Yoga to Improve Physical Function and Maximal Walking Distance Among Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease

The investigators propose to pilot test a six-week yoga program among adults with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Participants (n=50) will be randomized to a six-week yoga intervention (n=25) or wait-list control (n=25). The yoga intervention will include a weekly yoga class currently used among cardiac rehab patients at the University of Michigan Health System, together with home-based practice sessions. Participants will perform treadmill testing at baseline and 6 weeks to assess walking capacity. The primary outcomes of interest include 1) acceptability of the program by participants, 2) feasibility of recruitment, 3) change in maximal walking distance, 4) change in claudication symptoms, and 5) change in health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The investigators expect this will inform us on the acceptability and feasibility of a larger proposal examining yoga in PAD patients. These data will also inform on the effect size in maximal walking, and HRQOL, which will be used to estimate the sample size needed for a larger R01 level proposal. Study hypotheses: Hypothesis 1: Participants will find the yoga program acceptable with low drop-out rates (\<15%), excellent attendance (\>80% classes attended), and good completion of the home-based practice sessions (self-report \>80% completed). Hypothesis 2: The yoga intervention will be feasible for a larger study based on numbers of potential participants approached, and those who consent to participate vs. those who do not. Hypothesis 3: Increases in maximal walking distance and pain-free walking distance (from baseline to 6 weeks) will be greater in the participants randomized to the yoga intervention compared to the control group. Hypothesis 4: Self-reported claudication symptoms will be reduced to a greater degree (at 6 weeks) among participants randomized to the yoga intervention compared to the control group. Hypothesis 5: Increases in HRQOL (from baseline to 6 weeks) will be greater in the participants randomized to the yoga intervention compared to the control group.