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Background. Yoga Empowers Seniors Study (YESS) quantified physical demands associated with yoga performance using biomechanical methods. This study evaluated the efficacy of the program on physical function outcomes.Methods. Twenty community-dwelling older adults aged 70.7 ± 3.8 years attended biweekly 60-minute Hatha yoga classes for 32 weeks. Four domains of the physical measurements including (1) functional performance, (2) flexibility, (3) muscle strength, and (4) balance were taken at the baseline, 16-week and 32-week time points. Repeated-measures ANOVA omnibus tests and Tukey’s post hoc tests were employed to examine the differences in each outcome variable across the 3 time points.Results. Improved timed chair stands (p<0.01), 8-foot up and go (p<0.05), 2-min step test (p<0.05), and vertical reach (p=0.05) performance were evident. Isometric knee flexor strength (p<0.05) and repetitions of the heel rise test (p<0.001) also increased following the 32-week intervention. Both flexibility and balance performance remained unchanged.Conclusions. Significant improvements in physical function and muscle-specific lower-extremity strength occur with the regular practice of a modified Hatha yoga program designed for seniors. These adaptations corresponded with the previously reported biomechanical demands of the poses.

Yoga is considered especially suitable for seniors because poses can be modified to accommodate practitioners’ capabilities and limitations. In this study, biomechanical assessments on healthy seniors ( 𝑛 = 2 0 ; 7 0 . 1 ± 3 . 8 yr) were used to quantify the physical demands, (net joint moments of force [JMOFs] and muscular activation in the lower extremities) associated with the performance of 3 variations (introductory, intermediate, advanced) of 2 classical Hatha yoga poses – Tree and One-Leg Balance (OLB). ANOVA and Cohen's- d were used to contrast the postural variations statistically. The advanced (single-limb, without additional support) versions were hypothesized to generate the greatest demands, followed by the intermediate (single-limb [Tree] and bilateral-limb [OLB] with support) and introductory (bilateral-limb) versions. Our findings, however, suggest that common, long-held conceptions about pose modifications can be counter-intuitive. There was no difference between the intermediate and advanced Tree variations regarding hip and knee JMOFs in both the sagittal and frontal planes ( 𝑃 = 0 . 1 3 –0.98). Similarly, OLB introductory and intermediate variations induced sagittal JMOFs that were in the opposite direction of the classic advanced pose version at the hip and knee ( 𝑃 . 0 0 1 ; 𝑑 = 0 . 9 8 –2.36). These biomechanical insights provide evidence that may be used by instructors, clinicians and therapists when selecting pose modifications for their yoga participants.

As a measure of both strength and muscle endurance of the plantar flexors, the unilateral heel rise (UHR) test has been suggested as a method to evaluate balance capabilities in older adults. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the association between UHR performance with biomechanical measures of balance in seniors. Twenty-two older adults completed two testing sessions. The first visit included UHR performance; the second visit included dynamic and static motion analysis. UHR performance was significantly associated with dynamic balance capability as measured by medial-lateral inclination angle during gait. As indicated by an analysis of center of pressure, there were significant associations between UHR performance and measures of static balance. Balance is influenced by plantar flexor performance as measured by the UHR test. We therefore suggest incorporating the UHR test in analyses of balance in seniors.

Understanding the physical demands placed upon the musculoskeletal system by individual postures may allow experienced instructors and therapists to develop safe and effective yoga programs which reduce undesirable side effects. Thus, we used biomechanical methods to quantify the lower extremity joint angles, joint moments of force, and muscle activities of 21 Hatha yoga postures, commonly used in senior yoga programs. Twenty older adults, 70.7 years ± 3.8 years, participated in a 32-wk yoga class (2 d/wk) where they learned introductory and intermediate postures (asanas). They then performed the asanas in a motion analysis laboratory. Kinematic, kinetic, and electromyographic data was collected over three seconds while the participants held the poses statically. Profiles illustrating the postures and including the biomechanical data were then generated for each asana. Our findings demonstrated that Hatha yoga postures engendered a range of appreciable joint angles, JMOFs, and muscle activities about the ankle, knee, and hip, and that demands associated with some postures and posture modifications were not always intuitive. They also demonstrated that all of the postures elicited appreciable rectus abdominis activity, which was up to 70% of that induced during walking.

The practice of yoga asanas (postures) may be an optimal method of preserving or enhancing physical function in older men and women. However, the physical demands, efficacy and safety of an asana practice for seniors have not been well studied. The Yoga Empowers Seniors Study (YESS) is an intervention development study that created two senior-adapted series of asanas targeted for an ambulatory older population. YESS is using biomechanics and physical performance tests to acquire information about the physical demands placed on the muscles and joints by the asanas and the functional performance adaptations resulting from the yoga practice. This manuscript details the standardized, senior-adapted, YESS asana series and the additional asana modifications provided when participants had physical limitations. This presentation will enable the yoga research and teaching communities to interpret the biomechanics, physical performance and side effects outcomes of YESS.

Background The number of older adults participating in yoga has increased dramatically in recent years; yet, the physical demands associated with yoga performance have not been reported. The primary aim of the Yoga Empowers Seniors Study (YESS) was to use biomechanical methods to quantify the physical demands associated with the performance of 7 commonly-practiced standing yoga poses in older adults. Methods 20 ambulatory older adults (70.7 + − 3.8 yrs) attended 2 weekly 60-minute Hatha yoga classes for 32 weeks. The lower-extremity net joint moments of force (JMOFs), were obtained during the performance of the following poses: Chair, Wall Plank, Tree, Warrior II, Side Stretch, Crescent, and One-Legged Balance. Repeated-measure ANOVA and Tukey’s post-hoc tests were used to identify differences in JMOFs among the poses. Electromyographic analysis was used to support the JMOF findings. Results There was a significant main effect for pose, at the ankle, knee and hip, in the frontal and sagittal planes (p = 0.00 – 0.03). The Crescent, Chair, Warrior II, and One-legged Balance poses generated the greatest average support moments. Side Stretch generated the greatest average hip extensor and knee flexor JMOFs. Crescent placed the highest demands on the hip flexors and knee extensors. All of the poses produced ankle plantar-flexor JMOFs. In the frontal plane, the Tree generated the greatest average hip and knee abductor JMOFs; whereas Warrior II generated the greatest average hip and knee adductor JMOFs. Warrior II and One-legged Balance induced the largest average ankle evertor and invertor JMOFs, respectively. The electromyographic findings were consistent with the JMOF results. Conclusions Musculoskeletal demand varied significantly across the different poses. These findings may be used to guide the design of evidence-based yoga interventions that address individual-specific training and rehabilitation goals in seniors. Clinical trial registration This study is registered with NIH Clinicaltrials.gov #NCT 01411059