Symptoms associated with menopause are known to negatively affect quality of life for many women. Moreover, concern about risks associated with hormone replacement therapy can prompt women to seek non-pharmacological approaches to symptom management. Claims exist that yoga can be useful in the management of menopausal symptoms, possibly through modification of endocrine function. This study used a randomized controlled design to examine the effect of yoga on sedentary menopausal women with regard to menopausal symptoms, circulating hormones, musculoskeletal fitness, heart rate, blood pressure, and body mass index. Women participating in a traditional walking program served as the control group. Results indicate that both types of activity were beneficial for perimenopausal women, although the differences between yoga and walking for improvement in menopause symptoms were not statistically significant. The effects do not appear to be associated with hormonal changes. Musculoskeletal fitness in sedentary women improved with activity despite weight gain. / ix, 105 leaves ; 29 cm

The objective of this study was to compare the acute heart rate variability responses to relaxation alone versus relaxation preceded by Hatha yoga. Twenty women and men (aged 18-50 years) participated in the study. Participants completed a yoga plus relaxation (YR) session and a relaxation only (R) session. The YR condition showed significant changes from baseline in HR (bpm, p < 0.001), RR (ms, p < 0.001), pNN50 (%, p = 0.009), LF (% p = 0.008) and HF (% p = 0.035). The R condition showed significant changes from baseline in HR (bpm, p < 0.001), RR (ms, p < 0.001), HF (ms2, p = 0.004), LF (%, p = 0.005), HF (%, p = 0.008) and LF/HF (%, p = 0.008). There were no significant differences between conditions for the changes from baseline for any of the variables. The results demonstrate that relaxation produces favorable changes in indices of heart rate variability whether alone or preceded by about of Hatha yoga. / by Nina Markil. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

This research is a qualitative study that aimed to anthropologically explore the effects of consistent long-term yogic practice on the acceptance and practice of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among yoga practitioners at a South Florida yoga center. I wished to determine, through in-depth interviews, whether or not yogic practice affects acceptance of CAM. The main objective was to interview individuals from a single yoga center that have practiced yoga at least once per week for at least one year concerning their beliefs about CAM, yoga, and health. This project will begin to fill the gap in social science, in general, and specifically, the anthropological literature. Scholars of various backgrounds have discussed elements of yogic practice and philosophy that were integral to my understanding of the data. The health benefits of yoga as CAM, the associations between yoga and beliefs about health, and the association between yoga and Indian philosophy and medicine have each been explored. However, anthropological scholarship discussing the effects of consistent, long-term yogic practice on the acceptance of other CAM’s or Western biomedicine has not been examined.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Stroke is a sudden and devastating medical condition. People who experience a stroke tend to have long-term physical limitations including impaired walking as part of the ongoing consequences of stroke. While a variety of rehabilitation interventions have demonstrated efficacy for improving walking after stroke, none of the interventions have emerged as superior, and prior to this study, therapeutic-yoga had not been tested as an intervention to improve walking recovery after stroke. METHODS: This study was a secondary data analysis of group therapeutic-yoga on walking recovery measures including walking speed, walking distance, and spatiotemporal step parameter symmetry. The walking recovery measures were collected as secondary outcomes in a sub-sample (n=12) in a pilot randomized controlled study (n=47) designed to test the efficacy of 8-weeks of group therapeutic-yoga on balance and fear of falling. Participants in the current study completed 12-weeks of group therapeutic yoga with outcome assessments at baseline, 8-weeks, and 12-weeks. The main analysis was repeated measures ANOVA to assess the main effect of time with additional analyses including effect sizes, percent of participants achieving change greater than or equal to minimal detectable change (MDC), and mean change score comparisons between baseline and 8-weeks, 8-weeks and 12-weeks, and baseline and 12-weeks. RESULTS: Twelve people with chronic stroke enrolled in the study with 9 completing the intervention and all 3 assessments. No significant main effect of time was found on any of the variables of interest. Walking distance demonstrated a trend toward significant change (p=0.064) and step length symmetry demonstrated significant change (p=0.05) between baseline and 12-weeks. Several spatiotemporal step parameter symmetry ratios demonstrated small to medium effect sizes with the majority (91%) being a negative effect. CONCLUSION: Twelve weeks of group therapeutic-yoga appears to be feasible in a population of people with chronic stroke. Walking distance and step parameter symmetry should be tested in a larger sample. An improved understanding of the impact, progression, and remediation of walking asymmetry is needed.

The purpose of this study was to document the effects that a regular yoga therapy practice has on the quality of life for a paraplegic individual. Due to the unique nature of spinal cord injury (SCI), this was a case study with one participant. For 5 weeks the subject practiced a standardized yoga routine three times a week with a yoga teacher, receiving private instruction. Interview questions were asked before and after the intervention to document the participant's quality of life. Each week, the subject completed a modified SF-36 questionnaire as well as Cohen's Perceived Stress Survey. Perceived pain and perceived stress were the two primary variables monitored in the study. The results of this study demonstrated a slight reduction in perceived stress, a reduction in perceived pain, and an improvement in overall quality of life. Additionally, the subject increased her strength significantly from the beginning to the end of the study. Based on the findings in this study, it appears that a regular adapted yoga routine is beneficial for paraplegic individuals.