{"title":"Exploring the Benefit of Yoga Programs in Carceral Settings.","authors":"Danielle Rousseau, Carol Horton","doi":"10.17761/2020-D-19-00039","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17761/2020-D-19-00039","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article presents a perspective on the value of yoga and mindfulness programming in carceral settings. The authors explore this topic through interviews with two formerly incarcerated people who participated in yoga programming while incarcerated and who went on to become yoga instructors themselves. Also examined are the potential effects of yoga programming for people who are incarcerated, for those working within carceral settings, and on carceral environments generally. We share recommendations for implementing yoga programming in carceral institutions and discuss policy implications. The stories of both interviewees reflect the value and potential positive effects of yoga programming within criminal justice settings and suggest the need for sustained programming and ongoing empirical evaluation.</p>","PeriodicalId":38682,"journal":{"name":"International journal of yoga therapy","volume":"30 1","pages":"111-115"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37984701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Neil Pearson, Shelly Prosko, Marlysa Sullivan, Matthew J Taylor
{"title":"White Paper: Yoga Therapy and Pain-How Yoga Therapy Serves in Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management, and How It Can Do More.","authors":"Neil Pearson, Shelly Prosko, Marlysa Sullivan, Matthew J Taylor","doi":"10.17761/2020-D-19-00074","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17761/2020-D-19-00074","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This paper examines the role of yoga therapy in comprehensive integrative pain management (CIPM). The pain crisis is described, and how yoga therapists can contribute to its solution is explained. Yoga therapy can be an essential component of the multidisciplinary undertaking that will be required to improve patient outcomes and alter the trajectory of the global public health crisis constituted by an epidemic of poorly understood and inadequately addressed pain. Additional context and evidence are presented to document the effectiveness of yoga therapy interventions to support people living with pain. The white paper concludes by listing recommendations to providers, consumers, payers, and legislators, who together can address systemic and structural barriers to CIPM, as well as suggestions for enabling the yoga therapy profession to more fully participate in these solutions.</p>","PeriodicalId":38682,"journal":{"name":"International journal of yoga therapy","volume":"30 1","pages":"117-133"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37938913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Best Practices for Adapting and Delivering Community-Based Yoga for People with Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States and Canada.","authors":"Nirali Chauhan, Shilo Zeller, Kyla Z Donnelly","doi":"10.17761/2020-D-19-00055","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17761/2020-D-19-00055","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Emerging benefits of yoga for traumatic brain injury (TBI) suggest that broader accessibility to community-based yoga programming is important. This cross-sectional, mixed methods study sought to identify best practices for adapting and delivering community-based yoga to people with TBI. An online survey was sent to 175 yoga teachers trained to teach LoveYourBrain Yoga, a community-based, 6-week, manualized program for people with TBI and their care-givers. The survey instrument included open- and closed-text questions assessing teachers' perspectives on the most and least helpful adaptions for asana, meditation, pranayama, and group discussion, and on the LoveYourBrain Yoga training and support. Responses we re analyzed using d e s c r i p t i ve statistics and qualitative content analysis. Eighty-six teachers (50%) responded. Best practices for adapting yoga for TBI revealed six themes: (1) simple, slow, and repeated; (2) creating a safe space; (3) position of the head and neck; (4) demonstration; (5) importance of props; and (6) special considerations for yoga studios. Three themes emerged for yoga program delivery: (1) structured yet flexible; (2) acceptability of compensation; and (3) time management. Eighty-nine percent of teachers reported that the program manual was very/extremely helpful, yet nearly half (49%) adapted the manual content often/always. To deliver community-based yoga services for TBI, we recommend an environment with props, low light and noise, and sufficient space, along with the facilitation of consistent instruction with a manual that allows for flexibility. We recommend that yoga teachers have skills in physical modifications for the head and neck; slow, simple, and repeated cueing to facilitate cognitive processing; managing challenging behaviors through redirection techniques; and promoting safety through inclusivity, compassion, and personal agency.</p>","PeriodicalId":38682,"journal":{"name":"International journal of yoga therapy","volume":"30 1","pages":"89-101"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37921037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shreelaxmi V Hegde, Prabha Adhikari, Shashidhar M Kotian, Rajeshwari Shastry
