Double-blind, randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized crossover double-blind. These are all types of studies that confirm or negate a theory. It's what Western scientist use to ensure "statistically significant" results. Yoga has been studied for a long time, but now with better testing equipment (EKGs, MRIs) and the advancing fields of exercise physiology and sports medicine, yoga is beginning to get some serious study.

I had the grand opportunity of being involved in 2 pilot and 1 NIH-funded studies at UCSF Women's Research Center in San Francisco. All studied the effects of Restorative Yoga on either Metabolic Syndrome or Menopausal symptoms. As the yoga instructor, I was on the lowest rung of the importance ladder. But, best of all I got to attend many of the meeting with the doctors, researchers, statisticians, data collectors and recruiters. The geek in me found this fascinating. The most recent study covered two-years, two venues (San Diego and San Francisco) with control groups doing stretching as compared to the intervention group practicing Restorative Yoga.

William Broad in his controversial book, The Science of Yoga, does a good job of reviewing some yoga studies and their results. One of the challenges in yoga studies is finding a proper control group. The control and actual group must be as In yoga studies, does the control group do nothing? Dsimilar as possible. o they get together and watch a movie or read? There is a positive effect in just bringing people together. In the UCSF study, only 25 subjects met the requirements of the study from a City the size of San Francisco!   Potential participants had to answer a lengthy questionnaire about medication use, exercise regimen, prior or current yoga participation, availability for study classes over a specific period of time. The screening process is rigorous. Then, there is the retention of the participants you have. They were asked to practice restorative yoga for one year which included attending classes and doing an at-home practice. In additional they were required to have periodic blood tests, saliva swabs, and wear motion monitors.

Regardless of the outcome of these studies and the numerous ones outlined in Broad's book, there is one that that's clear to me. It just takes a sample size of one. You are the sample. After just the first week of the Restorative Yoga study classes, participants came in telling me how much better they were sleeping, the calmer they felt, and the more patient they found themselves in traffic. Is this subjective reporting after one week statistically significant? Nope. Is it important? Yes.
 

After my pricey but environmentally responsible (I hope) purchase at Aveda in San Diego last week, a red-lipped and haired young woman offered me a complementary hand massage. After comparing notes on our red hair, Kim related to me about how much she loves yoga. There was no prompting by me and I didn't even mention I practiced. She takes classes at CorePower yoga (I had just done a class that morning), which is hot and vigorous. She practices every day and says she'd even go twice a day if she could. "I have anxiety and it makes a big difference and I have been losing weight" she shared. She told me, I swear, that yoga had "changed her life". A young girl carrying 50 extra pounds could have been self-conscious, but Kim said yoga had made her feel strong and capable. She's hoping to get strong enough to do CrossFit. Do we need a $2M study to confirm what Kim told me?

I hear it over and over-improved balance, better sleep, less stress, lower anxiety, better food choices, and the like. You are the sample size-just you and how yoga is affecting your health and quality of life. Sample size-just one. 

Did you want to read some of my past columns?  You can right here.