Effects of a complex yoga-based intervention on physical characteristics.

Empirical studies on yoga have shown that regular practice can have a beneficial effect on risk factors of cardiovascular diseases; also, it can decrease body weight, body fat and increase muscle mass. Positive effects on balance and flexibility were also reported. This study evaluated the impact of a 3-month complex yoga-based program, including physical exercises, education, and social support, with a quasi-randomized design in a middle-aged community sample. The intervention group consisted of 46 participants while the passive control group was 29 participants. The intervention group showed a significant increase in core muscle strength and hamstring flexibility and a decrease in body  fat. No significant changes were found concerning risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, body weight, muscle mass, balancing ability, and dietary habits. A 3-month yoga intervention cannot substantially impact the cardiovascular system and body weight control in middle-aged adults.

The effects of a complex yoga-based intervention on healthy psychological functioning.

Background: Yoga based interventions were found to have a positive impact on various indicators of psychological functioning, such as perceived stress, satisfaction with life, positive and negative affectivity. Additionally, such interventions improved bodily or interoceptive awareness and spirituality. Methods: The present study assessed the effects of a 3-month long complex yoga-based intervention compared to a passive control group in a Hungarian community sample. The final sample consisted of 44 intervention (Mage = 47.5, SD = = 8.76) and 29 control participants (Mage = 47.4, SD = 9.47). The aforementioned constructs were measured 1 week before and after the intervention. Results: The intervention reduced participants' perceived stress (p = <0.001, ηp 2 = 0.153) and negative affectivity (p = 0.019, ηp 2 = 0.113), improved spirituality (p = 0.048, ηp 2 = 0.054) and various aspects of interoceptive awareness such as noticing (p = <0.001, ηp 2 = 0.169) attention regulation (p = <0.001, ηp 2 = 0.211), self-regulation (p = 0.002, ηp 2 = 0.190) body listening (p = 0.010, ηp 2 = 0.097), trusting (p = 0.026, ηp 2 = 0.070), but did not impact positive affectivity and satisfaction with life. Conclusion: A 3-months long complex yoga-based intervention has a positive impact on many aspects of healthy psychological functioning.