{"title":"Effects of Yoga Versus Sham Yoga on Oxidative Stress, Glycemic Status, and Anthropometry in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Single-Blinded Randomized Pilot Study.","authors":"Shreelaxmi V Hegde, Prabha Adhikari, Shashidhar M Kotian, Rajeshwari Shastry","doi":"10.17761/D-18-2020-00018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17761/D-18-2020-00018","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Studies have shown a beneficial role of yoga in tre a t i n g type 2 diabetes mellitus. The present study proceeds in the field by providing an active control. We aimed to evaluate the effect of 3 months of yoga on oxidative stress, glycemic status, and anthropometry in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Forty participants were randomized to receive either yoga (n = 20) or sham yoga (n = 20) as a control. Yoga included postures and breathing exercises, and nonaerobic stretching exercise comprised the control. Significant within-group differences in malondialdehyde, vitamin C, superoxide dismutase, fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, body mass index, waist circumference, and blood pressure were evident in both groups. Yoga participants had significantly greater improvement in reduced glutathione compared to controls. No significant differences between groups were observed in any other outcome variables. Yoga and sham yoga had identical effects on oxidative stress, glycemic status, and anthropometry in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Levels of reduced glutathione improved only in the yoga group. This research needs to be confirmed by larger and sufficiently powered studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":38682,"journal":{"name":"International journal of yoga therapy","volume":"30 1","pages":"33-39"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37404451","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"What Is Our \"Epistemic Responsibility\"? Reflections on Social Work's Orientation in Yoga Therapy Research.","authors":"Emmanuelle Larocque, Nicolas Moreau","doi":"10.17761/2020-D-19-00044","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17761/2020-D-19-00044","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The purpose of this article is to explore how the social work discipline could provide a complementary lens through which yoga therapy can be analyzed and evaluated by engaging in knowledge-creation practices and procedures that prioritize the \"epistemic responsibility\" described by philosopher Lorraine Code. More specifically, by seeking to strategically include often-subjugated types of knowledge and by focusing on redistributing epistemic power to agents that typically have been excluded from epistemic participation in contemporary yoga therapy research, the social work discipline, with its strong commitment to social justice, has the potential to contribute to filling an important gap in scientific literature. We begin by presenting the relevance of the social work perspective in relation to the field of yoga therapy. We next offer a reserved critical analysis of the dominant technical knowledge base that currently informs yoga therapy practice. This analysis highlights the social parameters that may be rendered invisible or left aside when adopting a positivist epistemological lens and justifies how the conceptual apparatus of epistemic responsibility serves as a potential platform for rethinking social work's position and future contributions to the field of yoga therapy. Finally, we mobilize the concept of cultural appropriation to illustrate how striving for epistemic responsibility provides an entry point for addressing the multilevel, complex social processes embedded in yoga therapy practice and research while aiming to capture the many voices-and hence the various truths-implicated in a democratic, reflexive, and inclusive research process.</p>","PeriodicalId":38682,"journal":{"name":"International journal of yoga therapy","volume":"30 1","pages":"103-109"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37840765","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Influence of Trauma-Informed Yoga (TIY) on Emotion Regulation and Skilled Awareness in Sexual Assault Survivors.","authors":"Nicole Nicotera, Margaret Megan Connolly","doi":"10.17761/2020-D-18-00031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17761/2020-D-18-00031","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study examined a Trauma-Informed Yoga (TIY) intervention created specifically for sexual assault survivors and delivered in a community-based group setting. Much of the existing research on this type of intervention has been conducted in clinical trials as opposed to community-based venues. As sexual assault is a common type of trauma and results more commonly in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the current study aimed to shed light on the potential benefits of a trauma-sensitive yoga and mindfulness intervention for survivors of sexual assault in the natural setting of a community-based organization. The intervention was developed and implemented by licensed mental health providers and registered yoga teachers and modeled on the evidence-based work of the Trauma Center at the Justice Research Institute. The study employed a traditional quantitative one-sample, pre- and posttest design. Survey items were drawn from two existing measures: (1) Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and (2) Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. The majority of the sample (n = 37) identified as White (67.6%), followed by Latina (13.5%), African American (8.1%), multiracial (5.4%), and other (2.7%). The mean age of participants was 29 years (standard deviation 8 years, range 18-56 years). All participants identified as female. Findings demonstrated statistically significant changes in participants' emotion regulation and skilled awareness, both of which have the potential to reduce PTSD symptomatology. The present discussion considers the results in light of previous research and presents study limitations.