Objective: Pregnancy serves as an opportune time for “teachable moments”; a time where women have an increased perception on personal risk prompting a strong emotional response leading to behavioral change. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in exercise perception, behavior and gestational weight gain in those who engaged in a one-hour yoga or educational experience. Methods:...

BACKGROUND Yoga is increasingly popular, though little data regarding its implementation in healthcare settings is available. Similarly, telehealth is being utilized more frequently to increase access to healthcare; however we know of no research on the acceptability or effectiveness of yoga delivered through telehealth. Therefore, we evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and patient-report...

OBJECTIVE To conduct an evidence-based review of yoga as an intervention for patients with cancer. Specifically, this paper reviewed the impact of yoga on psychological adjustment among cancer patients. METHODS A systematic literature search was conducted between May 2007 and April 2008. Data from each identified study were extracted by two independent raters; studies were included if they as...

field of yoga therapy is growing at a phenomenal rate. An estimated 1,000 yoga therapy studies have been published since 2000. This represents a nearly fivefold increase since the previous decade. The benefits of yoga as therapy are no secret to the millions of yoga practitioners in the East who have e mbr a c ed its ri ch tr a d iti ons for thousands of years, yet in the West yoga therapy rema...

BACKGROUND In studies involving nonpharmacological complementary and alternative medicine interventions, participant blinding is very difficult. Participant expectations may affect perceived benefit of therapy. In studies of yoga as treatment for chronic low back pain, little is known about the relationship between patient expectations and preferences on outcomes. This study was designed to ide...

OBJECTIVE This study aims to determine the efficacy of yoga in alleviating vasomotor symptoms (VMS) frequency and bother. METHODS This study was a three-by-two factorial, randomized controlled trial. Eligible women were randomized to yoga (n = 107), exercise (n = 106), or usual activity (n = 142), and were simultaneously randomized to a double-blind comparison of ω-3 fatty acid (n = 177) or p...

BACKGROUND Yoga has become more popular among people in the United States and has been touted by both yoga participants as well as some physicians and researchers for its health benefits. While the health benefits have been studied, the frequency of injury among yoga participants has not been well documented. PURPOSE Injury incidence, rates, and types associated with yoga in the United States...

BACKGROUND Emotional distress is an increasing public health problem and Hatha yoga has been claimed to induce stress reduction and empowerment in practicing subjects. We aimed to evaluate potential effects of Iyengar Hatha yoga on perceived stress and associated psychological outcomes in mentally distressed women. MATERIAL/METHODS A controlled prospective non-randomized study was conducted i...

INTRODUCTION Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is prevalent, especially among military veterans. Many cLBP treatment options have limited benefits and are accompanied by side effects. Major efforts to reduce opioid use and embrace nonpharmacological pain treatments have resulted. Research with community cLBP patients indicates that yoga can improve health outcomes and has few side effects. The benef...

OBJECTIVES Yoga and exercise have beneficial effects on mood and anxiety. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic activity is reduced in mood and anxiety disorders. The practice of yoga postures is associated with increased brain GABA levels. This study addresses the question of whether changes in mood, anxiety, and GABA levels are specific to yoga or related to physical activity. METHODS Healthy su...