YOGA

Originally a Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, yoga has been adapted and popularized into a set of practices that assist RELAXATION and contribute to WELL-BEING. Those practices include breath CONTROL, prescribed body postures, and basic MEDITATION. The word ‘‘yoga’’ is Sanskrit for union. The most popular form of yoga in the West is hatha yoga, which

has been integrated into exercise programs. Ashtanga yoga, sometimes known as power yoga, has also been popularized at gyms around the world. This is a faster, more physically demanding form and has been adapted to suit aerobics. Kundalini is another form, the GOAL of which is to release the latent energy believed to lie coiled at the base of the spine (‘‘kundalini’’ means snake). The basic belief behind kundalini is that breathing can release the energy. Claims for this particular form of yoga include the amelioration of OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE disorders, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, and dependences as well as enhancement of SELF-ESTEEM. Other varieties include Bikram yoga, which is practiced in hot

environments, and Iyengar yoga, which uses blocks and straps. Like other yoga forms, these have become popular as workouts. Jennifer Daubenmier’s research concludes that practicing yoga yields

another range of favorable results, including satisfaction with one’s own body and fewer EATING DISORDERS. Other studies, for example, that of Sung Lee et al., reported, ‘‘fewer depressive symptoms, less trait anxiety, and greater SELF-EFFICACY.’’ Hatha yoga has been used in conjunction with COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL

MODIFICATION, or interventions which often involve writing down or expressing thoughts, some of which are deeply unpleasant (posttraumatic stress has been treated with this technique). Yoga complements this when exercisers are ‘‘paying ATTENTION to the way their emotions are expressed in their bodies,’’ says Zindel Segal (quoted in Weintraub). Despite the cumulative findings of minor studies and the documented

physical benefits of yoga in, for example, muscular flexibility and VO2max, the largest, controlled trial of yoga ‘‘demonstrated that a 6-month yoga program did not produce any improvements in cognitive function.’’ Barry Oken et al.’s research urged caution about the panacean qualities of yoga.