N/A
N=21
Influence of Yogic Breathwork on CSF Circulation
CSF Circulation
Bottom Line
View on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03858309 ↗Enrolled (actual)
21
Serious AEs
0.0%
Results posted
Oct 2025
Primary outcome: Primary: CSF Flow Velocities — 1.36; 1.31; 1.48; 1.15 cm/s
Study Design & Population
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- N/A
- Interventions
- Breathing Group 1 (Behavioral); Breathing Group 2 (Behavioral)
- Age
- Adult, Older Adult · 18+ yrs
- Sex
- All
- Sponsor
- Oregon Health and Science University
- Primary completion
- Nov 2019
Outcome Measures
| Outcome | Result | p-value |
|---|---|---|
| PRIMARY CSF Flow Velocities |
1.36; 1.31; 1.48; 1.15; -1.92; -1.73 | — |
| SECONDARY Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure |
128.11; 117.71; 125.62; 118.29; 80.22; 66.29 | — |
| SECONDARY Body Mass Index (BMI) |
25.33; 24.33; 25.16; 24.46 | — |
| SECONDARY Daily Home Practice Frequency |
5.00; 5.43 | — |
| SECONDARY Daily Home Practice Duration |
21.80; 20.22 | — |
Summary
The purpose of this research study is to determine the influence of yoga breathing practices on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation, and to find out primarily if a regular practice of 8-week yoga breathing would enhance CSF circulation as well as if the intervention would improve participant's quality of life, quality of sleep, and reduce existing stress. Participants will be randomized into two arms for different breathing practices.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- 18-65 years of age, able to provide their consent to be in the study, available and able to participate in study activities, who can lie in supine, able to walk 15 feet, who have no prior/current mind-body practice inducing breath awareness or training such as yoga, meditation, Ta-Chi, Qi-Gong.
Exclusion Criteria
- Inability to provide informed consent, MRI contraindications, need for muscle relaxants or anti-anxiety drugs in order to tolerate MRI, history of neurological disorders, head trauma with loss of consciousness, craniospinal disorders, spinal injury, sleep disorders, allergic or respiratory disorders, major or uncontrolled psychiatric illness or major depression, lung and heart problems, any condition requiring the use of medication that acts on the brain like stimulants, sedatives current substance abuse issues, pregnancy or nursing.
Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03858309). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.