“The benefits of yoga are different for different people,” Laskowski says. “Overall, it has components that can help with flexibility, strength, balance, and stability.”
Research has shown it can also help with specific measures of health, like eating habits, weight loss and weight loss maintenance, and cardiovascular health
A review looking at one year of recent research found that people who practiced yoga saw improvements across several measures of health, including: anxiety, stress, body composition, blood pressure, inflammation, and metabolic markers in people with type 2 diabetes.
A meta-analysis found that yoga interventions helped middle-aged people with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher to lower their blood pressure. The benefits were greater when the yoga intervention included breathing techniques and meditation.
Another study found that yoga motivated nearly two-thirds of people to exercise more, and 40 percent of people to eat healthier.
There is also evidence that yoga may help people with certain health conditions and chronic diseases manage pain and other symptoms, and with overall quality of life.
