Effects of a 12-week Home-based Yoga on Bone and Cardiovascular Health

Presently, it is not clear whether the intensity of Yoga interventions is high enough to induce positive effects on bone and cardiovascular health in a healthy population. For example, Hagins et al. (2007) reported that the metabolic costs of Hatha Yoga, averaged across the entire session, represent low levels of physical activity (walking). On the other hand, Ashtanga Yoga, or power Yoga, is performed at a higher intensity than Hatha Yoga and has been shown to elicit significantly higher heart rates than either Hatha or gentle Yoga (Cowen and Adams, 2007). Sun Salutations (SS) are an example of an Ashtanga Yoga sequence, where yoga postures are performed dynamically with combinations of forward and backward bending poses (Omkar et al., 2011). A previous 8-month yoga intervention found that regular long-term Ashtanga yoga had a small positive effect on bone formation in premenopausal women. Although Yoga has the potential to be an alternative physical activity to improve bone health and arterial stiffness, there is a lack of high-quality evidence for this type of intervention. Thus, the purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of a 12-week home-based dynamic yoga intervention designed to improve bone metabolism and arterial stiffness in healthy premenopausal women.

Inclusion criteria

• Participants were healthy premenopausal women volunteers between the ages of 30 and 48 years.
• Participants were free of chronic back or joint problems, cardiovascular disease, non-smokers, not pregnant, not taking antihypertensive drugs or any medication that affects bone density.
• Participants didn't have regularly participated in a weight training program and yoga exercise at least 12 months prior to the study.
• Participants were medically stable, ambulatory, and capable of training.

Exclusion criteria

• Individual who were outside of the 30-48 years age range and who exceed the weight limit of the DXA (300 pounds).
• Individuals who did not have the regular menstrual cycles.
• Pregnancy or the possibility of becoming pregnant during the intervention period
• Individuals who were taking medications known to affect bone metabolism such as steroid hormones, calcitonin, or corticosteroids.
• Any persons with physical and mental disabilities preventing them from being trained, including orthopedic or arthritic problems, were not allowed to participate.
• Individuals whose radiation exposure from medical and/or research tests in the previous year exceeds the recommended regulator limit.