Treatment of Chronic Insomnia with Yoga: A Preliminary Study with Sleep–Wake Diaries

There is good evidence for cognitive and physiological arousal in chronic insomnia. Accordingly, clinical trial studies of insomnia treatments aimed at reducing arousal, including relaxation and meditation, have reported positive results. Yoga is a multicomponent practice that is also known to be effective in reducing arousal, although it has not been well evaluated as a treatment for insomnia. In this preliminary study, a simple daily yoga treatment was evaluated in a chronic insomnia population consisting of sleep-onset and/or sleep-maintenance insomnia and primary or secondary insomnia. Participants maintained sleep–wake diaries during a pretreatment 2-week baseline and a subsequent 8-week intervention, in which they practiced the treatment on their own following a single in-person training session with subsequent brief in-person and telephone follow-ups. Sleep efficiency (SE), total sleep time (TST), total wake time (TWT), sleep onset latency (SOL), wake time after sleep onset (WASO), number of awakenings, and sleep quality measures were derived from sleep–wake diary entries and were averaged in 2-week intervals. For 20 participants completing the protocol, statistically significant improvements were observed in SE, TST, TWT, SOL, and WASO at end-treatment as compared with pretreatment values.     

Oxygen Consumption and Respiration Following Two Yoga Relaxation Techniques

The present study was conducted to evaluate a statement in ancient yoga texts that suggests that a combination of both calming and stimulating measures may be especially helpful in reaching a state of mental equilibrium. Two yoga practices, one combining calming and stimulating measures (cyclic meditation) and the other, a calming technique (shavasan), were compared. The oxygen consumption, breath rate, and breath volume of 40 male volunteers (group mean ± SD, 27.0 ± 5.7 years) were assessed before and after sessions of cyclic meditation (CM) and before and after sessions of shavasan (SH). The 2 sessions (CM, SH) were 1 day apart. Cyclic meditation includes the practice of yoga postures interspersed with periods of supine relaxation. During SH the subject lies in a supine position throughout the practice. There was a significant decrease in the amount of oxygen consumed and in breath rate and an increase in breath volume after both types of sessions (2-factor ANOVA, paired t test). However, the magnitude of change on all 3 measures was greater after CM: (1) Oxygen consumption decreased 32.1% after CM compared with 10.1% after SH; (2) breath rate decreased 18.0% after CM and 15.2% after SH; and (3) breath volume increased 28.8% after CM and 15.9% after SH. These results support the idea that a combination of yoga postures interspersed with relaxation reduces arousal more than relaxation alone does.     

The Technique of Chordal Singing in the Tibetan Style

The unique solo singing of chords by individual Tibetan monks can be duplicated by use of the technique of inhalation singing. Interval combinations that can be sung indicate that the chords consist not of acoustically reinforced harmonics of their lowest notes, but of distinct and separately produced tones. The singing experience is related to Tibetan yoga practices, and the listening experience to Western vocal styles.     

Holistic frailty prevention: The promise of movement-based mind–body therapies

Aging is characterized by fundamental cellular and molecular hallmarks that result in physiologic decline of most body systems. This may culminate in frailty, a state of decreased reserve. Because frailty is a state of multisystem dysregulation, multimodal interventions may be necessary to mitigate and prevent progression rather than interventions targeting a single system. Movement-based mind–body therapies, such as tai chi and yoga, are promising multimodal strategies for frailty prevention and treatment given their inherent multicomponent nature. In this review, we summarize the links between hallmarks of aging and frailty and how tai chi and yoga may impact these hallmarks. We review trial evidence for the impact of tai chi and yoga on frailty in older populations and discuss opportunities for future research.     

Immediate Effect of Specific Nostril Manipulating Yoga Breathing Practices on Autonomic and Respiratory Variables

The effect of right, left, and alternate nostril yoga breathing (i.e., RNYB, LNYB, and ANYB, respectively) were compared with breath awareness (BAW) and normal breathing (CTL). Autonomic and respiratory variables were studied in 21 male volunteers with ages between 18 and 45 years and experience in the yoga breathing practices between 3 and 48 months. Subjects were assessed in five experimental sessions on five separate days. The sessions were in fixed possible sequences and subjects were assigned to a sequence randomly. Each session was for 40 min; 30 min for the breathing practice, preceded and followed by 5 min of quiet sitting. Assessments included heart rate variability, skin conductance, finger plethysmogram amplitude, breath rate, and blood pressure. Following RNYB there was a significant increase in systolic, diastolic and mean pressure. In contrast, the systolic and diastolic pressure decreased after ANYB and the systolic and mean pressure were lower after LNYB. Hence, unilateral nostril yoga breathing practices appear to influence the blood pressure in different ways. These effects suggest possible therapeutic applications.     

Oxygen Consumption and Respiration During and After two Yoga Relaxation Techniques

Cyclic meditation (CM) is a technique which combines ‘stimulating’ and ‘calming’ practices, based on a statement in ancient yoga texts suggesting that such a combination may be especially helpful to reach a state of mental equilibrium. The oxygen consumption, breath rate and breath volume of 50 male volunteers (group mean age±SD, 27±6.3 years) were assessed before, during, and after sessions of CM and sessions of supine rest in the corpse posture (shavasana, SH). The sessions were one day apart and the order was alternated. The oxygen consumption, breath rate and breath volume increased during the ‘stimulating’ practices of CM, returned to the baseline during the ‘calming’ practices, and the oxygen consumption decreased by 19.3 percent below baseline values after CM. During the SH session the oxygen consumption, breath rate and breath volume reduced; however the decrease in oxygen consumption after SH was less than after CM (i.e., 4.8 percent). The results support the idea that a combination of yoga postures with supine rest (in CM) reduces the oxygen consumption more than resting supine alone does.     

Chronic Physical Illness: A Psychophysiological Approach for Chronic Physical Illness

Growing evidence demonstrates that psychological risk variables can contribute to physical disease. In an effort to thoroughly investigate potential etiological origins and optimal interventions, this broad review is divided into five sections: the stress response, chronic diseases, mind-body theoretical models, psychophysiological interventions, and integrated health care solutions. The stress response and its correlation to chronic disorders such as cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, autoimmune, metabolic syndrome, and chronic pain are comprehensively explored. Current mind-body theoretical models, including peripheral nerve pathway, neurophysiological, and integrative theories, are reviewed to elucidate the biological mechanisms behind psychophysiological interventions. Specific interventions included are psychotherapy, mindfulness meditation, yoga, and psychopharmacology. Finally, the author advocates for an integrated care approach as a means by which to blur the sharp distinction between physical and psychological health. Integrated care approaches can utilize psychiatric nurse practitioners for behavioral assessment, intervention, research, advocacy, consultation, and education to optimize health outcomes.