALTHY MEN IN THE AGE GROUP OF 25-35 YEARS VOLUNTEERED FOR THE STUDY. THEY WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED IN TWO GROUPS OF 15 EACH. GROUP 1 SUBJECTS SERVED AS CONTROLS AND PERFORMED BODY FLEXIBILITY EXERCISES FOR 40 MINUTES AND SLOW RUNNING FOR 20 MINUTES DURING MORNING HOURS AND PLAYED GAMES FOR 60 MINUTES DURING EVENING HOURS DAILY FOR 3 MONTHS. GROUP 2 SUBJECTS PRACTICED SELECTED YOGIC ASANAS (POSTURES) FOR 45 MINUTES AND PRANAYAMA FOR 15 MINUTES DURING THE MORNING, WHEREAS DURING THE EVENING HOURS THESE SUBJECTS PERFORMED PREPARATORY YOGIC POSTURES FOR 15 MINUTES, PRANAYAMA FOR 15 MINUTES, AND MEDITATION FOR 30 MINUTES DAILY, FOR 3 MONTHS. ORTHOSTATIC TOLERANCE, HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, RESPIRATORY RATE, DYNAMIC LUNG FUNCTION (SUCH AS FORCED VITAL CAPACITY, FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1 SECOND, FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME PERCENTAGE, PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE, AND MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY VENTILATION), AND PSYCHOLOGIC PROFILE WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER 3 MONTHS OF YOGIC PRACTICES. SERIAL BLOOD SAMPLES WERE DRAWN AT VARIOUS TIME INTERVALS TO STUDY EFFECTS OF THESE YOGIC PRACTICES AND OMKAR MEDITATION ON MELATONIN LEVELS. RESULTS: YOGIC PRACTICES FOR 3 MONTHS RESULTED IN AN IMPROVEMENT IN CARDIORESPIRATORY PERFORMANCE AND PSYCHOLOGIC PROFILE. THE PLASMA MELATONIN ALSO SHOWED AN INCREASE AFTER THREE MONTHS OF YOGIC PRACTICES. THE SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, MEAN ARTERIAL PRESSURE, AND ORTHOSTATIC TOLERANCE DID NOT SHOW ANY SIGNIFICANT CORRELATION WITH PLASMA MELATONIN. HOWEVER, THE MAXIMUM NIGHT TIME MELATONIN LEVELS IN YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT CORRELATION (R = 0.71, P < 0.05) WITH WELL-BEING SCORE. CONCLUSION: THESE OBSERVATIONS SUGGEST THAT YOGIC PRACTICES CAN BE USED AS PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGIC STIMULI TO INCREASE ENDOGENOUS SECRETION OF MELATONIN, WHICH, IN TURN, MIGHT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR IMPROVED SENSE OF WELL-BEING. 2004 13 2535 15 YOGA ENHANCES POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL STATES IN YOUNG ADULT MUSICIANS. ALTHOUGH YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE A VIABLE TECHNIQUE FOR IMPROVING THE PERFORMANCE OF THE MIND AND BODY, LITTLE ATTENTION HAS BEEN DIRECTED TO STUDYING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA AND THE PSYCHOLOGICAL STATES OF FLOW AND MINDFULNESS. MUSICIANS ENROLLED IN A 2-MONTH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM IN 2005, 2006 AND 2007 WERE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN A YOGA AND MEDITATION PROGRAM. FELLOWS NOT PARTICIPATING IN THE YOGA PROGRAM WERE RECRUITED SEPARATELY AS CONTROLS. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED BASELINE AND END-PROGRAM QUESTIONNAIRES EVALUATING DISPOSITIONAL FLOW, MINDFULNESS, CONFUSION, AND MUSIC PERFORMANCE ANXIETY. COMPARED TO CONTROLS, YOGA PARTICIPANTS REPORTED SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN CONFUSION AND INCREASES IN DISPOSITIONAL FLOW. YOGA PARTICIPANTS IN THE 2006 SAMPLE ALSO REPORTED SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN THE MINDFULNESS SUBSCALE OF AWARENESS. CORRELATIONAL ANALYSES REVEALED THAT INCREASES IN PARTICIPANTS' DISPOSITIONAL FLOW AND MINDFULNESS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASES IN CONFUSION AND MUSIC PERFORMANCE ANXIETY. THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATES THE COMMONALITIES BETWEEN POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY AND YOGA, BOTH OF WHICH ARE FOCUSED ON ENHANCING HUMAN PERFORMANCE AND PROMOTING BENEFICIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL STATES. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA AND MEDITATION MAY ENHANCE THE STATES OF FLOW AND MINDFUL AWARENESS, AND REDUCE CONFUSION. 2016 14 2744 41 YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVES PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL STATUS AT HIGH ALTITUDES: A PROSPECTIVE CASE-CONTROL STUDY. UNLABELLED: CONTEXT * HIGH ALTITUDE (HA) IS A PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL STRESSOR FOR NATIVES OF LOWER ALTITUDES. REDUCING THE MORBIDITY AND OPTIMIZING THE PERFORMANCE OF INDIVIDUALS DEPLOYED IN AN HA REGION HAS BEEN ATTEMPTED AND REPORTED WITH VARIED RESULTS. OBJECTIVE * THE PRESENT STUDY INTENDED TO EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF COMPREHENSIVE YOGIC PRACTICES ON THE HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE OF INDIAN SOLDIERS DEPLOYED AT HAS. DESIGN * THE RESEARCH TEAM DESIGNED A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, CASE-CONTROL STUDY. SETTING: THE STUDY WAS DONE AT KARU, LEH, INDIA, AT AN ALTITUDE OF 3445 M. PARTICIPANTS * FULLY ACCLIMATIZED SOLDIERS IN THE INDIAN ARMY WERE RANDOMLY SELECTED FROM THOSE POSTED TO HA REGIONS (IE, ALTITUDES >3000 M). INTERVENTION * THE SOLDIERS WERE DIVIDED INTO 2 GROUPS OF EQUAL SIZE. THE FIRST GROUP, THE CONTROL GROUP, CARRIED OUT THE ROUTINE ACTIVITIES FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING IN THE INDIAN ARMY. THE SECOND GROUP, THE INTERVENTION GROUP PRACTICED A COMPREHENSIVE YOGA PACKAGE, INCLUDING PHYSICAL ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, AND MEDITATION, AND DID NOT PERFORM THE PHYSICAL TRAINING THAT THE FIRST GROUP DID. BOTH GROUPS WERE MONITORED DURING THEIR ACTIVITIES. OUTCOME MEASURES * A WIDE AND COMPREHENSIVE RANGE OF ANTHROPOMETRICAL, PHYSIOLOGICAL, BIOCHEMICAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS WERE MEASURED: (1) HEIGHT AND WEIGHT; (2) BODY FAT PERCENTAGE (BFP); (3) HEART RATE (HR); (4) RESPIRATORY RATE (RR); (5) SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (DPB); (6) PERIPHERAL SATURATION OF OXYGEN; (7) END TIDAL CO2 (ETCO2); (8) CHEST EXPANSION; (9) PULMONARY FUNCTION; (10) PHYSICAL WORK CAPACITY (VO2MAX); (11) HEMATOLOGICAL VARIABLES; (12) LIPID PROFILE; (13) SERUM UREA; (14) CREATININE; (15) LIVER ENZYMES; (16) BLOOD GLUCOSE; AND (17) ANXIETY SCORES. MEASUREMENTS WERE MADE AT BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION. RESULTS * TWO-HUNDRED SOLDIERS TOOK PART IN THE STUDY. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN HEALTH INDICES AND PERFORMANCE AS COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. THEY HAD LOWER WEIGHTS, BFPS, RRS, DBPS, AND ANXIETY SCORES. THEY ALSO HAD A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER ETCO2, FORCED VITAL CAPACITY, FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN THE FIRST SECOND (FEV1), AND VO2MAX. ALSO, THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN SERUM CHOLESTEROL, LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN, TRIGLYCERIDES, AND BLOOD UREA AS COMPARED WITH THEIR PREYOGA LEVELS AND WITH THE EXERCISE GROUP. CONCLUSIONS * PRACTICE OF YOGA FACILITATES IMPROVEMENTS IN HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE AT HAS AND IS SUPERIOR TO ROUTINE TRAINING WITH PHYSICAL EXERCISES. COMPREHENSIVE YOGIC PRACTICES ARE AN EFFECTIVE MODALITY FOR IMPROVING HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE AT HAS. 2016 15 1642 18 MOOD ALTERATION WITH YOGA AND SWIMMING: AEROBIC EXERCISE MAY NOT BE NECESSARY. THE MOOD BENEFITS OF HATHA YOGA AND SWIMMING, TWO ACTIVITIES THAT DIFFER GREATLY IN AEROBIC TRAINING BENEFITS, WERE EXAMINED. COLLEGE STUDENTS (N = 87) IN TWO SWIMMING CLASSES, A YOGA CLASS, AND A LECTURE-CONTROL CLASS COMPLETED MOOD AND PERSONALITY INVENTORIES BEFORE AND AFTER CLASS ON THREE OCCASIONS. A MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE INDICATED THAT BOTH YOGA PARTICIPANTS (N = 22) AND SWIMMERS (N = 37) REPORTED GREATER DECREASES IN SCORES ON ANGET, CONFUSION, TENSION, AND DEPRESSION THAN DID THE CONTROL STUDENTS (N = 28). THE CONSISTENT MOOD BENEFITS OF YOGA SUPPORTED OUR EARLIER OBSERVATION THAT THE EXERCISE NEED NOT BE AEROBIC TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH MOOD ENHANCEMENT. HOWEVER, UNDERLYING AND CAUSAL MECHANISMS REMAIN UNCERTAIN. AMONG THE MEN, THE ACUTE DECREASES IN TENSION, FATIGUE, AND ANGER AFTER YOGA WERE SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER THAN THOSE AFTER SWIMMING. YOGA MAY BE EVEN MORE BENEFICIAL THAN SWIMMING FOR MEN WHO PERSONALLY SELECT TO PARTICIPATE. THE WOMEN REPORTED FAIRLY SIMILAR MOOD BENEFITS AFTER SWIMMING AND YOGA. IT SEEMS THAT AEROBIC EXERCISE MAY NOT BE NECESSARY TO FACILITATE THE MOOD BENEFITS. ALSO, STUDENTS WITH GREATER MOOD CHANGES ATTENDED CLASS MORE REGULARLY THAN THOSE WHO REPORTED FEWER PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS. MAXIMIZING THE IMMEDIATE PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF EXERCISE MIGHT BE ONE WAY TO ENCOURAGE ADULTS TO BE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE. 1992 16 751 18 EFFECT OF SHORT TERM YOGA PRACTICE ON VENTILATORY FUNCTION TESTS. TWENTYFIVE NORMAL MALE VOLUNTEERS UNDERGOING A TEN WEEKS COURSE IN THE PRACTICE OF YOGA HAVE BEEN STUDIED BY SOME PARAMETERS OF VENTILATORY FUNCTIONS TESTS. THE OBSERVATIONS RECORDED AT THE END OF TEN WEEKS OF THE COURSE HAVE SHOWN IMPROVED VENTILATORY FUNCTIONS IN THE FORM OF LOWERED RESPIRATORY RATE, INCREASED FORCED VITAL CAPACITY, FEV1, MAXIMUM BREATHING CAPACITY AND BREATH HOLDING TIME, WHILE TIDAL VOLUME AND %FEV1, DID NOT REVEAL ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE. THUS, A COMBINED PRACTICE OF YOGA SEEMS TO BE BENEFICIAL ON RESPIRATORY EFFICIENCY. 