Burkett, Lee N./ Todd, Megan A./ Adams, Troy. Yoga and distractibility. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 2006,10, 276–286.
Summary Performers have used many approaches to regulate arousal levels. Yoga claims to regulate arousal; however the claim has not been evaluated. This study investigated non-directive somatic arousal, utilizing heart-rate data, of trained and novice yoga practitioners before, during and following an auditory distraction in savasana. No difference was noted between trained and novice yoga practitioners.

Chambers Christopher, John/ Christopher, Suzanne E./ Dunnagan, Tim/ Shure, Marc. Teaching Self-Care Through Mindfulness Practices: The Application of Yoga, Meditation, and QiGong to Counselore Training. Journal of Humanistic Psychology Oct 2006, 46(4), 494-509.
Summary
Faculty in counseling training programs often give voice to the importance of self-care for students during the training period and into practice after training is completed. However, few programs specifically address this issue in their curricula. To address this perceived need, a course was developed to provide students with (a) personal growth opportunities through selfcare practices and (b) professional growth through mindfulness practices in counseling that can help prevent burnout. A focus group assessed course impact on students who reported significant changes in their personal lives, stress levels, and clinical
training.

Culos-Reed, S. Nicole/ Carlson, Linda E./ Daroux, Lisa M./ Hately-Alsoua, Susi. A Pilot Study of Yoga for Breast Cancer Survivors: Physical and Psychological Benefits. Psycho-Oncology 2006, 15, 891–897.
Summary
Background: Physical activity provides a number of physical and psychological benefits to cancer survivors, including lessening the impact of detrimental cancer-related symptoms and treatment side-effects (e.g. fatigue, nausea), and improving overall well-being and quality of life. The purpose of the present pilot study was to examine the physical and psychological benefits afforded by a 7-week yoga program for cancer survivors.
Method: Eligible participants (per-screened with PAR-Q/PAR-MED-X) were randomly assigned to either the intervention (n = 20) or control group (n = 18). All participants completed pre- and post-testing assessments immediately before and after the yoga program, respectively.
Results: The yoga program participants (M age = 51:18 (10.33); 92% female) included primarily breast cancer survivors, on average 55.95 (54.39) months post-diagnosis. Significant differences between the intervention and the control group at post-intervention were seen only in psychosocial (i.e. global quality of life, emotional function, and diarrhea) variables (all p’s 50.05). There were also trends for group differences, in the hypothesized directions, for the psychosocial variables of emotional irritability, gastrointestinal symptoms, cognitive disorganization, mood disturbance, tension, depression, and confusion (all p’s 50.10). Finally, there were also significant improvements in both the program participants and the controls from pre- to post-intervention on a number of physical fitness variables.
Conclusions: These initial findings suggest that yoga has significant potential and should be further explored as a beneficial physical activity option for cancer survivors. Future research might attempt to include a broader range of participants (e.g. other types of cancer diagnoses, male subjects), a larger sample size, and a longer program duration in an RCT.

Jerath, Ravinder/ Edry, John W./ Barnes, Vernon A./ Jerath, Vandna. Physiology of long pranayamic breathing: Neural respiratory elements may provide a mechanism that explains how slow deep breathing shifts the autonomic nervous system. Medical Hypotheses 2006, 67, 566–571.
Summary Pranayamic breathing, defined as a manipulation of breath movement, has been shown to contribute to a physiologic response characterized by the presence of decreased oxygen consumption, decreased heart rate, and decreased blood pressure, as well as increased theta wave amplitude in EEG recordings, increased parasympathetic activity accompanied by the experience of alertness and reinvigoration. The mechanism of how pranayamic breathing interacts with the nervous system affecting metabolism and autonomic functions remains to be clearly understood. It is our hypothesis that voluntary slow deep breathing functionally resets the autonomic nervous system through stretch induced inhibitory signals and hyperpolarization currents propagated through both neural and non-neural tissue which synchronizes neural elements in the heart, lungs, limbic system and cortex. During inspiration, stretching of lung tissue produces inhibitory signals by action of slowly adapting stretch receptors (SARs) and hyperpolarization current by action of fibroblasts. Both inhibitory impulses and hyperpolarization current are known to synchronize neural elements leading to the modulation of the nervous system and decreased metabolic activity indicative of the parasympathetic state. In this paper we propose pranayama’s physiologic mechanism through a cellular and systems level perspective, involving both neural and non-neural elements. This theoretical description describes a common physiological mechanism underlying pranayama and elucidate the role of the respiratory and cardiovascular system on modulating the autonomic nervous system. Along with facilitating the design of clinical breathing techniques for the treatment of autonomic nervous system and other disorders, this model will also validate pranayama as a topic requiring more research.

