Hot Yoga During Pregnancy: A Mixed-Methods Study Examining Perspectives of Studio Management.

Research provides evidence on the benefits and safety of prenatal yoga as well as hot yoga among nonpregnant individuals. However, limited literature on hot yoga during pregnancy exists. The present study aims to (1) describe knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of hot yoga studio management regarding hot yoga during pregnancy; and (2) examine how management teams rank the credibility of information sources (e.g., obstetricians) regarding the safety of hot yoga during pregnancy. Inclusion criteria included being at least 18 years of age and on the management team at a U.S. hot yoga studio. Studios were recruited via emails from publicly accessible websites of major hot yoga studio communities. Thirty-five participants completed a cross-sectional online survey addressing the study aims, and 10 (28.57%) participants reported trying hot yoga themselves while pregnant. Participants reported a median of 4 (interquartile range 1.5-8.5) pregnant individuals at their studio in the past year. All participants reported at least one hot yoga class type that they would recommend to pregnant individuals. Three qualitative themes emerged regarding deciding whether a pregnant individual may practice hot yoga: (1) integration of healthcare and individual knowledge, (2) emphasis on prior practice, and (3) individual bodily intuition and choice. Obstetricians were ranked the highest for credibility, although inferential tests suggested that their rankings were equivalent to those for academic journals, one's own knowledge/experiences, and a friend/acquaintance who had practiced hot yoga during pregnancy. These findings suggest recommendations for future yoga teacher trainings to include specific needs and considerations for pregnant individuals who choose to practice hot yoga.

Adherence to and changes in mental and physiological health during an 8-week yoga intervention: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Participating in yoga may be ideal for college students to increase physical activity and improve mental health. PURPOSE: To investigate the feasibility and impact of an 8-week yoga intervention within a university setting on mental and physiologic heath. METHODS: This 8-week yoga intervention included twelve yoga-naïve adults, (23.8 ± 4.6 years; 71% female). Participants attended two 60-min yoga classes/week in addition to baseline, mid- and post-lab visits. RESULTS: 83% of participants attended ≥75% of yoga classes. Stress and depression symptoms decreased by 11% and 25%, respectively and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) reduced by 28%. Participants who did not meet physical activity recommendations observed greater improvements in stress, depression symptoms, ESR, and C-reactive protein compared to participants who met recommendations. CONCLUSION: The majority of participants attended ≥12 of 16 yoga classes. Exploratory analyses provide preliminary support for the impact of yoga on reducing stress, symptoms of depression, and ESR. Participants who were not meeting physical activity guidelines prior to starting the intervention received greater benefits.

Incorporating Yoga into a Pediatric Weight Management Program: A Pilot Study.

Purpose: To assess the feasibility and acceptability of yoga incorporated into a pediatric weight management program (promoting health in teens; PHIT Yoga) to racially diverse caregivers and youth and to compare this program with a cohort that received a program that did not include yoga (PHIT Kids). Methods: Thirty children with obesity were enrolled in a 12-week pediatric weight management intervention (PHIT Kids, n = 17; PHIT Yoga, n = 13). Weight, BMI z-score (BMIz), BMI percent of the 95th percentile, and health habits assessment were obtained from both cohorts pre- and post intervention. Acceptability was assessed in the yoga cohort. Results: Fifty-four percent of children in the PHIT Yoga cohort and 65% of children in the PHIT Kids cohort attended ≥75% of the intervention sessions. Survey results support that the PHIT Yoga was acceptable to both caregivers and children. Improvements in BMIz were observed in 50% of children in each cohort and both groups improved on five of seven health habits; cohorts overlapped on three habits (breakfast, screen time, and sugar-sweetened drinks). Conclusion: Findings support that yoga classes added to a pediatric weight management program are feasible and acceptable in racially diverse children with severe obesity and their caregivers.

Association between yoga, physiologic and psychologic health: A cross sectional study.

PURPOSE: To compare markers of health associated with chronic diseases between yoga and non-yoga participants. METHODS: 30 participants were categorized as either: 1) "Yoga" engaging in yoga ≥2 times/week for ≥6 months, or 2) "Non-yoga" not engaging in yoga. RESULTS: Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) scores were significantly different between the yoga and non-yoga groups (PSS: 8.0 vs. 17.5, respectively, p < 0.05; BDI-II: 1.0 vs. 5.5, respectively, p < 0.05). No significant differences were evident between groups for inflammatory markers nor Complex V of the mitochondrial electron transport chain. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate values differed between groups based on clinical cutoffs, with yoga participants categorized as normal (11.0 mm) and non-yoga above normal (21.5 mm). CONCLUSION: This research supports that yoga participation is associated with lower PSS and BDI-II scores but does not support a relationship with markers of inflammation. Further research is warranted.

