1. We researched the impact of Viparita Karani on blood pressure in young women. Viparita Karani is an inversion posture which is thought to lower blood pressure. We expected to find that mean arterial pressure decreases from baseline readings in participants who practice the pose for five minutes. We controlled for time of day, duration in pose and Pranayama (breathing exercise), environment, gender, age, and health. Subjects were randomized into the control or treatment group. The control group sat against the wall while the treatment group assumed the posture of Viparita Karani (legs up the wall). Blood pressure was taken at three stages: a baseline, after a five minute breathing exercise, and five minutes after the breathing exercise ended. We found that there was no significant difference between control and treatment groups in any of the three stages. The breathing exercise was found to significantly decrease mean arterial pressure within both control and treatment groups. Future expansions of this study may incorporate a larger sample size, include the male gender, investigate changes in ankle brachial index, institute a full inversion, and test the treatment over a longer period of time. Yoga is now practiced as a complement to modern medicine by 20.4 million Americans 1,5,8. A growing body of researchers are seeking to quantify the physiological effects of yoga 3. An inverted posture, where the head is at or lower than the heart, is explored in this study. Viparita Karani is a yoga posture in which the practitioner lies on the floor with their hips elevated slightly and their legs resting up a wall. Yoga practitioners claim that blood pressure is lowered during inversions 2,4,5. 1. We expect that the Pranayama practice for both groups lowers MAP (mean arterial pressure) from the baseline measurement. 2. We expect to find that practicing Viparita Karani significantly lowers MAP, and that MAP stays lower than baseline blood pressure for five minutes after the posture has been completed and the practitioner returns to an upright seated position. 3. We anticipate that overall MAP will lower more in our Viparita Karani group than in the control group practicing Pranayama in a seated position. The implications of these findings could provide a useful coping strategy for college students experiencing hypertension symptoms as a result of daily stress and anxiety. Figure 2. Average mean arterial pressures for the treatment (Viparita Karani & Pranayama, green) and control (Pranayama, pink) groups at three time intervals. Time zero was the baseline measure. The second measurement was after a 5-minute breathing practice/posture. The third measurement was after 5 minutes of recovery. Error bars show standard error. Figure 3. Average percent change in mean arterial pressure for the treatment and control groups during three time intervals: Posture/Breathing shows the difference between Stages 1 and 2. Recovery is between Stages 2 and 3. Overall shows the difference between stages 1 and 3. Error bars show standard error. Average baseline MAP of control was lower than the treatment group Average MAP for the treatment group decreased at Stage 2 (p = 0.0016), then increased at Stage 3 (p = 0.035) Average MAP for the control group decreased at Stage 2 (p = 0.023), and remained constant at Stage 3 (Figure 2) Both groups significantly decreased MAP from Stage 1 to Stage 2 Overall difference in MAP between Stage 1 and Stage 3 was significant in the control group (p = 0.024) Overall difference in MAP between Stage 1 and Stage 3 was not significant in the treatment group Treatment group had a significant increase in MAP in Stage 2 Subject population (females age 18-23) was randomized Automatic sphygmomanometers measured blood pressure Stage 1: Both groups were in an upright seated position at the wall with legs outstretched when the first blood pressure reading was taken Treatment group (n = 20) assumed the Viparita Karani posture and blood pressure was taken after five minutes Control group (n = 10) stayed seated at the wall with legs outstretched and blood pressure was taken at the same time marker as the treatment group Stage 2: All subjects listened to a five minute Pranayama recording After the recording, the treatment group was asked to sit back into the seated positon (Figure 1) Stage 3: Blood pressure was measured in both groups five minutes after the Pranayama recording ended Pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were calculated for each subject Two tailed t-tests were calculated to compare the MAP between stages in treatment and control groups One tailed t-tests were used to compare percent change between stages within groups Jessie Tierney, Stephanie Sharp, Bethany Martini, Nicole Donaldson Our study found that mean arterial pressure decreased significantly while subjects were in the pose, then increased after participants returned to a seated posture. The body compensates for pressure changes through baroreceptors in the aortic arch and the carotid sinuses to maintain homeostasis in the systemic circuit 6. In Viparita Karani, there is a sudden increase in blood pressure as blood rushes to the upper thorax and head. This activates the parasympathetic nervous system which carries the information to the cardiovascular control center in the medulla. The parasympathetic response lowers blood pressure by decreasing cardiac output. When returning to the seated position, pressure decreases and the sympathetic nervous system dominates, resulting in an increase in blood pressure. These findings are consistent with classical instruction on the posture: by practicing Viparita Karani before bed and not elevating the head above the level of the heart, a practitioner has effectively stimulated the parasympathetic nervous system, and they have created a condition which we would expect to promote sleep 7. If Viparita Karani is to be used as a re-energizing and mildly stimulating posture, sitting upright reactivates the sympathetic nervous system. Impact of Viparita Karani yoga inversion posture on mean arterial pressure in young women AbstractResultsMethods Introduction Discussion References Figure 1. Researcher on the left demonstrates the seated position. On the right, Viparita Karani is demonstrated for the treatment group. Note the automatic sphygmomanometers on right bicep. 1. Barnes, P., Powell-Griner, E., McFann, K., and Nahin, R. 2004. Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults: United States, 2002. Seminars in Integrative Medicine. 2(2): 54-71. 2. Iyengar, B. K. S. 1993. Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. London: Harper Collins. 139-171. 3. Jerath, R., Edry, J., Barnes, V., and Jerath, V. 2006. Physiology of long pranayamic breathing: Neural respiratory elements may provide a mechanism that explains how slow deep breathing shifts the autonomic nervous system. Journal of Medical Hypotheses. 67(3): 566–571. 4. Long, R. 2008. The Key Poses of Yoga: Your Guide to Functional Anatomy. Canada: Bandha Yoga Publications. 165-187. 5. McCall, T. 2007. Yoga as Medicine. New York: Bantham Dell. 6. Sherwood, L. 2003. Human Physiology: From Cells to Systems. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. 304-386. 7. Trinder, J., Kleiman, J., Carrington, M., Smith, S., Breen, S., Tan, N., and Kim, Y. 2001. Autonomic activity during human sleep as a function of time and sleep stage. Journal of Sleep Research. 10(4): 253-264. 8. Yoga Journal. 2012. New study finds more than 20 million yogis in U.S. Online. Available: yogajournal.com/uncategorized/new- study-finds-20-million-yogis-u-s/ Western Washington University: Biology Department