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The Benefits of Yoga

A team of researchers set out to measure the change in blood pressure levels of people involved in yoga, meditation and other mind-body therapies.

The review

They reviewed 12 trials to establish that yoga significantly reduced systolic blood pressure by an average of 19.07 mmHg and diastolic by 13.13 mmHg.

Yoga techniques involve different body positions and movements which help the body relax and calm the mind.

The 2002 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) found almost 30 million Americans use relaxation techniques including meditation and yoga. A quarter of those people who used mind-body therapies rated them as being “very helpful.”

The lead author of the study Dr Ali said, "This review shows that there is some high quality scientific literature supporting the use of mind-body therapies as a treatment for hypertension, and the magnitude of effect is clinically significant."

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