Health Conditions A-Z
Wellness & Self-Care
News
Product Reviews
Find a Doctor
Tools & Resources
About Us
Health Conditions A-Z
Find helpful content on common health and medical conditions.
See All
Breast CancerCold & FluCrohn's DiseaseDepressionEczema (Atopic Dermatitis)High Blood PressureLung Cancer
MenopauseMigraineMultiple SclerosisProstate CancerPsoriasisRheumatoid ArthritisType 2 Diabetes
Wellness & Self-Care
Explore wellness and self-care topics for your physical and mental well-being.
See All
AcupunctureBug BitesDehydrationFitness and ExerciseFood & DietHealthy RecipesKetogenic Diet
MeditationMediterranean DietSelf-CareSkin CareStressWeight LossYoga
News
Stay updated with the latest health and medical news.
See All
Featured stories
Shingles Vaccine May Cut Dementia Risk
Statins May Decrease Dementia Risk, Even for People With Low Cholesterol
Sausages, Hot Sauce, and Tortilla Chips Recalled
Product Reviews
Learn about the best products to support your health and wellness.
See All
Best Colostrum SupplementsBest Creatine SupplementsBest Probiotics for WomenBest Collagen PowdersBest Greens PowdersBest Online Glasses Retailers
Best Online Therapy ServicesBest Online Therapy That Takes InsuranceBest Shoes for Standing All DayBest Cold Plunge TubsBest Costco Hearing Aids
Find a Doctor
Find the best doctors for you that are near you.
See All
CardiologistDermatologistGastroenterologistOB/GYN
Orthopedic SurgeonPediatricianPrimary Care
Quizzes & Calculators
Test your health knowledge and gain personalized insights.
Tippi - Everyday Tips
Get health and medical tips and advice.
Symptom Checker
Identify possible conditions based on your symptoms and signs.
Consumer’s Guides
Understand how to get the most from your medical treatments.
Check In, Check Up
Holistically evaluate your condition management by taking these assessments.
Vaccine Planner
Get personalized vaccine recommendations that can help protect against serious illnesses.
All Videos
Watch video stories and information on health and medical topics.
Who We Are
Learn about our award-winning editorial team and health content leaders.
Health Expert Network
Discover the medical and wellness experts who review of our content.
Editorial Policy
Find out about our strict editorial policies, ethics, and standards.
Product Testing Policy
Review how we vet products and services.
Yoga

9 Ways Practicing Yoga Benefits Your Health and Well-Being

Yoga can boost your mental and physical fitness by improving sleep, busting stress, strengthening your heart, and more.
By
Wyatt Myers
Updated on July 21, 2023
by
Alison Ozgur, RDN
Health-Benefits-of-Yoga-00-722x406
Yoga can improve muscle tone and flexibility. Did you know it can also help manage chronic disease symptoms for people with asthma, multiple sclerosis, and arthritis?
Getty Images

For thousands of years, yogis have been touting yoga’s mental and physical powers. Luckily, you don’t have to be an expert to reap the benefits — adding just a few yoga poses to your daily routine can help your daily health in all kinds of unexpected ways.

“On a physical level, yoga helps improve flexibility, strength, balance, and endurance,” says Linda Schlamadinger McGrath, the founder of YogaSource Los Gatos in Los Gatos, California, who is certified by Yoga Alliance, the world’s largest nonprofit yoga association that certifies teachers and schools. “And on a psychological level, yoga can help you cultivate mindfulness as you shift your awareness to the sensations, thoughts, and emotions that accompany a given pose or exercise.”

And there’s also a growing body of science showing that a regular yoga practice may benefit people with a host of chronic health conditions, including asthma, heart disease, and multiple sclerosis (MS). That literature is not as established as the practice of yoga itself, but a lot of work has been done. Here’s what we know.

Ania Tippkemper X Everyday Health: 5-Minute Stress Relief and Calming Flow

Ania Tippkemper X Everyday Health: 5-Minute Stress Relief and Calming Flow

Next up video playing in 10 seconds

302

Yoga Boosts Emotional Health and Relieves Stress

Health-Benefits-of-Yoga-01-722x406
iStock

Exercise boosts energy and mood, and yoga is no exception. Many who practice yoga do so for its benefits in terms of relaxation and stress management. (1) Research from 2022 shows that yoga, as well as mindfulness, is associated with reductions in perceived levels of stress. Additionally, research has shown yoga interventions are linked to improved objective measures of stress levels in the body, like reduced evening cortisol levels, reduced waking cortisol levels, and lower resting heart rate. (2)

Yoga can yield emotional health benefits because it’s an exercise that works both the body and the mind, says Manuela Kogon, MD, a clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford Medicine and an internal medicine doctor at the Stanford Center for Integrative Medicine in Palo Alto, California.