1988 17 960 22 EFFECTS OF A YOGA LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION ON PERFORMANCE-RELATED CHARACTERISTICS OF MUSICIANS: A PRELIMINARY STUDY. BACKGROUND: PREVIOUS RESEARCH HAS SUGGESTED THAT YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTICES ARE EFFECTIVE IN STRESS MANAGEMENT, ALLEVIATING ANXIETY AND MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS AND IMPROVING MOOD AND COGNITIVE AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE. MUSICIANS EXPERIENCE A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES IN THEIR PROFESSION INCLUDING HIGH LEVELS OF STRESS, PERFORMANCE ANXIETY AND PERFORMANCE-RELATED MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS. YOGA AND MEDITATION TECHNIQUES ARE THEREFORE POTENTIALLY USEFUL PRACTICES FOR PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS. MATERIAL/METHODS: MUSICIANS ENROLLED IN A PRESTIGIOUS 2-MONTH SUMMER FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM WERE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN A REGULAR YOGA AND MEDITATION PROGRAM AT A YOGA CENTER DURING THE COURSE OF THE PROGRAM. THE 10 PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA PROGRAM COMPLETED BASELINE AND END-PROGRAM QUESTIONNAIRES EVALUATING PERFORMANCE-RELATED MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS, PERFORMANCE ANXIETY, MOOD AND FLOW EXPERIENCE. FELLOWS NOT PARTICIPATING IN THE YOGA PROGRAM WERE RECRUITED TO SERVE AS CONTROLS AND COMPLETED THE SAME ASSESSMENTS (N=8). RESULTS: THE YOGA PARTICIPANTS SHOWED SOME IMPROVEMENTS RELATIVE TO CONTROL SUBJECTS ON MOST MEASURES, WITH THE RELATIVE IMPROVEMENT IN PERFORMANCE ANXIETY BEING THE GREATEST. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS FROM THIS PRELIMINARY STUDY SUGGEST THAT YOGA AND MEDITATION MAY BE BENEFICIAL AS A ROUTINE PRACTICE TO REDUCE PERFORMANCE ANXIETY IN MUSICIANS. 2006 18 2364 26 VOLUNTARY HEART RATE REDUCTION FOLLOWING YOGA USING DIFFERENT STRATEGIES. BACKGROUND/AIMS: ONE MONTH OF YOGA TRAINING HAS BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE THE PULSE RATE VOLUNTARILY WITHOUT USING EXTERNAL CUES. HENCE, THE PRESENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO UNDERSTAND THE STRATEGIES USED BY YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND AUTONOMIC CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH VOLUNTARY HEART RATE REDUCTION. MATERIALS AND METHODS: FIFTY VOLUNTEERS (GROUP MEAN AGE +/- S.D., 25.4 +/- 4.8 YEARS; 25 MALES) WERE ASSESSED IN TWO TRIALS ON SEPARATE DAYS. EACH TRIAL WAS FOR 12 MINUTES, WITH A 'PRE' STATE AND 'DURING' STATE OF 6 MINUTES EACH. FOR BOTH TRIALS THE 'PRE' STATE WAS RELAXATION WITH EYES CLOSED. IN THE 'DURING' STATE OF TRIAL I, SUBJECTS WERE ASKED TO VOLUNTARILY REDUCE THEIR HEART RATE USING A STRATEGY OF THEIR CHOICE. FROM THEIR RESPONSES TO SPECIFIC QUESTIONS IT WAS DETERMINED THAT 22 OUT OF 50 PERSONS USED BREATH REGULATION AS A STRATEGY. HENCE, IN THE 'DURING' STATE OF TRIAL II, SUBJECTS WERE ASKED TO VOLUNTARILY REDUCE THEIR HEART RATE BY BREATH REGULATION. RESULTS: IN THE FIRST TRIAL, THE HEART RATE WAS REDUCED BY AN AVERAGE OF 19.6 BEATS PER MINUTE AND IN THE SECOND TRIAL (WITH BREATH REGULATION EXCLUSIVELY) AN AVERAGE DECREASE OF 22.2 BEATS PER MINUTE WAS ACHIEVED. CONCLUSIONS: HENCE, THE STRATEGY USED DID NOT MARKEDLY ALTER THE OUTCOME. 