Cyclic yoga improves anthropometric indices, musculoskeletal disorders, and blood pressure in middle-aged women

Abstract

BackgroundThe new and therapeutic style of cyclic yoga, which is the art of aligning asana, pranayama, and yoga mudra techniques, can be used as a non-invasive style to improve or prevent some musculoskeletal disorders. For this purpose, this study was designed to investigate a selected course of cyclic yoga practice on some anthropometric indicators, musculoskeletal disorders, and blood pressure in middle-aged women. Methodsː Forty-two middle-aged women were assigned either to cyclic yoga (n = 21, 53.76 ± 4.073 years) or the control group (n = 21, 53.57 ± 4.781 years). The cyclic yoga group received yoga intervention for 10 weeks, three sessions per week, and 50–90 min per session. MANCOVA test was used for inter-group comparison, and variance with repeated measures was used for intra-group measurement. ResultsA 10-week of yoga training decreased weight, hip circumference, body mass index, percentage of body fat, waist-to-height ratio, round shoulder, thoracic kyphosis angle, lumbar lordosis angle, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure. In addition, a significant increase in the percentage muscle mass variable was reported in the cyclic yoga group. There was also a difference between the two cyclic yoga and control groups in the post-test in the waist-to-height ratio, round shoulder, thoracic kyphosis angle, lumbar lordosis angle, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure variables. Conclusionsː The results suggest that cyclic yoga exercises, as an effective therapeutic alternative, low-cost, and accessible lead to the improvement of the round shoulder, hyperkyphosis, hyperlordosis, some anthropometric indices, and blood pressure.