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OBJECTIVE	To examine the efficacy of an integrative yoga programme as adjuvant treatment of essential arterial hypertension .
METHODS	An Integrative yoga programme was conducted during three months in 26 sessions with a group of ten essential arterial hypertension patients at a public health centre .
METHODS	The same number of patients acted as the control group without treatment .
METHODS	The patients were randomly selected and assigned to the groups .
METHODS	All patients filled in the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule ( PANAS ) , the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale ( HADS ) and the Smith Relaxation States Inventory 3 ( SRSI3 ) before and after the treatment .
RESULTS	A statistically significant reduction of systolic and diastolic blood pressure , negative affect , symptoms of anxiety and degree of stress could be observed in the study group .
CONCLUSIONS	These positive and promising results confirm the effectiveness of these techniques in the treatment of essential arterial hypertension and suggest possible further investigations .

