Acute hemodynamic responses to yoga exercise

The primary purpose of the present study was to determine the acute hemodynamic responses to twenty-three select yoga postures in advanced and novice yoga practitioners. Additionally, we sought to determine if trunk flexibility is related to arterial stiffness. Using a cross-sectional study design, 37 apparently healthy adults (26 females and 11 males; 22-71 years old) were divided into two groups according to level of yoga experience. Beat-to-beat measures of blood pressure, stroke volume, cardiac work-load, cardiac output, and total peripheral resistance were measured using a finger plethysmograph during the yoga routine. Baseline measures of trunk flexibility (sit-and-reach scores and inclinometer measurements) and arterial stiffness (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity) were also compared. Yoga postures elicited significant increases in heart rate, blood pressure and cardiac output (P<0.05) for both groups. There was no difference in blood pressure responses between the two groups throughout the yoga testing session. Lumbar flexion, as measured by an inclinometer, was significantly (P<0.01) and inversely associated with cfPWV (r=-0.52).

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Kinesiology

Grantor

University of Texas at Austin

Year dc:date.issued

2010

Author dc:creator

• Miles, Steven Charles, 1980-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Tanaka, Hirofumi, Ph. D.

Committee member dc:contributor.committeemember

• Farrar, Roger P.

• Yoga
• Exercise
• Blood pressure
• Trunk flexibility
• Arterial stiffness

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/2152/ETD-UT-2010-08-1926

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repositories.lib.utexas.edu:2152/ETD-UT-2010-08-1926