What’s This Research About? This was the first systematic review of studies about the physiological and cognitive effects of alternate nostril breathing (ANB), written by Dr. Shreya Ghiya. Pranayama refers to conscious breath modification by altering its rhythm, rate, duration, and depth. In yoga practice this breath manipulation is used to achieve a [...]
What’s This Research About? Previous research has shown that yoga and exercise both have beneficial effects on mood and anxiety. It has also been shown that certain neurotransmitter activity, γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), is decreased in mood and anxiety disorders. Researchers wanted to test if practicing yoga is associated with increased brain GABA [...]
What’s This Research About? Can yoga serve as a primary intervention to impact the risk factors that lead to cardiovascular disease (CVD)? According to data provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 25% of all U.S. deaths are due to heart disease. Worldwide, the percentage of heart disease deaths is 30%, [...]
What’s This Research About? This Cochrane review evaluates the current evidence about yoga as a therapeutic intervention for individuals with NSLBP compared to no specific treatment, a minimal intervention such as education, or another active treatment, such as exercise. Pain, function, and adverse effects are also considered. TITLE: Yoga treatment for chronic [...]
What’s This Research About? Does a consistent yoga practice contribute to changing brain anatomy? This study examines differences in brain anatomy between experienced yoga practitioners and control subjects using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Researchers also examined which aspects of a weekly yoga practice (postures, breath control and meditation) contributed most to [...]
What’s This Research About? Evidence shows that compared to non-Hispanic white women, African American (AA) women have a higher rate of illness and early mortality. One of the causes most likely influencing these health outcomes is chronic stress conditions. Research has shown a connection between socio-cultural context (violent neighborhood), and subsequent quality [...]
What’s This Research About? This study provides a systematic analysis of physical appearance-related attributes from three leading yoga lifestyle magazines published between 2010-2015: Yoga Journal, Om Yoga & Lifestyle, and Yoga Magazine. Media frame content of the magazine cover captions was also analyzed, in addition to whether differences in characteristics existed depending [...]
What’s This Research About? In the past twenty years there’s been a lot more research on the health benefits of yoga. Unfortunately the research has underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities and people of low socioeconomic status. These researchers specifically addressed this population with this study. They had two goals. First they assessed [...]
What’s This Research About? Traditionally, yoga is a holistic philosophy that integrates the mind and the body; other principles include ethical behavior towards the self and others. Hatha yoga, the most widely practiced form of yoga in the US, utilizes physical postures, movement, controlled breathing, and meditation to improve physiological and psychological [...]
What’s This Research About? Three quarters of women experience menopausal symptoms including sleep issues, hot flashes, depression, and anxiety. The use of hormone replacement therapy which is often used to decrease symptoms has declined due to the uncertainty of its safety. This has left women with less options to choose from for [...]