title: Effect of Regular Yoga Practice on Respiratory Regulation and Exercise Performance.
abstract: Yoga alters spontaneous respiratory regulation and reduces hypoxic and hypercapnic ventilatory responses. Since a lower ventilatory response is associated with an improved endurance capacity during whole-body exercise, we tested whether yogic subjects (YOGA) show an increased endurance capacity compared to matched non-yogic individuals (CON) with similar physical activity levels. Resting ventilation, the ventilatory response to hypercapnia, passive leg movement and exercise, as well as endurance performance were assessed. YOGA (n = 9), compared to CONTROL (n = 6), had a higher tidal volume at rest (0.7±0.2 vs. 0.5±0.1 l, p = 0.034) and a reduced ventilatory response to hypercapnia (33±15 vs. 47±15 l·min(-1), p = 0.048). A YOGA subgroup (n = 6) with maximal performance similar to CONTROL showed a blunted ventilatory response to passive cycling (11±2 vs. 14±2 l·min(-1), p = 0.039) and a tendency towards lower exercise ventilation (33±2 vs. 36±3 l·min(-1), p = 0.094) while cycling endurance (YOGA: 17.3±3.3; CON: 19.6±8.5 min, p = 0.276) did not differ. Thus, yoga practice was not associated with improved exercise capacity nor with significant changes in exercise ventilation despite a significantly different respiratory regulation at rest and in response to hypercapnia and passive leg movement.
authors.affiliation: Exercise Physiology Lab, Institute of Human Movement Sciences, ETH Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Eveline
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Beutler
authors.affiliation: Exercise Physiology Lab, Institute of Human Movement Sciences, ETH Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Fernando G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Beltrami
authors.affiliation: Exercise Physiology Lab, Institute of Human Movement Sciences, ETH Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.|Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP), University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Urs
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Boutellier
authors.affiliation: Exercise Physiology Lab, Institute of Human Movement Sciences, ETH Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.|Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP), University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christina M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Spengler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006935:Hypercapnia / Q000503:physiopathology; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology*; D012123:Pulmonary Ventilation / Q000502:physiology; D012119:Respiration; D015013:Yoga; D055815:Young Adult