Summary of Research on Yoga Benefits

books on a shelf
I came across a fabulous *ungated* article that summarizes the scholarly literature on the health benefits of yoga. It is posted on the US's National Institute of Health website.

Sengupta, P. (2012) Health Impacts of Yoga and Pranayama: A State-of-the-Art Review. International Journal of Preventative Medicine 3(7): 444-58.  Go to the article itself.

Here are some nuggets from the survey article.
  • "A growing body of research evidence supports the belief that certain yoga techniques may improve physical and mental health..." 
  • "Effectiveness of yoga against stress management is well established." 
  •  "... yoga has been shown to have immediate psychological effects: decreasing anxiety and increasing feelings of emotional, social, and spiritual well-being."
The article then reviews the scholarly literature on yoga for specific health conditions: high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, obesity, general physical fitness (e.g. lung capacity), non-insulin-dependent diabetes, stress & anxiety, reproductive issues, and cancer.