Range of Yoga Intensities From Savasana to Sweating: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: There is limited research examining the intensity of yoga and intensity variations between different styles. The purpose of this review is to examine the intensity of yoga based on different physiologic responses both between different yoga styles and within styles of yoga. METHODS: Articles were searched for on the PubMed database in early 2019. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) written in English, (2) cite a specific style of yoga and include whole yoga session, and (3) measure metabolic or heart rate response. RESULTS: Ten articles were reviewed; articles reported oxygen consumption (n = 1), heart rate (n = 4), or both variables (n = 5). Yoga styles assessed included ashtanga (n = 2), Bikram (n = 3), gentle (n = 1), hatha (n = 3), Iyengar (n = 1), power (n = 1), and vinyasa (n = 1). Oxygen consumption commonly categorized yoga as a light-intensity activity, while heart rate responses classified different yoga into multiple intensities. CONCLUSION: This review demonstrates that large differences in intensity classifications are observed between different styles of yoga. Furthermore, metabolic and heart rate responses can be variable, leading to inconsistent intensity classifications. This is likely due to their nonlinear relationship during yoga. Thus, it is imperative that the field of yoga research works together to create a standard for reporting yoga.

Demographic, health behavior, and cardiometabolic risk factor profile in yoga and non-yoga participants: NHANES 1999-2006.

OBJECTIVE: To examine and compare the demographic, health behavior, and cardiometabolic risk factor characteristics of participants who report 1) participating in yoga, 2) not participating yoga, or 3) are inactive, using a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. DESIGN: Study participants were from the 1999-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) who self-reported participation in yoga (n = 74), no-yoga (n = 3,753) or were inactive (n = 1,285). Participants in the no-yoga group did engage in other types of physical activity, while the inactive group reported no activity during the survey period. RESULTS: Yoga participants were primarily female (80.7%), college educated (51.9%), mostly non-smokers (46.9%), and reported moderate alcohol consumption (72.1%). Yoga participants were found to be significantly less likely to have an elevated waist circumference (OR = 0.40, p < 0.01; OR = 0.30, p < 0.01), and a low HDL (OR = 0.43, p = 0.03; OR = 0.34, p < 0.05) compared to both non-yoga participants and inactive individuals, respectively. Yoga participants were 61% less likely to have elevated blood glucose compared to non-yoga participants (OR = 0.39, p < 0.05). Compared to inactive individuals, yoga participants were 52% (OR = 0.48, p < 0.05) and 66% (OR = 0.34, p < 0.05) less likely have an elevated body mass index and have elevated triglyceride levels, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Given the emergence of yoga as a common form of physical activity, it is imperative to understand the characteristics of those who participate in yoga to further understand its relationship with cardiovascular risk. This study was one of the first to use nationally-representative data and objectively measured cardiometabolic variables. Key Words: complementary medicine, epidemiology, survey, population, physical activity, cardiovascular disease.

Use of a 'pose rate' to quantify yoga.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a method that describes the physical activity completed during yoga, and to use this method to compare three different yoga video categories: weight loss, beginner, and stress relief/meditation. DESIGN: This study conducted content analysis of commercially available yoga videos in which pre-determined characteristics of yoga routines were recorded. Outcome measures included the yoga routine characteristics of: duration of each yoga routine, number of completed poses, body position of each pose, and pose rate. RESULTS: Twenty-two routines from yoga videos were analyzed. Duration of routine between the three different categories was not significantly different. There were significant differences between the video categories based on the characteristics of total number of poses and the pose rate, with weight loss routines having the highest values compare to beginner routines and stress relief/meditation (total number of poses: 74.1, 34.3, 25.6 poses, p < 0.05; Pose rate: 2.5m 1.5, 1.1 poses/min, p < 0.05, respectively). Additionally, differences were observed between body postures in poses with weight loss videos including more standing poses (38.8, 17.0, 5.7 poses, p < 0.05, respectively) and a lower percentage of seated (9.9%, 15.8%, 39.0%, p < 0.05, respectively) and supine poses (10.9%, 18.5%, 28.8%, p < 0.05, respectively) compared to the beginner and stress/meditation videos. CONCLUSIONS: The characteristics of total poses, pose rate, and total standing poses showed significant differences between different styles of yoga. Further research should be conducted to validate these characteristics as an intensity measures and to assess if these characteristics have variations between different yoga styles.