Shirley Telles

..The results suggest that yoga training can enable practitioners to use their own strategies to reduce the heart rate, which has possible therapeutic applications...

..Following a natural disaster, survivors are vulnerable to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/ or depression...

..Obese persons often find physical activity difficult. The effects of a yoga and diet change program, emphasizing breathing techniques practiced while seated, was assessed in obese persons...

..The voluntarily regulated yoga breathing has distinct effects on metabolism, the autonomic nervous system, higher brain functions, and mental state. The effects of meditation on the nervous system and mental state are even clearer...

..An elevated BP has been associated with poor performance in certain tasks requiring attention and co-ordination. The Purdue pegboard task assesses manual dexterity and eye-hand co-ordination...

..Hence, yoga is a useful intervention to reduce traits of neuroticism, with variations in the degree of change based on social factors...

..While an earlier study did show improved performance in an attention task after dharana, the autonomic changes during these two states have not been studied...

..This suggests that even in army personnel naive to yoga, a yoga-based intervention or listening to meditation music could reduce anxiety while increasing performance on an attention task...

..Hence, meditation influenced MLAEPs, while meditative focusing did not...

..The present randomized controlled trial was planned to evaluate the effect of a combination of yoga practices on self-rated symptoms of visual discomfort in professional computer users in Bangalore...

..The difference in scores following the sessions was statistically significant. Hence, yoga practice as well as learning about theoretical aspects of yoga appear to reduce state anxiety, with a greater reduction following yoga practice...

..CONCLUSION: A cyclical combination of yoga postures and supine rest in CM improved memory scores immediately after the practice and decreased state anxiety more than rest in a classical yoga relaxation posture (shavasana)...

..A week of yoga practice was given to the survivors a month after the event and the effect was assessed...

..Brainstem auditory evoked potential changes during the two states differed. Descriptions of yoga practices from ancient texts can give added insights about meditation and attention, supported by objective assessments...

..The changes were interpreted as due to changes in perception related to the way the stimuli were judged...

..In contrast, the WL group (n=56) showed an increase in musculoskeletal discomfort and a decrease in left hand tapping speed. The results suggest that yoga practice is a useful addition to the routine of professional computer users...

..abstract:..

..No change was seen on the night following SR. Hence yoga practice during the day appears to shift sympatho-vagal balance in favor of parasympathetic dominance during sleep on the following night...

..001, paired t-test). The other groups showed no change. Hence, an integrated approach of yoga including the mental and philosophical aspects in addition to the physical practices was useful for institutionalized older persons...

..Focusing on the symbol OM in Dharana may favorably influence selective attention, concentration, visual scanning abilities, and a repetitive motor response compared to other sessions...

..There was no change after the no-intervention/Control session. From the results it was difficult to conclude whether improved DLST scores after cyclic meditation were due to better information processing speed or improved motor speed...

..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...

..Hence, both categories showed similar changes in the HRV components though changes in sympathetic vasomotor and sudomotor activity were different. These changes suggest sympathetic activation, irrespective of the method of practice...

..The present results support the idea that "cyclic" meditation enhances cognitive processes underlying the generation of the P300...

..Hence, unilateral nostril yoga breathing practices appear to influence the blood pressure in different ways. These effects suggest possible therapeutic applications...

..The results suggest that Cyclic Meditation brings about a greater improvement in performance in this task, which requires selective attention, concentration, visual scanning abilities, and a repetitive motor response...

..The improved performance may be related to the enhancement of contralateral hemisphere function found with selective nostril breathing...

..05) after six months. The other groups showed no significant change. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSION: Yoga practice improved different aspects of sleep in a geriatric population...

..However, the two conditions differ in the level of awareness retained...

..In Indian scriptures the sacred syllable Om is the primordial sound from which all other sounds and creation emerge which signifies the Supreme Power...

..However, findings were not considered significant, so methodological issues in yoga research which could contribute to null findings and even mask actual changes were discussed...

..Cyclic meditation (CM) is a technique that combines yoga postures interspersed with supine rest. This combination is based on ancient texts and is considered easier for beginners to practice...

..05) at the end of a month attributed to re-test. The study suggests that one month of yoga improved reversal ability, eye-hand co-ordination, speed and accuracy which are necessary for mirror star tracing...

..The CAM physicians included practitioners of Ayurveda, homeopathy, and naturopathy...

..05) compared to before SR. In conclusion following CM the latencies of neural generators corresponding to cortical areas is prolonged, whereas following SR a similar change occurs at mesencephalic-diencephalic levels...

..An attempt has also been made to explore possible mechanisms underlying benefits seen. As most of these studies were not done on persons exposed to trauma that had practiced yoga, this is a definite area for further research...

..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...

..These descriptions were in line with experiential observations of the ancient sages described in classical yoga texts. This paper summarizes these perspectives on uninostril breathing...

..abstract:..

..05, t-test). This suggests that yoga practice may be useful in the management of stress following a natural disaster in people with widely differing social, cultural and spiritual beliefs...

..But change in P300 (event-related potential generated when subjects attend to and discriminate between stimuli) from bilateral scalp sites when subjects were practicing uni- and alternate-nostril breathing are yet to be explored...

..The sample was from one institution; however, the findings emphasize the importance of updating the knowledge of post-graduates or those in practice...

..This suggests that any sex-specific effects of uninostril breathing may be associated with sex-based physiological differences, not with 'masculine' and 'feminine' attributes of the channels (and the corresponding nostrils)...

..e., 4.8 percent). The results support the idea that a combination of yoga postures with supine rest (in CM) reduces the oxygen consumption more than resting supine alone does...

..001, chi(2) test). CONCLUSIONS: The improved level of infection, radiographic picture, FVC, weight gain and reduced symptoms in the yoga group suggest a complementary role for yoga in the management of pulmonary tuberculosis...

..Practicing mental repetition of "OM" has been shown to cause significant changes in the middle latency auditory-evoked potentials, which suggests that it facilitates the neural activity at the mesencephalic or diencephalic levels...

..5 at baseline showed no such change. The results suggest that sympathetic activity decreased after guided relaxation based on yoga, depending on the baseline levels...