Koch, Sabine C./ Bräuninger, Iris. International Dance/Movement Therapy Research: Recent Findings and Perspectives. American Journal of Dance Therapy Fall/Winter 2006, 28(2), 127-136.
This article provides an overview of the results from the 2nd International Research Colloquium in Dance Therapy, in Pforzheim, Germany, February 10th and 11th, 2006. Thirty-nine researchers from 14 countries worldwide presented their projects at this international conference of the BTD (Berufsverband der TanztherapeutInnen Deutschlands, e.V.) in cooperation with the GTF (German Society for Dance Research). Next to empirical studies, theoretical and methodological aspects were adressed. Effectiveness studies specifically supported dance/movement therapy treatment for depressed patients (Grönlund, Renck, & Vabö , 2006; Gunther & Hölter, 2006), and for oncology patients (Mannheim & Weis, 2006). The usefulness of D/MT assessments for persons suffering from schizophrenia (Cruz & Lausberg, 2006), in parent–child interaction (Trautmann-Voigt & Zander, 2006), in artistic (Allegranti, 2006), intercultural (Tepayayone, 2006), and other contexts was further validated. Selected results of the research colloquia are compiled in the recent peer reviewed volume Advances in Dance/Movement Therapy. Theoretical Perspectives and Empirical Findings (Koch, & Bräuninger, 2006).

Mansky, Patrick/ Sannes, Tim/ Wallerstedt, Dawn/ Ge, Adeline/ Ryan, Mary/
Johnson, Laura Lee/ Chesney, Margaret/ Gerber, Lynn. Tai Chi Chuan: Mind-Body Practice or Exercise Intervention? Studying the Benefit for Cancer Survivors. Integrative Cancer Therapies 2006, 5(3), 192-201.
Tai chi chuan (TCC) has been used as a mind-body practice in Asian culture for centuries to improve wellness and reduce stress and has recently received attention by researchers as an exercise intervention. A review of the English literature on research in TCC published from 1989 to 2006 identified 20 prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trials in a number of populations, including elderly participants (7 studies), patients with cardiovascular complications (3 studies), patients with chronic disease (6 studies), and patients who might gain psychological benefit from TCC practice (2 studies). However, only the studies of TCC in the elderly and 2 studies of TCC for cardiovascular disease had adequate designs and size to allow conclusions about the efficacy of TCC. Most (11 studies) were small and provided limited information on the benefit of TCC in the settings tested. There is growing awareness that cancer survivors represent a population with multiple needs related to physical deconditioning, cardiovascular disease risk, and psychological stress. TCC as an intervention may provide benefit to cancer survivors in these multiple areas of need based on its characteristics of combining aspects of meditation and aerobic exercise. However, little research has been conducted to date to determine the benefit of TCC in this population. We propose a model to study the unique characteristics of TCC compared to physical exercise that may highlight characteristic features of this mind-body intervention in cancer survivors.

Sarang, Patil/ Telles, Shirley. Effects of Two Yoga Based Relaxation Techniques on Heart Rate Variability (HRV). International Journal of Stress Management 2006, 13(4), 460–475.
Heart rate variability (HRV) was studied in cyclic meditation (CM) and supine rest (SR). CM included yoga postures followed by guided relaxation. Forty-two male volunteers were assessed in CM and SR sessions of 35 minutes, where CM or SR practice was preceded and followed by 5 minutes of SR. During the yoga postures of CM and after CM, low frequency power and the low frequency to high frequency power ratio decreased, whereas high frequency power increased. Heart rate increased during the yoga postures and decreased in guided relaxation and after CM. There was no change in SR. Hence, it appeared that predominantly sympathetic activation occurred in the yoga posture phases of CM while parasympathetic dominance increased after CM.
10.1177/ Perspectives

Shannahoff-Khalsa, David S./ Kundalini. Yoga Meditation Techniques for Psycho-oncology and as Potential Therapies for Cancer. Integrative Cancer Therapies 2005, 4(1), 87-100.
The ancient system of Kundalini Yoga (KY) includes a vast array of meditation techniques. Some were discovered to be specific for treating psychiatric disorders and others are supposedly beneficial for treating cancers. To date, 2 clinical trials have been conducted for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The first was an open uncontrolled trial and the second a single-blinded randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing a KY protocol against the Relaxation Response and Mindfulness Meditation (RRMM) techniques combined. Both trials showed efficacy on all psychological scales using the KY protocol; however, the RCT showed no efficacy on any scale with the RRMM control group. The KY protocol employed an OCD-specific meditation technique combined with other techniques that are individually specific for anxiety, low energy, fear, anger, meeting mental challenges, and turning negative thoughts into positive thoughts. In addition to OCD symptoms, other symptoms, including anxiety and depression, were also significantly reduced. Elements of the KY protocol other than the OCD-specific technique also may have applications for psycho-oncology patients and are described here. Two depression-specific KY techniques are described that also help combat mental fatigue and low energy. A 7-part protocol is described that would be used in KY practice to affect the full spectrum of emotions and distress that complicate a cancer diagnosis. In addition, there are KY techniques that practitioners have used in treating cancer. These techniques have not yet been subjected to formal clinical trials but are described here as potential adjunctive therapies. A case history demonstrating rapid onset of acute relief of intense fear in a terminal breast cancer patient using a KY technique specific for fear is presented. A second case history is reported for a surviving male diagnosed in 1988 with terminal prostate cancer who has used KY therapy long term as part of a self-directed integrative care approach.

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