</p>","PeriodicalId":38682,"journal":{"name":"International journal of yoga therapy","volume":"30 1","pages":"19-31"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37727978","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"iRest Meditation for Older Adults with Depression Symptoms: 6-Month and 1-Year Follow-up.","authors":"Helané Wahbeh, Nina Fry","doi":"10.17761/2019-00029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17761/2019-00029","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Preliminary positive evidence supports the use of iRest (Integrative Restoration) in older adults with depression symptoms. No long-term follow-up measures have been reported on whether the preliminary effects continue beyond initial iRest trainings. The growing population of older adults with depression symptoms is a serious public health issue, and effective interventions to support this vulnerable population are warranted. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the depression and depression-related symptoms 6 and 12 months after an iRest intervention. All study measures were collected online. Twenty-five of the original participants completed the 6- and 12-month surveys. Of those, nine stated that they still practiced the guided meditations at the time of the 12-month follow-up (five iRest and four vacation participants). Both groups had improvements in depression scores from baseline (week 0) to the 12-month follow-up. There were no differences between groups on depression symptoms or other measures except for negative mood and perceived stress, which were improved in the vacation group compared to the iRest group. Meditation practice was not a significant predictor of depression score improvement.</p>","PeriodicalId":38682,"journal":{"name":"International journal of yoga therapy","volume":"29 1","pages":"51-56"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36882474","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effect of Yoga-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation on Heart Rate Variability: Randomized Controlled Trial in Patients Post-MI.","authors":"Edmin Christa, Prachi Srivastava, Dinu S Chandran, Ashok Kumar Jaryal, Raj Kumar Yadav, Ambuj Roy, Kishore Kumar Deepak","doi":"10.17761/2019-00019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17761/2019-00019","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Autonomic dysfunction is an independent predictor of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality after myocardial infarction (MI). We tested the effects of a 12-week yoga-based cardiac rehabilitation program on heart rate variability (HRV) in 80 patients post-MI. This randomized controlled trial with two parallel groups was carried out in a tertiary care institution in India. The yoga group received 13 hospital-based structured yoga sessions as an adjunct to standard care. Control group participants received enhanced standard care involving three brief educational sessions with a leaflet on the importance of diet and physical activity. HRV was measured in all participants with lead II electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. One yoga group patient's data were excluded due to ECG abnormalities. Baseline measurement was done 3 weeks post-MI, and postintervention assessment took place at the 13th week. HRV frequency and time domain indices were analyzed. There were no significant between-group differences in the HRV time domain indices. Frequency domain indices showed significant between-group differences in HF power (absolute) (yoga vs. control: 114.42 [-794.80-7,993.78] vs. -38.14 [-4,843.50-1,617.87], <i>p</i> = 0.005) and total power (nu) (yoga vs. control: 44.96 [21.94] vs. -19.55 [15.42], <i>p</i> = 0.01) with higher HF power and total power (nu) in the yoga group. It should be noted that these results cannot be generalized to high risk patients. Respiratory frequency control to check for influence of respiratory rate on RR interval was not evaluated. This short-term yoga-based cardiac rehabilitation program had additive effects in shifting sympathovagal balance toward parasympathetic predominance while increasing overall HRV in optimally medicated post-MI patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":38682,"journal":{"name":"International journal of yoga therapy","volume":"29 1","pages":"43-50"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36962471","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Catherine Cook-Cottone, Traci Childress, Jennifer Cohen Harper
{"title":"Secularity: Guiding Questions for Inclusive Yoga in Schools.","authors":"Catherine Cook-Cottone, Traci Childress, Jennifer Cohen Harper","doi":"10.17761/2019-00007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17761/2019-00007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This commentary explores the legal and ethical obligations of yoga programs and teachers to uphold both the principles and the spirit of secularism when teaching yoga in schools. Arguing that secularity is essential both to comply with legal mandates and to maximize inclusivity and access, each facet of a secular approach to yoga in schools is explored through an inquiry-based model meant to help the reader gain clarity and make informed choices when developing school-based yoga programming. This article does not address the use of nonsecular yoga for children outside the school setting. It instead speaks to the complexities of topics such as spirituality, personal transformation, secular ethics, and the use of cultural and historical artifacts within school programs. While inviting continued reflection on the nuances of the topic, the article concludes that given both the legal imperatives and potential risk of exclusion, failure to offer school-based yoga using a secular approach threatens to undermine the success of the field and hinder access to practices that have positive effects on young people.</p>","PeriodicalId":38682,"journal":{"name":"International journal of yoga therapy","volume":"29 1","pages":"127-133"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36631207","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}