Yoga: What You Need To Know

What is yoga and how does it work?

Yoga is an ancient and complex practice, rooted in Indian philosophy. It began as a spiritual practice but has become popular as a way of promoting physical and mental well-being.

Although classical yoga also includes other elements, yoga as practiced in the United States typically emphasizes physical postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and meditation (dyana). 

There are many different yoga styles, ranging from gentle practices to physically demanding ones. Differences in the types of yoga used in research studies may affect study results. This makes it challenging to evaluate research on the health effects of yoga.

Yoga and two practices of Chinese origin—tai chi and qi gong—are sometimes called “meditative movement” practices. All three practices include both meditative elements and physical ones.

What are the health benefits of yoga?

Research suggests that yoga may:

• Help improve general wellness by relieving stress, supporting good health habits, and improving mental/emotional health, sleep, and balance.
• Relieve low-back pain and neck pain, and possibly pain from tension-type headaches and knee osteoarthritis.
• Help people who are overweight or obese lose weight.
• Help people quit smoking.
• Help people manage anxiety or depressive symptoms associated with difficult life situations.
• Relieve menopause symptoms.
• Help people with chronic diseases manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life.

Although there’s been a lot of research on the health effects of yoga, many studies have included only small numbers of people and haven’t been of high quality. Therefore, in most instances, we can only say that yoga has shown promise for particular health uses, not that it’s been proven to help.

What does research show about yoga for wellness?

Studies have suggested possible benefits of yoga for several aspects of wellness, including stress management, mental/emotional health, promoting healthy eating/activity habits, sleep, and balance.

Can yoga help with pain management?

Research has been done on yoga for several conditions that involve pain. Studies of yoga for low-back pain and neck pain have had promising results, and yoga is among the options that the American College of Physicians recommends for first-line treatment of chronic low-back pain. Preliminary evidence suggests that yoga may also be helpful for tension headaches and knee osteoarthritis pain.

Is yoga a good way to lose weight?

There’s evidence that yoga may help people lose weight.

In 2013, a review supported by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) looked at 17 yoga-based weight-control programs and found that most of them led to gradual, moderate reductions in weight. The programs with the best results included at least some of these elements:

• Longer and more frequent yoga sessions.
• A longer duration of the overall program.
• A yoga-based dietary component.
• A residential component (such as a full weekend to start the program).
• A larger number of elements of yoga.
• Home practice.

Another review, in 2016, looked at 10 studies of yoga in individuals who were overweight or obese and found that practicing yoga was associated with reduced body mass index (BMI; a measure of body fat based on height and weight).

Can yoga help you quit smoking?

There’s evidence that yoga may help people stop smoking. 

• A 2019 NCCIH-funded study with 227 participants compared yoga classes with general wellness classes as additions to a conventional once-weekly counseling program. The people in the yoga group were 37 percent more likely to have quit smoking by the end of the 8-week program. However, 6 months after treatment, there was no difference between the groups in the proportion of people who were still not smoking.
• A study published in 2020 showed a reduction in cigarette cravings after a single yoga session, as compared with a wellness education session. The study participants were people who were trying to cut back or stop smoking.

How does yoga affect mental health?

There’s evidence that yoga may be helpful for anxiety associated with various life situations, such as medical conditions or stressful educational programs, and for depressive symptoms. The evidence on yoga’s impact on diagnosed mental health conditions is less promising.

• In a 2013 review of 22 studies (involving 1,728 participants) of yoga for anxiety associated with life situations, yoga seemed to be helpful in some instances but not others. In general, results were more favorable for interventions that included at least 10 yoga sessions. The studies were of medium-to-poor quality, so definite conclusions about yoga’s effectiveness couldn’t be reached.
• In a review of 23 studies (involving 1,272 participants) of people with depressive symptoms (although not necessarily diagnosed with depression), yoga was helpful in reducing symptoms in 14 of the studies.
• A 2018 review of 18 studies (1,532 participants) of people who had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or depression found that hatha yoga was not more effective in relieving symptoms than treatment as usual or most of the other interventions examined in the studies. However, it was more effective than psychoeducation programs at relieving symptoms of depression. Most of the studies included in the review were not of high quality.
• A 2018 evaluation of 7 studies (284 participants) of yoga for people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) found only low-quality evidence of a possible benefit.
• A 2021 study of Kundalini yoga for generalized anxiety disorder (226 participants, 155 of whom completed the study), supported by NCCIH, found that Kundalini yoga improved symptoms but was less helpful than cognitive behavioral therapy, an established first-line treatment for this condition.

What are the risks of yoga?

Yoga is generally considered a safe form of physical activity for healthy people when performed properly, under the guidance of a qualified instructor. However, as with other forms of physical activity, injuries can occur. The most common injuries are sprains and strains, and the parts of the body most commonly injured are the knee or lower leg. Serious injuries are rare. The risk of injury associated with yoga is lower than that for higher impact physical activities.

Older adults may need to be particularly cautious when practicing yoga. The rate of yoga-related injuries treated in emergency departments is higher in people age 65 and older than in younger adults.

To reduce your chances of getting hurt while doing yoga:

• Practice yoga under the guidance of a qualified instructor. Practicing yoga by self-study without supervision has been associated with increased risks.
• If you’re new to yoga, avoid extreme practices such as headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position, and forceful breathing.
• Be aware that hot yoga has special risks related to overheating and dehydration.
• Pregnant women, older adults, and people with health conditions should talk with their health care providers and the yoga instructor about their individual needs. They may need to avoid or modify some yoga poses and practices. Some of the health conditions that may call for modifications in yoga include preexisting injuries, such as knee or hip injuries, lumbar spine disease, severe high blood pressure, balance issues, and glaucoma.

How popular is yoga in the United States?

About one in seven U.S. adults practiced yoga in the past 12 months, according to a 2017 national survey. Among children age 4 to 17, it was about 1 in 12. The percentage of people who practice yoga grew from 2007 to 2012 and again from 2012 to 2017. This was true for both adults and children. 

Why do Americans practice yoga?

National survey data from 2012 showed that 94 percent of adults who practiced yoga did it for wellness-related reasons, while 17.5 percent did it to treat a specific health condition. Some people reported doing both.

Do different groups of people have different experiences with yoga?

Much of the research on yoga in the United States has been conducted in predominantly female, non-Hispanic White, well-educated people with relatively high incomes. Other people—particularly members of minority groups and those with lower incomes—have been underrepresented in yoga studies.

Different groups of people may have different yoga-related experiences, and the results of studies that did not examine a diverse population may not apply to everyone.