Center for the Study of Yoga and Health
Evidence-Based Yoga
Researching the Intersection
Between Yoga and Health
Basic Overview
Evidence-Based Yoga
The academic research literature contains over
1000 scientific articles on Yoga covering its effects on a wide range of health conditions, with new ones appearing all the time.
Many of these studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of specific Yoga postures and series. Evidence-based Yoga...
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New Research
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
February, 2013
Author Summary:
A holistic yoga program for 12 weeks is significantly better than physical exercise in reducing AMH, LH, and testosterone, mFG score for hirsutism, and improving menstrual frequency with nonsignificant changes in body weight, FSH, and prolactin in adolescent PCOS.
Sexual Function in Women
July, 2013
Author Summary:
The 12-week yoga intervention resulted in significant
improvement in arousal and lubrication compared with the
control group. Systolic blood pressure showed
significantly greater improvement in the yoga group than
in the control group at the 12-week follow up. Yoga may be
an effective treatment for sexual dysfunction in women
with metabolic syndrome as well as for metabolic risk
factors.
Restless Legs Syndrome
June, 2013
Author Summary:
Participants demonstrated striking reductions in symptoms
and severity, with symptoms decreasing to minimal/mild in
all but 1 woman and no participant scoring in the severe
range by week 8. Participants also showed
significant improvements in sleep, perceived stress, and
mood.
Chronic Low Back Pain
May, 2013
Author Summary:
The sample’s baseline mean pain intensity and function
reflected moderate to severe back pain and impairment.
Pain and back-related function improved within both
groups. However, there were no differences between
once-weekly and twice-weekly groups for pain reduction or
back-related function. Twelve weeks of once-weekly or
twice-weekly yoga classes were similarly effective.
Chronic Migraines
February, 2013
Author Summary:
Positive health related outcomes in chronic migraine can
be obtained with a low cost, group, integrated yoga in a
community based nonclinical setting. Analysis revealed
that the intervention group experienced statistically
significant changes in self-perceived pain frequency, pain
intensity, pain duration, functional status, medication
used and depression; these differences retained their
significance at the 6-month follow-up.
Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
March, 2013
Author Summary:
Yoga training reduced symptomatic AF episodes, symptomatic
non-AF episodes, asymptomatic AF episodes, and depression
and anxiety, and improved the QoL parameters of physical
functioning, general health, vitality, social functioning,
and mental health domains. There was significant decrease in
heart rate, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure before
and after yoga.