2013 19 1451 31 INFLUENCE OF INTENSIVE YOGA TRAINING ON PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES IN 6 ADULT WOMEN: A CASE REPORT. THE SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF 4 WEEKS OF INTENSIVE YOGA PRACTICE ON PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES IN SIX HEALTHY ADULT FEMALE VOLUNTEERS WERE MEASURED USING THE MAXIMAL EXERCISE TREADMILL TEST. YOGA PRACTICE INVOLVED DAILY MORNING AND EVENING SESSIONS OF 90 MINUTES EACH. PRE- AND POST-YOGA EXERCISE PERFORMANCE WAS COMPARED. MAXIMAL WORK OUTPUT (WMAX) FOR THE GROUP INCREASED BY 21%, WITH A SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED LEVEL OF OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK BUT WITHOUT A CONCOMITANT SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN HEART RATE. AFTER INTENSIVE YOGA TRAINING, AT 154 WMIN(-1) (CORRESPONDING TO WMAX OF THE PRE-YOGA MAXIMAL EXERCISE TEST) PARTICIPANTS COULD EXERCISE MORE COMFORTABLY, WITH A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER HEART RATE (P < 0.05), REDUCED MINUTE VENTILATION (P < 0.05), REDUCED OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK (P < 0.05), AND A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER RESPIRATORY QUOTIENT (P < 0.05). THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE EFFECT OF INTENSIVE YOGA ON CARDIORESPIRATORY EFFICIENCY ARE DISCUSSED, WITH THE SUGGESTION THAT YOGA HAS SOME TRANSPARENTLY DIFFERENT QUANTIFIABLE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS TO OTHER EXERCISES. 1997 20 306 28 AN EVALUATION OF THE ABILITY TO VOLUNTARILY REDUCE THE HEART RATE AFTER A MONTH OF YOGA PRACTICE. THE STUDY AIMED AT DETERMINING WHETHER NOVICES TO YOGA WOULD BE ABLE TO REDUCE THEIR HEART RATE VOLUNTARILY AND WHETHER THE MAGNITUDE OF REDUCTION WOULD BE MORE AFTER 30 DAYS OF YOGA TRAINING. TWO GROUPS (YOGA AND CONTROL, N = 12 EACH) WERE ASSESSED ON DAY 1 AND ON DAY 30. DURING THE INTERVENING 30 DAYS, THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED TRAINING IN YOGA TECHNIQUES WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP CARRIED ON WITH THEIR ROUTINE. AT EACH ASSESSMENT THE BASELINE HEART RATE WAS RECORDED FOR ONE MINUTE, THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY A SIX-MINUTE PERIOD DURING WHICH PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO ATTEMPT TO VOLUNTARILY REDUCE THEIR HEART RATE, USING ANY STRATEGY. BOTH THE BASELINE HEART RATE AND THE LOWEST HEART RATE ACHIEVED VOLUNTARILY DURING THE SIX-MINUTE PERIOD WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP ON DAY 30 COMPARED TO DAY 1 BY A GROUP AVERAGE OF 10.7 BEATS PER MINUTE (I.E., BPM) AND 6.8 BPM, RESPECTIVELY (P < .05, WILCOXON PAIRED SIGNED RANKS TEST). IN CONTRAST, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN EITHER THE BASELINE HEART RATE OR THE LOWEST HEART RATE ACHIEVED VOLUNTARILY IN THE CONTROL GROUP ON DAY 30 COMPARED TO DAY 1. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA TRAINING CAN ENABLE PRACTITIONERS TO USE THEIR OWN STRATEGIES TO REDUCE THE HEART RATE, WHICH HAS POSSIBLE THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS. 2004