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Benefits of Yoga

Research shows that yoga has many benefits. It can help alleviate pain, improve depression and sleep, support mental health, and reduce stress and inflammation.

Pain Relief

Yoga has been shown to reduce pain and joint inflammation in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis, making it a recommended addition to usual care.1

Depression Management

Hatha and restorative styles of yoga have demonstrated positive effects in alleviating symptoms of depression.2

Enhanced Sleep

Yoga has been found to help with sleep problems, particularly in individuals with neuropsychiatric disorders.3

Mental Health Support

Evidence supports that yoga can be a useful complementary therapy for individuals with schizophrenia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when combined with medication.4

Stress Reduction

Regular yoga practice has been linked to decreased stress and burnout, benefiting health care workers, students, and other professionals.5

Inflammation Control

Yoga postures and breathing techniques have been found to positively influence inflammatory pathways, helping individuals with inflammatory conditions.6

Yoga Safety

Systematic reviews indicate that yoga is generally a safe practice with few reported adverse events.7 Yoga is considered safe for both healthy individuals and those with medical conditions, and its recommendation should not be discouraged due to safety concerns.8

Side Effects

Most side effects from yoga are mild and temporary, though in rare cases. more serious effects have been reported.9

Yoga has the same risk level as other types of exercise or standard treatments, such as massage or physiotherapy.10

Individuals with medical conditions should consult their doctor before practising extreme breathing techniques.11

Safety Considerations

Beginners should avoid advanced techniques and breathing exercises.12 Individuals with certain health conditions — such as glaucoma, osteopenia, asthma, psychosis, or affective disorders — may need to modify their yoga practice.13

Those with physical or mental health conditions should practice yoga under the guidance of an experienced, medically trained teacher.14

Fact Sheets

Benefits of Yoga (PDF)
Yoga Safety (PDF)

References

  1. Andrea Cortés-Ladino, C. Augusto Arias-Ortiz, and A. Porras-Ramírez, "Effectiveness of Yoga and Acupuncture in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine: eCAM2023 (2023): 9098442, https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/9098442.
  2. Balasubramaniam, S. Telles, and P. M. Doraiswamy, "Yoga on Our Minds: A Systematic Review of Yoga for Neuropsychiatric Disorders," Frontiers in Psychiatry3 (2013): 117, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2012.00117; J. Brinsley et al., "Effects of Yoga on Depressive Symptoms in People with Mental Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," British Journal of Sports Medicine 55, no. 17 (2021): 992–1000, https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2019-101242; M. C. McCall, A. Ward, N. W. Roberts, and C. Heneghan, "Overview of systematic reviews: yoga as a therapeutic intervention for adults with acute and chronic health conditions," Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine: eCAM 2013 (2013): 945895, https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/945895.
  3. Balasubramaniam, Telles, and Doraiswamy, "Yoga on Our Minds," 117.
  4. Balasubramaniam, Telles, and Doraiswamy, "Yoga on Our Minds," 117.
  5. D. Ciezar-Andersen, K. A. Hayden, and K. M. King-Shier, "A Systematic Review of Yoga Interventions for Helping Health Professionals and Students," Complementary Therapies in Medicine58 (2021): 102704, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2021.102704; R. A. Cocchiara, M. Peruzzo, A. Mannocci, L. Ottolenghi, P. Villari, A. Polimeni, F. Guerra, and G. La Torre, "The Use of Yoga to Manage Stress and Burnout in Healthcare Workers: A Systematic Review," Journal of Clinical Medicine 8, no. 3 (2019): 284, https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm8030284.
  6. M. Djalilova, P. S. Schulz, A. M. Berger, A. J. Case, K. A. Kupzyk, and A. C. Ross, "Impact of Yoga on Inflammatory Biomarkers: A Systematic Review," Biological research for nursing 21, no. 2 (2019): 198–209, https://doi.org/10.1177/1099800418820162.
  7. Cramer, L. Ward, R. Saper, D. Fishbein, G. Dobos, and R. Lauche, "The Safety of Yoga: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials," American Journal of Epidemiology182, no. 4 (2015): 281–293, https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwv071; H. Cramer, C. Krucoff, and G. Dobos, "Adverse Events Associated with Yoga: A Systematic Review of Published Case Reports and Case Series," PLoS One 8, no. 10 (2013), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0075515; D. Fishbein, L. Barrett, R. Teranishi, R. Saper, and J. Kruger, "Is Yoga Really Dangerous? A Systematic Review of Adverse Events Reported in the Medical Literature," Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine 20, no. 5 (2014): A21, http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/acm.2014.5052.abstract.
  8. Cramer et al., "Safety of Yoga," 281–293.
  9. Cramer et al., "Safety of Yoga," 281–293; Cramer, Krucoff, and Dobos, "Adverse Events Associated with Yoga"; Fishbein et al., "Is Yoga Really Dangerous?", A21.
  10. Cramer et al., "Safety of Yoga," 281–293.
  11. Cramer, Krucoff, and Dobos, "Adverse Events Associated with Yoga."
  12. Cramer, Krucoff, and Dobos, "Adverse Events Associated with Yoga."
  13. Cramer, Krucoff, and Dobos, "Adverse Events Associated with Yoga."
  14. Cramer, Krucoff, and Dobos, "Adverse Events Associated with Yoga."