“Yoga practice comprises not just movement, but dynamic movements tied to breath,” Dr. Kogon says. “Focusing on body postures can shift attention away from negative thinking.”

And individuals with and without mental health conditions can benefit, she says. Research has shown that yoga can benefit people with depression and schizophrenia. (3)

303

Yoga May Help You Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Health-Benefits-of-Yoga-02-722x406
Getty Images

The relaxation associated with yoga can be beneficial for sleep, Kogon says. Gentle yoga before bed is recommended as a lifestyle change that can help people with insomnia, but it can be a great prebed routine for anyone.

Practicing relaxing asanas, or postures, such as forward fold (Uttanasana) or lying on your back with your feet up the wall can be great ways to help you relax shortly before bedtime, says Tamal Dodge, the founder of Yoga Salt in Los Angeles. (4) “They’ll help calm your body and, most importantly, your mind.”

304

Yoga May Help Your Hangover

Health-Benefits-of-Yoga-03-RM-722x406
Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images

The morning after a night of drinking, yoga may be the last thing on your mind, but maybe it shouldn’t be.

Kogon says that while she’s not aware of scientific studies on yoga’s ability to temper hangovers, there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence that it works. “It could be that the increased blood flow that comes with doing yoga helps eliminate the toxic effect of alcohol,” she says.

Start with gentle poses, and if you feel any nausea, slow it down.

305

Yoga May Help With Chronic Back Pain

Health-Benefits-of-Yoga-04-RM-722x406
Thomas Barwick/GettyImages

“Back pain is eased with yoga because the practice helps improve flexibility and muscular strength,” says Kogon. Research suggests that yoga is a more effective treatment for chronic back pain than the usual care for improving back function. (5)

If you do have back pain, opt for gentler types of yoga, like hatha or Iyengar, rather than more vigorous practices, to avoid injury, Kogon says. And remember, it’s always a good idea to check with your doctor before starting a new type of physical activity if you do have an existing back problem or other medical condition.

306

Yoga Helps Fight Heart Disease

Health-Benefits-of-Yoga-05-722x406
iStock

There’s a growing body of evidence that yoga can benefit your heart. Several studies suggest yoga can help reduce known heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, among those who are hypertensive, according to research. (6)

Another study that followed patients with heart failure found that adding eight weeks of yoga to their treatment increased the patients’ capacity for exercise, improved their heart health, and enhanced their overall quality of life compared with patients who did not do yoga in addition to regular treatment. (7)

“Yoga increases blood flow, gets oxygen to the periphery of the body, and relaxes blood vessels, which is good in heart failure. It eases the workload on the heart,” Kogon says.

Physical activity, breathing exercises, and meditation separately are all known to help buffer cardiovascular disease risk factors, so it’s not a stretch to understand why studies have found yoga (which combines all three of these) helps do the same. (8)

307

Gentle Yoga Movements Can Ease Arthritis Pain

Health-Benefits-of-Yoga-06-722x406
Masterfile

Regular exercise can help keep joints flexible, muscles toned, and weight under control, which is what people with arthritis need to manage pain. Yoga can be a great way for people with arthritis to stay active, because the gentle pace of movement can be less stressful than other types of workouts, according to the Arthritis Foundation. (9) Studies have shown practicing yoga is linked to less pain and improved joint function in people with different types of arthritis. (10)

“We speculate that the increase in flexibility, increased muscle strength, and stress reduction are modifying factors in arthritis pain,” Kogon says. So it would make sense that yoga may help with symptoms. There isn’t hard evidence that one form of yoga is better than another for pain. As always, if you have a medical condition, it’s a good idea to check with your doctor before trying a new type of physical activity.

308

Yoga May Help Ease Asthma Symptoms

Health-Benefits-of-Yoga-07-722x406
Shutterstock

Yoga has certainly not been proved as a cure for asthma, but there is some evidence it might help with symptoms. One review of 15 randomized controlled trials found that yoga was associated with improvements in quality of life and symptom management for people with moderate asthma. (11) But more research is needed to determine the mechanisms of how yoga helps and whether or not it improves lung function (which causes asthma in the first place).

