Author(s): LIANG, Y., HUANG, X.G., XI, Y.B., Institution: ANHUI NORMAL UNIVERSITY, Country: CHINA, Abstract-ID: 2349

INTRODUCTION:
Aerial yoga has the potential to stimulate the vestibular system due to the inverted nature and vertical acceleration associated with many of the fundamental skills. However, little research has been conducted on the effects of aerial yoga on postural control. It is not known how yoga exercise affects the stability of body posture due to the posture changes both on the ground (hatha yoga) and upside-down (aerial yoga). Postural control in the former relies on somatic sensory input while the latter induces challenges to vestibular sensory system. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of aerial yoga on postural stability in female hatha yogi, and to determine whether typical linear measures and nonlinear measure (e.g. sample entropy) can differentiate between the postural control.
METHODS:
24 age and stability matched female hatha yogi were randomly divided into two groups for a further 8 weeks training. One group continued to train hatha yoga whilst the other trained aerial yoga for two 60 mins sessions per week. Pre and post-intervention both groups completed static standing tests in eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions for 20s (tree posture) and 30s (bipedal and unipedal) on a force plate sampling at 1000 Hz. Linear measures included sway length and average sway velocity in the anterior-posterior and medio-lateral directions. The nonlinear measure was the sample entropy of the centre of pressure time-series in the anterior-posterior and medio-lateral directions. Group comparisons were accomplished via pairwise testing and effect size calculations.
RESULTS:
Linear and nonlinear measures showed that both types of yoga improved postural stability in the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions. Sample entropy in the medio-lateral direction in unipedal stance was significantly larger in the eyes-open condition compared to the eyes-closed condition for the hatha group.
CONCLUSION:
Both aerial and hatha yoga exercises can improve static postural control of young females. However, in comparison with hatha yoga, aerial yoga does not produce a superior improvement. Vestibular and proprioceptive adaptation can alter sensory weighting in postural control and the effect of the latter appears stronger in quiet unipedal standing.