Kogon says it makes sense that yoga would help with asthma symptoms because breathing exercises help relax the muscles in different parts of our lungs, which tighten and tense up during an asthma attack. “Asthma attacks can be quite stressful. Controlled breathing helps reduce stress which in turn helps regulate breathing,” she explains.

309

Yoga Can Help People With Multiple Sclerosis Manage Symptoms

Health-Benefits-of-Yoga-08-722x406
Natalie Faye/GettyImages

The loss of muscle function, coordination, and other issues that come with multiple sclerosis can be frustrating, but some research indicates that yoga might help with MS by improving both physical function and mood. Practicing yoga can help with day-to-day functioning by improving balance and muscle alignment, strengthening muscles, and promoting relaxation, which helps with overall stress levels, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. (12)

Research has found that for people with MS, yoga can improve walking speed, pain, fatigue, and concentration, among other quality-of-life markers.

310

Yoga May Help Reduce PTSD Symptoms

Health-Benefits-of-Yoga-09-RM-722x406
Klaus Vedfelt/GettyImages

Because yoga promotes well-being and helps with stress, many people turn to it after facing trauma or while dealing with difficult events to promote mental wellness. More and better-designed clinical trials are needed to better establish yoga as a tool to help with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but the evidence that does exist suggests yoga can help. (13)

With additional reporting by Tiarra Mukherjee.

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Additional Sources
  1. Mayo Clinic Q and A: What’s the Benefit of Yoga? Mayo Clinic. September 11, 2022.
  2. Pascoe MC, Thompson DR, Ski CF. Yoga, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Stress-Related Physiological Measures: A Meta-Analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology. December 2017.
  3. Balasubramaniam M, Telles S, Doraiswamy PM. Yoga On Our Minds: A Systematic Review of Yoga for Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Frontiers in Psychiatry. January 25, 2013.
  4. Yoga and Sleep. Sleep Foundation. June 13, 2023.
  5. Tilbrook HE, Cox H, Hewitt CE, et al. Yoga for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Trial. Annals of Internal Medicine. November 1, 2011.
  6. Park SH, Han KS. Blood Pressure Response to Meditation and Yoga: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. September 2017.
  7. Pullen PR, Nagamia SH, Mehta PK, et al. Effects of Yoga on Inflammation and Exercise Capacity in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure. Journal of Cardiac Failure. June 2008.
  8. More Than a Stretch: Yoga’s Benefits May Extend to the Heart. Harvard Health Publishing. April 15, 2015.
  9. Top 5 Yoga Myths Debunked. Arthritis Foundation.
  10. Haaz S, Bartlett SJ. Yoga for Arthritis: A Scoping Review. Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America. February 2011.
  11. Yang ZY, Zhong HB, Mao C, et al. Yoga for Asthma. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. April 27, 2016.
  12. Yoga and MS. National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
  13. Niles BL, Mori DL, Polizzi C, et al. A Systematic Review of Randomized Trials of Mind-Body Interventions for PTSD. Journal of Clinical Psychology. September 2018.

Additional Sources:

  • Fischer JM, Kandil FI, Kessler CS, et al. Stress Reduction by Yoga Versus Mindfulness Training in Adults Suffering From Distress: A Three-Armed Randomized Controlled Trial Including Qualitative Interviews (RELAX Study). Journal of Clinical Medicine. October 2022.
  • Thakur P, Mohammad A, Rastogi YR, et al. Yoga as an Intervention to Manage Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine. April–June 2020.

Most Recent in Yoga

5 Potential Health Benefits of Frog Pose
Yoga5 Potential Health Benefits of Frog PoseMedically Reviewed by Kara Andrew, RDN, LDN | September 6, 2024
Are You Doing Too Much Yoga? Here’s How to Tell (and Why It Can Be Risky)
YogaAre You Doing Too Much Yoga? Here’s How to Tell (and Why It Can Be Risky)Medically Reviewed by Alison Ozgur, RDN | August 29, 2024
5 Yoga Poses and Exercises for Better Sleep Tonight
Yoga5 Yoga Poses and Exercises for Better Sleep TonightMedically Reviewed by Alison Ozgur, RDN | June 27, 2023
5-Minute Back-to-Basics Yoga Flow for Beginners
Yoga5-Minute Back-to-Basics Yoga Flow for BeginnersFact Checked on June 5, 2023
Meet Our Experts
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network
Alison-Ozgur-bio

Alison Ozgur, RDN

Medical Reviewer

Alison Ozgur, RDN, is a wellness expert with advanced training in whole-food, plant-based nutrition. She is also an adjunct instructor of nutrition at Jersey College in Teterboro, New Jersey, and a board-certified lifestyle medicine professional through the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

In 2012, she coauthored her first book, Go Beyond Good: The Trail to a Lifetime of Health and Vitality! That same year, she joined the online instructor team at the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies, ultimately becoming the director of wellness programs. Ozgur has led numerous lectures and workshops at the Miraval Arizona Resort and Spa in Tucson.

She is pursuing a third master’s degree in global health from Arizona State University.

See full bio

Wyatt Myers

Author
Wyatt Myers is a content designer and freelance writer based in Olathe, Kansas, who focuses on health, fitness, and nutrition. Myers has contributed content to more than a dozen Rodale books, including The Doctor's Book of Home Remedies, Healing With Vitamins, and Cholesterol Cures. He's also written for Prevention, Men's Health, and Muscle & Fitness, among many other magazines.
See full bio
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network
Healthy Living
Sign up for our Healthy Living Newsletter!
By subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
RELATED ARTICLESSee all in Yoga

Yoga

5 Potential Health Benefits of Frog Pose

Medically ReviewedbyKara Andrew, RDN, LDN|March 21, 2022
mandukasana

Yoga

7 Myths About Yoga That Shouldn’t Stop You From Doing It

Medically ReviewedbyGrant Chu, MD|September 24, 2021
man practicing yoga looking at cat

Yoga

Are You Doing Too Much Yoga? Here’s How to Tell (and Why It Can Be Risky)

Medically ReviewedbyAlison Ozgur, RDN|September 16, 2021
woman practicing yoga outdoors in coral outfit

Yoga

3 Big Ways Yoga Can Help With Your Weight Loss Goals

Medically ReviewedbyGrant Chu, MD|September 1, 2021
woman doing yoga outside

Yoga

A 5-Minute Stress Relief and Calming Yoga Flow

Published onApril 28, 2021
woman practicing yoga dressed in pink next to plants

Yoga

5 Stress-Reducing Yoga Poses (and Why They Help)

Medically ReviewedbyJustin Laube, MD|September 22, 2020
illustration of people doing yoga

Yoga

5 Yoga Poses and Exercises for Better Sleep Tonight

Medically ReviewedbyAlison Ozgur, RDN|September 3, 2020
woman hugging knees in bed stretch

Yoga

Yoga 101: Poses, Types, Health Benefits, and How to Get Started on the Mat

Medically ReviewedbyJustin Laube, MD|September 13, 2019
illustrations of yoga poses

Yoga

Does Yoga Count as Exercise?

Medically ReviewedbyJustin Laube, MD|September 11, 2019
women doing yoga

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Best and Worst Styles of Yoga for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Medically ReviewedbyAlexa Meara, MD|August 17, 2017
woman with RA doing yofa
Wellness inspired. Wellness enabled.
A PROPERTY OFEveryday Health GroupEHGLogo
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Meet Our Health Expert Network
  • Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy
  • Careers
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Contact Us
  • Press Center
  • All Health Topics
  • Popular Topics
  • Drugs & Supplements
  • Sitemap
  • AdChoices
NEWSLETTERS
Get the best in health and wellness
By subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
© 1996-2025 Everyday Health, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved. Everyday Health is among the federally registered trademarks of Everyday Health, Inc. and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission.All information on the Everyday Health website is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to be used for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For more details, see Everyday Health's Terms of Use.
TRUSTe Verified PrivacyBadges
Type 2 DiabetesExocrine Pancreatic InsufficiencyEczemaLung CancerMacular DegenerationMultiple SclerosisProstate CancerBreast CancerAlzheimer's DiseaseMenopauseHeart FailureCelebrity Health & WellnessCrohn's DiseaseParkinson's DiseasePsoriasisHypothyroidismAtrial FibrillationUlcerative ColitisHair LossRheumatoid ArthritisHepatitis CCOPDDepressionAnkylosing SpondylitisCold & FluPsoriatic ArthritisEndometriosisKeto DietADHDBipolar DisorderMigraineHypertensionAsthmaHIV/AIDSOvarian CancerAnxiety DisordersHigh CholesterolWeight LossIBSStressMediterranean DietColorectal CancerLeukemiaAcupunctureSkin CareHealthy RecipesDehydrationFitness & ExerciseYogaMeditationSelf-CareBug-BitesType 1 Diabetes